3D Computer Animation

3D Computer Animation – PolyWorld

What is Animation? We can refer anything which includes a motion, an animation. Traditional animation has been around for a while now(since the 1830s) but computer animation has been in our lives since the 1920s. There are several apps like Maya, Blender, Cinema 4D to create 3D animation. As our first term rotation, we will learn the basics of 3D Computer Animation and create our own world, under the project name “Polyworld”.

Before starting our project we have researched various images in order to create a mood board. I have researched about fantasy environments and magical creatures like dragons.

My mood board link: https://artslondon.padlet.org/lcapa01201911/1suqxqmjyr4zdb8l

Sketching Environments

After I have completed my mood board, I have moved forward to the next step. The next step included drawing 6 rough sketches of our Poly World in different angles and perspectives. After settling my mind from the images through my mood board, I have decided to draw an environment which included big rocks, clouds and a hill.

After I have finished my sketches, I have decided on an angle which I liked the most and rendered it in a more detailed way.

For our “Poly World” project, we are going to use the program called “Blender”. In order for us to create a world, we first have to learn the basics. After finishing my drawings, I have started to watch the Blender tutorial from Moodle. Our aim in this tutorial was to sculpt a simple robot from scratch.

The program includes a lot of different buttons and hotkeys so it was really hard to understand at first glance. But after watching the tutorial several times I have managed to sculpt my robot.

I have tried to sculpt the robot by looking at the image which I have found from Pinterest.

Reference: https://tr.pinterest.com/pin/624452304563886661/?nic_v2=1a6jJDyBd

Colour and Light

Colour and Light are always in harmony together. One cannot be alive without the other. With our tutor Ben, we have learned about the general history of colour and types of colours which are real and digital.

In this lecture, I have learned that Isaac Newton has experimented with the prism by pointing it to the light in 1666, and found out that colours already existed in light. I was really amazed when I have read about this fact because I didn’t knew who invented this experiment.

Reference: Biography/Barbara Maranzani(2018, How Isaac Newton Changed Our World, Available at: https://www.biography.com/news/how-isaac-newton-changed-our-world (Accessed: 3rd of November 2020)

Moving on, we have learned about the primary and secondary colours of digital & real life. Primary colours are;

• Red
• Green
• Blue

In real life, our eye retinas have Rods and Cones for gaining information about what we see. Rods are responsible for brightness while Cones and responsible for colours. With the help of Cones, our brain is able to gain colour information. Our brain receptors can identify what colour are we seeing by the help of the primary colours.

Then we have learned about the Secondary colours;

• Cyan
• Magenta
• Yellow

We can obtain these colours only with the help of the primary colours. For example;

• Red + Green = Yellow
• Red + Blue = Magenta
• Green + Blue = Cyan

After I have learned about the colour and light theory, I have updated my rendered drawing and turned it into a fully coloured drawing instead of grayscale colours. This stage is really essential for our project because we are going to use this drawing for the main colours of our 3D landscape sculpture.

I wanted my landscape to look like a fantasy land. So I have coloured it the way a fantasy landscape would look like. I have also imagined that this landscape would have species like dragons and other fantasy creatures.

After I have drawn this landscape, I have thought that this was a bit too much “cartoony” for my final render. So I have decided to give it another shot, but this time doing it in a more realistic way.

Because I have aimed it to be more “realistic”, I have added more details as well as mountains in the background. I am really proud of this drawing because I have finally created a nice landscape drawing in a realistic way.

Advanced Modelling Techniques

After sculpting a simple robot model in Blender, we have learned about the advanced techniques. We have learned how to combine objects together, how to reform shapes etc. By these techniques, we then have started to sculpt our landscapes.

At my first try, I had a hard time sculpting the landscape which I have dreamed of. Since I haven’t used Blender a lot, I couldn’t manage to form the right objects together. So, my first try was a fail.

Then, I have tried to sculpt it again since I have failed it in my first attempt. The next one is a bit better comparing to the first one, yet still not the best.

After sculpting my second landscape, I have decided to check every single video on our “Advanced Modelling” task to achieve what I imagined this time.

The tasks covered plenty of new techniques and new shortcuts. It was really fun to create these “advanced” shapes.

I have started to sculpt my landscape right before I have finished watching the tutorials. My first attempt was not bad but not as good as I have wanted.

My general sculpting skills have improved a bit, but I have failed in the main structure and it was looking like a mess. Also, I have had a serious problem with colour nodes, as I have forgotten to add layers on each of the objects so I couldn’t change the colours.

Then, on my second attempt, I believe I have nailed it this time. The structure looked pretty neat, just as I have imagined. The colours and the main structure all together looked pretty harmonical.

For the last step, I have watched the final tutorials, which are about shadows and light. I have covered this up pretty easy and quickly, giving my landscape structure light from each spot. I have tried each light from each angle.

After all of these tutorials which I have watched, I have seriously learned so much about the program Blender and about 3D Computer Modelling. These tutorials have challenged me in the first place but gained me confidence in my 3D Modelling skills.

3D Animation

As our last step in this rotation, we had the task to animate our landscapes. At first glance I thought that it would be something which will take hours to complete, but I was wrong. I have done a simple animation in my landscape, which I think it got out really cute. I really enjoyed working in this whole rotation as I got to try out something new, which is 3D Animation. I am really happy that I have got the chance to learn the basics of Blender.

My 3D Polyworld animation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5QuP_j3W14&feature=youtu.be