Monthly Update for October to November. What happened, What will happen and What I help with.
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Find out a little about me and my stuff - updates will be sporadic.
Taj Pack Progress update
Just quickly, today’s progress.
I lose myself when I’m modelling environment props. 2 hours goes by so quickly. I still need to make a chandelier and the three or so candles for them. On the plus side this will be the second last item for my Taj Packs Dungeon Magic Pack.
I know I planned to have this done by the end of the month but I’ve been busy working on animations for a job application and figuring out freelance quotes. But I’m back to it, same schedule as I previously had give or take a few catch up sessions. At least until I get to hear back about the freelance and animation job.
Note to self: get into the habit of posting from the website blog. Everything is connected. -.-
Time to show you Monday’s Progress!
Admittedly, it’s not much but that’s cause I’m still trying to master wax like lighting/textures. It’s interesting and yet irritating. I’ve managed to go over these textures twice figuring out how to lay down the colours. Just as I typed that sentence I realised there was another way I could have gone about it -.-
Next time I shall start with the bottom up and use ‘layers’ like I do on my Warhammer paintings. *facepalm* it’s so obvious!
Also side note, today's stream was nice but very quite. I did however manage to snag me another follower so that's pretty awesome. I also have a potential offer coming up that could see me getting paid (I hope it all works out!)
Since Thursday (not including Saturday) I've been working on my schedule, cleaned up my digital work-space and applied all my to do things to Asana. I've now given myself times for working on certain things and times for just doing whatever the heck I want. This will stay this way until I get a job offer (I job search on Saturdays and Sundays now) or until we can no longer afford to stay in the UK (I've got until about April next year - the rate things are going (and that means a lot of ramen noodles).
You can probably see that by the image the red portion is called Bumbabee! Games. It's something that my husband and I are trying to get off the ground. We're hoping to get a small game out as soon as we can. We can only work on it one day a week so far but hopefully as the teaching term progresses and Mouse catches up on the work needed to be done, we'll have more time in the week to work on the games 'studio' together.
I mentioned in a previous post that I'm going to work on my motivation. Well I've had a thought on that over the weekend and I've realised I don't need motivation, I need dedication. So I'm going to work on my projects, motivation or not. I'm going to get these done and they are going to be done well.
With that said, I'm off.
I'll post more later.
Monthly Update Time!
Warning this post is long, with many images. Enjoy the shineys.
What I've done:
Ok. So what have I done this past month (or so)? I've had a few really productive days where I've finished up all zombie-like (it's the best feeling in the world for me). I've signed up with a TEFL course and am getting my Teach English as a Foreign Language qualification - which as far as I know is nearly lifetime qualification, so all in all a good investment. I had that job interview like I previously talked about and sadly didn't get the job :( but I'm still looking for more jobs and have steadily been applying to as many temp and part time jobs I can find. I've been working on my unpaid internship with Invisibit Studios. I've also somehow created skeleton of a company Bumbabee! Games with my husband and am making a game in his spare time (cause I seem to have a bunch of 'spare' time) - I even got to design most of it. AND I've managed to complete the following things:
Donate here:
Donations:
I've organised donations for myself. I finally have a way for people to pay me for stuff they like! So there's two options: Gumroad donations and Paypal donations. Every penny helps!
Scrolls:
Here's the scrolls showsheet. It comes with 3 scroll bases and 3 scroll ends to give multiple options of scroll types. I've placed it up on Gumroad. Take a look here, only $8 USD for the entire pack.
Potions:
The potions you've seen before but here's the showsheet and WIP shots anyway. Take a look here, $8 USD for the entire pack.
More Potions:
These potions you haven't seen before. They were lots of fun to create. It's difficult to make a skull without a nose - but I think I pulled it off. You can purchase them here for now. I will be placing them up in the Unity Store along with the other packs as soon as this major pack is completed.
and a Closed Magic Book:
Originally I was going to make an open magic book and a closed magic book but the pack because quite large and I needed to collapse it down a bit. So here's the finished closed book. The writing is translateable but you don't need to actually know whar's in there. You can purchase them here. Happy shopping!
AND a scale:
I have realised all too late that I require a scale. Not an eyeballed scale - which is what I already have. A scale for Unity that is ideally something represented in Unity i.e 1m = 1 unit in game. So I've taken all of the current assets and I've re-scaled them to translate better into Unity. This is going on my checklist.
So yea, I think I've been rather productive this month. I've managed to get back into working and I'm loving it.
What I'm going to do this month:
uhhhhm.....
1. Make Models
2. ???
3. PROFIT!
This month I'm going to be:
Finishing work on Dungeon Magic Pack:
I'll be completing the Candles (Single) the Candles Chandelier and Candelabra, and the Skull (magical things always require skulls)
Sketching out creatures and objects from other Packs
I've been thinking about how the other creatures and characters look in my artistic vision. I have a few sketches already but when the other guys in my D&D group take charge (they have very strong character personalities and good ideas) I generally take a backseat and start sketching while I'm listening to the story - don't worry I'm absolutely listening and I definitely speak up when they do something my character wouldn't appreciate.
Making a Macro for folder creation with standardised naming conventions
I'm going to look up ways of making Macros in Windows - I used to have a program but I might look into macro recorders and see if they're a thing that Windows does. That would make my folder structure faster and definitely all the same. I'm also going to make sure my Asana page (which the company updated and I'm going to have a look at the new features) is up to date. I am working off schedule and it's becoming a small problem.
Finishing work on Human Character for Character Base Pack:
I'll be getting myself together and complete working on my human character model and 3D sculpt. Assuming I keep my motivation and my standardisation day (or days) don't take too long I will have at least started work on my Halfling character before Halloween.
Reviewing my work
There have been many things that I just didn't foresee being an issue with my process. Now I have to review them and find a better way. I'll be setting aside a day or two to really get this down so I don't have to do it again. Or if I do have to (to futureproof myself) I'm make sure it's much easier next time.
I'll be reviewing my meshes to make sure they are to scale (the characters are exempt from this due to the character rig I'll be making. They will all the same sizes and this will only happen when all characters are completed.) I will also be checking my colour palettes are solid and not to distracting. While I'm reviewing my art work I'll probably have to make a wiki to keep colours, techniques and ideas consistent. At the very least I'll be writing it down in my book.
Making another recap
I really feel that making recaps are important, and even though I don't work with anyone (at the moment) I should still write down in a slightly SCRUM style format. This should give me direction, motivation and a sort of checklist on what I need to do.
What I'm having issues with:
Motivation:
I'll definitely say I'm having issues with motivation to complete the character pack. I've got due dates for all of that pack and I'm procrastinating with working on other packs. I have a good reason for doing those packs but if I keep going the way I'm going, I won't be finished in time for my holidays. I am giving myself a working schedule and it's important to me that I maintain it. Starting work at 9:30 and finishing at 5:30 is important to continue. There are days that just don't turn out like that, but I do try to make the most of those days by updating social media, hanging out with contacts and friends or even just making sure I have food in the fridge/freezer for dinner and lunch.
Standardisation and Future Proofing:
I have to sit down and figure out a check list. Something I actually check every time I make something, not something I make and then discard =,= (I'm looking at you Past Kylie.) I have the skeleton of a system down. But I really need to take the time to make sure I create folders correctly, fill them with the appropriate files and make sure I back them up online. My main downfall is remembering to rename objects within the program i'm working on. Instead of Cylinder 01 and Cylinder 02 I should have Scroll_Base_1 and Scroll_Ends_A that sort of thing.
Ok, that's it. Time to rest up and then work as hard as I can tomorrow.
Kylie
Forever twirling, twirling toward the future.
Hey guys, warning long post ahead.
I've had to take some personal time off recently due to unforeseen circumstances but I'm back now and ready to produce some amazing stuff.
I've been back to the drawing board with my D&D Taj Packs and there are a lot more things to do than I thought. Initially it was just going to be a character pack but ever since playing 5ed I've been adding to the pack and it's grown monstrously.
I have plans to release the following packs: Base Character Pack, 2nd Character Pack, Travelers Pack, Base Dungeon Pack, Dungeon Magic Pack, Monsters Forest Pack, Monsters Dungeon Pack, Monsters Cave Pack, Animal Forest Pack, Animal Dungeon Pack, Animal Cave Pack, Village Base Pack, 2nd Village Pack, and a Village Street Pack. So a total of 14 packs - about 125 items in total.
So to kick off this stupendous and horrific adventure I've made potion bottles for the Dungeon Magic Pack - which are currently available on Gumroad. I'm going to start small and work my way up from there. I still have the Elf to finish and I should have that done by the 18th if my scheduling is correct (it might change if I get a call back from a job interview I had recently - yay \o/)
Potions Showsheet
I'm pretty damn excited to see that after a bunch of time off, I've gotten back into the swing of things so quickly. This project is obviously something special.
I've also added a donations section to Gumroad with a wallpaper of 1920x1080 as a reward. I think I might change these to represent the items I've made when I have enough to create a scene.
I've got my internship work at Invisibit Studios go check them out. They're creating a little game with a robot called BIP. He's quite cute and I'm working on animations for him and his friends - along with a fellow colleague Chris Hill (who doesn't seem to have a website).
I've bought a commercial license for license for Photoshop and after a bunch of hunting I've got myself an N52te :D for really, really cheap (20 Pounds). It has made changing programs between Max, Maya and Blender so much smoother. But I will say, there aren't enough buttons for Blender - which is seriously shortcut heavy. But it is still a blessing for changing between programs. I even use it for Photoshop.
With this I've managed to get back into Maya animation. It's something I've been interested in but never took the time to learn. I'm quite comfortable with it all now and pressing play, going through the frames is much easier since I've bought this keyboard extension. I don't need to press Alt+. to go one frame to the right any more it's just a button press.
I've started streaming again! Sign up and follow for email updates. I'll post on twitter when I'm streaming @tajunshadow. I like how it keeps me focused. I'm even streaming for Invisibit Studios and my Maya experimentation.
Streaming is back Follow me for updates.
TL;DR:
- I've had to take time off for personal reasons. But now I'm back from Outta Space.
- Job interview last week and am waiting for a result.
- I've been working on my internship (with Invisibit Studios).
- Got a great review from Invisibit Studios
- Still working on my Taj Packs - 14 packs - about 125 items in total. Go buy them.
- Donations section in Gumroad. Please contribute - you'll get a wallpaper.
- Now can legally sell items made with Photoshop :D I own a commercial license.
- I think my designing has grown stronger with the Taj Packs project.
- I'm learning Maya animation. It seems to be going well.
- I've started streaming again sign up and follow for email updates.
- I'm more active on twitter @tajunshadow
- Hurray art!
Cheers guys!
- ShadowTajun
Long, Long a go - like a week and a half or so...
Hey guys,
Sorry about not updating as recently as I had been. A lot of things have happened in the past week and a bit, it's actually really amazing that it's only been that long.
So to recap what I've done:
Last week I completed these two assets - It took me much less time thanks to the Orc and I'm happy I spent that month or so testing and sculpting. It gave be a good base to work off.
These characters are not scaled comparatively. They are just one size fits all at the moment. I wanted to leave the size scale up to the buyer - which can be adjusted in game. - I will be considering height changes with the physical prints though.
And tonight, I completed this Fire Pillar. I'm thinking of having it in different colours but at the moment, blue bricks were the only things that would make seeing the characters easier to spot.
I also went to a digital design show, I got news from my sister, I got news from myself, I got news about my Aunts and Uncles, I hung out with my Cousin and her family, I downloaded and tested a program called MeshMixer for 3D printing, I managed to go see Jurrasic World and I played at least 1 game (8+hrs) of D&D 5th ed. I'm tired and I think I'm going to go to bed now.
These assets are going to be available on Gumroad in a matter of days. Base meshes and textures only. All added features will be updated accordingly.
Good night, and sleep tight all.
Kylie Out.
Normal Maps fixed and Eurovision
The normal maps are working (YAY!) - they need some refinements but it should be alright. Turns out I moved the height of the scuplted Orc in Blender so that the feet touched the ground and then I did my retoplogy. I exported the decimated mesh and placed it into Xnormal to fix that Normals issue.
Needs refining but it's only the main body so I might just need to re-export the main lowpoly body and put it through Xnormal like I did the orc features.
Now to play with AO maps and Diffuse maps more. Sadly I’m behind in my 3D scheldule, I’m going to have to go into ‘crunch’ this week. Maybe even work a bit on my birthday - we’ll see.
I could do all the ‘3D work’ by Tuesday as I predicted but there would be no rig or animations. Which I suppose I could add to the pack later. Not to mention I have to think over my Animation list. It's something I'm going to have to think about this weekend and solidify on Monday.
But now, Eurovision! Cause I’ve been working on a different project all day and I deserve a little brake time. Looking forward to Austraila's competing song (not a huge Guy Sebastian fan though) and UK's Electric Velvet - they're a great band.
Orc Work and the normal map issue.
Not sure what's going on. The ear was modelled over the sculpted ear. Same with the eyebrows and eyes.
Despite my best efforts, the Normal Map just isn’t working out - I’ve tried several ways and exported several meshes. I’ve also lost patience with the viewport paint tool in Blender. Today has been a struggle but I feel I’m getting close to completion.
Manually creating a height map from the broken normal map data.
Once the height map is done I can use the levels for an AO base as well. Then I’ll just use the height map in Xnormal to create a solid normal map (could probably do the same with the AO map). The height map should also help as a base for the diffuse map.
Live stream should be good to go for tomorrow. If nothing else I’ll be working on the Diffuse Map for the guy.
But now, I prepare for EUROVISION!
Source: about:blank
Finished Sculpt and retopology.
As of last night, the Zbrush part of my character is complete! I am a happy girl.
And so the hard and grueling task of retopology in a program I’ve not used before begins. I can feel I’m getting the hang of it, I just need patience.
I’ve run into the problem of the head. I’m thinking I’ll make the orc features separate so that I have a base body to work from. That should make my life a bit faster or easier. Hopefully both.
I'm working on the mid level of detail. Something that says Main Character in a small game. The 'Background Character' LOD will need to be broken up further. At the moment it's at 548 Triangles. I'll definitely keep it under 1000 tris for the base model - there isn't much more detail to grab from him. I can't wait to bring the polygon count down further, I'm looking forward to the challenge.
Live Stream 4 and Gumroad
Hey guys,
I just need to wash up after breakfast and then I can start my stream so about 30mins. I’m learning blender as I go with this program so it might be a bit painful. However, if you would like to give me a few tips and hints please, please do.
Also, I've started placing items up on Gumroad. I've placed the Human Model sheet up on Gumroad. If you would like to pay for the model sheet please do, but you can have it for free. The button below will send you to the website.
Fan Art - Chester complete!
Chester the best furry little friend you're get in Don't Starve.
Don’t Starve Character Suite: Chester by Kylie Halley
Chester is finally complete. Here's the WIP and the final showsheet :) Happy days! 669 polys and two diffuse maps :)
Don't Starve Fan Art Cont...
Textures are coming along. I have been distracted by the arrival of my sister-in-law. Will probably update tomorrow.
646 polygons at the moment but I’m not finished with the hair. Might need to cut it down a little if I’m to keep it similar to the other two. hmm problems, problems.
For previous Don't Starve character Fan Art WIP see here
