Polycount contest

Chat about various topics.

Re: Polycount contest

Postby Stormy on Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:10 pm

SmileTime wrote:use the particle stream to guide the eye past the crowd of onlookers


I can't believe we didn't think of this.
User avatar
Stormy
May Contain Skills
May Contain Skills
 
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 6:03 am
Location: Cairns, QLD, AUS

Re: Polycount contest

Postby Major Banter on Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:31 pm

There is a subsection to the rule of thirds, and it links into what SmileTime is saying about composition; the lazy Z principle, better known as the z pattern. Doesn't matter if you're 5 or 50 and a professional artist, your eyes naturally do this on anything and everything, whether it be a website, an ad, even a video game.

Image

Your eyes sling from top left to top right, across the middle, then along the bottom in a Z shape. You register the information and key points on that Z first, and you will return to them first and last when observing the image. That's why your first composition is so striking, Stormy - you follow the Z pattern straight OUT of the fantasy through the guy's skull along the same gradient and into the real world. Pretty damn striking.

Abuse this trick. It's a real ace in the hole.
ImageImageImage
Major Banter
Veteran
Veteran
 
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:52 pm
Location: UK

Re: Polycount contest

Postby Stormy on Fri Apr 12, 2013 11:06 am

Thanks MB and SmileTime, both golden bits of info. I think we have it now. I am going to use the Z pattern much like that original drawing, the difference being we figured out how to do it in 3d, and I think it will require a bit less than the plan we had going, so we should be able to put a bit of polish on the assets.

image
Using the Z-pattern thing with this angle is going to be the cake. I drew in the Z-pattern so I could place the focus points a bit better. I'm not sure what we will have in the bottom right corner, it seems like a good spot to place something but I don't want to place something for the sake of doing it, it has to add to the picture. Since that area is going to be on a beach (in the dream area, more on that below) it would have to be something that exists in his dream, or on a beach. But I don't think it really needs it. The problem we faced when we originally sketched this out was that the transition between the grey world and the dream was too ambiguous, but I sketched it out in blender (you'll really have to use your imagination to fill the gaps here).

image
The train station will curve around to the left of the screen so we can use the polygons making up the station wall to define our 'rift'. I think if we get Janga to do some fancy dissolving particle effect and maybe have a few of the tiles/bricks floating/peeling away from the wall we can get a nice transition.

My main gripe with this is that we can't really use the particle stream as a way to lead the viewers eye through the crowd. Although it will be running directly down the middle of the Z so I think it still serves to concrete the composition.

The dream world will be a colourful beach scene. I tried to think of something that universally conveyed freedom, and was easy to make and (besides the ocean but I think UDK can handle it) the beach was the only thing that I could think of. It fits the theme, takes relatively little work and sits in with the composition well. Also I want to have some of the beach spilling through the rift and into the real world, perhaps have the character sitting on it. I think this will be a nice touch, to show how much our perception of the world around us really affects what we feel.

SmurftYours has most of the train done and it is looking great. I am working on the main characters head. I will try to get a concrete drawing of the scene done soon and from that we can create an asset list.
User avatar
Stormy
May Contain Skills
May Contain Skills
 
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 6:03 am
Location: Cairns, QLD, AUS

Re: Polycount contest

Postby SmileTime on Sat Apr 13, 2013 10:49 pm

Black_Stormy wrote:Thanks MB and SmileTime[/quote[

I'm glad I could say something useful.

My main gripe with this is that we can't really use the particle stream as a way to lead the viewers eye through the crowd. Although it will be running directly down the middle of the Z so I think it still serves to concrete the composition.


If you flipped the environment and moved the character farther left, or fiddled with camera angle, you could, if you wanted. Having those particles spiral around a pillar might be neat too.

Please keep continue these in-depth updates they are very interesting to read.

I hope you guys win!
SmileTime
Member
Member
 
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2013 6:51 pm

Re: Polycount contest

Postby Stormy on Sat May 25, 2013 3:13 am

This fell to the wayside because of time constraints and also because I pretty much gave up when I saw some of the WIP threads. Goddamn some of their stuff is beautiful. Now that the entries are in I honestly think we had a better idea than 70% of the other entrants. I'd like to continue this slowly and steadily between projects, see how it goes.
User avatar
Stormy
May Contain Skills
May Contain Skills
 
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 6:03 am
Location: Cairns, QLD, AUS

Re: Polycount contest

Postby Major Banter on Sat May 25, 2013 12:27 pm

Well that's annoying. I'm pretty damn sure we could've been up with the big boys. Ah well.
ImageImageImage
Major Banter
Veteran
Veteran
 
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:52 pm
Location: UK
Previous

Return to General Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users

cron