The Proposal Of The Faceless Man (Unfinished)

.......Naturally.......

Universal Appreciation.

In the midst of craziness that's been going on in the east coast of the United States, particularly where I'm from, I just wanted to thank send out a broadened scope of thanks in a multitude of different directions.  (Typical of me).

First, but not foremorst to those who have been following my blog.  I've been reading your comments and I really appreciate those of you who do take the time to comment as well as compliment...  I have decided to share these comments.  Thank you all again so much for the love and support.

Secondly, under the circumstances that my home state in experiencing right now-- a stamp in history, really, I want to send out my gratitude to all those laboring around the clock to restore the damages.  Today they were filling the parking lot of a park where I run with remnants of fallen trees being discarded, dozens of tree service and landscaping trucks.   Some gas stations are being monitored with added security nearby to make sure civilians are safe as lines of cars trail down miles of highway under stress and fear of the horrible trickle down effect that may occur.  Police sit at lights of major intersections that still remain powerless--  some of them sounding their sirens to warn those that forget.  Some of my friends that have lost houses and valuables and others stay overnight at their jobs to avoid a staying at a cold and dark home as the weather gets colder and the sunset sets earlier....  It really is comeplete choas underway to getting organized--  on its way to organized choas?  I don't know.  But this occurence will take time and patience, and both of those things have never been a popular attribute with most living on the planet unfortunately.  The long hours--  seeing electricians working in the darkness with flashlights up in their buckets fixing tranformers.  Would they do it for free?  I don't know.  But all that matters is that they are doing it.  Those that didn't fluster and break under this type of pressure, it truly is an amazing and dedicated effort that warrants truckloads of beer and warm pizza.  Really.  And I, sided with many others out there, appreciate the time, haste, and efforts.

As far as my own progress, things have beeen difficult to adjust to lately. I'm fighting to get on a schedule, as I haven't really had to in about 12 years. Systematic doesn't work so well with me I'm finding, but I'm making it work somehow or another...

The class I'm taking is at the end of it's second week.   The power outage backed me up a bit with my computer work. I spent the a night under candlelight working on my traditional sculpture.

 

 

Here she is so far:

 

That was about as much light as I had to work with so the results are mediocre. There is a lot of disproportinate comparisons to the inital design, so now I have to make some major adjustments over the next few days and I have a few questions ready for the next crit. I'll still forge forward on it but for now I'm placing my concentration back on zbrush to catch up with the digital portion of the class.

 

Lastly, I wanted to thank my mentors and all of the artists out there that continue to help inspire me.  In these last couple of weeks I've been learning a great deal from both the online Visualarium class with Jordu Schell and Ryan Kingslien, and just today watching Danny Williams, my old teacher from college instruct a free demo of his class at Visualarium on Character Design.  A must do for those interested in clear and precise instruction and a disiplined ciriculum.  The class will focus on building 3 assets for Gaming, Film, and Visual Effects.  His way of explaining and ease of instruction are make the experience of learning very smooth--  I know firsthand because I was lucky enough to have gotten the chance to take a class with him already.  Check out the course.

Also, I viewed another free webinar again today--  from an online school called Phoenix Atelier.  A friend of mine had posted a link to the webinar this morning.  The webinar was demoed by a name very familiar to this blog,  Eric Keller, who took the class through the fundamentals of working in a pipeline strictly to being a generalist in Maya.  He reinforced the importance of coated the surface of all areas in Maya to make oneself more valuable in the industry-- ranging from basic nurbs modeling through a workable rig with simple expressions and touching the surface of a industry standard renders.  He even had his trademark robot bug creatures to example.  This school seemed to surface out of nowhere fast to be honest, but it seems to pack the punch as both Maya and Keller are both unbeatable assemblies in an high staking industry.  If you're at all interested in learning about 3D, check that school out too, definitely.  Here are links to both schools:

http://www.visualarium.com/

http://www.phoenixatelier.com/

 

And another leading online school for 3D that's been alive and kicking strong:

http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/

 

I spent some of my day rushing back home to watch these webinars escaping from the chaos outside and thankful that there are some nice resources being offered in this world outside of material necessities.  And although I was one of the luckier ones that weren't signifcantly affected by the impact of this storm, I found comfort in these, as I'm sure others find their own sense of comforts out there.  Love, family and friends, whatever, right?

 

Sometimes small gestures make insurrmountable impacts on one's life especiallly when things are in turmoil.  You learn to appreciate things on all levels.

 

So in this post I send out my universal appreciation. 

Thank you.

An October Treat!

The other day I tuned in to watch the new Environment Modeling class with David Lesperance on Thursday, a preview of what is to come with one of Visualarium's new online training courses. The work was nothing less of amazing and this new way of learning on a global scale was innovative.

I knew it would leave me a junkie for higher learning-- it's always about wanting more with me.

The classes that Visualarium is offering are built to suit.  Especially... the class I just signed up for...

 

 

MEET CLEMETINE:

 

The timing of the class is dead-on, as I have just set up my workshop and have been messing around with Zbrush for a couple months now.  If I couldn't get enough aleady, both inspiration and training is soon to be in intravenoused.

Jordu Schell and Ryan Kingslien are hosting a class for sculpting, a combo of both digital sculpting and hands-on traditional claywork. The class is a creature sculplting class -- and without doubt there's obvious excitement to be learning from top caliber industry artists such as these!

I built my armature over the weekend and I am definitely ready to start sculpting!  My main objective on the Zbrush end of things -- to get comfotable working with materials, polypainting, and working with color and textures, in general.

I just signed up this evening.  This online experience is definitely a first for me, but I feel confident that it will be worth it.  And as always...

To be continued...  because Clementine's got a quite a story to tell.  ;-)

Game Design Breakdown: Project "simBLEND"

   "SIMBLEND GAME TRAILER" Simulation-Based Learning Environment for Network Defense


RUNNING TIME:  ~12 Minutes
SOFTWARE:  Maya / Photoshop / After Effects
Client:  Appled Visions, Inc.  (Secure Decisions Division)

OVERVIEW:  Sole Designer and lead 2D/3D artist for project pitch SimBLEND, a trailer for a military training game. I was responsible for all artistic develoment and creation under the direction of Applied Visions Inc, including brainstorming and previs, layout and design, shot composition, modeling and animation, title treatment and video-audio editing. Pre-production through Post.

The initial concepts and stylesheets will be available soon on my website @ www.lisamarie.biz, but for now I've included a lengthy breakdowns I prepared with the client that consist of schematics, samples, and design studies that I used to develop the eventual look and story of the game trailer.

SIMBLEND BREAKDOWN--  FINAL VERSION

 

INTRO:  COMMAND CENTER INTERIOR / EXTERIOR  (Stylesheets)

The command center I showed you during our brainstorm would mimic a more detailed rendition of "Cyberseige" for an animated trailer feel, a cut-scene before the initial preliminary test and before the gameplay becomes interactive.

 

BIRDS EYE SCHEMATIC

 

MOOD AND FEEL OF INTERIOR
 

FINAL EXTERIOR

 

 

 

VIGNETTE 1:     Preliminary Assessment Room


Will begin in Command Center, which I showed you.  I will focus on modeling mainly the console (“Cockpit  Area”) for other vignette(s) thereafter. 

If I could get a basic mesh of the ENTIRE command center that may leave us with more leeway, of course…  Such as a preliminary “animated sequence” (as we discussed) before the actual “Game”.  This could be:    Player entering the room/Swiping access card/Logging on computer/or whatever…

But with an actual focus on Console….  (This is an example with the models originally built, but just to give you an idea)  Imagine the windows as panels…. And so on….
 

 

MORE LIKE THIS OR MIMICKING THIS….
 

 
THE INITIAL PRELIMINARY  TEST:  These Models  (including  the Interactive Cockpit) would be for  Educational Assesment and differing testing 'leves', from novice to advanced.  With the “Panel Idea” and gadgets in effect the Player can interactively choose which topic he’d like to be tested on first.    (Think “Minority Report vs. Jeopardy”)   But not so BLAH looking and Non-organic….
 

You may be able to use, the $ amounts as the complexity of the question and rewards accumulated….

 

ie.  The more of a higher score he earns or the more upgradeable “RESOURCES” the gameplayer will have to be able to use to secure his system as he advances levels….  thus attaining a better overall score to the game as a whole.  

We can use the “Jeopardy boxes” as panels and so on to decipher different selection grade of tests….  In this trailer we will simulate a first  person view that demonstrates his/her navigation through learning about Peer to Peer Networking.

 

Note:  *The subject will allow the questions to pop up onto different screens or panels….    This would be more along the lines of Dan’s idea.

 

 

SIDEBARS: Docked in the corner of User Interface on the Player's Computer station (See image above)… The Red, Yellow, Green bars indicate how the player is doing, such as Progress, Percentage of Test Completion, Resources Amount and/or More “ammo” for Hint stuff….. as per Brainstorm .doc:

1). SCORING AND STATISTICS: As we saw the progress meter in the 'Cyberprotect' game, network speed in calculated as well as the number of errors. The sidebars are a shorthand evaluation of the player's overall gaming precentages-- similiar to the content that will be shown in the After Action Review Room once the game is completed.



**Note(s): Reference "CyberProtect" / "Cyberseige":

-Mission briefing starts with a topology map
 
-Animation during attack is achieved by moving light blobs along a track
-Cyberprotect pushes several vignettes at a particular configuration, then provides an assessment.
-Visualization: “Attack Cam” shows effects of attack on the 2D network topo map

  

2). GLOSSARY AND HELP OPTIONS ETC:  

-TOP- Online glossary, pop-up screen (click by letter), popup screen. Concept of “finding” or "adding" onto the glossary with experience. Glossary contents / depth could evolve with game complexity.

-MIDDLE- Helper notes (a la Cyberprotect’s “Mentor”) can be added by player to help him/her record and study information valauble to their studying and taking test. 

-BOTTOM- The target will indicate by color green to red how much time is left, followed by an alarm.  A countdown and an option to set back or freeze the timer based on level of expertise are also available.











 

VIGNETTE 2: Mission Briefing Room

 

 

After passing completion of the test(s) in Preliminary Assessment Room….

Windowed panels would flip or become Screened, to show (Silhouette) of the Commander in Charge. His actions will be seen, his voice can be heard, but his face and textures will not bevisible.  He will be assessing the vignette to the player, overlooking the player's progress, and certifying whether or not the player will level up to the next mission.

 

SOME EXMAPLES SCREENED SILOHUETTE STYLE:
 

 

 

Once Mission Briefing is completed…  (A)  The panels behind the player will flip back over and become opaque once again.  When the player activates whatever his mission is  the player will then transition in a Virtual Mode similar to the example (B) as shown below but framed out in wire or something….

(A).EXAMPLE BEFORE MISSION BRIEF (Player)
 

 

(B).TRANSITIONS TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS

AFTER MISSION BRIEF...

 

 

We would have to further discuss what the exact mission would be, but for now…. the key role of the mission brief is to go over test results and then assign the player to the next suitable mission level.  This could be another animated sequence (See Vignette 3 below). For the purposes of the trailer, a voiceover or text description would suffice. 

 

 

VIGNETTE 3: Network Operations Center
 

 

 

The Player must than channel whatever his mission may be…. This will be a network-like tunnel leading to a series of other training resources locked behind doors. These doors to be opened with security keys that are earned upon completing vignettes in the Preliminary Assessment Room.

Roles include: Network Administrator, Junior Network Security Analyst, etc, any role pertaining to the topics covered in the first room.

 

 

 

 

With this acquired knowledge and passing tests from each assessment room, the player should have enough equipment and resources to complete the Training Vignette, that can be entered through a 'network' portal.

VIGNETTE 4:     Training Vignette

 

First Person View inside Virtual Flightdeck that will allow player to navigate through a series of different training simulations.  As controls are launched, the background will of course be animated with their accompanying training obstacles.   For purposes of this trailer, they could just be 'clips' occurring along with what is happening with the 'player' on screen...

 

EXAMPLES OF COCKPIT GAME CHOICES INCLUDE:

 

1).  TOPOLOGY MAPS:

Ex. Build and monitor a secure network of global cyberspaces between player and other players and/or networks.  Scan and Monitor attack Bots inside of these networks or send out your own Bots to help protect the system.

  

 

2).  LAN SET-UPs:

Ex.  Scenario is new LAN setup, it’s vulnerable and player has to secure it.

3).  BUILDING PROTECTIVE FIREWALLS:

Ex.  Firewalls can block entire machines or specific services, or specific connections.  Screen showing rules being set up for various ports and services.

4).  FIND HACKERS:

Ex.  Player uses skills to seek out global hackers.

In one of the cockpit consoles the player will be able to zoom out and rotate globally to view all game obstacles.   Other consoles will connect the multiple players.  The displays that are customizable to make the player's gameplay experience more helpful to get through and more enjoyable to play.

VIGNETTE 5:  After action review (Scores)

The last room will present the players overall scores, rate their performance level, and review their gameplay data.
 

Ex Image:  "Cyberprotect" After Action Review Data:

 

 

SIMBLEND BREAKDOWN--  VERSION 1

 

VIGNETTE 1:     Hallway Outside of Assessment Room

After Initial Intro, Vignette One-Version 1 Displays the user in front of the exam room and its access  port, where he/she will need to swipe access card.  I believe we should have an initial LOG ON page instead of just slapping this on the page, perhaps as you were mentioning--  a background still screenshot of the architectural building or something along those lines, with a log on menu.   (???)

 PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT (USER INTERFACE):
 

NAVIGATION MENU:  All panels can be activated through the navigation bar, across the top of the screen.  Within these menu options can be drop down menus.  These submenus all have icons that can be dragged into boxes  (see.  Icon Panel, above) to make it easier for the user to navigate.

Here's the summary I was thinking for Navigation Menu Options:
1). MY PORTFOLIO  (BUILD A CHARACTER PROFILE)
USERNAME / PASSWORD:What would be used to load address on CMD log Test Page
2). STATISTICS
3). CHECK PROGRESS
4). AMMOUNT OF RESOURCES OR SKILLS GAINED (PERCENTAGE)
5). REORGANIZE or CLEAN LOG
6). JOURNAL


Equipment and Knowledge already attained at the start of the game:

1). SWIPE CARD FOR PRELIMINARY EXAM ROOM
2). LEVEL (INTERMEDIATE MEDIUM or ADVANCED)
3). IP ADDRESS OF PLAYER'S COMPUTER NETWORK.

(For Access back to Glossary and Info documented in that particular room)

 

Customizable Interface Menus:
1). COMMAND LINE
2). COMMAND CENTER MAP (Areas with granted and restricted access and level access)
3). KEYOBOARD DISPLAY
4). TIMER
5). CUSTOMIZEABLE ICON PANEL
6). TARGET (Area of Interest Map) Hot-Cool
**Note: More meus can be added after completion of each exam


Saving Options:
1). SAVE GANE
2). SAVE CMD LOG
3). SAVE LAYOUT VIEW


Help Options:
1). BREAK TIME or TIME-OUT
2). ONLINE OR "IN-BOOK" GLOSSARY
3). ITEMS (COULD BE COMMAND)
4). SEARCH KNOWLEDGE LOG
5). SEARCH PROGRESS LOG
6). IP ADRESSES BOOK (To Find Other Players or Commanders)
7). CREATE custom COMMANDS/"HOTKEYS" (KEYPAD)
*Note: Also, I was thinking with help options too, they should be limited/entitled to more/less time to use help depending on level.
 

 

 

ICON MENU:

Each drop down menu features its own item which can be dragged and dropped into an icon panel which will make it easier/faster/flexible for the player to navigate around the game.

 

 

 

 

COMMAND MENU:   Would be a default menu that the player can activate to run his game.  The IP Address 335.992.411 I imaged as an "OZ", or the 'mission' commander.  This code would be programmed in  manually by the player and the commander will respond what he wishes the player to execute.  The challenge is for the player to interpret the correct instructions.

 

Simplified 'Starter' Codes are found in the glossary, under Help Options...  Also the player can see examples, and, finally, can customize as much of their own codes as they want (as long as they have enough "KNOWLEDGE LEVEL").   They can allow access other players for assistance.

According to the player's level, I would say that they aren't given the option to manually navigate (aka. through arrow keys), and must strictly rely on their coding ability.  The more advanced, the less manual navigation they are allowed per exam room.

KEYPAD MENU:  The player will see the keystrokes activating as the type.  This will keep the  screenshot more interactive and fun to look at, although the player has the option  to minimize this panel if he/she chooses.

After accomplishing tasks within the preliminary assessment room, the player will then continue onto the Mission Briefing and proceed to their assignment in the training vignette.

SIMBLEND TRAILER: INTIAL BRIEF

TRAILER SUGGESTIONS

- Title and Desciprtion Fades to further explain the fundamentals of the game
- Titles will be tailored to an audience of teachers who may be interested in teaching tool funding sources
e.g., “Tailor content to your students’ current knowledge level”
“Put networks resembling your real network scenarios into the game”

TRAILER CONTENT
Interested in help conveying the visual element in the rest of our presentation – how the game gets set up. This can be done w/ stills

PRESENTATION ASPECT

One idea is what should or can be done with Powerpoint?

GOAL OF THE PRESENTATION

- Demonstrate how the game can grow from small, simple networks to larger networks that use existing libraries already built by others
- How it works with “on-line learning” (student registers for “class” but then admitted into the game, and the learning system remembers the student’s performance in the game
- We want to show some of the power of the network simulator and how we can use it
- Panel usage: could show geo displays for “Area Of Interest” (using NETWARS A.O.I. example) – to allows zoom to AOI’s

DEVELOPMENT OF VISUAL LIBRARY AND REFERENCE LINKS 

 

 

 

SIMBLEND TRAILER: CONCLUSION

 The simBLEND project was "the result of a research program funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory Human Effectiveness Directorate, Warfighter Readiness Research Division (AFRL/HEA) to develop new and exciting concepts for training the next generation of cyber warriors, simBLEND facilitates blending the delivery of computer based training (CBT) materials with interactive visualizations and serious games to create a web-based environment where learning is fun and skills can be practiced immediately....

To demonstrate SimBLEND, we created browser-based, CND-themed casual games that focused on low-level cyber security concepts and tools. These games are simple to use and can be delivered as stand-alone games or integrated into a Learning Management System or other training environment."

 

The Studio Expansion.

I cleared out a section of my basement in order to set up a workshop where I would be able to try my hand at maquette sculpting and get back to my traditional roots.  It was a slow and steady upward climb getting everything organized, but yesterday I was finally able to get mostly everything in place.

I made some room for my drafting table and spent some this week hustling around trying to find the equipment I would need to get an armature stand together and the proper supplies to build the armature itself.   I also came across some interesting memorablia was cleaning up--  Playmobil Figurines, GoBts, Mscle Mn, and Garbage Pal kid cards.  Brought back a lot of memories!

It left me thinking about the competition of brands.  Lego vs. Playmobil.  Transformers vs. Gobots.  Matchbox vs. Hotwheels.  I always liked the underdog.  Not sure why....

Knowing little about tools and hardware, searching for the armature assemblies was eye-opening for me.  Really fun, actually.  I ordered a banding wheel online, built the armature stand, and am now onto building the wired structure.   I'm just waiting on a few more supplies and cleaning up my character measurement sheet!

For my first physcial model, I going to start simple. 
Teaser:  I will post more images as I progress ahead...  ;-)

 

So, this has been one of my latest projects to date. 

 

I've taken a slight detour for Zbrush-- No, not because I have ADD, but because a small opportunity to work on some realistic product modeling surfaced.  So more polypainting exercises are in limbo and I found myself spiraling back into 3D again!  Which is always A.Ok by me, too.

 

I am planning on getting back to the polypainting of the Medusa very soon followed by the completion of my Insanity sculpt, of course.  Until then, I have been watching some tutorials on the subject and trying to get myself more comfortable with the techniques of painting color and texture and working with materials. 

  

Long Since Kentucky...

 

The Influence of SigGRAPH (2012) -- Part 2

One of the major highlights of my journey at the Los Angeles convention to attend sigGRAPH this year was the Zbrush User Group. It was an accidental discovery, thankfully, but one in which I was grateful to be present as my learning curve for Pixologic's new release, dubbed R4R, was considerably preschool to the feeling I had after leaving the meeting which was comparable entering highschool. I am still bashful to the full potentials of each sense-slapping update, so these meetings and any outside knowledge of Zbrush is welcomed by me with open arms.

Even for experts, there's always some piece of advice, some tactic, that can be learned and applied to speed up a workflow or cut some corners.

And, no doubt, I was surrounded by experts.
So what I learned along with the fact that there is such great talent out there, I also have the privledge to learn from that great talent, too.

Presenting the opening demo was Mr. Eric Keller, the author of the book I've been progressing through -- "Introducing Zbrush". Suffice to say that he has now completed his Third Edition of this book, the bare necessities of what it takes to operate Zbrush on a fundamental level are definitely within his first edition. That book has helped me tremendously with getting comfortable navigating a foreign interface such as zbrush, and meeting Eric in person was a nice entrance into the start prior to opening of sigGRAPH's exhibition hall.

The meeting had also given me the chance to become familiar with Scott Spencer and the opportunity to watch him at work. Scott was mentioned early in Eric's book.  Eric sourced the reader to Scott's book if an artist was considering working with zbrush in animation versus creating sculptures for still renderings. The book sited was a called 'Zbrush Character Creation: Advanced Digital Sculpting' (which I believe is on its second edition currently). As Scott walked through examples of his work, it was clear Scott could flaunt his saviness in anatomy and he has a books out to prove it.

He took us for a refreshing breeze through of the latest updates that r4r offers, which currently labels zbrush as a benchmark alongside other 3D software. After watching the link demoing the updates via Pixolgic's direct website a week beforehand, I was then able to take a closer look that these modifications and the variances of options available working with them.

This may be old news to the most avid and up-to-date users, but the new release as of July 2012, some of the largest rave has been going to the topology brush. It allows the user to step back from sculpting and focus in on the underlying components to help make a character more functional for animation, or retopolgy. In a simple way of understanding what the brush does, one can fix a model beneath the 'surface' or structure in sections called "quadrants". A model can also be built from scratch this way structuring the quadrants before sculpting by interactively drawing on the surface. Quads can be made, connected, redrawn, and removed by adjusting and dragging the curves and points between one quad and another. The plane can be extruded to create shells, which enhances the ability for drafting a hard surface model, which was sometimes a difficult feat in previous versions of zbrush. In the summary of this wordy nutshell, the topology brush makes this all seems too easy. If you haven't yet, take a look at the Pixologic demo on the Topology Brush Demo. Only eyes can interpret what my words might fail to explain.

Other handy features are the ability to scoll backward and forwards through sculpting history, the insert multi mesh brush, a multitude of abilties with working with curves, and an extensive list of added features to more organized stack of collapsable menus.... There's so much, really, both covered and unconvered in the span of 3+ hours of the meeting. To view all of the features: Link here.

My excitement mostly came from in the usage of the insert mesh brush in tandem with the curve and snap modifiers demoed by Scott, and the idea of using MatCap modifiers to mimic viewing shaders, but with a real-time updating-- something which is not predominant in some 3D packages yet.

The remainder of the demo was commanded by Paul Gaboury, who has quite an ease up there as well as well a great sense of humor. It really makes his presentations easy to sponge. He breezed through some shadow-box modeling techniques with the dynamesh/subtools combos and blocked out areas of rgb's in order to get a sense of where he would be cutting up his model for extruding seperate plates of armor to dress up his character with the topology brush. His demo was quick, humorous, and to the point, consistent to the way he had been at the last meeting I attended, commading the mic at these meetings and keeping the energy of the audience flowing.

It was a long day for me-- Up all night packing and preparing my work, and a sleepless seat in the middle on a six hour flight from New York. By the end of the night, my head was throbbing with an overload of knowledge but unwelcome painful exhaustion. With all I had left in me, I teethered at the back of the hanger watching Paul cover part of the final Q+A before heading to get some aspirin and stop in at Denny's for a quick late meal. All in all, the Zbrush meeting was well worth renting a car to me. I hadn't realized until that day it wasn't part of the convention itself!

The booth at the exhibit itself covered the same type of material, except different artists were debuting and raffled prizes were being given away. Danny Williams had the run of the show at one point or another and the maquettes being raffled were pretty damn amazing. I didn't hang around too long at the booth, but passed by and hovered occasionally, of course, in case I had missed anything.

I like to feed my brain with everything I can while at sigGRAPH.
I can get lost in just about anything on exhibit there.  It's happened every years so far...
But, Zbrush was like desert for me this year--  A definite mandatory vactaioning treat.

And speaking of vacations.................