Preparation, Research & Planning

First of all I must gather as much information about this new building project and acquire any resources/ material that would be useful in order to aid me in creating a 3D interior or exterior of this building. I must attempt to obtain photographs and plan, section and elevation drawings.

Choice of Project Options

To begin with I was wondering what option I should undertake. I was intrigued by all three options. I was excited about the opportunity to help out on a third year animation team yet I also had some interesting ideas for the animated idents for Rave Live. I was also interested in getting some experience by working with a client from outside Ravensbourne.

During the first week of the third term I learnt that a friend of our Uncle working for a small architectural practice called Husband and Carpenter Architects ltd was looking for a 3D artist to create a 3D render exterior of a building which is to be built in London. In the end I decided to work with my brother in order to pursue this third option and help out this client produce a 3D representation of this building.

I believe that this choice will be a good opportunity to develop and show off new skills when it comes to a show reel, such as being able to read architectural drawings and to use a 2D drawing to create a 3D model. I think that architectural visualisation is a good skill to have if you are planning to become a professional modeller as it provides extra options and career opportunities. I also believe that this option is a good choice and the right project to pursue as I will be able to show a substantial amount of work with a diverse range of skills. If I work on a 3rd year film, I believe I would be producing work that is essentially not my own design, and if I am only asked to texture a model, I do not believe that would be enough for me to put into a personal show reel. If I carry out this architectural visualisation project I will be able to demonstrate that I have developed my understanding of modelling, texturing and lighting. I was disappointed to learnt that the 3rd years had already finished modelling everything for their final film, which is something I really want to improve in. This was the main reason why I chose to work on the architectural visualisation project. Not only will I be able to learn a lot from this project, but I will also be able to create something that is buildable and will probably boost my reputation as being a reliable 3D artist which may even lead to job opportunities in the future.

Schedule

Below is an example of a schedule I produced to help with time management. I think it is important to have some kind of project organisation so that certain tasks are not left to the last minute.

I anticipate that the modelling stage will take the longest to achieve because I predict that we will have difficulty in reading areas of the plan and elevation drawings. Rendering will take a while too as we plan to add an occlusion render over the top of the colour/ texture layer. Occlusion always takes a while to render out. I have perhaps over estimated how long the pre-production stage will take. Preferably we will want to begin modelling the hotel as quickly as possible.

Personal Brief

• My aim is to create an exterior and if possible an interior 3D architectural visualisation render of a hotel environment.

• The model shall be textured and the model itself must be lit to define the form of the building.

• The exterior of the 3D model of the hotel will be explored using different perspectives, camera angles and techniques. A time lapse may be included to show how light from the sun interacts with the building.

• If there is sufficient time left we should attempt to create an interior with a short fly-through.

Project Brief

Project Title: Selling Yourself

This unit builds directly on the Industry Exercises 1 and 2 units, allowing students to use their portfolio of animation skills to develop finished broadcast animation pieces (in small teams) to be shown during Rave on Air, and to generate an individual show-reel to promote those skills to employers. Students also develop more advanced planning and organisational skills necessary to manage team productions.

This unit has potential to allow inter-faculty collaboration through the use of animation to promote the work of other courses in the creation of animated advertisements for Rave on Air (production design for example). Inter-faculty collaboration is also possible through the use of other disciplines such as post production and sound design that naturally complement the animation industry. These collaborations will be negotiated on a per team basis.

Aims of the Unit

• To enable students to initiate , plan, and complete team projects.
• To enable students to work to broadcast standards of quality.
• To provide experience of establishing and developing team project schedules and tracking progress towards project completion.
• To enable students to demonstrate and promote the range and quality of their animation skills through the production of a show-reel.

The emphasis for this brief is to assess students on their ability to meet technical parameters and to ensure that their work is fit for broadcasting purposes. Students must keep an updated journal (blog) of their thought processes and project development as well as a show-reel to showcase their talents and skills by exhibiting a range of finished works and a group film fit for broadcast.

There are three options which the students can choose from: -

1. Work as a junior on a BA film project.
2. Work towards Rave Live.
3. Find an External Client.