After coming back from the break and submitting the outcomes of our collaborative unit, it was time to start a new project: Artefact, under Serra’s advisement. Serra wanted us to create something that involves user experience. Initially, I had no idea what I was going to do, so we discussed the skills I wanted to improve, and she helped me come up with a solid idea.
As someone who aspires to work as an environment artist, having stunning visuals and compelling compositions is one of my main goals. For the story of my artefact, Serra suggested a playful twist: a blooper reel of Star Wars. The concept is that stormtroopers, Darth Vader, and all the characters are actors on a set. After a long day of shooting, the stormtroopers decide to unwind at a pub and enjoy a drink or two!
To achieve realistic animation, I’ll be using Vicon motion capture. For the establishing shot, I’ll create the terrain in Houdini, which will be great practice for improving my skills in that software. The scene will then be assembled in Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) due to its speed and powerful capabilities. Finally, I’ll composite everything in Nuke to polish the visuals.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting about my process and the various things we learn in Serra’s class.