Rachel Taylor - Games Development
Unit 11 Brief
Designing a vending machine - short project
Concept Art
Moodboard
To start off the year we were asked to design and model a vending machine to remind us of our skills from last year on concept art and the software. I had to come up with a design fairly quickly as we were only given two days to complete the model, so I started off by sketching some initial ideas for different vending machines in my sketchbook which I have shown above so that I could choose a theme. Eventually I decided to go for a medical theme so as you can see above I then went on to create a mood board showing colours and features in the medical industry and also from regular vending machines so that I had a place to start when it came to the modelling process. Below you will find the final model and render of my chosen vending machine in 3DS Max. This process has helped me to familiarise myself with the software.
Medical Vending Machine - Final Render
These images display the final product of my vending machine design. As you can see I have used 3DS MAX to model and render the original design. As stated before I decided to go for a medical design so I began by modelling the front of the machine to make it look like it belongs in the medical industry by adding the green first aid cross and names of common painkillers, I then had to think about how the back would look, so I used the slice tool in 3ds max to make a shape at the top to imply that it is a battery and at the bottom I made some pipes to imply the machines contents is protected by ventilation and to make it look like a regular vending machine from the back.
I think the model has turned out fairly well considering I only had two days to complete it, however if I had more time I feel that I could improve it by adding textures and more details, for example making the green cross illuminate to signify that it is a light so that the renders come out more realistic.
Portfolio Boards Gallery (Manual Scrolling)
This Gallery portrays a range of examples of portfolio boards presenting features from my older projects and work I have done recently. The purpose of this is for me to practise presenting up my work ready for University interviews, Applying for jobs or whatever it is I decide to do after my course. I have tried to make them all different so that I can also show my skills in Photoshop as well as 3D Modelling. Overall, they are fairly good but I feel that a couple of them could do with a bit less writing as it looks like it dominates the actual product. You may notice that sometimes the same board has been put in twice, this is beacause I have editied and made small changes to certain boards to make sure my work itself is the most eye catching feature but i've kept the old opnes to show where these changes have been made.
Analysing Showreels
This Showreel has many good qualities, for example all the images tend to stick to the same theme of nature and landscapes I also feel that the first image is very powerful which implies that it is the best work that is shown first. The music that has been put over the top allows the transition between images to go smoothly and keeps them all relatively the same pace. It is also good because the video editing shows how much you can show within a matter of seconds. I also think that there is a good number of labels as too much writing could overtake the point of the showreel.
Here is another example of a showreel with many good features such as it has a mixture of still and moving images although it isn't clear what the reel is actually about. The music over the images makes it seem more like an advert and the fact almost every page has a label to explain what is going on gives it that emphasis that keeps the audience interested. One thing I think is particularly good is how sharp the transistion is between the images because it matches with the flow of the music.
I chose to Analyse this showreel because I particularly like how much detailed work you can see In a matter of seconds between each transition this also helps to show a bigger variety of work in one short video, I also like how the music reflects the themes of the games shown in the video but it also matches the short transitions between the images. However, I do think that there could be more labels but I do feel that the work relates to the job that the editor has or is applying for as it shows they are clearly into gaming.
This Showreel also has good qualities however there are some things that don't match up to many other showreel examples. For example there is a lot of time between the images. The images are all shown onscreen for quite a while whereas on other showreels it takes a couple of seconds to get their ideas across. Despite this there are other features about it which make it look better, for example how they have so little labels like the name in the very first image it gets across the actor/actresses name or what they are talking about. Similarly to the first one all the clips stick well to the same theme of acting and film making which keeps the viewer intrigued. Another way the showreel stays interesting is how it uses comedy lines supposedly to make the people watching it laugh.
Show reel production trial (other students work)
This short video clip shows an example of a show reel that I created as a trial using clips from other students work and games from previous years. I chose 10 clips at random to cut scenes out of and then chose some music from the files I was given and put them together in Premier which is a video editing software. I think that the clips match quite well to the music however if I was to improve it I would try and add some labelling as well as using my own work in it. I feel that choosing elements from my own work will give it a higher quality as I know my own work quite well and it will then be easier to add labels and music. But for my first attempt, I think it went quite well.
Showreel - Own Work
This Video features a Showreel of various parts of my work from previous projects. To create this showreel, I visited old aspects of my work and added camera movements to still models/images and took a screen recording if they were already animated. I then rendered and imported the clips into Adobe premier and cut them all down to show the main idea of the work shown and then I had a series of clips which I could put together to form a sequence and added some music. We were given a minimum of 30 seconds for how long the Showreel had to be, I managed to exceed this but I feel that it could be improved by adding a wider range of clips and potentially some labels.
Farmageddon Project
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This is another short project we were given, we had to design and model a weapon that could be used on a farm. As you can see from the image above I took a regular Axe and added some pitchfork blades, the idea was that you twist the bottom of the handle and it will swap between the two different types of blades but unfortunately I am unable to show that on a still image. For a bit of extra detail I added a chain which wraps around the handle and I think it acts as a very effective feature. As you can see from my concept art, I originally came up with two different ideas and I decided to do the one shown above because I felt it was more interesting and required some challenging skills like modelling the chain. If I had more time to complete this I think I could add a spikey ball at the end of the chain to make it a 3 in 1 style weapon which would be a unique weapon to have on farm.
Discipline and Career Plan Updated
My chose discipline is Concept and digital art, it is the area I most enjoy and understand how it can be involved in and influence my work my work. In Terms of my Plans for the future, I am still uncertain of whether or not I would like to go to University but as a career I would like to either go down an Art sort of route, so another option I will look into is possibly doing another college course specialising in this particular area such as Art foundation and then possibly going onto a University course to enhance my skills and career opportunities. I may start thinking about speaking to my careers advisers as it is getting close to the time where I need to decide what I would like to do but at this point I still am very unsure about University. As stated before I am not keen on the idea of moving away for University, however it depends if I find something other than University that would suit me otherwise it is a risk that I will finish college with no plans on what to do next.
Although I'm not sure about University, I have researched into potential courses I could take if I do decide to go. I have looked into a BA in Games Design and also Games Character Animation both of which sound very intriguing and involve a substantial amount of Art skills and I feel that my level of skills would allow me to successfully complete the courses and then I could find potential Employment in either of these or Jobs that relate to other aspects of design or animation.
CV
Swot Analysis and Skills Development
Strengths
My main strengths involve 3D Modelling, Concept / fine Art, Video Editing, Photoshop and I also have sufficient time management skills and limited skills in animation. All of these skills listed will ensure that I complete the upcoming units in time and to a good standard, it will also be beneficial to me in the future when looking for employment or university courses.
Weaknesses
I also have some weaknesses which may hold me back a bit including having limited knowledge and experience in animation, texturing, and scaling which are quite important skills needed when creating models and features for a game.
Opportunities
In order to eliminate my weaknesses and ensure that the quality of my work is at its best there are certain things I can do such as watching tutorials and learning the way that the software works and doing experimental animation work in my own time so that I will be able to use the skills when it comes to my work
Threats
My main threat to these units and my final project is how little time I have to complete so much work. However, one way I can solve this is to focus on using the software on my college days as I do not have access to the software at home and then I will focus on updating my website and carrying out research in my time outside of college
Experience
Throughout the projects I completed last year, I have gained experience in using certain software to create my products as well as increasing my skills. This required me to use my skills in an imaginative way in my own projects but also when I had a set target such as when I completed the work experience project for Radiant worlds where we were tasked to model a treasure chest to a certain number of polygons and were given reference images to choose from, I used 3DS Max to model the chest to look similar to the reference Image I chose out of the selection this also taught me how to control the number of polys I use in each of my models.
I have had to use my modelling and texturing skills in 3DS Max to create features for main projects, for example, in my final project I used 3ds max to model features which I then imported into Unreal engine where I learnt how to animate features such as doors opening using blueprints and I learnt how to import textures and apply them to objects in the project. Other examples include Mudbox where I learnt how to model and rig characters in order to add them into an animation like I did for my animation project in year one or put them into a game which I am aiming to do in my final project this year as last year I only managed to do a first person view in my final project. I was already familiar with fine art as I had previously taken Art and design for GCSE howeverbeing in college has allowed me to increase my drawing and shading skills using characters and game environments.
Potential University courses research
At the moment I am not certain about the career path I want to take after my course has ended. However, I do have ideas of what areas I will consider working in including 3d Modelling, Graphic Design, Character Animation or going down an Art route. I am not too keen on the idea of moving away for university however I have been looking into courses that I could do locally, which I could potentially gain employment from. Another option that I have considered is doing a Graphic Design or Art course at college which could later lead on to different options for Higher Education. I think my strengths are in 3D modelling, Concept Art and a limited amount of animation skills, but I am also very interested in Graphic Design so if I take a career route involving at least one of these skills I feel it would benefit me more later on as they are what I am most confident in doing. Below, you will see a range of courses and options that I have researched into which I could possibly think about doing that will be good for me but also suits me geographically, financially and are easily Commutable.
One course I have researched into which is a potential option for me to do after my course has ended is doing a BA in Games Development at Plymouth College of Art. However, as stated before I am not keen on the idea of moving away for university so at this stage it is only a consideration. But if I did decide I wanted to go there for this course I would make sure that my portfolio is presented as a hard copy ready for a potential interview. By clicking the link below, you will be taken to the Plymouth university web page.
A second Course I have looked into is another BA in computer games Design at the Solent University. Its similar to the one at Plymouth university but at this university I would be able to talk to students from other courses such as performing arts or Art and design to gather ideas and inspiration. Again, the link below will take you to the Solent University web page. Like the other BA course I found it is a 3 year durations so the idea of moving away is putting me off however I will keep an open mind and keep looking into them.
A Third course that has caught my eye during research is actually at the Salisbury campus of the college I am currently at. It has a HE course in Games character animation which is not my strong point but I am taking into consideration that I've not yet had a huge amount of experience in animation. But with the little experience I do have I have quite liked learning how it works and how games developers get their characters and other features in games to move. The link below will take you to the course site. I am particularly interested in this course because of the number of skills I would gain if I did decide to do it and unlike the other courses it is fairly local to me so I would be able to drive there when I am timetabled in. One thing that would put me off is how much the course costs per year but like the other courses I am keeping an open mind and researching into the issues I have with each one to see how I can solve them.
Higher Education Talk reflection
As part of my preparation for my next steps I went to a talk in the Arc Theatre from a Member of staff and two students from Gloucester University. They came in to talk to us about the courses they offer, their campuses, Accommodation, Finance, Travel and answering any questions we had about life at university if we did decide we wanted to go to Uni at all. I sustained a good amount of Information from this talk that I feel if I did want to go to university I would consider Gloucester as an option however as stated before its moving away that has been putting me off but I will still research into the courses they offer. I found it Particularly helpful that we had students point of view who also said they were in the position of it knowing what they wanted to do but then ended up going to Uni and doing really well.
What was also interesting was that they didn't only talk about courses that were relevant to Games Development or Art, they talked about courses completely different such as Nursing and Criminology to give us a wider view of the range of courses they offer and to show us that we don't have to go down the same route we have been on during college.
Create your future - London ExCel Centre trip reflection
Recently I had the opportunity to go to the ExCel centre in London for a higher education event. Unfortunately due to a delay in the coach journey we didn't have that long to look round the event. However , I managed to look at a couple of Universities that I was most interested in, where I gained a large amount of information about the Games related courses they offer. At the Norwich University, they offer a course called Games Art and Design which is the concept art side of Games Development and they Also offer Games Development in general which they do not require a portfolio for, this surprised me as Games Development needs certain skills that many other courses don't and as an Individual they would want to see your skills and how your work especially as Norwich isn't a Local University. The other University I looked at was the Nottingham Trent University. I am fairly Familiar with parts of Nottingham as my Grandparents live up there so it is another possible option for me, Unfortunately due to the time I had I didn't manage to talk to anyone about their courses that they offer but I was given some information sheets on the courses they do specifically focusing on the Games related courses it also caught my eye so if I do decide to go to University, I will consider this as a option.
EGX Trip reflection
This year I had another chance to go to Eurogamer in London. It gave me a chance to find out information on careers and working in the games industry and how to work your way up in Games Development by talking to the developers and playing the games some of which haven't been released yet. My favourite game I saw was the untitled goose game they were playing on a live demo, it presents the player with problem solving challenges while keeping it slghtly funny making it attractive for people making them want to play.
In the rezzed section I played a few games which had a good storyline and were well made. These games were developed as Indie Games from which I learnt that becoming an indie games developer can be more difficult and stressful than becoming a triple A games developer, I had known this before the trip however actually talking to an Indie developer gave me more insight in how it is to work as an Indie games developer and made me realise I would prefer to work as part of a triple A team should I choose to take this route.
At the careers section of EGX we went and visited 2 different universities, these had different games that they made playing on demo. These game were really interesting as one of them was an underwater VR game it made sense to make it in a VR style as you were playing as a scuba diver so it gave you a sense of reality in being underwater. The Universities that were there were showing off their gaming courses , these courses look really interesting however while they seem very good they seemed very far away and as stated in my career plan I'm not big on the idea of moving away so I was looking for somewhere local if I do go to uni.