Just a quick update - apologies for the lack of updates on the project of late, but I've been enjoying a few days holiday. I'll be back to it as normal from Tuesday, but there are some really cool things in the pipeline which I can't wait to show you all!
A quick late-night update; just rendered a test shot with the current robot model in the Mars colony. There are lighting and texture issues with this render, but I wanted to fire it up here so you could see progress ;)
Here's an animation of walking along the Mars gantry to test the lighting and texture setup. A couple of issues have been spotted, and these will be resolved as work continues.
A quick update; I was blown away by the work that Bo has done on the Mars robot, and wanted to show you a quick walk cycle test.
This is very much work in progress; I animated the walk cycle quickly and there are errors in it, but as with everything else, these issues will be worked out as work progresses.
Well, it's been about six or seven weeks since I started this project, and things have really been moving on apace. I'm really thankful to have excellent people helping me on this as well, and to them a massive thanks for everything they've contributed so far - it really is becoming a collaborative effort.
Also, there might not be any updates for a day or two as it is my 30th birthday today. However, there are some very exciting developments in the pipeline, so stay tuned for more news in the future ;)
Thanks again for your continued support and encouragement!
Another progress update on the Mars Gantry; I've been focussing on the textures and lighting; refining the textures that were in the scene and adding new textures to the floor and ceiling. As well as this I've revised the lighting setup, as well as adding a couple of effects in the compositor.
I think it's definitely getting towards photoreal, but there is still a lot of work to do.
Here's the first test animatic of the Mars chase. I wanted to give this a go to see how the lighting would work on an expansive environment, as well as solving a few other issues.
Please bear in mind that this is the first animatic of this shot - this is in no way a production shot.
Here's a still shot of Bryan's Gas Canister model. HDRI has been added, and I think this is the best yet. Full animation will follow as soon as it has rendered - might take a while though ;)
I carried out a study on the shapes of the walls and general layout of the WSC - image below. This was a 30 minute study - a lot more work still to do on the final model.
I've got the good quality mic and recording setup sorted, so thought I'd have a stab at a couple of VO's. The first is the extended Global Transporter VO, minus the fly section, but including the planned transport sound effect - let me know what you think of this!
The second sample is the TSA Entry Door VO. Again, thoughts on this are appreciated!
Further work on the Global Transporter. I rendered this test out to check for issues with textures, animation, lighting etc. Glad I did, because I found some :) They'll all be worked out as part of ongoing development.
Please also note that I've only modelled one of the clamps; the other will be added shortly.
Final update of the day...here's a video of the Global Transporter card, modelled by Bryan. I think you'll agree that this is a fantastic model!
I added some HDR lighting and gave the numbers a fairly high reflectivity, and the card itself a very slight reflectivity. As well as this, vector blur was added in the compositor to give it the feeling of motion.
Here's my version of the Caldoria Heights Global Transporter intro - let me know what you think! Vocal has audible popping - will be fixed by the use of a proper mic with pop shield!
Here's a test of the chroma key system in the compositor of Blender. By using some readily available card from a local stationers, a digital camera and one of my gf's toy kittens, I produced the following test.
Slight issue encountered as I had the toy kitten lying flat against the card, which caused some colour spill. Final HD video recording wil be done at least 1' away from the card.
This is intender for use to recreate the TSA computer videos i.e. the background, theory etc and also the historical comparison logs.
Enjoy!
p.s. special thanks to Marmaduke for lying still on the card
I'm running a competition over the next fortnight, giving you the opportunity to record and send me your best Elliot Sinclair impression. The winner of the competition gets to step into the shoes of Dr. Sinclair, the father of time travel, for the remake.
I'd like you to use the following piece of dialogue in your impression.
"I know the one place in all of Sector Three with the best view of the Capitol Building. And from that place, with a weapon of my own devising, I will assassinate the Cyrollan delegate myself."
Either comment on this post, or email me at AndrewCurry2 at googlemail dot com. Closing date for entries is Sunday 1 May at 12:00 midday GMT.
For inspiration, use the following video, time reference of 09:00. I did not create or upload this video.
This is a very, very rough model and animation. I wanted to check for any mesh issues so far - there is one where the wider bottom part of the door intersects the narrow part - this will be resolved as part of the continued progress on the transporter.
I thought I might go for a slight change of pace this evening, and have been tinkering with a microphone and some effects...came up with the following. I don't know how many times I heard this...lost the manual and had to work it out by trial and error!
