Creating new topology for the knee joint, for good deformation

During the paint weights process I realised that the geometry I'd created (particuarly the knee joints and shoulder joints) would have poor deformation...

So, whilst it was time consuming, I decided to make my existing model a live surface and re draw the topology with the Maya quad draw tool.

tip: if the quad draw tool begins to lag, then delete history..

I then selected my geometry, and exported the selection as an .obj file. imported it directly into my scene that includes my rig, made sure everything was lined up and re-skinned it...

Below is a shot of the old knee topology and the new knee topology.

Although my ice men won't move much, they do need have a lot of knee, shoulder and hip deformation, and this process was definitely a great practice exercise in modelling

Painting skin weights in Maya

Painting skin weights on a rainy Saturday...and my print screen function with my new dual screen set up, captures both monitors!

Scene set up for shot_12

Setting up shot_12, using a still of the timelapse footage as a backdrop.

Next is painting skin weights so that the geometry deforms correctly. Although these ice men won't move like real people would, the geometry needs to deform correctly, particuarly around the knees, armpits and hips...

Previs for Thaw

    Previs for Thaw. 

Good to see in this rough Previs how the live action and the animation will work together; and to see that the movement of the ice men needs to adhere to how real ice would behave. Any movement that ice can't do e.g a hand reaching out, moving forward etc will look odd and break the illusion. 

       

Applying a normal map to a mia_material_x

So, after rigging my model I was unable to bind it.

Sang Yu helped me fix some of the geometry and export it as a selection (creating an obj file) and import it back into the scene. This cleared some hidden history and junk that we couldn't detect and then it worked!!

Sang Yu also created a UV map in Zbrush and from that create a normal map using the high poly model I sculpted in Zbrush and applied that as a normal map to my low poly geometry.

So today's work has been testing the textures with the normal map, and beginning to set the scene with a still image (applied as a file node to a polygon primitive plane).

The shader material (as shown in the render panel of a glassy looking figure in front of the sky) is mia_material_x (meaning a mental ray material) with a solid glass preset replacing the default setting. This is the link for the tutorial I followed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuECClDjXNQ&index=29&list=PLR6NkeqscAx1r2b3gn0xPJqqfAe7tIEYy

Below is the final image of where I've got to so far, plus a link to a tutorial in how to apply a normal map to a mia_material_x shader.

http://www.3dtutorials.org/video/5235/mia-material-normal-map-and-bump-map-tutorial/

Workflow process and tests today...
Basic geometry with a standard lambert material and an applied normal map

Blinn material with normal map

Transparency of the Blinn material increased

Transparency increased further

UV snapshot taken and imported into Photoshop with a high res texture file layer,

Texture applied to a file node

Adjusting the transparency settings. I didn't like this version as he looks as if he's made of marble (good to know though)

Testing removing some of the texture in Photoshop and then applying a solid blue layer in Photoshop, so I could see where I'd removed the texture

Removing ice texture and reverting back to a mia_material_x solid glass shader

Mia_material_ x with solid glass preset

With the normal map applied, plus two point lights (one in front of the man and one at the rear) plus a directional light which illuminates the backdrop

Using the relationship editor and the light linking option - to remove the translucent shadows on the backdrop, caused by the point lights highlighting the character

Green screen shooting with the 4K PANASONIC DVX200

Filming with the 4K Panasonic DVX200 in the green screen studio at DJCAD.

Malcolm Finnie was absolutely brilliant and so was Kerry Flemming.

I printed off my storyboards, including the timings for each shot. Once the camera was set up, I filmed all shots that included that particular camera angle (therefore the action wasn't shot necessarily in sequence).

I had a copy of my Previs on a pen drive, so could have it playing on a loop on the TV monitor,

This was particularly for lighting changes, where the sun comes out in the time-lapse footage, in case I needed to shield the lights (red heads) with a lighting flag.

In the event, I didn't need to do that, as the lighting effects will be done in post production, but none the less it was good to have it as back up reference. I used one stand alone red head light (as shown in the pics) to give a rim light to Kerry's face.

At one point I asked Malcolm if the tear in shot 19 could be created in post-production. "No." was the answer. So it was up to Kerry to produce a tear.....which she did!!

I'd allocated 2 days for filming, but with a great actress, Malcolm Finnie and lots of preparation we wrapped in 1.5 hours!

Next the shots were downloaded from the camera (bottom right pic) and uploaded into Adobe Prelude. 

Backed up onto two computer server systems at uni, plus my portable hard drive.

All of this will be comped together in Nuke....

Paper copies of the shot lists below were on set, so all of us could refer to them for shot set up, and where the CGI elements would be in comparison to the live action. Plus these lists were crucial to give Kerry a good idea of eye-line and how long to hold a pose for...

Modelling a 3D tree

So on reflection, the idea of having the ice men on top of a snowy hill doesn't work. The hill would also need to melt and I then miss out on the shots of the dripping ice men onto the ground.

So I've decided to place a model tree, into the silver cloud time lapse footage...

And! Have managed to model this tree - sooooo simple, using cylinders, lattice deformers and duplicates of the same branch...all snapped onto the main tree trunk with the 'make object live' command...

Now to UV map it and make sure the resolution is the same for all the branches....