I was nervous going into this rotation; I had attempted 3D Modelling on Blender before, and was not confident in my abilities. I was, however, excited to try out the Maya software on more powerful computers. I was surprised to find the first exercises easy to follow. Throughout the two weeks, I was also grateful for online resources that guided me around the Maya interface. I think having Sonya and Callista around to help navigate any obstacles made me more comfortable with creating 3D environments.
Experimentation
For this assignment, I chose an easier environment to model, one that I thought would fit into a Low-Poly theme. I also wanted a domestic setting with a storyline anyone could relate to. Perhaps because I was spending more time on campus working on my model, I wanted to illustrate the story of someone working late and missing their bus.
I chose to model the LCC Campus, because I felt that I could explore the building and gain a better understanding of its forms and shape. I am glad I made this decision, as I was able to acclimatise myself to all the tools the software had to offer, and did not get discouraged throughout the process.
At first I wanted to model a character within my scene to help illustrate the story better. I even thought that the idea of a computer trying to run to catch a bus may be amusing. However, I decided against this after the Week 2 lessons on cinematography and composition. I wanted to challenge myself and model the scene without a character and still communicate my story accurately.
I was able to play around with lighting and materials to help enhance the scene. At first, I modelled all the windows to emit light, to make the building feel more alive. However, I later reduced the lighting for most of the scene and considered how I could use light to create focal points and a feeling of loneliness.
I had a hard time setting up external lights in the scene while maintaining the nighttime setting. At first, I had a skydome light, which made most of the area feel flat. I then focused directional lights on the scene and gave the main three spaces–the room in the building, the clock and the bus stop–their own area lights. This way I was able to highlight certain points in the environment and make the space feel deserted.
Considering Cinematography
While rendering the images, I paid attention to how each shot was composed in order to ensure that I was presenting the story in the most dynamic manner.
Here are some images where I analysed how I could improve my 3 shots.
While I wanted to make changes to the directional lighting, I decided that the original lighting fit better, without making the scene too dark.
Final Renders
Some feedback I received commented on the lack of a traditional establishing shot in the scene. However, I just felt that the story was more organic without one. It maintained a sense of being disconnected from each other, emphasising the theme of isolation and loneliness.