Modeling Continued
I'm still pretty far behind, since my goal was to have the box modeling in Maya done. I also still need to come up with what the back looks like, which I didn't consider enough when starting this project.
Hopefully this coming week I'll be able to dedicate more time to this project.
Individual Contributions V
This sprint I was working on getting the MetaHuman to a static mesh state and getting the watch and moneycase textured.
I was at least able to use the retargeted animation to get the static mesh posed already rather than worrying about posing it myself by hand. What I need to still figure out is how to compromise on the grooming, or else we're just gonna have a totally hairless man show up on the other side of the door.
The moneycase textures were pretty simple.
The watch gave me a little trouble because it had some transparent elements, and I had issues with dithering (I think? I'm not sure what the term for it is) on the rest of the mesh.
I watched a tutorial that said using custom depth can fix this. The highlighted nodes are what's supposed to be specifying what's rendering.
I'm not sure if it's working too well because it's so small-scale, but I don't think you can see the issue to much in the game, so I might can get away with it.
Research and Beginning Modeling
Since the plan for this was to have my research component be the nanite meshes in UE5, I looked into it beginning this week. I wanted to make sure that anything that needed to be done to the mesh, I was keeping in mind during the entire process.
I read the documentation and watched several videos on nanites, the most helpful one being the talk that Epic gave about it themselves. I wanted to be able to texture it and wasn't sure how that would happen if I wasn't doing retopology. Their workflow is to use Quixel Mixer, which can handle the one million+ polygon models. I've also used Mari before which is used more in film pipelines, and read that that software can also handle more dense models, so that would be another option. The programs support vertex color, but I couldn't find if UE5 did, so I'm going to need UVs too. My plan is to get the smooth mesh preview to polygons in Maya, then auto-unwrap that, and then just not use dynamesh or decimate the model so that I can keep the UVs on the high-poly.
I've started on the torso and hope to have the base mesh done by next week. I've been using the polygon tool to make these different parts but I'm not sure if I need them to be one continuous surface or if I can get away with having tons of little pieces.
I tend to underestimate hard-surface stuff and I'm already a little behind because I wanted to have the torso done by this week.
Proposal
1. Stylized Character
I'd like to do this stylized character so that I can use 3D Coat, which I wanted to do for the research component for class. I'd try to recreate the exact textures he has in the concept.
2. Hard-Surface Character
I also wanted to potentially do a more hard-surface focused character. I talked to Nick about it a little during a one-on-one and he thought getting to the high-poly level for this guy would probably take the entire month, so I would end the project with the sculpt only.
3. Devourer of Ghosts
This was my proposal for my personal project, but I haven't had the chance to work on it much at all. I really like the concept, but I'm not sure how much of it I could get done in a month.
Textures and Final Display
I wanted to try to use the trim sheet I had started in the diorama so that I wouldn't have the same repeatable texture over the walls and floors. I initially had it really clean-looking but the prop was rusty and it didn't really fit. I added rust to the trim sheet but I think it made it more recognizable as a tiling pattern.
For the tileable texture, I know last time the issue was that the pattern was really recognizable. I ended up making a much more simple texture this time around.
Individual Contributions IV
I worked on getting our bed in-game and adjusted the scale after some feedback that it felt small. I also got the pillow mesh updated and rigged. It has four joints to try to allow it to slump and bend and look a little more pliable.
I also got our dresser blueprint updated with new textured meshes. I added a cactus and desk fan into the scene along with a curtain for the window. These are taken from different UE4 projects that I've found on JR's account that I thought might make sense in a hotel room.
The dresser drawers have custom collision so that we can place objects in them.
I still need to address the MetaHuman issue, but since the lighting assignment was this sprint I'll get our alternative sorted out next sprint.
The Corpse Bride Lighting Exercise
Our VR Team and the Corpse Bride VR team swapped scenes to light, and I chose the bar scene to light. I was trying to match the scene as much as I could, but I struggled with recreating the way certain lights lit the walls. I used a few light IES textures that I got from the Light Profile Pack on JR's account. There were also some green glow-y parts in the background in the movie scene that I tried to represent with green hued lights.
References:
UE4 images:
Game-Res/UVs
So after critique last week, I got excited about this idea I had to make a fully-fledge environment, and wanted to dump a bunch of time into it to catch up this week.
But last Wednesday I had a few unexpected things come up that took up my time and had to back off the plan for the environment. I did already have some modular walkways and the beginnings of a trimsheet done though, so I can potentially continue at least with the trimsheet in the last week along with the tileable texture for the floor.
I also have first bakes done for the original prop.
I'm bummed that I won't really be able to get that entire environment done in one week, but I hope that what I have made I can integrate into a diorama somehow.
