Rendering anyone?

So you guys know I'm a rendering nazi.
Couldn't help myself.
This is my Lizard dude from our last assignment, pulling a stupid face.

I was inspired by this podcast here to try out an unorthodox lighting technique, rather than just the plain old one we've used so far when everything is rendered out in one big block. This has some pros and cons, so I'm looking for your guys ideas on this.

He explains it in the video, but I wanted to show the test I did too:

First I did a simple shadow map with a directional light. This could be problematic if we can't find a quick and easy way to turn all the textures to white and back again. Solution pending.

Then I do another 2 renders: one with a bright ambient light:

...and a darker one for shadows.


Using the first shadow map as an alpha channel for the bright render, we can add them together to look something like this:

...which looks like any standard render you've ever seen. BUT! By having this little bit of extra effort behind us in the rendering stage, it makes it so much easier to tweak colours and change minor details later on.

For example, say we want to make the shadows a little more red:

... then add some blue to the highlights:

...yes, he is purple. Again, me accidentally making something purple.

I'm not sure how comparable the render times are for a full scene, but I may run some tests on this using the level for that game design assignment thingy. I'll keep you posted.

What do you guys think in the meanwhile?

It's got the possibility to make things difficult by tripling our number of renders, and making them a little more fiddly.
BUT
The renders may wind up shorter (think about it, one light per render!)
AND
We may be able to reduce re-renders
BUT
If we need to re-render, it will be a longer process.

Lemme know what you think! I've got some more rules of making things easier for ourselves, but I'm not going to spoil your creative drives by imposing techno-regulations so early on our designs and/or awesomenesses.

Two lame Heroes

Hey guys,

Here is what first pooped into my head (thats right pooped). For some reason bunnies, but they arnt a bad choice since bunnies 'do it' often thus creating mass armies.

I also debate the strongest on the orange one being small, and the other character being tall and lanky. I agree that both should lame arses but I feel to create a decent character recipie we need to have two different types of lame. The small guy trying to be awsum, but fails and the lanky one being scared a jittery which is an obvious lame quality. Again, I will debate this till the next door cows come home.....which should be sometime soon:P

But yeah some things to go on. Im also in the process of painting some full rendered shots which leaped out at me when I read Tom's brief. Hope to hear your ideas on it guys:D

War stories

Image via Wikipedia

This is a number of weeks overdue to be posted, but better late than never, right?

I just finished watching the Incredibles with dear little sibling, and I remembered there was a story I was going to post up. It's late partly because a) I got called into work a lot, and b) I forgot due to point a), which brings me to point c): I have an amazing lack of short term memory.

So I was watching the Incredibles and reminiscing on how fantastic and memorable the story is, how flawed and brilliant the characters are, etc. etc. etc... It got me thinking about how we can make a great story that's interesting, and with some great design opportunities.

Which is sort of opposite what I was thinking when I re-read this story idea I had...

This is a more whimsical film, that has a good wartime moral, but isn't too heavy handed, and can still be funny.
-----

We can see a tranquil setting, a green field with a tree, birds and butterflies. An explosion suddenly fills the screen, transforming the green landscape into a destroyed battlefield. (using the awesome gw2 trailer idea,) we see a montage of scenes of battle. The soliders battling are basically the same, except for the colour of their uniforms, orange and blue (or whatever colour looks awesome).

An Orange soldier is preparing for battle. He is remarkably smaller and less adept than his other soldier companions. As he finishes preparing himself, he pulls out and looks at a picture of his family. He is forced to quickly put it away as he is thrust into the battlefield. In his haste, he trips, or does something equally as clumsy, and faceplants in the dirt.

He sits up and looks around. The explosions and gunfire are suddenly gone, echoing in the silence. Over the other side of the hill, he sees another soldier dressed in Blue, similarly looking around, lost. They both freeze when they see eachother. The Orange solider looks between his gun and his adversary, hesitating. The Blue soldier fumbles with his gun, and accidentally fires into the sky.

Terrified, both soldiers are spurred into action, running headlong towards each other, firing blindly, not hitting anything. Orange trips again and faceplants in the dirt. Purple arrives in front of Orange at point blank, and tries to fire several rounds at him. He fails, and his gun clicks with an empty barrel.

Orange quickly realises his advantage, and jumps up, aiming at Purple. Purple cowers. Orange can't look as he pulls the trigger.

There is an odd sound as Orange's gun jams. He examines his gun, hitting it, trying to fix it. Purple looks up, surprised and curious. Purple holds out his hand, offering to help fix it. Not thinking, Orange hands it over. Purple fiddles with it for a few seconds before handing the gun back, fixed. Orange accepts it gratefully, and both smile before they remember where they are.

Both clumsily jump back to their respective positions of aiming and cowering. Orange aims again, but still has to look away. Purple looks up timidly, and motions to wait for a second. He casually pushes Orange's gun barrel aside as he reaches for a pocket.

Orange shoots, still looking away. He opens his eyes an looks over to see Purple still alive, clutching a photograph. Orange is dumbstruck. He lowers his gun and reaches for his photograph. (A few shots of each photograph in here to show some similarities...) After looking at his photo for a moment, Orange throws his gun away and helps Purple to his feet.

... then there's shaking hands or something, and walking into the sunset, possibly turning into a nuclear blast. Seeing the blast, they both make all haste in the opposite direction.

-----

So that was an idea I had. That said, I've also done some concept work for our other ideas, which I'll post up after I've scanned them. Which won't be tonight. But soon. Sooner than the last gap between posts.

"About time brad.....you son of a racoon"

Hey guys,

Been busy with farm work etc etc, boring yes I know and I smell like dirt. BUT i have some stuffs here. Ive revised the outline after I got my marks back from Sorin and what was unclear was determination for her to do this whole thing. SO I added in her father being killed in the concept art storyboard sequence at the start instead of the parade and infaltry battles to make the story into more of a lean mean fighting machine:P There could also be the option of her father being an inventor which actually designed this war machine but the military took it off him when they kill him.

Also, trying to keep the story to the max of three minutes, I wiped out her looking at the blueprints (Sorin said this destroyed the pacing of the film) and the underground hanger because it would just wasting timing of the short film and our energy. This way from when she takes out the guards as she PENETRATES (:D) the base it flows alot better if she fights the big mutated dude in the hanger. The audience sees the hanger as an objective when she looks over the shipping crates but find out she has one more obstical to overcome.

AAANNNNDDDD maybe it would be good to have the fight scene invlolving them climbing up on this war maching and fighting on it?????!!??

Anyways, I know Bombi has some good ideas coming and im excited about what Neil wants changed. Hope you guys are having a fantastic holidays and I heard the christmas party was fantastic.

Cherrio

Brad

IM EMAILING YOU THE PROPOSAL SINCE I CANT POST IT:D