Unit 11 - Progression - Main Brief
Designing and Modelling a Vending Machine - Mini Project
CONCEPT ART
As our first mini project of this year to get us remembering our 3D modelling and concept art skills we have been assigned the task of modelling a vending machine. In the gallery on the left are my drawing for my initial ideas of what to do for when it comes to the vending machine, as you can see I have listed some different themes and object that could be inside the vending machine as well, obviously with some of the objects going with some particular themes. For this project we also had to have some interesting design for the vending machines, so meaning like not just a box that you would see around a town, this could be the texture of it or the shape, which I have attempted to do in my concept art. I think of the pieces that I have done, the retro 3 sided one is my favourite because I like the theme of retro and I have ideas of how to make it really suit to the theme with things such as dull colours contrasting against bright colours and maybe and having the screen display the lost signal multicoloured picture.
MOOD-BOARDs
Continuing with my project of the vending machine I have created a mood board, this is because I have gone with them of retro and I have decided to go with the triangular design this is because it is very different to the normal as it has 3 sides and it has old retro parts, on the mood-board I have put colours and object from the retro period this will be helpful for inspiration because it gives me objects that I can model and use on my design such as the keyboard has given me a good idea of how to style my keypad on the vending machine and the bright neon in the game looking photo has given me the idea of possibly putting a neon effect round the edges of the vending machine to make it obvious, in addition the old TV gave me the idea of how to try and style the screens of the vending machine to make them look retro and fit in. The final image that I think will contribute towards the design is the the phone box as I would like it to be the same kind of size because then it is not too big but yet big enough to be obvious.
FINAL MODEL - RETRO
After taking the inspiration from my mood-board with all the different things from the theme of retro I began modelling the vending machine and as you can see I stayed with the idea of going for a 3 sided vending machine. When making it I have the concern that it would look too much like a vintage gaming console, this is for obvious reasons such as the blue scroll mouse looking like a button on a old games console, however when i added in the key pad (for paying) it started to look more like a vending machine of sorts. I then added the bottom tray where you would get whatever you bought and that instantly changed the look of the whole thing and made it more obvious. Then I concentrated on ventilation to make it seem realistic so I cut out 3 holes at the bottom and one hole on the top piece on each side so make it look like it has vents, and then added a black sphere above the screen to try and simulate the idea of having some sort of CCTV on the machine.
The screen itself was very easy to make because I simply used a square and made some textures in photo shop staring with a base green background list and then for another side I put a smashed glass texture over it so it makes the machine look like it has been battered, Then for the final side I put in a lost signal texture on the screen to simulate that it is also broken.
Then on each side of the vending mach I added little black holes to kind of look like bullet holes because the machine dispenses guns and weapons anyway but it also make the machine look more realistic as if it is sat on a street or in like gun shop, so it has been shot at and battered.
In terms of textures, I used 2 textures for the main parts of the machine these were ones that I had from previous projects, one is a shiny metal and tends too look good on any metal object and the other one I have is black metal, the shiny metal was used for the main structure and the top pieces and then the black metal texture was use d on smaller little bits of the machine like the edge of the hole and the bottom and the ventilation at the top of the machine that you can't really see in the renders, but it was also used on the structure for the keypad and the structure for the ball mouse. As for the rest of the textures they are just normal colours from 3ds max that I thought looked good and made it look realistic.
Overall I think that the model came out well and did look like a vending machine in the end when I made certain parts that improved the look of it and made it look more real especially when it came to the broken glass on one of the screens and then on the other screen the lost signal screen, I think the textures in general made it look more realistic . However if I remodelled the whole thing I would try and put some dents in it so it really looks more realistic and I would also add on some rusty texture on some bits to make it look more realistic and to make it look like it has been there a while.
Portfolio Pages
Above are my portfolio pages that I have made in photoshop, these are A3 boards that show off my work, this could be from a whole scene to a few props as you can see sometimes I have put a description as well as some images and sometimes I have put no description to keep it varied and so I can make the mages more obvious as well. In addition I have also applied effects to most of these, this is to make my work more bold and obvious and makes it more visually appealing. On some of them such as the ABANDONED one I have applied a green filter to make it more ghostly and also make it so you can see the whole room more including all the props on the flooring such as the cogs and the machinery. In addition on other one's such as the interiors one I have done different layouts, this worked well because i could put all my interiors on the same page and then it looked clean and kind of futuristic a the same time.
Show-reel Research
This show-reel is very good as it is very aesthetic and shows that they are good at video editing, the scenes are also very clear and all link together with same theme mostly. They mostly tend to be high quality nature photos. They have soft transitions which make the video aesthetically good, and shows off their skills as well. In addition they don't need the use of word on screen or anything like labels as they show off their work and skills instead.
This show-reel is also very good as it tries to get a point across of advertising them selves and show off what they are doing through different clips of people and things happening, video transitions like the clips are quick and sudden. The clips themselves mostly have words overlayed over them, the words both connect to the picture as describing it but also relates to the whole video in general being wild and fast paced. There is also a good use of editing and animation in some clips to give the clips more energy and let the viewers know that it's not in your face. The audio gives off lots of energy and makes you feel excited as it is sort of hype music.
This show-reel is made to be very interesting, it is really engaging and interesting to see how he does certain things. The transitions are quite slow but that is because they wants to make it clear what they are showing in the video, I think they could of done without this because the video already makes the clips obvious in what they are showing off. The music in the video is slow and usually this would a video more boring however with this clip it gives you more time so concentrate on what's on screen, however I think it should be a little quieter and the audio in the clips should be there to overlap the music, if there is any.
The show-reel is quite good, it starts off in a dark place like a club but the cuts in to nature shots and people in nature, this is a little weird as it isn't sticking to one theme. However after this I like how the clips keep coming as short and sharp, so they can get lots packed in together, the shots are mostly all aesthetically good however there are some that don't really fit like the first few and the train station on. I think the only other improvement that I would say is the audio, because the music is nice to hear it does build up but it also get so loud that you can't really any audio in the clips which you'd probably want to if it looks good on screen and looks like it should sound good.
The show-reel is really good, the video remains to be aesthetically good, this is because the clips are very interesting and everything is so random, and then after a while it beings to show you how it is being done. In some of the clips it is also makes you feel like some of the stuff in 3d like you could reach out and touch the objects. The video is also really interesting to start with as well just starting with the old tv and their logo being on it and then out of nowhere bright videos start coming on screen behind their logo which went transparent. The audio is also very good because while it is kind of the same thing for the whole video it has a build up and then is lively enough to keep you watching and you can also get some transitions to work with it with the bass-line going.
This one is very good, the shots are very good and high quality, the video starts off as prioritising technology as the main theme in the video and darker colours, however when the video go and on it gradually gets more and more open and involved with nature, and the colours get brighter and warmer. I also like the start of it where it start off in grey and then goes in to blue all of a sudden it makes you almost surprised and makes you see how good the person is at editing and making images seem different.
Using clips given to us by our tutor we experimented with creating a show reel, this involved the audio, and taking the right parts from clips to give the show reel the right feel. For my one I used some dramatic music, so chose some fairly fast clips but then some slower ones as well. As well as this I also used some effects for the transitions as well this was so that I could that I could make the whole video run smoother and look generally better. Another thing we were recommended doing was trying to make the clips go with the beat of the music so the clips could change at a louder moment in the audio for example.
This is my final showreel, in this I have included many clips from last year, these are obs recordings of my work, however I also set up a lot of cameras for recording some of my props as well as some bigger scenes as well such as my interiors. I feel that these went well because it meant I could show my work through animation, and because it's through annihilation it made it easier to get really high quality images for most of my models but mainly the interiors as they have lots of props that look good. I feel the show reels works well because its starts off slow and pulses so I cut clips to the right times in the music so it looked like it really goes together, as the music gets faster the clips are more frequent but not too frequent so you still get enough time to see the clips and that still goes with the music. For a lot of the clips I slowed the speed so you can see more and goes with the timing in music as well. I feel that this overall is a good representation of my work as it shows lots and its shows what I can do, this would be go if I had to show a university what I can do or wanted to see my work as most of my best work is in one video.
Final Showreel
My CV - Developed
This is my updated CV that I have made recently, I used the template provided by college to put my information on, I used this because it is laid out really well and it's very clear as well. I feel my CV looks good because it has lots on there and it's laid out well and you know where to look for the information you're trying to find, I have put all my edification so far on there as well as my grades. As well as this I have put on there my work experience and my current jobs to show what I have experience in. As well as this I have just added some skills I enjoy and I'm good at so the person looking knows what kind of things I'm interested in and what good skills I have.
My Chosen Path - Options and Research
At the moment I am considering a range of options as my future career, the main ones I am looking into are going in to racing engineering, this would be through a college course that I will explain below. Another option I have been looking at is doing a university course at Bath, I am looking more into the graphics or 3d modelling courses, this is because it is local and I am thinking of trying to be a 3d modeller as a career in the future or going in to graphic design, I will link the websites below and discuss them some more in more detail.
For next year I am thinking about going on to a Motorsport Course at castle combe, while it is a different option it is one I am considering doing, this is because while I like doing 3d modelling I also like working on cars and I really like Motorsport, so with this course I would be learning in depth about cars in the way they work and also more of the racing side side of it. In addition as part of the course I believe there is some 3d modelling involved as well which is good because if I do the course and then decide I wants to carry on with 3d modelling rather than Motorsport or just engineering then this will give me more knowledge of 3d modelling as well more knowledge about cars as well so I have many option for my future career.
In terms of entry requirements, it is a minimum of 2 GCSE with grade D and 2 with a grade C
This is another course that I have also been looking at because it combines both my interest of cars and Motorsport but also 3d Modelling. In this course you learn about 3d modelling vehicles in terms of car design, In the course you practise how to do 3d model cars and vehicles. You also learn how to model prototype cars and learn about real life event simulation for the future as well as real world static. This could be a really good option because I would learn about more complex 3d modelling and could lead in to a strong career in car design or 3d modelling over time. In addition I would learn more about cars as well in the sense of how they work but not in detail as it is more about the 3d design. The only thing I don't like about this course is how far way it is from home, I would rather be on a course that is more local so I could drive to and from the course from home or somewhere more local so I could at least come back often.
So if am going for 3d modelling then it would be a really good course to do however if I still want to go in to how cars work and Motorsport then the other course would be better.
I think I will be able to get in to this course after doing this one however, while it does not say what grade you need to get in to this course it will probably be at least a merit. Regardless of this I will try and do my best this year to get the best grade I can, however I have not yet decided if I will do this course but out of the one's I have on the page it is probably the most unlikely one for me.
This course is part of Wiltshire College in Salisbury which is really good because it is quite close and I wouldn't have to pay for student accommodation either because it is easy to get there by car or easy to get the train to it. The course itself is very good as well, it is similar to this course but it has more higher level work and has more to do with animation but still in video games. On the course I would be doing a lot of story boarding but also still making 3d environments and environments as well as professional practises and our own individual projects. I like the sound of the course because it's virtually the step up from this course, in addition the course also only last for 2 years rather than 3 or 4, I prefer this because then it feels more like I can get on with trying to find a job and get more experience in having a job. Really the only thing that would stop me choosing this course would be how much it costs being 4,800 per year (2 years), in addition it's obviously very time consuming and that wouldn't be a problem however I have to work as well so this would mean I would be working 2 days a week and then at university the other days. However, with this course in mind, if I did go for this course then I could probably find a way of sorting it all out.
This is another course I have some interest in doing next because it sounds really interesting and it is a next step from this course being a level 4 and 5 course, in addition it is also part of Wiltshire college and is more local being in Chippenham as well so I could easily get there as well. The course itself sounds really good and is split into 2, the part I am interested into special effects as it is a lot of 3d modelling and working with software similar to I am used to, in addition would also be working with a lot of with more film based content as well. Furthermore, after hearing about this during the presentation you can also do one year at university as well after to go from getting a higher national diploma to getting a degree instead which would be good as I would learn even more and would only to do one year at a university further away. As well as this the price of this is a lot cheaper than a university being only 5,300 a year rather than 9000 a year. The main part is that it is local and I can drive or get the train there everyday so it's very convenient.
Benefits of Higher Education Talk Reflection
We had a talk about the benefits of higher education, this highlighted some key parts or HE and solved some questions that we may have been wondering. During the presentation to us I learnt a lot about HE that has got me thinking a lot about whether or not I should go in to it. Firstly I learned that even though you have to move away from home the places where the students live tend to be friendly and is essentially a community of people who you tend to become friends with so this was a good part of the information given because that is a concern that I had about actually going into HE. Another thing I found good about HE was they said you get a of of freedom and people really enjoy that, they said even though you are at uni full time they said you're in lesson very little in some cases and then it's your duty to do work outside of uni, however it's your choice what you do with your time. I also liked how spaced out the universities are with different campuses for different sectors of courses such as IT.
However while the talk had it upsides there were also some negative things about it as well, one of these was that it's very expensive to go to university and the price of accommodation is very high as well, this would be a problem for me as I wouldn't be able to afford it all and the rent in particular is very expensive for university flats and student houses are very expensive as well however I don't think they are as bad plus you get your own space. Another problem is that I would need to drive to the university and the university doesn't offer parking particularly unless you're entitled to it.
In addition I feel that when going to university I wouldn't want to go very far from home and this would limit me to certain universities and colleges, I think as far as I would go would be Salisbury so that rule out a lot of universities, however i think after this course I may go on to another college course such as the Motorsport course in Castle Combe to build up my CV and skills that I have and then think about doing university course after this whether it is 3d design or going in to mechanics or Motorsport.
FARMAGEDDON - Mini Project
Framageddon is the name of a mini project that we did to practise our 3d modelling skills when we came back to college after the summer. The challenge was to create a weapon out of things you would find on farm to find some kind of plant monsters, as well as the object being what you would find on a farm they had to be objects that looked used so it looked like you just found a bunch of old junk and put it together to make a weapon. So for me I wanted to make a flamethrower, and then I had the idea of making it out of a tractor exhaust and a oil barrel, because these are both similar objects and they are both things that you would probably find in a barn that you could pick up for weapons. When these were attached I added on a handle and a trigger to show how it works, then I looked at it and noticed it looked like a massive weapon so I added a handle on the top and a stand on the bottom. This was to make the weapon easier to use, in addition I textured in like a rusty colour so it looks old and something you'd just find. After this I started editing the oil barrel so that I could stretch out certain panels to make a shield on the top of it as well to keep it somewhere safe.To finish it off I then added some cabling to making it look messy and to show it works. I connected lots of cables to make it look like it had been together really quickly. The final touch was adding on a machete so it could be used in close combat as well like battling ram or in further range as a flame thrower.
SWOT Analysis + Skill Development
In terms of my strengths at the moment I feel that I am strong at 3 modelling assets and creating scenes by 3d modelling. I feel that I am also quite good at doing Photoshop work. This is good for this project because this project is all about university and getting ready for it, even if we aren't going it's still a good lesson, so I think these skills will help me because I can refer to them in parts of of work for this project such as my personal statement but in addition for mini project for this project such as the farmageddon.
However I still have lots of weaknesses, the main one being that I am not very good at blueprinting and coding, these are things I would love to become better at because they are really interesting and there could be a lot of potential because I was able to do it then when I do final project at the end of the year it would bring it up a lot in quality because I could have actual intractable elements such as doors. For this project I feel it is a big weakness because it is something that I don't know that I feel I should know and that won't be very good if I was to carry on to another course.
Opportunities are something big for me because I have the capability to do my coursework at home as well as doing my own things using the same software. I feel this gives me lots of opportunities to become better at my work and develop my 3d modelling skills and possibly learn other skills such as coding and blueprinting. In addition if I really try, relating to this project, I could also have the capability to go university depending on my grades.
Threats are big parts of my work, because these are things that can stand in my way or possibly lower my work quality or lower the quality of what it could have been. The main one for me is my weakness of not knowing a lot about the more technical side of games, in the sense of coding and blueprinting, these are big for me as these are thing I would like to use because I believe they would boost my work. Another threat is me lacking very good concept art skills, while I like to do concept art I am not very good at it and if I was good at it it could boost my portfolio, because universities are looking for lots of concept art to show you can do both work on the computer but also by hand, and this is where I lack the skill. However another threat, mainly for this project, is me not being able decide between 2 path ways that I would love to do these pathways are very different as one is very hands on and the other is using more of a computer so whichever I go with I may be stuck with for a long while.
EGX 2019 Trip
Career Fairs Section - In terms of the career fair at EGX I didn't seem to find too much, however I did go and talk to a couple of universities that were there about game courses available in the UK. When there I asked about their courses and they were very interesting however they are also quite far away and I would like to stay local if I do go to university. However when I was there they had some demos of games that they made there, the games they made looked really good and like actual games that anyone could play.
Rezzed (Indie Games) Section - I enjoyed the indie game section as the games were really varied, I enjoyed looking at the blue planet game as you are a diver around lots of animals and with everything in the game they create an experience like you're actually there. Another game I enjoyed playing was circuit superstars, this was a game that was sort of top down but however you could see everything as 3d while looking down, but it was a racing game where you're in a rally car, I enjoyed this game because it was very different to most racing games I have played in the past have been either 1st person who viewed from behind the car such as need for speed or rocket league, however with this one being from a different perspective it was very weird to control the cars however when I got used to it, it was very fun and challenging. The creator said he had fun making it but it was a very lengthy process.
Reflection - After being to EGX I got some new ideas for my final project for the end of the year, but also I learnt some general new ideas from other people such as having a game which is top down but also is 3d because it looked very good and makes the player see more across the area round them rather than just what it is front of you. In addition, after seeing the careers section of egx with the universities I think I am still going to maintain my idea of doing another college course while I have education free still but as well as this I would like to do a mechanical course next to see if i prefer this to doing rather than progressing with game design, this is because I have both the love of game design but also fixing things, mainly being cars and I would like one of them to my future career and I have not yet decided which one I'd like to do, so if I was to a mechanic course then it would help me decide as they are very different.
Create Your Future - London ExCel
After going to the London ExCel and talking to various universities about courses I have more of an ideas of what University is like and also possibly more option of where I could go. I spoke to a few universities, however the only one I was really interested in was Norwich this is because the course seemed very good and it also seemed the most fun in addition, when I was speaking to the person on the stand he gave lots of information about the course and the different options after the course as well and the career options available. I also had some questions answered on fees, because I was wondering how you would pay it off and I learn that you could pay it off overtime.
It also got me thinking about what I would like to do in the future, because I am still not sure what I would like to between mechanical engineering or racing mechanics or just going for a uni course in the gaming industry, both have their benefits and draw backs, however if I want to go in to mechanical engineering then I would have to do another college course and then uni after that, where as I could go straight to Uni after this course if I was going into the gaming industry or something like graphic design.
Career Plan Updated - Options
After researching a lot in to career, college and uni options I have come up with 2 options for the future in terms of my career but why are are both very different from one another, these are different because they are 2 different things that I have wanted to do and 2 interests I have. The first option is going for a job in the gaming or graphic design sector of jobs and possibly going to Uni as part of trying to achieve this, if I was to do Uni I would be going to Salisbury or possibly one a little further away, however if I went further away I would wait until I am about the age of 20 or 21, because I don't feel being too far from home just yet. However I think the Uni course in Salisbury would be really good because it's the next course after that comes after this one and it also isn't too far away either so I wouldn't have to pay for accommodation either.
The second option that I am seriously considering is not going in to gaming or graphic design and instead going for a more mechanical kind of job, this is because I really enjoy working with cars and I have always been interested in how cars work and working on them for a job, however this would require me doing another years of college and then a further 2 years after that at Castle Combe to do uni so I can get a good job in the industry, and I am not sure if I would like to do another 4 years if education after just doing 2 years in games and then choosing not to pursue it .
However overall, with both courses in mind, I have chosen these 2 paths as options because both the paths gives good jobs and there is pretty much always a need in both sectors, furthermore I really enjoy both cars and engineering but also gaming and design and using Photoshop and 3d modelling, however they are really different jobs so if I choose one I will have to stick with it because I can't go in to the computing sector with a degree in Motorsport engineering degree.
Experience
Beginning when I was in secondary school, I took graphics and product design for my GCSEs, this is where I really started to get into creative digital art, in graphics much of what I did was photo editing and creating magazine fronts, but I also did other things such as recreating people's work style in my own piece of work as well as designing and making beverage cans and bottles under a given brief, I believe this was good as first steps towards creative media but as well as this in product design I started to 3d model a lot as we had a laser cutter and a 3d printer, this meant that I both 3d and 2d design things and then make actual objects using software and different machines, during this time I made some small little objects such as key rings but I also used this to make bigger things such as a pencil holder and some game characters for a group project. My next step was in college doing games development, at this point I started to 3d model properly and learnt many techniques, at first while learning I started to model little things such as a castle, and then started to model lots of little props as well, this includes doors, heavy guns and then modelled 3 isometric rooms and loads of props inside them as well. I have also learnt how to sculpt in Mudbox, I have used mudbox a few times for modelling characters, the main one being an alien however for a more recent project I have been using it to model an assassin styled character. I am also able to put together a scene in unreal engine, a good example of where I did this was my final project in year 1 where I modelled an interior for a factory as a very basic horror game with audio and triggered audio. I feel this is where most of the skills said above came in, because for this I had to do lots of 3d modelling audio, lighting set ups, basic blueprinting, interior modelling and texturing as well. When the project was being made it was very fun doing everything and seeing everything come together using lots of skills as well.