Design Essay Resources.

REFERENCES & OTHER MATERIAL

Apple. (2012). Apple iPhone. Retrieved December 2012, from Apple ( United Kingdom ) : http://www.apple.com/uk/

Boeree, G. (2006). Abraham Maslow. Retrieved December 2012, from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/maslow.html

Brainy Quote. (2012). Brainy Quote. Retrieved December 2012, from Brainy Quote: http://www.brainyquote.com/

Coyier, C. (2012). Quotes on Design. Retrieved December 2012, from Quotes on Design: http://quotesondesign.com/

Federal Reserve Bank St.Louis. (2012). Federal Reserve Economic Data. Retrieved December 2012, from Economic Research Federal Reserve Bank St.Louis: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/

Forbes. (2012). Forbes. Retrieved December 2012, from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/

Unknown. (2012). 80 _ Inspring Quotes about Design. Retrieved December 2012, from Design Was Here: http://designwashere.com/80-inspiring-quotes-about-design/

WhatCar. (2012). Best Executive Cars of 2012. Retrieved December 2012, from WhatCar: http://www.whatcar.com/awards/executive-cars/index.html

Concept Art & Style

Above is some concept art for my game.

I wanted a light hearted art style for the most part, with bright colours and querky visuals. However I  also wanted to maintain an omnious feel too some of the enviroments.


I've taken strong inspiration from such games as;
Bontanicula
Machinarium


Both of these have been made by a company called Amanita Design. The style of games they produce are very much a custom too what I want my game too look like. However I've had other infulences aswel from games such as;

Vessel
Closure
Spirts

Inspiration from other design mediums have come from;

The Surreal - The photo series by  David Keochkerian. - These inspired the colourfull and unatural feel that I wanted too implement into the world.

The Splash Series of Photo's by  Jack Long  Inspired a lot of the enviroments that I want in the game.

As did Rune Guneriussen's rural light and book installations.



Work In Progress - Bad Bertie

Pirate Asset Project

iBall - Inspiration and Reference

The image below is what i envisioned for the concept for iBall too look like
I imagined a really creamy smooth scene that allowed the city to flow together.

 Below is a mood board and a compliation of what I want the different stlyes of textures that I want too encorporate into the iBall. There is also a lot of photography images that will inspire the different lens styles, photgraphy techniques and filters for the game.  

Normal Maps

Today we learnt about normal maps and were tasked with re-creating the map that Ken showed us whilst he was teaching it too us.

I had some difficulty with getting the normal maps too work properly.

I altered every option, open every menu and still couldn't get the normals too map properly.

however after a long time fiddiling, I relalised ( Ken Pointed out ) that the plane I was trying too map too was on the front not the back!

Finally I'd done it! Here it is

I then set about doing my own version which came out like this; Was pretty happy with how the normal map was looking at this point and I thought the result might be really cool when if finaly made the model but..  

 

It just looked pretty average too be honest. Not too dissapointed since it was a good gauge of what normal maps are capable of!

 

Ambient Occulsion Maps

Last week we learnt about Ambient occulsion maps;

I found them really easy to do and quite rewarding as the results you get are really nice!

We were given a preunwrapped head; that we had to get some ambient occulsion maps from;

 

Above is a work in progress of initially rendering the Ambient Occulsion map.

Above is the final render of the model - No lighting in the scene just the ambient occulsion map applied!

This is a 16 sample ambient occulsion map, below is a 64 sample ambient occulsion map

 

As you can see the 64 sample is much smoother and softer, more suitable for shadows and informing tonal values when painting, the 16 point sample would be better for making a "Dirt" map since it's grittier and less smooth.

Bens Multiplayer Level Design Bible

I'm 16 pages through this little gem of a guide from Ben Bauer 2004.

Ben wrote this guide back in 2004, the principles still stand and are still functional some 8 years on. He was working for Crytek whilst writing this booklet so you know the source is reputable. ( Not sure on his whereabouts now but that's irrelevant ... the article is fantastic)

It's a great "Beginners" guide too level design. Although I hate that term since it has a stigma that all beginners will inherently be bad level designers and "experienced" designers won't gain anything. I'd say it'd be a good read for any level designer, they may pick up tips for workflow and planning, I know I did!

The PDF has particular emphasis on multi-player level design, however I've already taken a lot from the article that could be applied too single player levels too.

Some of the things I've learnt from the guide so far;

How to layout your initial concepts & ideas.
How to add tactics and strategy too your level designs simply.
Techniques too improve my workflow
A reminder to consider different player style & too cater too all.

I've taken in much more hand hints however I feel it'd be more valuable to reference these in the Cheat sheet / Booklet that I'll be creating for my PDP.

Backbreaker Game

Backbreaker Vengeance;

Backbreaker Vengeance is an XBLA game that is based around american football. The concept is simple you're an American Football Player that is competing in training exercises. It's the player can compete alone or with a friend (split-screen) against the computer too complete the challenges. The main objective is to score the most points.

To do this the player must finish the training mission and do so with flair.

Often the levels are designed to give any player that completes them a fixed amount of points as the player will have to complete certain challenges to finish the training exercise.

Backbreaker Vengeance Handoff - Retrieved November 07 2012

http://www.oxmonline.com/backbreaker-vengeance-review

The Mechanics already existing in the game are;

Walk; Self Explanatory

Sprint; Self Explanatory

Juke; This can be seen above - The player steps sharpley left or right to avoid incoming opponents.

Spin; The player can spin around incoming enemies either to the left or the right.

Jump; The player can jump over incoming opponents & Obstacles.

Dive; The player can diver under opponents that pose an aerial threat.

Barge; The player can barge into opponents to progress through the level.

Showboat; This is a celebration that will earn the player more points in the game.

Point Multiplier; Every time you dodge an enemy or obstacle your point multiplier goes up.

These mechanics are very good and well constructed, they all revolve around the movement of the player and keeps the objectives simple and easy too understand. The way the developers have built upon them by utilising them in different scenarios is great and made a very enjoyable game.

The current game types are;

Tackle Alley; The player runs past enemies and obstacles to score a touchdown.  The catch mechanic could be easily implemented into this game type - the player would simply have to catch a ball before they scored a touchdown.

Vengance; This involves the player stopping the enemies from scoring touchdowns. The player would simply have too intercept any balls thrown to the enemy player by catching it before they do - Stopping them making a touchdown.

Supremacy; This involves the player competing against the enemy AI to make a touchdown first. The player would have to compete against the enemy for the same objective. The player would have to put themselves in a better position to catch the ball before the enemy player does.

Bertie 3D-Model Work in Progress

Above are some Work in Progress screen shots and also some poses of Bad Bertie in the view-port.

Everything is a remix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaA8DMVOYhg


I found this too be a really interesting video, it's all about how nothing we create will be a truly original idea or concept any more. What will separate us is the quality we add to the concepts and ideas. And how we "remix" the ideas to improve them or change them in a new and creative manner. Really worth a watch!

Contemporary Design Question Update

We were tasked with creating a Contemporary Design Question Proposal, I decided too look at;

How will the Economy, Consumer Psychology & Global Development affect Market Pull & Technological Push?

However after a talk with my tutor and feedback on the question I proposed it became evident that the essay question didn't reflect what I wanted too look at. And it wasn't clear that it's a design based question.

So I've decided to revise my Question too be;

How will Consumer Psychology & The Economy affect Contemporary Product Design?

I will include aspects from the other essay that I proposed such as Market Pull and Technological push however I will use those too inform how Product Design will change. This will differ from my original proposal which leant towards market change. This is a much more focused question which adheres too the brief much more. I think this question better reflects what I wanted too research, it's a broad topic so i'll have to break it down quite heavily. The evidence of this break down will be able to be seen on the blog.

Mirror's Edge Level Design Concept Images

 These are some quick 10 minutes sketches I did to help capture and reference my idea for what I wanted to level too look like and how I wanted it too play out; 

I wanted faith too start off at the top of  a mountain looking down towards to final objective.  

I wanted faith too climb in-between small crevices and gaps.  

I wanted an Epic Climatic finish to the level in which faith does a back flip down a waterfall and gets saved by her compainion that's guided her through the level. 

Et Voila my quick concepts. 

Jane McGonigal TED talk.

Jane McGonigal recently did a TED talk about how games can positively influence our lives and even extend it by up too 10 years! Quite a Claim huh? Here's the link too the TED talk, take a watch and see the maths behind it and her interesting opinions on the matter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfBpsV1Hwqs

Well, that saved me butchering the maths and finer details of what she talks about! Now for my two penneth.

Firstly I'd like to say I love what Jane is doing for games and the industry and for everyday people with Super-better  It's truly inspirational and it's great that we have people like her it the world! She's taken a bad situation and made it better for herself and in doing so has not only inspired many people but also created a product to help people in similar - tragic - circumstances!

However I feel like I'd just like to highlight a few things I picked up on with some of the research and evidence she presented in the TED talk;

The top 5 things people say on their deathbed;
Now I've neither been on my deathbed nor have I been close to anyone who has been. Not close enough to listen to their biggest regrets. I've also not read the research that compiled these top 5 phrases or sentiments. This means I'm approaching this blind however I feel it is still something too consider. When people are asked questions like this often they will conform too what they think the researcher or person asking the questions wants too hear.

Say for example someone was doing a psychological study on how working hard has long term effects on people. Due to a number of bias' present in psychology it's difficult to get an accurate answer. Social conformity bias for example -  someone may say something along the lines of "I wish I didn't work so hard". This may be because they think it's what they think other people have said and don't want too stand out. Or it may be because it's what they think they want the researcher to hear. (Yes we also have a pschological tendency to do this) However people also suffer from the "Screw You" effect which is telling you the complete opposite of what you want too hear!! - Just worth mentioning!

Many people also won't want they're lasting legacy or final words too be something that is maybe more selfish or less profound, there are many things too consider with these sorts of studies, it's a very subjective area of psychology and sociology.



Also I'd like too address the fact that McGonigal claims it could add up too 10 years onto your life.
this is the claim that "worried" me the most about her TED talk.

She says studies have shown that people who practice those 4 stimuli on average live 10 years longer. She claims this information has been gathered from 1000's of peer reviewed studies. Which it will have been however, I can't help but feel some researcher bias may have crept in the the collation of the data.

I mean it's difficult for us too be objective about things when he have a particular view or opinion that we're trying to prove or reinforce. We tend to ignore the things that disagree with the outcome we want. I'm not suggesting that Jane McGonigal intentionally mislead anyone or indeed did mislead anyone. I'm just saying there is more too it than what was first presented too us on the TED talk. Since Jane McGonigal doesn't have a background in psychology I'm sure she wasn't aware of some of the problems & complications with collecting & collating such data first hand.

I'd Also like too people who have had the chance too exercise those 4 stimuli may have led very different lives to those that haven't. I'd be interested too see the sample sizes and those sampled for the study too see if it's representative of the general population. (If there was ever such a thing) I really hope that the samples were well selected and diverse too re-enforce the argument Jane puts forward since it could help many people. I really love the work that she's doing however when someone claims they could make me live 10 years longer alarm bells start too ring. Flashbacks of emails from Nigerian Princes' start to occur...

I've written my opinions here without investigating into the studies since I didn't want it too affect my initial opinions or judgements, however if I get chance too look into it I will and I'll update it here.

Bad Bertie Inspiration

We've been tasked with re-creating and Ashley Wood Robot in 3D

There were many too choose from however I decided to go for the 'Bad Bertie' robot which is a variation on the original Bertie Robot.

Here's a moodboard / Inspiration image for the project, it help me keep a 'feel' for the project but can also be used for reference images.

Medieval House Model

We were tasked with making some medieval houses in 3D that we would model, unwrap and texture over a 2 week period.

We started off by initially doing sketches of our designs; We had a few reference images too look at but not many since the internet wasn't working whilst we were sketching out our designs;

I initially liked these sketches, and the medieval style really had me inspired.

I went on to model the house, however as you can see the house is quite curvy and wonky, which is hard to texture so the initial model. To remedy this the model was kept straight until the texturing would have been done.

Unfortunately whilst I was modelling the house, I felt it was too basic and became disillusioned with the designs and decided to redo the sketches and designs to make a new model.

Here is the resulting model;
 

This is the front view of the house, I've put it into the graphite view port to make it easier too see.
As you can see this is what I want the house too look like, It's not the model I'd unwrap as it's wonky and difficult too unwrap.

This is a different perspective view of the house, As you can see it's considerably more complicated than the previous design.

This is the model that I'd texture, it's completely straight which will make it easier to unwrap. This is what the model looks like in a view port that isn't artistic. It's just got realistic lighting.


As you can see they're are a lot of repeated elements within this model so when it came to the final UVW unwrap, I deleted the repeating elements too save texturing multiple elements pointlessly.
When it comes to reconstructing the house again once it's textured I will just copy the textured elements and make iterations of them. This means all the repeated items will look the same however I feel this is a good compromise as it gives more space to add detail into the other elements of the house. 

Below is the the UVW template that I worked off to paint the textures onto. I found whilst modelling that this UVW template wasn't very good - Going forward, I feel i'll have a better understanding of how to properly layout the UVW and how to optimize the space that you have.

Here is the textured UVW template; I found the hand painting fun to begin with and I think it's definitely something I would enjoy doing! I started to realize whilst doing the texture work however quite how bad the UVW template was, I then became a little deflated with the project and didn't work into the textures as much as I would have done with a good template.

Although this sounds like a bad situation, I feel it's a good thing since it's taught me the importance of making a good template. Also I found that painting the unwrap all at once then applying it to the model is probably the wrong way to work. I think if I actively reapplied it to the model too see my progress I may have been able to make create a better texture map as i'd be able to see how it falls on the model and which areas need work.


I feel if it may be a good project for me too come back to at the end of the year, so I can re-work the UVW unwrap and texture sheets too see how I've improved!


Below is the model with the textures applied too it;

Scenery for level design

https://www.google.co.uk/search?num=10&hl=en&safe=off&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=824&bih=940&q=bryce+canyon&oq=bryce+canyon&gs_l=img.3..0l10.16803.20300.0.20420.17.11.2.4.4.0.87.839.11.11.0...0.0...1ac.1.vjs_lu8zorc


Bryce Canyon.


http://www.annuaire-web-france.com/wallpaper/nature-environnement/paysages/Paysages-image-grand-canyon-063.jpg


http://www.rv-trips.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Bryce_Canyon1.jpg

http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/utah/bryce-canyon-area

Art Deco

Art Deco -

Art deco is a design movement that originated in central france in the 1920’s and 1930’s. It’s scope and influence hit many design mediums such as graphic design, architecture and industrial design, to name just a few.  It represented functionality, elegance it’s distinctive linear symmetry could be likened to forms from the ancient Egyptians and Aztecs - So Wikipedia says.

Unlike many popular design movements Art Deco wasn’t based upon political and social intentions was purely created to create a sense of modernity and freshness that would appeal to a mass market of consumers. This is what made it so popular and successful, however it was also the undoing of the movement. It had a great emphasis on luxury and elegance, however as it travelled westerly and started to get produced on mass for the mass consumer it’s individuality and luxurious feel was tarnished as - quite simply - poorer people in society  could afford Art Deco style products. Thus losing it’s sheik appeal for many of the more affluent people that bought into the movement.  

Art Deco is still popular in the current generation of design, this could be down to the fact it’s a very flexible style and you could put many - products, buildings, designs - in the art deco category! However the most popular pieces of Art Deco design can be seen below -

The Empire State building; Arguably the most recognizable Art Deco building ever built.  

We can learn a lot from the Art Deco movement, not only from their design principles, but also from the lessons they learnt with mass marketing products. Sometimes the appeal of something is down to it's niche and it's lack of popularity. Often you'll hear people say "Oh I liked that song before it got popular"

This is why the iPhone is VERY cleverly designed. You could retrospectively say that it's taken an Art Deco route in the respect that it's a luxury product that's been mass produced. However, the iPhone has maintained it's elegance and luxury appeal when most Art Deco designs didn't.

This could be a combination of it's functionality and form, since it's a highly productive product that people rely on day to day. It could be attributed to the fact that it's a product with many different layers that span further than it's physical design and hardware. The reason of it's success or Art Deco's isn't clear yet, however it will be. It could be that the iPhone hasn't been out long enough for people to grow bored of it. Art Deco's decline didn't happen overnight, this could be the case of the All Mighty iPhone.

Only Time will tell.

Bauhaus Design Movement

Design Movements -

Bauhaus -

The Bauhaus design movement founded by  Walter Gropius concentrated on removing the distinction from form and function. Much of the products and art produced from the Bauhaus design school in Germany clearly demonstrate this. Gropius’ background originated from architecture, despite this the design school didn’t have a architecture department for some time. However this doesn’t mean that the movement didn’t have a huge impact on architecture across the world.

Examples of Bauhaus design can be seen in major cities worldwide; Here’s an example from Tel Aviv - Also know as ‘The White City’

Retrieved 2012 - (http://www.telaviv4fun.com/bauhaus.html)

Not only did the design movement heavily influence architecture however it also had a huge impact on product design too. Examples of this can be seen everywhere from furniture to modern appliances.

One of the most recognisable pieces of Bauhaus design is the Wassily Chair;

Retrieved 2012 - ( http://www.designclassics.co.uk/wassily-armchair.html)

It has become very much an Iconic piece of what Bauhaus design represents. The synergy between form and function can easily be seen with the metal tubes making up all of the chairs structure and much of it’s striking appearance.

However I feel the most Iconic piece of design that takes on much of the Bauhaus principles, is something many of us have in our pockets. The iPhone.

Retrieved 2012 - http://www.venlodigital.com/wp/iphone-4-long-term-test-and-thoughts/

The iPhone is a great example of a product that has broke down the line between form and function. You find yourself having a very hard time trying to decide which the designers took the most consideration towards. It’s one of the easiest modern devices to use yet it still looks so striking and appeals too millions worldwide.


Much of this can be applied to games design. It helps to inform you that aesthetics, graphics and audio don’t just have to be there ‘unnecessarily’ to make the game appealing. It helps to remind us that they can be used as mechanics too.

On a more fundamental level however, taking inspiration from Bauhaus principles will help to create something that has a true synergy that will come across to the player. If as designers we consider form and function from of our games the start of the design process, it can result in something amazing. This doesn’t have to be rigid, however if we give everything a purpose in our games I believe it can create a more immersive and pleasant experience for the players.

Contemporary Design Research #2

Contemporary Design Research #2

Hyper Matrix Wall - Moving Styrofoam Wall - Retrieved 2012 - http://www.geekologie.com/2012/09/17/hyper-matrix-wall.jpg


This incredible 3 sided moving sculpture has been constructed by Jonpasang and is on show at Hyundais Motor Group Pavillion in Korea.

This awe inspiring feature was created by 3375 styrofoam blocks. They’re powered by a series of motors and actuators as part of a communication system for RS-485 and CAN. These communication protocols were designed for the automotive purposes.

However - Thankfully - Jonpasang found another use for it and created this stunning moving sculpture and entertainment room. Not only does this amazing wall move it is also a canvas for a projector. This will well and truly create a unique cinematic experience!

Mercedes1945 - Published 7th September 2012
“Hyper Matrix | Small Cubes”
Videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il_uF0jEAlE

I find this truly inspiring as it’s taken what most people would consider a mundane application ( RS-458 & CAN ) and turned it into something incredible, that almost everyone could understand, interpret and appreciate.
It’s inspires me in many different ways - from a technological stand point it’s outstanding. Visually it’s amazing! However the thing that inspires me the most is the way that they’ve taken a mundane application from one aspect of industry and applied it in a different manner! They’ve created something - That I think - Is truley incredible and should be an inspiration for many designers.

It helps to remind us and inform us that the most amazing things can be found in places you simply wouldn’t expect. It drives you to want to search for more and look for solutions and productivity in different realms and industries.

PDP

My Personal Development Plan;

I hope too become a better level and games designer during this project. My objective is too drastically increase the quality of my level designs. I want too understand all the different types of challenges that face designers in this field, and I want to learn to tackle them in new and interesting ways.

I've always had a passion for level design and it's the main thing I will criticise games for since it's such an crucial element of the game's design. They're the platform for the whole game, without well designed levels or interfaces the game simply won't be fun. Poor graphics, poor audio and poor narrative can all be excused providing the game and level design is good.

I do also like designing game and coming up with new and creative concepts that impress me or that I'd like too see be made into a game. Because of this I'm tying this passion in with my passion for level design so that I can get the most out of the project.
I hope too design a game that can be used too inform my level designs. This will give me the ultimate freedom to create something fun and creative. This style of working is similar too that of a Independent games designer rather than a commercial designer. My ultimate goal is too become a successful independent designer hence why I chose to structure my project in this manner.

 

Jail Game

Today we were tasked with making a game. We had only two weeks lesson time to do this.

The purpose of the task was to help show the importance of prototyping and working into different ideas.
Firstly we started off looking at creating a racing game in UDK. However after about an hour of deliberation about how to make the game. It became evident that the design was becoming restricted based on our UDK skills and what could be done within the engine.

So we went back to basics and we started to concept out a game that could be used as a board game or on the PC. The game takes much inspiration from the assassins creed multiplayer modes.

They're are 3 rules to the game;

Chicken Cross

Chicken Cross Game

Today we were given the task of creating a game in groups. Once we had been placed in groups and given the rules of the game we promtley started to concept out game ideas and theories.

The Rules were as follows; It has too be 2 player, On a fixed tiled board that is turn-based. The game also shouldn't last more than 15 minutes. These rules allowed for a lot of freedom within the design and concept but it also served as enough of a constraint to keep our designs and thoughts focused.  

We began discussing different ideas and theories on what we wanted to create, we eventually settled on the concept that we want too have chickens in the game. One thing lead too another and thus 'Chicken Cross' was born. 

The concept is simple; Two players roll a dice, and try to get too the other-side of the road before the other player. Sounds simple? However the map we designed was littered with obstacles and power-ups that each player could use too their advantage!

The power-ups are as follows; 

 Card                                        Effect

Cone                              Small obstacle taking up 1 grid space. Blocks player movement. 

Barricade                      Same as the cone but coming in various sizes and shapes. 

Traffic Jam                     Coloumn of cars crosses the board vertically blocking the players from
                                       moving  across the board horizontally for 2 turns.

Oil Slick                         2x2 Grid, If the player lands in it and rolls a green they move an extra
                                       2 places, if it's red they move move back two spaces.

Chicken Flight               Player can Jump barricades & cones. .

Citizen Help                   Enemy player miss a go.

Vehicular Drag Back    If dice roll is even, half opposing players next dice roll. 
                                        If dice roll is odd, half your next dice roll. 

Truck Smash                 If you roll green, the player will move forward 6 place If red they will move
                                        back 6 places. Can be used on either player.

We then went on too play test the game;

We found out a few things during the testing and prototyping process;

Fundamentally, we learnt that the game was fun! Which is good because it meant that it would be a game that would be worth refining and perfecting.

Secondly we learnt - Don't use origami dice. They're heavily weighted to particular numbers see pictures below!

We also found that the game was potentially a little bit too quick and it was easy for players too complete the map. We also found that if one particular player has a good start it's difficult for the opposing player too catch back up. 

The cone is pointless. No really, it did nothing in the way of hindering anybody. 

These are things that we'd address in an iterative process had we taken the game further. A few ways of fixing these problems would be to; 

A) Make the maps bigger.
B) Add more preset obstacles. 
C) Add more card pick-ups and alter card frequency of powerful cards. 


All in all I feel that it was a good experience, we had fun creating and playing the game and it also taught me the importance of paper based design and how theoretical ideas can never be perfect. We can make informed desisions in the conceptual stages however the only true way too find out if the game is fun and the mechanics work, is to play the game. 

Contemporary Design Research #1

Contemporary Design Research #1
Resin Fish.

Riusuke Fukahori is a Japanese Artist that takes his love of goldfish and his artistic talents into different and contemporary mediums with his 3D paintings.
Large Bowl & Spoon - Retrieved 2012 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominicspics/6592918249/sizes/z/in/set-72157628617194683/

Fukahori paints these amazing masterpieces using a technique similar to how a 3D printer works. He first starts off with a painted layer of the fish. He then pours a thin layer of resin onto the painting and then paints a new layer on top of that. After many iterations of this process the final result is what you can see above - A stunning 3D masterpiece that seems to capture a moment of beauty.

Fukahori has taken the ‘classical art’ medium and merged it with the modern concept of 3D printing. This is truly inspiring as a designer since it’s a perfect example of how different mediums can be unified to create something incredible. It opened my mind up to other more classical mediums and helps you to consider things that may have otherwise been overlooked.

Often I find myself as a designer overlooking concepts and ideas from the past and concentrate on the future. Foreseeing new ideas isn’t bad, but as Fukahori has proved here considering traditional techniques and uniting them with the modern concepts can create amazing results.
Metal Bowl 3D Painting - Reterived 2012 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominicspics/6592928907/in/set-72157628617194683

3D Dumpster Model.

Today we modeled a 3D dumpster. A simple task, that wouldn't have been too difficult for me before the summer. However I had become complacent over the summer and my 3D skills were rusty.

We had to model the dumpster from some reference photo's of a Pre-Modeled and textured 3D dumpster.
We also had to unwrap the model and hand paint the textures using Photoshop.

It wasn't a particularly challenging task however I still had some problems modelling it.
Often I would find the model becoming very untidy and found a lot of redundant geometry around the model that needed cleaning up.

This aspect of 3D is definitely something that I need to put more extra curricular work into. I had some issues remembering the correct procedure for unwrapping the dumpster. However I managed to finish it off in the end -

I painted the textures in under 30 minutes but found it quite enjoyable - I feel that it may be an aspect of 3D that i'll really start to enjoy. I think if i were to spend some more time on textures and look into them further that it could be one of my strengths in 3D.

At technique i've found useful whilst modelling the dumpster is when in doubt - Colour Ink!!!

Always seems to be a sure fire way of making your model look reasonable! In all seriousness it's not a great view to model in but it does have a unique and cool appearance to it!