Final Stamp Renders.

Well the wait is over. Here are my Final 3 Stamp Renders.

I will start will start with my Koi Design.

After adding the backdrop and the right lighting, I think I got it looking pretty good. However I was toern between 2 Final Designs on this stamp, so I have 1 with a single Koi, and one with Multiple Koi.

Here was my second stamp idea, A snake about to pounce!

I originally was only going to render the head of the snake, coming towards the screen, mouth open wide. However once i started making it, I couldnt stop myself from making the whole snake.

I also made a nice rock for it to sit on, and put in a backdrop which matched the rock.

The lighting I chose gave a warm hue to the image, to give the impression the snake is sitting in the desert light.

My Final stamp is of our Solar System.

This stamp took me quite a long time, as I had to create all of the materials for the planets out of images i found on the internet. This was tricky as the material had to wrap around each panetary body.

I added a plane in the background, which i textured with an image of space.

For lighting, I added an Omni light, which i coloured yellow, and placed in the very corner of the scene, which turned out looking like the Sun, which i had not originally intended.

Finishing Up.

Just added the finishing touches to my Models, and rendered them in photoshop into their final stamp designs. Quite pleased with how they turned out, although I'm sure if I had had more time to work with the program, I could have mastered alot more of the features.
I have read through a number of the other blogs from around the group, and I'm impressed by the work that has been turned out... Well Done Guys!

I will be adding up the Final Stamp Images tomorrow, as I don;t want to give away the final designs until the last minute ;).

Creating my Koi - Write-Up

Updating this blog, seeing as Saturday is the hand in date haha.

Ill run through how I created my Koi fish, its environment, the lighting and the textures, and then finally how I made the 3D Model into a stamp design.

I started my Koi, design by creating a 3D plane, which I materialised with an image of a Koi. This acted as a template for me to base the shape of the fish around.
I used a capsule shape to create the main body, and tweeked it into shape using the Soft Selection tool. I deliberately flattened the head end so I could just concentrate on the body for this part.


Now I could make the other main features of the fish, the head, the tail, and the dorsil fin.
For the tail and dorsil fin, I used a very thing box, which I pinched and tweeked with the soft selection to create the shapes you se here. I finished them off with a turbo smooth to get rid of any lumps or bumps.
For the Head, I used a sphere, which I elongated into a rugby ball shape.
I then cut this in half, deleting one half of the head, and with Richards help, used a mirror tool, which allowed me to tweek one side of the head, whereas infact both sides would be modified. This helped me create the head alot faster than I initially thought.


Next, I created the material for the body.
For this I used photoshop, and created a camo pattern, consisting of red pink and white colours.
On a seperate layer, I created scale shapes using a brush preset I created. once these were layered over one another, it gave the impression of fish scales, that differentiated in colour all over the body.
I did initially try to find some actual Koi scales on the internet to use, however most images were too small, and would have come out incredibly grainy.





Whilst in photoshop, I also created a material for my backdrop, which I will go into more detail with later on...


Now back to the Koi. I applied the material to the body of the fish, then opened up the UVW Maping editor, to ensure the material was sitting on the body right. To do this I had to indivually stitch together the pixels so that everything aligned correctly.


Now i created the front fins on the Koi, and gave it a quick render to see where I stood at currently.


To give the fish abit more realisim, i tweked the fins and the tail so it look like they had a ripple to them, which gave the impression the fish was moving around in the water.


Here is a shot of the whole fish after these processes. This saw the Koi model finished.


Now I had create a backdrop for my fish.
I decided to create what looked like the bottom of a pond, seeing as this is where you are most likely to find Koi.
To do this I created a box, flattened it using the scale editor, and tweeked it with soft selection, finishing it off with a turbo smooth.
It looked like this.


I wasnt really happy with how it looked, but instead of changing it, I decided to clone it numerous times, layering each one over another. This ended up turning out pretty well. And after adding the material to the floor, it looked even better.
To give the impression that the Koi was in water, i added a target spotlight, which i then added a volume effect too, with a slight green hue.
Prior to rendering, it looked like this.


I then decided to multiply the Koi, so it looked like my original Koi had some friends and family!
Here is the Final Render of my Koi Model.

Progress.

Here is the image I said I would post a few posts below. This is how the Koi will look in the finished stamp design, apart from a couple of little finishing touches.
This image does not show the background or the other elements i have created, so you will have to wait until next week to see that ;).

BBC - Life.

Again if you havent been following this series on television you are missing out!
Seriously this series is amazing. I even went out and bought the book to accompany the series, its that good.
I have always loved nature, and this program shows you how amazing every type of animal around the world is, and how unique they all are.
I will no doubt be buying the DVD for it soon aswell!

An Update?!

I thought I had updated my blog recently but obviously not.
My first 3D is done; the Koi Fish. After much fiddling around and getting it looking how I wanted it to look it is finally there. I have one hitch in the model though, the material on the body of the fish. It seems to revert to a weird position everytime I reopen the file. I'm sure Richard can help me out with this, as the UV Mapping technique was quite tricky to use.
The other 2 models are well under way and one is nearing completion. I managed to get a copy of the 3D Studio Max software at home, which was useful as it means I didnt have to make the trip to the university campus whenever I wanted to work on my ideas.
I will post up a screen shot I made of the Koi before completion so you can see where it was going.

Progress on the Koi.

Creating a Koi in 3D is turning out a bit more complex than I expected.
Probably wasnt the easiest option I could have taken, but it's getting there.
Here is a snippet of some progress on it before the remaining smaller features and textures.
Stay tuned to Koi TV.

Creating My Koi.

Here is an image showing part of the process of how I am creating my Koi body at the start of the creation process.

S.W.O.T.

Strengths.
The one idea I have come up with so far is fairly complex which means that the end result should be very appealing.
I am also confident I can produce an accurate representation in the software for my stamp design, as I have worked with a number of other 3D applications throughout my schooling years.
Weaknesses.
My first idea weakens in the fact that it will be hard to recreate in 3D S Max. Also, this is completely new software for me, so my experience in other software isn't going to help out a great amount this time around.
Opportunities.
Richard helped me to master the symmetry modifier tool, which will help this first design out alot.
Im sure I can incorporate the use of it into my other ideas when they arise aswell.
Targets.
I hope to have come up with my other 2 ideas by next week, and to have finished my first stamp design in 3D by next class. Only time will tell.

Nature Shock - The Whale that ate the Great White.

Here is another television documentary I watched the other week. Its part of the Nature Shock series on Five (channel 5) and covers a dramatic event when the one of the top predators in the sea, the Great White Shark, became the prey for the first time to another predator, the Killer Whale.

Here is the HTML address which links you directly to the Episode if you wish to see it:

The Whale that ate the Great White

BBC Television Series - Life.

Many people may ave posted this already in their blogs, but it's not going to stop me posting it.
The BBC is currently showing a series entitled Life.
It is narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and each episode is dedicated to one of the types of the Animal Kingdom, such as Mammals, Reptiles, Insects etc.
I have been watching the whole series, and it has really opened to my eyes up to the Animal Kingdom, and just how vast it is.
I have always been interested in animals, and the different sorts you can find here, and around the world. But this series shows that there is so much more to the Animal Kingdom than what initially meets the eye.
If you have not yet watched it you really should as the show is great, and I guarantee you wont stop watching it once you have started.

Here is a link to the BBC's Website for Life:

BBC - Life

And here is the link to the BBC iPlayer for the Life Episodes:

BBC iPlayer - Life

Making a Fish Tutorial.

When I started looking at how to create my Koi design in 3D S Max, I stumbled across a tutorial for making a basic fish on YouTube.
This should help me get started on my idea, I hope!
Here are all the 4 parts of the tutorial, so that everyone can have a look and maybe have a go too.

Idea for Stamp No.1

I watch a lot of documentary programs, and one of my favourites is Miami Ink.
I love tattoos. I have one myself, and I plan to have alot more.
One of my favourite types of tattoos is the Japanese Koi Fish tattoo.
I love the bold lines you get with these types of tattoos, that really makes them stand out and catch your eye. For my first stamp, I think I am going to encorporate this type of design into a 3d rendering. the tattoo style links to my earlier research on Pop-Art and Japanese Art, with the bold lines and simple colours of the Pop-Art theme, and the soft and sutble shading from the Japanese side.

Christmas Stamps.

Every year, my mum always seems to get brand new Christmas stamps to use when she sends out Christmas cards. And very year I notice that there is always new designs, and alot of designs for a single year. Here is a little selction I found of previous Christmas stamps.

Insect Stamps.

When I was searching for existing stamp designs, I came across these Royal Mail stamps that contain images on insects. Pretty unusual!

Royal Mail Stamps.

Here are the current Royal Mail 1st and 2nd Class stamps.
This gives an idea for the size we will be working with, although obviously these images are not to scale!

Pumpkin.

Richard gave us a tutorial today on how to create lighting and change it so that it sets the mood for the scene.
He is my effort, using Richards pumpkin object, which we all used as a base.

Searching for Ideas - Pop Art

Pop Art is a form of art I have admired for many years. Throughout my schooling years, I would always pick Pop Art subjects to work with in Art class, from my first year at GCSE through to the last of A-Level, and it is still something I like to look at these days.
One of the biggest Pop Artists that established the whole subject was my favourite Pop Artist, Roy Lichtenstein.
His works are some of the most recognised in the Pop Art culture, although not many people would know who he was and that he created these masterpieces.
The bright bold colours in the pieces he created influence me greatly, although the themes he picked is not something I will be following for this project.
I hope to encorporate some of his design into my pieces.

Searching for Ideas - Japenese Art

Time to start genertibng some ideas for my stamp designs.
Going along the biodiversity theme, I have decided to go for a more abstract approach to my designs, rather than lifelike themes. I want to make my stamps bold and bright, that stand out from the flat blank evevelop they will be placed upon.
I have started researching ideas by looking at traditional japanese artwork. for hundreds of years, japanese artists have created pieces along the theme of nature, and have been inspired by the natural surroundings they encounter. However, a lot of older japanese art pieces use pastel type colours, which arent as bright as the more modern pieces you might find.

Rendering.

Tried out some rendering methods today. created a quick apple and chopping board on 3DSMAX, then rendered them with some Bitmap images. I rendered the apple in an apple texture, and the chopping board in a rusty metal texture. Both came out rather well for a first attempt.

Coming along...

After only 2 sessions of working with 3D Studio Max, I feel quite comfortable around the software already. Richard really helps out around the group, and that helps all of us advance in our own ways. We have learned a good number of cool techniques on the software and I feel that over the next few weeks, all of us will get alot better at using the program.
I'm looking foward to creating some really interesting and complex objects in the software.

Chess Piece.

Following one of Richards tutorials, I managed to create this rather nice Chess Piece, this piece in particular being a Rook.

Fruit.

Tried creating some fruit today in 3D Studio Max.
Richard gave us all the task to create a banana, and best one wins a thumb's up. (yayyy...).
Anyways here's my attempt. Not too bad, but if I had had slightly more time I could have created something alot better.

First Moodboard.

Created a quick Moodboard this evening in Photoshop. Just a quick selection of a few animals from a wide range of the Animal Kingdom. This just shows the kind of diversity there is in the animal world.
I will be adding more boards soon, for different areas the Biodiversity theme.

First Experience with 3D Studio Max.

Today we also had a quick go at the new software we will be using this semester. Its called 3D Studio Max and is made by a company called Autodesk. Autodesk are a company a few of us in the class are familiar with, as we use other Autodesk programs in other classes, which should, in theory, make working with this bit of kit a little bit easier.
Reading through a tutorial Richard gave us via his own blog, we set to work creating some masic objects in the program, and changing their colours, positioning and sizes.
He also gave a couple of us a quick snippet of how to animate the objects. He showed us how to animate lighting, so that the light source revolves around the object we have created, which looked really cool.
Will hopefully get some images up on here next time, as i need to find myself a new Memory Stick!

Got my Briefs...

...fresh out the wash. But on a serious note... Got the Semester 1 Brief today for the 3D Modelling and Animation subject. The 3D postage stamp conecpt seems pretty cool and I should be able to come up with a few relatively interesting ideas for the final design. Working with some 3D software is gonna be a change from all the photoshopping we did last year anyway!
We are to make 3 Postage Stamps along a 'Biodiversity' theme. Which is a pretty wide variety of subjects, and could mean that everyone in the class comes up with 3 completely individual ideas.
Not sure how the size is going to work out for this project. Looks to me like it could be pretty tricky to come up with a design which is eye-catching on such a small scale, but we will see how it goes.
Looking foward to working with the new software and learning a completely new part of the Design spectrum.