I tried to add a leg shake using the graph editor between nodes, before the character drops the ball to show their struggle. I also bent the knees inwards to exagerate the moment. I wish I had foccused more on his shoulder muscles though as I realise they are slightly lacking in movement
Running jump
I like the jump but the run feels alot weaker, I found using snows rig to animate the run far more tedius than with my previous run using rain.
Lip sync
“This right here is my faviorite thing, ever in the history of forever I think about this every day I think about this all night long I stay awake not sleeping becuase im thinking about this” 11 seconds
During my audio breakdown I recorded myself to see what was the most defined parts of each word, I am mostly happy with my lip sync however I struggled emphasising the plosives within the script especially with forming “ev” part of the script
My original draft was too plain and didnt read comfortable, I changed text allignment adjusting font after some feedback
Cover Email Research
I researched the artstyle, engine and themes that trend within Billy Goat Entertainments’ games, finding that they developed in Unity for their previously released titles, all of their games are heavily exagerated comedic games with a stylised artstyle. They aim to bring simple enjoyment to their players.
Cover Email
Cover letter bullet points
Relevant skills
2D Concepting
Character Modeling
Modeling Modular Environment Kit intended for game design
Texturing Using substance painter and photoshop
Topology
UnWrapping
Unreal Engine Node use for effects such as smoke, complex shaders, fog
I am very interested in working with games, and follow a lot of game development and would love to work on an interesting project
Refined Cover Email, I realised I needed to write more and target the studio more
To whom it may concern at Billy Goat Entertainment, I am Eoin Bourke a second year animation student looking for placement, I have always enjoyed games and would love to help create. I particularly like working in a stylised style like ‘Parcel Corps’ which I admire from your recent releases, and enjoy working in. I feel I have the relevant skills to work with you My key skills being
-2D Concepting and 3D blocking
– Character Modeling
-Modeling Modular Environment Kits intended for game design
-Texturing Using substance painter and photoshop
-Topology
-UnWrapping
-Basic Unity skills and use
Core Softwares throughout my development pipeline I’ve used while working alone and with games design course
– Pure ref, I will gather references to help decide on theme and style then work on my concept work after I create reference board to work from while modeling
-Procreate, I will create my concepts to use as reference, refine style for the project and work from
-Blender, I will block out using poly modeling to test how strong the design is then refine with sculpting and retopology, as well as any rigging and animating any effects
-Substance Painter, Primarily where I do my texturing and baking
-Photoshop, Any texture map tweaks or final render edits
-Unreal engine, Visual effects, scene set up, creating real time effects and complex shaders.
I also feel I’m a strong communicator and work a lot in teambuilding from my work experience where most areas required strong communication in group work, tutoring, Campus Ambassador and working projects within my Animation course.
I hope this letter finds you well, thank you for your consideration.
Initially, I was very excited about this project in collaboration with the game design course, we came up with the game Estate of Disrepair, in which the player takes the role of a builder who has just been sold a house in an earthquake-prone area, the player must repair elements of their house while it falls apart around them. During the initial concept of the game, we worked out the animation team roles very quickly and I ended up working on the environment design. While working with the game level designer a level was drafted up very quickly based on this I started creating a modular kit since I knew changes to the level would be made during development.
I started my work by modelling walls based on references of general damage on old walls and specifically wear caused by small earthquakes and worked from there starting with the living room as it would be the main area of the game. Before starting I discussed with the game design students and animation students about the scale and specifically game design students how they would be implementing the mechanic of the walls taking more damage initially they told me the environment kit would not need to be on one texture sheet for the main area of the house, just as I finished the main area of the house and was working on the bathroom I was told that I would need to change my textures onto one UV sheet, which I did only to find out immediately after they wanted it back the original way. I found these communication issues very frustrating as I had to redo old work consistently with a little warning before deadlines despite having an initial plan. It also made me unsure of how to implement baking the bricks into my walls which I was going to do per what Rachel Dixon taught us during her lectures on modular environmental modelling but as I kept having to make changes I ended up putting it off way too much and instead just used a lower poly version of what I had originally intended to bake in the final product I should’ve, worked out my time better to make my original plan work. I did have a lot of fun creating the modular kit for the house and exploring different methods of environment creation.
While texturing dmg For the damage I created a smart material and using masks and generators I applied it to each texture, knowing that the game designers were using red emission from what I had seen of the game I didnt want to break the art style too much with the damage and knew clarity would be maintained.
Research
the creation of modular kits used in games such as House Flipper, 60 Seconds and Fortnite by looking at the portfolios of 3d artists who worked on some of the games and their in-game assets (Fortnite 3D Assets), and earthquake damage on different materials to reference throughout my project
Skills I improved
-Environment modelling, my previous environment modelling had been quite rough and wasn’t intended as a modular kit it was also made with other group members compared to this module. Where I have learned
–Texturing, Due to quite a few delays in work and having to redo work, I grew quite familiar with making and using substances smart materials and adjusting them per model.
-Team Communication, Keeping the team up to date on my work and working based on their input on my work
Throughout this module I had to learn new processes which I enjoyed as well as working with animation students I hadn’t had the opportunity to work with before, despitea lot of frustrations with communication on the game design end I am proud and mostly happy with the assets I produced and feel I have improved in several areas from previous submissions.
What I planned to say (underlines is the parts I accidently skipped over during the presentation)
The article suggests that part of how the modern sitcoms engage their audiences through intertextuality and referencing which the article refers to as “smart sitcoms” which also utilise clever humour that goes beyond traditional punchlines
BoJack Horseman is a great example of this which opts for this far more than the other “smart sitcom” model a way big Mouth uses intertextuality is in it’d episode naming scheme which are all pop culture references, or self-referenxing to other BoJack episodes, thus engaging the audience and making them feel clever or appreciate the names before the episode even begins this gives the show a strong base to rely on as each episode intends to with and maintain an active audience which it needs as it presents itself expecting a culturally literate audience 8
Where I differ from the article is it’s praise of big Mouth for the same thing BoJack does in my opinion it uses far cruder humor and jarring remarks as a quick attention grab on its audience whilst little else supports it as a “smart sitcom”
The article points out a lot of smart sitcoms reliance on having an active audiences but fails to make the connection of how they try and retain their connection with the audience and why they are so reliant on it in the modern model for television and binge models. Where due to the amount of access platforms like Netflix create shows needs to fight for audience retention and to effectively tell mature or nuanced stories within the TV show format writers must use clever techniques to retain an active audience
Extra point from my research
One issue with this model relies on already having active audience members that are engaged with the show. Whilst exploring these themes, the show cannot be laxly enjoyed; however, while Big Mouth opts to use jarring humour to engage the audience and also potentially creates humour via the idea of dark and edgy/tabboo = humour. Big Mouth relies on this heavily compared to the more nuanced show bojack horseman. The article’s author still praises Big Mouth, arguing it is telling stories that should be told. While I don’t necessarily disagree with this, I feel the big-mouth writers aren’t entirely stoic about this and present the stories poorly when compared directly to other “smart sitcoms” one of the flaws with this is it catches the viewer’s attention but cannot retain them as an active audience.
I had also intitally wanted to talk more about the cultural literacy of viewers of big mouth vs bojack horseman springing from a line in the article which arguably attacks the viewer for the idea of having a problem with big mouth, which shows a particular inability to justify praise for big mouth in the article look at elements of “Film theory: Critical concepts in media and cultural studies”, Adorno – Passive Consumption and Katz and Blumler – Uses and Gratifications Theory as I find it intresting how bojack horseman expects to be viewed by the audience vs Big Mouth
Reflection
I struggled intitally with writing for the article both because I found the article to be slightly inept and had a low scope analaysing modern sitcoms narrowing it to specifically netflix originals and the other module was taking up a large part of my time due to this I didn’t end up talking with my group alot which I am dissapointed with in myself however we did still all come to similar conclusions and they work they did allowed me to focus on primarily my part.
Having not done analysis work recently I did also take quite abit to warm upto reading deeper into the text.
I am mostly happy with the work I did however with starting the work slightly later than the rest of my group and starting the assignment wrong (I intially thought the blob was supposed to be an essay on the article and was seperate to the presentation work) causing me redo my work, I didnt find much time to be proactive in the groupwork which I like to normally be another thing I found is my presenting skills are lacking which I hope to improve, other than those things I did really enjoy analyising media again.
Initially I felt a lack of control and accuracy whilst using this technique
I really appreciated the demo as it taught me about array as well as some blender shortcuts I wish I already knew
oddly when I moved onto more complicated, scaling and mathematically working out the arrays I found it easier
2X2 Tile sets
I realise this work is highly exaggerated and definitely too detailed for what it is but I was more so limit testing with this design method, i do wish I got to work more at finishing the building or looking at how I can potentionally use shaders and colour ramps to create some intresting colouring which would distract from the fact its all just 5 tiles repeated, I think something that would help alot with that as well would be a varried arch but as it was classwork I don’t plan on finishing it but do plan on using what i learnt from it in my main coursework to draft up some demos of the level and possible tiles we could use
These brief style breakdowns were made with Padraig Toquillo
Hi-Fi Rush
Rhythm game fans, younger children ages 12-15 (based on marketing and very light-hearted artstyle), many action shots seem taken out of comic book panels and the characters throughout being very light-hearted trying to create a fun game to play with music for children
Influences include comic books and recent animated films such as into the spider-verse, using Ben-day dots across their backgrounds to give it a more comic feel. Also using high contrasted comic colours and action lines, Influenced by anime as well throughout the gameplay via poses, some character archetypes often within anime. Based on the song choices it seems to take influence for character design from many cyber-punk style games/shows/comics that are typically used by this genre we can see the effect on the character designs with neon lights and cybernetics incorporated into their designs. (tri gun stampede is an obvious influence for character design) use rocker designs for its characters (dramatic hair, bandanas, scarves, leather jackets ect)
Point that was originall missed Constructed with cell shading that is mostly flat colouring with some small shadows and is 2 tone uses half shading on background and single tones to not distract from the characters who are already limited in colouring and shading the background
are also mostly clean colouring
High saturated art style, and fast-moving shots and action lines create an energetic and upbeat feeling for the player. As well as trying to empower the character.
The art style compliments the fast-paced action and songs by being energetic (see soundtrack list) and works well to incorporate multiple genres to fit together. Being light-hearted, it conveys the comedic tone and doesn’t make the silly moments feel out of place
It knows its audience very well and goes all in on its style which could turn some people away however, it blends action and rhythm game genres together very well creating a fun experience
Use cell shading, use actions line, Use ben Dot, Keep vibrant colouring, Dynamic posing and also looking at referencing pop culture with them, use fps to emphasis cut scenes, Bold colouring and vfx for attacks.
9 animated movie
1.It is aged 12 however, it uses a lot more mature themes which targets a more older audience
2.The movie’s art style took a lot of inspiration from steampunk aesthetics and the Tim Burton style, as the shots have the characters positioned down in frame to make them feel powerless and small. It also takes the lighting from Tim Burton as throughout the film, the light has a de-saturated colour scheme, with a green tint on the lighting to reflect the grim atmosphere. Cartoony art styles. There’s also some supernatural elements with the green lighting reflecting otherworldly and unnatural aspects in the story
Horror and a feeling of discomfort. And uses shots to immediate the audience by using saturation and tint on the characters.
The story follows an uncertain character walking up in a ruined world and trying to learn who he was and what happened. The artstyle aids this by unverving the audience and making the main character feel small by having many props be oversized. The washed-out colour creates a bleak atmosphere
It can look muddied due to its colouring style unlike products with a similar style such as box trolls, but It does do a good job of creating intimidation as it leaves no room for comedy or light hearted moments.
Use green lighting while modelling texturing so you know how the model will look in the final product, use washed out colours, pallete of browns and greens, when thinking about character design shape language plays an important role.
Everything in world is hard surfaces for the most part, steam punk city aesthetic for backgrounds
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
15 but expands to young adult primarily due to franchising and making shots similar to artwork intended to be viewed as atmospheric
Ocean horn is an obvious heavy influence, but also games like final fantasy, shadow of colossus is another big influence however BOTW maintains a softer style that is kept light hearted and less dark than shadow of the colossus
Keeps influences from previous Zelda games while creating a softer tone and uses illustrative designs, takes influence from fantasy games such as ocean horn, wonder within the viewer, Uses cell shading that does not have line art in more atmospheric scenes is 3 tone and in harsher lighting its 2 tone.
It helps the player want to explore, which is one of the main aspects of the game. It also creates a mystical feeling to the world, helps empower the player keeping the world feel like a fantasy, as the character get stronger it becomes a power fantasy
It has a much higher illustrative quality to its models than games of similar styles, the style can take away from more serious story elements within the game because its very light-hearted and evokes childlike wonder, however this does fit most of the games tone, keeps sadder moments more balanced and light hearted which lets them target a younger audience.
Hand-painted textures, Use of clean colour palettes, Flat texturing for assets, keep colours within the same saturation for the most part.
Very clean cell shading that in dark places is 3 tone and in brighter seems 2 tone with no outlines, this variety allows the game to create different tones
I wish I could have dove deeper in these analysis and looked at more technical elements of the creation of art style but on realising this I will do that in the future
Our game is about a builder that lives in a shoddy house and once an earthquake hits the building starts to collapse and he has to keep the building stable by fixing broken spots until the earthquake is gone.
Creating the style guide for the game – We had to take into account tone of the game and how seriously or comedic the game was meant to be taken and on assesment we went for a more light hearted style
Key attributes of our style
-Visueal clarity for the player
-Simplified soft textures
-Worn look to make the house feel poor quality
-Maintain genre conventuality to target the correct audience of players
My slides
I also put quite alot of effort in helping group members who struggled with the understanding the assignment and creating a list of what we would need on the presentation via discord and keeping members up to date on work as well as organising calls for the group to make sure everyone was on track and ensure our work mainted a similar style, to maintain working on a similar style while we were still working on stuff I put examples under style guide headings of how it could end up looking, however any current consistences I hope will be solved when we are all working on the same files
-Process
Substance layers using height maps to texure
I used base textures then put blur slope with custom texture noise to get the effect I wanted Ive seen made this a smart material to use a base in the future where il just need to change out some textures to get the effect I want faster
Style break downs and what they acheive slides I created to help the group consider our options as we were quite indecisive intially
References and inspiration – We looked at many styles that were bright and colourful to contrast the ironic sitaution the main character finds themself in the game
Material I learnt from and used to develop the style guide
I looked into using substance designer because I wanted to broaden my skills and have seen cool stuff done with it, however it felt like too much to start for one assignment but I was inspired by videos I watched about it
My idea was to create a deadknight that had been reanimated, I wanted to leave parts of the spirit and armour missing to emphaisis how they may have died
Modelling
I started with simple sculpts and poly modeling to find the shape language I wanted before later refining it down
I ended up not using the shield and helmet because I didnt like how it blurred the shilluotte of the model the helmet was dropped for a gambison hood which was often worn under armour
During most of my model I poly modelled the armour around a sculpted base mesh of the upper torso to get the shapes I wanted it wasnt until the hand and face I used a combination of retropology and modelling off of a reference sheet which I quickly sketched for that purpose
I later tweaked it the vertices to form better retropology and get the look I wanted
I had wanted to use Zbrush and did trial it for abit but due to getting the licence late I didnt have much time to get used to it so after abit of practice modelling stuck with blender
Refinement
Feedback
there are some deformation on the armor on the left side. you will need to adjust the UVs to avoid these distortions.
The arms seem too small and short for a character like this. I understand that one of the arm is ghostly. I recommend you turn it into bones or a zombie-like arm to keep your character consistent. Focus on getting the volume to communicate the character’s nature/story a bit better.
the split between the human and ghostly head is too sharp. I recommend you sculpt the gradient between skin/bone. You can do this by purely sculpting scars and decayed flesh or a combination between sculpting details on the mesh and complementing them with materials in substance.
The hood looks from the front but could be enhanced to look less spherical and more like stiched medieval hood
regarding the armour you can look into adding more details do break the silhouette and add more forms on the armour, I highly recommend that you research and look up armour and reflect on the detail
Modelling changes, my main changes were to fix problematic mesh issues but I also added rivets following references and straps for the main plate parts, and to address the issue of the back of the model being flat I moved the currupted parts of the armour to face more directions and basic wear to other parts of the armour besides the currupted part
Feedback on multi-res issue
I fixed my multi-res issue by duplicating the multi-res and applying the base layer then lowering the new one and adding more detail, since due to a very low poly base mesh I hadnt been able to add as much detail without higher levels
New model
Texturing
I used alot of what I learned last term with substance and was intially going to go for the same stylised hand painted textures using different filters but this time decided to go for a more realistic texturing style as I hadnt tried to achieve it before, so I looked at depictions of armour I liked to use as a reference
I created edge wear shown here on the base colours tab using a metal wear filter and anchor layer to draw where I wanted the wear primarily because I wanted to lessen the amount on the right side to not take away from the look of the left
I wanted to creat a mix of depth so using height maps and hsl layers in combination with textures I created dark, medium, and light duplicates on an offset with different roughnesses to add detail to the armour
I repeated similar steps for the Gambison and Leather straps one, using anchor layers to control the stitches as using seems or normals created a double stick look I didnt like
One thing I wish I had done through the texturing was add textures to the stiches an the dirt to acompany the wear on the armour
Assembling my Unreal Engine Scene
After finding models and starting to mess around with compisition from a walled gravesite I quickly realised I wanted to make some form of ringed grave
While playing around with the default skybox I realised it wasnt going to be able to achieve what I wanted and another classmate told me about a better skybox that had far more options
Using goodsky and Expential fog height I created one I liked far more, I also realised I didnt just want the grave in a flat landscape with some background hills and like the idea of raising it up
Fog Shaders
Intially I created the horizontal fog walls far differently but the effect felt off alongside the volumetric fog so instead I created seperate instances of the material and edited them
Original shader for textures fog I liked how it looked moving but not still
I think they looked odd next to each other and the fog wall overshadowed the sky
Material and instances (not how I format them fore myself just so they can be seen in one screenshot)
Animated fog walls
Volumetric Fog
Ghostly Shader
I put my render into photoshop but the fog messed up alot of my layer, so I ended up just using one that captured the foreground and one that captured the ghostly textures to enhance those
Final Render
References I used throughout development
Videos I used throughout the process of my model
Overall, I really enjoyed most of the project; however, I struggled a lot with motivation towards the end, which wasn’t improved by quite a few external issues I had come up with during the project; I hope to improve where I can on this. Parts I was pleased with were the modelling and initial texturing; During the modelling, I had alot of fun learning about sculpting anatomy and modelling while enhancing my shape language; however, while I still used sculpting and retropology, I think I had an overreliance on poly-modelling, one of my weaknesses was UV-unwrapping I think from now on I need to be more thorough while checking my UV unwraps. However, I definitely improved a lot while figuring out how to use UDIMs within Blender, Unreal Engine and Substance Painter. One of the things I enjoyed most about modelling was adding in small details to improve the character.
My texturing couldve been improved alot more with some simple things such as adding dirt and grime to the armour to help improve the narrative and accompany the wear already on the armour, my main issue is that I could have pushed it alot further in Unreal Engine with animated textures and utilising lighting on the the metalic textures more. I also put too much detail that ended up not being seen in the final result, to improve this I should draft up concept images for what the viewer will see earlier in my pipeline, which will avoid time being
Learning Unreal Engine was super enjoyable, especially getting to see how it’s used in film and TV and all the really helpful tools within it, such as quixel bridge and assembling a landscape and scene.
Overall, I am happy with my work on this assignment except for a few things, such as struggling to model the face how I wanted, but primarily, I struggle with working to a schedule, which I’m getting better at.
I really appreciated the demo as it taught me about array as well as some blender shortcuts I wish I already knew
2X2 Tile sets
