Final Show Reel Video

It has been a while since my last update, and with that I would like to let you know that this will be the final post for this blog.

At the start of June I delivered the entire project as final delivery and for graduation. During the extra week time I took the time to create a final show reel video, which I also used during my presentation. On June 30^th I had my last presentation/defense and it went well, in the end the examiners let me know that I passed with a good grade.

So as for my conclusion the final product for this graduation project works and the transformation animation in UDK can be applied with the pipeline I conducted. This means the main goal for this project, which was to actually show that the research done for my specialization and that the pipeline that was developed can be used for a real production. I also wanted to show that it can be used on a more  detailed character. And these character models are around 15 k polygons.

This project also gave me the opportunity to go through multiple stage of a development; from character creation and sculpting, to rigging, skinning and animation, as well as the technical implementation of the animations in UDK. For me personally it was also a great learning experience. And that was the side goal of this project, to show I have the knowledge and was able to experience all these steps. And in 15 weeks I am glad with the results that have been made.

Working Transformation Animation in UDK

Within these past weeks I also worked on the animations for all three forms. I also didthe implementation of the models and set-up the sequence in UDK. Thanks to all the research done last year this part went easy and without any major problems. I did had to reread some stuff and figure out again how certain things in the set -up works, especially the difference between the skeletal mesh for the animation and the skeletal MAT mesh for the morph targets.

Here below you can transformation animation working real-time in UDK

I am satisfied with the current result and glad the past 13 weeks of work have paid off showing that the pipeline and research I have done works on a more detailed/ higher polygon model.

The upcoming weeks I am finishing up the documentation and I hope to add some idle animations and perhaps a transforming back sequence. But it will depend on the amount of time I will have left.

Rigging and Skinning

It has been a month since my last update on this blog. I have been really busy over the past weeks working on creating the rigs and do the skinning for all three models. I made some minor tweaks on the colors of the models but nothing major from the previous texture blog post.

The problem that I had to overcome was that I had to crash course myself with rigging tutorials to get the hang of it again. Basically the knowledge I had had all but left me, it has been two years ago that I had to rig a character for a course. So to be able to get it all back I had to dive in and spend at least one week doing trial and error to get the rig structures done together with some minor scripting.

Luckily the skinning went a lot easier and once I had the hang of it I only spend a couple of days to get it done and another to tweak it here and there.

So here below I will show you the models in rest pose, a first animation pose and the model rigs as screenshots taken from the mayaview port in high quality textures. 

Human Form (Rest pose)

Bipedal Werewolf Form (Rest pose)

Quadruped Werewolf Form (Rest pose)

Model Rig structures

                

Human Form (Pose)

Bipedal Werewolf Form (Pose)

Quadruped Werewolf Form (Pose)

And now with all the rigging and skinning done, I also did a quick this if I could get everything to UDK and it worked. This means that in the upcoming week I will be working on the animation and creating the blendshapes and the week after that implementing everything in UDK and making it work.

Then if all is going according to plan I still have around 2 weeks to wrap up all documentation and create additional stuff before the deadline delivery of June 10th.

I hope to show some animation work in the next blog post!

Textured Forms

Within these past weeks I also worked on textures for all three forms. Though the project might not be totally focused on texturing, I am trying to create nice looking character texture for this animation. Created three texture maps for each form, a color, normal and specular map.

Here below you can see a turntable of the human character with textures

Here below you can see a turntable of the bipedal werewolf character with textures

Here below you can see a turntable of the quadruped werewolf character with textures

In the course of the upcoming week I will be tweaking some of these texture maps, especially the specular maps. I am however very glad how the normal maps turned out. When baking them they had very little artifacts to fix. 

As for the color maps some slight adjustments might be made depending on the feedback I will receive next week. Next week it will be 'return to school day' for all students working on their graduation projects. It is a moment for everyone to show their work to other students, supervisors and teachers and receive feedback if applied.

Over the course of the next weeks I will work on some texture improvements and start rigging the models. After this week only 7 weeks remain to work on this project.

Quadruped Werewolf Form

The past weeks I have been working on the third and final form for the transformation animation. For this form I used a lot of wolf imagery for the head and a bit for the shape of the body. Like the few images below. 

                       

Eventually for the animations he will be on all four paws making the silhoet look different from the second werewolf form. Here below you can find a turntable of the full detail sculpt. 

Like mentioned when working on the previous bipedal form I had problems sculpting in the fur with the right tools, though after finding some tutorials I managed to adjust the tools properly to create more detailed fur on this model. Then the question is if I will adjust this as well on the bipedal form, probably not given that the textures that I created for that model look good enough in my opinion. I will show the textured forms in my next post.

Here below you can find the low poly basemesh of the Quadruped Werewolf Form.

Bipedal Werewolf Form

During the past weeks I made the Human Form ready for texturing. But before continueing with textures I decided to first finish on the Bipedal Werewolf Form model. Started off with some sketching.

And decided to take off the tail from the original design, mainly because it would cost to much time to get it to properly work and time for the project is limited given the amount that still has to be done. I used reference material based from the Wolfman Film for the feet and the hands. 

After setting up the concept and some re-designing I used the UV'ed Human Form basemesh to create the detailed sculpt for the Bipedal Werewolf Form. Here below you can see a turntable video on the detail sculpt. 

When working on this sculpt I had problems sculpting in the fur with the right tools, either I will improve this later or I will create a normal from the painted texture(s). It is something I will have to decide upon next week after I also had a talk with my supervisor.

The video here below shows the low poly base mesh. I tested it with the blendshape animation and it works. The sculpting did not break the base mesh, the mesh however has been formed from the UV'ed base mesh. Some checks have to be made as to how the UV layout has changed or been broken.

I hope for the next week to test out the blendshapes, UV's and textures. I will see how I will combine the ripped jeans mouth and teeth on both the Human and Bipedal Werewolf form. And texture the models before starting on the next and last Quadruped Werewolf Form model. 

Improvements Human Form model

It has been a few weeks since I last posted a new update, so here it is. First I would like to notify that the plan was submitted and approved. 

Next I worked on improving the Human Form model, specially on the face and hair. Here below you can see the old and new screen renders and in my opinion they have had a major improvement in comparison the last video rotation. 

(On the left is the old sculpt, on the right the imporved one.)

    

During that week I also worked on retopologizing the ripped jeans and hair. Also adding the inner mouth and teeth

Some improvements on the inner mouth need to be made as for size and placement. However all the basemeshes have been UV'ed and mapped, which makes the Human Form model ready for texturing.