Term 2 - Week 4 - Steampunk

This weeks task was to design a steampunk character or item. In the lesson we had learned some paint-over techniques from renders of models and we were allowed to incorporate 3D into our workflow for this. Being a fan of paint overs and wanting to try making it in 3D first, before making it 2D again, I was keen to create a hard surface item in Maya which I could then paint. I chose fairly early on that it would be a robot of some description but also looked at different examples of steampunk machines.

 

I then did some very quick (bad) studies of the types of items used in steampunk design and made a list of materials and types of mechanisms used in the genre. There were more sketches than shown below, but they are boring pictures of cogs and bolts etc.

Then I started putting together some of the ideas which my robot's body would be made out of - including some ideas for joints and how they might work.

I then took it to Maya to continue the creative process. At this point I need to add a disclaimer. It was during this process that I realised just how foolish I had been thinking I could create a model as detailed as I had envisioned within the time period. I started the body and head as basic shapes, then went down the robot's right arm. I wasn't until I started added connectors and details that I realised I would never get the whole thing done in time. So my final piece is not a robot, but a robot arm. Not what I wanted, and some day when I have time I'd like to finish the entire thing because I think it would be cool. Below is a few of the stages of structures I modeled.

I had decided by now that it would just be the arm and so I went about adding some more details and then added materials to each of the meshes. I set up lights in the scene and went about doing renders from different angles to see which would be a good point of view to get in some of the detail and give me the opportunity to paint over sections.

I chose a view and then took it to Photoshop. I added steam and dirt/rust effects to some of the pieces and painted in dirt build up in the creases and edges of all of the metals to make it look more realistic. Here is the final piece:

For me this project was a bit of a train wreck. I had such good ideas for form and parts and completely overestimated the time it takes to create these parts in detail. In the end the paint-over/overlay section was rushed and sloppy. I need to spend much more time on lots of sections on this for it to be a good design. I really need to go back and change the materials to be less shiny to look older and weathered, I would ideally like more details so it doesn't look so 'arranged' and at right angles. Originally my idea was to have the arms in poses. I was grouping the different sections so I could move and rotate them at a later date (as it's easier to build in right angles at first). This kind of technique is not viable at all for me to do concepts in -  simply for the time it takes. I think with less detailed, organic models it may be quicker. Making a form in Mudbox and a lower resolution and letting the paint show the details instead may be quick enough work flow to be acceptable. At least I learned that I will not dive into detailed hard surface modelling for concept again without knowing the simplest form I can create to make it look alright before I begin.