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.
I expended this week setting my final models with a studio lighting scene in Maya to show topology, UVs, and textures.
Studio lighting set up in Maya
I took me a bit to be able to set this scene as it was preset with different colour space, so the scene was giving me error from start. I followed a video that the author of this scene made to explain how to configure the colour space to make it work.
After, I set everything up, I could start setting my models but, unfortunately, some textures were looking way different and with the time limit I have I just could not do anything about it. Therefore, I tried to match the textures such as possible to the originals and proceeded to render. I also rendered the topology and UVs of the models for the showreel breakdown.
Colour space warningHologram light faded with this scene’s settingsI darkened the background and added the Lens Effect that I had in my previous sceneI darkened the blue colour of the hologramI corrected the spreading of the glow too
This week I focused on finishing the textures of the hologram and refine its animation.
Hologram UVs correction and base texture
When I started to add the textures to the base of the hologram in Substance Painter, I noticed that my UVs were wrong as I sliced them in sections. Therefore, any time I tried to add a rust effect on edges, the programme was not detecting them and placed the textured in the middle. I then went back to Maya and redo the UV maps, but this time only cutting off the edge that was less visible, and unfolded the UV from that cut. Then, I updated the UVs in Substance Painter and added the rust effect in the edges.
Hologram UV maps corrected in Maya
Originally, I wanted to do the texture in bronze colour to follow the style of most of the objects in the master render. However, I then realised that this texture will not work as hit is too flat and yellowish so it does not really match with the blue hologram effect on top of it.
Initial bronze texture test in Substance Painter with some dirt and rust effect added on topRings with bronze texture and dirt effectOverall look with bronze texture
After testing the bronze texture, I decided to swap to a more reflective and metallic texture such as the copper texture, and then add the dirt and scratches masks I made for the previous bronze texture on top of the new texture.
Base with copper texture for the overall surface and cobalt texture for the small rivets and the central starBase texture made of copper preset mixed with some previous features from the bronze texture (dirt and damaged edges effects)Outer ring texture is the same as the base but changed the position and the quantity of dirt effect shownOuter ring rivets textured with cobalt preset and some surface scratches maskBoth inner rings have damaged cobalt as texture – I didn’t add many effects to these rings as they are inside the hologram so they are not too visibleAfter I finished with the textures, I baked them all and exported them in Arnold aiStandard (as bmp)
After exporting the textures from Substance Painter, I created the shaders in Maya using the Substance plug-in, and linked each shader the the correspondent part of the hologram. After relinking textures in Maya, I noticed that the metallic textures looked too flat and they did not shine as a metallic surface would do in reality. Therefore, I checked the roughness map of the copper texture and reduced the ‘alpha gain’ till 0.5 (it was 1 before) and then changed the ‘color gain’ to a darker gray so the shadows had some contrast from black to gray (before they were white so they were not visible, hence the flat look). Then, I went to the ‘Lens Effect’ I added for the hologram and reduced the ‘threshold’ from 1 to 0.65 so it did not look that white/burnt shine on the surface of the metallic base.
‘Lens Effect’ added in render settings for hologram effect‘Threshold’ reduced from 1 to 0.65In copper shader – ‘Roughness map’ – reduced ‘Alpha Gain’ and ‘Color Gain’ changed to darker gray
After the textures were finally completed, I redid the animation of the spinning of the rings and the little satellites rotation on them with manual key framing.
This week I had to remodel the base of my hologram and make the hologram effect to test in in final scene, along with finishing the radio textures.
Hologram remodelling
After Martyna and Roos tested the hologram in the master render, they were having some issues with the hologram as it was too heavy for the scene. Then they figured that the particles used for the particle effect had too many subdivision and asked me to redo this with simple cubes instead (it will not have that polished effect, but it will lower the poly count of he model considerably). Apart from the particle effect, Roos also recommended me to delete any unnecessary subdivisions, so I deleted most of them from the constellations cylinders, from rings, rivets, and base of the hologram. After reducing the poly count, I also had to redo the hologram’s UV maps.
Hologram’s new UV maps after amending subdivisions
Radio Textures
I also carried on with the radio textures this week so the CG lead could have most of the final objects with textures to test the illumination with them in the master render. In Substance Painter, I chose a wood texture for the base and main body of the radio and mixed it with some metallic textures to give that futuristic look to it. I also, found two pictures online about the channel dial of retro radios, so I created an alpha and a normal map version of these and added them to the radio. I made the normal map to add some texture to the typography in it and the alpha map to add some emission to the screen (focusing on the typography only) as if the radio was turned on.
Top channel screen base colour (Cobalt)Top channel screen alphaTop channel screen normal mapMiddle channel screen base colour (Pilcher)Middle channel screen alphaMiddle channel screen normal mapTop channel switchers with bronze texture in the centre – also added some scratches and damaged edges with some masksCobalt material added for the sides of the top channel switchers – also added stains and scratches with a maskBronze texture added for top shell decoration – added some rust effect with a mask coloured in dark redSame bronze texture with rust effect added to middle channel switcher as for the top shellMiddle channel screen left blank in the middle to add channels texture later on in Maya – borders textured as damaged cobaltRusty edges added to middle channel screen with mask coloured in dark redCopper texture was added for the decoration with a dirt mask that has high contrast and has been placed only in the parts were the decoration is joining the wood textureI also added a rust mask in dark red/brownRadio handle textured with damaged cobalt for the overall parts and then with bronze for the rings – it also has rust effectTop speakers had a circular patterned texture that was coloured with a subtle ochre tone for the base and a cobalt texture for the circles edges and the speakers edges.The top speakers also had a wood preset texture with the colour changed to a darker/reddish brown – I also added a scratched texture to the edgesMain body has also a wood preset texture with the colour changed to a darker/reddish brownA scratched texture was also added in the edges and some bits of the main body.On the sides of the main body, I added a damaged cobalt texture to give a futuristic look to it. I also softened the damaged level of the preset texture as it was looking too pronounced.The bottom speakers have also a damaged cobalt texture with a red rust maskInside the bottom speakers I added the same texture I made for the top speakersThe base of the radio has also the same wood texture as the main body but with a higher level of scratches and dirt (base parts of furnitures are usually more wore off)Once I finished with the textures I baked them and exported them for Arnold aiStandard
In Maya, I linked all the textures as I did with my spaceship, by using the Substance plug-in to automatically link and group the different layers and maps into shaders. Then these shaders were connected to the correspondent parts of the radio. I also linked the channels screens to the radio and added a bit of emission (as previously mentioned) to give the feeling that the radio is turned on. However, after I uploaded this textured model to FTrack, Gonzalo mentioned that this emission was too bright and should be turned down slightly. Therefore, I corrected this and uploaded the final version to FTrack.
Radio model with emission levels too high in the middle channel screen
Final radio model with textures
References
Cobalt. Vintage radio dial (online). Available at: https://stock.adobe.com/gr_en/search?k=radio+dial&asset_id=55983088 [Accessed 3 June 2023]
Pilcher, G. Vintage radio dial face (online). Available at: https://id.pinterest.com/pin/740279257483290061/ [Accessed 3 June 2023]
This week I added some more details to the radio and the planet hologram, and tried to finish the UV maps of both of them to leave them ready for texturing next week.
Radio model improvement
I considered that the radio was looking a bit flat and boring. Since the style we are approaching is more detailed and crowded, I decided to add some patterns on the top of the radio following the organic shapes I added in the front part of the model. Also, I saw that Liam and Roos had a specific pattern in their models (couch, arm chair, and coffee table) which made the style of the objects look more cohesive. Therefore, I asked them how they made it and added it to the sides of my radio. For the top decoration, I used curves as before that then I would transform into brush strokes and lastly into mesh. For the pattern on the sides, I created a plane, then used the ‘Poke’ feature to create these crossed intersections on each subdivision of the plane, and then I extruded those faces keeping the faces separately.
Final radio model – 360 render in Maya
Radio UV maps
After I finished with the final version of the radio, I moved on with the UV maps.
Radio top UV mapRadio main body UV mapRadio top decoration UV mapRadio channels screen UV mapRadio top switchers UV mapRadio volume screen UV mapRadio middle switcher UV mapRadio handle UV mapRadio bottom speaker UV mapRadio base UV mapRadio decorations UV mapRadio inner mechanism UV mapRadio inner cables UV mapRadio UV maps with checkerboards
Planet hologram base remodelling and hologram
After Martyna and Roos had a 1-to-1 session with Dom, he considered that the platform of the hologram was too small and it did not feel like part of the composition. Therefore, I remodelled the platform, this time based on Martyna’s idea of taking an old school compass as a reference. This compass idea fits really good with the hologram style as it would look like it is a navigation map for the spaceship’s route. I also made the Earth continents shape in the inner sphere of the hologram, using MASH distribute node to generate particles and then make a road map so the particles follow the shape of a 2D image that I found online and converted in an alpha map in Photoshop. Then, I also added extra particles in the outer sphere of the hologram to give like a more random and glitchy effect. I also animated the rings and spheres so they rotate simultaneously. Lastly, I also found a tutorial that shows how to create a proper hologram effect (using a multiply and a facing ratio nodes, playing with transmission weight and then adding a ‘Lens effect’ to the render settings).
Hologram effect tutorial (Arnold renderer, 2021)Distribute node to replicate the particle created and distribute it around the inner sphereVisibility node that is linked to the 2D image of the world map so it follows the alpha mapSignal node added to the particles of the outer sphere to give some random animation to these
Playblast of final hologram model with animation (no textures added)Base remodelledBase remodelledHologram effectFinal model
References
Arnold renderer, 2021. Arnold tutorial – How to create a holographic effect in MtoA (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glG4dUnSH3o&list=PLAlv9GvsMvnMCUwPx_gcXaCj_yHYdIPqD&index=1 [Accessed 27 May 2023]
This week I focused on finishing my spaceship by editing the UV maps and creating the textures in Substance Painter.
UV Maps in Maya
Since I consider that my knowledge about tidying up UV maps was basic and my spaceship model had a lot of complex shapes and details, I decided to research about how to lay proper UV maps in complex objects. Therefore, I found the following tutorial which had a useful workflow to do proper UVs.
UV maps tutorial (On Mars 3D, 2021)
After this tutorial, I carried on to do my spaceship UV maps and get it ready for texturing in Substance Painter. Since there were lots of different parts of the spaceship that needed a lot of space in a UDIM, I decided to separate each part in a different UDIM to have the best resolution when adding textures. I also cut each section in pieces to then unfold them properly and use layout to spread them in the UDIM. Sometimes, some of the UVs were layout really mixed up and not properly oriented, like in the main body of the spaceship, so I manually corrected orientations and tidied them up (so they were also easier to spot when texturing separate sections).
I wanted to achieve a realistic texture result with my spaceship, so I decided to use Substance Painter for this. Since I have never used this software before, I researched some tutorials in YouTube and also asked to Marianna and one of the technicians at uni for advice. I found the following tutorial that teaches the basics of Substance Painter.
I mostly used the preset textures for my base, such as copper, copper worn, chrome blue tint, and glass firm dirty. Then, from these base textures I started building up with fill layers, masks, and generators to add dirt, scratches, burns, and rusty borders. Once I was happy with the textures look, I baked them all.
Side wings copper textureMain body copper textureScratches effect added to edges on top of ‘Copper Worn’ materialAdded some red rust to the borders so it looks more damagedI also added this red rust to the tips of the tubes manually with a paint brushSide windows texture with ‘Glass Filim Dirty’ material and tweaking the dirt mask to accentuate the contrast of thisAdded same effect from side windows to front windowsOuter base copper textureEngines ‘chrome blue tint’ textures with a ‘metal dirty’ mask added on topEngines ‘copper’ textures with a ‘metal dirty’ mask added on topI also added some burnt effect manually with a paint brushAfter I finished with the textures, I baked them all
However, I had some issues in the outer cover of the spaceship, since the UV maps were not unfolded properly, so they were overlapping and showing like stripy patches in some areas. Therefore, I went back to Maya and corrected the wings UVs, cutting the inside parts of each piece, unfolding them and then laying them out properly. Once this was corrected, I had to search for another tutorial as I was not sure how to update the UV maps in Substance without having to start from the beginning the whole process of texturing. Therefore, I found the following tutorial that has a really quick way to update this:
Updating UV maps in Substance Painter tutorial (On Mars 3D, 2020)Outer cover with stripes issueOuter cover UV maps updated in MayaOuter cover UV maps updated and rebaked in Substance PainterOuter cover textures now showing without any issues
Once the textures were finished, I exported them and relinked them in Maya as shaders following this tutorial for a quicker way to relink all texture maps in Maya:
Exporting textures from Substance Painter to import and relink in Maya tutorial (What Make Art, 2022)
I also added some emission effect to the windows so it looks like there are lights on inside the spaceship.
Textures relinked in MayaSpaceship render in dark background – side viewSpaceship render in dark background – front viewSpaceship render in dark background – bottom viewSpaceship render in dark background – 3/4 viewSpaceship render in dark background – back viewSpaceship render in dark background – back engine close up
Spaceship final model with textures – 360 render
References
Adobe Substance 3D (2021). Substance Painter 2021 Getting Started – Part 01 – Materials & masking (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j27AS0VQOw [Accessed 20 May 2023]
On Marrs 3D (2020). Substance Painter – How to Update Models AFTER You Textured It! (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjYzLgVOqrc [Accessed 21 May 2023]
On Mars 3D (2021). How to UV Map Complex Objects in Maya (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiEQNDZapXs [Accessed 20 May 2023]
What Make Art (2022). Export Substance Painter Textures to Maya with Plugin Tutorial (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCKc_6nTRPM&t=227s [Accessed 21 May 2023]
This week we had the first presentation of our group project, I also started with my next two models drafts (radio and planet hologram), & also made the matchmove task until the end of the footage as requested by Gonzalo.
Group presentation
This week we were asked to make a presentation of the current work in progress of our group project, so look dev artists shared the WIPs of our first models, CG generalist and CG lead shared the draft layout of the scene with illumination test, compositor showed their matchmove and clean up of the scene, and compositing lead shared their research about colour palette, textures and overall style of the scene.
After the presentation, we also had a group meeting to review the progress of our project and decide the next steps to follow for next week. Since we needed a more refined layout to see dimensions and positioning of the models in the space, we decided to try and have all draft models done for next Monday. The CG generalist and CG lead also created a folder in the UAL shared drive so we could also access it and upload all our models there as alembic (abc). Martyna also took a human figure from Maya’s content browser and scaled it to the scene size we wanted so we have a scale reference.
From my side, as I already finished the spaceship model (and this was approved on FTrack by Gonzalo too), this week I focused on finishing the radio and the planet hologram draft models for Monday.
Radio
For the radio model, I took the two pictures below as references. Both styles are different but I like some features from both styles that I consider can be incorporated together. For example the main outer shape and the speaker on the left radio could be mixed with the buttons and decoration lines of the second reference on the right.
Radio references
I then tried to incorporate these elements in my model and came up with the following draft model:
Radio draft model – Wireframe front viewRadio draft model – Wireframe 3/4 viewRadio draft model – Wireframe top view
Radio draft model
Planet hologram
For the planet hologram I used the below image as reference since it mixes a futuristic hologram effect with steampunk metallic textures in the rings, planet and base. I consider it is a good example for the futuristic steampunk style we are aiming for.
Planet hologram reference
In this version I made a draft of the model and tested how it would look like with a basic hologram effect and a simple animation made with manual key framing:
Also, we were asked by Gonzalo on FTrack to finish the matchmove task until the last frame. When I went back to 3D Equaliser and tried to add the last tracking points for the final frames, it was showing as a flat line in the deviation graph, as if I did not add any points from frame 450 onwards. However, after trying to figure it out by myself, I asked my classmates for help and Martyna managed to help me with this. As she had the same issue last week, she asked Dom and he explained that this was due to having two different tracking points in the beginning of the scene and at the end of the scene in the same place. Since they were different points and were on the same place, the programme could not read them properly and assumed that there were no tracking points in that area. Therefore, all that I needed to do was to take the point added at the beginning of the scene and extend it until the end from the point it was visible again inside the frame. This solved my issue with the programme not recognising the tracks and managed to finish the tracking until the end. Then in Maya I adjusted the scene again and exported the alembic cards, cones, and camera to Nuke, to finally add the lens distortion.
This week I focused on finishing the matchmove task with all corrections required and also tried to finish the spaceship model ready for texturing.
Matchmove task
I had a second 1-to-1 session with Dom and asked him about how to export from Maya to Nuke and how to correct camera alignment in 3D Equaliser or Maya. In 3D Equaliser, I missed to set the point of origin and to set the ground points. Also, I needed to align my camera horizon so everything is level to the footage. Once this was corrected, ,I exported it to Maya and realigned the cards and cones of 3D scene. Then, I exported cards, cones, and camera separately in .abc (alembic) as explained by Dom. As I already had the scene previously set before these corrections, I replaced the camera exported from Maya in the Nuke file exported from 3D Equaliser, then connected the cards and cones as geometry in the ‘Scene’ node, added a red constant and some lighting to give some colour and contrast to the cones, and finally redistorted everything together. I finally exported the final matchmove and uploaded it to FTrack for assessment.
Setting origin tracker pointDefining floor pointsCorrecting camera horizon – 3D viewFloor points looking flat at grid levelHorizon line adjusted – 2D viewExporting cards, cones, and camera as alembic in MayaConstant node added to colour cones in red in NukeLight spots added to give some volume and contrast to cones colour in NukeFinal Nuke nodes graph
Final matchmove
Spaceship WIP 1 review and further modelling of WIP 2
This week I tried to finish the spaceship model to get it ready for texturing. I added more details such as windows on the sides (adding edge loops and extruding), two extra engines and wings in the sides, changed the bottom part and added extra details so it looks like a boat, and lastly, I added some extra details in the top of the spaceship so it looks like the top fin of a fish. Most of the more organic design ini this model was made using ‘Curves’ to make the shape I wanted and then with a disc, extruding following curve made. My main reference for the added features is the following:
Reference picture (Michal Matczak, 2012)
Once I finished with the model, I exported a 360° view and took some wireframes screenshots as requested in my first FTrack review of my first model version.
This week, we received the group project live action footage so we could make the matchmove in 3D Equaliser, Maya, and Nuke. I also started modelling the spaceship for the group project.
Matchmove task
I started to track the live footage we were given in 3D Equaliser, trying to follow the steps we learnt last week. This was a bit challenging as the floor of the footage had a lot of reflections and it was difficult to keep the tracker on place. Also, before tracking, I denoised the plate in Nuke so I could get a clearer image for tracking. I only tracked the green marks added in the scene initially, however, after my 1-to-1 session with Dom, he clarified that the green marks were only references and that I could add more tracker points anywhere I needed (the more tracker points the better results I could get later on). Therefore, I added more tracker points to then reconstruct the scene in Maya and added red cones on every single tracker point.
Initial trackers on green marks onlyFirst geometry generated from green trackers onlyAddition of more tracker points, clean up of failed trackers, and addition of camera lens dataPoints calculationPoints in 3D spaceGenerated mesh from tracker pointsGenerated mesh from tracker pointsExport of mesh to MayaFootage replaced for undistorted plate exported from Nuke to Maya (so tracker points match with footage)3D scene reconstruction in MayaAddition of cones on tracker pointsMaya render view of cards and cones
Matchmove playlist in Maya – WIP
I was a bit confused on how are we supposed to export the geometry in Maya and the process after this in Nuke, so I will book another session with Dom for next week.
Spaceship WIP 1
For my spaceship model I made some sketches on Procreate app first and then some more hand-drawn sketches while discussing with my group the style approach we were going to follow.
Initial spaceship idea (sketch in Procreate)Group brainstorming for further stylistic ideas (hand-drawn sketch)
After figuring out how the spaceship would look like, I start to 3D model it in Maya directly as I will also have a better idea of dimensions.
Wireframe view of spaceship WIP in MayaWireframe view of spaceship WIP in MayaWireframe view of spaceship WIP in Maya
We were also asked to submit next week our first model WIP to FTrack so I put together some render views.
Spaceship version 1
Also, Roos created a group Padlet board where we will be adding the progress of each team member’s tasks and where we could give feedback and add notes too.
In this first lecture with Dom, we learnt how to use 3D Equaliser to track a scene’s camera movement and lens distortion, and then export it to recreate the 3D space of this shot. We also organised the assets and tasks of each member of our group and started to think about the components our scene needed.
3D Equaliser Lecture
A camera track is used to recreate the camera movement and lens distortion of a scene shot. This is then used for adding CG elements to it that will follow the same movement of the scene. There are different types of camera track such as:
Facial tracking. To track facial movements and expressions.
Object tracking. To track movement of objects in the scene.
Rotomation. To match movement of objects and actors, and then adding CG to live action.
It is also important to track the lens distortion of a scene so when adding CG elements to it, they look like part of the shot as if they were filmed with the same camera lens.
Types of lens distortion (Foundry)
In order to track our scene, we will use 3D Equaliser which is the standard camera tracking software used within the industry. The 3D tracking process is made following these steps:
Set up camera and lens.
Track scene.
Lens distortion.
3D orientation.
Check scene.
Export.
This programme feels a bit more accurate than Nuke regarding the camera tracking as it has less errors when tracking and we can also add the exact points we want to track in the scene. First, we would have to import our footage to the programme, and then play around changing lighting, gamma, and contrast, to increase tracking accuracy depending of the point we want to track. Normally, when there is more contrast and there is a clear pattern to track, the programme would have less problems to track. After we have tracked our points, we do click on ‘Calculate All From Scratch’ or press ‘Alt+C’ so the programme can calculate the tracking points in 3D space.
Once we have our tracking points, we will start with the clean up process. This means to get rid of trackers that do not work that good, or smoothing the tracking lines in the ‘Deviation Browser’, or double checking the there are no tracking points outside the shot.
Then we can proceed to set the lens distortion by adding the type of camera lens details (can be found online at https://vfxcamdb.com), so then the programme can calculate the trackers in 3D space again but using the distortion details.
Following on, we can switch our view to 3D space (F6) and convert the tracking points into 3D models or mesh. This 3D model can then be exported to Maya, Nuke, and other 3D programmes, ready to be used as reference for our 3D scene.
I exported mine to Maya and added simple shapes to recreate the scene in 3D space. This would be then used as a reference for 3D artists to set their models positions and perspectives in the scene.
Tracker points in 3D EqualiserMesh generating from tracker pointsMesh look in 3D space3D scene modelling in Maya
3D scene modelled in Maya using the trackers reference exported from 3D Equaliser
Steampunk project – Organising tasks and assets list
This week we decided on the assets we needed for our scene and how many assets each look dev artist was going to take care of. Since I love sci-fi and everything related with cosmos and spaceships, I decided to model the spaceship that is going to be seen from the window of the scene. Also, taking advantaged that in my collaborative unit from the last term I got to test some hologram effects in Maya using MASH, I also decided to try model the planets hologram. And lastly, I will also be taking care of design a radio which I find really interesting as I love classic 1800s radio models which are perfect for the steampunk look we are pursuing.
I then put together a moodboard of each model to see how the style of each one would be:
Foundry. Camera Matching (online). Available at: https://learn.foundry.com/modo/14.1/content/help/pages/rendering/camera_matching.html [Accessed 23 April 2023]
