Post Analysis
The whole journey of advanced animation was a huge challenge to me this year. I learn and gain a lot of new skills and also have a little more confidence in my 3D work, but the progress involved a lot lot lot of hard work than last two years, and full of feeling lost, frustrating and even nearly collapse.
1. At the beginning of my project, I was planned to work on three scenes:
Scene 1. Jinni walked out of her room sadly and she hard to breathe. then it feels like the room is filling water.
Scene 2. Jinni hard to breathe, which feels like dropping into a deep pool.
She struggles to reach the top of the pool ( tried to breath)
Scene 3. when Jinni nearly reaches the top of the pool, the memory stone hits her back into the water.
Jinni tries to swim out of the water, and finally, she holds a bar and gets out of the water ( she could breathe normally again)
However, the time was limited, I cut Scene 3 out, and only done Scene1 and 2.
(planned storyboard)
2. I generally followed the project pipeline.
The original plan:
I didn't have to do the pre-vision, as I spent so much time learning and testing the VFX I need in my project.
The other big mistake I made was I was too rush to work on the clothes without my own model. End up the clothes that I made wasn't fit my model and I have to adjust a lot. The better process would be: made my own model first, and bring it to MD and made the clothes. It would be good to have a nice A post to start. As T pose might not let the top flat enough to see whether was a suit on the model.
2.1 I figured out how to make clothes in Marvelous Designer.
I searched for clothes pattern in fashion books and made the top, which looked fine to her.
However, the skirt was a little problem.
I made a general pleat skirt, but her waist wasn't smooth as my design.
I searched online and found a way to make a round skirt:
It looked better, but still not enough pleat as I planned. Therefore, I added internal lines for pleat on the round skirt. Finally, the skirt was the one I wanted. I also used the heavy fabric, so the skirt was acting as uniform skirt.
I want to modify the top into a more box look. With a fashion study friend's help, I changed the top pattern again. I also used the collar line to make the big sailor collar stayed down.
I learnt using Subtant Paint to add the details of the top.
the final look was pretty good.
2.2 Then did my general model Jinni, and rigging it. I learnt how to bake the Maximo action into Jinni, and learn to use MD to simulate the clothes.
I got a big problem is the model with rig was bigger than the model I used for made clothes. I found I can easily select the whole clothes and enlarge or smaller it and move onto the model's body.
Finally, I've made Jinne fell with her clothes nicely.
2.3 I learnt how to use nCloth to simulate Jinni's hair when she moves.
As Jinni's ponytail was a separate part of the head, I had to find a way to let it stick on her head.
I used Point to the Surface in nConstraint. On my easy test, it was working.
However, when I added the real falling action, the ponytail couldn't stay, so I had to use the Transform Constraint.
2.4 As the fringe was done by pieces, I can't use the nCloth, I used the blend-shape for the actions of the fringes.
If I got more time I might try the hair rigging. (as below)
2.5 I learnt how to add details and texture in Zbrush and Substant Painter.
One mistake I made was, I didn't layout the UV properly before I bring the file into Zbrush and Substant Painter. So when I link the map back to the Maya model, the texture didn't look right.
( the most use of this two software are the hair and the faces)
Link the gloss map to model
2.6 I learnt how to use Bifrost Boss to make the water wave.
2. 7 when I got most of the VFX I need to learn, I built my story room.
2.8 I learnt how to use Bifrost Liquid for the water filling the room scene
3. Once I learnt all the VFX and test them, I started putting everything together.
3.1 on the first scene, as I did Jinni's walking in Maya, but simulate the clothes in MD. I didn't realise her hand would hold her skirt up when her hand got too close to her leg.
So I have to adjust the action in Maya.
3.2 When I tried to render, all the shades weren't linked properly.
I have to go to path editor to check and relink all the shade:
I find the Liquid scene could render in the render farm, but the boss for water waving, I have to use the individual computer to render.
3.3 On Scene one, I was working on the lighting a lot. I was very happy withe the result.
3.4 Although I figured out how to make the water fill the room by Bifrost Liquid, for rendering the scene, I have to cache the Liquid, which was different from boss, nCloth, or Fluids. Therefore, I searched it again. It had to cache the liquid into mesh first. Then made Alembic Cache the mesh again. Then delete the liquid effect, but leave the liquid mesh for rendering.
On the other hand, I could add material for the liquid mesh after I did the Alembic cache. At the first, I used half milk and half clean water for the mesh material, but the liquid looked a little like solid liquid.
So, I changed the liquid mesh material into 100% clean water, and render it again.
3.5 As the liquid scene need too much time to render, I tried to render it in Layer: Liquid and Jinni without the room. However, it was faster, the liquid shining like plastic and it won't transparency.
So, I have to render it with the room togehter.
Shot 3:
Shot 4:
As on Shot3, Jinni was too hard to breathe and fell behind, which was more connected with she dropped into the water scene.
Scene2_Shot 1
Flicking Medal on the wall:
3.8 On Scene 2 Shot 1, when Jinni drop into the water, the water surface need a water ripple, as the concept drawing:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-8ow82gQw8)
I would try it later to complete my project.
3.9 I tried different ways of layer render for Jinni with the bubbles.
1) Jinni and bubble render separately.
It is very fast, but when I compose the video, it's hard to get the right amount of bubbles in front of the Jinni.
2) Jinni with the bubble together without the background.
Make Dom light don't show in the camera:
This time the problem was the buttle were like blue balls, but not quite like bubbles, even when I compose with a water background.
3) Render Jinni, bubble with the Dom light background. It was the best look. Although would be a little hard to compose the water background in After Effect, but the bubbles were looks much real.
3.10 Swimming action in Scene 2
I wanted to bake a swimming action from Maximo to Jinni, however, the swimming action was to go forward but not swim up. Also, as Maximo's action got too many details on each of the frames, it was way too hard to modify. Therefore, I only used it as a reference and made the swimming action by pose to post.
Once I did the first cycle of swimming, I wanted to just repeat the swim action. I used the
Curves> Post Infinity> Cycle, and used Cycle with Offset for hip control ( the whole body will move forward) however, the feet or kneed would pull back after the first cycle. I've checked the graphic curves or action layers, I could not solve the problem.
At the end, after I'd done the first swimming cycle, I copied and paste the key points to the timeline. Finally, it worked.
3.11 As the swimming action was too big, the clothes simulate weren't perfect, and the body would come out sometimes. ( I simulate twice, but I got the same results.)
Therefore, my solution was to copy the clothes mesh from the previous frame, and adjust on Jinni's body and made the mesh only show on certain frames.
In inclusion, I finish my project on time and used a lot of new software, such as Zbrush, Substance Painter, Marvelous Designer. I used a lot of new skill in Maya such as nCloth, Bifrost Boss, Bifrost Liquid, and Particles. My project wasn't perfect as I planned. I didn't make the splash of scene 3 and didn't have time to render 3D into 2D animation. My animation part needs a lot of work as the action was not smooth at all. I will continue the project and try to polish it more and hopefully could be done nicely next year.
Thanks so much to my tutor Rachel and my classmate Nathaniel. Without your help and encouragement, I won't able to reach this point. I am very proud of what I learned and achieve this year. It's hard but worth it. :)
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