3D Modeling & Animation

Project: S.Q.U.I.D. - PBM Final

Planning & Storyboarding

Concept & Story

This project is based on the "Chaos in the Lab" prompt, focusing on the mysterious experiment titled: S.Q.U.I.D. This short animated cutscene is meant to preface the game and draw players in with its suspenseful and intriguing scenes, leaving them wondering: "What happens next?". The scene showcases a strange creature incubating in a large eerily green vat of curious liquid. The squid begins in a resting state but something unseen awakens it, causing it's single mechanical eye to flash red and it's robotic tentacles to quiver as if it's going to jump out at you. Objects seen throughout the rest of the room, such as flashing screens, wires, and machines only lead to more questions about the strange place and what crazy scientist is behind it. 

Story Board

Asset & Prop Design

Models

I hope to create a detailed and intriguing set of objects which will include the following objects to model:

A main incubator tube in the center with wires, a cyborg squid creature to go inside the incubator, various control boards like an electrical board or digital display, a metallic vat, wires/cords, computers, chairs, papers, excess tubing with glowing liquid, and doors. 

Most of the modeling time will go to the squid, which is the main focal point as well as the incubator it's placed in. The squid's tentacles will be rigged with 3 bones per tentacle so they can later be animated. Animating the squid will add an element of surprise and make the scene come alive. 

Environment/Layout

Mood/Lighting

The entire scene will be dimly lit and most lights will be tinted green from the chemical liquids. There will be dim spotlights from openings in the ceiling, one large omni light centered in the incubator, and smaller lights coming from the machines around the room that will begin to flicker. Once the squid awakes, the lighting will change from green to red, as if something dangerous has happened, and the camera, acting as the player's POV will attempt to escape as quickly as possible. 

Layout

The incubator will be placed center with the doors opening directly infront of it. The other machines will be placed along the walls with a table of computers on the right. To the left of the incubator will be an electrical box with many cords connected. This will be at an angle to add some interest and frame the centerpiece better. However, there will be a significant gap of space around the incubator to allow the camera to circle around it. The camera will start behind closed doors then enter the room before jumping to showcase various details like the computers or electrical box. Then the camera will focus back on the squid and make a full rotation around, slowly getting closer, to come to a slow stop directly in front of the squid's eye. 

Artifact 1 - Character

Modeling & UV Techniques

For the main body, I started with a pyramid primitive and used edit poly to draw out the folds in the base and then later detail it with some chamfer lines to make segments. I kept the edges sharp to ensure a vaguely threatening look but also to safe time and keep poly counts lower to decrease render times later. The tentacles were a collection of modified cylinders that I probooleaned together and the other details like the eye and fins were also made separately. I mainly used edit poly and probolean to model the parts and attach them together. Then I unwrapped most of the parts in separate pieces so that I could keep the maps clean and I only had trouble arranging higher poly parts such as the tentacles. 

Texturing & Materials

I made several physical materials for this model, including two custom metals and glass to mimic real life mechanical textures. I made a dark metal base for the tentacles and then applied a rough metal texture bitmap to a shelac material so I could control how much the texture showed over the dark metal. I think the rough texture was crucial to give it a homemade look as if the scientist had used found materials to Frankenstein the squid together. Since all the materials were simply physical materials/shellac materials I didn't need to use the UV maps, however it is an important stage if applying custom bitmaps.

Reflection

The piece I'm most proud of is probably the tentacles. They gave me the most trouble modeling because I had to ensure they were all properly aligned and then attach them together. I added a bend modifier to make them look more natural but each piece had to have a slightly different amount of bend and rotation which gave me a lot of trouble. Originally I had also planned to add bones to them so I could animate them later but after how long it was already taking I decided to save the time for other things. 

Artifact 2 - Scene Assets

Modeling Process

My proudest work was the pressure sensor with moving parts. It features the most detail of any of the other scene objects aside from the squid itself and I really like how the materials turned out. It's simplistic yet detailed enough to be intriguing and the added bitmap of a pressure sensor takes it from boxy and metallic to more realistic and complex. Then to make sure it fit the theme of the scene, I regularly checked reference images of sci-fi control boards to model buttons and I reused metal textures to match with that of the squid. The incubator is also a second favorite of mine since while it was quick to make, it acts as the perfect pedestal for the main character and is interesting without drawing away from the squid's details. 

Workflow & Organization

As the scene got more complicated with smaller details like wires and papers, It was crucial to rename all the objects in the scene. I also took time to properly group them into collections of objects like wires so they were easier to find and kept the scene manager more condensed. I also ended up modeling every asset in my scene myself rather than attempting to find premade models online that would fit my scene. I had very specific ideas in mind for what I wanted to featured and I found it easier in the end to make them myself. Therefore, having a premade asset list was incredibly helpful as it acted like a to-do list for what I had yet to model and it helped me keep track of everything I needed. 

Reflection

The final scene features the incubator in the middle of the scene, making it the focal point. This way, viewers will focus mainly on the squid and then their attention will sprawl out to the rest of the scene. I also included various details like a whiteboard of scientific calculations and papers everywhere to follow the idea of a crazed, messy scientist's lab. Though the scene looks decent already, I am most excited to add the lighting which will really help achieve the moody look I want as well as better isolate the focal point through spotlights. 

Artifact 3 - Lighting

Reference Images

What mood or atmosphere did you aim to create with your lighting?

I hoped to use lighting techniques to create an eerie mood similar to my reference images. I wanted the main lighting source to be green tinted to create intrigue but also just play around with fun colors. By having the original lighting be green, the lights can then dramatically change to red when the squid begins to awaken, expressing danger and suspense as it ends off on a cliffhanger. 

How did color temperature and light intensity affect your scene’s tone?

The most intense lights were found within the incubator in order to keep the character well lit and draw extra attention to it. I also added some green tinted fill lights at a low intensity to make it appear as if the glow of the incubator is lighting the whole room, casting ominous shadows and again appealing to the unsettling tone I am going for. 

Artifact 4 - Animation

What did you animate, and why did you choose those elements?

The main moving elements of the scene were a camera to establish the setting and physically draw the viewer into the scene, and then lights to show a dramatic shift in mood. The camera was the easiest to animate as it only had shifts in the y and z values which I edited in the curve editor to make smoother and slower overall so the shift was more seamless. Then for the lights, specifically the glowing eye I just key framed an omni light to go from 0 to 5 intensity as if the squid was powering on. Then the scene lights were all keyframed to shift from green to red at the exact same time as if an unheard alarm went off upon the squid waking up, creating a quick switch from a calm scene to one of danger, prompting the camera to exit. I also included a close up shot of animated pistons on the pressure sensor to seem as if they were pumping liquid to the incubator just before the squid awakens.

How did you ensure your animation looped seamlessly?

The establishing shot begins behind closed doors that mysteriously open as the camera follows inside to reveal the lab. Then for the final shot, I essentially animated the exact same thing but in reverse, starting with a close up of the squid's glowing red eye and then drawing the camera back as if its running away as the same doors it entered through begin to shut again and we are left in the exact same position as we started. 

What part of your final animation are you most proud of?

The final scene where the single eye suddenly grows red is my proudest for one because I like how it looks but also because it was the most finnicky to animate. I had to ensure that every light in the scene switched to red at the exact same moment by tediously checking each so that they all changed sharply from green to red at frame 30. This was also the longest shot of the whole animation and I encountered several errors rendering it.