The project has been a rollercoaster of challenges, but I feel that I have learnt more than ever. I have faced many issues such as programmes compatibility, corrupted files, not enough computer specs to run my project with the level of detail I wanted, amongst others. However, I have learnt to troubleshoot and test different ways to do the same thing until I find the most suitable solution, while also taking in consideration timeframe, budget, and minimum requirements for the project. I have also developed my skills in programmes such as Maya, Substance Painter, Nuke, After Effects, and Photoshop, and I have learnt a completely new programme to me such as Unreal Engine. I have also noticed that I am more confident when switching between programmes and learning new ones, since I now understand the logic behind the processes and terminology of 3D and VFX in general. I consider that this is a major step for me as a professional, because this career will always require the upgrading of my skills and adaptation to new technology and techniques. Overall, I think I have achieved a final outcome that has a professional level and that I will proudly include in my portfolio.
Due to limited storage in this blog, I was unable to publish weeks 5-9, so I added the rest of the process in the following pdf file. I will update this blog once the storage issue is resolved.
This week I focused on texturing in Substance Painter and testing the textures in Maya and Unreal Engine
Base & connections rock texture
For the rock texture, I mixed Substance’s pre-made rock textures, to then scale them down, orientate them vertically and lastly, I added a layer of dirt to give more variation and dimension. For the block of flats in the rock layer, I kept it a bit simpler as there is already a lot of detail in this section and I did not want to overcrowd it. Also, for the connections I added the same rock texture and some asphalt texture for the roads with stencilled road signs on top.
Base colour of the city base, and scale-down and orientation of the rock texture Rocky base texture – front viewRocky base texture – side view in high light conditionsRocky base texture – side view in low light conditionsBlock of flats textureBottom block of flats texture with stencilled signsCity connections with rocky and asphalt textures, and stencilled signs
General city buildings, skyscrapers, & main tower textures
For the city buildings, I downloaded a texture from Substance website which already has the windows set up to increase/decrease to amount of lit windows and the intensity and colour of the lights. I could also adjust the size of the frame of the windows so they have the proper dimensions for my model. I also added an emission layer to this texture so when exporting it, I have an emission map to adjust the windows light intensity in Unreal Engine. This was actually a good discovery as I could texture all the buildings at the same time and pretty quick, whereas if I had to do the buildings one by one, it would have been time consuming and a pretty tedious job to do. For the bridges, I used another texture that I found in Substance website which resembles the texture of the circuits of a machine and, by adding an emission layer, I could show some neon lighting in the circuit details so it makes them stand out. As a final touch, I added a flying car landing sign on the top of some buildings using one of Substance pre-made stencils. I also added a purple neon glow to make it more futuristic.
For the skyscrapers, I added a simple glass texture for the windows as I am planning to add an emission effect later on in Unreal Engine. Then for the main body of the skyscrapers I used a metal texture with some scratches and a concrete texture with some dust painted on top manually. The skyscrapers textures are simple as these are not going to be too visible in the night ambient of the scene.
For the main tower, I also used the same circuit texture that I used for the bridges. In the edges, I added a glass texture with a purple colour which will be lit later on in Unreal Engine. Lastly, using a stencil and an opacity layer only, I painted some vents on the top of the tower.
City buildings initial texture viewIncrease of windows lights and change light colours for variationTop landing signs made using a Substance Painter pre-made stencil with the addition of a purple glow in the edgesOverall view of final buildings textureSkyscraper 1 – Windows and main body texturesSkyscraper 1 – Dust painting on rooftopSkyscraper 2 – Windows and main body texture – Front viewSkyscraper 2 – Windows and main body texture – Back viewSkyscraper 3 – Windows and main body texturesSkyscraper 3 – Roof top dust paint on concrete textureSkyscraper 4 – Windows and main body texturesSkyscraper 5 – Windows and main body textures, and stencilled landing signsSkyscraper 6 – Windows and main body texturesSkyscraper 7 – Windows and main body texturesSkyscraper 7 – Roof top dust painting on concrete textureMain tower – Circuit and purple glass textureMain tower – Stencilled vents
City details textures
I chose a patterned texture for the city wall and metallic edges. Then I painted some dust on the lower parts so it blends in with the rocky base texture.
For the capsules, I used a glass texture for the top part and another circuit texture (different from the main tower and the bridges texture) to simulate the capsules engine.
The lamp posts and the antennas were textured really quick as they are very small and won’t be too visible. Therefore, I added a metallic and a glass texture for the lamp posts (which will have lighting added on later on in Unreal Engine), and metallic and carbon fibre textures for the antennas.
The cranes also have a metallic texture with some rusty details and a rope texture for the cable which I painted in grey so it looks like a metallic cable. The base has a concrete texture.
Lastly, the flying cars have also a basic glass texture for the windows and a basic metallic texture for the main body as these are going to be very small in the scene. The only distinctive attribute these have is the blue stripe in front which will be the car’s front light. I am also planning to add some emission effect in Unreal Engine to this front light.
City wall – painting dust marksCity wall – Metallic patterned texture with dust painted on – Final lookCapsules – Glass and engine texturesLamp posts – Metallic and glass texturesAntenna – Metallic and carbon fibre texturesCrane main body – Concrete and rusty metallic texturesCrane cable – Rope texture painted in grey colour for metallic lookFlying car – Glass texture for the windows and metallic texture for the main body – front glass stripe for car light
This week I got a bit delayed and I only managed to do the UV maps of all the parts of the model, so I will start with the textures next week.
UV Mapping
I made the UV maps in separate sections of the model, so it is easier to texture later on on Substance Painter (the model in parts will not be as heavy to texture and the programme will run better). I used ‘camera based’ tool to detect the UV map of each part based on the camera view, then I started to cut and sew the seams of each UV to be ablate unfold them as flat as possible without overlapping UVs. Then I used the ‘optimize tool’ to straighten the UVs as much as possible (this will make texturing easier as will avoid stretching issues). Lastly, I used ‘layout’ to try to arrange all UV shells of each section in 1 UDIM, spreading to 2 UDIMS for those sections that were too big to fit in one. After all the UVs were ready, I renamed the UV sets (to avoid issues with UV overlapping later on in Substance Painter) and I exported the model by sections in USD format.
I tried to finish the overall city model this week to get it ready to start with the UV maps and texturing.
General city buildings modelling
I decided to make the general buildings of the city using some tools like ‘transform’ and ‘extrude’ to quickly generate random building shapes. I used the following tutorial as an example:
City Modelling tutorial (SYIA Studios, 2019)I created a disc and reduced the subdivisions to have a irregular gridI extruded the subdivisions to create the roads of the cityI extruded the subdivisions again but this time upwards to give some elevation to the terrainI created some more subdivisions inside the current faces of the discI extruded the smaller subdivisions to give some separation between themI used the ‘transform’ tool to give some randomness to the faces selectedI extruded the faces and, because I randomise them, these will elevate differently to create the effect of the buildings of a cityTop view of the buildings
Rocky base buildings remodelling
After modelling the city buildings, I noticed that the buildings in the rocky base were a bit off scale so I decided to remodel them and create a more cohesive design. I used the same technique that I used for the top city buildings, by randomising the faces of a cylinder and extruding them out. Then I picked a few faces I moved them inwards so it seems like entrances to the buildings or even garages for the flying cars.
Subdivisions createdSubdivisions reducedAddition of more subdivisions within the previous uneven subdivisionsI deleted some random subdivisions to create more variety of shapesFaces extruded slightly to give some separation between themTransform tool to create randomnessFaces extrudedRandom faces selected and moved inwardsRendered view with rocky parts
For the bottom building, I tried to keep it simpler, and just extruded in the subdivisions (giving some separation between faces) and then extruded out some balconies. the bottom part has big doors as if they were entrances for big flying trucks.
Bottom buildings of rocky baseRendered view with rocky parts
Skyscrapers and bridges modelling
To give some interest and variety to the city, I also modelled some skyscrapers that will be placed in the middle section of the city. I also added some bridges linking the lower buildings of the city.
Skyscrapers modelsSkyscrapers modelsCity render view with skyscrapers and bridges addedMain view of the city to check balance of the design
City connections/pathways, entrances, & city barrier
Using the same technique I used for the rock of the city base, I created rocky connections between cities, with two main roads and a train track in the middle.
Stalactites made with ‘stamp’ toolRocky texture made with ‘stamp’ toolSmoothed out the rocky texture and the stalactites length to create some variety in shapesRender view of the city and the connections addedRender top view of the city and the connections addedRender view of the city base and the connections addedCity entrances and barrierThree connections created and attached to the cityTop view of connections and city
City details
Lastly, I added the city details like lamp posts, transit capsules, flying cars, cables, antennas, billboards, and cranes, to make the city more realistic and alive. I used MASH to help with the lamp posts repetition and with the flying cars positioning and animation around the city. I did not make many billboards as most of the advertising and signage is going to be holographic. Additionally, I remodelled the roof tops of the buildings with different shapes to give some variety to the overall look.
Big lamp posts for the city connections and small lamp post for the top cityLamp posts added with MASH to quickly create a repetition of the object with equal distances from each otherClose view of lamp posts in placeModelling of transit capsules to transport people between citiesFlying car bottom viewFlying car top viewCar simulation with MASH taking a torus as a base shape‘Signal’ tool to create some variation in the cars movement Flying cars simulation with MASHI used curves to make the cables shapesCables between buildingsI also added some antennas and remodelled the roof tops of the buildingsLamp posts added to the outside area of the cityAddition of billboardsCrane modelCranes look on top of skyscraperOverall look of the city details
References
SYIA Studios (2019). Maya Model a Simple City Quickly Tutorial (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2315V1g8fNw&list=PLAlv9GvsMvnMCUwPx_gcXaCj_yHYdIPqD&index=118&t=287s [Accessed 12 October 2023]
I am a person that likes to do my projects in sections, following a logic timeline, so the work pipeline is as efficient as possible. This is why, for this project, I have decided to separate it in the following sections:
Planning
Inspiration research/Moodboards/References
Sketching/Layout draft
Modelling
UV/Texturing
Final layout/Lighting/VFX
Matte painting/Compositing/Colouring
Rendering
After deciding my work pipeline, I proceeded to organise roughly a weekly schedule on Excel to see how much time I count with to finalise this project on time:
Project schedule
Obviously, this schedule may change or may have new tasks added depending on the progress of the project and possible problems or change of plans that could arise.
Inspiration research, moodboards, & layout sketch
I did some research about floating cities to see which features I liked to add to my city and how to make the layout. I decided that I wanted my city to have a cyberpunk style with lots of neon lights which will contrast with the night sky. I also want to add some clouds and fog around the city and in between the buildings. I also liked the idea of attaching the city with ‘ropes’ or ‘chains’ to the ground (or mountains that are nearby), and include hanging vegetation from them. I also think that the contrast of a rocky and irregular terrain with the sharp and symmetric edges of the city buildings but give some interest to the composition. Moreover, I am planning to add like underground buildings that were built up in the rock as if it was built for the lower class of society (these buildings will have a more irregular shape). Regarding the neon signs, since these are going to be seen from far away, I want to make simple signs that do not have a clear language (it will only show gibberish), so the design is quicker.
Floating cities moodboardBuildings and skyline shapes moodboardNeon signs moodboard
After I had an idea of the style and components of the scene, I used Procreate app in my iPad to make a rough sketch of the overall scene:
Sketch made in Procreate
Modelling city base
This first week I focused on the modelling of the rocky base of the city with the addition of the inner buildings carved in the rock. First, I created a cylinder and added a high amount of subdivisions, to then using the stamp feature of the ‘sculpt tool’, create big stalactites hanging on the edges of the cylinder. I formed the base by sections, intercalating a layer of rock, a plain cylinder layer and so on. Again, with the stamp tool, I also changed the shape to vertical lines stamp, and created the effect in the rock as if it was ripped off the ground. Moreover, in order to give a more asymmetric look, I also reshaped and distorted the shape of the cylinders with the ‘grab tool’ and with ‘lattice points’.
Cylinder with high number of subdivisionsStamp tool to create stalactitesIntercalation of rocky layers with plain cylindrical layersVertical pattern to create the striped look on the rock
For the buildings in the rock, I first made a staircase using a stretched and scaled down cylinder and then using ‘duplicate special’ to translate the duplicates exactly on the ‘y’ and ‘z’ axes. Then, I cut the cylinder in sections (block of buildings) and integrated them with the staircases. And lastly, I added the windows and doors by adding more subdivisions using ‘edge loop’. In the sides and edges of the buildings, I also used the stamp tool to give them a rocky edge the blends in with the rocky aesthetic.
Staircase made using ‘duplicate special’Cylinder cut in sections and integrated with staircasesCylinder cut in sections and integrated with staircases – look with top rocky layerTop rocky buildings design with wireframeTop rocky buildings design with wireframeTop rocky buildings design with wireframeTop rocky buildings designTop rocky buildings designBottom rocky buildings design with wireframeBottom rocky buildings design
Lastly, using the ‘relax tool’, I got rid of conflicting areas where the stamp tool did not make a great job and messed up the points of the mesh.
In this final week, I put together my group project showreel to show the final outcome and my models breakdown, and I also wrote my critical review about this project.
Steampunk group project showreel
Critical review
This project was full of ups and downs. However, I feel like all of the components of this group have been professional, helpful, understanding, and a pleasure to work with. Communication is key in a group project and more when there is a time constrain that requires efficiency and accuracy. This team have definitely comply with their individual tasks and exceeded expectations. As a group, we managed to have all tasks finished on time, and we managed to discussed openly many issues we had throughout this project.
From my side, I have assumed the look dev artist role which I was very pleased with. I admit that look dev artists have the pressure of finishing the models as soon as possible so I did not really reach the point in my model where I was completely satisfied. For example, I had issues with my hologram model as it was way too heavy for the scene and I had to reduce the poly count of the model in order for it to work. I also had to remodel the base of the hologram as we were unsure how to make it work in the scene. While the hologram was a bit of a problem for me, the spaceship and the radio models were good and I just had to make small changes to them that would not vary their final look.
On another note, I have taken a lot of new knowledge from this: I have learnt to use Substance Painter to create my own textures which has opened another important door as a 3D artist; I have improved my modelling skills to have a polished finish in my topology to make it as much optimised as possible (and avoid future issues in crowded scenes such as this steampunk comp); I have also learnt how to create proper UV maps and the several techniques to do so; and lastly, I have also learnt how this industry pipeline works on general basis, which also is good to experience as it has given me an idea on what pathways I would like to go after I finish this master.
In my final week I finally put together my personal project showreel, detailing the project’s breakdown and final outcome
Personal Project Showreel – Mayan Environment
Critical Review
This project has been both enlightening and challenging. Thinking about my targets I set to myself before I started with this journey, I consider that I have fulfilled more than I expected. I was aware that I set a complex task to myself and that it would require to give up certain aspects in order to keep up with the deadline. I think that all that I was planning to achieve has been done with the exception of the final comp, where I was planning to show a change from day to night in the sky, playing with the lighting conditions. I also would have done many things differently such as UVs and texturing; this part could have been done better if I could have done the textures myself in Substance Painter how I was planning to do originally. However, due to obvious reasons (time constrains) I had to opt for downloaded textures that look overall good, but not at 100% how I would have wanted to. The river simulation is also another aspect that I would have wanted to expend more time with, as I consider I have not had the chance to practice simulations in depth in this course.
On the bright side, I also consider that I have improved my modelling and texturing skills by learning how to shape more organic models and how to use textures in my benefit to reduce the modelling time (e.g. using textured cards for the leaves instead of modelling them). I also learned a lot about water simulation and I had the chance to practice further my compositing skills with Nuke, programme that I have not had the time to use since end of term 2.
In these last 3 weeks, I have been writing my draft introduction, methodology, and draft chapter, and I also polished my literature review.
Final thesis proposal
During my second 1-to-1 session with Nigel, I asked Nigel about the length of my literature review and the issues I was having trying to reduce it, as if I don’t, I will not have much space for my draft chapter. He then advised that if the literature review already shows my voice and how I am going to approach my topic, it is not strictly necessary to write a big draft chapter either. Therefore, I could reduce just a bit my literature review and only write about 100 words or a paragraph for my draft chapter. He also mentioned that thesis proposals were not supposed to be that strict with word count like the final thesis, as the proposal is only an explanation on how I am to develop my final thesis.
This week, I researched pictures that I would use for my matte paintings in Photoshop to then implement the m in Nuke for my final comp. I also rendered again my scene from Maya with motion blur added.
Motion blur added in Maya render
I was not convinced about the way the render of the scene was looking, so I asked Marianna for help and advice. I explained that the image look too sharp and neat, and it did not look realistic at all as it was missing depth of field and some blur. Then she explained to me that in Maya I could really easily apply motion blur in my render settings (literally just need to tick an option), and Maya would add the motion blur and depth of field for me.
Mayan environment with motion blur
Matte paintings in Photoshop
For the sky matte painting, I took a sunset sky picture and using the ‘offset’ and the ‘stamp’ tools in Photoshop, I made an ‘infinite’ picture so the edge of this is not visible if applied in a sphere or a cylinder to recreate the environment background. The background mountains were made like this too, however, in the rest of the matte paintings I only removed the the sky of the pictures.
In Nuke I added those matte paintings previously made in Photoshop. I added the sky as a sphere texture so it looks more realistic and has more sense of depth. The background mountains were added to a cylinder was they were going to surround the whole scene (as the camera movement rotates through all the scene, this needs to be visible from all the angles). The foreground mountain and the extra rainforest bits were added as projections to simple cards since they constitute small sections only so do not need curved surface. To give more depth to the scene, I added some highlights and shadows to the mountains using rotoscoping. Lastly, I decided to search a clip of a waterfall to add it to the back of the scene so the river position has sense and continuity. Since the cards of the waterfall were giving me problems as they would get in the middle of the camera movement and they would show were the should not, I set their lifetime until only farm 400 so they disappear after. I also had to colour correct the water if the waterfall to match the colour of the river and I also gave the sky an orange/yellow tone so it matches the sunset sky’s colour.
Sky added to a sphereBackground mountains added to a cylinder and rest of the elements to a cardAdding highlights and shadows to mountains with rotoAdding highlights and shadows to mountain with rotoWaterfall’s water and sky grading with rotoLimiting waterfall vidio lifetime till frame 400 so it does not get in front of the cameraFinal comp nodes graphFinal comp nodes graphFinal comp nodes graphFinal comp nodes graph
