This week I focused on figuring out the style of the pyramid on my scene and finishing the model in Maya.
Reference pictures and planning
I researched several pyramids in Mexico and Guatemala, and found one that looks a bit more simple but also tall enough to fit the scene that I want to make, which would show the pyramid slightly above the trees of the rainforest. This is the pyramid of the magician in Uxmal, Mexico and it has 3 levels and only one staircase on the front that leads to two different entrances. As my camera movement is going to go from the bottom of the pyramid until the top, I think it could look good to go all the way up the stairs until the top entrances and then open up the scene in a long shot. Regarding the details in the walls, since these would be time consuming and it would take a lot of time to render, I decided to model a simplified version of these instead.
Pyramid of the magician general view (Zwegers, 2013)Pyramid of the magician top view (O’Brien, 2012)Pyramid of the magician details (Popp) Pyramid of the magician main entrance (Schooley Jr)
Pyramid model
Using a pyramid preset geometry from Maya I started to shape the 3 levels of my Mayan pyramid. Then, adding some more subdivisions, I added the steps that surround the whole shape. Then, in a separate model, I shaped the main entrance in the middle section. The reason why I modelled it separately is because, it needs way more subdivisions than the main body so it would be easier to model it separate from the main body. I added the entrance and the windows along with all the different patterns that would shape the decoration of this section. Lastly, I modelled the top section and added as decoration the same pattern I used for the middle section. I tried to keep the number of subdivisions at the minimum so this model would not be too heavy for the main scene, as it is going to be quite heavy once I add the rest of the foliage.
Final pyramid model – front viewFinal pyramid model – 3/4 viewFinal pyramid model – side viewFinal pyramid model – 3/4 top viewPattern details added as decoration
References
O’Brien, S. (2012). Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal Mexico (online). Available at: https://pixels.com/featured/pyramid-of-the-magician-at-uxmal-mexico-shawn-obrien.html [Accessed 25 May 2023]
Popp, T. Day Trip to Uxmal and the Pyramid of the Magician (online). Available at: https://lillagreen.com/visiting-uxmal-and-the-pyramid-of-the-magician-yucatan-mexico/ [Accessed 25 May 2023]
Schooley Jr, J.P. Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal, Yucatan, Mexico (online). Available at: https://knowltondl.osu.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/8275 [Accessed 25 May 2023]
Zwegers, A. (2013). Uxmal, Pyramid of the Magician (online). Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/azwegers/14179854288 [Accessed 25 May 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 I managed to finish all trees models using MASH to place leaves repetitions, and also placed all trees in the environment.
Leaves arrangement using MASH tool in Maya
Since I realised that arranging all leaves manually would take longer that I expected, I decided to look for an alternative and quickest way. Then I found this tutorial on how to use MASH ‘Distribute’ and ‘Placer’ nodes to ‘paint’ an object over a mesh.
MASH tutorial (Ian Waters, 2017)
With the ‘Distribute’ node in MASH, I created the repetitions of the leaves arrangements I designed previously. Also, I made sure to set my MASH ‘Geometry type’ to ‘Mesh’ and not to ‘Instancer’, since this way the alpha map of the leaves will be kept and I will be able to keep the leaves texture. Then, in the ‘Distribute’ node, I set the ‘Distribution type’ to ‘Mesh’ and linked the tree as the ‘Input Mesh’ (so it follows the shape of the tree), and left the ‘Number of points’ as ‘0’ in this case. Then, I used a ‘Placer’ node so I could place the leaves pattern like painting with a brush on top of the tree. With this node I made some tweaks in its setting so the leaves were generated with random position, rotation and scale. Lastly, in order to preserve the leaves texture when exporting the trees with the MASH generated repetitions to the environment scene, I exported them in .ASS extension.
‘Placer’ node used to add leaves too treeFinal trees models with leaves exported as .ASS to preserve textureTree 1 renderTree 2 renderTree 3 renderTree 4 renderTree 5 render
Final trees arrangement in environment
Final trees arranged in environment – top viewFinal trees arranged in environment – front viewFinal trees in environment previsFinal trees in environment previsFinal trees in environment previsFinal trees in environment previs
The next steps for next week will be to try to finish the rest of the foliage and palm trees using MASH too and to start modelling the pyramid.
References
Waters, I. (2017). MASH Placer Node – Painting Points (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb2ZGa0JBns [Accessed on 20 May 2023]
This week I focused finishing the tree branches to incorporate them in the trunks I previously modelled and prepared the leaves texture in Photoshop to add to cards as shader in Maya.
Branches
For the branches modelling, I followed the tutorial I found last week. I started extruding some faces of a scaled-up cube, to then scale down the tapper in the ends of the branches. Then adding some rigging to this shape, using a ‘randomizer’ tool, and adding some manual tweaks to it, I created some random shapes of a branch. Once I was happy with the shape generated, I duplicated and tweaked again the original shape. I created 5 variations of the branch which I incorporated to the trunks I previously made. To add the branches to the trunk, I positioned them first where I wanted to place them, then deleted the faces of the trunk where I wanted to add these branches, combined the two meshes, selected both edges in both ends and bridged them.
Branch shape extruding random faces of a scaled-up cubeRigging of the branchSelecting joints created and the ‘Randomiser’ tool to deform branch (creating a more natural look)Branch deformed – view in ‘smooth – 3’ modeI created 5 variations of branchesAddition of branches to tree 1Addition of branches to tree 2Addition of branches to tree 3Addition of branches to tree 4Addition of branches to tree 5Final treesAddition of trees to environment to have an idea of how it would look like and how to orient them in the spaceTrees placed previs
Leaves
For the leaves I decided the add an alpha and a bump map to a card instead of modelling them as this last would be time consuming and will be quite heavy tot render. Therefore, I found a tutorial that shows how to create your own normal map and alpha from the image I am going to use as texture.
Leaf tutorial (Rees3D, 2020)
First, I search for a leaf image that is placed flat and has a white background. Then in Photoshop I made the background pure white (as it was slightly darker). Then selected the white area with the ‘magic wand’ tool, created new layer, and using the ‘bucket’ tool, I painted this layer in black. Then, I changed this layer blend mode from ‘normal’ to ‘colour’ and I ‘merge down’ with thee original layer. Then, I selected the ‘generate normal map’ 3D filter and in the pop up window, I tweaked ‘blur’, ‘contrast details’ and ‘detail scale’ to design the normal map of the leaf. Lastly, I exported this result in JPEG.
To create the alpha layer of the same leaf picture, in Photoshop, I selected the white area with the magic wand again and created a new layer to paint it in black with the ‘bucket’ tool as I did before. Then, I changed the blending mode from ‘normal’ to ‘colour’ and ‘merge down’ as before too, but this time I used ‘curves’ tool to adjust the image in the curve graph until the main image of the leaf looks black. Lastly, I used ‘invert’ to swap the white and black space and exported the image en JPEG.
Leaf texture (Kelly, 2019)Normal map made in PhotoshopFinal normal map result in PhotoshopFinal alpha result in Photoshop
Once I had my texture maps prepared, I linked them to a plane in Maya, connecting the original leaf picture to the base colour, the alpha to opacity, and the normal map to the bump map. Then, I oriented the UV map slightly so the leaf centre line was aligned with the centre of the plane, to then bend the plane slightly so it doesn’t look totally flat. Lastly, I duplicated this and arranged the duplicates to form a group of leaves attached to a small branch. Then I started to add them to the trees.
Texture maps linked in MayaLeaf render with texture in MayaLeaf UV mapReshaping plane to give a more organic look to the leafReshaped leaf renderReshaped leaf renderLeaves arrangementLeaves arrangement renderAddition of a small central branchLeaves with small branch renderLeaves with small branch renderAddition of smaller top leaves and variation of leaves shapes and sizeAddition of leaves to treesBranch with leaves renderBranch with leaves render
References
Kelly (2019). Green Leaf (online). Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-leaf-2559931/ [Accessed on 13 May 2023]
Rees3D (2020). Transparent Leaf [Maya Tutorial] | Rees3D.com (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM0VgEbc4pw [Accessed on 13 May 2023]
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.
In this week, I started to research tutorials to model trees trunks, branches, and leaves in the most effective way, to then begin to model the trees of my environment. I also put together a previs to see the dimensions of the space.
As I am not that familiar with organic modelling, I researched some tutorials to see what was the most efficient way to model a tree. I found the following tutorials that explain step by step how to model a tree’s trunk and branches separately, how to create different variations from the same original model, and how to put everything together once we have our parts modelled. I think this way I will have different variations of trees to fill up my environment and not having to model them one by one from start.
Tree trunk modelling (Alex Cheparev, 2021)
Tree branches modelling tutorial (Alex Cheparev, 2021)
For the leaves, I found a separate tutorial that shows how to model them in groups to then pile them up in different shapes, and ultimately, add them to the tree branches.
Leaves modelling tutorial (TrimitKala, 2020)
Following these tutorials I started with the trees modelling.
Curves used to shape basic trunk modelUsing a cylinder that has been deformed to add a more organic shape in the base, I extruded the roots and trunk. Then amended the tape and added a twirl of each elementOriginal shapeDuplicated the original shape with the curves and then tweaked original and duplicated again to have different variants
Before making the branches and leaves, I wanted to see how much space I had in the environment and how the trees would fit ini it (dimensions). So I expended some time positioning the trees in the space until I reached a preview of how the environment would look like with the pyramid included.
Environment previous
I also made some renders of the frames to see how the camera movement would look like.
Camera movement with wireframe on to see depthCamera movement previs
References
Alex Cheparev (2021). Maya Extrude Tool – How to 3D model a tree trunk (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-ls96NCgcc&list=PLAlv9GvsMvnMCUwPx_gcXaCj_yHYdIPqD&index=64 [Accessed 30 April 2023]
Alex Cheparev (2021). Maya Extrude and Joint Tools – How to 3D model tree branches (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yDgvyGPqa4&list=PLAlv9GvsMvnMCUwPx_gcXaCj_yHYdIPqD&index=63 [Accessed 30 April 2023]
TrimitKala (2020). 8. Creating the Leaves in Maya, ZBrush | Tutorial 8 | Making 3D Scene Step by Step (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycu3A_vf-YU&list=PLAlv9GvsMvnMCUwPx_gcXaCj_yHYdIPqD&index=61&t=49s [Accessed 1 May 2023]
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.
This week, I focused on planning my story board, scene assets and floor plan. I also started to model the base of my environment and learnt how to make a river simulation in Maya.
As I needed to organise this project’s weekly tasks in order to meet the deadline of the project, I decided to make a story board first of how the scene would look in camera. Also, as I think the most complicated bit of this project is going to be the trees and plants of the jungle, I will start focusing in this first and the pyramid afterwards. I found some good references of jungle trees and made a rough sketch of what elements I wanted to incorporate. Since in the jungle, trees, bushes, and rest of the plants are kind of mixed up and entangled together, I thought of incorporating this in my design to give the feeling of a dense rainforest.
Moreover, I also made a floor plan of the space to figure out the dimensions I have to aim for and the composition of the scene.
Storyboard and tree sketch made in ProcreateTrees moodboard made in PhotoshopFloor plan made in Procreate
Before starting to figure out the trees, I thought of begin with the ground basic shape and the river simulation. I used Maya’s different brushes to give some texture to the ground and make the river’s shape. Then, using a sphere, made some deformations in it and used the ‘Shatter’ tool to brake this deformed sphere into pieces so I had rocks in different random shapes. After I positioned all my rocks, I researched the best way to do a river flow simulation and I found the following tutorial:
River stream simulation tutorial (3D Splanchnic, 2019)
This effect seemed simple but it is quite challenging to get a believable effect that looks realistic. I used ‘Fluids’ tool in Maya and used the option of ‘Emit from object’ to create this water stream coming from a plane (this would be the emitter). Then, I played around with density, velocity, colliders, and resolution to create a texture that then I used as a bump map of the water. Lastly, I used ‘deep water’ preset to give water-like transparency and corrected the transmission colour to green to give a jungle tone.
I think the first test with water simulation went ok, however, there are a few corrections I wish to do, such as reduce the speed of water, reduce noise added, and maybe try to reduce the density of the effect.
References
3D Splanchnic (2019). River Fluid Texture in Maya (online). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=975S-9URarQ [Accessed 30 April 2023]
In these two weeks, we could dedicate the lectures to polish and finish the loop animation and to ask all the questions we had about it.
After I finally got to render all layers, I put them on together on Nuke. I order to do the shadows, I duplicated the main model and projected it on a card perpendicular to the first main model. Then, I colour corrected, desaturated, and blurred this projection to match the shadows from the background. Following on, I thought that the neon ring if the dome looked too flat, so I decided to add some fake neon effect by adding glow, filter erode, and edge blur to create this diffused yellow light, and then duplicated this to create the interior white light of the neon (just desaturated the colour so it looks white). Since this neon half ring is supposed to be reflected in the metallic edge of the model platform, I also added some fake reflections a radial node that has been rotoscoped and graded accordingly (also added some edge blur and blur to soften core and edges of reflection). Moreover, the space texture from the inside dome was not too visible, so I rotoscoped the area where this texture is supposed to appear and added the texture manually instead of exporting it again. I also graded it so it did not show too much detail (that was the previous problem I tried to correct in Maya but for some reason it did not render as it was supposed to). Lastly, I also considered that the background look too flat, so I added some more pronounced shadows on the sides by rotoscoping the sides I wanted the shadows and adding some edge blur, blur, and grade to get the shadows colour.
Final animation with extra lights and shadows in NukeFinal comp node graph in Nuke
Final comp without SFX
Since this was supposed to be an oddly satisfying loop animation, I also decided to include a relaxing background music to improve to the experience. The final looping videos were edited in After Effects.
Final video editing in After effects
Final Video with SFX
I enjoyed this project so much and I think I got more confident in my modelling and texturing skills with it. I also learnt the different ways to render a comp to then comp it by layers in Nuke, and After Effects, meaning that I do not need to finish everything in Maya, and I can take advantage of different programmes that are specialised on different aspects, to achieve better results. I also got more confident with node editing in Nuke as it has always been a bit challenging and intimidating for me, so I feel like this project has helped me expand my creative, technical, and project management skills in many areas.
