SUPERSTAR AVATAR!-7

WIREFRAMESKULL AVATAR - TROYBROWNE

"EAT-RENDER-SLEEP"

This was a sub exercise to express my Uni work life. I seem to 'render' allot so wanted to depict that. Using a AVI projection map I created an Avi that strobes 'EAT' - 'RENDER' - 'ZZZZZ'

'E-R-ZZZZZ' AVI

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SUPERSTAR AVATAR!-6

SCENARIO CONCEPT 1

Now all I had to do was produce a narrative and then work on the animation.

My initial idea was to have a person fall from the sky into this 'world', be encouraged to look around, encounter my Avatar, then get eaten... (BELOW)

'FALLING MAN' AVATAR EDIT AVI

However I decided to scrap this idea as it turned out to be too complicated for what I wanted to express(which is simplicity) also it didn't leave much room for viewers perception of the 'story' or scene. I also wanted to include reflection into the animation because I'd like to express myself reflecting MY environment through art.

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SUPERSTAR AVATAR!-5

PLACING MY AVATAR INTO ITS 3D ENVIRONMENT

DEVELOPMENT AVI'S

DEVELOPMENT AVI'S 2

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SUPERSTAR AVATAR!-4

MYAVATAR - AVATAR DEVELOPMENT

As I said, my idea will be to create a rendition of my own face. I'll attempt to 'sculpt' using the shape modifying tools in 3DSTUDIOMAX. I'd like to express the idea of being built up from various different factors resulting in a stylised outcome.

The development of this 'head' built up in the same way as when I produced a 5foot man out of recycled materials(below), using layers of materials to build shape.

I ended up donating that project to BlueCoat Infant school, in hope to educate on the amount of recyclable media we throw away every day.

JACKJUNK(2007) SLIDESHOW

SLIDESHOW DEVELOPMENT OF AVATAR HEAD JPEGS

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SUPERSTAR AVATAR!-3

MYAVATAR - ENVIRONMENT
"What space would I create for my Avatar?"
My visualisation for this space focused on atmosphere and shadows. I aimed to keep it simple but have small details casting interesting shadows. For me, maps&colour didnt pay any part as tone was a main focus.
I purposely didnt do much outside research, I thought a part of my identity would be what I'd choose to create. I cant wait to see everyones environments and Avatars, its possible that they may express the creators self sense of character/identity.
I decided to 'sketch' on 3DSTUDIOMAX, it made more sense to practise using the software in which I use for the final design.
The idea would be for a hallway. It will be mis-arranged, like someone just moving in(signifing being 'between' places). More than anything I'd like to express room for viewers perseption, it'd be interesting to see what other people translate my Avatar into my identity(which could signify my way of atempting to express through art).

3DSMAXED DEVELOPMENTSKETCH ENVIRONMENTS

3DSMAXED DEVELOPMENTSKETCH ENVIRONMENTS AVI

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SUPERSTAR AVATAR!-2

'MOIAVATAR'

TASK
To produce our own 3Dimensional Avatar in created 3Dimensional environment, using 3DAnimation software (Maya,Blender,3dStudioMax).
Avatar and environment should depict ourselves and explain something about our identity.

CONCEPT
'What can I produce that best dipicts me and myself?"...

Its a hard thing to wrap up and all this self analysis is tricky as it is. How could I capture my identity? Normally when I produce handdrawn work its of some random out of the paper or a celeb in an old magazine. Its not that Ive not drawn myself before its more that I see myself in the mirror everyday and theres more pictures of randoms and celebs lying around the house...so....

HOW CAN I CREATE MY IDENTITY?!...

I find it hard to visualize my identity not because Im unsure of it, the reason is because I know (better than anyone) of all the different aspects of myself and feel concentration of one may neglect another. I may be trying to get too deep on the matter of my 'identity', but I cant help it, and another thing that makes the task more difficult is the fact that we have to produce (upto) 3mins of video using a program(s) that can develop anything in your imagination (providing you have the knowledge).
My Idea would be to re-create my face, as I feel it represents best my 'visual' identity. I would try and stylise the outcome as much as possible and keep a grip on what the computer was producing and what I produce.

SKETCHBOOK FOR AVATAR

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SUPERSTAR AVATAR!-1

WHAT IS AN AVATAR?!

I found that the original definition of 'Avatar' came from Hindu philosophy meaning "bodily manifestation of a divine being." Considering the original definition I thought the name 'Avatar' (being used for representing ourselves in a computer generated environment nowadays) was too strong. But thinking on it longer I realised the simularity of their meanings. ie; if I create a character inside a computer generated environment it would be my manifestation of a divine (human) being.

Gaming has played a big part in my young-time-wasting days, and have witnessed the growth in 'create-a-avatar' features in video games. I guess in gaming the aim is for total imursion, a way to involve the gamer more would to allow them to manifest into the character onscreen. From games like 'TonyHawk'sProSkater1' on the 'PS1' up to most recently 'Mii' characters on the 'NintendoWii' the idea has been to encourage re-creating yourself for it to then interact within a computer generated environment.

"A Mii (pronounced /ˈmiː/) is a digital avatar created by Nintendo for the Wii's Mii Channel. After creating them, they can be used as participating characters in certain Mii-oriented games, as first shown in Wii Sports and Wii Play. Miis are customizable and allow the user to capture a likeness or caricature, or capture the personality of themselves and others."

http://en.wikipedia.org/

Forest Whitaker, by Ali420

http://www.showmii.com

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3DSMAXT ROUGH STORYBOARD 1

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WORLDDESIGN
I knew that objects in this world will hover in space, now I had to design the worlds layout. I decided on a world that too hovers in much the same way as objects within it, however the layering would be vertical.
The levels would then represent parts of a town. ie; the bottom levels will be suburban, the level up from those will be commercial and the top level will be a park. Linking them I thought that there could be ZebraCrossing and/or roads.
The roads in this world will have cars on them whizzing past. Other items that I'd like to include would be bins, trafficlights, trees, hedges etc.

WORLDDESIGN3DSMAXT-SLIDESHOW

I thought the best way get sketches would be using 3DSTUDIOMAX. Below are various designs I tried out.

I was really happy with the way these came out and found it quite easy to develop a reasonally detailed world. I liked the 'PIGEON WALKING ACROSS THE STREET' & how easy it was to animate a panning camera. This was useful for showing the dimensions of this 'world'.

WORLDDESIGN3DSMAXT 'PIGEON'

WORLDDESIGN3DSMAXT 'PANNINGWORLD'

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NARRATIVE...?

My thoughts on a narrative were along the lines of a character mis-interacting with his computer generated environment. A character would be teleported to a CG city, fully 3Dimensional but 2Dimensional in its interactivity ie; the character will not be able to interact with his surroundings in the way he would expect to - might feel hungry but cannot eat food, character will see people however the people will only be mapped AVI etc. I suppose I'd like to capture MIS-INTERACTION.

BASICSTORYFLOW

1- MAN ENTERS WORLD & is excited by new world, cant wait to play.

2- ATEMPTS TO INTERACT with people..... doesnt work.

3- ATEMPTS TO INTERACT with buildings....... doesnt work.

4- MEETS PIGEON makes friends, but makes the pigeon get killed.

5- MAN DESTROYS WORLD!!!

6- ALL ALONE.

END

'I4E' - NOTES&STORYBOARD - SLIDESHOW

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INFLUENCES
I joined a trip to London and visited TateBritain where they have John Cecil Stephenson's 'painting1'. Amongst the other artists work this one stood out to me as it captured the look of my 'AVIWorld' as when I imagined it.
What I liked was the gravity defing shapes, just hovering in space. The arrangement of shape was almost chaotic but the composistion is definately precise.
When I saw this particular piece it wasnt hard for me to imagine my AVI's mapped onto the shapes. I could imagine 'NO ENTRY' signs and buildings placed into space, with no care of perspective or scale with 'our world'. I wasnt really considering the colour or texture(which I'm sure were both as precise as the composition), purely the arrangement of shape.

John Cecil STEPHENSON

"Painter in oils,

tempera and watercolour; also goldsmith, enameller and furniture designer. Born 15 September 1889 at Bishop Auckland, Durham. Contemplated a musical career, but decided to study at Leeds School of Art 1908–14, the R.C.A. 1914–18 and the Slade School 1918; also in Paris and Italy. Worked in a naturalistic style, producing watercolour landscapes and oil portraits until 1932, when he turned to abstract painting. Taught at the Northern Polytechnic 1922–55. Exhibited with the 7 & 5 Society 1934, and with the London Group 1953–9. Married his second wife, the painter Kathleen Guthrie, 1941. Member of the Hampstead Artists Council 1945, of the Free Painters 1959 and of the A.I.A. 1961. Designed a mural for the Festival of Britain 1951, and prize-winning ply-glass mural window for the British Industrial Pavilion at the Brussels International Exhibition 1958. Other designs for Ply Glass Ltd are in the Engineering School of Queen Mary College, London, Solar House, Rickmansworth, and elsewhere in England and abroad."

Tate Online - http://www.tate.org.uk/

'PAINTING1'John Cecil Stephenson http://www.tate.org.uk/

'TROY'S-JCS3DSMAXT'
After further study of John Cecil Stephenson's work I thought I'd try and reproduce his 'Painting1' piece using 3DSTUDIOMAX. The idea came from wanting to be able to see his work from another angle, trying to understand the depth of viewpoint. I imagine the shapes to be layered on top of one another and hovering independantly.
The first one I re-created I made sure to use a panning camera viewpoint, basicly so that I could show my interpretation of depth of the piece. Next I mapped some JPG's Ive collected of signs in the street(mainly because invisioned it when first saw the work and wanted to see what it looked like 3Dimensionally.

'TROY'S-JCS3DSMAXT' - SLIDESHOW

'TROY'S-JCS3DSMAXT' - AVI

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CONCEPT
Whilst I was working through the 'OXOBOUNCE' animation task and then mapping AVI's to a surface/object, I thought of a world constructed like this. Solid shapes crudly placed into an environment ie; One big square block to suggest a building, mapped onto that an AVI of a building. There will be rectangular blocks with sky AVI's mapped on to them...etc.
The importance of an AVI map is so that I can capture movement, mainly predestrians in or outside the building. Again I stress the word 'crude', the whole look I imagine for this is clumped together and random. The look will be unpolished which is conveinent because of my own capabilities using 3DMAX.

CONCEPTSKETCHES - sketchbook

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3DMAX'SQUIDDY'ATTACK!

TUTORIAL TASK-2

'Squidd' from http://www.stikcustomizers.com/

TASK
Create squid and animate it swimming.... using 3DSTUDIOMAX.

DEVELOPMENT
3DMax seems to have a really simple method for drawing 3Dimensional objects. I dont feel to able to produce anything that I want, but these short excersises are good for developing my 3DMAX skills. I can honestly say that I'd love to be as fluent with 3DMAX as I'd like to think I can be with Photoshop. I think with completing the worksheets set and abit of practise I'll soon be able to produce/create anything my imagination allows.

DEVELOPMENTSHOTS-'SQUIDDY'

OUTCOME...

I really like using this software. Some of the instructions on the worksheet were sort of confusing and frustrated me at times, but after a a closer look I found I was missing little things out at earlier stages making instuctions later on in the worksheet impossible to follow, which highlights to me a need for practising and memorising functions for this software.

'SQUIDDY'-TEST1-Added own 'Bubble'-JPGmap

'SQUIDDY'-TEST2-Added own 'Sky'-AVImap

'SQUIDDY'-TEST3-Added own 'Sky'-AVImap

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