The Production Pipeline

 Stalker Concept Art by Danielle DeMartini

Model

UV Map

Texture Map + Marble Procedural

Final Rig

Final Weight Map

Things that saved my hide: Substitute Geometry Camera Projection

Final Product

Last Work Weekend

Weights from last week.

Basic color map

Currently working on splining the animation that's already blocked out. hope to have it done by Saturday. 

Two weeks from the Final

Added the mouth and UV's. Weight mapped and starting on blocking out the animation.

Finished Rig

Finished Rig

Need to weight map and begin animating this weekend.

Currently working with the no-flip-knee and automatic hip from the panther rig tutorials that I have, in hopes that this will make the animation process with the legs easier.

Addendum: Improvements and Rigging Start

Video background. There are a few option and some editing to do, here they are. Ignore the sound it's getting trashed anyway.

Improvements and Rigging Start

Here's some improvements done to the hands and feet. If you look at the previous blog you can see what changed. Also add a bit more volume to the head. I'll have a mouth later. Also the rough beginnings of the rig.

Semi-finalish

Model with a placeholder texture.(forgot the red chest portion) Still some tweaks needed in the hands, feet, and shoulder blades. Currently working on the figuring out the rigging in the legs.

Reevulation

New Schedule

mar       24-30    week 9 Finish Redo Model, UV, Texture, Begin Rig
mar/apr 31-6     week 10 Finish Rig,
apr        7-13      week 11 Animation
apr        14-20    wee 12 Animation
apr        21-27    week 13 Lighting and Rendering
apr/may 28-4      week 14 Light, Render, Compositing
may       5-11      week 15 Compositing
may      12-18     finals

This Schedule includes the rest of the tutorials on Compositing as well. 

Since I haven't modeled organic creatures in awhile, I had to re-model the stalker several times until I was satisfied. As they say the third times a charm. I'll finish the legs, hands, and feet this weekend as wells as UV, Texture, and start rigging. Having to revisit my filming ideas since the locations last week were a bust due to poor weather and crap equipment. Gonna focus on a shot with no or little camera movement so there is less match moving. 

Third and final version progress (Edge/Contour Modeling)

Old crap first version (Used Box/Subdivision Mdoeling)

Motion Tracking - Whole Lot of Points

Next week I am hoping for good weather and better luck on finding a good location to shoot in Humboldt. Thus far every other location has been a bust. In preparation for this footage I have been following along with the Infiltrator match mover tutorial, using their footage as a test run. Here's a few pics of where i'm at in the tutorial to get an idea of the process.

Footage used to create all the tracking points

What they look like in 3-d space

More Notes

Another rather boring post, since this week has just been more notes and tutorials.

Slight Change in Plan

So i completely forgot to factor in all the tutorial videos i have to watch in the plan from the first post. With this in mind i am moving what was supposed to be done this week to next week. This week is rather a boring post since i chose to focus on watching through the tutorials to see what they could offer.

The tutorials i am using right now are the following, and the dates i hope to have them finished by.

Digital Tutors - Infiltrator Full Production Pipeline
   I have watched videos up to Rigging. I intend to watch all the rigging by next Thursday.
Digital Tutors - Transforming Robot Full Production Pipeline
   I have watched up to rigging. I intend to watch the rigging by next Thursday.
Digital Tutors - Advanced Character Rigging in Maya
  Begun to watch. Going to finish by week 6.
Digital Tutors - Enhanced IK Animal Rigging
  Started to skim over these to see what i might be able to incorporate into the future rig, since only the back      legs are animalistic. Going to finish by Week 6.
Eat3D Live Action and CG 1-4
  Not going to start watching these four sets until week 7/8.

That's all for this week.

The Plan

Being that I am a Generalist, it was suggested that i do a small project to show the entire production pipeline.
Here is the intended schedule that may be subject to change throughout the semester.

feb        3-9        week 2 Modeling
feb       10-16     week 3 Modeling
feb       17-23     week 4 Modeling, UV, Textures
feb/mar 24- 2     week 5  Textures, Rigging
mar       3-9        week 6  Rigging
mar       10-16    week 7  Rigging
mar       17-23    week 8  Match Moving
mar       24-30    week 9  Match Moving
mar/apr 31-6      week 10 Animation
apr        7-13      week 11 Animation
apr        14-20    week 12 Lighting and Rendering
apr        21-27    week 13 Lighting and Rendering
apr/may 28-4      week 14 Compositing
may       5-11      week 15 Compositing
may      12-18     finals

As seen by the Schedule above concept art is not included as a part of my current pipeline. Since I am beginning a week and a half behind schedule a friend has given me permission to use her concept of the creature below.

Stalker by Danielle DeMartini

Photos/video of the environment/scene that this creature will be added into will be posted as soon as I am able to find an appropriate environment. Hopefully somewhere in the next couple weeks.