Statue UV, Texturing and Bump-mapping

After creating the UV mapping I used some of my concept are and Photoshop to create the texture, I kept importing it into Maya in order to see how it all fit together, to make sure there weren't any major flaws. This took a long time, and there are still some areas I may go back and fix later.

I then experimented a little with the bump-map, adding textures and then smoothing out some areas etc, (making sure the leaves weren't textured like worn rock). I like the effect but may have to alter some of it, (some cracks still look painted on etc).

 Bump-map:

Visiting Speaker - Andy Peers

A while ago we had a guest speaker, Andy Peers who worked for Love Enterprise, who spoke about the importance of having and keeping values when it comes to choosing the route through work you will take. Basically don't sell out and keep true to what you believe in, such as loyalty and honesty etc.

It seemed a strange topic to be discussed as most of it seemed to be common sense, that our main values would be things such as fairness etc but I suppose it was done to make us consciously recognise what it is we truly want to achieve and how we go about it.

What really struck me was this video he showed us, which is incredibly powerful and moving :

Sculpting the Statue

I sculpted the statue using my images as references, I tried to keep the poly-count low without skimping on the actual quality of the model, this now needs to be textured etc.

Statue Concept

I've gone back on my alien design, as I didn't like it too much, so have tried to find a middle ground between that and my initial Statue concept:

This is what I've ended up with. It occurred to me, the statue should be some form of HEADLIGHT for the ship!! So the eyes would glow, and wires/technology would spill from it, giving it a more technological and alien feel - instead of just an old relic feel.

Main Tree in Progress

Photos - Gathering Textures and Ideas

Over Easter I took some Photos of things I thought would be useful to my setting development, I have some textures I may be able to incorporate into the actual models UV map, as well as collecting some Ideas for other components of the ship - such as cogs and broke crates etc.

Colours and Concepts

I can't seem to come to a decision when it comes to the overall colour scheme of my environment, sometimes I want it a range of greens and blues, and then other times I want it more copper colours, with a golden light. Then I saw some of the concept art for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

I really like the watercolour style used  here - the way blue seems to seep into the picture, there's an old ancient rustic feel which I want to capture.

So I'm thinking I'll colour my tree and other components with a slight range of colours (as shown in my concept above -but stronger as this is quite faded and rough).

Rough Plans around a Tree

Some really rough sketches/plans for the layout of my scene.

 I like the idea of a Tree growing over the ship, to illustrate it's been there so long, so the idea of the roots covering a door also allows the option of leading to an entrance to the rest of the ship (if it were a level), and at least makes it seem there's a way out or way in etc.

I roughly layer out my idea in Unity to have an awareness of space (this is then edited on photoshop). There are basically 3 main pieces to the set, a tree, the statue and the relic of the ship. There then will be additional pieces of debris, such as cogs, planks of wood/metal etc.

American Beauty

I had completely forgotten about the film America Beauty. And I. Don't. Know. Why. 
It was only when I was watching The Hunger Games thinking 'I KNOW that actor with the GLORIOUS beard, where is he from?' that I re-discovered this brilliant film. (After an obligatory wiki search it turns out the actor was Wes Bentley - he plays Ricky Fitts in American Beauty)


It's ridiculous how many times I've re-watched this film now, to the point where it's safe to say it's one of my favourites. It's just, clever and pretty and so good.

The film handles themes of being trapped, illustrating them through constant use of frames - be it of windows or computer screens etc, but without making it obvious. The distance between character's had been carefully storyboarded and designed to highlight a sense of alienation, this in turn causes the slow-motion dream sequences and hand-held camera work of Ricky to be more powerful and create a sense of beauty.


The film's not flashy, it's got a simplicity to it which allows the actors performances to shine through (and by having two weeks of 'rehearsals' before shooting the actors seem to be at ease with one another and their part, especially Kevin Spacey - who plays Lester Burnham - who is just fantastic). Director Sam Mendes, who originates from a career in Theatre direction, has said it's importance to 'have confidence in what's happening' and not to 'cut to avoid being boring' so allows a lot of stillness in the performances and the camera movements, using slow push-ins and holding moments with the edit. I find this really appealing as you're not distracted by super intense close-ups or quick needless cuts and instead are held by the story.


It's really mesmerising how fluid the film is, it easily changes tone and pace throughout - there's a scene, for example, in which the viewer is seamlessly transferred from a story in one house to another, through the use of the hand-held camera, which just runs so smoothly the transition isn't noticed. This fluidity and all the emotions and stillness is captured and enhanced in the soundtrack which is absolutely beautiful. It has a simplistic yet haunting quality which is just...stunning really.


It's a brilliant film that, despite at times seems a little bleak, has the ability to create hope and well worth watching. And listen to the soundtrack. Go on. Now. 

Ricky Van Veen on College Humor

I've been watching College Humor videos for a couple of years now, so found this interview with the Co-Founder Ricky Van Veen really interesting, as he talks about it's constant development and the importance of original content:


(Two more parts to this interview)

Van Veen highlights the importance of sites such as Facebook and Youtube and how integral they are to the distribution of videos. He also gives an insight into the funding side of internet based content - for example getting a sponsor and advertisements.