Log of September 22nd - September 28th, 2013

While no particular advancements were made in terms of the dynamics systems on the golem, there has been more modeling progress. An initial attempt at reducing the poly count on the stones had some headway, it was thanks to the usage of a newer tool that Maya has incorporated recently into, called Modeling Toolkit. Specifically, a sub tool called the transform constraints, where in you can create a cube with a reasonable subdivision count, and snap the points to the surface of a selected geometry. This will definitely cut down the nasty high numbers of polys, as well as allow the rig to run more easily come time for setup.

In terms of the rest of the modeling, I've near finished the skull of the character, and have decided to restructure the vines of the body to better fit the design.creating the curves based on live geometry, then attaching the paint effects brush afterwards, allows for an easier placement, and can allow for a more interesting layout of the vines.

Meanwhile, on the curpigeon front, my initial experiment with the arm tendon has failed. I had thought of using a squash and stretch spline IK system, similar to another project I had worked on briefly, but the curve involved does not maintain its line of sight with the two controlling joints, bending and flexing about, rather than just compressing as I had hoped.

I'm going to try using an aim constraint system instead to help simplify things a bit more, though I have my doubts about it.

As an aside, I have volunteered to assist in working on some of the human characters for the project as well. I will try to detail what I can regarding the setup, though from what I gather, it'll be more of an insight for me on advanced rigs than me actually fixing things right out the gate.

Log for the week of 15-9-2013 through 21-09-2013

15th of September:

Tested out the paint effects brush in maya 2014 on an older rig. The paint curve stays in contact with the mesh which is a plus. However, leaving it in paint effects mode slows the scene down, so I'll need to figure out a better method of attaching it to the rig. I've also noted that the paint curve upon a mesh is entirely dependent on the geometry's UVs. Can't just paint on top of freshly sculpted geometry without at least doing an automatic unwrap.

Meanwhile, finding good reference for a camel skull is proving difficult, as there isn't a clear view of the underside where the neck bones meet the base. It may never be seen anyway, considering the setup, but I'd still like to at least have a rudimentary form in there. At least for now I have the bony structure where the jaw bone slips into roughed out. Just need to make some basic teeth and the lower jaw and that will be done.

17th - 19th of September

Built a few stones in Zbrush to use as the stones on the Golem. A bit of stretching and scaling, and I was able to block out most of the major stone structures on the character, sans a few points that need a little more tweaking.

On the paint effects front, I managed to figure out the flower controls, so I made something fairly close to what I am aiming for, though I'll still need to make a few pistols for the pupils. I've also tampered with making the vines on the character's back, though its going to take a lot more effort, since the branches have a habit of creating unneeded angles and bends. I may need to use zbrush to at least make a base, then build separate vine structures to use in the anchoring system.

Side note so far: I'll need to contact one of my advisers on how the team at ILM set up the stone creature in Galaxy Quest. I have an idea on how to set up my character, but I'd still like to ask them on their method. I'll do a test on my theory later in the week.

20th & 21st of September, 2013

I decided to do some tests with nCloth in order to try and have the stones collide and shift about. However, my knowledge of ncloth is lacking, so I'm not certain how to attach the ncloth objects to the joint system, let alone keep them from deforming a great deal when they impact one another. One thought that had come to mind is to have a base geo act as markers for the stones, and attach the ncloth stones to them with a semi loose connection, which would allow them to roll over one another more believably. I may attempt this again using regular dynamics, as they do not deform on impact, though I'm not sure of the calculation weight it would require. I'll need to set up dummy geo regardless on a low res level so the rig can run smoothly.

21st of September, 2013.

It may be possible to use regular dynamics for the major stone pieces if I play with nail constrains and spring constraints a bit. Testing on a larger scale is needed, but that'll require a larger, more complete rig than the 3 piece scrap I built to check the theory.

Progress as of the 13th of September, 2013

So as of this post, there isn't too much to report. I've begun to model the skull piece of the Golem in order to have the vines grow up onto it.

I'll need to cut out the back region behind the eye sockets where the jaw bone slides into, as well as create some simple teeth and the lower jaw, though I may just create the sockets for the teeth as well to sell the age of the skull a bit more. In the mean time, I will be exploring the updated paint effects in maya 2014 in order to get a better grasp as to how to generate the growing vine system that will form the "muscles" and various digits of the Golem. I'll also need to locate some flower models to use for the eyes.

The Golem's Start

This is the concept work for the Golem I intend to build from scratch.

 Early concept for the golem

 Rough sketches depicting some forms and potential ideas on its anatomy

 more early work regarding the golem's anatomy

Gem stone mounting concepts and marking design based on Arabic symbol for "God"

 Fleshing out how particular limbs may look

 A more in-depth look at how its posture may be, as well as its back structure

 Idea on how the golem's left shoulder and left leg would function, where the vince would attache from below the boulder on the shoulder (top left image), and how the leg would connect to the tree stump to control the roots (bottom right)

 Basic sketch ideas of the previous idea

How the right arm would be structured

concept on how the golem's "eyes" may work

 A more definitive form to the golem, this time defining the body further

 A more spindly variant of the golem, meant to emphasize a deteriorated body

 A bulkier body form, as well as a color palette test

 Closer to the final form. Limbs look disheveled, but the design is still lacking

 Finalized concept for the golem. Colors work and the body is more balance while being asymmetrical.

Introduction

Hello and good day to you, stranger. I'm Dan Rico, curator of this digital journal for my thesis project, titled "Lingering Creations". The project itself consists of two sub projects, with the first being dubbed "The Golem", and the second is me working with another team on an animation project called "Curpigeon".

Bit about myself. I had gone to study animation at The Art Institute of California-Orange County, graduating with a Bachelors in Science. After that, I was a freelance 3D Generalist for a little over two years before returning to school for my masters. Now, I'm trying to focus on becoming a Character TD, with this blog acting as a recording of any progress made for the my Master's Thesis project.