Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Fall Weeks 3 and 4

Due to illness I'm going to be combining the work I did for week 3 and the work I did for week 4 in this post. I was so busy trying to keep things together overall that I just wasn't able to post during week 3.

Most of what I have been doing has involved fleshing out my design doc and finalizing my project plans.  A big part of which involved putting together an organizational chart of everything.




It's pretty intense as far as everything I need to get done and the order of it all. These kind of visuals really help me though when it comes to project planning so even though figuring it all out took me quite a while I'm really glad I took the time do it. 

In terms of the actual document I spent a lot of time touching things up and going into more depth with the details.

-->
Depicting the Scene: Time Period and Background
The environment takes place in a fictional dystopian future, where countries have reverted back to nation-state statuses centered around their gargantuan cities. This is a time where the very notion of the countryside does not exist, as life beyond a city’s limit is unsustainable due to mankind’s dependence on technology to survive.  Those who travel to a city’s edge will be confronted with nothing but the sprawling waste of land that was once lushly vegetative. Depending on their city’s location they may be able to spot the edge of a neighboring city-state just above the horizon in the distance. There is only one way to travel between each city state and that is to take one of the massive cable trains that spans the wastes connecting each massive city as traveling via plane is no longer desirable due to the destructive about of pollution that fills the sky.
Travel vie train, subway, tram, and so on is common and the main form of transportation not only between cities but within them as well. Each city is broken down into a series of districts or what are essentially even smaller cities that provide their own special functions and goods to the main city. All of which are connected by a web of various rail-lines allowing for people to move about the various districts as a part of their daily routines.
Depicting the Scene: Rasheem Commerce District and Valhiem Station
The Rasheem Commerce District is one of the many hundreds of districts that make up Durkheim City. Originally one of the wealthiest commercial districts in the entire city, Rasheem, like most, has decayed into one of the city’s largest slum districts.  Although it housed many local hotspots, most have gone or diminished over time, and the very economic survival of the district depends solely on the famous but barely functioning Valhiem Station.  And it is here outside Valhiem Station where the environment actually takes place. 
Valhiem Station
Because of its importance, Valhiem is to be the main focus of the scene. Located in the center with a line of rundown or abandoned shops and apartments leading up to it on either side. Just below and in the front of the station is it’s iconic iron bridge, which arches over the train tracks that lead to and from the station’s interior boarding zone. The strong vertical lines of the buildings lining the train tracks serve to lead the viewer’s eyes toward the station which features arching windows and roof tops that dominate the scene but also bring it together visually under the station’s central location. Valhiem Station was Rasheem District’s pride and glory and remained to be for decades after it’s original establishment. At the time it was built, it was on the cutting edge of Durkheim’s engineering technologies. The station’s disrepair, like so much else in Rasheem, stands as a reminder of better days that have long since past.
Mc Quinn Shopping Outlet and Lou’s Bar and Billiards
The Mc Quinn Shopping Outlet Houses several run-down boutiques with overhead apartments. Most of the shops left are either on the brink of having to shut down or already have due to the decline in business. The third level of the outlet houses Lou’s Bar and Billiards, one of the few places to have had an increase in business since the district began its decline.
Rasheem Luxury Apartments
Rasheem Luxury Apartment, better known as the Rasheem Lux, was the premiere place to live back when Rasheem was still a bustling city district. The Close proximity to the train station as well as to the Mc Quinn Shopping outlet made it the ideal for anyone who wanted to be on the up and up. Although it’s popularity as high demand housing helped it to stay in good condition far longer than any of the other buildings in the District, it has recently fallen into disrepair.  Several of the room’s floors have caved in, causing a good portion of the apartments to be closed off. Only half of the building is still occupied, only causing to its further economic downfall.

Tepton Gate House
Tepton Gate House sits directly across from Rasheem Station. It is an older building than the majority of the other’s in the district and relies on somewhat older technology to lift and lower it’s massive gate. Gatehouses were originally set up in many of the districts as a precautionary measure for pedestrians and the public in general. The gate is left in in the down position and raised whenever a train is approaching. Each gate was built with an automatic shut off mechanism for trains about to pass through in the event that a person had some how wound up on the tracks while the train was approaching. However, the constant need to raise and lower the gates lead to the need for frequent repairs and in the end most gate houses were either torn down or modified by having the gate removed all together.  The Tepton Gatehouse is one of the last true functioning gatehouses in the entire City of Durkheim.

I also got my final timeline together. Of course, from what I have learned a timeline is never final, and requires constant reworking and checking. But having something to adjust from the get go is a must.
-->
Production Timeline
Fall Quarter, Week 5:
Blog
Re-assess timeline, make adjustments if needed
White Box Scene in Maya
Bring White Box into UDK
                  Check Proportions to models and make adjustments where needed
Watch Videos on Lighting in UDK
(If time) Start blocking out lighting in UDK
Fall Quarter, Week 6:
Blog
Re-assess timeline, make adjustments if needed
Block Out lighting in UDK
Begin Silhouette Pass
                  Block out Major Models: Train Station, Mc Quinn’s & Lou’s, Rasheem Lux
(If time) Begin blocking out as many of the other major models as possible: Valheim Bridge Tepton Gate, Elevators, Building 5, and Stone Wall 1
Fall Quarter, Week 7:
Blog
Re-assess timeline, make adjustments if needed
Continue working on Silhouette Pass
                  Block out Major Models: Valheim Bridge Tepton Gate, Elevators, Building 5, and Stone Wall 1
                  Block out small Assets: Train Tracks, Lampposts, fences, signs
Fall Quarter, Week 8:
Blog
Re-assess timeline, make adjustments if needed
Talk to Marla about getting Thesis Assist
Finish up Silhouette Pass
Update UDK scene with Models
(If ahead of schedule): Begin laying out UVs
Fall Quarter, Week 9:
Blog
Re-assess timeline, make adjustments if needed
 ALL NECESSARY MODELING MUST BE COMPLETE! (Wants are not included in this)
Final Tweaks to models
Adjust lighting in UDK if needed
(If ahead of schedule): Begin laying out UVs
Fall Quarter, Week 10:
Blog
Re-assess timeline, make adjustments if needed
ENTIRE LEVEL MUST BE SET UP IN UDK WITH SILHOUETTE MODELS AND LIGHTING AND READY TO BE PRESENTED
Begin laying out UVs
Prepare for finals week presentation
Fall Quarter, Week 11:
Blog
Re-assess timeline, make adjustments if needed
Fall Quarter Final’s presentation
(If time)  Begin Working on UVs
Fall Break:
Re-assess timeline, make adjustments if needed
Figure out Timeline for Thesis Assist
Try and get a head start on UVs but remember to relax!
Winter Quarter, Week 1:
Blog
UV All major models
Winter Quarter, Week 2:
Blog
Finish UVing all major models
Begin Uving smaller assets
(If time) begin modeling to texture
Winter Quarter, Week 3:
Blog
Final Week for UVs
Model to texture: Train Station, Mc Quinn’s & Lou’s, Rasheem Lux, Side walks, Valheim Bridge, Tepton Gate,
Fix UVs
Winter Quarter, Week 4:
Blog
Model to texture: Elevators, Building 5, Stone Wall 1, Train Tracks, Lampposts, fences, signs
Fix UVs
(If ahead of schedule) start sculpting normals
Winter Quarter, Week 5:
Blog
Wrap Up Modeling To Texture
Fix UVs
Update Models in UDK
Start Sculpting Normals/Crazy Bump
Winter Quarter, Week 6:
Blog
Finish sculpting and Editing Textures
Begin Finalizing Lighting
Winter Quarter, Week 7:
Blog
Set Up Kismet for Elevator
Import Materials to UDK
Finalize lighting
ALL PHOTOSHOPING AND TEXTURE EDITING MUST BE DONE
Winter Quarter, Week 8:
Blog
Finish Setting up Materials in UDK
Capture Footage of Level Walk through
Start Rendering
Winter Quarter, Week 9:
Blog
Edit Level Walkthrough footage
Continue to Render
Start putting together Asset Sheets
Winter Quarter, Week 10:
Blog
ALL RENDERING MUST BE DONE
Make Final Tweaks to Assets Sheets and renders
Prepare for Thesis Final Presentation
Winter Quarter, Week 11:
Thesis Final Presentation

And the last thing I did was get one last concept drawing done for the fourth building in the scene.


Time Tracking
Week 3:

7h 00m Research
1h 45m Gnoman Disk
1h 30m Research UDK specific
4h 00m Planning Timeline
2h 00m Design Doc Organization
4h 00m Design Doc Organization
19h 45m Total
Week 4:
2h 35m Design Doc Description
5h 25m Design Doc Research Documentation
8h 00m Design Doc
 4h 00m Ord Chart
1h 00m Design Doc
2h 30m Final Timeline
1h 30m Presentation
25h 00m Total

No comments:

Post a Comment