3D modeling appears to be very prominent in later Digital Design classes, as I've learned from friends in those classes. Hopefully the general knowledge I have of the steps will help with when I eventually get to it. The entire process to me appears to be much less tedious than 2D animation, but I'm most likely wrong. 3D models use thousands of polygons to create shape, and if you get an extreme close up of a character in an old 3D animation, then you just might see some of the polygons. My question is, do you have to put in each polygon one by one? Because in that case, it would be very similar to 2D animation. Even after that, there's still the entire world of rigging, which is the part that seems the most interesting to me. Besides all of the pieces to it, I keep finding 3D to be interesting because of how detailed its works can be. Mr.B is going to find some way to ruin it, I can feel it.
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Now my class has moved on from the learning part of animation to actually working with it. And after hearing for a long time about how tedious the process is, I finally see why. Animation follows the same process of pre-production, production and post-production. But the creation of the actual movement requires incredible patience. Every single frame needs massive detail, so there's a ton of drawing, editing and planning just for a split second in the final product. Which is exactly what my class is doing at the moment, but it's also exactly what I've been waiting for. This massive detail sounds both great to me in terms of if I have a good amount of time, but horrible if I have a looming deadline. But finally creating something this extensive is extra rewarding, not to mention impressive once you've played in back to yourself or others. I guess its worth it despite people complaining about how long it's taking for the film to be done. Now, the real question is, will I lost my mind before the first assignment? The answer is most likely, if not definitely, yes.
My next item for review is ,*drumroll*, Dead Cells. I've had my eye on this game for a while, but I only recently learned of it's inner mechanics. And I can say that it has very similar traits to another game, which will become clearer as this post progresses. Dead Cells is also one of my favorite video game genres, metroidvania, with a wide variety of weapons, traps, and buffs to help you get through the hordes of enemies between you and and the goal. But it's after this that the mechanics get a little more interesting, with the addition of permadeath. In case you don't know what that means, it means that you have to restart the whole game if you die, the story is shorter than other kinds for that reason. This very feature is what forces players to actually examine caution if they wish to get anywhere in the game, which is too bad for players that like to run into rooms full of enemies without thinking. And even if you plan every step you take, the combat is still quite a challenge. Ringing any bells to what this game is similar to yet? If not, then these last few details should surely remind you. By defeating certain enemies, you gain items called cells, which allow you to increase certain stats for the current run. And by dying, you lose all cells and stat increases, as well as having to start over. Now, if you still haven't found out what the other game is, its Dark Souls, which I have a previous post explaining. Aside from torturing you with finding out the other game, I genuinely enjoy how all Dead Cells players are forced to be careful, and that's because everything you accomplish has an extra feel of achievement, as if you've gotten past an impossible task. Because not all games need to be easy.
After a good amount of work in Illustrator, it's time for my class to begin some work with animation. With film studios such as Disney and Pixar producing classic animated films, the entire industry is rapidly increasing with massive profit. But there's a downside, 3D animated films aren't created as quickly as other types of movies, for good reason. Animation developers create entire worlds from scratch, so there is an insane amount of steps to the process. The beginning of this process almost always storyboarding and sketching. Allowing for a rough image of what the film or game is supposed to be, this step in essential to the pre-production of a product. The next major stage is the actual creation of 3D models, which is done by overlaying 3D meshes and lines to create shapes. Kinds of software more known for this step are Maya and Adobe Animate. The remaining steps of the production involve giving the shape movement and adding details such as texture, lighting, e.t.c. The creation of the product is eventually finished in post-production with the addition of audio and adjusting the work to appear on a screen correctly. I decided to discuss this kind of animation for the reason that it allows for more detail and expression than other types of animation available. So larger, more complex creations are possible. Knowing how the steps of animation work is an incredibly helpful source for the works ahead of me. So it should help prevent me from creating too many monstrosities.
Sources: Chang, Aldric. “The Process of 3D Animation.” MediaFreaks, 5 Oct. 2018, www.media-freaks.com/the-process-of-3d-animation/. |
AuthorI have a passion for creating things, and hopefully one day those things will be video games. You can check over on this blog if you wish to see any updates on my work or other subjects. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools.
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