Ronnie Leah, BA (Hons) Computer Animation Arts, UCA Rochester.

 Today I was finally able to complete the pre-viz of my animation. This ended up taking longer than I thought however this was due to me wanting to convey the events of the animatic as closely as possible.  I found that the test models worked for what I wanted them to do however the rigs themselves were not optimal at times. This mean certain parts had the characters arm moving in strange ways. However this would not be a problem if a proper rig was created with limiters as well as easier access of the controls. The same could be said for the skinning which I did alter to fit my needs to a point, however could take this a step further with more time on the real models. Overall I was pleased that the models were not breaking and instead worked to help create the pre-viz. I now feel more optimistic about creating the final animations knowing now that my models work for what I need them to do. I can now finish the two models with this in mind.  In terms of animation I tried ...

 For the pre-viz environment I already had a fair amount of assets from last year. However this time instead of making all of the models fit together as one large map, I instead want to recreate the animatic shot for shot.  When testing for how I can create my environment, I thought of using heightmaps. I found one online which I ended up using for the pre-viz.  Link To Website Where Image Was Found:  UE4 Heightmap Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Landscape Heightmaps for UE4 In terms of  environmental shots, the environment is only actually seen in all of the images below. This meant I could just recreate the shots seen below for the pre-viz. I also had the map I had made in order to help visualize the placement of objects in the environment.  The 1st shot required a tree which has the character sitting in it. I managed to make the tree by taking a cylinder and extruding it along an EP curve I had drawn. I then had to repeat this process every time...

 After modelling the entire scene I now had to animate the characters for the pre-viz. It was useful to use characters which were already rigged as it helped me to understand what my character needed to be able to do. I found that the premade rigs were very limiting, for example their limbs had very limited movement. I will be able to make the appropriate changes when it comes to making my own character.  I found when put into 3D my story was less engaging, however I feel this is down to the characters not looking stylize and their movement being sluggish. I purposefully made the characters move slower in the pre-viz so that it was easy to distinguish the characters movement. I can then use this block-out as a reference when creating the real animation.  When it comes to the final animation I also want it to be fast paced action, following the inspiration from the many things I research. This was hard to translate into the pre-viz as stated that the charcters were limited...

 Today I started modelling the scene for my previz. I started with each of my orthographs and modelled each object.  Once I had the initial objects in the scene I then referred to my concept art and began modelling the basic layout.  In order to create the rocks I used a plugin which randomly generates rock models. This made it quick to build up the environment for the pre-viz. When it comes to actually modelling the scene I want to have a more personal look and so will model the rocks myself, but as this is a pre-viz it does not matter as much. I also use the soft select and sculpt tools in order to make the mountain.  For the previz I used my concept art of the palace, however when it comes to the final scene I want to model the palace myself.  I then added basic colours in order to distinguish different parts of the environment. When it comes to the final models this will all be textured.  The last thing to do was the characters. As it would take a long ...