Seth was created on a solid foundation of several years of research and practice, building characters in Maya. Realistic animation and flexibility were Integral to the creation of all aspects of the setup, including mesh topology, bone placement and hierarchy, custom blendshapes and constraints, and more.
Given the large number of character controls I sought to simplify the process of node selection and grouped the various controls under intuitively named vector icons. All of Seth's controls and selection handles are selectable both in the viewport and via the custom GUI.
See the Seth Demo Quicktime for more in depth information.
Character GUI controls built using the MEL script: abxPicker
CHARACTER GUI
With a focus on simplicity, I created a character control GUI that allows full access to all the character controls without the need for a viewport selection paradigm.
This allows you to really focus on the look of the shot, not distracted by overly complex rigging controls and selection widgets.
VIEWPORT CONTROLS
However, for maximum efficiency and speed when animating, I have also comprised a full set of viewport selection handles and vector controls that give access to all the controls in both the Head and Body character sets.
These viewport controls act as the core system for the whole character, with the GUI providing selection access to these same nodes as well.
Character Sets
Character sets are created for both the Body and Head, capturing the entire collection of controls in one node. This allows for a robust animation pipeline, particularly for the import / export of animation clips via the Trax Editor.
Animation clips can then be looped, stretched, scaled, and mixed with other clips. They can even be used on other characters via the Character Mapper.
Trax Editor
Using Maya's Trax Editor, separate clips are created, mixed and exported for future use, building an ever growing library of animations that can be used as required. The cycle, stretch and scale functions make the Trax Editor a great companion tool for all types of animation.
Using Character Sets + Trax Editor together is a powerful approach to the animation pipeline.
CHARACTER POSES
A library of dynamic poses were created for both the Body and Head, and continue to grow in number as the animation process continues.
Preset poses save time getting characters into the mood for a given shot. They can also serve as a strong foundation for pose-to-pose style animation.
You can selectively apply a pose to only certain nodes of the character, as well as mix in desired percentages with other poses... Very powerful.
The Lamborghini was created for fast action shots typical of chase or escape scenes in films and game cut-scenes.
The setup for the Lamborghini features a range of driver controls. The most important are a basic hierarchy of parented NURBS curves with careful attention paid to pivot point location. This gives precise control over the different turns, spins and flips of the car.
In addition the rig has toggles for the various lights, plus basic driver controls like wheel steering and wheel revolutions.
Finally, the controls for the different particle effects for sparks, tyre smoke and the blue Nitro exhaust for dramatic effect.
A police helicopter was setup with a search light to add drama and tension to various action shots involving the Lamborghini and Seth's rooftop sequences.
A basic black material provided an adequate look for night sky silhouette shots. It also creates a link to the helicopter style camera work used in several of the shots.
Wii Remote
Using a combination of the Maya Motion Capture Server and a custom .mel script, you can now use the Wii remote to capture camera movement.
Helicopter footage is created via the Wii remote, providing a true hand-held look with optional control over all the standard camera parameters: Tilt, Pan, Roll, Tracking, Pedestal and Zoom.
The Wii can also be used for POV shots (e.g. running) or for that gritty hand held camera look, popular in many films and TV shows today.
A vast number of city assets were created for the Vampire project, both as set props and as modular building blocks for large set layout systems like the city roads, gutters and pavements.
Digital Photos + Textures:
Digital photos were used for both reference and texturing.
1K File textures were used for each asset, comprising of:
Colour, Normals, Specular, Illuminance and Ambience.
Matte Paintings:
Matte paintings are used to enhance the feeling of depth in a scene and are used for such items as city skylines and dramatic cloud and moon filled skies. This provides an acceptable illusion, mainly for static shots or simple camera moves, as most distant items within a scene are obscured by fog, motion blur and depth of field.
Cameras:
Multiple cameras placed around the Maya "Stage" allowed for the generation of interesting compositions, and also helped the process of set dressing and different geometry placements.
Wii Remote:
I use the Wii Remote along with the Maya Motion Capture Server and accompanying .mel script to record hand held camera movements directly from the Wii Remote.
POV and Helicopter Footage shots are ideal for this technique.
City ENVIRONMENT Creation
Seth's city night-time world was created with a gothic style and a strong sense of drama. The towering metropolis creates a dramatic and content rich environment for Seth's adventures. Old buildings and time weathered assets help to keep the gothic feel of the setting, though these are balanced with modern city assets like office buildings and skyscrapers.
Low cloud cover creates a tense atmosphere within the city, along with moody lighting and thick fog. I wanted to go for a stylised reality look, as opposed to photoreal; where shadows are darker, fog is thicker and the textures take on a dramatic feel.
This was a large scale production and required the focus and detail of each individual element to be crafted with care and patience. The rewards of this approach have resulted in not only a rich landscape of city assets but also a growing collection of IP for future use in other productions.
A Word on Pipeline
As with all large scale projects, the importance of pipeline is integral to the efficient and smooth running of the production. Vampire is no exception and though a relatively simple pipeline compared with full scale commercial productions, its importance is no less crucial. Good pipeline allows you to focus on the creative task at hand, not concerned about individual assets within the scene. This also reduces the stress associated with messy file naming, multiple versions, orphaned scene assets etc.
Individual Assets / Reference / Pipeline:
Individual assets are created on a single file basis, with all required materials and textures contained within a single Maya scene file. These files are kept meticulously tidy and optimised for file referencing with a careful and consistent file naming protocol. Assets are then loaded as file references during scene layout and creation.
Inner-file node names (geometry, materials, textures etc.) all adhere to strict naming protocol which reflect the file /asset name with a logical suffix applied. i.e.
Should any aspect of an asset require further tweaking, this can be worked on separately and the results updated in every scene that uses that asset.
Modelling + Photo Reference:
The city assets were based on digital photos taken from various photo assignments in and around Sydney. I waited for overcast days as this provided the ideal lighting for photo textures with soft diffused shadows. I shot hundreds of photos of buildings, industrial work sites and other city items.
In addition to photo based textures, this also provided the reference needed for modelling the assets in Maya. I modelled for efficiency over excessive detail, creating a stylised look, as opposed to photoreal.
Texture Work:
UV layout is performed in Maya maximizing the available texture space before exporting a template to use as a guide in PhotoShop.
The original photo is then cut up and montaged together using various masks and perspective correction to fit the UV template.
Image adjustments and filters are then applied, creating a dramatic painterly feel to the texture.
Normal maps are then generated using the nVidia plugin for PhotoShop to quickly provide the "grittiness" and added detail needed.
View the following Quicktimes for more information.
The Vampire Seth was inspired by the many and varied examples of the popular modern Vampire genre found in today's books, movies and games.
The written works of Anne Rice, The Blade and Underworld films and the White-Wolf RPG game: Vampire - The Requiem.
A NEW AGE OF CONSOLES
Seth captures the spirit of the classic vampire genre, reborn in Maya and rendered with high level polygon counts now possible with the next generation of game consoles:
Playstation 3 and X-Box 360.
This allowed detailed concentration on areas of the mesh such as the hands and face for added realism. 1K file based textures were used throughout the project including normal maps created with both Mudbox and the nVidia PhotoShop plugin.
The Vampire project is designed for the real-time platform and provides ongoing R&D into various commercial game engines.
VAMPIRE: GAME STYLE Graphics + CINEMATICS
The Vampire project was designed to showcase environments and character animation suitable for use in today's next generation console games. It also contains various graphics like typical game menu screens and in-game GUI interface.
CHARACTER Artwork
Character artwork and design explored details of clothing, hair and accessories.
Character Design
Seth was designed from the ground up with in depth knowledge of the Maya character creation pipeline. Key aspects this include: Careful creation and placement of bone hierarchies and constraints. Animation-ready mesh topology allowing for better joint deformation. A complex system of facial controls allowing the animation of subtle emotions and nuance in the performance. Syflex based objects, optimised for cloth simulations.
the Humanity!
A driving force behind the complexity and in-depth nature of this character set-up, was to create a character that had believable humanity and could convey complex emotions.
The rewards of this process are now evident as I continue to create animations for Seth and in particular, for work on music videos.
These music videos are for an upcoming album I've been working on for a few years. You can download more music tracks below.
Storyboard + Script
A basic story-board was created, outlining a typical cinematic or cut-scene for a game. Setting the stage with dramatic environments before introducing the character and building tension along the way.
Ideas for various cinematics are brainstormed and scripted out first. Separate storyboards are then created along the way to explore these ideas. Working digitally, these frames can be swapped around and re-orded, with accompanying notes edited as required. This provides the ultimate flexibility when hammering out a sequence.
Story Idea
The concept of the Vampire project is that it "feels" like a next generation game. This provides an ongoing stage for future animation and in particular for my own music videos. It also provides an outlet to keep practicing the art of animation and the key skills: Anticipation, timing, weight etc.
VAMPIRE: To Be AVAILABLE ON Blu-ray DVD
A high definition Blu-ray disc will showcase the production of this project, including behind the scenes demos, original artwork and character designs, visual FX breakdowns and more...
BONUS MUSIC VIDEO
A special feature on the DVD is a music video.
Vampire was produced using Maya for all 3D animation, Mudbox for sculpting and normal mapping, Syflex for cloth simulation, PhotoShop for all textures and matte paintings, After Effects for compositing and 2D visual effects, Sony Sound Forge, Sony Acid, Steinberg Cubase and Native Instruments Komplete for all original music creation and sound effects mixing.
Content created using the latest Adobe software:
After Effects, PhotoShop, Illustrator and Encore DVD.
Vampire: MUSIC VIDEos
In addition to showcasing 3D art skills, the vampire project was set up to create music videos for my band. Ongoing asset and environment creation expands the already growing collection of IP ready to use for any production. This is kind of like a digital set dressing department, with city environments and props as well as other gothic locations and items.
ORIGINAL MUSIC / SOUND FX
Original music was composed and recorded in-house using electric guitars, industrial drum beats and haunting keyboard choirs, orchestral strings and harpsichords for that gothic touch.
Main Theme.mp3 [Right click / Save As]
[File size: 1.9 mb]
[File length: 0:1:39]
UV layout is performed in Maya maximizing the available texture space before exporting a template to use as a guide in PhotoShop.
SETH: CONSOLE GAME CHARACTER
Seth captures the spirit of the classic vampire genre, reborn in Maya and rendered with high level polygon counts now possible with the next generation of game consoles:
Playstation 3 and X-Box 360.
