Celtic Myth Podshow Fun Stuff

OK…

Well one of my dreams has been the possibility of re-telling the Celtic Myths visually by using the medium of 3D Animation. In fact, Ruth and I started our whole concept of re-telling of the myths by beginning to create an animated film. Story-boards were produced, scripts were started and not being used to patience, I made a start on creating the terrain for the opening shots of the film and then plotted a camera track, recorded some voice over and with some accompanying music began to put together the opening scenes of the film. It rapidly became apparent that after three and a half months, we had produced just under 2 minutes of film!!!!

Not only that, but I discovered animating tumbling rocks required a knowledge of physics that escaped me and those unlucky few who were subjugated to my attempts fell about laughing at these balloon like boulders careering unrealistically down the hill-side! Scrap that idea then… :)

So, the podcast was born and the rest, they say, is history..

However, the knowledge, love and desire to produce using my 3D design skills has remained with me, which is why I guess, I have occasionally produced Wallpapers for screen or phone.

In the Windmills of my mind

The myths are still very visual in my mind, and maybe that is why when it comes to editing the final audio podcasts I make an attempt at re-creasting in a sound-picture what I can ‘see’ inside my head. Technology poroceeds faster than we can keep up with it though, and now my mind si whirling with new pssibilities. 

You see, not only do we have the incredible shading, light and built-in hardware possibilities of today’s top-of-the-range Graphics Cards (OK, I admit still well out of my reach financially), but we have several Game editors that are designed to utilise these technological advances and have pre-scripted sequences or cut-aways, that would be ideal for using to clip togetoher the scenes of a movie! Now you see the Windmills whirring furiously :)

Not only that, but for the purposes of development the editors are free. Well, I think 3 out of the 4 are. There is something called Unity that mixes well with much Open Source software (Blender being used as a 3D modelling tool) and I love Open Source, and then there is the Source Engine developed by Valve and using Havok physics. You can see this in operation in the latest Half-Life games. Although it was one of the first editors to make use of Ragdoll physics and was/still is ground-breakign in many areas, in terms of creating believable outside areas it relies upon the skills of the artist and trickery to try to re-create the outside world.

Unreal Development Kit (UDK)

Now, however, there are two very real contenders remaining for the title of King of the Hill when it comes to bringing you your mythological stories in movie format! The first has evolved out of the very successful Unreal series of games - the Unreal Development Kit.

(https://plus.google.com/u/0/110838162887713508997/posts/gX3Etmk57SK)

As you can see, the terrain is quite simplistic but passable. There is a technical demo reel of an amazing scene showing jungle, rain, water trickling over rock surfaces and its all very exciting but I can imagine that it probably took a team of Unreal designers weeks to produce that demo, On the down-side, I have read frequently in forums, that the UDK is ideally suited to developing interiors (easy use of Phong shading) but you have to struggle to produce terrain, although it is well served by the community with documentation and tutorials.

TheTech Demo Reel looks pretty good though, esdpecially the Realistic Foliage…

Search.flv Watch on Posterous

CryENGINE

Lastly, the choice that has really caught my eye in terms of terrain development is the latest incarnation of the Design Environment behind the Crysis series of games developed by the Crytek company. I remember playing the original FarCry and being blown away by the water, trees and shadows and things have come on so far since then! 

The disadvantages are that the Engine is purportedly buggy, with many crashes, and has a very steep learning curve with only a growing developer community.

Last words?

Yes, I think the only option is to try both pieces of software. I’m still going to have to use traditional 3D design s/w to produce models and objects, still going to have to use serious art software for textures and still have the import/export pipeline to consider in the workflow. In addition, whilst productions made by the latter, and possibly the former, and free for non-commercial use - if we reach the stage where we wish to make something in addition for sale, then there are licensing considerations to be taken into account. If every single frame has been hand-crafted by myself - that ceases to become a financial problem. But then 3 months for 2 minutes of film?? Get serious, Gary! :)

Mind you, those rocks and trees, soft ambient shadows and diffuse glows are very tempting… (sigh..)

Lastly, the very impressive CryEngine 2012 demo reel, including DX11 features not yet implemented.. :{

CryEngine_3_GDC_2012_Tech_Trailer_(Cam).mp4 Watch on Posterous

OK…

Well one of my dreams has been the possibility of re-telling the Celtic Myths visually by using the medium of 3D Animation. In fact, Ruth and I started our whole concept of re-telling of the myths by beginning to create an animated film. Story-boards were produced, scripts were started and not being used to patience, I made a start on creating the terrain for the opening shots of the film and then plotted a camera track, recorded some voice over and with some accompanying music began to put together the opening scenes of the film. It rapidly became apparent that after three and a half months, we had produced just under 2 minutes of film!!!!

Not only that, but I discovered animating tumbling rocks required a knowledge of physics that escaped me and those unlucky few who were subjugated to my attempts fell about laughing at these balloon like boulders careering unrealistically down the hill-side! Scrap that idea then… :)

So, the podcast was born and the rest, they say, is history..

However, the knowledge, love and desire to produce using my 3D design skills has remained with me, which is why I guess, I have occasionally produced Wallpapers for screen or phone.

In the Windmills of my mind

The myths are still very visual in my mind, and maybe that is why when it comes to editing the final audio podcasts I make an attempt at re-creasting in a sound-picture what I can ‘see’ inside my head. Technology poroceeds faster than we can keep up with it though, and now my mind si whirling with new pssibilities. 

You see, not only do we have the incredible shading, light and built-in hardware possibilities of today’s top-of-the-range Graphics Cards (OK, I admit still well out of my reach financially), but we have several Game editors that are designed to utilise these technological advances and have pre-scripted sequences or cut-aways, that would be ideal for using to clip togetoher the scenes of a movie! Now you see the Windmills whirring furiously :)

Not only that, but for the purposes of development the editors are free. Well, I think 3 out of the 4 are. There is something called Unity that mixes well with much Open Source software (Blender being used as a 3D modelling tool) and I love Open Source, and then there is the Source Engine developed by Valve and using Havok physics. You can see this in operation in the latest Half-Life games. Although it was one of the first editors to make use of Ragdoll physics and was/still is ground-breakign in many areas, in terms of creating believable outside areas it relies upon the skills of the artist and trickery to try to re-create the outside world.

Unreal Development Kit (UDK)

Now, however, there are two very real contenders remaining for the title of King of the Hill when it comes to bringing you your mythological stories in movie format! The first has evolved out of the very successful Unreal series of games - the Unreal Development Kit.

(https://plus.google.com/u/0/110838162887713508997/posts/gX3Etmk57SK)

As you can see, the terrain is quite simplistic but passable. There is a technical demo reel of an amazing scene showing jungle, rain, water trickling over rock surfaces and its all very exciting but I can imagine that it probably took a team of Unreal designers weeks to produce that demo, On the down-side, I have read frequently in forums, that the UDK is ideally suited to developing interiors (easy use of Phong shading) but you have to struggle to produce terrain, although it is well served by the community with documentation and tutorials.

TheTech Demo Reel looks pretty good though, esdpecially the Realistic Foliage…

Search.flv Watch on Posterous

CryENGINE

Lastly, the choice that has really caught my eye in terms of terrain development is the latest incarnation of the Design Environment behind the Crysis series of games developed by the Crytek company. I remember playing the original FarCry and being blown away by the water, trees and shadows and things have come on so far since then! 

The disadvantages are that the Engine is purportedly buggy, with many crashes, and has a very steep learning curve with only a growing developer community.

Last words?

Yes, I think the only option is to try both pieces of software. I’m still going to have to use traditional 3D design s/w to produce models and objects, still going to have to use serious art software for textures and still have the import/export pipeline to consider in the workflow. In addition, whilst productions made by the latter, and possibly the former, and free for non-commercial use - if we reach the stage where we wish to make something in addition for sale, then there are licensing considerations to be taken into account. If every single frame has been hand-crafted by myself - that ceases to become a financial problem. But then 3 months for 2 minutes of film?? Get serious, Gary! :)

Mind you, those rocks and trees, soft ambient shadows and diffuse glows are very tempting… (sigh..)

Lastly, the very impressive CryEngine 2012 demo reel, including DX11 features not yet implemented.. :{

CryEngine_3_GDC_2012_Tech_Trailer_(Cam).mp4 Watch on Posterous