Toolkit 2 - Reflective Statement

Overall Toolkit 2 went decent at best for me, I started each of the main components but only completed a few of them.

Excluding my issues with mental health and the lockdown (which I address in my premise reflective statement), my biggest issue this year has been the same issue from last year, my time management.

Life Drawing

I enjoyed Life Drawing, it was a nice, peaceful hour to recompose myself before moving on with main projects. Whether it was due to lockdown or not, I can't remember, but it certainly was a shame that we ran out of sessions.

Character Design

I did learn quite a bit from these lessons, not that it showed in my rushed final character bible. I was planning on reworking and finishing it, but I ran out of time.

In Lesson Animation

I think I could do with a bit more practice with moom. Preferably on an actual computer and not my MacBook, I found the "acting animation" incredibly difficult to do from home and lagged behind quite a bit. I did enjoy the lip syncing however.

Lighting and Rendering

Short and mostly easy tutorials that I had no issue doing, yet I didn't get through them all. With Mudbox's files being difficult to use on my MacBook and being genuinely concerned if rendering would even work properly, I didn't particularly want to do these tutorials at home, which obviously is now my only option.

Mudbox

Not completing all the mudbox files is honestly just poor time management on my part. Granted I did have issue with Mudbox's files on my MacBook (Specifically I have no idea where they are, Apple has a tendency to hide these things), but generally I can work my way through the tutorials, I just ran out of time. Even though I know it won't be graded I will try to complete this over the summer.

Pipeline 1

Easily the most important thing I should have done and yet here I am with next to nothing to show. I had quite a bad mindset when it came to Jetpack Jones, I was always thinking along the lines of "I've got time, I'll do it later" and when deadline came around, realisation came crashing down on my like a ton of bricks. Despite not having much completed now, I will be completing it before the start of next year, as I know how important it is to learning how to create characters; and with how my premise looks currently I have five characters I need to make, so the quicker I get on with pipeline 1, the better.

Toolkit 2 - Final Submission

Life Drawing

Session 1: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/10/life-drawing-session-1.html

Session 2: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/10/life-drawing-session-2.html

Session 3: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/10/life-drawing-session-3.html

Session 4: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/11/life-drawing-session-4.html

Session 5: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/11/life-drawing-session-5.html

Session 6: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/11/life-drawing-session-6.html

Session 7: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/11/life-drawing-session-7.html

Session 8: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/11/life-drawing-session-8.html

Sessions 9 & 10: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/12/life-drawing-session-10.html

Session 11: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/01/life-drawing-session-11.html

Session 12: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/01/life-drawing-session-12.html

Session 13: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/02/life-drawing-session-13.html

Session 14: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/02/life-drawing-session-14.html

Session 15: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/02/life-drawing-session-15.html

Session 16: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/03/life-drawing-session-16.html

Character Design

Session 1: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/10/character-design-session-1.html

Session 2: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/10/character-design-session-2.html

Session 3: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/10/character-design-session-3.html

Session 4: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/11/character-design-session-4.html

Session 5: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/11/character-design-session-5.html

Session 6: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/11/character-design-session-6.html

Session 7: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/11/character-design-session-7.html

Sessions 8 & 9: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/12/character-design-sessions-8-9.html

Session 10: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/12/character-design-session-10-final.html

Character Bible: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/01/character-design-character-bible.html

Mudbox

Chapters 1 to 5: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/05/toolkit-2-mudbox-tutorials-chapters-1.html

Animation

5x Action Poses: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/10/toolkit-2-action-posing.html

5x Dramatic Poses: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2019/10/toolkit-2-dramatic-poses.html

Weightlifting: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/05/toolkit-2-weightlifting.html

Lip Syncing: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/05/toolkit-2-lip-synicing.html

Acting Animation: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/05/toolkit-2-acting-animation.html

Lighting & Rendering

Physical Sky Light: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/01/toolkit-2-physical-sky-light.html

Mesh Lights: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/01/toolkit-2-mesh-lights.html

Ambient Occlusion: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/01/toolkit-2-ambient-occlusion.html

Photometric Lights: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/01/toolkit-2-photometric-lights.html

Depth of Field: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/01/toolkit-2-depth-of-field.html

Fog (Legacy) & Atmosphere: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/02/toolkit-2-fog-legacy-atmosphere.html

Pipeline 1

Head modelling: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/01/pipeline-1-head-modelling-parts-1-2-3.html

Toolkit 2 - Mudbox Tutorials (Chapters 1 to 5)

Instead of our usual tutorials made by Alan, for Mudbox Alan gave us a series of videos on LinkedIn Learning to watch a learn from.

This was the first 5 sets of videos (Referred to as chapters)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 consisted of two videos showing off the user interface and how to navigate the view port.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 has four videos, each explaining how to create primitives, how to import models, how to efficiently set up your models and how subdivisions work.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 explains sculpt layers and paint layers.
Not sure if it was an actual task or not, but I followed what the tutorial for sculpt layers anyway, resulting in this.

Basic Horns

On one layer, horns manipulated with the grab tool.

On a different layer, the horns manipulated in a slightly different way, again with the grab tool.

The tool layers merged, creating a middle variant of the changes.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 goes in depth into each of the tools at your disposal on Mudbox.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 goes through the sculpting workflow in extreme detail.
This is the first chapter that seems like you’re actively supposed to be following what the tutorial says; so I did.

Goblin Base 

Adding definition to organic shape using wax tool on level 2.

Adding more detail to the ears.

Added more detail to the neck (I also figured out how to turn off the wireframe)

Added detail to the nose

Adding further detail using the foamy tool, including forehead lines (I made them bumpy, because goblin).
This was on level 3.

Added wrinkles around the eyes.

Added more detail with the foamy and knife tools.

Level 4, added cuts with the knife and pinch tools; warts added with the bulge tool.

Asymmetry achieved with the grab tool and playing with various bits of geometry.

Base Helmet

Max level 5, battered helmet with smooth, scrap, knife, pinch and flatten. Also added bolt things with the bulge tool.

Toolkit 2 - Acting Animation

Toolkit 2 - Lip Synicing

According to the tutorial site, we'll be continuing this next year; so here's what I got.

Two versions, one with rough blocked head movements and one without.

Toolkit 2 - Weightlifting

This was one of the in class tasks.
Most of this was done in class, but the end was not so it is quite a bit messy.

Premise - Reflective Statement

I walked into this project and the entire year of 2020 with confidence and my head held high, only for the year the metaphorically punch me in the stomach.

I was originally quite excited for the premise project as the opportunity to create my own story was one of the main reasons I came to the course, however I feel like this wasn't something I was fully able to achieve . I understand my difficulty in explaining my ideas fully, but I cannot ignore how frustrated I got when I didn't even have a foundation for my project in the first term of working on it. It was also about this time my mental health went back down the drain.

I don't want to use my depression as an excuse for the lack of work, but I will say it was a main point in my lack of motivation. Even once I finally had a beginning of a story, I failed to find the motivation to keep it going, which is why I took so long between updates.

That being said, I don't hate the work I have produced. I have quite enjoyed trying to learn the UPA style and I will continue to experiment with it over summer. The project I have finally got off of the ground here, in my opinion, is basic but can work and I'm more than happy to continue with it.

I'm just slightly annoyed that I had such high hopes for this project, only for it to crumble due to my mental health. And that's not even addressing the global pandemic sized elephant in the room.

The quarantine has ruined my work ethic. I struggle to focus at home, which is why I preferred to go into uni to work daily. Obviously this is no longer possible and my focus went out the window. Paired with my battle with mental health, this is why updates seemed to be less frequent than necessary at the end of the project.

I know in my OGR, Alan suggested I get then story planned out quickly so I have enough time to make improvements, unfortunately this was severely affected by previously mentioned issues.

Had there not been a pandemic or my mental health plummet, I would have liked to get at least another draft of the script created, I wanted to complete the animatic and I also wanted to at least started on some form of Pre-Vis. Unfortunately time was not a friend of mine this year.

Once again my biggest issue of the year was time management. I will be mentioning this in greater detail on my Toolkit 2 reflective statement.


In summary: I went into this project with high hopes, but my mental health and a planet wide pandemic kicked me down. Despite this, I still ended up with some work that I can say is at least decent, in my incredibly negative opinion.

I don't really have an excuse for my lack of stuff in terms of the careers pack outside of these same issues.

Premise - Final Submission

Art of

Script

Animatic

Maya Tests

Maya Toon Shader Tests: https://tdbucaanimation.blogspot.com/2020/05/premise-toon-shaders.html

Careers Pack

Is up on Basecamp. (I will not be uploading here for privacy)

Premise - Art of "The Adventures of Epic Man"

Premise - Toon Shaders

After he suggested it, Alan taught me how to do Toon Shading on Maya, using Maya Software instead of Arnold Renderer.

I modeled three props that are part of my story: The bank vault, a stick of dynamite and a stack of gold bars.

The final compositions outlines are offset to try and achieve the UPA style with a 3D model.

Vault Door Model

Vault Door with a Two Tone Shader

Vault Door with a Black Standard Surface and a white Toon Outline

Final Composition

Dynamite Model

Dynamite with a Toon Texture

Dynamite Outline

Dynamite Composition

Stack of what looks like clay

Toon textured Gold Bars 

Bar outlines

Final Gold Bar Composition

Premise - Script V2

With an updated story, I needed an updated script.

If any one notices anything that needs to be change or anywhere they think I can improve, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Premise - Story Rework

After my tutorial with Alan, he suggested that I make a sticky note storyboard; a physical storyboard compiled of mostly sticky notes detailing the plot and putting most focus on specific elements, in my case gags and sketches. However our situation, I find myself lacking the space and resources to do it properly, so I came up with an alternative.

I took the story back a bit a decided to see how I could fit my story into the typical 3 act structure. My logic is that if I can work the story into segments, I can then work in jokes around those segments, this has lead to the creation of a new story plan and storyboard. (New Script coming in my next post)

Story Plan & Storyboard

Beginning

• Intro Sequence
• (This sequence would be a parody of classic superhero intros, like 60's Spider-Man or Roger Ramjet. This of course requires a theme song which the visuals would match. Aside the issue of having to write a song, my plans for this sequence is to have the titular character performing various heroic feats, however as the intro progresses the feats become more and more ridiculous)

• Epic Man looking over the city
• The narrator introduces the audience to Epic Man
• An explosion is seen and heard by the bank
• Epic Man thinks on his next course of action and flies toward the building

Inciting Incident

• Robert Banks and his crew arrive at the bank through a hole they made
• Banks begins monologuing; mid monologue he throws out a stick of dynamite
• One of the henchmen catches the dynamite, then throws it to one of the other henchmen (This starts a running joke of the henchmen pretty much playing hot potato with the dynamite)

• The dynamite finally explodes in the hands of one of the henchmen as Banks finishes his monologue. He then berates them for slacking

• The villains then begin looking for valuables.
• One of them stumbles across the bank's vault

Climax of Act One

• Epic Man arrives
• He arrives by crashing through the wall

• He quips, enraging Banks, the two quickly begin arguing
• "This is not a drill"
• (I had this silly idea of a joke, involving the characters needing a drill to crack the vault and the idea that they had prepared to encounter Epic Man.)

• Banks orders his henchmen to attack Epic Man

Act Two Part One

• Epic Man fights the henchmen
• This fight will be very slapstick focus with Epic Man dispatching the henchmen in comedic ways

• Banks starts to shoot at Epic Man
• Epic Man effortlessly dodges all of the bullets
• Epic Man address how this gun doesn't seem to run out of bullets, but he also mocks Banks by saying that he can dodge all of them
• Banks throws a stick of dynamite at Epic Man
• Epic Man catches it, he turns to the audience to explain the dangers of explosives before throwing it away

• The henchmen are trying to recover from their beat down
• The dynamite is thrown their way, with one of them catching it
• They juggle it a bit until one of them throws the dynamite at the bank vault, blowing it open

Act Two Part Two

• The bank vault has now been broken into
• The henchmen quickly run in and begin looting
• The fight between Epic Man and Banks also enters the vault
• Slapstick featuring all five characters ensues
• While dueling, Banks begins monologuing again
• He then pulls out another stick of dynamite and throws it to Epic Man, who promptly throws it to one of the henchmen
• The dynamite is passed around while the fight continues

Climax of Act Two

• Epic Man trips over his own cape
• While laughing at this and claiming his victory, the dynamite lands in Bank's hand, blowing up
• The explosion leaves cartoonish soot all over Banks as he falls to the ground

Wrap-Up

• Epic Man then turns his attention to the three henchmen, still looting
• He prepares to engage them as one of them hands him a bag of cash
• This stuns Epic Man, which leaves him open for more cash to be handed to him
• After a pause, Epic Man tells the Henchmen to be carefull and bids them adieu
• He leaves through the wall, creating a new hole
• The Narrator wraps up the strange adventure that just happened

Premise - Story, Script and Storyboard

Yes, yes, I know that this is getting late and only now am I starting to work on the story proper. Here is version 01 of my script, if there's anything noticeable that you think needs changing or if there's anything you think I should add, please don't hesitate to let me know. Also here is a very rough WIP storyboard to go along with the script, it's not completely finished so I'll be editing the rest of the pages in here whenever they're all done.

Plot Summary:

A small gang of criminals led by the overly dramatic Robert Banks are robbing a bank. It is up to Epic Man to put a stop to this villainy before they get away with the money.

A very simple plot, but this is heavily inspired by Roger Ramjet, which is also that simple, but what it lacks in plot, it makes up for with jokes, which is what I'm hoping to accomplish.

Script

Storyboard

Page 01

Page 02

Page 03

Page 04

Page 05