New Side Project!

I've been eyeing UDK's procedural building rulesets for a while now, and I'm finally jumping in. So far they have been a fantastic way of quickly getting a lot of variation from a semi-randomized pattern, as well as getting a less grid-spaced look to the pieces since all elements are based on ratios. This absolutely gorgeous photo has been my reference/inspiration http://www.flickr.com/photos/cubagallery/5055350942/, along with tons of general reference of the area.

Next up are more "storefront" variations and rooftop trim variations for the buildings, and then docks, boats, lights, flags and other eye candy. And new water.

Also, it is subtle but I added a slight fisheye post processing effect. In real life no lines continue straight all the way into our peripheral vision, and I think CG typically suffers from a lack of attention to this, especially at higher FOVs. So this was achieved in UDK by using a spherical mask to interpolate between the original scene and a reduced size version of the scene.

Lots to do!

Guitar WIP 2

Almost done...

Camera WIP update 3

Almost finished with the model...

Better Pictures Part 2

Better Lighting/Pictures of Old Projects!

More Soon...

70's Pad Update

I took some of my props from the realistic assignment and arranged a little scene out of them to show them in a different context:

And with a vintage filter for fun:

Another shot from the actual level:

Huge updates to portfolio are on the way this weekend, considering GDC is fast approaching.

Final 3D Project

Winter break has finally begun, so this is a good checkpoint for an update.

Over the last month I worked with 4 other peers to create three unique environments in 3D for Games class. The goal was to create a "fantasy" environment; a place you couldn't book a flight to. This definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me to develop my conceptual side.

We planned to split our environment project into 3 bite-sized chunks from different parts of our conceptualized universe in order to show more variety. I started the task of conceptualizing our "hi-tech interior" environment by doing a paintover of a previous greybox from another team member:

This was the first pass I came up with:

The team liked it, but I gave it to another teammate (Shaun Ellis) for another pass and he changed it to look like this:

All in all, the production process for this space went very smoothly, and because of the strong direction of the concept art we were able to finish most major assets within several days. The final space stayed very true to the concept:

In this level I modeled the radial modular walls, walkways, and the "curvy arm pillars" that rise up in-between the walkways. I also played a role in lighting.

The next space I helped develop was an alien jungle. This is the map that I spent the most time in, and I did most of the set dressing and lighting myself. I also modeled and textured the large ferns, small moss sheets and mossy rocks, as well as hand-texture the large platform plants with the orange glowing tops.

(My texture and material setup for the platform plant)

This is the type of environment where it is extremely difficult to unify the scene and lead the eye without overcluttering. Bioluminescent plants look cool, but when they're placed without care they destroy the coherency of the scene. This was happening a lot in the early stages of set dressing before I took it into my own hands. For comparison, here is a side by side of what the lighting and set dressing looked like before and after I took over:

Before:

After:

More pictures and information coming soon...

Augmented Reality

If you can see it, touch it, hear it, taste it, and smell it... is it real?

What if everyone can see it?

Imagine walking around in a digitally augmented world. As you walk past buildings, virtual signs pop out, telling you if there is currently seating available and displaying a virtual button to click for the menu. Your friend's name appears over their head as you walk up to them, and with a universal tagging system, you play a little prank and attach the description box "didn't shower today" onto them for the world to see (hey, not your fault they enabled friend description permissions). You look up at the night-time sky to see each star marked by name. You invite your friend to a game of chess, but neither of you has a board. No problem; you clear off a spot on a nearby table and a chess board appears, fully set up, for you and your friend to manipulate in real-time with your hands.

If you lose your keys, a compass-like arrow in your field of vision points directly to them and tells you how far away they are. Better yet, your car instantly recognizes who you are and will not start for anybody you haven't authorized.

You have edited your personal preferences so that words you don't like to hear are censored-out of surrounding people's speech for you in real-time. When someone says a big word you don't know the meaning of, you can convert that word into text and read a dictionary definition.

You haven't sat down at a physical television or computer screen in years - just project your own into 3d space and make it visible to whoever else you want. And if you're trying to explain what something looks like to a particularly non-imaginative person? Just draw it - in mid air!

There are no "computer programs" anymore - not in the normal sense. There is only reality, and the virtual framework that augments it. "Applications" exist as tangible, 3d objects with which to interact.

Video games run on their own "channels" or "frequencies", visible only to those who enable them in their feed. Gigantic boss dragons loom over treasure chests at the bases of historical landmarks.

The newest "Discovery Channel" special, say "Underwater Earth", simulates a tidal wave enveloping your local area in real-time, crashing down and rushing between the cracks of buildings as you gaze around seeing it all play out around you.

Don't own a drum kit? Or a piano? Don't have to - project whatever kind of instrument you'd like into reality and play it at your local gig.

The word "internet" doesn't exist anymore. Only the word "reality".

No single corporation owns authoritative power over "reality". On the contrary, every user has equal power, contributing to reality in a similar fashion to Wikipedia. Personal changes only effect individuals who allow for them, while a universal database of information grows larger every second, giving every human on earth access to any education they desire, on-demand.

These are but a few of the possibilities of advanced augmented reality - the combination of the virtual world and the real world. This world would be visualized through handheld displays, specialized glasses, and, eventually, contact lenses. Is this what the future holds? That all depends on company politics and people.

We are just now starting to see the beginnings of augmented reality - in advertisements, browsers, games, and maps. But this technology, given enough time, is potentially the most exciting invention since the internet itself.

Until then, enjoy these first toddler steps into this uncharted realm:

Layar - Augmented Reality Mobile Browser: http://layar.com/

GE Augmented Reality website: http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/augmented_reality

One of the first AR games: http://www.indiecade.com/index.php?/games/selected/levelhead