References: http://3d.about.com/od/3d-101-the-basics/tp/introducing-the-computer-graphics- Pipeline.htm (character design pipeline) http://cpapworthpp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/animation-production-pipelinecallum.html (character design pipeline) http://blog.digitaltutors.com/understanding-a-3d-production-pipeline-learningthe-basics/ (character design pipeline) There are many key stages used by professional character modellers and animations, when it comes to creating 3D animated characters for games. The pipeline is usually made up of three stages in which the characters are built and animated in. These are pre-production, production and post-production. Within these three key phases, there are major points that are included when creating and animated 3D models. They include post-production such as the art, post production that includes 3d modelling, shading and texturing, lighting, animation, and finally post production, which involves rendering the fully built, coloured, lighting and rigged model. Pre-production: This is where one of the most important parts of the pipeline is included in, as the story, character design and storyboarding is planned out. Storyboard: The story that was made by the team is then sketched out onto panels/paper to look like a big comic cook. This is done to see if the story makes scene and if any changes need to be made before working further on the animated character. Art-work: Many drawings and paintings are made by the artists, of the characters. By looking at the storyboards, they design the scenes to get a final design. These are then looked at and studied carefully. Directors, producers and art leaders give feedback to change anything in the work and to help it improve. Colour schemes for the characters are established and can be changed further on in the pre-production phase. The concept artists work with the 3D modellers to come up with samples for final designs. The drawings that are made are usually of character positions to see all the
ideas that will give the artists a good look at what the best tone and art style is. Model Sheets: This is the final stage in the preproduction process. The final character designs are drawn in different postures of what they would look like in the game. The model also includes a turnaround of the character, which has there facial expressions. Production: This is where the 3D model is made by the professional 3D modellers. Rigging and animation is also included at the end when the 3D model is complete. Modelling: The modeller s are given the 2D drawn characters and then they transform it into a 3D model using software s such as Maya, 3ds max, ZBrush. To start off with, the modellers work with a simple shape such as a square or cube and use the tools provided in the software to change and transform the shape into the character. Box modelling is one of the more common and useful techniques used to model. The extrude tool is used, for example in Maya, and it allows you to make simple layouts of the character at first, and then gradually, more detail is added, which is built up into the final model. Polygons are used to model the characters. The more polygons that are used, the mode detail the model is. Characters in games have a low level of polygons used due to the characters being rendered in real time. It makes it much easier to render the final characters if there are a lower amount of polygon used. However with a lower amount t used, they make up for it with better quality of textures for the models/characters. Models are made up of vertices, edges and faces that make up the form of the overall 3D model.
Texturing: Material, textures and colours are applied to the 3D model. Clothing, skin and hair colours are added to make the characters look as like-like and realistic as possible. Each part of the model is given different shader-material to give them suitable looks. Many of the people who add texture to the model use Photoshop as it gives the model the best professional finish to it. UV mapping is a technique used to add the textures from Photoshop to Maya. The model is unfolded into 2D inside the 3D modelling software, and then once that is completed, it is unpacked into Photoshop. Colour is added to the 2D unfolded map using the brush/paint tool. The colours are uploaded back inside the 3D software which is added onto the model. Reflective, glossy shaders are applied to the model if it is made of plastic. Similar to real life glass, material that is a little transparent and refracts light will be applied to glass materials on the 3D model. Lighting: For the models to come to life, lights are positioned throughout the scene to illuminate them. This is quite a technical part in the pipeline, as it is important to replicate the lighting rigs, like that on a movie that illuminates actors and actresses. Lighting types such as the sun, lamps and TV s, affect the lighting on different types of materials. Lights have a great effect on the mood and look of the animation with amounts of lights on it. Shadows are an important aspect in the scenes with where the light is placed.
Rigging: Virtual skeletons, or as they are also knows as rigs, allow the animators to move the models body features such as the legs, arms, facial expressions, and posture. This allows them to make lifelike animations. Rigging basically adds bones/skeleton to the whole of the 3D model. The animator creates control points that he can move, bend and deform to make the animations. Once the whole of the skeleton is made and attached to the model, the animator needs to weight the rig. This is when the strength of each joint on the polygons/part of the model changes around the area. Clothes and hair from the character can also have controls to make them move in a realistic way.
Animation: This is when the 3D models come to life. The creations of complex character movements are made. The animators use the control/rigs that were made in the rigging process. They will use key-frames that set the motion speed, for the start and finish pose of the characters action and then change the movement parts in between to make the movement flow and move well. By making a sequence of poses, playing it over an amount of frames can make it look like the character is moving.
Post-production: This is the final part in the animation production pipeline. Once all the modelling and animation is completed, the rendering and other processes are worked on. Rendering: Each of the scenes or key frames in the 3D environment that were made in the animation process, are rendered into 2D images. The rendered images include the movements, visual effects, lighting, colour etc. This allows all the scenes to be taken into a video editing software, and are reorganized to make a whole final product/video of the animation. Any unwanted footage or scenes are taken out in this process as well. Rendering takes a few seconds, hours, even days, depending on the computer being used to render the animation, the complexity of the scene, and even the render quality.