BA7 | Concept and Pre-Production #12

Project Update

The past two weeks have seen my project change slightly in terms of what I need to produce to hit the “pre production” element of the project. My intentions were to create a 3D environment and use specialist rendering techniques to achieve the aesthetics I wanted finishing with a video “walk through” (in Maya) of my environment. 

Whilst my plan all along was to keep environments and assets for game design in mind (low poly, un complicated geometry, organic but cheap models etc) I wasn’t intending to take my environment into engine. However, after discussing my project with my tutor, Mark, he thinks it would be for the best to be able to export my environment into engine and prove that I can work between the two programmes.

This updates my “to do” list but doesn’t necessarily over complicate it, it just alters the outcome and processes I need to learn in order to complete my pre production work flow. My to do list now looks like this: 

• Learn how to implement fog into an environment in UDK.
• Revise your Maya to UDK pipeline workflow for production in BA8.
• Learn how to achieve specific lighting set up’s in UDK such as dust particles, fog   glow and fire.
  

There is more on my to do list, such as more environment, game, film and art studies/analysis’ but they were always on my to do list. I just felt it necessary to give an update with regards to the practical work as my focus has shifted from Maya only to Maya through to UDK. 

 

Okay Sure, But What I Have I Done So Far?

Even though my focus has shifted to UDK for pipe line, work flow and final results I had already started to produce work in order to help me achieve my final result when my environment was going to be in Maya only. This meant I could create special rendering techniques that weren't necessarily game engine ready but would appear when a render was created. The pre production research was based around the creation of fog. 

Fog?

Yep, fog! Or mist. Whatever sounds better. Something I have been keen on creating within my environment is some atmospheric fog/mist. Most of the horror games I have been playing for research display environments with atmospheric fog which hinders the players view of perspective within the environment or just generally adds an eerie tension. I don’t want to drown my environment in thick fog but I do want to experiment with creating fog within a 3D environment, I feel this visual semantic will help communicate the correct emotion within the audience, help them achieve the appropriate feelings whilst viewing my environment and back up the research I have been doing on how inject horror into an environment. 

Fog in UDK? Pre-Production Research/Experiment #1

Nope, not quite yet. I created these tests for research into the pre production of my environment when it was going to be in Maya only. In other words, these effects that I created wont work in UDK or in engines generally. However, I didn’t update my blog with them soon enough and now my project goal and pipe line has changed but im still going to present the work I produced as it still counts as pre production ;)

I began by searching for video tutorials on how to create a rolling fog effect in Maya. I found a really clear and precise tutorial on how to model a basic rolling fog visual using Mayas dynamic fluids. I created a step by step image guide of the creation process. 

    The video tutorial I followed to create a rolling fog effect in Maya, created by Nelson Cruz VIDEO SOURCE   

 

In Maya select “Dynamics” in the drop down menu then select fluid effects and create a cubed container.

 

I then created the fluid effect cube to the dimension of my choice. 

 

Under the fluid effect cubes’ attributes, set the static density and add a gradient... 

 …I then altered the surface area, shading, transparency, colour, drop off rate etc.

  

I altered the colour, transparency and drop off rate I until I was happy enough with the aesthetics of my fog. 

 

I then continued onto animating it by creating an “expression”. I did this by right clicking the “texture time” function under the fluid effect cube attributes. 

That then opened up the editor to create and edit the expression animation. I had to select the object I wished to add the expression too and which attribute I wanted to apply. I then had to alter the time lapse which would create the speed of the rolling fog. 

 

I didn’t have enough time to render out a decent video of the rolling fog animation as I needed to take this into uni and present it quickly, as it is only pre production work I was just took a quick clip on my phone to demonstrate the work I had created. 

 

Pre-Production Research/Experiment #2

Here is my second attempt at figuring out the best method in creating a fog effect in Maya. Again, this is not in UDK but at the time I was trying to learn the work flow for creating a foggy mist in Maya only. This time around I was using lights to create artificial fog that would bleed around objects. This fog wasn’t going to animate or “roll” unlike the previous one, it was supposed to be a test to see how lights could be used in order to create fog. I was following a tutorial by Stuart Christensen from YouTube channel deepfriedectoplasm.

  “Maya Light Fog Tutorial” by Stuart Christensen VIDEO SOURCE

I began by building a basic sphere and poly plane, I wasn’t worried about the poly count for this experiment. 

I then had to build a light, I did this by selecting create, lights and choosing spot light. 

  I then positioned the light into place above the sphere.

 

Using t he spot lights attributes settings I was able to edit the light effect, colour, transparency, drop off rate and other attributes which would help create a more fog like effect. 

   

The final Outcome, it gives the effect of a light illuminating the fog around an object.  :D

Like I have said, these can only act now as pre production pipe line research tasks as these effects will really only work in Maya, I should aim to push forwards now and try to re create fog within UDK and see what kinds of similar effects I can produce within the engine itself as opposed to Maya. I am still pretty happy with these tests though.