Layout Deadline #1

Here's what I have so far in terms of layout; the files are available now in the "Layout" folder on Dropbox:



For one reason or another, I can't really get Larry's rig to work. I'm using Maya 2013, but I can only move a few things, like his legs and his eyes. Everything else is stuck. The timing and the camera positioning here are right, even though it probably looks weird. I can continue on, but to anyone unfamiliar with the story, it'll look really odd.

Any suggestions as to how I can get Larry's rig to work are very much appreciated.

A Day in the Park - Story Reel

Some more sound effects added, and a few minor timing tweaks. Enjoy.

Pipeline Structure

It is extremely important that everyone understands the following pipeline rules, naming methods, and how to use dropbox. If you do not have dropbox, please email me, I will send you an invite. It is extremely easy to upload and share files amongst the group. Become familiar with this method.

Folders and organization will be shown in the following example:

The symbol ">" signifies a folder/subfolder).

A,B,C etc is the Letter of the Shot. There are 26 shots, one for each letter of the alphabet A-Z. 

F stands for Frame and will always be followed by .000 (3 decimal places). For Shot F's final renders it will look like this: " Shot_F_F001.tiff "

Things to note: All assets have a shading network. That shading network is attached to the object in the scene. Do not export or import an .obj or that information will be lost. This is especially important for Larry and the Pigeon. Use the .mb files for referencing models and rigs. 

The biggest problem could be that we don't backup our files. YOU will be responsible for backing up your files, always saving them as different names (don't overwrite your files!!) and uploading them to flash drives, hard drives, dropbox, google drive, sending them to yourself in an email, or whatever means necessary. Computers crash, hard drives fail. Be prepared. Once every 2 weeks files will be backed up on a 1TB Hard drive. So be sure to keep your files. Don't delete things until we tell you to. 

Pigeon_Film

>

Models

>

       Larry.mb

       Park_Bench.mb

       Fountain.mb

Layout

>

   Layout_A.mb

   Layout_B.mb

   Layout_C.mb

Rigging

>

   Larry.mb

   Pigeon.mb

 

Animation

> 

   Rough

      >          

       Anim_Larry_A_01.mb

       Anim_Larry_A_02.mb

       Anim_Larry_B_01.mb

       Anim_Pigeon_C_01.mb    

 

   Final

      >

       Anim_Larry_A.mb

       Anim_Pigeon_A.mb

       Anim_Larry_B.mb

       Anim_Pigeon_B.mb

       Anim_Larry_C.mb    

       Anim_Pigeon_C.mb

          

Lighting 

> 

   Rough 

     >

       Light_A_01.mb

       Light_A_02.mb 

       Light_B_01.mb

       Light_C_01.mb

   Final

     >

       Light_A.mb

       Light_A.mb

       Light_B.mb

       Light_C.mb

Textures

>

    Larry_Suit_and_Pants.tiff

    Larry_Hair.tiff

    Pigeon_Feet_Burnt.tiff

    Paper_Sack.tiff

Shaders

>

   Cookie.ma

   Alka_Seltzer_Tablet.ma

Temp Renders

> 

   Passes

                    > 

                         Larry

                                   >  Shot_A_Turn_F111.tiff 

                                       Shot_R_Crouch_F043.tiff

                         Pigeon

                                   >  Shot_K_Swallow_F012.tiff 

                                       Shot_T_Waddle_F043.tiff

                        Small Assets

                                    > Shot_B_Sandwich_F003.tiff

Final Renders

> 

   A

      >

        Shot_A_F001.tiff

        Shot_A_F002.tiff

        Shot_A_F003.tiff

 

   B

      >

        Shot_B_F001.tiff

        Shot_B_F002.tiff

        Shot_B_F003.tiff

Direction to Layout

1. Open empty maya scene

2. Reference Dropbox > Pigeon_Film > Models, Rigging

     - Choose the models you'll need or choose Reference_All_Models.mb

     - Reference Larry's Rig, not his model, you will need it for positioning him. 

3. Before saving be certain to uncheck the checked box in the Reference Editor on all the models and rig or remove the references. This will keep the maya scene clean in the pipeline. To use the reference editor see the images below. 

4. Save the file in "Layout" as Layout_A.mb etc. with only the animated cameras in the scene. 

  

Direction to Animation

1. Open empty maya scene

2. Reference Dropbox > Pigeon_Film > Models, Layout, Rigging

 - Create a reference from Layout and import the rigs from Rigging for whatever shot you're working on.

3. Save the file in the "Rough" folder if not finished and do not remove the references. 

4. Once finished with the shot save the file in the "Final" folder, do not remove the references. 

Direction to Lighting

1. Open empty maya scene

2. Reference Dropbox > Pigeon_Film > Models, Animation, Textures, Shaders

- Choose the models you'll need or choose Reference_All_Models.mb. 

3. Save Lighting files in > Lighting as .mb files. 

4. Save cached render passes in > Temp Renders. 

5. Save approved final render passes in > Renders. 

- Theres a lot more to lighting than you think. Be prepared to spend some time with the reference editor and making sure things that are suppose to work, do work. If something is not working because someone else in the pipeline messed up, finding a solution with them is best, but if it is not possible, creating your own solution is pivotal, even if it means doing something other than what a lighter would normally do, like writing a script or working around a problem so that we won't have to backtrack. 

Cookie and Briefcase

I figured the cookie would be a great thing to test out mental ray on. I think we can get this quality throughout the entire film with the appropriate render settings as seen here. (not the 1.4 f/ on the camera lens, thats just for fun). Render time: 9 minutes 24 seconds.

Briefcase will look better in an actual environment with light and color reflections occurring.

Alka-Seltzer

As I await feedback for Larry and work on him, I pumped this out real fast. Up for Review...

Some Paint-overs for Garrett

Here are some paint-overs. Tried to make the sculpt more closely match the hairdo from the original design. Hope they help

I think we could get a cool look if we sharpened the silhouette. Really emphasizing those straights versus curves

I tried painting on eyebrows. I think we need to have really simple eyebrows. The more detail I added, the bushier they looked. But who knows...

One more paint-over. Lightened his hair color...blackened glasses...and made his eyes blue. What do you y'all think...?

Hair

So before I embark in a journey that might take me several unplanned hours, I would like some feedback on Larry's hair style. I felt like when I textured his hair with a simple diffuse (color) map, it felt too much like a melted chocolate chip on his head. So I sculpted this and exported it as a normal map (so its not actual geometry, its like a xyz bump map)- but I'm having issues- So I want to know what the final design for his hair should be- It can't be how it is now because it doesn't feel like hair. Is this too complex? Should we go for more Estefan like hair where its just a few stripes bumping out and painted on? Or more like actual strands of hair?

I apologize for not being done. I should be... I will be... Soon. Very soon.