Ethans Asset Development Blog
Hi, welcome to my blog, this is where i will be going through what i did each week for asset development and what i have learned frpm these classes.
Week 1
It is the start of semester 2, this is the start of classes for game asset development. This week we went through what the class will entail, the deadlines for the assignments and what we’re making an asset for. For this class we are making a character to be made in the same art style as the game Roki. With this assignment we are split up into groups of 5 to start brainstorming ideas on what character we want to do, what it’ll look like, what colours were using for it etc.
In our Thursday class, we were instructed to walk around Belfast to take pictures of different objects and graphics to create textures for our asset in the class, my group and I walked around different locations in Belfast and took many different reference photos for our asset. We took pictures of trees, graffiti, pavements, stones, buildings and reference photos of people that we want our asset to look like. We then got back to the university to create a Miro board to mind map our ideas for our character.
In this class we learned about how polygon studios use colours to convey what time of day it is and what situation or location the player is currently in. for example, whenever the player first starts the game up, they are greeted with bright vibrant colours in a lake forest setting. The developers of Roki use bright colours to indicate to the player that the scene is set in the day and motivates the player to explore the landscape to find out what secrets its hiding.
With this we were able to plan a scene where we can design different characters, locations and props to help get our project to life and to test out different scenes and what ways we can incorporate props into the scene to make it tell a story.
Week 2
In week 2, we started preproduction for our project. This means we can plan out what we want to do with our project and what assets we need to create to bring our project to life. We used two programs to plan out our project.
One of these programs in a program called Miro. Miro is an online collaborative whiteboard platform that allows teams to work together on projects Connecting Google and Miro unlocks new ways for teams to collaborate visually from anywhere and brings lightweight tools to boost productivity and creativity in meetings. We used this because it allowed us to express our ideas and make changes in real time so we can give each other feedback on what were doing and adjust it accordingly.
Another program we used is a program called Codecks. Codecks is a planning tool where users can make different cards for different aspects of the project, e.g., asset list, link to Miro board, concept art etc. this is useful as it shows us what has been finished and shows us what we still need to work on or is still needing to be started.
This week we also learned how to use a 3D modelling software called Maya. In this program we learned how to use the User Interface. We learned how to use tools such as a multi cut tool, edge loop tool, slice tool, extrude tool, blend tool and smooth tool etc. we used these to create our assets and to make little details in the assets to bring the story of the asset to life. This is useful as we can create assets that fit the theme of our scene and will tell the story of the scene that were going for.
Week 3 & 4
In week 3 of our asset development class, we learned how to use topology on our characters. We did this by using models from Roki and learning to use different tools in maya to recreate them. The way we did this is by doing an obstacle course on a character in Roki called Henrik’s nose. This challenged us to recreate Henrik’s nose by creating different meshes to fuse together to make the shape of his nose. This was useful as it shows us how to use topology to make different parts of an asset. We then went over our assignment which are these blogs that you are reading right now. We then went over how to optimize our assets.
week 5 & 6
In week 5 & 6 of asset development, we had to create a presentation to show off our ideas for the developer of Roki, Alex from Polygon Studios. In this presentation we shown him our research on the different environments and interiors that we are planning to use for our project. We explained this in detail. With our environments we plan to allow the player to explore all corners of the room, whilst giving focus to the environment in which the player is allowed to move in, with negative space being filled in creative ways with hanging props etc.
We then showed him the prop designs that we were going for, we explained that props will be used to draw attention to the player using focus props whilst also filling in the scene using pots and pans around the kitchen area while also using bolster focus props such as a desk being held up by an item that can be inspected. We also went through the research for the different props that we wanted to use for our scene.
We also explained how the props will be used in the scene. We explained that There will be a candle for the player to use to navigate through the scene in the dark. Tables and chairs, plates, cutlery etc. will set the scenes mystery and ambiance. The Wardrobe will be in Centre of the room and will be bigger than everything else in the scene to mark its importance and that items will have aspects of damage and rot to show that the scene is set in an abandoned setting.
We also went through the research for the character design for our project. we made sure to take note of the unique eyes, which have defined shadows underneath the eyes. We also made sure to note the different head shapes between characters, which are a unique shape depending on the body size of the characters. The characters lack a distinct outline. The character has a distinct cel-shaded art style and that the character has a small set amount of flat colours. When researching character designs, we went with looking into outfits that both fit the cold area while being reminiscent of the style of our chosen time period, being the ancient Norse Period. We then chose a blue/white colour scheme for the referencing, as it matches aesthetically with Sigmundr.
Finally, we included a production time frame that outlines what we plan to do over the next coming weeks with our project. From week 1 to week 4 we start modelling our assets for our project, then in week 5 we plan to cleanup the assets and start Using them, then in week 6 we start texturing and rigging our assets to fit with our project. Then in week 7 we begin to set up unreal engine to import all our assets and then piece together our project to prepare for final submission.
Week 7
In week 7, we learned how to do UV maps. This is a process of projecting a texture map onto a 3D object. This process allows maya to know how to wrap a 2D texture around a 3D object. But what are UVs? UV is the process of taking a 2D photo known as a texture and wrapping it around a 3D object. The term UV is referring to the different axis in the UV editor.
We also learned about a process called projection mapping. There are different types of projection mapping, one of these mapping methods is called Planar Mapping. Planar mapping is a process that projects UVs onto a mesh through a plane. This is best used for flat objects or objects that are only going to be visible from one angle of the camera.
Another process that we learned is called Cylindrical UV Mapping. This process is used to cast UVs onto a circular shape which then gets wrapped around the mesh. This is best used when shapes are completely enclosed and only visible within a cylinder without projecting or hollow parts.
Another process we learned is called Spherical UV Mapping. This process is used to cast UVs by projection that is used on a shape that is spherical in shape wrapped around the mesh. This is best used with shapes that are completely enclosed or are visible within a sphere without projecting or hollow parts.
The last UV map we learned is a map called Automatic UV Mapping. Automatic Mapping is used to create UVs for a mesh by attempting to find the best way to place UVs onto a mesh by projecting from multiple planes. This is useful for more complex shapes as the basic planar, cylindrical or spherical projections cannot produce UVs that are useful to use, especially on parts that project outwards or are typically hollow in nature.