Rough work design stages

[garethace]

The one thing i have found it difficult to do, is to work out a solid work process to get from a sketch, idea or initial image to a final image. I think, as much work or more goes into the initial stages of modelling and viewing a design, than the parts at the end when you are tweaking the lighting and materials. I find some of the WIPs here at cgarchitect critiques should look perhaps alot more like WIPs, perhaps there should be a third section called 'Rough studies'. To give the impression, that work begins somewhere, with consultation with a designer asking what they want etc, etc. Not usually at the final radiosity solution from day one. Furthermore, it would be possible for me to set up some quick roughs for a visualisation project, and pass the more detailed complex rendering and modelling onto someone quicker and more able. I often wondered in future will the architects ever know enough about the process, to be the person who initialises a cg visualisation project.

 

Here is how the first 2 second look at a model for me often begins:

 

 

Then i work more on the camera angle and viewpoint:

 

 

Lets play around with dark and light, try to plan how best to set up materials, lighting etc:

 

 

 

At this stage, i still have not begun to think about a photorealistic image yet, but with a bit more messing around in photoshop, i can almost tell whether an image could work, perhaps show it to the architect for valuble feed back, and if he wants something else, i still have enough time to scrap it and do something entirely different.

 

 

I would love to see some rough work by other people here too. Naturally, some architects might look with horror upon such initial attempts, but if the architect has faith in your work, or has got visuals from you before, why shouldn't they trust you to take a simple rough work, into the final stages of detailed execution? Reading Jeff's recent discussion about time schedules and doing jobs for people just made me think more about how better a cg artists time could be organised by using the architect to help you to 'plan out a visualisation project'.

 

[ July 04, 2003, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: garethace ]

[kid]

It sounds like a good idea.

 

I've seen a few WIP's where a lot of time has been spent on getting things artifact free, or the reflections just right, but more fundamental things like composition, both framing/placement of objects and tonal composition, people/cars placed at arkward scale and/or positions, have been overlooked.

 

I think a 'rough as guts' forum section may help people get the foundations of illustrations solid before diving into the sea of buttons and settings, but it may not be necessary to create this section, instead, actively encourage people to show their work for review at an earlier stage.

 

I usually sketch out my ideas before really getting into the process, this way I have a clearer picture of what I need to do, and what I can leave out with no one knowing, further down the road.

 

Unfortunately these scribbles make sense in my mind but are not so easily understood by others

 

Here's one of the more coherent sketches. I usually do a bunch of these thumbnails at about credit card size.

 

[Frosty]

Actually, I use a method that is a cross between rough computer modelling and sketching. I build the basic forms and set a few cameras. I do some quick shaded renders and print them out. I then sketch right on the rendering - some of the first studio crits to see me work like this kind of freaked. One loved it but because he couldnt use my track ball, we taped trace onto the monitor and sketched on top.

 

The important point that both of you have hit on is to get out the ideas quickly and refine them. Fumbling through buttons and settings, no matter how good you are, is not as efficient as a sketch. If you cant skecth - learn. Freehand drawing is fundamental to our art and service.

[garethace]

It sounds like a good idea.

 

I've seen a few WIP's where a lot of time has been spent on getting things artifact free, or the reflections just right, but more fundamental things like composition, both framing/placement of objects and tonal composition, people/cars placed at arkward scale and/or positions, have been overlooked.

I was thinking about it again yesterday shortly after making the thread, on my way home from work. I think a forum section called rough work may not be necessary - perhaps a gallery for roughwork and a link to either the WIP or Finished render thread in the Critique forum might be just as good. I have seen galleries before on other web sites, where anyone can post a comment underneath the pictures of someones roughwork.

 

The poster of the final render could always post a link to the original sketches if he/she wanted to. But at least people here could get an idea of where the job started and where it finished up. Often, that journey can be a difficult one indeed, and choices/decisions having to be made along the way.

 

Yeah, though "rough as juts" section was exactly what i had in mind, as anything that takes longer than 10 minutes to do as a first storyboard image, is taking too long IMO. Any MAX animation book i have ever picked up, has stressed the idea of planning what you are about to do in storyboard (rough) format. Even if it is just a hammer hitting a nail - there is a logical sequence of events, one must decide on BEFORE starting to spin values for inverse kinematics etc, etc.

[Greg Hess]

What an interesting idea for tha thread .

 

I usually follow a similar method. Mines a bit more crude though (as my models are deceptively much simplier).

 

I usually start out using primitives to fit the measurements (or proposed measurements) of the piece, and then refine those primitives or replace them as I work.

 

Its alot easier then having 500 pieces of tape all over the viewport to get the dimensions right.

[garethace]

You should check out a buy called Francis D.K. Ching, who just describes the methods you are referring to in terms of freehand drawing. Kirby Lockard is another book you should try to get a copy of too - if only to verbalise/articulate those ideas.