3D Modeling & Animation

To the right is the Storyboard for my prompt: Sparks in The Workshop. In this animation, I plan to show a small workshop that, while it doesn't hold much, has a fully autonomic machine that at the flick of a lever, powers on and begins to move and exist in the world. A living machine, so to speak. The character in my animation is a humanoid robot with a TV for a head that I've dubbed "Hatchet". In the animation, I plan for the workshop to flair to lie, and with it, Hatchet. Hatchet will then begin to move around, first getting used to its arms and legs, and then goes to explore the workshop. It then spots the table with the hammer, wrench, and maps for his creation. If Hatchet pays any mind to the blueprints, it's entirely up to interpretation. However, Hatchet does pick up the wrench and inspect it, before throwing it aside. It then turns away and focuses on the door, walking up to it, opening it, walking through, and leaving the workshop entirely. 

Design and Planning

The concept for my main character, Hatchet, also known as The Machine, was to be a kind of cyborg-like robot. This meant that it needed to have a more human look when it comes to anatomy, except for the bare portions where The Machine is unfinished. My plan for modeling was that I was gonna start at the torso and work outwards. I planned to use a lot of simple primitives that weren't too complex to give off that robot like look rather than a full on cyborg. As for the bare portions, I wanted to keep it unfinished to give more character to it, more room for imagination. Did the inventor abandon it? Did something happen for them to stop working on The Machine? Or were they simply not present when The Machine randomly turned on, not yet done. Finally I also wanted a few smaller details like a TV screen in the head that's slightly translucent, and also wires poking out from the neck.

Modeling and UV Techniques

I utilized the Edit Poly modifier a lot during this project, pulling out and bringing in different faces and edges on the many primitives I was using. One of the more complex parts was the hand and also the power source in the chest. I had to make the hand look like, well, a hand, and I ended up using 11 different boxes to make it. When it comes to the power source, I had to adjust a box primitive so that it looked curved, instead of just a random model sticking out of the chest. I wanted it to move along the chest curve rather. When it comes to UV techniques, I didn't have much struggle since a lot of the primitives I used were boxes. A simple unwrapping was all I needed for most of the model. However, for more complex object like the power source and the back of the TV head, I ended up having to rearrange the the UV unwrapping map to look more square like, so the materials seemed less warped.

Texturing and Materials

For texturing and materials, I didn't want it to be too complex. I wanted something more simple, so a good coppery kind of texture would work well for a machine. I also used physical materials compared to PBR materials as I also wanted a more cartoonish look to it, so not fully realistic. I also wanted a majority orange coloring for it so that it can stand out compared to the rest of the room. It also helps make the power source, a bright blue-green color, stand out against the orange. What helps is that on the color wheel, orange and blue are opposite so they contrast well but also work exceedingly well together. I wanted a more dark plastic look for the TV head as well, almost as though whoever made it just pulled a TV from a dumpster for it. When it comes to how the materials looked on The Machine, I was lucky that they weren't too complex so even on parts of the model where I had to do some slight finessing to in the UV editor to make it at least less warped, there's no visibly warping. 

Reflection

This model was definitely a good challenge for me and I thoroughly enjoyed making it. One of my favorite portions is definitely the TV head. I've always like the idea of robotic characters having tv's for heads that can portray many things rather than just a human-like face. So, seeing how the TV looked on the model when done was something I really enjoyed. I didn't end up deciding to give a face to the screen however, but in retrospect, it actually works for the final project. For my animation at the end of the project I want Hatchet, The Machine, to seem curious but also apathetic to a degree. The lack of a face and instead focusing more on body language can add a lot more to the story. Another reason being that based on the unfinished look of The Machine, it's unlikely the inventor, whoever they are, probably even made it so that the screen could portray emotion. All in all, the TV head was my favorite part to design and the whole model will look as I want it to in the animation.

Planning and Concept

When it came to what assets I wanted to have in my scene, and just where the scene was taking place in a whole, I knew it had to be related in some way to a kind of inventing workshop. The scene in of itself takes place in a workshop, albeit a small one. It's meant for The Machine so there's not a lot there that I wanted besides a couple tools and lots of wires to emphasize the amount of energy flowing through this single room. A lot would be needed I assume to power a robot of such size and compacity. I also ended up making every single one of my assets so I did not find any online for my scene.

Modeling Process

Like before with The Machine, I used a lot of Edit Poly modifiers in order to shape and mold the objects how I wanted to, especially with the wrench and hammer. I also surprisingly utilized the Loft modifier a lot as well, in order to make the gears between the stones that turn when power is being used and also the small ones on the wrench. I also used the Loft to help make part of the furnace and also the potholes that the wires run through. Speaking of wires, I ended up using the bend modifier on a few of them so that they're all not just straight. One of my favorite models that I did was definitely the furnace. It was one of the easiest to make for me, plus in the separate save file I had for it, I tried it out with lighting and it looked like an asset you might find in a video game. It's certainly one I love and I'm excited to see it lit up in the final product. 

Workflow and Organization 

As one might be able to tell from the large amounts of wires in the scene and just the overall huge amount of primitives within it, if I hadn't organized them all my Scene Explorer tab would be a mess. What definitely helped was that for the bigger, more complex objects, I made them in a separate save file and when I was done, I grouped them all under one name, via the name of the object they made up. That way, when I imported them into the main scene, it wasn't a giant mess of objects that I needed to sort out. Creating the asset plan for all of my objects also definetely helped too, as more often than not I can forget things and it generally just helped to have them all sorted. I mainly did the more complex ones first like the wrench and the hammer and then moved on to the easier ones. Keeping the hard ones first and easy ones last makes the process feel a lot smoother for me. 

Reflection and Evaluation 

With my character and assets all together now in one main scene, it's definetely helped me to see how all of them work together to support the kind of story I want. I have the wrench that The Machine will eventually pick up and throw, the lever that starts the whole scene and turns the machine on, and even the door that can in fact be opened with actual space in the wall to the outside. One fun detail that I have that ties into the story, is the blueprint on the table. I ended up drawing it myself with a finished design of Hatchet and the faces he might make if our mysterious inventor ended up finishing making The Machine. With the models done, I'm really excited to begin working on lighting. Light design has always been one of my favorites when it comes to tech in theater, and visuals in video games. Good lighting can set the mood and with the lighting I plan for the scene, I want an an energizing but also warm feeling. I want warm light coming from the furnace symbolizing fire, and also from the ceiling as well, albeit more dim, and a more unnatural light from the power source on The Machine and the podium light. All in all, I'm excited to begin adding light to the scene and done right, it'll help set the exact mood I want in the scene.