BA3: Tileable Texture Research

Creating Tileable Textures for use on models created in Maya is a skill in itself, and something every 3D modeler will have to do to make their models effective in a Games Engine. There are a number of ways to create a tileable texture, but for the sake of this project I will be looking at only one method that I have found on tutsplus.com posted by Collis Ta'eed.

This particular method uses Photoshop and Collis says "So to turn that photo into a tiled background we need to first remove any irregularities, and the make the edges blend into each other". The first step involves getting rid of the darkened edges of an image using the Crop Tool, as shown below. This step can be skipped if the edges aren't as dark as they are in this one.

The next step is to lighten the darker areas of the image using the Dodge Tool. By gently brushing over the edges with a large soft brush you can weaken the shadows slightly, but don't do it too much or the image will appear too washed out.

Once that is complete the next step is to get rid of any obvious details that would show the texture has been tiled. In the image used for this tutorial, there is a leaf in the top right hand corner that will give away the tiled effect, and this can be removed by using the Patch Tool or Clone Stamp.

The fourth step is to make the edges bleed together. Duplicate the layer to both the right and the left to get an idea of where the make the edges bleed. In the image you can see below a 1px gape between the layers so you can see where the layer has been copied.

After that it is important to bleed these two layers together, again using the Patch Tool or Clone Stamp it doesn't make too much difference what tool you use as long as you use it effectively. Below you can see the result of this.

And there it is! By repeating this process for all 4 edges you can create a fully tileable texture. Below you can see the final image.

This is the method that I have used to create the tileable textures I have used for my model, such as the Gold Metal and the ground texture.

BA3: Research into Bump Mapping

Bump Mapping in Maya (and many other 3D packages for that matter) is a great way to add new levels of depth to your 3D assets and is therefore very important in the modelling process. Bump maps are similar to Diffuse Maps, but instead of adding colour they add the illusion of 3D details to flat poly-planes, saving on your poly count and making your assets much easier to render in a games engine. I have found a great tutorial online that helped me when I was adding bump maps to my terrain in Maya, which you can see below:



With this tutorial I was able to understand the process of Bump Mapping and also apply it using Crazy Bump. The results of my bump mapping can be seen below in this screenshot of my model (in progress).

BA3 - Finalising my Idea

Since I've done a lot of research into Disney Castles and what makes them such beautiful and magnificent structures, along with all the research I have done into Mortal Engines and the idea of a moving castle, I've decided to put the two together! How original...

A moving castle, Disney style. Now with an idea like this there are a number of questions that arise such as how is this going to fit together? What elements from each idea will be used in the final model? So on and so forth, so I'm going to lay this post out like a Q and A session to work out all the little kinks in the idea.

1) What will be used as the base of the castle, what will it ride on?

Answer
This is a very good question. As you can see in this image of Mortal Engines that I have looked at in a previous post, there is a layer of concrete or stone that the city is mounted on. Howl's Moving Castle is mounted on what seems to be a boat hull with legs. This is something I will need to work out for my own model, as what I mount my castle on is critical for this idea. I have a number of ideas, and below I have provided a few reference images of what I could use to fill this role.

Possibility 1, a Pirate Ship. The image you see above comes from the Disney film Peter Pan; Captain Hooks ship is a key element to the plot of the film. I could adapt the boat itself to fit my own needs by removing the masts and adding tank tracks, legs or wheels (whichever I so decide), and this way I will still keep within the very heavily stylized world of old Disney films and would help the continuity of my final model. However, it is still falling into the same horizons and views of Disney, and I would like to explore other possibilities and ideas.

Possibility 2, no one said the castle had to stay on the ground. Here you can see a screenshot from Bioshock Infinite, showing the flying steampunk city of Columbia. This is another strong possibility for how my castle could travel across the globe, and would allow my castle to go everywhere around the world. The steampunk style of the city is highlighted in the propellers and helicopters that keep the city in the air.

Possibility 3, sustained by some kind of creature. I'm a huge fan of Doctor Who, and this particular idea comes from an episode showing the entirety of Great Britain, on a spaceship that is carried across space and time by a creature called a Starwhale. I could replicate this by having my Disney castle carried across the world by some kind of creature, and if I did enough research into monsters and animals created by Disney I could make sure that the house style is up kept throughout the model.

2) What kind of castle will be the biggest influence?

Answer

Even though I am basing my idea on Disney Castles, these ideas had to come from somewhere. For example, the castle in Sleeping Beauty is based on Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, seen to the right. Below I have got a number of castles that have been used by Disney as reference for their own creations, and which I could use as influence for my own moving castle. I have also included a type of castle that (as far as I know) Disney has not yet used and it would be interesting to develop in my own model.

Possibility 1, DunBroch Castle from Brave. Brave is a much newer Disney film, and is based in Scotland. DunBroch castle features heavily in the film, which is a Scottish castle and has been around for hundreds of years. In reality it isn't as complete as the version seen in the film, so there is a lot of space for creative development and visualisation that may be interesting to look into.

Possibility 2, don't use a castle? This is a very interesting idea, and is once again from Disneys Frozen. Elsa's castle is actually based on her signature snowflake from the film, and all the towers features follow the intricate and delicate lines of the snowflake. This is a very interesting idea, and could be developed from any abstract concept. For example, as I am running with a steampunk moving castle, maybe a Gear or a type of Tool would be good to base a castle on to create a more stylized and interesting model.

Possibility 3, Motte and Bailey Castles. I remember learning about this type of castle in Primary School, and to be honest with you I wasn't very interested as I'm not a big fan of history. However looking back at the castles themselves theres a lot of space for development, the castle itself is on a large hill looking over the village which has its own protection. This is an idea that could work very well with a boat or pirate ship base, if I choose to go down that route.

3) What kind of Bridge will be used in the Model?

Answer
Bridges are a huge part of this piece of work, and I want to make sure that I create the right kind of bridge to fit in with my scene. Now I'm probably not going to put the kind of modern and complicated bridge that you can see to the right, instead I will explore other options below.

Possibility 1, standard medieval drawbridge. This would make perfect sense to the idea itself, a moving bridge that would close when the castle was in motion and open to get on and off the structure. It fits in with the idea and is fairly simple to put together, but its a very standard idea with not very much style to it. With that said, the style of the model can be added to the structure within Maya.

Possibility 2, a bridge inside the castle walls. This is an interesting idea, as it would allow me to connect two sections of the structure in a way that is as fast moving as the structure itself. However, how much use is there in a bridge inside the castle? There would need to be a reason that it is there to help make the player believe in my model.

Possibility 3, a Light Bridge. A much more futuristic take on the bridge itself, this is a screenshot from Portal (not sure which version, as it looks like a Mod) showing a bridge made out of solid light. Very futuristic and heavily stylized, but the idea is so simple it can be executed in a number of different ways.

4) Where will the scene be set?

Answer
I could set this scene in a number of locations, and it all comes down to personal preference. The three possibilities for this are as follows:

A clearing in a forest

A Rocky Desert

A Cityscape

BA3 - Concept Research, A Moving Castle

This probably sounds like a very strange idea, but bare with me. I once read a book by Phillip Reeve titled Mortal Engines. The book is basically about cities that move around the world "eating" other cities in order to get supplies and resources for the people on the city. I really enjoyed the book and seeing the cover again reminded me of Reeve's story line and how inspiring his idea was to me when I read it. So idea number two is for a castle... that is designed to move!





As I have stated before my main inspiration for this is Phillip Reeve's Predator Cities Quartet, beginning with the book Mortal Engines. Below you can see a fan image of London; the city followed in the book.

The entire structure has a very steampunk atmosphere to it, with the huge column of smoke and the tank tracks that carry the structure across the world. In this particular image of the traction city the structure is separated into a number of different layers of civilization, similar to an apartment building or large block of flats. The chimneys appear towards the rear of the city to expel the smoke from the engine room at the bottom of the vessel, and the landing strips for the plans and helicopters that are described in the book are shown on the very top layer. Looking at this image of the structure I'll need to take particular care of how I organise my own structure as there is much less space and more components needed for a castle that moves around the world.

Another strong influence on this particular idea is the castle from Howls Moving Castle, a Disney film released in 2004. Instead of moving on tank tracks like the moving city of Mortal Engines, Howl's castle moves on a set of legs that are much too thin and frail to support the weight of the entire structure and move with it at the speeds it does in the film. Naturally if I was to adapt such an idea into my own castle I would need to increase the overall diameter of the legs to ensure that my model is more believable to a player. Looking at the structure as a whole, it seems to follow the basic structure of a boat; the hull is shaped more aerodynamically at the front and curved along the bottom similar to a boat, there is even a sail and a mast similar to a boat. However, that is as far as the comparison can go as the turrets at the front of the castle replace the deck and the chimney's at the side and rear of the castle replace the captains cabin. Another noticeable feature of the castle is the face in the front of the hull, which helps in giving the castle a sense of identity of its own. It's clear to see that, unlike the traction city in Mortal Engines, Howl's castle has a much stronger identity of its own, and is viewed by an audience much more like a companion, a different character even in the plot of the film. Whereas the traction city of Mortal Engines is more of a location.

Another moving structure that springs to mind is from the film Up released in 2009. This is a much more colourful and child-friendly idea of a moving structure, as it is literally a house with thousands of balloons being used to lift the house into the sky. The house in question is as standard as they come, with a small porch, plumbing, bedrooms and a number of knickknacks that you will find in an elderly mans house. What makes this so different to a normal house is the way that it takes to the skies with hundreds of thousands of multicoloured balloons. I'd love to take strong influence from this as reference, however modelling all of the balloons would be incredibly time consuming

BA3 - Concept Research, Disney Castles

We have now received our brief for BA3, and it's going to be a lot more work than before but I'm really excited. We are tasked with modelling a castle, any kind of castle in Maya along with terrain and a bridge which will then be put into UDK or Unity engine. It's a lot to do, but I can't wait to get stuck in! So lets start with the important stuff, the research.

The first of my ideas for this unit comes from a film I watched a few weeks ago, a film that I enjoyed so much I decided to watch it again the following evening. I am of course talking about Frozen; Disney's latest animated production. I was taken back to when I was a young boy watching Disney films at my nans house, and so I have been inspired to take a closer look at the films. More specifically, a closer look at the castles. The way the light reflects off the ice castle walls and the fantasy architecture captivates the senses and creates an incredible place to escape to as a viewer. However, I can't help but think there could be more there, because the castle is created on such a severe slope on the side of a mountain there is very little space for more architecture and I feel this limits the castle itself. With that said, the use of light is still beautiful for this castle.

Looking at Elsa's castle from Frozen got me thinking about other castles that have appeared in Disney films. So lets have a look into those.

King Triton's castle under the sea is home to Ariel and her family in the popular Disney adventure The Little Mermaid. The castle itself has been constructed incredibly well, the architecture almost mimics the motion of the waves around the structure and the entire structure almost resembles a grand coral reef. The caste is cleverly constructed to blend in with its environment perfectly, and this is something that I need to keep in mind with my own structure. Moving on, colour is also used to great effect for this castle. The blues and greens of the waves compliment the colour scheme of the castle extremely well, helping to show the castle in all its vibrance and life. The only issue with using this castle as reference is if I try and replicate too much of the structure I will create a castle that would be more at home underwater than on the surface.

Aladdin was arguably my favourite Disney film as a boy, which is why I will be looking at Princess Jasmine's castle in Agrabah. The structure itself was based on the Taj Mahal in India, and therefore the architecture has strong links to Indian culture and design. The castle itself is a magnificent structure made up of high walls and numerous towers and columns, decorated with beautiful bright colours illuminated by a single spotlight. However, I think there is more to it than that. The spotlight only lights up the castle, leaving the rest of the city in shadow of this incredible castle, which could be seen as separating the life of luxury that those in the castle enjoy, with great expenses and unnecessary comforts, with the people that live in poverty in the city in he shadow of the castle. This is a strong example of how a powerful theme such as poverty and social segregation in society can be displayed in a castle.

Maleficent was, and remains to be, one of the most amazing villains in Disney (in my opinion). Her appearance in Sleeping Beauty was nothing short of terrifying for a much younger version of me, and I was also captivated by her castle. The giant structure is ridiculously poorly positioned, it looks as though it would fall from the rock it sits on as soon as a wind blew the wrong way, but that actually adds to the atmosphere of the castle as it emphasises the sense of danger around the structure. Unlike the other castles that I have looked at for this idea, this castle is for an evil queen, and the colour scheme, location and even the weather reflect this perfectly. Even the sharp towers and the tiny bridge reflect the fear in the atmosphere surrounding this castle. This is a strong example of how to create an atmosphere around your castle, in this case an atmosphere of terror.

I've had a look at 4 different castles from some of my favourite Disney films. There are many more, but I can't look at all of them in this post so this will do for now. This is definitely a strong idea that I could run with for BA3, but I want to explore other options before I commit to this idea.

Digital Sculpting - Soldier Research

Since I have started to work on the Driver for my Biosuit, I have decided to take a look into the potential dress I could give to my soldier. Below is a collection of reference images I will use to construct the soldier for use in the Biosuit.

Digital Sculpting Research - Diligence

Since I have chosen Diligence as my chosen virtue for this unit, I have decided that I should do some extra research into this particular virtue so that I have a greater understanding of exactly how to personify it within my character.

The first place I looked was, strangely, Thesaurus.com. This gave me a number of different synonyms of the world Diligence, and I hoped that this would help me to understand the various aspects of this particular word. Below is an image of what I found:

As you can see there are a lot of aspects of this particular word, and most of them relate to dedication and perseverance. The definition I am given here is "perseverance in carrying out action"; which demonstrates that this particular virtue is about never giving up in the face of adversity and persevering with any challenge the world throws your way. With the idea of Perseverance in mind, maybe it would be good to look into adding a number of different weapons and tools that my character can use to allow him to deal with any situation that may arise in the battlefield.

The second place I looked for information on Diligence was Wikipedia (again), and I found that "Diligence is steadfast application, assiduousness and industry; the virtue of hard work". To be Steadfast in something is to be dutifully firm and unwavering, according to Google which in itself has strong connotations to the sense of duty and honour that a Soldier has as they enter a battlefield. This steadfast application towards the goal of saving their country from terrorist attacks is another aspect of this virtue I will personify in my character and I can do this using more permanent and sentimental methods of displaying a persons commitment to the military; tattoos, dog tags and military style symbols emblazoned on the characters clothing.
Assiduousness is a reinforcement of constant diligence, but the mentioning of industry and the virtue of hard work is another aspect of this virtue I will have to personify within my character. The word Industry has strong connotations of economic activity and the processing of raw materials, and the virtue of hard work also has similar connotations. Therefore, I feel that the easiest way to convey this in my character is through the arsenal of weapons that will adorn the bio-suit; industrial style weapons such as:

1. Flamethrower - To represent the burning heart of industry and the processing of raw materials such as Iron and Steel, and the burning of fuel that gives industry the power to move forward.
2. Drill and Chainsaw - To represent the collection of these materials ready for processing.
3. Gatling Guns - To represent the speed in which modern industry moves and changes.

Finally, I started looking towards more relevant Reference Material, for both the character himself and the bio-suit that will allow him to return to the battlefield. I've created two mood boards, one for the character himself and the other for the biosuit.

These images are going to help me with the final design details of the character.

Digital Sculpting Research - The Seven Virtues

I have to say I would've preferred to have a project based around the seven deadly sins but what can you do? Since I know very little about the seven virtues I've had to look them up and list them below, along with some background information about each virtue (courtesy of Wikipedia) and a few images to represent that particular virtue.

Chastity

"Abstaining from sexual conduct according to one's state in life; the practice of courtly love and romantic friendship. Cleanliness through cultivated good health and hygiene, and maintained by refraining from intoxicants. To be honest with oneself, one's family, one's friends, and to all of humanity. Embracing of moral wholesomeness and achieving purity of thought-through education and betterment. The ability to refrain from being distracted and influenced by hostility, temptation or corruption."

So in a nutshell, Chastity is a lot about purity and belief in oneself, wisdom and honesty. Based on this, if I were to choose Chastity I would look at characters like an Angel or a Mage or even a combination of both. Both of these characters symbolise wisdom and purity which are two strong parts of this particular virtue.

Temperance

"Restraint, temperance, justice. Constant mindfulness of others and one's surroundings; practicing self-control, abstention, moderation and deferred gratification. Prudence to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time. Proper moderation between self-interest, versus public-interest, and against the rights and needs of others."

"Self control" and "justice" are two words that stick out for me in this particular description of Temperance. "Judge" and "the needs of others" also stick out as being fundamental to this particular virtue, and all of these words scream the qualities of a knight to me. However a Monk or a Samurai are also trained with these particular traits and so would be a good starting point for this virtue.

Charity

"Generosity, charity, self-sacrifice; the term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity to mean benevolent giving. In Christian theology, charity—or love (agäpé) -- is the greatest of the three theological virtues.

Love, in the sense of an unlimited loving kindness towards all others, is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both glorify and reflect the nature of God. Such love is self-sacrificial. Confusion can arise from the multiple meanings of the English word "love". The love that is "caritas" is distinguished by its origin – being divinely infused into the soul – and by its residing in the will rather than emotions, regardless of what emotions it stirs up. This love is necessary for salvation, and with it no one can be lost."

Love is a huge part of this virtue, much more so than Chastity above, as this is love in all its forms; love for family, love for friends, love for neighbours and love your enemies. An unending love of everything and everyone on this planet defines this virtue, which is more focused on the will to love rather than the common emotion that we all express towards special people in our lives. This links heavily with a biblical lifestyle, and makes me think about Priests and Preachers that teach these beliefs in church. Therefore a Priest would be a strong place to start for this particular virtue.

Diligence

"A zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work; decisive work ethic, steadfastness in belief, fortitude, and the capability of not giving up. Budgeting one's time; monitoring one's own activities to guard against laziness. Upholding one's convictions at all times, especially when no one else is watching (integrity).

(The vice "acedia" is more commonly known as "sloth")."

Determination is a string part of this particular virtue, which also links back to knights of medieval ages, but establishes a strong link with modern soldiers. More specifically, soldiers that have come back from war with life changing injuries and trauma civilians could never truly understand, but still haven't given up on life and are still mentally fighting for everyone they care about. If this is the virtue I choose for my project, this is the route I would take with my work.

Patience

"Forbearance and endurance through moderation. Resolving conflicts and injustice peacefully, as opposed to resorting to violence. Accepting the grace to forgive;^[3] to show mercy to sinners. Creating a sense of peaceful stability and community rather than suffering, hostility, and antagonism."

The first part of the description of this virtue links back to Priests and Preachers, but the last sentence is what gave me an idea for this particular virtue. Peace also plays a strong role in this virtue, and who protects the peace in our society? The police, and super heroes. Maybe a combination of the two would be too strong of a contrast to be effective but I will definitely look into these two different roles if I choose this virtue.

Kindness

"Charity, compassion and friendship for its own sake. Empathy and trust without prejudice or resentment. Unselfish love and voluntary kindness without bias or spite. Having positive outlooks and cheerful demeanor; to inspire kindness in others."

Compassion and friendship, two words in the description of this virtue that have given me a great idea. What is mans best friend? A dog. Dogs always love you, get upset when you are upset and are always positive. Therefore, there is no better way to present this particular virtue than with some variation of a dog. Or a Dragon, since Dragon and Rider forge an epic bond from when the egg first hatches to their first flight together.

Humility

"Modest behavior, selflessness, and the giving of respect. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. It is a spirit of self-examination; a hermeneutic of suspicion toward yourself and charity toward people you disagree with. The courage of the heart necessary to undertake tasks which are difficult, tedious or unglamorous, and to graciously accept the sacrifices involved. Reverence for those who have wisdom and those who selflessly teach in love. Giving credit where credit is due; not unfairly glorifying one's own self. Being faithful to promises, no matter how big or small they may be. Refraining from despair and the ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation."

Everything about this virtue screams hero, of some description. Be it a superhero as I have looked at before for Patience, or a soldier fighting for his/her country as I have looked at for Diligence. This particular virtue would be easy to look at with these things in mind.