The Sad Robot, How it Came to Be

Back in the summer of 2013, fresh out of college and having chosen UCA's CG Arts & Animation course (now known as Computer Animation Arts) as my go-to destination for University, our course leader-to-be set us the task of adapting 13 random objects (Fig. 2) into 100 concepts, before translating 3 of those concepts into orthographic projections of a machine, life-form and a structure; concepts 24, 88 and 41 respectively. Looking back I remember worrying over getting all 100 sketches done, but once I got into it I was well on my way to 101. Wow, 19 year old me stressing over 100 thumbnail sketches, oh how little I knew back then!

Roll forward 3 years to post-graduation, looking for inspiration I decided I'd use my improved graphic design and 3D modelling skills to turn some of these hand drawn sketches into clean orthographics, and finally a working 3D model.  The aim is to build the robot to work like machine, one that that can be rigged and manoeuvred appropriately. In my next progress update I will be publishing screenshots of the digital orthographic development and modelling process up to this point.

Fig. 1: 3 years in the making, 1 & 0 (on & off)

Fig. 2: The original objects

@Phil [ND16] 04: Showcase Images 04; All Pages

For Feedback

Water 3D Model

Water Design Development

Oxygen 3D Model

Hydrogen Twins 3D Models

Iron 3D Model Close-Up

Previously Approved

Oxygen Character Development

Hydrogen Character Development

Iron Character Development

@Phil [ND16] 03: Showcase Images 03; Oxygen, Hydrogen & Iron

Phil should I add another line of grayscale design development in Oxygen's display pic, and scale down the finalised Oxygen design to accommodate this? Also, on my previous post you mentioned putting all my characters on one page, but I'm not sure if you was referring to the information shown on my character trump cards, or something else?

@Phil [ND16] 02: Showcase Images 02; Iron Design Dev - Test Page

Below I have provided a mock up of one of my showcase images. If feedback is positive I will re-create this as a high resolution version and will do the same for my Hydrogen, Oxygen and Water characters. If given the go ahead for this, one of my last three available pages will deal with character wireframes. Another will be dedicated to the development & finalisation of the Elements Academy logo. 

The final one will either feature Oxygen's character trump card from my previous post, or alternatively show better-lit versions of my posed characters - depending on the feedback on this post. If the lone trump card proves unsuitable for the New Designers display, I will re-interpret them for placement within my Making Of. At the time of posting, I've noticed I need to adjust the spacing of the colour swatches in relation to Iron's orthographics & head thumbnails.

[Major Project] Submission Post

Rendered Iron + Tablet Scene

Character Turnarounds

Act One Pre-Vis

"Elements Academy" Making Of

This will be provided on the submission computer, because as of 5:08pm I am unable to export my Making Of pages from Photoshop, and the software is refusing to open on my home computer. I will attempt to open this within the University soon, once I have commuted there. If I have no luck I will be forced to include the Photoshop file as my Making Of, because it includes all the individual pages set out in order. If time allows, I will provide it within this blog post, if I am able to open Photoshop and turn it into a PDF document.

UPDATE:

I have managed to solve the issue at University, and have provided my Making Of below...

{Adaption B} 36: Interim Crit Presentation

This may need re-uploading, for some reason Scribd badly impacts image quality.

[Character Design] 50: The Hexes - Line Art

Colours are not final.

The Hexes: Final Line Art

Hex development

Hex influence map

[Character Design] 49: 'Game Starter' Page Development 01

Looks better if right clicked and opened in a new tab.

Royalty Free Resources

Future Rot (Font)

Book (Clip Art)

Anvil (Clip Art)

[Character Design] 48: "Breeding Ground" Concept Art COMPLETE

Final Concept (1920 X 1080)

Concept Art Development

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[Character Design] 47: 60,000 Ft Under; 'Game Starter' Page - Project Info

Abandoned

It is the year 2064, Earth has become unstable after humanity dug too deep in search of resources. Many of our species have narrowly avoided extinction via its evacuation; but you have been left behind.

Identity

Even though you are one of the few survivors left on Earth, take comfort, for you are no ordinary human; you are a cyborg. You were once a rocket engineer for a powerful space agency, whose faded badge you still carry upon your robotic arm. 

Escape

To escape Earth you must first venture deep beneath its surface to 60,000 Ft Under and beyond, in search of valuable resources to help you build your own spacecraft before the planet implodes.

Battle

During this adventure, you must do battle with earthly creatures never thought possible, and survive. 
These creatures are not only carbon-based like all known life on Earth, but have formed from many of Earth’s other minerals, right beneath our feet.

Survive

To survive, you must scavenge for scrap and minerals; resources that will not only help you survive, but aid in the construction of powerful weaponry.

Discover

The world that our massive 3D board game lays before you is not as set in fiction as it may seem, a lot of the attributes and abilities you will encounter from the game pull from real life characteristics of the Earth's elements, or forms of measurement.

So if we wanted to know what it’d take to melt the radioactive uranium-based torbernite right off a Torbernite Rumbler’s back, we turn to the UK’s much loved (and loathed) scale of degrees Celsius to discover its melting point.

After weeks of testing and almost daily resets of our “Days Without Injury” counter, we have established that it would take a Magma-Gun shooting a stream of lava at least 1,135°C to have any chance of melting it. [Source]

[Character Design] 45: Compass Spinner; Line Art Development (Top View)

Influence Map

Royalty free font: Flexsteel

[Character Design] 44: "Breeding Ground" Concept Development 04

With the concept art nearer to completion, I am going to temporarily move on to designing the compass spinner and revising the card designs, as well as establishing their symbols.

Dev 09

Dev 08

[Character Design] 41: Health Bar 3D Model

This is the last aspect of the project I will be producing a 3D model for. The basic colours are not final but may be left alone depending on progress with other project work.

In reality the full health bar would be approximately 4cm high and 17cm long.

Influences

[source]

[source]

[Character Design] 39: Cyborg VS Torbernite Creature - Thumbnail 01

I will return to this once the requirements of the project brief have been fulfilled.

Here's a quick thumbnail for an interaction shot between the cyborg character and torbernite creature. I like the idea of some kind of 3D annotations existing within this shot providing basic info about the characters and their abilities or weapons, as well as real life info e.g. the melting point of granite and torbernite.

The cyborg can be seen attacking the torbernite creature via a magma stream from within his magma-gun arm attachment, meanwhile the creature lunges at him while using its irradiation ability to slowly poison and slow him down.

Influences

3D annotations in Forza Motorsport 4's 'Autovista Mode'.

More 3D annotations in Forza Motorsport 4's 'Autovista Mode'.

[Character Design] 37: Cyborg Colour Testing and More

Current favourite (unfinished)

Colour tests 01 - 05

Cyborg colour influence map

Cyborg beard tests 01 - 04

Cyborg arm attachment tests 01 - 03