Primary rESEARCH

Mood Board Layout Planning

With the list in place and after having a better idea, I started to work on the mood board layouts as this would be important to understand how much I will have to research into. I made sure to include everything on the list and had them in a nice format so that it would be easy to read and be nice and presentable. I created 6 mood boards for each different weapon type so they each can have their own section of research. I then created another two more for the throwables, which I separated as their own section of research, away from the guns. This was so I could keep things organized and tidy.

Mood board 1 - Assault Rifle - M16

With the mood boards all laid out, I started to research into each different weapon. The first one I worked on was the M16 as this was the first on the list. To get the best result I could out of all my models, I worked on getting as much details down as I could. To do this I would break the gun down into loads of different parts with all of the attachments. This way, I could include all the small details of the gun. I made sure to gather different angles of each attachment to help me when coming to model these at a later date.  

Mood board 2 - Sniper Rifle - L96

After completing the first mood board, I started work with the second one, which would be the Sniper Rifle. With the first mood board complete, it was a breeze to complete the second one as I knew what i was doing. I went through the same process as the M16 by including all the attachments as this would help with fine details when modelling. I made sure to include important details such as the bolt, and the scope as these are necessary pieces to a sniper. I tried to keep things clear of where they are, which is why i would include the smaller attachments together.

Mood board 3 - Sub Machine Gun - UMP45

Moving down the list, I started my research on the UMP45.  I went down to my planning board and started work in the UMP45 Box. Just like the other two, I broke the gun down into different parts, so I could get better and closer angles of the different attachments. I aimed to get at least every different angle of all the attachments as this would allow me to see each side when modelling, so I can get the most accurate look. I didn't include every single small details such as little buttons seeing as this game isn't going to be that realistic.

Mood board 4 - Pistol - USP45

Onto the fourth mood board, I started work on collect more reference images for the USP45. I didn't fill this mood board with lots of different attachments as this gun didn't consist of anything like the other ones. However, I managed to do a good job at getting all angles possible for the entire gun which allows me to see what is going off on different sections of the gun. I also gathered a few reference images of the magazine to the gun as this would be important as well as the bottom of the magazine as this is the part that sticks out from the bottom of the gun.

Mood board 5 - Rocket Launcher - RPG-7

After the four rapid firing guns, I moved onto the two that were different. The next in line was the explosive gun, the RPG-7. This gun required a good amount of researching into, especially the rocket part of the gun as this will be visibly seen in game when fired. Just like the rest, I gathered a lot of different angles of the entire weapon to make sure I wont miss anything when modelling this gun. The angles showcase good features of the gun, such as the handles and the body.

Mood board 6 - Pocket Knife - Huntsman Knife

Moving onto the final mood board of the six weapons. I worked on researching into the Huntsman Knife. Now this is different to the rest seeing as this doesn't fire bullets but I thought it would be great to switch up the gameplay. Seeing as this is a knife, there wasn't much to add but loads of different angles which is exactly what I have done. I tried to make each image different and not so repetitive which is why I added different colours and materials which will eventually help me in the future with texturing.

Mood board 1 - Grenade - Frag Grenade

After completing all of the weapon mood boards, I worked on the two throwable items which is the frag grenade and the flash bang. The first one I researched into was the frag grenade. On this mood board I gathered a few reference images of important pieces such as the safety lever and the pin as this are the important parts to allowing the grenade to explode. The other reference images lead, more towards the whole shape of the grenade and style I was going with, making sure I get different angles to cover all sides.

Mood board 2 - Grenade - Flash Bang

Moving onto the final mood board, I worked on collecting reference images for the flash bang. Just like the frag grenade board, I collected images of the different pieces to get a better understanding of how the grenade functions which will also help me with modelling the smaller pieces in Maya. I gathered different angles to help get a full 360 view of the grenade to make sure I don't miss any features. I decided to include the safety pin again just because the actual pin can be different across different grenades.