Creation of The Blacksmith: concept and decoration
In the framework of the official cooperation with Unity, we will publish translations of articles on creating projects on Unity 5.
This time we will discuss the sources of inspiration for creating the The Blacksmith video (Blacksmith), we will show examples of concept art and share interesting observations and tips.
The main character
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In the previous article, we already wrote that in the process of creating content, our Unity Demo Team team adheres to specific development goals.
When creating the protagonist of The Blacksmith, we were guided not only by the set technical objectives, but also by the specific characteristics that, in our opinion, this character should have.
For example, as part of this project, we decided to abandon the skin shaders in favor of the built-in physically accurate shader (PBS) in Unity, which at that time was in development. In other words, we did not strive to make the character's skin look realistic. The same was true of hair - writing a separate shader for this purpose was not part of the project’s objectives.
In addition, we had to make sure that the environment corresponded to the image of the main character. We already had an environment that we showed in the Viking Village demo, so we decided to reuse some resources in order to save working time. Thus, for the character was already chosen the setting. And this led us to the idea of ​​turning to Scandinavian mythology in search of interesting characters and plots.
Concept art. Early sketches.
Perhaps you have already guessed what literary source formed the basis for the image of the blacksmith - “Song of Volund” - a work from the collection of Old Norse songs “The Elder Edda”. The colorful images of blacksmiths and the overlapping plots can also be found in the Finnish poetic epic “Kalevala” . Exploring the historical and mystical significance of the blacksmith in the mythology and folklore of Indo-European peoples, we were fascinated by how this ambiguous image combines various elements that make it attractive, but at the same time emphasize its dark side. We decided that this is exactly what we need - an image reminiscent of many modern villains in cinema and literature who can not leave anyone indifferent.
Concept art. Sketches.
As part of the visual development of the character, we worked closely with concept artist George Simeonov . George proposed many interesting ideas and showed several ways to depict hair as part of a human silhouette using elements such as strips of skin or a hood.
Concept art. Sketches.
When creating the main character, we explored and rethought many mythological images. The collected material influenced not only the decoration, but also the plot of the video. In addition, we focused on other multifaceted and unusual literary characters, such as Morfey from the The Sandman comic book series (Sandman) Neil Gaiman and Judge Holden from Blood Meridian novel (Bloody Meridian) Cormac McCarthy.
Here is the last approved concept art of the protagonist The Blacksmith:
Concept art. Approved version.
We assigned Jonas Thornquist to develop the model and textures for the character. Jonas did an excellent job, created a model and visualized with VRay - and this is what he did:
Blacksmith. The original render of a high poly model, made in VRay.
Antagonist
We considered the potential possibility of creating a short film and decided to expand the project a bit. As a result, we not only abandoned the initial technical restrictions on the main character, but also added another character.
According to the idea, the antagonist is a battle-hardened warrior, in whose image the Old Norse and anachronic elements are deliberately combined. In the work on the concept and design of this character, we collaborated with Sergey Samuilov .
Antagonist. Original render, made in Marmoset Toolbag 2.
Environment
The environment from the Viking Village video was still in development and, of course, we wanted to use ready-made resources. However, from the very beginning it was obvious that they would have to be organized differently. In the video The Blacksmith, we wanted to create a more dramatic atmosphere. The environment was supposed to complement the plot of our video and fit well with the individual characteristics and history of the characters.
In order to convey this idea to our team and other employees, we have made several illustrations.
Illustrations for video.
The development of the concept of the environment took very little time. We limited ourselves to a few quick sketches, and then switched to iteration in Unity, until we stopped at the appropriate version.
When creating the landscape, we collaborated with Terragen expert Martin Huisman, entrusting him with procedural generation of highly detailed stone textures.
All the stones in this image are rotated scaled samples of the same source.
Create a clip
In the first phase of the project, we made a storyboard. As a result, we have a lot of new ideas that we shared with the production team. Thanks to working with Unity, we did not have to block access to the storyboard at an early stage - the engine provides the ability to load resources in real time, which allows editing individual frames even at the final stages. Without much effort, we explored a number of modifications and adaptations of our original idea, made technical changes and even slightly modified the story until the final project deadline.
Storyboard Early version.
The subsequent stages of work looked like this:
First, we made pilot samples of some key frames. To experience the length and rhythmic development of the video, we used a ready-made animated 2D storyboard. In addition, we identified additional tools and shaders that could be useful to us.
Then we moved on to developing a prototype environment in Unity using preliminary versions of resources, including character models. We also used them when working with visuals, and pre-visualization in 3D served as a good reference for actors in the motion-capture studio.
After filming, we post-processed the animation, exported it to Unity, and performed chronological synchronization along with additional frame iterations. In the meantime, the artist began to replace the preliminary resources in the engine with newer ones, while working on lighting and post-effects.
Frame structure. Sketch; 2D animatic; motion capture with preview in real time; 3D visualization; final version in Unity (Scene view); final version in Unity (Game view).
At this stage, the Unity graphics system and our additional shaders were subjected to increased loads. As the Unity 5.0 engine underwent beta testing, we sent the Unity developers team our comments and suggestions regarding bugs, inconsistencies, integration issues and stability, and also asked for improved workflows and performance.
At the last stage, we were engaged in iteration and final polishing of graphics and animation, correction of the remaining bugs in our tools and shaders, and finally, preparation for the delivery of the project.
In the next article in this series, we will look at the creation of The Blacksmith video from a more technical point of view and will address the aspects of scene preparation, shading and lighting. Stay tuned to the special page of our short film.
This time we will discuss the sources of inspiration for creating the The Blacksmith video (Blacksmith), we will show examples of concept art and share interesting observations and tips.
The main character
')
In the previous article, we already wrote that in the process of creating content, our Unity Demo Team team adheres to specific development goals.
When creating the protagonist of The Blacksmith, we were guided not only by the set technical objectives, but also by the specific characteristics that, in our opinion, this character should have.
For example, as part of this project, we decided to abandon the skin shaders in favor of the built-in physically accurate shader (PBS) in Unity, which at that time was in development. In other words, we did not strive to make the character's skin look realistic. The same was true of hair - writing a separate shader for this purpose was not part of the project’s objectives.
In addition, we had to make sure that the environment corresponded to the image of the main character. We already had an environment that we showed in the Viking Village demo, so we decided to reuse some resources in order to save working time. Thus, for the character was already chosen the setting. And this led us to the idea of ​​turning to Scandinavian mythology in search of interesting characters and plots.
Concept art. Early sketches.
Perhaps you have already guessed what literary source formed the basis for the image of the blacksmith - “Song of Volund” - a work from the collection of Old Norse songs “The Elder Edda”. The colorful images of blacksmiths and the overlapping plots can also be found in the Finnish poetic epic “Kalevala” . Exploring the historical and mystical significance of the blacksmith in the mythology and folklore of Indo-European peoples, we were fascinated by how this ambiguous image combines various elements that make it attractive, but at the same time emphasize its dark side. We decided that this is exactly what we need - an image reminiscent of many modern villains in cinema and literature who can not leave anyone indifferent.
Concept art. Sketches.
As part of the visual development of the character, we worked closely with concept artist George Simeonov . George proposed many interesting ideas and showed several ways to depict hair as part of a human silhouette using elements such as strips of skin or a hood.
Concept art. Sketches.
When creating the main character, we explored and rethought many mythological images. The collected material influenced not only the decoration, but also the plot of the video. In addition, we focused on other multifaceted and unusual literary characters, such as Morfey from the The Sandman comic book series (Sandman) Neil Gaiman and Judge Holden from Blood Meridian novel (Bloody Meridian) Cormac McCarthy.
Here is the last approved concept art of the protagonist The Blacksmith:
Concept art. Approved version.
We assigned Jonas Thornquist to develop the model and textures for the character. Jonas did an excellent job, created a model and visualized with VRay - and this is what he did:
Blacksmith. The original render of a high poly model, made in VRay.
Antagonist
We considered the potential possibility of creating a short film and decided to expand the project a bit. As a result, we not only abandoned the initial technical restrictions on the main character, but also added another character.
According to the idea, the antagonist is a battle-hardened warrior, in whose image the Old Norse and anachronic elements are deliberately combined. In the work on the concept and design of this character, we collaborated with Sergey Samuilov .
Antagonist. Original render, made in Marmoset Toolbag 2.
Environment
The environment from the Viking Village video was still in development and, of course, we wanted to use ready-made resources. However, from the very beginning it was obvious that they would have to be organized differently. In the video The Blacksmith, we wanted to create a more dramatic atmosphere. The environment was supposed to complement the plot of our video and fit well with the individual characteristics and history of the characters.
In order to convey this idea to our team and other employees, we have made several illustrations.
Illustrations for video.
The development of the concept of the environment took very little time. We limited ourselves to a few quick sketches, and then switched to iteration in Unity, until we stopped at the appropriate version.
When creating the landscape, we collaborated with Terragen expert Martin Huisman, entrusting him with procedural generation of highly detailed stone textures.
All the stones in this image are rotated scaled samples of the same source.
Create a clip
In the first phase of the project, we made a storyboard. As a result, we have a lot of new ideas that we shared with the production team. Thanks to working with Unity, we did not have to block access to the storyboard at an early stage - the engine provides the ability to load resources in real time, which allows editing individual frames even at the final stages. Without much effort, we explored a number of modifications and adaptations of our original idea, made technical changes and even slightly modified the story until the final project deadline.
Storyboard Early version.
The subsequent stages of work looked like this:
First, we made pilot samples of some key frames. To experience the length and rhythmic development of the video, we used a ready-made animated 2D storyboard. In addition, we identified additional tools and shaders that could be useful to us.
Then we moved on to developing a prototype environment in Unity using preliminary versions of resources, including character models. We also used them when working with visuals, and pre-visualization in 3D served as a good reference for actors in the motion-capture studio.
After filming, we post-processed the animation, exported it to Unity, and performed chronological synchronization along with additional frame iterations. In the meantime, the artist began to replace the preliminary resources in the engine with newer ones, while working on lighting and post-effects.
Frame structure. Sketch; 2D animatic; motion capture with preview in real time; 3D visualization; final version in Unity (Scene view); final version in Unity (Game view).
At this stage, the Unity graphics system and our additional shaders were subjected to increased loads. As the Unity 5.0 engine underwent beta testing, we sent the Unity developers team our comments and suggestions regarding bugs, inconsistencies, integration issues and stability, and also asked for improved workflows and performance.
At the last stage, we were engaged in iteration and final polishing of graphics and animation, correction of the remaining bugs in our tools and shaders, and finally, preparation for the delivery of the project.
In the next article in this series, we will look at the creation of The Blacksmith video from a more technical point of view and will address the aspects of scene preparation, shading and lighting. Stay tuned to the special page of our short film.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/263219/
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