Ecorchè: The Muscles of the Torso

This week we began further refinement of the muscle structure of the torso. There are a lot of hidden muscles and such that make sure we stand upright constantly. It is incredible.

Organic Modeling: ZBrush Legs & Quadruped Progress

This week we did some more refinement for our models. I added more detail to the head and body of the lion, making sure to try and achieve good topology and polygon flow. That is a crucial element if your model will be rigged later on.

Thesis Proposal: Visual Reference Reel

This week I made some refinements to my proposal and began working on creating a visual reference reel to show some of my inspiration for my project.

Brad Reynolds

3D Modeling Emphasis

Diaspar: Concept Background

The golden age of science fiction from the mid-twentieth century offers a wealth of potential creativity for a thesis project. During this time period of rapidly increasing scientific discovery and advancement, authors and artists were able to dream up a myriad of imaginative stories and gadgetry, some of which exist today. It is from this era of science fiction that I am selecting the basis for my thesis concept, specifically from Arthur C. Clarke’s 1956 novel, “The City and The Stars.”

The City and the Stars takes place a billion years in the future in the city of Diaspar. Due to apocalyptic events, the last remnants of humanity are all housed within the technologically advanced city that cares for all of their wants and needs instantaneously through a complex central computer system. All inhabitants of Diaspar are actual reincarnations of former citizens, their minds being stored inside the computer system when they die. Because of this, citizens have millions of years of selective memories within themselves during their lifetime.

The main character of the story, Alvin, is a ‘Unique,’ or citizen that was created without any past lives to remember. Because of this fact, Alvin is driven by an insatiable appetite to explore the world outside of Diaspar. Through a series of events, he discovers and travels to Lys, another community of humans outside of Diaspar who have adopted an almost agrarian lifestyle.

Along with a companion gained in Lys, Alvin discovers and travels to Shalmirane, a fortress where the inhabitants of earth fought off the Invaders with unimaginable weapons. During this excursion, they encounter an extraterrestrial creature who is the last survivor of a religious cult dating back to the days before Diaspar. Accompanying the alien is a strange robot that came with the “Master” of the cult when they first arrived on earth millions of years ago. Through a series of events, Alvin is led to the spacecraft of the Master and travels to a distant galaxy where he is introduced to knowledge that will change the lives of both those in Diaspar and Lys forever.

Deliverables

I would like to produce a series of retro designed science fiction models that are centered around the characters and hardware of the 1956 Arthur C. Clarke novel, “The City and the Stars.” Drawing upon contemporary visual influences of the time during which the novel was written, the style of the models will reflect a nostalgic feel similar to the serial comic books of the 1930s. Two different and distinct visual styles would need to be included since the characters and props are from two long-separated time periods. The models would be posed in a still scene with the final results being both turnarounds of the models and camera pans through the scene. The general description of the models I would like to produce is as follows:

• Alvin: At only twenty years since he was ‘born,’ Alvin is at a point in his life where he is considered a fully-mature adult, ready to begin his individual lifespan of thousands of years. A ‘unique’ human citizen of Diaspar, he is driven by his insatiable appetite to explore the world beyond the city. Due to millions of years of genetically designed refinement, citizens of Diaspar have some differing characteristics from humankind today. For example, because all of their technology supports them, they have eliminated the need for external anatomical features such as hair, nails, teeth, and genitals. Their clothing is merely for ornamentation, not function, and does not protect against the elements. Clarke goes into more detail about the functions of the society of Diaspar and how that has affected their overall appearance.
• Jezarek: As Alvin’s mentor and a prominent member of the citizens of Diaspar, Jezarek has tried to cope with his pupil’s insatiable curiosity of the outside world, while educating him sufficiently to survive on his own. He is wise in his actions, but has the same fear of the outside world as the rest of Diaspar, but is ultimately understanding of Alvin’s personal quest for discovery. Because the citizens of Diaspar live for thousands of years without aging, Jezarek appears only slightly older than Alvin.
• The Master’s Robot: Accompanying the Master on his journey to Earth millions of years ago, the robot is a key factor in introducing Alvin to the mysteries of the galaxy. Further research is needed into Clarke’s description of the robot, but some artistic license may be taken to insure that it fits within the retro science fiction visual language.
• The Master’s Spaceship: The key instrument in bringing the Master to earth during the last days of the Galactic Empire, the ship is another key element of Alvin’s journey beyond the earth. From another world and era, the ship has been buried outside of Diaspar for millennia, but is still functional. Like with the Robot, further research needs to be done in order to obtain Clarke’s description of the ship. Additional artistic license may also need to be taken in order to achieve the goals of the project.
• Diaspar: A utopian city that has survived millions of years of regeneration and refinement, Diaspar is almost as a living organism, intricately run by a single central computer system. Circular in form, the city is designed with the comfort and well-being of its citizens, shielding them from the harmful effects of nature, but also increasing their paranoia of the outside world. The city is in a constant state of regeneration and sections of it are redesigned on occasion as desired by the artistry and engineers both for style and efficiency. Although somewhat vague on the exact stylings of the buildings within Diaspar, Clarke does mention that the city is circular in form with multiple high towers made of stone and glass. Air travel has been abandoned in the future in favor of anti-gravitational roadways that convey the citizens by means of a repulsor field to their desired destinations. Given that the contemporary forms of architecture during Clarke’s time was the Art Deco and Googie movements, it would be appropriate to explore designs that centered around that aesthetic.
• High resolution textures for the hero models and basic textures for the supporting models.
• Diaspar Extended (Collaborative Element): A matte-painting for the extended environment for the scene would require collaboration with another student, but would greatly add to the overall effect.

One of the pivotal moments of the book involves Alvin’s discovery and retrieval of the Master’s spacecraft. With the help of the Robot, Alvin activates the spacecraft, which has been buried under the sands of the desert for millions of years, yet is still fully functional. He does this remotely from one of the high towers on the outskirts of Diaspar, a place where he would often come to catch a glimpse of the outside world. Alvin’s mentor, Jezarek, is with him during all this and is the only one to bid him farewell before he leaves Earth. This scene would be an ideal moment to include all of the models posed together for a type of diorama/pan-across rendering.

Goals

It is my goal to produce a set of models for my demo reel that will allow me to obtain a 3D modeling job in the film industry following graduation. I would like to gear my work towards the type of visual effects that would be done by companies such as ILM and Digital Domain: photorealistic models that would be composited with live action.

Project Considerations

• What particular in the project should be emphasized on my end to gain the attention of VFX/Film industry recruiters?
• Because I will be moving to the bay area to work on this project, what collaborative opportunities will there be with other students to expand the scope and final product of the project?
• Although a set of high-resolution textures would add greatly to the end renderings, would it be distracting to the goals of a feature modeling thesis?

Visual Influences:

Production Design: Retro Futurism

Bioshock

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Character Design: Retro Futurism/Utopianism

THX 1138

Metropolis

Mood: Warm Glow Mingled with Brooding Uncertainty

Blade Runner

Dune

Ecorchè: The Muscles of the Neck

This week we started the process of adding muscle structure to the sculpt. After spending such meticulous hours getting the sculpture looking correct, I am going to be covering over some of those parts with muscle. Sad, isn't it?

Of course, the point of this class is to learn anatomy (that hopefully turns out to be a nice-looking sculpture). This week we started by working on the muscles of the neck.

Organic Modeling: ZBrush Legs & Quadruped

After a bit of a hiatus, I am back into posting things. At Halloween, things got a bit busy and I missed a few days of posting.

This week in class we started refining the legs of our human sculpt in ZBrush. I am starting to really like the program and can't wait to try a few things out with it when I get a chance... if that day ever comes!

In addition to our human model, we started blocking in a model of a quadruped. I picked a lioness partially due to the fact that I could find great reference imagery for it and partially because I wanted to try the Fur and Hair plugins for Maya when I get a break:

Cucurbita Maxima 2010: Harry Potter

Due to the overwhelming lobbying of friends on Facebook, this year's cucurbita maxima carvings were done in honor of the second to last Harry Potter film: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Total working time was somewhere around five hours. Until next year!

Thesis Proposal: The City and the Stars

Brad Reynolds

3D Modeling Emphasis

Diaspar: Concept Background

The golden age of science fiction from the mid-twentieth century offers a wealth of potential creativity for a thesis project. During this time period of rapidly increasing scientific discovery and advancement, authors and artists were able to dream up a myriad of imaginative stories and gadgetry, some of which exist today. It is from this era of science fiction that I am selecting the basis for my thesis concept, specifically from Arthur C. Clarke’s 1956 novel, “The City and The Stars.”

The City and the Stars takes place a billion years in the future in the city of Diaspar. Due to apocalyptic events, the last remnants of humanity are all housed within the technologically advanced city that cares for all of their wants and needs instantaneously through a complex central computer system. All inhabitants of Diaspar are actual reincarnations of former citizens, their minds being stored inside the computer system when they die. Because of this, citizens have millions of years of selective memories within themselves during their lifetime.

The main character of the story, Alvin, is a ‘Unique,’ or citizen that was created without any past lives to remember. Because of this fact, Alvin is driven by an insatiable appetite to explore the world outside of Diaspar. Through a series of events, he discovers and travels to Lys, another community of humans outside of Diaspar who have adopted an almost agrarian lifestyle.

Along with a companion gained in Lys, Alvin discovers and travels to Shalmirane, a fortress where the inhabitants of earth fought off the Invaders with unimaginable weapons. During this excursion, they encounter an extraterrestrial creature who is the last survivor of a religious cult dating back to the days before Diaspar. Accompanying the alien is a strange robot that came with the “Master” of the cult when they first arrived on earth millions of years ago. Through a series of events, Alvin is led to the spacecraft of the Master and travels to a distant galaxy where he is introduced to knowledge that will change the lives of both those in Diaspar and Lys forever.

Deliverables

I would like to produce a series of retro designed science fiction models that are centered around the characters and hardware of the 1956 Arthur C. Clarke novel, “The City and the Stars.” Drawing upon contemporary visual influences of the time during which the novel was written, the style of the models will reflect a nostalgic feel similar to the serial comic books of the 1930s. The models would be posed in a still scene with the final results being both turnarounds of the models and camera pans through the scene. The general description of the models I would like to produce is as follows:

• Alvin: At only twenty years since he was ‘born,’ Alvin is at a point in his life where he is considered a fully-mature adult, ready to begin his individual lifespan of thousands of years. A ‘unique’ human citizen of Diaspar, he is driven by his insatiable appetite to explore the world beyond the city. Due to millions of years of genetically designed refinement, citizens of Diaspar have some differing characteristics from humankind today. For example, because all of their technology supports them, they have eliminated the need for external anatomical features such as hair, nails, teeth, and genitals. Their clothing is merely for ornamentation, not function, and does not protect against the elements. Clarke goes into more detail about the functions of the society of Diaspar and how that has affected their overall appearance.
• The Master’s Robot: Accompanying the Master on his journey to Earth millions of years ago, the robot is a key factor in introducing Alvin to the mysteries of the galaxy. Further research is needed into Clarke’s description of the robot, but some artistic license may be taken to insure that it fits within the retro science fiction visual language.
• The Master’s Spaceship: The key instrument in bringing the Master to earth during the last days of the Galactic Empire, the ship is another key element of Alvin’s journey beyond the earth. From another world and era, the ship has been buried outside of Diaspar for millennia, but is still functional. Like with the Robot, further research needs to be done in order to obtain Clarke’s description of the ship. Additional artistic license may also need to be taken in order to achieve the goals of the project.
• Diaspar: A utopian city that has survived millions of years of regeneration and refinement, Diaspar is almost as a living organism, intricately run by a single central computer system. Circular in form, the city is designed with the comfort and well-being of its citizens, shielding them from the harmful effects of nature, but also increasing their paranoia of the outside world. The city is in a constant state of regeneration and sections of it are redesigned on occasion as desired by the artistry and engineers both for style and efficiency. Although somewhat vague on the exact stylings of the buildings within Diaspar, Clarke does mention that the city is circular in form with multiple high towers made of stone and glass. Air travel has been abandoned in the future in favor of anti-gravitational roadways that convey the citizens by means of a repulsor field to their desired destinations. Given that one of the contemporary forms of architecture during Clarke’s time was the Art Deco movement, it would be appropriate to explore designs that centered around that aesthetic.
• High resolution textures for the hero models
• Diaspar Extended (Collaborative Element): A matte-painting for the extended environment for the scene would require collaboration with another student, but would greatly add to the overall effect.

Goals

It is my goal to produce a set of models for my demo reel that will allow me to obtain a 3D modeling job in the film industry following graduation. I would like to gear my work towards the type of visual effects that would be done by companies such as ILM and Digital Domain: photorealistic effects that would be composited with live action.

Questions to address

• What particular in the project should be emphasized on my end to gain the attention of industry recruiters?
• Even though my interest is in hard-surface modeling, should the focus of the project be shifted to include a balance of organic and hard surface models to better market myself?
• Because I will be moving to the bay area to work on this project, what collaborative opportunities will there be with other students to expand the scope and final product of the project?

Ecorchè: The Upper Limbs

This week marks the completion of our work on osteology, or the study of bones. I have to go and refine a few more details before I am able to accurately put in the muscles. This week, we focused on the bones of the arms. It is fascinating to me to see just how many tiny details we overlook when we are talking about the skeleton. There are little bumps called tubercles that simply serve the purpose of muscle attachment points. Each and every part of the skeleton is deliberate and serves a specific purpose in both housing and protection.

Organic Modeling: ZBrush Torso

I must admit that I find ZBrush to be a very fun tool. I still need to work out all of the little details and such of its interface, but it produces some nice results if you treat it right. This week we went into our models to refine the muscles of the torso. I am hoping that my work is close to reality, but I don't know anyone that muscular... or waxy... Anyway, here is the progress from this week:

Thesis Proposal: Refinement & Visual Inspiration II

After a nice discussion over the phone over with my professor, I realized that I couldn't really tie my last idea together, so instead I've decided to go a different route completely. I need to do something that brings me closer to the current industry and would attract the attention of industry recruiters. Here is what I have changed my direction to:

Brad Reynolds

3D Modeling Emphasis

Concept Refinement

The idea of doing a retro-science fiction designed set of models is intriguing to me. In order to strengthen the unity of the design aesthetic I am hoping to achieve, I would like to position my set of models around a science fiction story from the early part of the twentieth century. I need to do some more research into which particular story to choose, but that is the direction I am headed.

Another intriguing idea that might be interesting to pursue would be to take a successful modern science fiction story and retro-design it to the aesthetics of the 1930s-1960s. For example, if the story of Halo was visualized in the early half of the twentieth century, what would the final visuals be?

Deliverables

I would like to produce a series of models that are centered around an early twentieth century science fiction story, preferably one that hasn’t had too much visual development to accompany it. The models would be posed in a still scene with the final results being both turnarounds of the models and camera pans through the scene. The general description of the models I would like to produce is as follows:

• A hero model of a human protagonist of the story, most likely dressed in either a retro-designed space suit or adventurer type costume, depending on the supporting story.
• A non-human protagonist, either a creature or robot.
• A retro designed spacecraft with detailed refinements in the design and texturing.
• A supporting environment and props to to tie the scene together.
• A matte-painting for the extended environment for the scene would require collaboration with another student, but would greatly add to the overall effect.
• High resolution textures for the hero models

Goals

It is my goal to produce a set of models for my demo reel that will allow me to obtain a 3D modeling job in the film industry following graduation. I would like to gear my work towards the type of visual effects that would be done by companies such as ILM and Digital Domain: photorealistic effects that would be composited with live action.

Questions to address

• What particular in the project should be emphasized on my end to gain the attention of industry recruiters?
• Even though my interest is in hard-surface modeling, should the focus of the project be shifted to include a balance of organic and hard surface models to better market myself?
• Because I will be moving to the bay area to work on this project, what collaborative opportunities will there be with other students to expand the scope and deliverables of the project?

Visual Influences:

Architecture/Environment

A great deal of influence stems from Art Deco architecture and design

BioShock (The City of Rapture)

Star Wars Episodes I, II, & III (Coruscant Architecture)

Fritz Lang’s Metropolis

Costume

The Rocketeer

Dune

Flash Gordon

Vehicle/Robotics

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Star Wars Episodes I, II, & III (Naboo Spacecraft & General Grevious Starfighter)

Dune

Flash Gordon

Buck Rogers

Fritz Lang’s Metropolis

The Iron Giant

Mood/Atmosphere

BioShock (Neon accents to stylized architecture)

Sky Captain (Film noir feel)

Sin City (lighting)

A.I. (City Scenes)

Literary Influences

Amazing Stories 1930s Serial Comics

Buck Rogers

Andre Norton

Frank Herbert

H.P. Lovecraft

Here are a selection of images from the web of visual influences I am looking at:

Vehicle/Robot Design

Costume Design

Atmosphere/Mood

Architectural References