This assignment really tested me, more than anything last year and more than our Animation Strategies module.
I feel like I’ve come out of this module with a far better understanding and appreciation for the 3D pipeline. I especially enjoyed learning Zbrush. I had my reservations about learning Zbrush because I thought I would really hate it, but it is probably my favourite 3D software by far, and I loved the process of trying to sculpt an anatomically accurate creature because it was a really good challenge, and I especially enjoyed trying to come up with designs.
Looking back at my project now, I can see many things I wish I had done differently.
I wish I had explored different designs for my minotaur more, experimenting more with my original concept of a nuclear post-apocalypse, and I wish I had gone with the carnivore-like teeth for my minotaur; I think it would have made him far more menacing.
I think I also should have spent a few hours sketching out how I would want him posed in my environment because it would have given me more focus and clarity with what I wanted coming into unreal.
I found Unreal extremely difficult, and I actually tried to plan around Unreal because of how nervous I was that it would heavily cut into my time. I struggled a lot with the in-class tasks and found myself becoming incredibly frustrated, so I really put it off until I needed to touch it, which I regret because once I sat down with a clearer head, it actually came to me a bit easier.
Generally, I tend to underestimate the amount of time I have to work on a project, and I end up crunching the project throughout the process instead of taking my time to perfect the aspects of my project that really matter, such as the design of the character, the unreal environment, or different colour designs for the minotaur.
I think further research into different minotaur designs would have aided me very well because I only really used references from games/media, which I liked, but I should have looked into art pieces and sculptures as well because the only reference of an actual minotaur I liked was the Minotaur from Fenyx: Immortals Rising, but I understand its not about how much I like the overall reference but about how I can pinpoint certain aspects I like from designs, art, and sculptures even if I don’t like the overall design.
I find it very hard to work on these assignments and experiment within the constraints of the project without feeling like I’m running out of time, but I know it’s something I am going to have to grapple with and come to terms with because, in the industry, I know this isn’t going to cut it and I need to get more comfortable with experimentation and practice with the time limit of the project because it’s something I need to do more of.
Overall, I can say I’m somewhat happy with the end product of the assignment and I can definitely see where I want to improve and I really hope I continue to improve artistically in the 3D sphere because I’m starting to enjoy and appreciate it much more than I did this time last year or even when we started in September.