Daniel Norbury - 3D Animation

Animation Portfolio

2011-04-01T15:10:00.009+01:00

Follow the link below for my new animation portfolio website -

http://dannorbury.drupalgardens.com

Run

2011-02-18T23:08:00.001Z

Bit of Running - Blocking

2011-02-14T17:04:00.006Z

Fixing Robots

2011-01-30T03:42:00.005Z

This is my entry for the 11 Second Club January 2011 competition.

A robot helps fix his friend up and finds he needs a little more fixing then he first thought...

New Animations

2011-01-08T00:56:00.019Z

It's a New Year and time for some animation. 3 animations are in production at the moment, future postings will be made showing there progression.

CatWalk

2010-11-26T17:18:00.011Z

Client animation promoting their designs.

Catwalk Progress - Low Qual Test Render

2010-10-25T18:31:00.007+01:00

Low Quality Test Render for character walk:

The first pass has uncovered some minor defects in the walk due to merging different mocap files. These can be easily altered after the garment simulation. Apart from this the overall speed, balance and direction are all pleasing.

After numerous attempts to make the outfits fit correctly it's become apparent that accurate pattern shapes are needed otherwise too much time will be wasted on trial and error.

Digital Painting

2010-10-04T02:17:00.006+01:00

I began with wanting to create a drawing of a fat alternative variation to Master Chief from Halo and it then progressed into a digital painting.

Short Dialogue - Finished Animation

2010-09-13T22:18:00.013+01:00

Short Dialogue - Finaling

2010-09-12T21:34:00.003+01:00

Short Dialogue - Blocking 3

2010-09-10T00:27:00.003+01:00

Short Dialogue - Blocking 2

2010-09-08T20:16:00.005+01:00

Short Dialogue - Blocking 1

2010-09-07T19:05:00.006+01:00

My New Portfolio Site...

2010-09-05T20:22:00.006+01:00

Click the image at the side for the website.

The Walk Cycle

2010-08-31T18:07:00.008+01:00

Walk Cycle from Daniel Norbury on Vimeo.

The Bouncy Ball

2010-08-19T17:27:00.015+01:00

Just learnig maya. First thing's first, the bouncy ball...

Graduated with 1st Class Honours!

2010-06-30T22:49:00.005+01:00

My degree is now finished and my final results have have been received.

I'm over the moon with the final results and I would like to thank Andy Love for his guidance and tuition as well as all of the tutors at Nottingham Trent University who gave me great advice and encouragement.

Research Artefact 6: Mocap vs Key-Framing

2010-05-21T08:57:00.002+01:00

This artefact takes the motion created in artefact 5 and discusses the benefits and negatives compared with key-framing the same motion. Both techniques are very time consuming but each have their own plus points. The recorded time for creating the 15 seconds of motion capture data that replicates the same motion as the key-framed animation, minus facial and finger animation as well as the tests sessions was: Half an hour set up, 1 hour capturing (several takes), 3 hours cleaning the data, 1 hour plotting the motion to an actor and character, overall time taken 5 hours 30 minuets. The time taken to key-frame the same motion minus facial and finger animation was 4 hours. This was a surprising result as previous expectations were of the key-framing technique requiring more time. Due to this outcome a second motion capture session was performed to cover 60 seconds of motion. The recorded time for this process was: half an hour set up, 1 hour capturing (several takes), 3 and a half hours cleaning the data, 1 hour plotting the motion to an actor and character, overall time taken was 6 hours. The time taken to key-frame 60 seconds of similar animation is roughly 16 hours. Research on the topic concludes that to book a commercial motion capture lab session costs around £3000 for the day, not taking into account extra cost such as actor’s fee. Based on research from Google Answers, available at: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/784826.html, the cost for an animator to key-frame this motion is $6000 or £4129.42 ($100 per second of finished animation). The positives concluded from the artefact show that extreme accuracy can be achieved when key-framing a motion, using motion capture is a cheaper and faster alternative but doesn’t allow for the same accuracy to be achieved.

Research Artefact 5: Mocap for Character

2010-05-21T08:34:00.005+01:00

This artefact explores the process of creating motion and plotting it to a character to be rendered out in 3D Studio Max. The motion decided on was chosen for it’s similarity to an existing animated sequence previously created using key-framing. The animated scene is of a girl walking into a room, picking up a ball and looking around, which lasts around 15 seconds. Markers were set up in the lab to give rough positions for parts of the motion, these include which directions to walk and ball placement. The reflective marker and lab set up was arranged in the same way as the most effective capture test previously conducted for artefact four. This meant less time would be spent on getting a good capture and more could be spent on getting the right motion for the character. Several attempts were made to get the right motion to give the same curious actions as key-framed character. Now that a successful capture was taken, the data was then cleaned and converted to a C3D file ready to import to Motion Builder. The data still had imperfections so some time was spent fixing this in Motion Builder before plotting it to a CG actor. Once the actor had movement the next step was to set the character up in 3D Studio Max. The original bone system was kept and the character was exported as an FBX file recognisable by Motion Builder. The file was imported into the same scene as the actor with the motion plotted to it and an automatic rig was created for the character. At this point the character is ready for either animating or adding mocap data. A final step was made to change the character input allowing the character to follow the same movement as the actor.

Research Artefact 4: Mocap Tests with Suit

2010-05-21T08:29:00.004+01:00

This artefact tests the motion capture suit made in the previous artefact and shows the benefits of its use through different movements. Movements decided on were chosen for the ease in which the cameras can process the movement. Camera positioning was altered for this capture session to allow a central position for the actor to limit the amount of undesired reflections. Initial tests were made with simple arm and leg movement, which the cameras picked up with improved accuracy over the previous lab sessions without the use of a suit. Still some problems remain as other reflections were still being picked up and were corrupting the correct data. Another test with the same movement was performed but now with lower lighting and exterior reflective objects covered. This showed an improvement in the results with less reflections being picked up and improved stability of the reflective markers. Another capture was performed using a simple walk to see whether this can be performed with the same accuracy. Results showed limited reflections but some cleaning of the data was required as elbow markers got confused with hip marker due to their close proximity. The next capture performed was to analyse whether the system could now handle rapid movements produced from fast punches and kicks. Results showed a disappointing capture as rapid changes in direction resulted in prolonged marker disappearance. This caused the automatic cleaning process to fill in the missing markers with undesired translations and caused deformed movement. A solution to this problem can be found when the motion is plotted to a character, as then the motion is converted to key-frames and can be animated.

Research artefact 3: Making Mocap Suit

2010-05-21T08:27:00.001+01:00

This artefact explains the process for creating a motion capture suit and how it may improve the motion capture process. A motion capture suit is tried out due to multiple problems trying to a get a clean capture in the previous artefacts. First problem encountered when trying to get a clean capture was that the reflective markers had trouble sticking to the actor’s skin and during rapid movement would fall off. This was solved by attaching the markers to the suit using Velcro and fabric glue. The second problem was with reflective markers disappearing throughout the capture due to the back ground being too bright. The third problem was with the markers getting confused with each other for two possible reasons, the first being the lightness of the background and the second being the close proximity between them. A motion capture suite was developed using black sport under armour, which is a skin tight top and trouser set made of elasticised fabric. This was to create a dark surface to attach the reflective markers to and helps the cameras detect them. The choice of this clothing was based on research on existing motion capture sessions performed to create motion inside video games and films such as resident evil 5 and for Golum in The Lord of the Rings. The decision on the amount of reflective markers to use and their placement on the suit was based on the MotionBuilder marker sets for the CG actor and successful captures performed by others and published on the internet. The suit was created using the minimal amount of markers to avoid too much confusion for the cameras, as well as to cut down on the amount of time spent cleaning the data later on.

Research Artefact 2: Plotting Mocap to 3D Actor

2010-05-21T08:23:00.003+01:00

This artefact demonstrates the difficulties associated with capturing motion and plotting it to a computer generated character. The first motion capture lab session was ineffective at producing the correct amount of dada needed for creating a character rig for the CG actor. This data when plotted to the actor produced a frozen state where none of the body parts had motion. A second lab session was taken with corrections made based on the analysis of the first motion capture lab session. More reflective markers were used in this session raising the amount used from 12 in the first session to 48 in the second. This larger amount of markers aloud a successful character rig to be created for the CG actor. This however now raised a new issue of marker detection being difficult, as throughout the capture markers were getting confused with each other due to the short distance between them. Major areas affected by this were the hands, wrists and elbows and produced erratic behaviour when the data was cleaned up. The motion capture software used utilises an automatic data cleaning system, which fills in the gaps for missing markers by predicting intended trajectory based on the existing motion curve. Gaps occur when marker area blocked by extremities or due to having to much light in the room or on the surface the marker is attached. When large gaps appeared in the data produced in the second lab session the automatic cleaning system filled in these areas leaving the motion deformed. This was also aided by individual markers disappearing and the cleaning system thinking a nearby marker was the initial marker. This produced negative affects and deformed the motion further.

Catalog Image

2010-05-07T16:05:00.002+01:00

Haunted House Visualisation

2010-05-06T12:43:00.002+01:00

Haunted House 3D Visualisation from Daniel Norbury on Vimeo.

Horror Animation Update: Feedback

2010-04-21T03:55:00.005+01:00

The general public and multimedia creatives viewed the animation produced for the live client brief and were requested to give positive and negative feedback. People who viewed and commented on the animation include: multimedia students, friends & family, work colleagues and regular customers at the bar I work at.

Feedback:
• I found the animation very creepy.
• Very scary.
• It made me laugh at the end when the girl got pulled into the air vent.
• There was no sound on the girl which could have been beneficial to the animation, especially when she tried to open the door.
• The original story board would have been more entertaining and should be made.
• The animation was really well done, very impressive.
• The lighting on the first version had too much contrast and was over lit. The second had a much more sinister feel.
• Slight improvements could have been made to the skinning.
• Good job mate, well impressed.
• Good student piece.
• Is very good………..
• Could have done with a little more secondary animation.
• I think the character was a little plain.
• Loved the animation.
• I like the way you had a good opening, a peek and a solid ending.
• Interesting how a 3D cartoon is made into a horror.
• Scary mate.
• I think it could have been a little longer with added suspense.
• I think the girl’s clothes could have been a little more interesting.
• I like it, where’s my credit?

Animation Short - The Presence by Dan Norbury

2010-04-14T00:53:00.004+01:00

Animation Short - The Presence from Daniel Norbury on Vimeo.

Horror Animation Update: DVD Cover

2010-03-26T14:33:00.002Z

I've produced a DVD cover for the animation and holds two discs, one DVD for the animation and one CD for the extras such as test renders, storyboards etc.

Horror Animation Update: Rendering

2010-03-26T14:20:00.001Z

I've been in contact with Hotknife Digital Media Studio to have my animation rendered useding their render farm. Two separate passes were rendered, one for the girl and one for the scene. This covered two issues within the post production process, the first being to shorten rendering time and the second is to create more flexibility when compositing the animation.

A rendered still after effects have been applied in After Effects.

Horror Animation Update: Intro for Animation

2010-03-19T14:13:00.002Z

I've looked at other short animations and allot of the good ones have an animated title at the beginning. I've learnt a bit of After Effects and covered a tutorial to come up with this intro.

Horror Animation Update: Test Renders

2010-03-12T19:18:00.001Z

Facial animation timing test render:

Run cycle test render:

Book page flip test render:
I found a great script to create pages in a book. This is my edited version with a book spine for the animation.

Flex test render for the hat movement:

Horror Animation Update: Creating the Scene

2010-03-07T19:07:00.001Z

This an ambient occlusion test render for the scene created for the animation. This is to get a clear idea of how the ambient occlusion will sit on the scene after I apply the textures.

This is the final textured and lit scene ready for export with the character to MotionBuilder to create the animation.

Personal Research Artefact 2: 2nd Mocap Lab Session

2010-03-05T20:09:00.006Z

A second motion capture lab session was arranged for the second artefact created for the research project to correct the problems of the previous session. After cleaning up the data for the first mocap session, it was plotted to a 3D actor within MotionBuilder. This however had unexpected results due to the not having the required amount of marker point to drive the character. After testing the marker set up it was apparent that head, feet and limb markers needed to be added to drive those areas, as the lack of these resulted in the character freezing up. In the second mocap lab session more marker points were added to correct this problem. This resulted in a much more effective result for MotionBuilder to recognize the movement. This capture brought to light another issue in the form of how effective the cameras were in detecting the reflective markers and keeping them locked on a point. The cameras struggled to monitor these markers because of reflective areas in the room and on the clothing. Also each marker needed to be in the view of at least three cameras at a time for an effective capture and this was difficult to achieve with a basic 7 camera set up. This capture then had floors in marker detection and resulted in large gaps where markers disappeared or got confused with a different marker on the body which pulled the wrong extremity to desired location. The clean up for the disappearing markers had undesirable effects and brought body parts away from the correct area and resulted in deformed motion. Also noticed from the final plotting of the motion data was that different movements resulted in either a successful or unsuccessful capture, slower dancing was more effective then faster boxing.

Horror Animation Update: Examples of Abandoned Rooms

2010-03-05T15:59:00.003Z

I've looked at existing photos and artwork to get inspiration for what I want to create for the scene.

Horror Animation Update: Creating Morph Targets

2010-03-01T13:48:00.001Z

I've created some generic morph targets for the facial animation and here are a few previews:

Horror Animation Update: Applying texture & Skinning

2010-02-26T19:34:00.002Z

I've spent this week painting the skin in Photoshop and skinning the character to a skeleton.

This is the final texturing:

Personal Research Artefact 1: Motion Capture Lab Session

2010-02-23T13:02:00.005Z

The motion capture lab session takes advantage of a motion capture facility which was originally built for the analysis of movement for biomechanical research within sports. The facility has the ability to capture motion for export in a c3d file format, which is Autodesk MotionBuilder friendly. A semi pro Thai Boxer is used as an actor to look at how the hardware reacts to specific martial art motions. The sets of motions are specifically chosen to look at a range of issues that need to be considered when animating. These consist of mass and weight, speed, sudden stops, spins and follow through. These issues are focused on to establish whether an individual element within motion creates more problems than another when the process of motion capture is in effect. The other area of interest is whether or not this method for creating motion within CGI is efficient for the motion needed. This area consists of the time taken to organise the motion capture lab session and to capture the desired motion while also taking into consideration any cleaning up of the data needed. Also any extra costs associated with the overall process.

Fast and spinning motions performed by the actor, such as the fast kicks and the spinning kicks, created difficulties within the motion capture. This was due to the cameras struggling to keep up with the refractive markers attached to the actor, as well as certain markers being obstructed from view by body parts. This created areas of the motion capture data to have blank spots, this intern added time to the cleaning up of the data as well as creating inaccurate motion.

Horror Animation Update: Unwrapping the UVW's

2010-02-19T20:06:00.001Z

I've unwrapped the UVW's on the girl and applied a checker map to see how the texture will fit. Not too much attention has been given to the clothing as this will be a standard texture, where as the skin will be painted in Photoshop.

Horror Animation Update: Modeling Progress

2010-02-12T13:16:00.001Z

I've changed the character and given her a hat, this is so the need for a hair modifier is required and saves rendering time.

Modeling Progress:

Horror Animation Update: Modifications to Characters and Story

2010-02-10T13:02:00.001Z

I've made some modification to the brief and animation story.

Modification 1: Only one character will be used in the animation.
Modification 2: Only one scene will be used in the animation.
Modification 3: The length of the animation can range from 1 minutes to 4 minutes.

These changes have been made due to the short time scale of the project and other projects that need completion in conjunction to this one.

Modeling progress:

How to Storyboard

2010-02-05T13:03:00.005Z

This video shows the entire story boarding process for Resident Evil 5. This is a great reference for how the games industry create their animation sequences.

Horror Animation Update: Storyboard & Drawings

2010-02-05T12:33:00.001Z

Horror Animation Update: D&AD Customised Brief

2010-02-05T12:18:00.004Z

I've created a personal brief for the project to outline the elements I want to cover. It gives a clear description on personal deadlines, who the animation is aimed at and what the final media will be.

Winners of 2009 D&AD Stundent Awards

2010-02-04T14:21:00.000Z

Here is an example of a winner from 2009:

Horror Animation Update: Time Management

2010-02-03T12:56:00.001Z

30/01/10 – 26/03/10 (8 weeks)

Week 1 – Build Characters
Week 2 – Build Scene
Week 3 – Animate
Week 4 – Animate
Week 5 – Animate
Week 6 – Animate & Add effects
Week 7 – Render & Find Sounds
Week 8 – Composite & Edit

Overview of Animation Concept

2010-01-18T16:54:00.003Z

Concept:

Two children find and abandoned room used for satanic worship, one explores the place in to much depth. She finds herself falling into a dream like state after breathing in the strange air and reading from a strange book. In her dreams a strange figure taunts her and eventually pulls her into its grasp where she is taken and disfigured horrifically. The scene the changes back to the room where she dies with her friend trying to wake her, he then runs out screaming.

Story:

Two children find an old abandoned room amongst some boarded up shops in a rough part of town while kicking their football around the street. They manage to pull off the wooden boards blocking the door into the room and walk in to find a dusty room with a strange smell and the remnants of satanic worship. The room has satanic symbols and strange objects scattered around. The children, not aware of what this place was used for, begin looking around. The girl picks up a few things to look at and notices a chest with debris on it in the corner of the room. She walks over, clears the debris and opens the chest to find a dusty book with a pentagram on the cover. The girl starts reading the some of the book and starts to feel dizzy and passes out.

She wakes up in the room but things are a little different and her friend is no where to be seen. She walks out through the door into a beautiful garden. She’s curious and slowly starts walking around smelling the flowers and looking at things. A shadow moves between the trees in a jerky motion and calls a strange sound to the girl. The girl being curious moves in closer to see what this thing is. It keeps moving away and making the weird sound. The figure appears behind her and pulls her up a tree. The girl screams in terror as the being secures her to a tree branch with its extending limbs. All leaves fall off the tree and every thing dies as the girls skin is pulled off her bones.

The scene change’s back to the abandoned room where the girl is unconscious and convulsing, while her friend is kneeling over her trying to wake her. The convulsing stops as she dies. The boy runs out screaming and the door slams behind him.

Characters:

• Girl
• Boy
• Evil Being

Special Effects:

• Fairy dust blowing around the garden.
• Ambient glow in the dream state.
• Trees morphing and leaves falling to the ground.
• Dark character dripping black ooze.
• Skin being pulled off the girl with blood effects.
• Dust in the abandoned room (on items and in air).

Sounds:

• Boy voice (no words)
• Girl voice (no words)
• Strange creature sound
• Ambient noise in street
• Ambient noise in abandoned room
• Ambient garden sounds
• Inanimate object sound (foot steps, wooden boards, squeaky hinges etc.)

Concepts for Horror Animation

2010-01-18T16:49:00.002Z

Real Life:
War - Chemical Warfare, Afghanistan Caves
Animals – Dogs, Spiders
Mechanical
Drugs - Hallucinations
Technology
Psycho – Psycho Children, Psycho Killers

Mythological:
Vampire – Black and White, Modern
Monsters – Under the Bed, In the Dark
Goblins – Destroying people’s lives
Witches

Sci-Fi:
Aliens – In Horror Scenarios
Space – Haunted Space Ships
Earth – Aliens Taking Over the World

Supernatural:
Possession – Children, Animals, Town
Evil – Doll, Painting
Poltergeist – House, Hotel, Train
Satanism – Abandoned house, Party

Season:
Easter – Killer Bunny
Winter – Killer Winter Weather
Christmas – Psycho Santa

3D Animation Production Pipeline

2010-01-18T12:41:00.003Z

I found this explanation for a 3D animation production pipeline online at: http://kylepower.wordpress.com/3d-animation-pipeline

I'll use this as a reference for this animation but as the time scale for completing the product is effectively two months after proposal, not all areas will be taken into account.

Development Process

Sales pitch
Convincing the big jobs to work on the story.

Story plot solid summary
What the films about, what happens in it and extra variations that may or may not appear in the final product.

Storyboards
Basic sketches of the scenes.
(Time usually taken = 6 months)

Voice recording
At first the artists themselves do the voice acting to put a connection from the story board to the script to give an idea of the film, later on celebrities are paid to be the character voices.

Storyboard reel
Pictures in a timescale with voice recordings playing in conjunction, basically a really basic film.

Concept art
Artists try to create the look and feel of the scenery and the characters from the scripts, voice talent and the basic drawings, the artists get first crack at how lighting sets the mood too.

Modeling
The characters, props and landscape have started to be created in 3d, hinges have been added to them to give them movement. Everything is still in frame form, no textures have been added yet (think skeletons).

Dressing
The models and props are skinned according to the mood and feel the team wants for the film to portray.

Shot layout
The Basically skinned objects and characters are set into positions to work out camera angles and movement, nothing is truly animated or skinned yet, the recordings of these final cuts are passed onto the animation team.
(Time Usually taken = 4 weeks)

Animation
The models are animated, everything such as the skeleton is already there so they are basically choreographers (think puppeteers). They move the mouth and ligaments according to the sounds and the scripts.
(Time usually taken 4 weeks)

Shading
Shading changes surfaces according to the lighting on it, it affects the model’s colour depending on the lighting situation e.g. light bouncing off a shiny metal surface is successfully done thanks to a shader. Shaders are added to the landscapes, models and props.

Lighting
Lighting is added to the scenes, Lighting is what actually makes everything look great. Lighting is based on the mood scripts.
(Time usually taken = 8 weeks)

Rendering
The final product is rendered, this can take a hell of a lot of time to render one frame depending on the quality of the graphics put into.

Touchups
Things such as music scores, special effects and sound effects are added, the film is also recorded to an appropriate format.

Grzegorz Jonkajtys & Marcin Kobylecki - Ark

2010-01-14T20:52:00.003Z

This dark lonely animation is a great example of beautiful work that shows what passes for a creditable piece that promotes inspiration for my horror animation.

Research Document Artefact Breakdown

2010-01-02T02:42:00.005Z

Areas Studied:

Motion
• Mass/weight (jumping and landing)
• Speed (continuous fast movements)
• Sudden stops (punching and kicking pads)
• Spins (various combinations involving spins)
• (Optional) Interaction with another person (sparing)

Software
• What preparations need to be made?
• How does the software work?
• What are the problems and difficulties that are associated with it?
• How does it react to different motions?
• How long does the process take?
• How much cleaning up of the data is involved after data collection?
• How is the software usually used being that it’s part of the Sport Science faculty?
• Based on the research paper, are there any other methods that can be used at this facility to aid with character creation e.g. capturing skin deformation and muscle movement. Based on this answer, alternative artefacts may be made.

Key-Framing
• Replicate the motion capture movement through key-framing a character.
• Record how long the process takes.
• Record the different processes taken.
• Note any difficulties involved.
• Use the video reference to aid the key-framing.

Artefacts:

Artefact 1: Motion Capture

Motion studied: Mass/weight.
Action: Flying knee, flying elbow, jumping round kick.

Details:
How does the software react to the motions? This experiment shows how the data recorded can be used to give mass and weight to a character. The motion will be mapped to a character of the same shape and size as the actor as well as to a character of a different shape and size.

Artefact 2: Key-Framing

Motion studied: Mass/weight
Action: Flying knee, flying elbow, jumping round kick.

Details:
The character of the same shape and size of the actor will be key-framed to do the same movements. This shows how mass and weight are produced in animation. Similarities and differences between the mocap technique and the key-framing will be noted.

Artefact 3: Motion Capture

Motion studied: Speed.
Action: Multiple punch and kick combinations on pads.

Details:
How does the software react to this motion? This experiment shows how effective motion capture is in recording fast movement. The motion data will be mapped to the character of the same size and weight of the actor.

Artefact 4: Key-Framing

Motion studied: Speed
Action: Multiple punch and kick combinations on pads.

Details:
The character of the same shape and size of the actor will be key-framed to do the same movements. This shows how fast movements are produced in animation. Similarities and differences between the mocap technique and the key-framing will be noted.

Artefact 5: Motion Capture

Motion studied: Spins
Action: Round kick, spinning elbow/back fist, back kick, spinning kick.

Details:
How does the software react to this motion? This experiment shows how effective motion capture is in recording movements which spin the reflective markers attached to the actor. Will there be need for much time consuming clean up of the data. The motion data will be mapped to the character of the same size and weight of the actor.

Artefact 6: Key-Framing

Motion studied: Spins
Action: Round kick, spinning elbow/back fist, back kick, spinning kick.

Details:
The character of the same shape and size of the actor will be key-framed to do the same movements. This shows how spinning movements are produced in animation. Similarities and differences between the mocap technique and the key-framing will be noted.

WARNING!! Inspiration for violent animation

2009-12-22T23:37:00.007Z

Client Brief

2009-12-22T22:06:00.005Z

I've been pointed in the direction of the D&AD competition category - "What else do you do?" This enables me to create a piece of animation that's differs to one's already in existence and also it can show what I’m interested in. The original ideas involved a scene based on the comic elements associated with vanity, the second was to create a scene that encapsulated the image and technicalities of a sport I participate in, AKA Thai Boxing. I've recently been looking at other short animations in circulation and found allot of silly and funny ones or dark and lonely ones, nothing really that acclaims itself to the gory horror genre. This is an area that entertains and invokes interest in me and is something that I'd enjoy creating in 3D. I have allot of extremely violent and depraved ideas floating around in my head and I want to bring them to life through animation. Main concern is what type of crazy and deranged light will this put me in? My answer: I don't care! It’s gonna be fun...

Practical Artefact Description for Research Document

2009-12-21T05:00:00.002Z

With Mocap being a controversial medium, exploration into how this software works will be planned. Data from an actor’s movements will be recorded and mapped to a character where the motions will be examined through 6 key areas; Timing, Spacing, Mass, Weight, Anticipation and Follow-through, as these are the core principles for animation highlighted by CG Academy - Animation Fundamentals. A camera will record video footage of the actor in the data collection process to use as a reference for muscle movement. A key framed alternative of the same motion to the same model will be created to examine to show the positives for each technique. Main areas of interest that will be looked into will be; The 6 key areas previously highlighted as well as overall time taken for each form of practice.

A Motion Capture facility will be used to collect motion data from an actor specialized in Thai Boxing. Three different individual sets of Thai Boxing combinations will be recorded by the software, each being roughly 10 seconds long. The three different data files will be converted into Bio Vision Hierarchy (BVH) files which are friendly to Autodesk’s Motionbuilder software and any necessary cleaning up of the data will be applied. A test dummy character created in 3D Studio Max will be imported into Motionbuilder where the BVH data can be mapped to it. Three more animations will be created using the same test dummy character, the motions being key framed to be exactly the same as the motion capture recorded. These 6 artefacts will then be discussed in an evaluation and all studio sessions, meetings and editing will be recorded and commented on in a progress journal.

Improved Spencer

2009-12-21T01:27:00.000Z

1920x1080 Goblins Wallpaper

2009-12-20T19:39:00.002Z

Anti Piracy Animation

2009-12-02T11:36:00.003Z

This 20sec clip shows Spence with a dilemma, to download illegally or not? Due to the difficulties with Motionbuilder the rush completing the project meant that I didn't have time to look for a solution to remove the light source from the reflection of the glasses.

20sec Anti Piracy Animation from Daniel Norbury on Vimeo.

Fire Test

2009-12-02T01:21:00.003Z

For the good and bad conscious’s I wanted to use a cloudy particle effect and a fiery particle effect. This is a test render of the fire in Max, from this I discovered that the rendering takes far too long so the idea was ditched.

Speech Tests

2009-12-02T01:12:00.004Z

Due to the fact that Motionbuilder isn't importing the facial animation to Max I've had to create the speech by hand. These are the test renders to see if the speech links with the audio.

MB 20sec Edit

2009-12-02T01:02:00.003Z

This is an edited version of the MB render which differs from the original story board to stick to the 20sec limit.

Motionbuilder Render

2009-12-01T22:49:00.003Z

The plan to create the speech for the character was to use a voice recognition asset in Motionbuilder. This detects certain phonemes and links them to morph targets to make a character talk. Once I linked this up and created the animation for the body and face movement I exported it back out to 3ds Max. Once here I found that the animation for the face didn’t import. After numerous attempts and different strategies, I put it down to here being a bug in the software. This is the rendered Motionbuilder file that produced for Max.

I realized that the animation was far too long and would need to be cut down in the final edit.

The Concept

2009-11-22T18:48:00.005Z

A character who attempts to download media finds himself with two visible conscious’ telling him different things.

Spencer

Possible negatives and positives to be useded by the conscious':

Negatives
Makes media less valuable.
Enable the media industry to keep running.
Helps the economy.
Leads to a criminal record.
Leeds to a large fine.
Could be imprisoned.
You could download a virus.
You don’t know who’s monitoring.

Positives
Creates exposure for artists.
No ones ever going to know.
Think what else you could spend the money on.
It’s so easy.
You can get as much as you like.
You can watch movies that aren’t even out yet.
You can get software you can’t afford.

Storyboard:

Digital Piracy Awareness Animation Approach

2009-11-22T18:28:00.004Z

Design problem:
To create awareness for the negative aspects of Digital Piracy.
To create a design that makes people think.
To aim the design at the target audience.

Who are the target audience?
Majority of illegal downloader's are under 25.
People who can’t relate to existing advertisements.
People who have a light hearted approach to illegal activity.
People who love the media they’re downloading.

Problems with existing advertising:
They attack the viewer.
Mind sets between car thieves and downloader's differ.
Very aggressive and don’t relate to the viewer.

The alternative approach:
Relate to the audience.
Don’t preach.
Take a light hearted approach.
Get into the mind of the illegal downloader.
Empathise with them.
Get them on your side.
Prick the conscious.

Creating a negative image for piracy:
Dark lonely atmosphere.
Nerdy looking character.
Looking at morals while conducting a simple task of acquiring media over the internet.

Goblin Animation

2009-11-01T21:51:00.000Z

This is the animation I created to test the fundamentals of Motion builder. This is the first time using the software so I was learning as I went along. I found the software to be extremely powerful in creating animation due to the real-time viewport. The main roll of the software is for editing motion capture data and mixing it in with key frame animation. I utilized all of these assets within this animation to create realistic timing for the motion, something that is difficult using 3ds Max.

Goblin Animation from Daniel Norbury on Vimeo.

Goblins (Using 3ds Max)

2009-09-10T01:34:00.001+01:00

Goblins (Using 3ds Max) from Daniel Norbury on Vimeo.

Test Walk

2009-08-10T03:22:00.024+01:00

Animation Scene

2009-08-10T03:16:00.005+01:00

Greplin's Mate

2009-07-08T22:06:00.002+01:00

Created in 3dS Max

Goblin Stills

2009-06-24T01:13:00.000+01:00

Real World Environments 3D

2009-06-23T02:24:00.000+01:00

Deconstructing Real World Environments

2009-06-23T02:19:00.001+01:00

Game Character Overview

2009-06-23T02:16:00.004+01:00

Game Concept:
The name of this imaginary game would be “Goblins” and would involve the strangest and vilest little guys. Everyone knows Goblins don’t exist and are just a story to scare kids. But what if they do actually exist and all the bad things that happen to people are because these little creatures are causing them and we just don’t know about it! What if when ever you lose something or oversleep and wake up with a disgusting taste in your mouth, Goblins are behind it? What if Goblins are behind the major problems in the world such as wars, world hunger, unexplained deaths and global warming? What’s next and why don’t we know about them? If these animals are smart enough to cause this mayhem, then they’re smart enough not to get caught! But even if this is all true, why would they do all of this? Simple answer - jealousy!
So are these just stories for kids, or are they actual encounters disguised as stories so not to make people sound crazy?

In this game you become the goblins and see things from their point of view. You begin as an unlucky goblin called Greplin, who’s been caught and put in a cage by a member of a secrete team put together by an unknown millionaire. This team has been specifically designed to hunt this species down and prove their existence. Once free from this cage you begin to cause much mayhem as possible to gain the respect of your fellow goblin piers, as being caught is the height of embarrassment for a goblin.

Character Concept:
Greplin is an overweight, smelly goblin with no morals and was deemed with great admiration from others for being so unforgiving towards human kind. This was until he got caught by one of the goblin hunters and lost it all! Luckily he has a best friend who will always stick by his side and helps him create his high status again.

Visualisation Stills

2009-06-23T02:11:00.001+01:00

TheSwordInTheStone Visualisation

2009-06-23T01:59:00.007+01:00

UnrealEd Level Revised

2009-06-23T01:19:00.004+01:00

Areas that needed attention.

The size of the map needed reducing.
Creating a centre point where bots and players always navigate to would improve the playability.
Strategic positions for weapons needed to be considered.

The second level I created covered these areas and vastly improved the game play. The concept for this map was an underground cave/volcano, which created the opportunity to more variation with the lighting via the skylight. Possible improvements would include concentrating on the bot paths a little more as well as adding extra visual interest in the outer rooms.

Goblin Rig

2009-06-12T01:24:00.002+01:00

This character was very difficult to rig, mainly because of the huge gut. I wanted to create as much realistic movement as possible, which required paying special attention to positioning of the bones around the wrists and shoulders to avoid tearing the geometry. To achieve realistic movement with the stomach I spent allot of time on weighting the skin correctly. I also added an extra bone in the middle with a spring modifier, then weighted the center of the stomach to it creating a stomach bounce. I created an spline controller interface for the facial movement which was linked by reaction manager to morph targets.

Garry In 3D

2009-04-21T02:06:00.000+01:00

I began working on the Garry The Evil Goldfish idea but found it to be a little simple and wouldn't really push me to learn new things. So i scraped the idea and went back to the drawing board.

UnrealEd First Level

2009-04-09T22:39:00.008+01:00

This is my own level after initial tutorial maps. I wanted to cover the basic areas needed, such as movers, volumes, teleporters, jump pads and particle systems as well as having a functional level. With this covered I can now move on to being more creative by building my own static meshes, as well as optimizing my level with new routes, bot paths and vehicles.

Get Out Alive! Haunted House Board Game Concept.

2008-12-20T19:17:00.000Z

The concept behind this animation of a haunted house board game is a character that wants to explore this strange house. He’s a lone detective that’s investigating several murders, all of which have happened in this house. The design of the game states that he needs to check the place out for clues to what’s happened, only he finds nothing and realises that his own life is in danger. He finds himself lost so continues to check the rooms for explanations to what is going on. The real board game would be two to four players, who are the detectives. They all get split up and it’s every man for him self as the house messes with there heads and creates paranoia. Each time a detective gets to a room, something happens where they need to fight for their life. If they stay alive, they find a missing piece to the mystery. The first detective to complete the mystery and get out alive wins the game.

The final animation only covers a small portion of this, as I didn’t realise how long this idea would take to put into the animation I wanted.
Extra ideas that didn’t make it:
• I wanted to create fully moving medieval armour that attacks the characters whenever they are woken.
• Trap doors that sands a character to another room when they fall down them.
• Curtains blowing in the wind.
• Weapons for the characters to find to use on anything they encounter, including each other.
• A haunted clock that when chimes, a horrible event happens.

I feel that the overall look of the animation turned out just how I wanted it, although I think improvements could have been made. More animation could have been added to the character and an improved sound effect and animation for the flying bat.

Evaluation

2008-12-20T18:09:00.000Z

My main ideas and intentions that I was trying to express in the project were:
I wanted to come up with a design that captured a spooky mood while also challenging myself by building an accurate representation of a house from multiple photographs.

The methods I use to develop my ideas were:
I experimented with various different lighting techniques to create a ghostly feel to the house. These included using fog and volume light with different light types. I looked at various existing, spooky looking houses and found one called the Carson Mansion that had many different photographs taken of it at different angles. Looking at different board games of the same theme helped me develop my design.

I took a risk by trying something new.
Experimenting with different lighting techniques was new to me and took up a lot of time trying to get the effect just right. I also looked into using Vray to see the kind of effects I could get. I found that it creates nice renders but they always seem to be in perfect sunny surroundings, which is useless for my haunted house.

Some of the unexpected problems I had to solve while working were:
I didn’t realize how long it would take to create the house design I chose, as the complexity was underestimated. Also the rendering took allot longer than I initially expected and I have taken note of this for the future.

The decisions and choices I made to help solve these problems were:
There wasn’t really much I could do to solve these problems, as I wanted to keep the quality of my design. To keep the same quality of work and also have it in on time, I used several computers at one time to render the visualization, as well as stepping up my work flow to the point of spending many sleepless nights modeling.

The most interesting or challenging thing that I achieved was:
I enjoyed building the house from different shapes and watching it slowly take shape. For a long time at first it didn’t look like a very good representation of what I was modelling. I stuck at it and after the main bulk was done I began with the details and finally saw it come together.

The things I have learnt from this particular project were:
I learnt that I need to calculate how long things are going to take based of this experience. I’ve also got the grasp of how lighting can materials can create an effective mood. I used volume light for the main light source to give the design a fogy appearance and volume fog on the ground for the mist

If I were to do this project again I would change or do differently:
If I were to do this project again, I would calculate how long this are going to take and manage my time more effectively.

A new project that might grow out of my experience maybe:
I’m thinking of going in another direction as now that I’ve achieved what I wanted from this design, I wouldn’t mind testing my skills at modelling concept cars or alien worlds.

I have achieved the following learning outcomes for this module and my evidence is:
I’ve learnt many different 3Ds Max techniques that show my personality in my work. This can be seen in the spooky fog and volume light effects as well as the attention to detail when modelling and mapping the haunted house.
I’ve understood the importance of time management when deciding on how long to take on certain areas and how long this will take to render. This can be seen in my reflection of my work.
I can see my self becoming more confidant when approaching 3D design briefs. This can be seen in the complexity of my work compared to my last project.

Animation Final Edit

2008-12-20T12:56:00.000Z

Visualization Final Edit

2008-12-20T12:51:00.000Z

Animation Rendered Stills

2008-12-20T12:46:00.000Z

Visualization Rendered Stills

2008-12-20T12:38:00.000Z

Playing with IK Solvers

2008-12-19T12:30:00.000Z

Here I used IK limb solver to animate the ghost for the haunted house. I had a few problems with the hands as the skin modifier didn't attack itself to the bones on the fingers very well, so when I created a fist the skin deformed. I'm not too sure whether the problem is with the position of the bones or a setting in the modifier panel. For the animation I don't really need the fingers to move, but I'll need to find a solution for when I create a moving hand in the future.

UVW Mapping

2008-12-18T17:37:00.001Z

I used a variety of effects when mapping the house ranging from using bump maps on the wood, trees and walls to adding raytrace effects on the windows. I did some experimenting with vray material libraries, but found I could get the desired spooky effects I wanted. Vray, I've found, is very good at making realistic models in perfect environments, but not so much at creative atmospheric environments.

Building the House

2008-12-18T12:29:00.000Z

Before starting the 3D build I draw a quick sketch of the house to look at in detail the different angles and how they relate to each other. I’ve begun building the house using simple boxes and shapes to get the main angles and proportion right. Once I’m happy with the basic layout I can then start adding the detail and begin creating the woods around it.

Haunted Carson Mansion

2008-12-18T12:16:00.000Z

This is the look I want to create in 3D using this mansion. As you can see I’m not the only person who thinks this mansion would make a brilliant haunted house. This is a design created by Daniele Montella using the technique of painting over existing photography to create and completely different scene.

The Carson Mansion

2008-12-18T12:07:00.000Z

The Carson Mansion, California is the most photographed Victorian house in California and has the ideal look for the haunted house in my game.

Due to the fact that this mansion is well photographed, I can find many different angles to help me create my 3D haunted mansion in 3Ds Max.

Research: Haunted House Games

2008-11-11T11:39:00.001Z

Solve the mystery with this super fun Scooby-Doo Haunted House 3-D Board Game! Move around the haunted house as you try to reach the top. Secret booby traps like a moving ghost knight, a creaky staircase, and a haunted moose head are out to get you! Be the first to reach the top to uncover the villain and win! For 2-4 players, ages 4 and up.

This 3D haunted house board game came out back in 1962 and was packaged in a box twice as big as your average sized game today. The main aspect of this game that made it appealing to children is the fact that it's a board game and a toy in one. Mouse trap is another game which had the toy appeal due to the pure fact that it was 3D.

Check out the illustrations on the side of the box, they reflect the illustrative style of the decade.

The Haunted Theme Board Game

2008-11-11T10:16:00.005Z

The Ghost Train
I initially thought of a Ghost Train themed board game as I can imagine it filling personal criteria that allows me to improve the way I create a mood within 3D software. I can imagine building an old train would also test my ability to model in 3D, whilst also experimenting with the animation of the trains movement.

Another criteria covered would be the fun aspect as I can imagine it constantly running around a track killing players off as it goes.

The Haunted House
Another idea I like is a haunted house board game, as this would my ability to create texture and mood even further. This game would also expand the range of ideas for the game play, like being able to collect objects to solve a mystery, or just trying to escape from the house.

Typical imagery that comes to mind when I think of a haunted house is the trashed, neglected look, covered in cobwebs and dust. This I feel would be fun as well as a challenge to create this look within 3Ds Max.

Building a haunted house also gives me the opportunity to look at the outside scene. This will give me a broader range of textures and shapes to work with, while also keeping the same haunted look.

I was originally inspired by the animation Beowulf, where at the beginning the camera pans thought the scene giving a sense of a cold, winter environment.

Robot Arm

2008-11-05T13:59:00.001Z

Here I'm practicing linking objects using hierarchy to create an animated limb.

Illstration of Inspiration

2008-11-03T09:07:00.000Z

While looking for a painting or photo to analyse, I found a portfolio website by Michael Heald, www.fullyillustrated.com, who specializes in 3D Design, Illustration and Photography. I found this twisted rabbit amongst some of his illustrations, inspired by a book called 'Insanely Twisted Rabbits' by Michael Gagne. He has taken inspiration from this book as I have from his illustration and thought I'd have a crack at it too.

Toy Train

2008-11-03T08:49:00.001Z

A simple toy train in a classic toy train envronment.

A personal contact

2008-11-02T16:28:00.001Z

If I was to bring up a personal contact that provided a creative opportunity for me, it would be my Dad. In his line of work he sometimes needs to organize presentations, which require the use of graphic design agency. When occasions came up, he works with the Managing Director of an agency called Print Co. Before I came to Nottingham Trent to do Multimedia, I was pursuing Graphic Design and after completing my HND my Dad arranged an interview for me with the Managing Director of Print Co. At this time I hadn't decided whether I was going to go to university or not, so the interview concluded with us waiting until I was more clear with what I wanted.

Another personal contact that provided me with a creative opportunity was when I was doing my HND in Graphic design. My tutor was occasionally coming into class with a live brief which we would all try to compete for. A brief came in for a design for a leaflet advertising Fairtrade in Macclesfield Town. I came up with a design that the Fairtrade comity liked and after some rough drafts and approvals, we went to print. 5000 copies were then sent out to various places in Macclesfield.

You can see this deign in my Graphic Design portfolio, just click the link in the top right of the blog called Daniel Norbury Design

The Art Of Seeing

2008-10-30T13:55:00.001Z

Objective:
To go around the city, observing a series of materials and surfaces that interest me.

Wooden frame from a poster advert outside the orange tree bar.
I chose to look at this material because of the nature of where it is. I found it being used in a frame for a bill board outside The Orange Tree bar. It caught my attention because usually metal clips are used as frames for bill boards, where as this has the likeness of a wooden picture frame found your home, which adds to the bars image
It has a smooth, worn down feel to it with dark ridges travelling across it.

Brick wall
This is a close up image of a brick wall at the bottom of north Sheerwood st. Brick is always an interesting texture to look at due to the variety of colours and patterns. I took this image to highlight that usually when brick walls are created either on paper or within software, assumptions are made saying that bricks are perfect rectangle blocks, where as you can see from this image, they're obviously not.

Car Paint
This image was taken as a contrast to the prior pictures. I wanted something completely opposite to the rough texture of the brick and the naturally worn effect on the wooden bill board frame. At first you can't really tell what it is, as the reflective surface destorts an image of the buildings around it. Even this reflective, smooth, man made surface isn't without blemishes.

Networking

2008-10-19T21:41:00.001+01:00

Statement:
"The essential point in networking is human contact. Business has killed networking by making it something for the career orientated person..."

My Comments:
Wot a load of rubbish! If anything business has created a whole new area of networking based on sharing information, which link, at the limit, suppliers and customers. So how can it be killed, if business only works when networking is a vital component? Also through business, other means of communication have been developed, thus making networking easier and more diverse then ever before.

Avatar Movie (revised)

2008-04-01T00:08:00.000+01:00

Adding Maps & Lighting

2008-03-23T20:04:00.001Z

This is the final touch to really pull everything together. I wanted to create a dark atmosphere which was achieved using various spotlights. To get a sense of realism I added Thai logos on the ring and put posters around the entrances. The floor is just a laminate floor map which has been modified to fit the whole floor, same with the walls.

Building the Environment

2008-03-23T19:39:00.000Z

Now the next test, building the environment... I wanted to create a large, impressive environment, something that anyone that didn't know 3D Max could appreciate. So instead of just creating a boxing ring I wanted to do a whole stadium.

Again this was a matter of putting together one piece at a time and trying to get hold of Roma for advice.

Building My Avatar

2008-03-23T18:49:00.001Z

It's time to start building my avatar. Now this was a very daunting task as I felt I still new nothing about 3D Max and couldn't remember anything from the seminars. I began with a cylinder and started to pulling and pushing it into different shapes until I got something that resembles the body of my design. This took allot of time and a few attempts and a couple of days on I began to understand how manipulate the shape to get certain desired effects.

The next day came in to carry on what I started but disaster! My work wouldn't open, the software said it was corrupt! So I started it all over again, but this time a little quicker as I kinda had an idea of what I was doing. A few days into the modeling it happened again! A corrupt file! This was driving me crazy, I thought I would never get this done. I asked around to see if anyone else was having the same problems and this kind of this seemed to be quite common, so people were saving there work in lots of different places just in case. Once I started doing this I found I had less problems and assumed that my external hard drive had something wrong with it.

Now with that problem solved I could get on with modeling. I still didn't really know what I was doing, it was allot of trial and error and some guidance from Andy.

Learning 3D Studio Max: Squidy

2008-03-23T18:32:00.000Z