This is my written report where I will be breaking down my specialism that I wish to use for unit 12, I will also be researching into what they create and how they do it. Another thing that I will be looking into will be workflows that my profession uses and how they are integrated into different games companies.

For my unit 12 work I have chosen to do 3D modelling as I have been doing it for all of my previous work and I have more confidence in doing this and feel that I can make some very nice looking work. I have worked lots with the 3D modelling side of things and have come to the conclusion that this is where I would like to stay and maybe move onto extending my knowledge of 3D modelling by learning how to do Character modelling.

What does your profession do?

3D modellers are people who create character, environments and objects based on concept art and rough sketches. They create models/objects that they then wrap 2D textures around this is called a digital frame. Modellers also focus on characters as stated above they make skeletons for these said modellers so they can be used in games and animations these are then used by animators for games and films and allows them to manipulate different parts of the body they will then make there animation like running, idle, jumping and even fighting this skeleton allows lots of options for the animator depending on how complex the skeleton the modeller has done. 3D modelling is done by using lots of different types of software but some of them are primarily used by the industry and are more common to use such as 3DS Max, Maya, and blender some of the less commonly used like Pixar’s RenderMan and Pov-ray there are lots of types of software and they all have pros and cons but these are some of the most known ones.

The characters, environments and general assets that 3D modellers create are used for video games and 3D movies there lots of other things that 3D models are also used for one for adverts on websites and tv commercials they also are used for presentation and mock designs of things that companies like space ex and telsa who used 3D modelling to make there ideas in 3D space so they can get a base idea and you have things like 3D printers which allow them to make these objects made by these modellers. But this profession has lots of roles in everyday from modelling new designs for people without limbs which companies design replacement arms or legs and sometimes even replacsemtn organs using powerful software to design and create the product that they then test on individuals and then moving onto as said before designing technological advancements like electric cars made by the companies like Tesla.

Workflow research example 1:

When you are creating a model you would usually find a blueprint or concept art that allows you to get a base idea of scale for the model and helps you get a better understanding of the outline of the model. The main thing you will start with is the outlining shape and the general scale of the model it also allows you to see where extra details will be added in later. The blueprint is a very important things when it comes to modelling specific models when it comes to modelling futuristic objects you cannot really get blueprints so most end up using concept art to make there own blueprints that they will base there model off if you are follows a blueprint or a concept to blueprints replica you will need either to help you get the main idea of shapes and how you are going to start and what you want to add in later and add in now.

After finding your blueprint/concept art you will begin to make your outlining shape this is using blocks and is referred to as blocking out and it is how modellers get the base shape of object that they want to make using basic shapes like blocks and cylinder and will only be rough outline so they will not really be focusing on the poly count or anything they will mainly be focusing on the just that shape all of this helps when they get to the later parts of making the object by allowing them to get a better ideas from a 3D side of view instead of just the blueprint/concept art 2d view this also allows them to add changes to parts that do not work or fit in the modellers eye.

After making the rough shape will get the final iteration of the base model created and will start to mark out of all the areas where the extra detail will be going by cutting into the base model an example or this would be wires for a device or tubes for coolant for a reactor. Once you have finished adding and making sure the placement of the assets fit the blueprint/concept, you will start to make the smaller part like signs, insignia or smaller assets that will fit to build the model up a bit more to make the model more alive and feel living. The smaller details usually don’t have that much detail and don’t really require a great deal of time to do that why they a left till the final or sometimes can be done first.

One of the problems that a 3D modeller can have with any model is scale from the blueprints and the blueprints can sometimes be off and looks in proportionate strange angles shapes not looking right can be the course of it as well as the something not looking right when scaled up to same size different shapes can be used to get the same result and sometimes make things look better so no matter if the modeller follow the blueprint to the point or not its all about the end product and does it look the like what you wanted it to look like.

Workflow research example 2:

This style of modelling focuses on reference collecting a large group of images and then combining them in a bigger idea to create a object of asset that will be placed into a scene or part of a level that can either do something or just as a asset to fill the scene and tell a story. This a simple modelled from ideas that a are generated using this images which are then are most commonly used to make 3 different variations that will then allow them to get down to 1 final idea this allows you to have variation and allows you to see which one you like better and what parts you like about the others generally leads to changes to the design you chose where you merge things you like about the others. another things that is very important is to look into reference materials this helps you when you come to the texturing side of the model and helps you get a better understanding of the texture your making.

once the modeller has finished there designs and are happy with it they will be begin to create the model starting with the base shapes and the outline of the model as well marking out the areas where extra detail will go. Always looking at your reference will help them shape and make the model look more like the reference you can in most modelling software add a image plan that allows you to have a flat image of what you are making so you can put it to scale with the image. After the basic shape and the outline is finished you will start to add in the hard details and focus on making them as accurate as possible. You will start with the bigger shapes and then move onto the smaller ones after you have finished all of the bigger shapes making it easier to add in the small ones and spend more time on getting them correct.

Comparison:

Both type of workflow work very similarly, when it comes to the beginning of each project, when starting they collect references to assist them in modelling the final product. But they both take a slightly diffident approach to the ideas part of the each project with the first one just following the blueprint and the second one generating a group of ideas to link together to make a final idea meaning that with the first one you already have the idea in your head and the in second one you build new ideas over time. Another thing that link both workflows together is how they both research there project and find the best images that they can, the first workflow work more with just one image when the second moved more on mood board and large collection to get a better understand of shapes and part of detail. In the end both work flow work the same in some parts of there time, they both use a reference and both make a base model then adapt it not only do they both build from the ground up with there models they build it part by part working on all the parts of there project adding in detail at the end of the project.

Historical Influences:

The first true 3D video game was “I,Robot” was developed in 1983 by a man named Dave Theurer and published by Atari, it was originally meant to release that year but got pushed back due to technical difficulties so in the end it got realised in 1984. The game was a financial disaster and only produced 750 -1000 copies, it was known for being the first game commercially to have 3D polygon graphics with flat shading, but also one of the first games to have camera control options. But due to its new style of 3D graphics the game was later praised for how far it brought the gaming experience forwards and has become a rare item that collectors search for.

In 2004 Halo 2 was released, this first person shooter game developed by Bungie and Published by Microsoft Game studios. It was the second game of the series, the game was received extremely well and was one of the best instalments even to this day, with the gameplay and story receiving lots of praise due to how it continued the story from the first game and made old players want to go back and play the first one, it has been considered one of the best FPS of its time and was rated highly by critics.

This was the first game I ever played and has had a massive impact on my fondness of the series to this day. I absolutely adore halo and its entire universe and it has allowed me to grow very fond of the sci-fi themes when it comes to modelling for work. The entire game was entertaining and dragged you in from playing against my brother on the multiplayer to playing single player and enjoying running around doing the campaign and the voice acting just stuck with you, the iconic lines the screen writing was all on point allowing any player to remember it.

In 2009, Minecraft beta was released by a company called mojang. The game was something new and expansive allows player to build and explore, the company mojang worked on the this game for year and went through many changed adding in new items upgrading graphics and completely shifting and removing elements of the classic code. The game stayed in beta state until 2009 after this the game grew and the company got the attention of Microsoft which in 2014 brought mojang and minecraft for $2.5 billion and is still being updated to this day.

I actually started playing minecraft in 2010 at my brother house, I played it on his laptop where me and him played for hours exploring a massive randomly generating world this is one of the games that allowed me to explore my imagination and was one of the first games I played other than halo on the Xbox. This really pushed me toward Pc gaming when I started playing with my friend in 2011 when the game had come into 1.0 where multiplayer and everything had changed and the game was completely different.

Warhammer : Dawn Of War also of know as DOW1 was released 2004, It was a gore fest RTS game where you played in a universe based around war and darkness. The game was developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. Dawn of war was a game that was based around competitive game play against other players where it forces you to work with speed to build troops and building to crush your enemy, the game included races that would allow you to get different races and then battle it out to be the last man standing keeping your command centre alive was key to victory.

I sunk hours into DOW and it was one of the games I played on my first PC and the first game I got really into and played lots against my brother trying to get better then him every time we did not play I would be training myself to finally beat him, my brother was the reason I got really into RTS games and made me get very also try to one up with at the end of each game going maybe next time trying to make me challenge him every now and then see how I improved my friend would then later introduce me to the other games in the series such as Dawn of war soulstorm which has a massive story to it and had even more things to do.

In 2007, Team fortress 2 was released, it was massive improvement on its first game and had a massive 3D graphic overhaul, It was developed and published by Valve game studios. It is a completly diffrant game from the first due to the graphic and story change as well as the characters changing adding a class based system with joke stylised art where blood look unrealistic and characters would make funny remarks when they kill enemies. This game is massively respected even to this day and has come along way from its first release and has showed how a game can change and come forward in time they have had some bump when they added things played did not want then retracting it but this shows that the company were listening.

I played this game so much with my friends and enjoyed it so much collecting item and making cool looking characters using hats you could collect and working with friends on the man v bots gamemode which was a sort of wave based defence mode and forced you to hold off hordes of enemies to win the game. This is one of the games that lead me to explore new game and showed me that games companies could change and evolve depending on the player base mainly me playing the engineer i felt that the game was fun supporting my team so the devs while looking at feedback improved this making the engineers a more wide spread support character. This game really lead me down on the 3D based modelling area of things when I modelled a gun from the game in a program called 3D’s Max I really explored the game and got inspired to make new things and find new ways to play.

Contemporary Influences:

Video games and society have always had a rocky path and have been looked down apon by people and the media have influenced this by making up random things like video game cause violence and that they are not helpful of making you any better at anything. I have heard lots of this myself and seen how people still to this day say that games cause violence and anti-social behaviour which studies show that games have nothing to do with and most of the time increase social and tend to make people less stressed when they can take it out on games and allow them to cool off. A man called Terry Flew has argued against these claims with this statement that game are “increasingly social, a trend that works against the mainstream media’s portrayal of players as isolated, usually adolescent boys hidden away in darkened bedrooms, failing to engage with the social world” I agree with what he say because I play games lots and love to spend time meeting new people and like to engage with people over the internet and play games.

This is opinion that games are bad has been hung over my head by so many people and has put lots of pressure on what I want to do and how I should do it but it has also pushed me forwards in my path to becoming a games developer just to show them all wrong I wanted to learn all about games and how they are made I want to be able to create world for people like me and people not like me casual gamers to play and allow my imagination to run wild