Getting along

Gladiator is coming along, having minor troubles with the actual program and my computer. For some strange reason its not letting me add an image onto another plane so I can start modelling the hands, as separate objects. Its taken me longer than I thought to model the head and facial features, my idea of time management is completely wrong and I hate myself for it.
Looking forward to life drawing again (as I always do), but its a bit weird as we are going to be learning portraits. I have never done portraits before but even as I try to draw faces I just can't, they always turn out like some sort of growth instead of an actual human being. The life drawing lesson this week was one of the most enjoyable lessons I had so far. Using chalk pastels and other media's we had, I had water soluble drawing pencils. A few of my sketches came out really well. I've noticed that my understanding of the human anatomy has improved greatly since Christmas. Its great looking back over work and comparing the differences between them all.

 I'm glad I chose blue, for some reason I work well in blue, even though it gives the model a cold look and feel. Trying to understand fore-shortening was very difficult when I first attempted it. Looking at the model and seeing it looked perfectly fine, but putting it down on paper, its like 'what the hell?' But as I've been told it all gets easier over time and practise. The two worst things in the world.
Amongst other things, uni seems to be more relaxed and calm at the moment, yes the work is still there and piling up quickly but everyone seems easygoing and not so stressed, its a very good vibe to be feeling. Although friends have been getting letters from uni about game production, like a warning or something. I haven't got one yet and hopefully I wont but seriously its scary thinking that we have about 6-7weeks left until Easter and that means our final assessments. Its gone so fast and TOO fast in some cases. Wow I'm not a noob anymore and proud, even though alot of the time some of the time I do feel like I'm lacking, like things don't quite add up and there you are sitting in class and everyone around you seems to understand but you.

Seeing things differently

I have recently started playing World of Warcraft again (yeah yeah I know, but I like wow, different people like different games). But anyways, as I was standing there in the game, I started to analyse my surroundings. Noticing how to create elements on 3DS max and also realising that the textures are all tillable textures. Game production has ruined my experience of games. I'm constantly picking things out and seeing faults such as the texture seems and how things don't match up.
I guess it shows i'm learning without realising and i'm happy about that, but one of my favourite games and im criticising it, it is kinda amusing though.
I've also noticed that within WoW there isn't any specular or bump maps within the environment. But there are noticeable specular maps on characters, such as; Armour, weapons, equipment and also companions such as elemental's. 

Sucker Punch review PEW PEW!

Ok, I really really really wanted to see this at the cinema when it first came out but I missed my chance. But that's what DVD's are for, so I can watch it when ever I want.
Sucker Punch is all about this cute blonde girl called baby doll. Yeah kind of a weird name but all the characters have weird names as its a weird film full of weirdness and strangeness.


Storyline
A young girl (Baby Doll) is locked away in a mental asylum by her abusive stepfather where she will undergo a lobotomy in five days' time. Faced with unimaginable odds, she retreats to a fantastical world in her imagination where she and four other female inmates at the asylum, plot to escape the facility. The lines between reality and fantasy blur as Baby Doll and her four companions, as well as a mysterious guide, fight to retrieve the five items they need that will allow them to break free from their captors before it's too late...


The difference between reality and imagination is in some what obvious. When she goes into the asylum that's reality but then it flips to a imagination. The imagination of this young girl is fun and unnatural. Dancing her way through battles and obstacles (yes really). Well there is more to it but I don't want to give it away.
The graphics and concepts are beautiful and are very well done. To help show between reality and imagination the colour pallets differ. 


For this film I would rate it 7/10 

What is games design?

Thinking of something simple like an object, such as a pencil sharpener. Someone has to design that little thing that has one simple use...to sharpen a pencil. It might sound so simple but if you look closer, at each piece and angle, there has been some thought and idea. The groves on the side to help you keep hold of it whilst you turn the pencil against the blade. The blade as been cut at a certain angle to help sharpen the pencil without any difficulty. Yeah ok a little off topic but its just like a game. Someone or in most cases a group of people have put forward hundreds of ideas and designs to make a single game. Game design is about what makes the game itself. What makes it different from other games such as; the content, the background and the process of the game.

Hard to explain what specifically game design is. In my views its the aims and objects that help set down what the design is. take for example Space Invaders. Everyone has played space invaders, such a simple and original game. To be honest does anyone actually need to be taught how to play it...no. You just stick someone infront of the screen and they instantly know how to play it. The aim of the game is to shoot down all the little invaders without getting hit and before the time limit runs out.

Every game has the same basic quality as space invaders. Every game has aims and objectives to complete, otherwise what would be the point of the game, it wouldn't be a game.

Another part that helps to explain game design could be the environment, the colour, the realism. Making something realistic helps the character to believe in what they are doing. Games are not like space invaders anymore. Games have evolved so much that some people become part of the game, such as online role playing. Not so much the game being realistic as such but it has to be believable.

Life drawing...

Falling in love with life drawing, thins week we used simple black drawing ink. This was fun because if you went wrong you couldn't rub out the marks. I've never used ink before and it was nice to be able to use something new for a change. Receiving a compliment from Jack was funny because he thought I had used the media alot before, until I told him I hadn't, I must be doing something right then.

I produced a fair few sketches throughout the class, but I seemed to have picked up this style. I'm not happy about it, it reminds me of some sort of fashion sketches, they are too neat and tidy, i hate being so OCD about sketches and drawings. I want to print these out and work into them some more with traditional media's such as oil pastels and water colours. (how i've missed those)
The week before in class we also did something new. Unfortunately it was charcoal and it gets everywhere, especially to my horror we had to cover and entire A2 sheet of paper in it. *cringe* it was everywhere. Once away from the mess and looking and a grey page we had to use a rubber to sketch in the highlights of the body and charcoal for the darker tones. It was interesting as the grey of the page was the mid-tone and the highlights and shadows of the charcoal and rubber.

I am actually very proud of these, I need to work alot faster within the time limit. 15minutes for each sketch.

Van-tastic

Within Game production we are given a new brief in which to to complete in 4 weeks, well that's what seems to be happening on the last 3 projects.
So i've just handed in my latest project; A Ford Transit Van... Yes slightly boring. Why did it have to be a Ford transit, supposable the most common van around, but when you actually need to find one its like playing hide and seek. Its the sort of traditional white van man that would cut you up on the road and you would end up being a grumpy mug the rest of the journey because of that one stupid... But anyway, it was pretty annoying walking around the streets trying to find one. Let alone finding one, I had to be able to take pictures of all angles to make it easier for further reference. Luckily the university has a fair few of these vans all over the campus.
Looking very suspicious I was there taking pictures of this van and of course a security guard comes over and starts yelling and asking what I was doing. Surly being a university you would expect students to be doing interesting things like this, its not as if I was going to give the van a ticket.
Completing the van felt like a weight off my shoulders, even if I do feel it wasn't the best and I could have done so much more and better. (self note, start doing projects when they are given to me)
Im noticing that im doing things within that  horrid program 3DS max, on my own, without thinking and just doing. I am becoming more confident and relaxed with it, ok maybe not so much relaxed, it makes me have a fit if something tiny goes wrong.
But having learnt the basics and how verts and polys and edges work, its alot easier to model and to enjoy the class.