Unit 9- live brief and progression
The project brief is to create a character - hangry (textured) and to create a environment for the character to sit in, when modelling the environment i must work to the poly count.
Research
What is the world skills competition and what opportunities can come from it ?
The world skills competition is a competition in which a set of two students from a majority of the colleges and universities in the UK compete using their modelling skills and art skills to follow a brief which consists of creating a character and an environment for it to sit in. There are a few opportunities for competitors such as becoming employed in the industry at an early point without needing any further knowledge, like attending uni.
Firstly, i started by modelling the environment, i did this by modelling the different assets which were within the environment such as a counter, stove or plate.
Every asset had to correspond within a poly count, a poly count is when a model must have a limit of how many edges it has within it, as depending on how many edges there are it will affect the model when it comes to adding it into software, it may affect how it acts or how it loads, some software can only deal with a certain amount of a poly count.
Within the project i didn't just use Maya to model the assets and the character, i also used Photoshop to add in textures onto the assets and the character, the tools i used within Maya had varied depending on the different creative processes i had used. Some of the main tools i had used were things such as : the extrude tool, multi cut, combine, bridge and the soften edges option.
Research- how game artists present their work
Most game artists present their work in portfolios, within their portfolios it consists of the different examples of their work, These portfolios only consist of a professional level of work. The work shown also has a different range of style and at different levels.
Hangry
When modelling hangry i practically used the same tools, in which are mostly consistent in modelling anything within Maya.
During this project i enacted on a variety of different experiments. these experiments consisted of different ways on modelling certain objects, and different ways on painting the texture. during modelling hangry-the character i made three different variations of the head, i did this so i could get the best outcome from modelling it in different ways, then i went through a trial and error during texturing to get the best results for the spots on the character, they first started out as just blank green spots then afterward, i added in a lighter green to the centre, then finally i added in a light yellow so it had different tones and didn't look like a flat colour. This helped develop my piece as i got a more accurate model from the reference images. during the project i planned how i would model the assets and the character by creating a test file enacting out different ways i could model the character. during this project i learned many new techniques such as how to animate using the timeline and key frames, i also learnt how to uv map and texture an object/model. during the project i also used a lot of research and references, the research consisted of images on what the character looks like, how it is coloured and how i could use different modelling techniques. This effected my project as it made the end result more effective within trying to get it as close to the reference images as possible, it also effected my knowledge within modelling in maya as i have developed my skills within modelling. i used references of the environment and character sketches. this affected it as i got more of an effective model of the environment and the model. i am satisfied with my work overall as i feel like during this project i have developed my skills within maya, i have also learnt many things within the project such as, texturing, uv mapping, animating and how to keep the poly count low. i'm happy with how the models turned out as every one of them is below the poly count and i feel like they are very accurate in context of the references, not only this but i was able to manage my time effectively during this project, as i was able to texture every asset from the environment and the character too. i think overall the one thing that i could have done better is that i could have used more effective tools within the character so that the edges were more curved and circular, a tool i could have used more frequently was the bevel tool, this would have made my model more smooth and it would have fine lined curves.
We also worked from a live brief from code masters, i found this live brief particularly easy, i modelled and textured within the given time frame, except if i were given days instead of weeks to finish the brief, at my level i probably would have struggled.
Employ-ability/industry research
Why do companies implement micro transactions ?
Companies implement microtransactions as a way to increase the amount of profit made from a game, micro transactions can also be justified to help a player, whether its to get them through a game more easily or just a cosmetic difference.
Most companies use micro transactions, from small indie companies to triple A title companies, a few examples of these companies are activision, Bethesda, Microsoft, rock-star games and ubisoft.
How much money can a company make from micro transactions ?
The figure can vary due to how successful the game is and due to the qaulity of the product, with a triple A title such as grand theft auto it has been said to make up to 500mil withinin its lifespan with 100% profit
My opinion on micro transactions is that they can be both a good and bad thing in their different ways, as there is different types of micro transactions, there is the pay to win kind in which the players who pay for the micro transaction can get a game breaking weapon against someone who hasn't paid for that specific weapon, then there is the purely cosmetic micro transactions where it is just for looks and does not help the player in any way.
Are micro transactions a form of gambling ?
They could possibly be the lowest form of gambling as it has the effect of throwing money away at an item which isn't physical and wont last forever, as most games eventually shut down their servers.
Do you think micro transactions should have restrictions in place ?
Possibly, they do have restrictions already in place in which the player can set such as using passwords before something is purchased or restricting certain content from being brought, maybe they could have restrictions on how much content can be brought at once as there are known problems when a child has brought houndreds of pounds worth of content on a parents account, without permission.
Would you be put off working with a company in which implements microtransactions ?
No, not unless the company was using its microtransactions toexploit its players. Micro transactions aren’t necessarily a bad thing, it makes the company profit, and it gives the player more content which if it is cosmetic content they have the option to purchase.
Would micro transactions put you off buying a game ?
Only if it was pay to win, because when you have pay to win games there will always be a better weapon which is brought out after the first piece a purchasable content.
Do you think it will be the downfall of triple A studios ?
I don't think it will be, but it depends on how they are used, as i have mentioned pay to win is very disliked, certain communities within games have made this clear to developers. If micro transactions are an option that doesn’t affect other players game play and experience and are mostly cosmetic i think that studios wont be slandered or loose profit/ audience.
Different jobs within the industry
-Animator
-Assistant producer
-audio engineer
-creative director DevOps engineer
-External producer
-Game programmer
-Game Artist
-lead artist
-lead programmer
-level editor
-narrative copywriter
-product manager
-project manager/ producer
-Qa tester
-technical artist
-3d artists (graduate, junior and senior)
There is a wide variety of jobs within the industry all essential to making a game, the job role i am considering within the industry mostly is the 3d artist role, i feel like my modelling skills are more advanced than my 2d painting skills i find myself interested in assets within games, how they are design and why they are designed in a specific way, in games such as Bethesda's Fallout and Elder Scrolls series props are very important, every item is very important within the rpg game.
Games artists salaries in general within the united kingdom are between :
(source found on a job site)
Throughout the games industry there are different levels within the certain jobs, just like any other industry. These are, in order junior, graduate then senior the salaries increase throughout these 'ranks'. Many companies which hold triple a titles require prior industry knowledge, companies such as Ubisoft have listed industry knowledge as essential. Time within the industry is important as an artist as we can grow and improve our skills, this is why industry knowledge is important as experience is what makes an artist.
During many of my projects i have had progress interviews to see whether i am developing and to see if my work is to the standard in which i am working at, this helps me understand anything i could possibly be doing wrong, therefore giving me the chance to correct my work. Progress interviews are a way for me to develop my skills further, each progress interview is documented on my blog with a image of the sheet used to described what i'm doing right and wrong.
I recently set up an art station account, Art station is one of the leading websites for portfolios in the 3d modelling industry, many leading designers include their works on the site, is can be used as a good communication
Throughout my different projects i have made a variety of different artist interpretations, most of these were in my German expressionism project, Artist interpretations are a good way to communicate the same ideas and feelings conveyed within the work.
Presentations within my work
During my different projects i did many different presentations, the one above in an example of some research i did for a presentation. Presentations are a good way to communicate to peers.
My CV
Art station portfolio
1. What is it that makes you happiest in life ?
What makes me happiest in life is playing xbox and reading some of my favourite book series.
2. what do you do what makes you feel invincible?
When i make really good pieces of work and get praised for making it, or when i make a really good pro-level play on some of my games.
3. what do people thank you for most ?
Most people thank me for helping them when they are in need, or for being very kind and generous.
4.what are you ridiculously good at ?
i am ridiculously good at gaming and painting.
5.who do you look up to/ admire ?
I look up to the two artists which make to music group '$uicideboy$' which are Ruby the cherry and $crim, i look up to them for where they have come from and how they live.
6.when was the last time you overly delivered on something, what was it, what were you doing ?
The last time i overly delivered on something was when i did work experience, i put in more hours at the placement than some of the employees, to show that i could work in the world and that i am capable.
7. when was the last time you were so engrossed in something that you lost time ? what was it ?
the last time i was overly engrossed in something was when i was reading while watching a stream on the gaming platform switch, i stay up quite late.
8.Imagine you had won £158 Million on the lottery, it is now 3 months later, what will you do tomorrow?
i will sit upon my balcony of the mansion i brought watching the sunset, reading.
9. what would you do if you could not fail ?
i would take part in many urban sports in which i am interested in but have not done such as free-running and skateboarding/snow boarding.
10.if you could have or do anything what would it be ?
i would become the owner of microsoft, as it is the profitable organisation of the software/computing industry.
11.what topics are you passionate about and would argue for ?
i would argue for the rap scene including the artist $uicideboy$, they are judged by their name unfairly and they're music is of another genre it will change music by the whole definition.
12. What makes you most angry about with the world?If you had the resources, how would you fix it?
i would change how the world looks at poverty and try to berid of it.
13. When was the last time you couldn’t sleep
because you were excited about something?
What was it?
the last time i could sleep because i was excited, was last Christmas, i am always excited for Christmas.
14. what work would you gladly do for free ?
i would gladly do set work on film or television for free.
15. what do your friends tell you that you are good at ?
my friends tell me that i am very good at a leader position within time.
16. what are you naturally curious about ?
i am naturally curious about vikings and the history and tactics about them.
17. If you had a free hour to surf the internet,
what would you explore? (not inc social
media)
i would explore youtube as im sure i could find some very interesting videos.
18. when you were between 5-10 what did you want to be when you were older ?
i wanted to become a blacksmith or a architect.
19. what art skills do you feel most confidently about recently ?
i feel most confident about 3D modelling.
20. what aspects of games are you currently most interested in ?
i am currently most interested in the architectural design of buildings within games.
21. If Bethesda and a small but successful
independent games company rang you today
to offer you work experience, who would you
choose to go with? Why?
i would choose bethesda as i could gather experience from a company in which i desire to be apart of, a company in which i admire and i would find out the standards of the larger companies.
my different skills in which i am good at, is writing narratives and story lines (lore) fore games.
i then took a test for careers.
End Of Year Exhibition
Business card
Exhibition statement
Exhibition final piece to be used
Research
What is the world skills competition and what opportunities can come from it ?
The world skills competition is a competition in which a set of two students from a majority of the colleges and universities in the UK compete using their modelling skills and art skills to follow a brief which consists of creating a character and an environment for it to sit in. There are a few opportunities for competitors such as becoming employed in the industry at an early point without needing any further knowledge, like attending uni.
Firstly, i started by modelling the environment, i did this by modelling the different assets which were within the environment such as a counter, stove or plate.
Every asset had to correspond within a poly count, a poly count is when a model must have a limit of how many edges it has within it, as depending on how many edges there are it will affect the model when it comes to adding it into software, it may affect how it acts or how it loads, some software can only deal with a certain amount of a poly count.
Within the project i didn't just use Maya to model the assets and the character, i also used Photoshop to add in textures onto the assets and the character, the tools i used within Maya had varied depending on the different creative processes i had used. Some of the main tools i had used were things such as : the extrude tool, multi cut, combine, bridge and the soften edges option.
Most game artists present their work in portfolios, within their portfolios it consists of the different examples of their work, These portfolios only consist of a professional level of work. The work shown also has a different range of style and at different levels.
Hangry
When modelling hangry i practically used the same tools, in which are mostly consistent in modelling anything within Maya.
Hangry's head.
Hangrys teeth
Hangry's leaves
The stem
Finished model ready to texture.
final texture on character
Evaluation During this project i enacted on a variety of different experiments. these experiments consisted of different ways on modelling certain objects, and different ways on painting the texture. during modelling hangry-the character i made three different variations of the head, i did this so i could get the best outcome from modelling it in different ways, then i went through a trial and error during texturing to get the best results for the spots on the character, they first started out as just blank green spots then afterward, i added in a lighter green to the centre, then finally i added in a light yellow so it had different tones and didn't look like a flat colour. This helped develop my piece as i got a more accurate model from the reference images. during the project i planned how i would model the assets and the character by creating a test file enacting out different ways i could model the character. during this project i learned many new techniques such as how to animate using the timeline and key frames, i also learnt how to uv map and texture an object/model. during the project i also used a lot of research and references, the research consisted of images on what the character looks like, how it is coloured and how i could use different modelling techniques. This effected my project as it made the end result more effective within trying to get it as close to the reference images as possible, it also effected my knowledge within modelling in maya as i have developed my skills within modelling. i used references of the environment and character sketches. this affected it as i got more of an effective model of the environment and the model. i am satisfied with my work overall as i feel like during this project i have developed my skills within maya, i have also learnt many things within the project such as, texturing, uv mapping, animating and how to keep the poly count low. i'm happy with how the models turned out as every one of them is below the poly count and i feel like they are very accurate in context of the references, not only this but i was able to manage my time effectively during this project, as i was able to texture every asset from the environment and the character too. i think overall the one thing that i could have done better is that i could have used more effective tools within the character so that the edges were more curved and circular, a tool i could have used more frequently was the bevel tool, this would have made my model more smooth and it would have fine lined curves.
We also worked from a live brief from code masters, i found this live brief particularly easy, i modelled and textured within the given time frame, except if i were given days instead of weeks to finish the brief, at my level i probably would have struggled.
Employ-ability/industry research
Why do companies implement micro transactions ?
Companies implement microtransactions as a way to increase the amount of profit made from a game, micro transactions can also be justified to help a player, whether its to get them through a game more easily or just a cosmetic difference.
Most companies use micro transactions, from small indie companies to triple A title companies, a few examples of these companies are activision, Bethesda, Microsoft, rock-star games and ubisoft.
How much money can a company make from micro transactions ?
The figure can vary due to how successful the game is and due to the qaulity of the product, with a triple A title such as grand theft auto it has been said to make up to 500mil withinin its lifespan with 100% profit
My opinion on micro transactions is that they can be both a good and bad thing in their different ways, as there is different types of micro transactions, there is the pay to win kind in which the players who pay for the micro transaction can get a game breaking weapon against someone who hasn't paid for that specific weapon, then there is the purely cosmetic micro transactions where it is just for looks and does not help the player in any way.
Are micro transactions a form of gambling ?
They could possibly be the lowest form of gambling as it has the effect of throwing money away at an item which isn't physical and wont last forever, as most games eventually shut down their servers.
Do you think micro transactions should have restrictions in place ?
Possibly, they do have restrictions already in place in which the player can set such as using passwords before something is purchased or restricting certain content from being brought, maybe they could have restrictions on how much content can be brought at once as there are known problems when a child has brought houndreds of pounds worth of content on a parents account, without permission.
Would you be put off working with a company in which implements microtransactions ?
No, not unless the company was using its microtransactions toexploit its players. Micro transactions aren’t necessarily a bad thing, it makes the company profit, and it gives the player more content which if it is cosmetic content they have the option to purchase.
Would micro transactions put you off buying a game ?
Only if it was pay to win, because when you have pay to win games there will always be a better weapon which is brought out after the first piece a purchasable content.
Do you think it will be the downfall of triple A studios ?
I don't think it will be, but it depends on how they are used, as i have mentioned pay to win is very disliked, certain communities within games have made this clear to developers. If micro transactions are an option that doesn’t affect other players game play and experience and are mostly cosmetic i think that studios wont be slandered or loose profit/ audience.
Different jobs within the industry
-Animator
-Assistant producer
-audio engineer
-creative director DevOps engineer
-External producer
-Game programmer
-Game Artist
-lead artist
-lead programmer
-level editor
-narrative copywriter
-product manager
-project manager/ producer
-Qa tester
-technical artist
-3d artists (graduate, junior and senior)
There is a wide variety of jobs within the industry all essential to making a game, the job role i am considering within the industry mostly is the 3d artist role, i feel like my modelling skills are more advanced than my 2d painting skills i find myself interested in assets within games, how they are design and why they are designed in a specific way, in games such as Bethesda's Fallout and Elder Scrolls series props are very important, every item is very important within the rpg game.
Games artists salaries in general within the united kingdom are between :
Throughout the games industry there are different levels within the certain jobs, just like any other industry. These are, in order junior, graduate then senior the salaries increase throughout these 'ranks'. Many companies which hold triple a titles require prior industry knowledge, companies such as Ubisoft have listed industry knowledge as essential. Time within the industry is important as an artist as we can grow and improve our skills, this is why industry knowledge is important as experience is what makes an artist.
During many of my projects i have had progress interviews to see whether i am developing and to see if my work is to the standard in which i am working at, this helps me understand anything i could possibly be doing wrong, therefore giving me the chance to correct my work. Progress interviews are a way for me to develop my skills further, each progress interview is documented on my blog with a image of the sheet used to described what i'm doing right and wrong.
I recently set up an art station account, Art station is one of the leading websites for portfolios in the 3d modelling industry, many leading designers include their works on the site, is can be used as a good communication
Throughout my different projects i have made a variety of different artist interpretations, most of these were in my German expressionism project, Artist interpretations are a good way to communicate the same ideas and feelings conveyed within the work.
Presentations within my work
My CV
Art station portfolio
1. What is it that makes you happiest in life ?
What makes me happiest in life is playing xbox and reading some of my favourite book series.
2. what do you do what makes you feel invincible?
When i make really good pieces of work and get praised for making it, or when i make a really good pro-level play on some of my games.
3. what do people thank you for most ?
Most people thank me for helping them when they are in need, or for being very kind and generous.
4.what are you ridiculously good at ?
i am ridiculously good at gaming and painting.
5.who do you look up to/ admire ?
I look up to the two artists which make to music group '$uicideboy$' which are Ruby the cherry and $crim, i look up to them for where they have come from and how they live.
6.when was the last time you overly delivered on something, what was it, what were you doing ?
The last time i overly delivered on something was when i did work experience, i put in more hours at the placement than some of the employees, to show that i could work in the world and that i am capable.
7. when was the last time you were so engrossed in something that you lost time ? what was it ?
the last time i was overly engrossed in something was when i was reading while watching a stream on the gaming platform switch, i stay up quite late.
8.Imagine you had won £158 Million on the lottery, it is now 3 months later, what will you do tomorrow?
i will sit upon my balcony of the mansion i brought watching the sunset, reading.
9. what would you do if you could not fail ?
i would take part in many urban sports in which i am interested in but have not done such as free-running and skateboarding/snow boarding.
10.if you could have or do anything what would it be ?
i would become the owner of microsoft, as it is the profitable organisation of the software/computing industry.
11.what topics are you passionate about and would argue for ?
i would argue for the rap scene including the artist $uicideboy$, they are judged by their name unfairly and they're music is of another genre it will change music by the whole definition.
12. What makes you most angry about with the world?If you had the resources, how would you fix it?
i would change how the world looks at poverty and try to berid of it.
13. When was the last time you couldn’t sleep
because you were excited about something?
What was it?
the last time i could sleep because i was excited, was last Christmas, i am always excited for Christmas.
14. what work would you gladly do for free ?
i would gladly do set work on film or television for free.
15. what do your friends tell you that you are good at ?
my friends tell me that i am very good at a leader position within time.
16. what are you naturally curious about ?
i am naturally curious about vikings and the history and tactics about them.
17. If you had a free hour to surf the internet,
what would you explore? (not inc social
media)
i would explore youtube as im sure i could find some very interesting videos.
18. when you were between 5-10 what did you want to be when you were older ?
i wanted to become a blacksmith or a architect.
19. what art skills do you feel most confidently about recently ?
i feel most confident about 3D modelling.
20. what aspects of games are you currently most interested in ?
i am currently most interested in the architectural design of buildings within games.
21. If Bethesda and a small but successful
independent games company rang you today
to offer you work experience, who would you
choose to go with? Why?
i would choose bethesda as i could gather experience from a company in which i desire to be apart of, a company in which i admire and i would find out the standards of the larger companies.
End Of Year Exhibition
Business card
Exhibition statement
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