Galactic Empires

I've been hard at work over the last few days trying to get some work together for consideration in a game I play called Galactic Empires, available on the app store here for free.The game is currently going through an overhaul, and they're looking to replace some of their in game images. Because the game is essentially a space combat sim, I took the time out to do some 3D models in the hope that they could be included. I've sent them in and hopefully they'll be used in the overhaul. If not, I still have some great new models on my hands so it's win-win for me.

Here's a quick look at some of what I've done so far:

 The first one being the only complete rendering I'm hoping this will be enough to get me started, and then I can invest the time to finish of the rest.

Useful Programs and Tools

In the interest of full disclosure, this is a shameless plug for the programs I tend to overuse in my spare time. Also note that for nearly all of these I have used the educational versions, which are available (usually) for free from their respective websites. If you decide to have a go yourself, don't forget that they aren't meant to be used for any commercial purposes, and that the cost of the proper, commercially viable versions can cost upwards of $5,000 (I'm looking at you, Autodesk). I've taken the liberty of adding a brief review of each, which an explanation of how they fit into my workflow. I'm going to focus on two programs in particular, and these are the two that I am most familiar with for digital illustration. I may go through some of the 3D Design programs I use at a later point in time.

Yet again this is entirely subjective, and if you have any ideas of how I might improve the process, please feel free to mention it in the comments below. So without further to add, here they are.

Digital Illustration: 

Sketchbook Pro: 

They say:"Autodesk® SketchBook® Pro paint and drawing software enables you to transform your desktop computer, laptop, or tablet PC into the ultimate sketchbook. With professional-quality sketching capabilities and an intuitive interface, even new users can be productive within minutes."

My take: One of the first programs I used for digital illustration, I fell in love with it almost immediately. It might not be the most advanced program on the market, but its simplicity and ability to emulate copic markers (the latest update includes a special copic edition). When I'm using my convertible netbook, this is my program of choice for quick sketches and colour studies. It's a simple, portable and easy to use program that allows you to quickly render out scenes which may or may not require further work.

 Sketchbook Designer:

 They say: "Explore design concepts and produce stunning artwork with Autodesk® SketchBook® Designer illustration software. In addition to the professional-quality sketching capabilities that people have come to expect from Autodesk SketchBook software, SketchBook Designer enables professional designers and artists to use a hybrid paint and vector workflow for concept design illustration and graphic design. Within its intuitive creative environment, even new users can be productive in minutes."

My take: To put it simply, this is Sketchbook Pro on steroids, with the addition of vector illustration tools. Sketchbook Designer offers a ridiculous amount of control, and in my experience compliments Sketchbook Pro nicely. With a robust toolset, and three different illustration options that can be used simultaneously (these are vector, canvas and paint, each with their own layer) it offers a toolset which rivals Adobe's Illustrator.

I've found that using Sketchbook Pro to complete any preliminary sketches and colouring and then bringing it into Sketchbook Designer for further refinement works exceedingly well. You can tidy up line drawings by opening them into Designer and using the vector tool to control your line art nicely. This is especially handy for those who wish to finish up presentation quality renders but find that Sketchbook Pro doesn't offer them the full control they need.

If either of these programs interest you, both have educational versions available from Autodesks website. This does require you to have a student email, and remember again that these aren't meant to be used in a commercial environment. For more information, head to http://students.autodesk.com/.

 

QCA - Griffith University

I thought I should take a quick moment to plug my academic institution of choice, The Queensland College of Art, based within Griffith University. This is the second university I've attended, and comparitively, I think it's a lot better. Admittedly it's a matter of personal taste, but I've found that I can get a lot more time with my lecturers and tutors than if I was in a course or university with thousands of students. The added bonus is that a lot of the lecturers and tutors teach within the same area. So if you're studying 3D Design, you might find yourself with the same lecturer for seperate classes. This is great because it lets you build up a familiarity with them, and certainly makes them all the more approachable.

If you want to check it out for yourself or for someone you know, the link is below. Even if you decide it's not for you I suggest giving it a look in.

http://www.griffith.edu.au/visual-creative-arts/queensland-college-art

3D Studio Max - Group Work.

Easily one of the best group assignments I've been involved in, this was a great collaborative effort between myself, Jorge and Chris. As far as academic results go, we recieved top marks for this effort, and one I'm quite proud of. This was my final render, and while the three of us each went in different directions with our own individual efforts, the final group render is a good collaboration.

I kept my own render dark, as I was trying to create a good contrast through the use of shadows. I think it helped make the form more indentifiable, and I was ecstatic once I got the lighting to work. It took myself and my lecturer a good twenty minutes of experimenting with different reflective materials and testing different lights. In the end it was an architectural material with a ridiculously high radiosity and two free lights which did the trick, with the water only adding to the overall effect. I hope you all like it.

Autodesk Inventor Assignment

As I promised about five minutes ago here's some of my own work from last year. This was an assignment I completed for Parametric Modelling at the Queensland College of Art. It was a learning experience that's for sure, but overall I was fairly happy with the results considering I was new to Autodesk's Inventor. I haven't done any work with it since, rather I've been focusing on 3D Studio Max to get the ball rolling on what will hopefully be a prosperous career in 3D modelling.

These are two of the final renders made using Inventor. It's a simple enough process, but one I was entirely new to. As I mentioned before it was a great learning experience and I strongly recommend anyone who is interested in 3D modelling to give Inventor a try. There are lots of rules and constraints, but coming up with creative solutions to these problems is one of the best things you'lltake away from this program.

 Finally, above you have three simple renders done in Inventor. Not my program of choice for rendering, but since the assignment required its use it worked well enough. I much prefer mentalray or VRay for more robust, realistic rendering.

FZD School Of Design

If you guys ever get the time I strongly suggest checking out the FZD School of Design videos. It's a fantastic learning resource for aspiring digital artists to use. A quick heads up though, rather than being a series built around the fundamentals of good design, this series is more concerned with some techniques used in the industry. I'll post a few other videos from this series later on so keep an eye out.

Later on in the week I should get some of my own work up so keep an eye out for that as well. I'd like to use this as not only a resource for designers out there but also as a showcase for myself. Enjoy.