Task 3.2 - Development Log

What I did -

This week, I started my diorama project by researching into what a diorama is, what common elements of them are, and their purpose. I also had my first 2D art skill session, in which I learned perspective drawing in both 1-point and 2-point perspectives, which will help with my diorama as dioramas are drawn in a 2D perspective view. I also learned the basics of a browser-based programming language called 'Construct'.

What went wrong? -

I tried to apply a scale transform effect to my player character in my construct level so that when they jumped and fell they were stretched and squashed, however I couldn't get this to work as the effect would often give incorrect results, such as the character being completely flat when motionless and far too long when jumping, nearly taking up the entire screen's height.

What I did -

This week, I practiced drawing accurate human proportions and skeletons by using the 'line of action' to help me sketch some poses. This will help me if I want to do human characters for any projects as I will be able to make more realistic and expressive poses to make characters seem more developed and interesting. I also began work on my audience research, finding statistics that showed the most common attributes for different types of video game players.

What I did -

This week, I practiced accurate human face proportions in 2D art, which will help me to create more realistic anatomy for human characters. I also continued my research into target audiences, learning about how different audiences favour different colours and genres of media, which I will be able to use to cater my project towards my target audience. Lastly, I learned how to create terrains in Unity by creating a large environment with hills, mountains and a large sinkhole. I also textured this environment with snow, grass, stone and dirt.

What went wrong? -

I'm not completely happy with my face proportions as I still don't think they are as good as they could be, although I think this is less to do with the proportions and more to do with how I've actually drawn the features of the face, such as the eyes and eyebrows, so this is probably something I will practice.

What I did -

This week I learned how to correctly implement a 3D model into a game engine, such as Unity, as well as how to convert its textures into a material asset that can then be applied back onto the model. Additionally, I started creating a 3D model for a medieval catapult.  I also continued work on my Unity terrain, adding a 3D playable character and learning how to use animation controllers in Unity, allowing my character to play different animations when walking, running or idling. Finally, I also did some more practice into perspective drawing, attempting to recreate two pieces of one-point perspective perspective art.

What went wrong? -

I got stuck on importing a texture into Unity correctly for a bit as when applied to the model it would always just appear as a blank white texture, however I eventually managed to find that I was using the wrong shader. Once I fixed that, the texture applied correctly.

What I did -

This week, I practiced sketching different animals. I also tried single-line drawings for my penguin sketches, which was where I couldn't lift my pen until I had finished the sketch. I also finished my personal skills chart which will help me keep track of my skills outside of Games Design and help me to understand what I need to improve and how.

What went wrong? -

When I reopened my catapult model, it had corrupted with deformed geometry and broken symmetry. I spent a while trying to fix this but I think I am just going to have to rebuild it from scratch.

What I did -

This week I practiced drawing proportionally accurate hands, starting with a very simple skeleton with lines for fingers then building blocks around it. I also finished remaking my catapult 3D model and have fully unwrapped it so that I can texture it later. I also began experimenting with some isometric pixel art ideas generation to practice before making my final product. Lastly, I also created a small blockout for a town in my Unity scene.

What went wrong? -

I struggled quite a bit on making all of the fingers on my drawn hands the correct length, as they would often look misshapen and odd. I think the sketches I ended up with weren't too bad but it might be something I should consider practicing further.

I also struggled a bit on making my furnace asset as my first attempt was done incorrectly, with different corners of the furnace being different heights, meaning the edges wouldn't line up properly. I fixed this by going back and ensuring all the corners were identical in length before drawing in the edges. 

What I did -

This week I started preparing to create my diorama by creating further test pieces with more complex shapes and structures, including cylinders and slopes.

What went wrong? -

Because I've been making my test pieces floating in a white void and not in comparison to anything, their sizes are very inconsistent, with some objects being much larger or smaller than they should be. I will ensure this doesn't happen in my final piece by planning out the size and location of each asset before I make them.

I also really struggled to make the circular stone for the grindstone asset as my original plan was to build a circle-like shape out of blocks then connect them all to make the wheel. However, at first this ended up being too small, and when I scaled it up it was too blocky and not round enough. I eventually managed to get a design I was happy with by following this guide which gave advice on making isometric circles among other isometric pixel art tips.

What I did -

This week, I created a rigged 3D character, meaning I can move different bones of their body and their model will move along with them, allowing me to freely pose and move the character. I also continued practicing human anatomy by drawing more sketches and skeletons of poses. Finally, I started working on my final diorama, planning out where everything should go and starting to create some of the assets.

What went wrong? -

When creating my rigged 3D model, their pelvis somehow became detached from their torso, meaning if I moved the pelvis the torso would remain stationary. Thankfully however, this seems to have fixed itself upon re-opening the file.

What I did -

In this week, being the last week of the project, I finished my final 3D pixel art diorama and completed my final evaluation. I also checked throughout the rest of my blog to quickly see if there was anything missing or anything I could improve.