Vein Wizard Retopologise Development

Here you can see images showing the development of the Vein wizards topology. Its key for me to get this right as blendshapes need a good foundation of good topology to work effectively.

To the left shows a quick plan, drawn over a render, I want to make sure the mouth and eyes have good amount of geo to work with as they move the most and need the edge loops to keep the shape and smooth surface.

Here are some images showing the low poly next to the high poly mesh. The middle model shows the smoothed low poly mesh and I'm happy with the results as it hold all the details the hight mesh has and the quads are evenly spaced with the mouth and eyes with a few more edge loops for better movement.

Next step, finish the whole head!

First look at Clothes Designs Development

Here are first look at the concepts for the Vein Wizards cloths. We want him to look elegant and sharp dressing. We want to give the impression that he really cares about his appearance and his clothes need to show this. Although we want to keep the shape is self simple. As adding loads of different models will add problems for rigging and maybe make it complicated to fit with the rest of the film. So the idea is really bold shapes to show his ego and presence.

We thought about the idea of making pantaloons (big trousers), I feel this might be a good development for us to try out. Also look at the concepts we thought to calm it down abit. Less items of clothing but more detail on each such as ornate designs on the tunic. Bold crazy designed shirt for the arms.
But its a nice start, we can develop this in drawing as it takes time to model clothes with enough detail to get an idea of whats working and whats not.

Here are the first concepts for the Crude wizard which were drawn over the body that I sculpted in Zbrush. We all really liked these concepts and the developing ideas were to take the waist coat off and maybe to add bigger rugged boots. As we want this to be opposite to vein wizard so ripped and scruffy look is going to be key to get.

Developing Grass

At one point during this project I realised one of us had to develop Grass. We have alot of shots up close to the mountain and it will need grass to break up the surface of the ground. Also we might have to create a landscape. So again a nice renderable grass setup would be ideal to add some variation to the ground.

So here are some of the test I did for the development of grass (starting from bottom to top).

After I got the colour it was time to start adding variations in colour and shape of the grass and the 3 images show that I slowly got a nice render that took very little time to render, so the idea of grass isn't as hard as we first thought.

However next step for my development is to work out where to place it on the mountains and painting more variations such as boldness and length.

(bottom image up) These image show the development of the grass. What I started with was the fur plugin for grass, that rendered the bottom image. As you can see very dull loads of gaps and no variation. What I did next was develop this by setting up different options for the grass and adding more stems in total to get that basic landscape I set out full of lush grass. Also Scale had to be played with as you don't want the grass to look long in the distant shots so once we get a camera setup I can adapt to the scene.

Second image show me trying to add wind and variation but as you can see it does it in big clumps not as individual blades. So I took away that variation as it wasn't working. As you can see   you can notice the grey colour behind the grass. This is the plane that the grass is based on. So I changed the colour and the image above shows the difference.

Hair Development

I have started to develop the hair for the Vein wizard. What I had to do for this was to try develop a method that gives us control of adjusting and developing the concept quickly. I took a day to try develop a technique and worked out cv curves are the way forward. What I started to do was to create a scalp that I can build upon that the hair comes through the top of the head of the character. Once I have my scalp I build a hair system that builds straight cv curves on all the faces of the mesh like you see below. However I don't want that as I want to be able to control the shape more as well as the hair system its self as I was unable to move around the curves into the style we want.

So the idea is that we build from these curves then break the connection to the old hair system and apply a new one onto it which gives me the control of adapting the hair to my needs.

The Idea of render is the next problem as render time is a problem when you start to play with the settings of the hair. But I have learnt many settings that can be lowered to keep render times low and to a nice quality. The two images to the left show me playing with the colour, the problem I had at first was hair thickness, as I was having loads of space between each strand and it looked like wire and had no smooth refine finish to it.

However with some development I started again, and used more cv curves to build from. (right) This image shows this development, I tried to break the uniform look so it added abit more shape and realistic feel to it. I was very happy with this render. What I plan to develop is the strands at the bottom as there is still abit to much gap but with the full head added I think it will look nice.

Character Development

To the right shows another before and after image I rendered as I have developed the head more. I have smoothed out the features that I wanted to and start to get it to look more of a smooth surface. 

To the right again there is an image of the full body I have now sculpted. The topology is only base mesh standard so it will be able to animation but only to a certain extent.  I plan to smooth it out but I want to retopologise it first, before I smooth away some of the areas we might want to to deform when we animated as we will see this characters body.

Here is a first look at the style of the characters hair as. This is going to be something I develop over the next term as we want to use actual hair if possible, as I see a lot of hair attempts using just polys and always seems weak and not well shaped so we want to push that boundary on this project.

Here is a video showing the contrast in the two characters. We are now happy with the outcomes as we really think these two look the opposites of eachother and maybe already believe that these two wouldn't get on which is the whole point of the film.

Character Development

Here is the development of the Vein Character, I have taken the idea we had and started sculpting the new design of our character. To the left you can see the before and after which shows the dramatic change in concepts. 

I have change the idea of proportions to the face. I wanted to keep structure to the face but I have gone for the big chin and small more realistic head. As this is a good comparison to the big head small chin we have on the ugly wizard. 

Some areas I want to develop on, are mainly focused on the facial structure and the harshness of the features as I think at the moment they are abit to harsh and need a slight smooth on them to give the form as more subtle form, not in your face style features.

Handsome Wizard Research

After a group meeting. We have decided to take a turn on the look of the Handsome Wizard. We feel on their own we like both characters as a concept but when they are next to each other we feel they look to similar. So we are rethinking the concept and developing it further. I have done some research and looked and handsome vein style hero style characters. We don't want people to think our vein wizard is a hero but we want him to be handsome and look like he looks after himself.

Looking at a animated short I saw awhile ago it looks the style we maybe want to achieve although we want a more lean thin style body but the idea of a big chin would be a great comparison from the big head, small chin we have for our crude wizard.

Handsome Wizard begins

Here is first look at handsome wizard. We liked the idea however we think that it looks to much like the other wizard. He doesn't look handsome enough for what we are looking forward to I am going to research handsome characters and see what features they have.

Character Development

Here is a blockout of the proportions for the ugly wizard, I'm not going to spend to long on the actual body as we don't see it during the film as he will be wearing clothes the who time. So this was a quick sculpt for proportions for all the group to see.

Here is more development of the head, As you an see (before left, after right) I have smoothed out the jaw slightly as well as the lips, as well as get rid of some of the wrinkles around the mouth, finally smoothed out the neck. These head images show the head images I have given to Steph to start drawing up concepts for the hair

Below again is the image we will use for designing the clothes on top of.

Character Development

Below show the development of the Ugly Wizard. As you can see we have made huge changes to the model as well as the style of the characters. the problem we had was the shape and the extremely hard edge so started to sculpt a smoother style head, but I wanted to keep a structure to the face.

Before is the before and after. Yes, a huge difference I think the rework has really brought the idea to life and started to give us more ideas on how to develop the hair and the animation. The main thing is the previous draft was so hard edge the idea of fluid motions and facial expressions would of been difficult to capture.

Below shows some close ups of the latest Ugly wizard model. For the eyes I have tried to really refine the shape and give us the bag under the eye as its quite an ugly feature we wanted to bring out. Also the big chin and big nose. The images also show the actually muscles and form of what a realistic face would have such as muscles around the cheeks and nose. 

Script Develpment

Below is a first screenplay of the first 20 shots me and the group did to get an idea out there with ideas for shots and environments:

Shot01

We enter with a shot of the sun rising over the a town with two hills/mountins either side of it. The sun is seen rising above the left right hill, sillouetting it so as to remove focus from it. The light gradually falls down the left mountin and across the town. A small stylized shack is seen ontop of this hill. A rooster can be heard crawing from centre of town

Shot01.5

We cut to a shot looking over the town and we pan from right to left to eventually look up at the left mountin, on which the shack is visible

Shot02

a close up of the shack, which sits 1/3rd to the left of the screen to match the mountins position from shot01. Light is now shifting its intensity to indicate the continuing dawn.

Shot03

We cut inside to show the sleeping hansome wizzards shoulders and head. With another craw of the rooster, the hansome wizzard springs awake. Get ready for a quick cut!

Shot04

We cut outside with a nice off centrally framed shack looking at the front door. The door is flung open to show the hansome wizzard standing there in his underwear, with obvious bed hair on one side of his face. It takes a short while fornhim to notice this, at which point he slams the door again. Another short moment passes and then we have our first magic effect.

The shack bulges as a cloud of pinky purple smoke bursts from every crack and seam in the shack. Bright light shines from the window, and as quickly as this all starts, it stops, and the door is once again flung open to expose the hansome wizzard, now fully dressed, hair almost perfect, the pink smoke still diffusing and dissapating off of his shoulders. With wand in hand he brushes the last remaining smoke from his shoulders and begins to venture out.

Shot05

We cut to a shot of his shack 3/4 view to the right third of the screen, door fscing out. There is an apple tree in the fore ground, with a beautiful apple glinting slightly. Our hansome wizzard notices and procedes towards. The apple, reaches to pluck it from the tree, however the apple starts twistng off before he gets there. The twig holding it breaks and it hovers for a second, when somthing catches his eye. The camera crash trucks back, flying back passed our ugly wizzard and frames him just off centre to the right. We frame to see his shoulders and mid to upper torso, he is in a position that suggests hes urinating.

Shot06

A similar setup to shot04, to show the reaction of the hansome wizzard. His had claws the air as he has a discusted look on his face, his eye twiches slightly. The apple withers, the hansome wizzard realizes it and lets the apple fall to the ground

Shot07

We cut to a behind shot, showing the ugly wizzards shack and garden, now the uglybwizard is clearly urinating until he turns.......and he's not.... hes just watering his garden with a stream out of his wand.

Shot8

We cut to the ugly wizzards face as he looks happy and content wateringhis garden, slowly turning around, to where we see the hansome wizzards hill in the background. We stay on this shot and motion turning around until suddenly the. Ugly wizzard notices he is being watched and in a start, his wand fires out a huge blast of water. The ugly wizzard has to juggle to keep his wand in his hands.

Shot9

Cut back to a slightly further out shot of hansome wizzard, who, having had a confused look on his face now chuckles and looks smug. With a cool, non caring flick of his wand, his tree suddenly blooms and bursts with apples. He nocks the tree trunk and an apple falls into his open hand and he takes a bite, now looking in pure sumgness on his face (think of flynn rider).

Shot10

Cut to the ugly wizzard upper body, hansome hill in the background. Ugly wizzard starts with his back to the camera and turns to see a look of embarrasement and hatred. He is drying his wand between a clutch of robes.

Shot11

Cut back to hansome wizzard, now leaning up against tree. He takes another bite of apple with his eyes closed.

Shot12

A look of evil inspiration/revenge clouds the ugly wizzards face. He turns and swipes his wand almost like throwing a hammer and shoots a spell towards the hansome hill. An orange jet melts into a transparent glassy jet, which fades invisible.

Shot13

Cut back to tree hansome shot and just as hansome is about to take another bite, the apple explopdes (localized explosion, no fire or smoke, just chunks of apple) and covers his face with light green goo.

Shot14

The ugly wizzard turns back around chuckleing, apparently convinced that the matter is over and he ended up on top of that one.

Shot15

Cut back to hansome wizzard, now angry. He wipes the goo from his face, staring with absolute mallice. He donkey kicks the tree and swipes his wand as if drawing a sword. As the apples fall from the tree, they are grabbed as if by force they all begin to fly over the gap.

Shot16

This is the introduction to the old man. We see himleaving his house, wooden zimmer frame in hand. The next few shots are supposed to be a mini montage of him doing little pottering jobs, eg feed ducks, read the paper, water his flowers.

Shot17

The next important shot is from low down, looking up at him. The two hills are framed. Almost like a "cloverfield WOAH" shot, shakey cam, we see a cloud of apples shoot into the air between the hills, the shakey cam folow as the old man turns to see. The apples rain down out of sight onto top of hill.

Shot18

The old man throws wooden zimmer down, looks shocked and starts to run, wimpering (see monsters inc 2619!!!!!)

Shot19

Cut to a shot of the ugly wizzard, whos hill is coated with half crushed apples, however, the ugly is hunched up, standing on 1 foot is fine. He realizes this and, sudenly confident, swipes his wand , at which point a skull and cross bones smoke icon bursts out. As this happens, the apples shoot back.

Shot20

A camera freely following the arc of the flying apples shows us that they are morphing into apple styled missiles.

Character Draft v01

Here was the first draft at creating the Crude/ugly Wizard. I tried to develop the style of having hard features we have been talking about, but we all agree that harsh edges isn't the way to go and feel that we need to tone it down and try capture character through features and shape so I plan to really develop this and try to get a better form and structure to the face. This was a quick draft though just to get into 3D and start to develop our concept.

Character Sheets v01

Steph has now handed me these character sheets  that I now plan to develop in 3D so we can refine the shape and develop the style. We like the difference in proportions and already we getting the idea of hair concept.

Below are quick images of the base mesh I plan to go into Zbrush with. They are very simple shape with block-out topology, as I plan to develop the look of the characters first before I get into topology animation ready meshes.

Character Concept Development

Here is the concepts from Steph for both wizards, she labeled them so we can all vote on what one we like and we could try develop that style abit more. Overall we agree that 1 was the most favourite but we wanted to try make the shape abit less stretched with more of a bigger head but we like the path we are going on.

 For the handsome wizard we like is maybe a mixture of 4 and 5. The idea is that Steph will get a shape idea, then I will create a simple base mesh and start sculpting in Zbrush.

First Character Concepts

Here are the first concepts from Steph of the two wizards. First image is of the concepts for both wizard, we like the idea of a long oddly proportioned head. The more deformed the better, as we want him to look as ugly as we can. Also we wanted to add nice form to the characters, not just smoothed out shapes.  On the other hand we want the handsome wizard to be perfect, we want him to look bold and handsome. But we want people to not love him, like if he was a hero so the idea of how he moves and looks will be key.

After looking at that image we gave Steph some feedback on how to develop the characters more. We wanted more handsome for the vein wizard and more deformed, ugly style for the crude wizard.