BA3 Research into Architecture 5

At this stage I have started creating a simple yet helpful piece of architecture in Maya. Using what i have learnt from our directed study sessions, some online research, and some of my own images and studies.

Having these images as reference I began simply by extruding the faces for the window panels inwards.

Following on I added the interior arches as I am have no knowledge of creating high poly geometry to be baked down. So for this particular piece I will focus on recreating the right panel in the outline image and perhaps go into more detail, though not necessary, it will act as good practice.

Next the arches were created unnecessary edge loops removed. In the future however I believe it's best to begin removing unwanted edges much later in the process as their early removal create triangulation that made reapplication of said edges difficult.

The overarching cover was extruded from the main face and made to seem faithful to the original image.

Inner grating was made for the windows. (In real production of a game these would be a higher poly creation used to create detail and shadow and would then be baked onto a flat face to save on tris).

After learning that the mesh of an asset does not need to be connected and that some pieces, especially those of a different material, can be a separate mesh and simply clip into another mesh and not need to be joined. As a result I extracted the curb above and replaced it to save on unnecessary tris being used to eliminate n-gons and merge meshes.
The curb is now a separate mesh but combined.

Next I went through the mesh removing unnecessary vertices and edges through either deletion or merging.

The same was also done with hidden faces as they would be impossible to view when placed in a scene.

Finally the window ending up looking as above. I was pleased with the outcome and believe it was faithful to the reference images.

The next stage would be to break up the geometry and make it seem more "organic" as it is currently too clean in the state it's in. I shall leave it for now however and work on making constructed designs more natural in a later study.

Thoughts:

So far I am excited about this project. this study piece has enabled be to apply what has been taught in our directed studies and aided me in understand the tools far better as well as some of the pipeline processes that go into game design.

Continuing on from this I plan to create 2 or 3 more pieces hopefully attempting to texture one by the end before being given our project brief. I like this 4 week research period we have been given as I feel it has given us a chance to explore the program better, understand our subject far more, and give us freedom to venture in our research without the pressure of creating things tailored to our brief. More studies will be made similar to this as well as some further research into other areas that go into creating a 3D asset.

BA3 Research into Architecture 4

Going through some of the images I've gathered I have begun by breaking down the busy components into simple geometric shapes and identifying where edge loops and necessary faces would need to be.

This has been achieved by doing simple overlays of line-work over the images to help simplify the structures I would potentially be re-creating.

This initial diagram helped me understand that smooth surfaces and detailed areas do not need as much detail, geometrically, as you'd expect. Keeping in mind my knowledge of the necessity of efficient meshes in games and the need for smaller assets to have low poly geometry meant that in this image I tried to keep things simple.

Some arches and interesting wall designs. These were a little more detailed than the last and focused more on maintaining the curves and ledges yet keeping them simple and efficient. A lot of the architecture is repeated so I work over the areas that would have required a little thought and the rest was simply repeats and basic structures.

Finally a window study help gain insight into the necessity for geometry to define the silhouette but not the interior detail.

The panel on the right shows how I would go about creating the interior arch and slopes yet the panel on the side shows how the same could be achieved using a flat face but either creating a convincing texture or baking down a higher poly version onto the face to give the illusion of more intricate detail despite the flat design.

Thoughts:

The next stage will be putting these images to good use and attempting to recreated one of these pieces of architecture as a simple study in Maya. I'm likely to choose the last of the 3 as I felt I put the most thought into where and why I was placing the edges.

The piece won't be textured but should allow me to get more acquainted with Maya's tools as well as act as a helpful study for help further down the project.

BA3 Research into Architecture 3

After that initial photography outing I attended a few drawing sessions taking place outdoors allowing me to use this opportunity to capture some of Norwich's structures through another form of medium.

These drawing sessions have also helped me identify a few more areas to study. I found that areas of buildings that are designed as opening or entryways had a particular appeal to them. Perhaps due to their design as a passageway. Nevertheless archways that would hang about them or pillars that would support the structures above you were some of many of the pieces of architecture I found enticing.

Thoughts:

At this point I am aware that 3D is the main practice to be learnt in this project and thus it is unlikely I will continue much in this 2D field for anything other than simple research sketches. Moving on to Maya and beginning to get to grips with it's interface and possibilities will allow me to potentially start recreating pieces I have found interesting and use them as practice models for my journey into learning this program and the applications it has to offer.

The first step will be identifying a simple area of architecture from my photos and studies and attempting to replicate it in Maya using what I have learnt so far. Before this though I may need to look into the images and try and identify how such a structure could be replicated in Maya.

BA3 Research into Architecture 2

Norwich provided plenty of architectural pieces to photograph, study, and use as reference for 2D and 3D work.

Below are several photographs of structures, buildings, and areas I found interesting in design, wear, or construction and recorded them to build up a file of reference for both materials and design:

The first set were taken around the St Peter's parish church in Norwich. They were focused on the scale of the structure admiring the grand arches, patterned walls and supporting beams. There was simply so much to capture including the interior which I took several photographs of to get a perspective of how the building held itself. These images however were not so focused on the architecture itself but more the aesthetics and thus I have no included them with this series.

These sets of photos were taken during our first crit session where we were focused more on capturing smaller section of architecture as these will prove helpful references towards our 3D studies later. A couple of these structures such as the doors and windows would potentially be useful structures to attempt to model as they are simple enough to be made with basic geometry yet have enough subtle details that could make texturing them a possibility. A couple of images were also taken look at the mood and of the structures with grandeur needing to also be reflected in its smaller assets.

The next series was photographed on the way out of Norwich focusing on far nore eccentric and eye catching designs. A couple again looked into a couple more archways and structures lining entry ways and openings.

Finally I couldn't help photographing some of the old and ruined walls and towers littered around Norwich. Something about their age and decay I felt was extremely interesting and despite their simplicity I felt the stories behind the architecture made them the most appealing structures I had capture in my outings. 

Thoughts:

The lavished designs of halls, political buildings and aged banks have their appeal as well as the conserved yet grand appearance of churches and cathedrals yet the simple pieces have oddly caught my eye far more. Potentially its not the architectural design of these simple walls, archways and columns but the smaller detail in them. The scuffs, marks, broken edges, all of this wear and tear really adds to the character of these buildings and creates a sort of story to the structure causing the viewer to be intrigued as to how it got this way or why.

This, I believe, was very much the case for the old ruins found around Norwich. These early 14th century structures have had more than half a millennium's time tested against it yet it stands as piece of something that was once far more. A small segment of a larger picture broken and molded through the years to become what we see now. Deep insights aside I certainly want to look into these older pieces far more, as well as any other pieces with more character to it be it decay, grime, destruction, anything that gives the architecture more story on top of it's design. 

BA3 Research into Architecture 1

So to begin with I looked up the definition of Architecture and what it encompasses:

"Architecture is both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings and other physical structures. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art."       -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture

"Architecture" can also mean:

• A general term to describe buildings and other physical structures.
• The art and science of designing buildings and (some) non-building structures.
• The style of design and method of construction of buildings and other physical structures.
• The knowledge of art, science & technology and humanity.
• The practice of the architect, where architecture means offering or rendering professional services in connection with the design and construction of buildings, or built environments.
• The design activity of the architect, from the macro-level (urban design, landscape architecture) to the micro-level (construction details and furniture).

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture

For this project however the key focus is on studying the buildings and structures themselves concentrating on the attributes of the materials used with the reason for their use being less important yet still relevant.

 Though full buildings and structures can be beautiful and have many features to explore and study it is currently the smaller scale we intend to look into focusing more on windows, doors, and archways rather than entire skyscrapers.






Currently the focus is roughly on a meter square area though not a strict constraint. The aim is to research smaller more intricate details such as the tops of columns, the grooves and wear in arches and the grime, warping and notches in wooden doors.

Norwich fortunately has all kinds of architecture ranging from old medieval churches to Georgian terraces allowing for a wide variety of architectural styles to explore as well as the detail created into these structures produced by time.

For now my goal is to explore many of the styles of architecture found within Norwich and to document the areas I find interesting with photographs, illustrations, and study pieces focusing on the smaller pieces that make up the larger picture.

BA3 Research Briefing

Our project has begun with the introduction into 3D environment art. Previously we had touched upon Environment Art in it's 2D form in BA1 and had been introduced to 3D modelling through tutorial sessions in Maya yet now is the proper beginning of our research and practice into 3D modelling for Environment.

However we have been presented with this project in a different and in my opinion "better" approach with the brief being held until after 4 weeks allowing us to gather far more research and not be clouded by early perceptions of our final piece. For now we have been tasked primarily to research and build up our skills in Maya so that we are well stocked and ready for when we eventually receive our project briefing. The instructions so far are to:

• Gather Photographs and Images
• Produce Sketches and Drawings
• Painted and Drawn Studies
• Labelled Diagrams
• Produce 3D Models (Roughly 4 fully modeled)
• Produce Texture Studies
• Produce Lighting Studies

After 4 weeks I plan to have a respectable amount of reference work, studies, and information on various types of environment, their implementation in games, examples of such, and how I can use this research to influence my own work.

The final pieces of work to be submitted at the very end of the unit including all our research and studies will be:

• A Production Ready Digital Asset
• A Technical Journal and 500 Word Evaluation
• A Digital Collection of all Research Files and Studio Work

These will all be formatted into the correct folder structures and naming conventions for submission.

There is additionally Contextual studies work to alongside the practical studio work. This is in the form of a 10 minute presentation alongside several character designs inspired by a book yet to be revealed. This work will also be recorded in blog form and a PDF of all the Contextual Studies research and design's will be submitted.


My first step will be by exploring the various styles of architecture in Norwich or anywhere I visit and record these finding's through Photographs, sketches, and later research into the era of these pieces.

It would also be wise at this point to look into examples of environmental work already used in current gen game as well as older games and how they were created from initial conceptual work all the way down the pipe to the end results we see in the finished games.

Thoughts:

I am intrigued as to how this extended period before our brief will affect our final piece and I believe it will work for the better. I look forward to rebooting Maya and learning many of the tools and techniques within it. The initial presentation of this unit has shown me the importance of 3D Environment work for games and even it's use and necessity for those interested in producing 2D conceptual work.

Overall I am very excited for both the practical and contextual sides of this unit and hope that the work produced throughout this project will be both beneficial to my own portfolio and experience in these critical areas of Games Art & Design.