Author: Xinran Li

This week we continued to learn new functions in Nuke.

We learned how to use Merge, understanded the role of each of those functions like plus, stencil, over, under.

Then, we learned about the reformat and copy, which means to copy the alpha from A to B.

Next, we understanded about the Premult and Unpremult.

We also learned how to see the amount of red, green and blue in the picture by using Windows-New Scope-Histogram/Waveform.

Homework:

This is the original picture, we need to do the color correction to make the plane match the background.

Do not forget to do the unpremult before editing the color. Then, I added a little exposure to the plane and the background.

After that, I added Colorcorrect and Grade to the plane, to adjust the color, add more yellow and orange to it, to create a sense of reflection of the background color.

This is the final look after color correction.

This week we learned how to control each part of a human face.

Firstly, we began with playing with the shape editor. By creating new blend shape and new targets, we can make different adjustments of the face, therefore, the face can whow different expressions.

Then, we reset the texture. By creating new standard surface and connect it to the base color, to change the appearance of the texture.

After that, we create new joints to bind the skin. In this case, the neck and the mouse can be control by the joints.

The next step is to paint skin weights. By doing this, each part of the head can move accurately.

A photo of the face after rendered

By adding different targets of the blend shape, the face can appear differently.

This week we began to learn how the set the animation in Maya. We firstly started learning with the settings and tool by playing with a single scene. We learned how to create key frames and how to adjust the curves of the animation.

We made two animations of the balls, to compare different movements of the element. By adjusting the speed, height of the rebound of the ball, to give the ball a sense of gravity, and makes it looks the same as if it acts in the real life.

Then, we began to set up a robot and practice setting the movements of a person. After creating the cubes, press p, which means parent, to group the cubes together. When the parent is rotating, children would follow.

Next, we created joins and set IK handles to it. We firstly set one leg, them use the mirror to create joins and IK handles to another leg.

Then, we began to set animation to the robot.

Maya

We continued to decorate the kitchen. Firstly, create a cube, then use the duplicate special tool to create 20 copies of it. Next, we use the bend tool. We adjust the shapes of each cube to make them look different. It looks like this in this stage.

Then, we start to add walls behind and link to the fireplace. Different from what Nike have shown us in the class, I created a new plane and used the circularize tool to make it looks round. I deleted the unneeded faces and matched the vertexs around the edges with the shape of the cubes that have been created.

In the next step, we cut the UV and gave them textures.

It looks like this after rendered.

Research Activity

The Wandering Earth

1. Clear narrative vision

The film is based on Cixin Liu’s novel of the same name. The background of the story is set in 2075. It tells the story that the sun is about to be destroyed and is no longer suitable for human survival. In the face of despair, human beings will start the “wandering earth” plan, trying to escape the solar system with the earth and find a new home for human beings. There are two clear story lines in the film. One is the father’s mission in outer space, and the other is the son, leading friends and family on earth to defend their homes and save the earth.

2. Strong terms of reference

In terms of visual style, director Gwo stated that, “Our starting point was actually based on the visual style of Soviet heavy industry, because the Chinese have a certain feeling for that, including feelings for Soviet buildings. There are still many bell towers of this kind on Changan Street in Beijing.”

For other designs in this film, take the pistol as an example. The design scheme of the pistol was based on the domestic 92 pistol at the beginning, and the scheme was more sci-fi. However, with the determination of exoskeleton, rifle and other equipment, the director intended to make the pistol less sci-fi compared with other individual equipment, shorten the length, make the whole more compact and look simpler. After referring to various pistols in service in the world, the team decided to deepen the pistol scheme based on Glock.

3. Strong terms of reference

The team discussed and adjusted constantly, and drew 3000 conceptual design drawings, here are several examples:

4. Technical Research & Development

Compared with previous sci-fi films in China, The Wandering Earth involves advantages in foreign sci-fi films and combines with Chinese concept, instead of simply imitating, which formed the Chinese-style of sci-fi. Chinese people like this kind of design with Chinese feelings and esthetics.

For technical support, the VFX company they found closed down in the process of production because of financial difficulties, but reorganized later. 80% of the visual effects are from Chinese local companies. It was really hard to produce this film, fortunately, it succeed in the end.

This week we continued to add models to our kitchen. We firstly learned how to use the curve tool to create and adjust the shape of the models.

Then we put them into the kitchen, adjust the UV and gave them textures. I had some problems when I tried to make the light go through the curtain. I though the curtain should use translucent material, but failed several times. Then I realized it was not the problem of material, but the transparency. Then it make sense.

Addtionally, we add a piece of cheese and a bread knife to the desk.

When making the knife, we used the mirror. We should be careful when modelling the first piece of the knife, pay attention to the connection part of mirrored pieces.

This week we continued to work on the kitchen. We add new models to it.

These are the modeling steps of a bread. We practiced the sculpting tools and also learned how to assign texture to the UV accurately.

New things I have learned through the modelling process, for example, I learned how to assign different materials to different surfaces of the model, and to adjust the looking of the UV on the bread. Apart from assigning UV, which is the surface material, we also learned to add volume material and displacement material, to make the bread looks more real and to make the surface of the bread more rough, like a real bread.

We also created a tap.

We repeated the processes assigning different materials to the tap, to make it looks real.

Then we add these models to the kitchen and did some renderings.

Overall, this week we mainly practiced modelling and adding volume material and displacement material to the model. Remember not to give too much displacement to it because it may make the model looks terrible.

This week we did some basic modeling. Firstly, we had to be familiar with the hot keys, in this case, we can save a lot of time. Next, we began with our first modle, which is the desk. We cut the UV and gave new texture to it to make it looks real.

After we modelled one basic cuboid of the wood desk, we could use the duplicate tool to copy the model, which means we did not have to do the same thing for several times to model. The duplicated models had same textures of the original one, so we did not have to cut the UV and give textures to the model again. We could duplicate the model by using ctrl + d, to make things easier.

In the image which shows the UV below, we can see that the texture of different sides of the desk is different. We found another texture of the wood and edit it in photoshop to adjust its color. Then we can see that it has similar hue with the other texture.

After the textures were done, we put it into render.

This week we started to build our lovely kitchen. We began with creating a sink.

Then we set the kitchen with the table, sink and windows. I also built a chair and put near the table.

After putting all the models together, it may looks like this. Then we learned how to use the aiSkyDomeLight. We found HDRIs on a website which is called Poly Haven. Then we download 4K images from it.

We also created aiLightPortals to let the light go through the window.

After that, we did some rendering. We can clearly see how the environment light is affecting the rome and there is clearly reflection on the walls, desk and floor.

Apart from what we have done in the class, I also practiced using different tools to model things by creating a model of my English name.