Setting the Scene

Scene Blocking

 First I set out the scene using simple shapes.

update 06/03/2017
Here I practiced getting the lighting and rendering correct. I feel it is looking good at the moment. The scene is very appealing and will look interesting when animated. The challenge is not getting render times that are too long.

I also modeled a little mouse with a suitcase for the end scene.

downloaded textures

http://www.textures.com/

http://www.textures.com/download/substance0002/125724?q=marble

http://www.textures.com/download/wallpaperforties0013/18831?q=wallpaper

https://uk.pinterest.com/coleyanna19/art-textures/

Rigging and Skinning the Character

Rigging

The rigging process was straightforward. I used an automatic rigging system which saves allot of time. This involved being accurate in where the joints would be positioned. especially in the fingers and hand area. 

Skinning

Fingers

DQ weight map adds easier manipulation of finger joints.

Skinning of the fingers. My character is extremely expressive with hand gestures so the skinning has to be top notch.

The jaw rig has been skinned. I will use blend shapes to alter the different shapes that the mouth makes in speech. 

The rig also has a jaw Which I improved on by adding a tounge and extra joints to control the top teeth.

Testing out the skinning

Here is an example of the movement that my rig will allow. It has loads of useful features that will help when animating.

Eye controls

Eye controls The eyes have been parented to the rest of the controls with an aim constraint. This allows me to control the direction the character is looking.

Experiment Animatic

This short animatic takes the storyboard and times it with the dialogue and sound effects. So far a rough animatic of the dialogue has been done here is how it looks so far.

It is useful to see how the dialogue and tone of John Cleese voice works with the poses however thsi will require further tweaking

Texture Research

The Face and Skin

For the face I want to to give Basil a stylized but believable face texture.
Here is a detailed photo of John Cleese Face. I hope to exaggerate features such as the wrinkles on the forehead and under the eyes. To add exaggeration I thought I could darken under the eyes to make my version of Basil more creepy.

basil face reference

I feel like having a close up reference of Basil's face will help me when texturing the character.








image references

https://uk.pinterest.com/sparklyjenny/fawlty-towers/http://teresachinn.co.uk/communication-switching-on-and-basil-fawlty/

UV Unwrapping the Character

Face UV mapping

For the face I decided to learn how to do a more complicated UV map to add more freedom when painting the face. The process involved using the automatic mapping on the face and then stitching it and unwrapping is as I went along.

The next step was to stitch the two sides of the face together and then stretching out the UVs.

Lastly I used a tool called unwrap that automatically soften out the map.

Finished face UV map

Using Photoshop the skin and hair has been painted in simple texture. The map will go through more alterations in the future. I hope to add more attention to detail in the texturing.




update 06/03/2017
I eventually went back and improved the texturing of both the face and clothes here is an update of the character using the the mental ray skin shader.

Improved StoryBoard

An improved look of my storyboard. I decided to get some more feedback. turns out my drawings were to rigid and didn't flow right. So I re-did the poses and even added an introduction establishing shot of the hotel. This was to add more context to the story.

Character Modeling update

Eyes

Eye lid shape here the character will now be able to blink. His eyes have been modeled closed so it is easier to open and shut them when he blinks.



Modeling Hands

since I know hand topology I decided to model a more complicated hand with more realistic proportions.

I gave my character 4 fingers and a thumb, This is more realistic and more importantly will allow more expressive finger gestures.

The fingers are very bony based off my own hands. John Cleese is very tall and bony so thin fingers will fit with the overall appeal.

The hand here is looking good in proportions but might simplify some of the topology near the thumb. The Model has finger nails which make it feel more believable.



Overall improvement to the face and mustache.

Pinterest board

Here is alink to my pinterest where I collect inspiration for my project https://uk.pinterest.com/patcleve101/facial-animation-influence/

Further Research and Alterations

I decided the amount of dialogue was too much so I am cutting it down to 

“You ponce in here expecting to be hand-waited on hand and foot! well I'm trying to run a hotel here!"

I feel this is a good decision the beginning at a second glance doesn't make as much sense. The animation will start off with a short introduction showing the hotel reception and the sound of chaos going on in the background.

This will go on for 2 or 3 seconds followed by a camera cut to the hotel bell.

The bell will be rung basil will pop out from behind the desk. then an anticipation before going into the dialogue.

This will keep the animation to a set time that still lasts for more than 10 seconds. However this will require further study of John Cleese mannerisms and body language.

Topology reference for character

Here is the topology reference for my character. I feel that the topology lines are accurate and if you followed this guide it would be easier to model. The use of colour coding it also makes it more precise for each area of the face. Good topology is crucial for rigging skinning and most importantly manipulating the character.    

Semester Calender

link to calender
<iframe src="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=patcleve101%40gmail.com&ctz=Europe/London" style="border: 0" width="800" height="600" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>