BA3 Companion Cube - Update 3

I was always trying to remember that good topology is important when modelling objects. I may create a fantastic looking object, but it may not do well when put into a game engine, with tightly packed edges and or vertices for example.  I had to spread out the faces was evenly as I could, whilst trying to emulate the shapes with the minimum amount of faces possible.

Before

After

On the top picture, the corner piece is in need of less subdivisions, on the large, flat face at least. In addition, the curved slope needs to be tidied up somewhat. 

After I had done the corner pieces, I moved onto the smaller pieces in-between them. These also featured clean, bevelled edges, and similar, curved slopes. The great thing about using a computer program to sculpt  objects, is that I could make just one corner piece, for example, and can instantly copy it, and reposition it. Therefore speeding up the work considerably. The next bit to do was a central circle, raised slightly up from the surface of the core cube. 

BA3 Companion Cube - Update 2

The next part of the cube I concentrated on, were the corner pieces. Following the reference image, these were bevelled cubes, with spherical shapes cut out of them. These were probably the hardest parts to complete. Although, the reference image was really helpful, as it mainly became and exercise of 'tracing' over the image with 3D polygons. However, there was some degree of 'eyeballing', as each corner piece within the image wasn't identical. Which meant that my pieces wouldn't be either. But this was necessary if I was going to stick to the reference image.  

Perspective view

Side-on view

BA3 Companion Cube - Update 1

Its been some time since my last blog entry. However, I think I've come on a long way from when we began.

After we were introduced to the companion cube project, we were given a couple of basic lessons on the first few steps, with our tutor, Mark. When these sessions took place I had already progressed further on my own. Mark showed us his own method of making the core cube, and told us about a couple of tools. There would be several sessions following these ones, continuing onwards, sticking to the same method. I however, had started a few days before the first lesson, and simply made the cube in my own way. It may not be as 'exacting' as Mark's method, but I felt happier making good progress with my own way.

Beginning to add borders to the edges

I began with the core shape of the Companion Cube. Then moved onto creating a border, which ran round the edges of the cube's shape. I had to use the subdivision tool to get a perfectly proportional cube, divided into smaller cubes. And the extrude tool, to push and pull the faces around to get the border edge. All of this was ad hoc. I was just trying to teach myself how to create this cube as i saw it.


I was often unsuccessful, with unexpected things happening, and the process revealing itself to be more and more complex as I went on. It was frustrating when I was faced with large problems, which I didn't know how to solve. But I was persistent, and kept on at it. Trying various ways in which to get round it. I asked for help when it was available, and spent much time in the media lab slowly constructing the shapes I needed.

BA3 Digital Modeling - Introduction

Today, we were given an introductory lesson in how to make a ‘Companion Cube’ in Maya. Apparently, when 3d modellers first start out, they are often required to make a crate. The ‘Companion Cube’ is a bit of an inside joke in the Portal series. For it harks back to this idea. Kind of like the teapot, in relation to 3d graphics. I found it all really interesting, as we learned how to actually build an object that could be used in a real game engine.  The cube was a good starting point. It was simple, geometric and fairly easy to make. The cube itself wasn’t just a flat cube. It also has several protruding shapes, some with curving surfaces. Today, we got as far as making the core shape, whilst manipulating the surfaces to create a slender border, lining the cube’s edges. We started with a pre-prepared reference image, which we imported into Maya. We used this picture as an outline, so to get the proportions on target. We then went through the process of learning some of the basic tools used for controlling polygons, and ended up with a part-complete, Portal Companion Cube. It was very cool.

BA2 Animation - Arcs

 Objects (apart from mechanical devices) often follow a slightly circular path, rather than a straight one. This is particularly evident in the human form, and in animals.

A bad example of arcs in animation would be the original Tekken game. In the cut scenes, character’s joints often move slowly, making the animation look unnatural and odd.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzN9fA-aL4Y

On the other hand, many modern games do this very well. Thinking of Bioshock2, almost everything characters did looked realistic, and natural. Adding greatly to the illusion of life. It seems the quality and realism with arcs, is generally more down to the technical limitations of the time. As time passes, arcs are one of the aspects of animation that tends to consistently improve.

In-game screenshot of a Big Sister

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQrsoZiZlbY&feature=fvst

BA2 Animation - Appeal

Good Example: LittleBigPlanet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAu7cbCplZc&feature=related

Bad Example: Tekken

Since the very first Tekken game, there has been a trademark 'blood' effect every time a fighter is hit. The hit is over exaggerated and looks very dated when seen on modern titles such as Tekken5 and Tekken6. Perhaps it is considered to be 'classic' by Namco, the games creators. But players new to the series often comment on how it looks out of place in a contemporary fighting game. To be fair, the 'effect' looks reasonable in early games of the series, where the rest of the game was on a similar level of quality. However, it now has a dubious quality in the reaction it provokes, in today's audience.

Tekken1: released 1994

Tekken5: released 2004

Tekken6: released 2007

BA2 Animation - Exaggeration

Good Example: Dawn of War

Watch a gruesome sync kill example here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEH-j8mtPQI&feature=related



Bad Example: StarWars: Galactic Battlegrounds

StarWars: Galactic Battlegrounds, is an rts game originally released in 2001. It was basically a Star Wars rendering of the famous title Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings. My criticism of it is that when a unit dies, it will often throw a overly dramatic and loud death animation. I understand, at the scale of an rts game, the animations need to be exaggerated to a certain degree, so that the player can see them more easily. I just think that they sometimes go a bit too far in StarWars: Galactic Battlegrounds.

There are many gameplay videos on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OBzWRu1qQ0&feature=related