Zheng's Blog
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Month: August 2023

Categories
FMP Uncategorised

Week 8 Arm Transformation and Desert Doctor Style. 2D Design of the Monster

This week, JIAWEI and I made initial progress on the arm transformation. I created all the transformation models in ZBrush, and then transferred all the models to JIAWEI, who will adjust the rhythm and produce a better animation effect. Since this was our first attempt at such a transformation, the models we created for the first time ultimately couldn’t be used, LOL.

Regarding the arm transformation, my design involves three stages of change. The human arm is at Level 0. It then transforms progressively to Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.

Level_0 is the most basic form, representing the doctor’s arm in its normal state.
Level_1 shows slight muscular growth following an injection.
Level_2 resembles the state of a bodybuilder.
Level_3 is the final stage of transformation, where the arm becomes deformed and swollen due to the effects of the serum.

  • Level1-Level2 Transform
  • Level1-Level2 Transform

These morphing models are all made in Zbrush while I can pass them into MAYA.

  • 2D Design of the Monster

My initial design concept was a giant monster. My first inspiration came from the Tank zombie character in Left 4 Dead, but I didn’t want it to look too much like a zombie.

After all, our setting involves a biological weapon, so I wanted to reduce the zombie elements and enhance the biological feel. Additionally, after receiving feedback from our team members and considering the time cost, I realized I should aim to create a symmetrical character. Therefore, I decided to give this character two huge arms. Its body would stand 3-4 meters tall, even taller than the Hulk.

Consequently, I drew two versions of sketches as the basis for my design.

  • Design of the Desert Doctor

According to my original storyline, Dr. Parvis has just completed his epic battle with Mr. K and is now leaving the research institute in a very weakened state. His body still shows residual traces of his transformation. At this point, he is distinctly different from a normal human, with his skin bearing traces of both human and monster. His clothes are tattered and made up of scraps he gathered from deceased soldiers (wrapped around his body).

In this part of the story, Dr. Parvis will be running wildly through the desert, so I designed a cloak for him to shield against the desert winds and sands. This particular look was also inspired by Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal in Iron Man 1.

Categories
FMP

Week 7 Assistant Matehuman& Young Doctor& Little monster 2D design

This week, I spent a lot of time tweaking various versions of the MetaHuman assistant’s face, while also further planning tasks for our team. I continue to be responsible for the character modeling and design, and I have distributed the animation tasks among everyone. Each team member will handle a certain portion of the animation work. JIAWEI and I are tasked with creating the transformation sequence of the doctor, morphing from human to monster. We previously conducted a simple test using blendshapes in Maya, which proved that this approach is feasible. Therefore, we will be tackling this module later on.

  • Young Doctor

In a scene from the story where the doctor leaves his home, I envisioned the image of a man wearing a jacket. So, I designed a jacket for the young doctor, paired with more form-fitting pants

This time, using Marvelous Designer to create the clothing was much faster, but simulating the texture of the leather jacket proved more challenging than I had anticipated. Additionally, some small components, like zippers, still had to be created separately in Maya.

For the design of the little monster, Gavin shared some of his ideas. He wanted a grotesque, flesh-like appearance, with the monster being very ferocious. I took his design sketches and further refined them.

  • Gavin s design
  • Gavin s reference

Firstly, I elongated its body to make the shape more slender and added a long tail. Since the monster’s size is close to that of an adult human, and considering its role as the doctor’s pet in the story, I leaned towards an ape-like form for its overall style. This aligns more closely with the requirements of the story. However, for the little monster module, I only provided some design ideas and suggestions. The final decision on production still rests with Gavin.

  • Liitle Monster 2D design
Categories
FMP

Week 6 Doctor Model&2D design of assistant

This week, I completed the clothing model for the doctor character. The body model uses MetaHuman’s model, so I didn’t need to create that. For the clothing, I used Marvelous Designer, which was a new software for me. It took me some time to get familiar with it, but I believe it was worth it. I think it will save me more time in subsequent productions.

After completing the basic model in Marvelous Designer, I still split the UVs in Maya. Then, I added a series of accessories like shoes, glasses, and a belt.

Finally, I imported the model into ZBrush for fine-tuning the details.

Regarding the female assistant character, I have put a lot of thought into her design. My direction is to make her sexy and seductive. I referred to various fashion elements and women’s clothing designs, attempting to incorporate unique sexy elements into laboratory attire. I took inspiration from the costume style of Alice in Resident Evil. Since she is a laboratory staff member, I might not be able to make significant adjustments in her clothing style. Therefore, I added many small belts to enrich her look. Additionally, I gave her particularly bright red hair, which plays a crucial role in the plot twist at the end of the story.

  • Assistant Reference
  • Old Assistant

The previous version of the design was very monotonous and uninteresting.

  • New Assistant