Because we need a hot air balloon to do a composite project called the balloon festival in the nuke course. I want to make a new and unique balloon. This week, I took some references and created a vintage hot air balloon. I made a net out of twine and put it on the balloon. Then I copied multiple models and misaligned them to make a woven basket. To achieve a vintage style, I made the material of the balloon be leather. Then plaid and stripes are combined as the pattern of the hot air balloon. At the same time, I made the material of the basket be wood. Hanging curtains on the balloon and basket. The final render is what I wanted.
This week’s homework is picking a film for the topic of critical report. My topic is how can non-human characters be personified in animation? Zootopia is a significant animation to discuss this topic.
Story Arc
Incentive Moment
At the beginning of the film, in the form of a stage play, the rules of the Zootopia world are conveyed to the audience. It shows the contradictions in the animal world succinctly, and also serves as a catalyst for the plot of Judy’s firm pursuit of her dream. The film focuses on race and justice, extending the two narrative themes of “The world is the same” and “dreams come true”.
Rising Action
Judy works hard at the training camp to become the first rabbit officer in Zootopia Police Department. The mammal disappearance case announced by Chief Niu at the time of Judy’s entry provides a lead for the main plot of the story. Events that break the peace of life make the main character feel the status quo is unacceptable, forcing her to take action and abandon her quiet life.
Peripeteia
Facing the external and internal changes, contradictions, worries and concerns after the accident, the protagonist struggles with whether to abandon the original peaceful life. Judy volunteers to find Amy, but Director Niu orders that the case must be solved in 48 hours or Judy will be fired. Finding Amy is the beginning of the biggest plot in the story.
Rising Action
Judy finds out that Amy ate the popsicles Nick sold and convinces Nick to join her in the search for Amy. Judy and Nick go to find Amy together, the story of the brewing conspiracy will be layers of open.
Crisis
When the driver, Cougar, goes mad and Judy calls in the police for backup, it’s a demarcation point in the plot, where the forces of obstruction and the forces of the character are pulled against each other. The protagonist team faces the moment of internal and external crisis, internal disagreements, doubts, and jealousy to collapse the protagonist team’s opportunity.
Climax
The darkest moment of the protagonist, the climax of the story. Judy was inadvertently led to say that carnivores are murderous, triggering the animal city’s racial confrontation. Nick was hurt by Judy’s tone and Judy broke up.
Reversal
Judy comes to understand that it is her own prejudice that causes the originally harmonious animals to hate each other. She refuses the propaganda task of the sheep mayor and returns home to grow carrots. At this moment, the protagonist abandoned his original dream, lost a friend who shared ups and downs together, and fell into deep remorse.
Denouement
Judy discovers the truth, as much about the disappearance of mammals as it is about how races should live together. Judy apologizes to Nick, and they catch Doug, trick Mayor Sheep and get the proof that Mayor Sheep is causing the carnivore to go crazy.
Timeline:
Judy Rabbit has dreamed of being a criminal policeman since she was a child. With intelligence and hard work, Judy successfully graduated from the police academy and joined the Zootopia Police Department. In the day, the city has a series of missing animal cases. When all the police are committed to investigating the truth of the case, Judy was sent by the chief to become a trivial traffic police. One day, being on duty Judy met a fox named Nick. They were sent on a mission to find the missing Otter. Driver Cougar goes crazy, Judy calls the police for backup. Judy was inadvertently led to say that carnivores are murderous, triggering the animal city’s racial confrontation, Nick was hurt by Judy’s tone and Judy broke up. She turned down the mayor’s promotional assignment and returned home to grow carrots. Then Judy discovers the truth, which is the truth about the disappearance of mammals. Judy and Nick Doug, trick Mayor Sheep and get the proof that Mayor Sheep is causing the carnivore to go crazy.
Characters Archetypes
Hero: Judy, Nick Mentor: Bogo Herald: Flash, Benjamin Clawhauser (an obese) Shapeshifter: Manchas Shadow: Lionheart Trickster: Bellwether Allies: Mr. Big
This week’s lesson focuses on how to use curves to create models. This is a different approach to modeling and is suitable for creating cylindrical or round objects, such as bottles and cups. You used curves to outline the object, then revolve to convert the contours into the 3D model. At the same time, we discussed the material of glass and liquid, and how to make real glass objects.
Final Render (Arnold)
Final Render (Arnold)
I used the same method to create the balloon. At the same time, the way the twine is made is very interesting. First create three round faces and a curve, then select the surface and curve to make the twine model with extrude. Meanwhile, the curve can be manipulated to make twine and put in the required position. Furthermore, I want to create a balloon like no other. I made the basket into a hollow shape. The method is to create diagonal plaid on the cylinder, then select all the plaid and extrude each face to create additional faces and shrink, then delete these faces. At the end, just need to extrude the entire model.
In this class, we need to write a critical report about animation, movie or game. So we have to think about a potential topic or question for this report. What I am thinking is how can non-human characters be personified in animation?
Reference – Cars
I’m very interested in how non-human characters can be personified in animation. There are many animations that require the anthropomorphic design of non-human characters, such as Zootopia and Cars. The excellent personification design will not make the audience feel any incongruous. At the same time, designers also will retain the natural characteristics of non human characters. Therefore, through this kind of design, people often feel that non-human characters are alive, especially to give life to inanimate objects. First of all, personification of non-human characters requires special design of their appearance and body movements, such as allowing reptiles to walk like humans. It’s very hard to let a non-human character to have harmonious appearance and movements like humans. Second, designers always give non-human characters human’s mental activities and thoughts. This kind of characters tend to have high intelligence and sensitive psychological activities. As a result, people will resonate with non human characters in animation.
The topic of this week’s homework is the London. We need to make a video to show what London is in our mind.
Because I got Covid-19 last week, I didn’t have a chance to go outside until this Monday. So the video I shot was my first exposure to the outside world after seven days. It made me dell both familiar and strange. There were many fallen leaves on the road. I really like the sound of stepping on fallen leaves. I feel nature from it.
Through this week’s lesson, we have looked at the construction of low and high resolution models. At the same time, we need to practice using smooth to transform low-resolution hard surface models into higher-resolution models. The modeler needs to add two lines next to the hard edge of the low-resolution hard surface model, then smooth the model. In this way, the edges of low-resolution hard surface models do not become too rounded after being smoothed. Moreover, soft models also require the function of smooth to transform low-resolution models into higher-resolution models. In rendering, the soft model will not become stiff.
The Lego man is a good reference to practice using smooth to transform low resolution hard surface models into high resolution models. The upper body and legs are hard surface models, and the arms and hands are soft models.
The main content of the first class is to introduce that we need to write a critical report about animation, games or movies in this semester. Since the requirement of word count is 1500, the topic we need to put forward should not be too board. I am very interested in different kinds of animation production and conceptual design.
How to use three-dimensional technology to make two-dimensional animation.
How to combine Chinese and Western styles to do the conceptual design of animation.
How to design non-human characters in animation?
Among these interesting ideas, I need to think about what potential themes are worth to be analyzed and discussed. At the same time, this class also introduces us about the Harvard style of academic articles. This part is very important. Because the correct format is the framework of the paper.
This week’s home work is taking some photos about time. I think time is what I am experiencing, seeing, hearing right now.
P1: Last Thursday was my best friend’s 25th birthday, and we celebrated this meaningful moment together. Birthdays are the most important time of the year for everyone. Candles and cakes can express this meaningful time.
P2: I photographed the plane in Elephant Castle. Typically, planes from China fly over the Elephant Castle. It represents the moment when we are about to begin our study abroad.
P3: I found the national COVID memorial wall by the River Thames. People can put the names of people who have died from COVID-19. This wall expresses very sad time.
P4: This is a stone column by the River Thames. The trace on the stone column is the time, which can remind people of what happened here in the past.
P5: The shadow of the London Eye on the river is very much like a clock. The spin of the London Eye is like the passage of time.
P6: This is the emergency button on the London Eye. Because I have a fear of heights, I was very nervous when the London Eye had a problem and had to restart in mid-air. I couldn’t see the view, just this emergency button. It expresses my inner anxiety and fear of time.
The first week of modeling course taught some simple basic modeling thought and skills in maya. How 3D assets are made is very important for film and animation. An easier way to model is to start with geometry. Depending on the reference and art design, the modeler can add points, lines, and surfaces to the geometry and move them around to create the model. This method is suitable for creating models with obvious geometric features, such as vehicles, furniture, etc.
I found a Lamborghini Reventón reference on the Internet. Using this method, a simple Lamborghini 3D model is created. In the process, I found some problems in my modeling techniques that needed improvement, especially how to deal with the details of hard surface.
