last RatCatcher model

More Rat Catcher models

Here's the latest addition to the character collection.
Only one more to do.... for now.
Again these are Hi Res versus Low Res mesh render tests.

City stuff

Just modelling the city, rendered some prog shots.

Rat Catcher model tests

Here are a few grey-shaded test renders of the first 3 Rat Catcher models.
I was comparing Low Res and High Res meshes with their respective normal maps.
Again I gotta say Mudbox is awesome.
Now I just have to finish other RatCatchers so Max can start rigging them all.
...poor Max.

Eagle with normals

Also started playing with the ambient occlusion shaders, this is single pass! no compositing.

New king clothes design. To save time.

Week 2 Sched.

Tues:
J A- Model Hair & Eyebrows on Ratcatchers 2,3,5
J H- Model Hair on Ratcathers 1,4,6
Max - KM ready for paintweights

Wed: Animatic to Alex
J A- UV maps for ratcatchers
J H- City Environment
Max - Fix GirlMouse

Thurs:
J A - Finish throne room (incl. throne chair)
J H - City environment
Max - Rig Ratcatchers

Fri:
J A - Test. anim on KM
J H - City environment/ Mountain start
Max - Rig Ratcatchers/ Eagle

Holiday Sched.

A delicious serving of spreadsheets.

Shotlist

I made a shotlist. Shotlist
Shot
List.
SHOT!
list!
shot LIST...
SHOT LIIIIIST;
A poem expressing my inner shot list.

So when rigging the GirlMouse I made a happy sort of mistake, it took the GirlMouse waaaaay off model. But it looks cuter. Who knows, discussion time.

Styletest

Trying to imitate stop-mo aesthetics, so I put an image sequence bump map on. Looks ok, needs a lot more time put into it before it works though. Here's a picture!


I think I just like posting a lot, because we move up to the top of google.

Here's a run cycle I did, with a slightly older rig (no armour stuff done). About two hours work, including lighting, rendering, etc.

Rigarous

Rig's pretty much done except for paint weights, and I'm waiting on blendshapes to do those. Woo, the big KM's pretty much done.

Here's a quick, roughly lit render of the first environment to get modelled, the throne room from the end sequence.
I still need to add some details such as flags on flagpoles, windows, large hanging flags on rear walls, the throne itself and possibly another table and of course textures.
Here I just tried to replicate the shot from the concept sketch including lighting and mood.

Here is an image of the girl mouse from the intro sequence.
She's only in the film for a few seconds and doesn't get very close to camera so I haven't added much detail to her. She still needs a texture but you get the idea....

Here's a couple of test renders of the updated versions of the multiple Rat Catchers.
I dialed back the amount of detail in the sculpt to more closely fit with the design style of the other characters. This meant smoother surfaces and definition of creases in facial features such as cheek bones and eyebrows. Enjoy...

Blendshapes; more like mishap(e)s.

Here are a couple of concept images for our film.
First is a floor plan of the King's throne room for the final sequence.
Below that is a coloured concept drawing for the possible mood and lighting for when KnightMouse enters the throne room. We wanted to go for a less saturated and darker tone for this final scene.

And lastly is a coloured version of one of the concept sketches done earlier of the town streets. I did this as a test of the kind of colour palette we chose for the sequence when KnightMouse walks down the street.

So I finished most of the rigging and decided to celebrate with a pretty render. Check out the paint weights going to crap in the armpit.


Paint weights Version 1:
When a problem comes along, you must WIP it, WIP it good.
Just posing the little guy I noticed problems with geometry inside the head sticking through an ear (conveniently framed out of shot), the tail twists awkwardly in extremes as well as the arms not being brilliant, armpits fixed.

Because I had a heap of custom controls, joints and influences added ontop of the set up machine- I had to reskin and start paint weights from scratch. Need to fix armour bending on legs.

Also added noise to the texture, changed armour from blue to grey, through a normal map on for some rivets. Also changed material to blinn, looks great on armour but like wrapped cheese on the ears. Terrible.