Portfolio 3

The goal was to create a human arm possible for use in games that utilizes a full muscle system to create realistic movement and structure.

The following shows the final results possible from transferring secondary animation, simulation and deformation created from a Maya Muscles rig fully onto a joints only rig.

The Model Geo was further adjusted to fit around the created muscle systems. The Skin was able to stretch jiggle and deform appropriately.
Details:

More:

Skin Simulation and Deformation!

Here's a video of what can be created if you follow my Skin Simulation and Deformation Tutorial:

Portfolio Piece 3 : Skin Sliding

Thesis: Simulation

I'm going to focus on Simulation in relation to character technical art.
This can include cloth, hair, and skin jiggle/stretching.

Since I have already done some work with cloth and hair I'm going to look into skin jiggle/stretching.


I would like to make make a fully flushed out arm fully rigged with muscle system that has some realistic skin sliding, and stretching across it.

After creating a prototype of this I would like to investigate how this could work in a game engine.

Portfolio Piece 2

Chameleon Shader!



















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Model Images

Progress on Portfolio Piece Two 07/01

Sculpt Updates:

Shader Progress:

Texture Progress:

Progress on Portfolio Piece Two!

The Research:

How do chameleons change their skin color?

Chameleons have multiple layers of skin cells, each containing different pigments.  The top most layer contains cells that are red and yellow, the lower layer contains cells that are blue or white.  These skin cells either shrink or grow in size based on the color the chameleon intends to be.


For example, if a chameleon wishes to be orange the red and yellow cells would grow to an equal size while the blue cells would shrink.  However if the chameleon wanted to appear blue the blue cells would increase in size while all the other cells would shrink.

Lastly chameleons have a chemical called melanin which allow them to darken there current overall coloring.

This technique can easily be expanded to a shader.  Textures have multiple channels similar to the different layers making up the skin of a chameleon.  I plan to edit the influence of these channels as to better match an intended color palette.

The Shader:


The goal is to create a shader that can change the color pallet of the current textures on a mesh to match that of another user specified texture or the current environment the mesh is in.

Currently I only have the average color of the environment effecting the final diffuse.  My hope is to make a more sophisticated algorithm by sampling areas of the texture or environment that have dramatic color shifts and editing the areas with similar color shifts in the diffuse (and color spec) accordingly.

So what am I going to use to show off my final shader!!

A happy chameleon! :D

Progress:
The Sculpt:

The Model:

References: 

For the texture I'm going to go with a super colorful palette since it will show off the shader's capabilities best.  

This fella is a great example:

Portfolio Piece Two!

Portfolio Piece
#2:
HLSL Shader!!!

on a ...
Chameleon model!


Not super complex but clean and intended to show off a shader!!
I mostly want to focus on learning more about shaders.

HLSL Shader -

start by changing the ambient color based on the average of the background

Ultimately I would like to change channels in the diffuse map to blend with the background (with some slight variation) on a pixel level.   In other words I don't want to turn the model invisible instead I would like to create a camouflage effect that can still maintain some details from the initial textures.

Portfolio Piece 1

Ink Particle Effects:

The goal of this project was to create a collect of ink based particle effects for when the family members die in Penned.


The original inspiration for these particles came from videos taken of ink splattering. These videos were edited in Adobe After Effects and individual frames were extracted to create sprite sheets



Sprite:





Sprite:

Family member Deaths:
The following particles were all made using RealFlow.  The process for these consist of:
1. creating the simulation in real flow by using different meshes from maya for collision and impact
2. meshing the simulation to resemble a thick ink consistency and importing those meshes into maya.
3.  applying a unique CGFX shader* to the mesh in Maya


*ink shader

4. using Maya's hardware render to render the sequence
5. importing frames into layers in photoshop, editing frames as needed and creating a sprite sheet from them

Final Product:




Due to some current bugs with spawning particles in the VForge scene after a plug in update the family member deaths are not yet in the game. 

There are four deaths.
1. breaking death from the corrosive sword:
uses the breaking tool to break the family member in combination with ink pop and the word dissolution

Ink pop sprite:



2. diminutive death
uses the ink drop particle when the player kills the diminutive enemies

Ink drop sprite:



3. standard death variety 01
A particle that plays after the family member hits the ground of their body splashing into ink

sprite sheet:

4. standard death variety 02
A combination of a  particle and rigging technique where the particle starts playing about half way through the death animation

I still need to get this animation with particle effect working properly in the engine.

Morph:


Particle sprite:

Maya Fur and Hair!

Fur:

The Black Cat has scruffy fur now!

Maya Hair:

The family members have let their hair down.

Family To Ink Attempt 02

Family To Ink Attempt 01

Real Flow + Maya

Portfolio Pieces Take 2

1.  INKY DEATH!!
family members die in an awesome inky fashion
Possibly a melting effect combined with particles

2. IMPACT PARTICLES!!

Something needs to be done to increase feed back on attacking family members

Should be inky themed but still possible to see (since black is basically invisible)

Ideas:

3. CORROSIVE

a.       Definition: To impair or weaken steadily; to destroy a metal or alloy gradually, especially by oxidation or chemical action; bitingly sarcastic

b.      Description: After some use, the word “Deteriorate” (meaning to weaken or disintegrate; decay or to grow worse; degenerate) appears and a DOT effect and particle appears on enemies, looking like a harmful, oozing cloud. The second usage effect is “Dissolution” (meaning the breaking up or dissolving of something into parts; disintegration), which shows the Family members exploding into ink parts (could use same effect for the deaths of the Diminutive guys). This is an instant kill. The final use displays the word “” (meaning ) and Finley’s sword dissolves into nothing (sword reverts back after a cool-down period).

Focus on Dissolution

Note:  1 and 3 could potentially be made using the same techniques

Botanical Sword

Video of the botanical sword's particle effects

Portfolio Pieces for Summer Semester

Penned Related Portfolio Piece
#1:

Automatic cycling secondary animation tool for cloth and hair.
Mainly used for creating realistic movement for Finley's coat tails.

-video of animations with automatic secondary animation
-tool allowing for easy repetition of the process
-video of the full fancy Finley rig

Portfolio Piece
#2:

Chameleon model with neat color changing shader!  :D



-model, and sculpt for thick scaly skin effect
-shader written in HLSL with the ability to change overall tone/color based on average color of the scene behind it.
-Turn table style render to show off color changing and model

Thesis Related Portfolio Piece
#3:

Thesis: Physics Simulations.
I'm going to focus on simulation resulting from particle collisions.  Examples: simulations resulting from explosions, water, and trail (ex. bullet) particle effects interacting with a variety of different materials.

For now (if I stay in Maya):
-Rendered videos in Maya of n-cloth particles with attributes that can transfer to n-cloth rigid body simulations.  Basically allowing for physics simulations to be automated based on a current particle system.
I may change the software program I use based on what is taught in the tech art class.
I will probably be reusing sections of my existing fracturing/demolition tool.


I may switch the order in which I complete #2 and #3 based on the shader class and work load due to Penned.

New Ink Particle Effect!

Not sure how this will end up being used.  Maybe walls can just bleed in locations but ideally I would like it if this particle shows up on walls closet to family members right after they are hit with Finley's sword.

Particle Sprite:

3D L-System Generator

This tool uses L-System logic to create 3D fractal systems in Maya.

L-Systems or Lindenmayer sytems are a type of fractal that can be used to mathematically describe plant growth. L-Systems consist of a rule, a seed and a number of generations. For each generation the rule replaces each seed in the algorithm to create a plant like structure.

Typically these algorithms are intended to create 2D dimensional images that, although plant like, are very mathematical in appearance and very non-organic due to the similarities between each generation. My goal for this tool was the creation of three dimensional plant life and vegetation. Due to this specific goal I wanted these L-Systems to seem less formulaic and more organic. To achieve this I followed all rules typical to L-System but randomize both the span and segment length not only for each generation but for each created segment.

This tool contains a GUI to allow the user to adjust their L-System as they see fit. A user can also insert their own rule thus allowing for the creation of new types of L-Systems.

This script was written in Python and the GUI was created with PyQt.

Destructible Environment Tool

This tool simplifies the process of creating destructible environment pieces in Maya. It allows the user to customize how extreme they would like their fractures, how many and from where on the mesh to start the fractures from.  After fracturing their mesh the user can set up a simple simulation in Maya with the click of a button. From there they can either edit the attributes of their simulation or decide they are pleased with the current simulation and bake it fully to joints. This allows for total customization and control over creating an engine ready destruction/demolition animation in Maya.