Week 03

Frankenstein – Work in progress

Week 04

I’ve started working on the concept I developed during the previous class. I chose to utilize Unreal Engine for this assignment because I wanted to create a terrifying environment for the action. To obtain an idea of how I wanted to frame the scene, I began by creating a basic landscape. After then, I thought about making a 24-hour, one-minute speed day-night cycle. Making the Day-Night cycle took a lot of time, which was challenging. Changing the lighting was incredibly beneficial.

I also added a windmill from Sketchfab and applied an animation to it using Unreal Engine. For the moon, I only have a JPG image and added a light to it. Similarly, for the stars, I used a JPG, and both the moon and stars are part of a day-night cycle, so they rotate as the day ends. I placed the windmill in a hilly area.

I added plants using Megascans foliage for this project and brought a Frankenstein 3D model into the scene, animating him to walk towards the windmill. I placed the moon in a position where, due to the windmill’s rotation, its shadow can be cast on the ground, creating a horror effect.

Draft 01

Later, I added two other 3D model characters who are following Frankenstein towards the hill, holding torches in their hands. This is my first draft, ready to be shown

Niagara

I created fire for the torches in Niagara and also added particles to enhance it.

Week 05

I received good feedback on my first draft and now need to make a few changes to the scene. A major change is increasing the size of the moon to make it look more horrifying, and I also darkened the scene a bit more.

Draft 02

Final

show reel

Week 06

Wall-E

This project helped us understand teamwork and collaboration in addition to teaching us how pipelines operate. This project’s main objective, which we all decided to work on together, was to educate us how to work well with others. With six of us participating, we decided to work together as a single, coherent team to accomplish our goal. By doing this, we successfully completed our tasks and gained important knowledge about collaboration, communication, and shared accountability.

Story Board and  Concept Art

Arthur, one of our team members, came up with a great idea for the updated version: we’ll have a 3D model of Wall-E in the front, with a demolished structure in the background. In order to guarantee a dynamic and skillfully performed shot, he also produced a thorough storyboard that delineated the various layers and components of the scene. This is Arthur’s storyboard, which we all approve of.

Week 07 

Concept Art

The panel thought our proposal was great, but they had one suggestion: because the moment needed to be inspired by the movie and Wall-E wasn’t necessary for the shot, they advised taking the character out of it. We all decided to concentrate on making that section as captivating as we could because they adored the idea of the building collapsing. After that, we started looking into ways to improve the shot to the caliber of a feature film. With the use of AI, Subha produced a variety of concept art designs. We unanimously selected one concept image for the CGI components and another for the shot’s lighting after debating the possibilities.

New Story Board

We came up with a new storyboard using this AI-generated art. The scene’s story is that we will create an abandoned colony where no humans are left, and only the buildings remain.

Later, one building will collapse and fall to the ground.

When the building is falling, there is a petrol truck on the ground. The building falls onto the truck, causing an explosion because of the impact.

Depending on our different strengths and areas for improvement, each person was given a different role. As a six-person team, we started organizing our approach to the project by matching the roles of each member to the project specifications. As the Effects Artist, one team member was tasked with using Houdini to replicate the collapse of the main building. Using Blender and Maya, another assumed the role of 3D Modeling Artist. We also appointed a Matte Painting Artist, who would create backgrounds and textures using Photoshop and 2D compositing software. Additionally, one team member was assigned as the Environment Artist, working in Unreal Engine to bring the scene to life.

Setting Up Camera and Position of the frame

Our professors, who provided valuable guidance. Since we would be using different software tools, they suggested we focus on the camera setup to maintain consistency throughout the project. In response, one team member quickly drafted a rough layout showing the positions of the building and truck, while also setting up the CG camera in Maya. With the camera data in hand, each team member proceeded to work in their designated software, ensuring everything was aligned with the established camera position.

Week 08

Maya Petrol truck

I’m using Maya to model a truck and I’ll make the explosion effects afterwards to improve the visual impact. i started with simple modeling in maya. first i made a treuck in a good condustion.

I later broke it, making it appear like an abandoned truck that hasn’t been used in ages

I adjusted the UVs of the truck for texturing.

I created the texture in Substance Painter and then brought it back into Maya. Using Hypershade, I applied all the textures to the truck, and the results turned out really well. Now, the truck is ready to be exported to Houdini, where I will create the explosion

Final Renders From Maya

scene test

I did a quick scene test before taking it into Houdini. The main thing I wanted to check was the scale and direction of the truck. Everything was looking good.

First, I brought the model into Maya and checked it with the camera, and it was working as planned. After that, I passed my model to a team member who was working on the Wall-E project environment in Unreal. This way, he could ensure the shaders and lighting were correct, and we could achieve a unified perspective.

Houdini explosion

I started working on the Houdini explosion by first importing the 3D model into Houdini and then began working on the fire explosion.

Draft 01

Week 09

I also tried to create particles to break the truck’s tank, but I didn’t get the results I was hoping for.

I also created fire effects, as after the explosion, the truck, being a petrol truck, would catch fire for a while.

Draft 02

 

Test Render

Ready to take out the first test render.

Final Houdini Render

I removed the dust field in the end because it did not look good with the environment created by one of the group members.

Test Environment Render

Final Wall-E 

Wall-E Breakdown

Week 10

Christmas Advert

In today’s session, we were tasked with creating a Christmas advertisement. We have some time to brainstorm and develop three ideas, from which one will be selected to proceed with. Once the idea is finalized, we’ll have two weeks to complete the project.

For this task, I proposed three different concepts. The first idea involved creating a Christmas fireworks display in a neighborhood, accompanied by Christmas lights decorating the houses. The second idea featured a snowball hitting a Coke can, with particles scattering upon impact. The third concept was for an Oreo cookie, where one cookie rolls across a table, pouring cream onto another cookie.

Presentation

Christmas Advert

Finalizing Coca Advert

For this task, my Coca-Cola advert idea was selected. I plan to create a dynamic scene featuring a snowball hitting a Coke can. I will model the Coke can in Maya and use Houdini to simulate the snowball’s impact and interaction with the can.

Week 11

Work in Progress

Reference images and Story Board

I created a basic storyboard to visualize the concept and have a clear picture to work from. This helped me plan the scene and organize the workflow effectively.

Maya 3D Modeling 

I began the project by modeling Coke can. The task was relatively straightforward as it involved hard surface modeling. It wasn’t particularly challenging, so I managed to complete both the modeling and texturing efficiently within Maya.

Houdini Simulation Progress

After completing the modeling, the challenging part of the project began. I decided to create the snowball simulation in Houdini, as it is a highly valued tool in the industry. This was the perfect opportunity to learn the software and improve my skills. To prepare, I recorded a reference video to study how a snowball behaves upon impact with an object, including how particle separation occurs. These references gave me a clearer understanding and helped me approach the project more effectively.

Reference Video

To start, I imported my 3D model into Houdini.

Test Render

Final Houdini Render

 

Fire Works

While the snowball simulation was rendering, I utilized my time to create fireworks in Houdini. It was a very basic setup, but it allowed me to explore and experiment with the software further.

Fire Works Render

Week 12

Christmas Advert

Christmas Advert_part2

Matte Painting

After receiving feedback, I adjusted the Coke can by tilting it slightly more toward the camera. This ensured that the brand name remained visible when the snowball hit the can. Additionally, I created a different matte painting in Photoshop to enhance the background environment.

Final Advert

Breakdown

Week 13

Challenge Brief

For this brief, I had the freedom to create anything I wanted using any software. I chose to focus on practicing a full pipeline. To do this, I decided to film a short film myself, incorporating a meteor shower created in Houdini. I then performed tracking and compositing in Nuke to complete the project.

Story Board

created a quick storyboard for my scene. The story begins with a man about to enter a building when he hears a noise coming from the sky. As he looks up, he sees meteors passing by overhead.

To begin with, I started by filming a video. In the footage, I acted as if meteors were passing over my head, setting the foundation for the scene.

Houdini Simulation

After filming, I got a clearer idea of the angle for my meteors, so I jumped straight into Houdini to start creating them.

I started by creating five spheres in Houdini and used the Mountain node to give them a rocky, irregular appearance.

After that, I applied a Pyro Source to simulate the fiery trails typically associated with meteors.

I used the Pyro Solver in Houdini to create fire and smoke for the meteors. Additionally, I crafted a long, dark smoke trail to enhance the realism and emphasize the dramatic motion of the meteors.

Flipbook

Final Houdini Render

Nuke Tracking and comp

Once I finished in Houdini, I brought my project into Nuke, where I performed basic tracking and applied color correction to integrate the meteors seamlessly into the scene.

 

Final

Break Down

Live Brief Assignment

Live Brief Break Down