A ' Strange Dream'

I am a computer gamer and some of the games I play do revolve around a first person camera. I wanted to capture that feel with this video and give the viewer the sense that they are actually a person inside this environment. I did'nt want it to sem like it was just a camera on rails but instead someone reacting to the surreal nature of this environment.

Screenshots (72ppi)

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I found this part of the project much more tricky and time consuming than the others. Esperient Creator is much more difficult to learn and requires a lot of trial and error  to get the outcome you want. I went into it with a clear idea of what I wanted to do but did not leave myself enough time to achieve it in a way that I would be happy with.  I wanted to create a swarm of asteroid like objects around the tower and have one collide with it sending bits of debris out. To a certain degree I believe I have achieved this, there is a collision with debris and also a number of asteroids, but the visual quality is not quiet how I would have really wanted it to be.  I have been sick over this half semester and I believe that has a had an effect, but I still think I could have improved the Esperient section of this project. I have enjoyed using these programs; most of which were completely new to me (only casual use of Sketchup), and would like to learn and build on the skills I have acquired within this paper.

Render Finals (240ppi)

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These are my final renders from Deep Exploration. Theses images are the same ones as in the previous post; however they have had some editing within Adobe Camera RAW as well. I believe that this may have lifted them above the previous ones, giving them a more pleasing and effective aesthetic.

I chose these images because they each demonstrate different traits. the first image gives you an overview of the entire model. The second focuses on the lower section of the tower, utilizing the dark tones of that section and the cracks between the boxes to contrast nicely against the white surface of the boxes themselves. The third image captures the mid ground where elements of the entire model are present, with the tower, boxes and asteroid.

Renders (72ppi)

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Experimenting in Deep Exploration (72ppi)

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For these two renders I have been experimenting with a number of new environment maps, lighting scenarios and materials. I have picked out the best one and it is shown on the bottom; the top image is one of my original renders.
The difference between them is significant, all of these touches give the model a much higher quality aesthetic. I really like how the surfaces have become shiny due to the increased glossiness and index's within Deep Explorations material editor.
This is the aesthetic style that I will use for my render finals.

Second Sketchup/DE experimentation (72ppi)

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I have decided to move away from the ramp idea because I believe that it is too restricting, not allowing me to manipulate the model further. The fact that it was trying to mimic a 'skate park' type of aesthetic would, in my opinion, mean I would have to keep it within the confines of a realistic structure.
The designs I have here are aimed at exploring how far I could push my hierarchy model from its original state, whilst retaining some o its key style queues. The first image also has a asteroid style object that I have been thinking of using to add movement to the concept. With multiple asteroids orbiting the tower, it could really give the scene a surreal feel, maybe dreamlike. Other parts of the model could be animated a swell like the lower sections of the tower or even the boxes.

These renders are among my first with the deep exploration product and I will be experimenting further to get a finish that I am happy with. The current renders seem too neutral and almost underexposed in their tones.

Initial Sketchup Design

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This original idea focussed on the original hierarchy design, with only minor changes to the actual shape of the structure.  The idea included little ramps between the levels that would allow the viewer to 'jump' from area to area. This would give an exciting aesthetic to the video.