Folio #1 Plan
Why are you doing what you are doing?
I would like to create a 2.5D low poly diorama possibly with some animation loops. A simple example would be a ship in a bottle, but more dynamic, I try to think of it as a factory line where there's endless repeating movements. I want to squeeze this relatively complex, busy scene into a small unobtrusive environment, to present a hidden society/world/ecosystem.
As a kid, I'm always intrigued by the cartoon crowd scene in comic magazines, I could stare at it all day until I find every detail. Part of the reason I chose this particular theme is to accomplish what I've always wanted to do as a kid. Also, coming from an IT/Interactive Media background, I'm aware the lack of knowledge in the world of design could be a huge disadvantage in my study. So, I would like to start with this low poly experiment to pick up my 3D modelling skills and learn more about design, creativity and the fun of it.
Who else is doing what you're doing?
The fields of my work fall within game design and animation.
Two practitioner within this field are:
Most of my inspirations come from Studio Ghibli animation films. For example, the bath house in Spirited Away, the giant walking castle in Howl's Moving Castle and the Borrower's house The Secret World of Arrietty.
A Chinese artist I follow on ArtStation who does amazing isometric 2D art.
How will you work?
Lots of research need to be done beforehand on different themes of diorama and 3D character creation work flow. A more detailed mind map will be drawn to help documenting my thoughts. In terms of scope, I would like to make a small scene since I want to include animations, if possible. I'll start with a few sketches until the size of the environment and characters is manageable. Then, I will use Maya for 3D modelling and put it together in Unity later on. In the meantime, I will keep posting WIPs in Teams and get some feedback.
How will you make the work?
Week 1 - Preliminary research and connect with more people in the same field. Make a detailed mind map and a mood board.
Week 2 - Experiment with different combination of environments and characters using sketches. Play around with the polygons and shapes in Maya.
Week 3 - Finalizing the models in Maya.
Week 4 - Start exporting the scene to Unity to test out lighting and animations.
Week 5 - Continue with animations and filters.
Week 6 - Finalizing the design, add sound if there's extra time.
By Yunshu Shu (Maggie)
Email Yunshu Shu (Maggie)
Published On: 12/03/2021