Week 6.5: FINALLY a Decision is Made

THE TENTH STEP (My Most Troublesome Yet)

The time had finally come for me to make a decision on the shop design I will continue putting my efforts into. Whilst the modularity of my created parts will allow me to create both buildings/ many more (this being the advantage of working in the industry method where entire levels can be constructed using mostly the same modular parts with some unique assets placed around)

I however am not tasked with creating an entire level, just one building, and the incessant desire to create multiple shops isn't a productive use of my time.

So after much MUCH deliberation I chose the Telescope shop design:

Chosen Design: Telescope Building In Unreal

I came to this conclusion mostly because the overall silhouette was more whimsical/ asymmetrical, better suiting the Dickensian aesthetic of Diagonalley. Whilst my branding and overall feel of the shop I want to be slightly more refined and less chaotic in nature (limited in it's array of unaligned elements warping and bending in strange angles)

I will instead be able to more easily bring in an eclectic or layered approach. For example the chimneys being at various heights, or the drain pipe having a unique split, a selection of lanterns and signs dotted about that in real life would be tricky/ unnecessary to install but in an established world with magic and "Leviosa" would imagine such additions would be easier to come by.

In totality bringing the overall direction design to fit the established world of this brief.

Once this decision was made I started with a fresh MAYA file to clear up any previous artifacts of unused elements and began further refining of my models.

Notable Edited Models: Telescope, Lantern.

The first model that would help solidify this choice was the telescope itself. Initially a series of extruded loops on a cylinder It was time to add a bit more intrigue. Keeping the topology clean, I inserted more edge loops to add more metal supports and bands, breaking up the shape. I also used a soft selection on one of the front edges combined with the scale tool to create a more unique lens shape, bringing it closer to a more fantastical telescope, not something NASA would use.

Next was the creation of a lantern. This design was pulling directly from my original moodboards, with a celestial orb design. This was made by using a bevelled edge cube to create the 4 pointed star, a Sphere that had each vertical edges bevelled and extruded to create the metal supports. Using the sphere's central vertex as a pivot point the star was duplicated around the shape using [Shift + D]

Whilst this design is interesting it may be slightly too fantastical/ stylised? As it's proportions are that extra level of chunky, making it look less crafted by an actual human. But does keep my theme of spheres and circles, looking like stars or planets across the design.

Finally this week I refined my guttering, creating 6 modular parts. Again utilising extruded cylinders, the bend was done following along with Robot Army's "How To Model Pipes And Wires ¦ Simple Techniques [Maya]"[1] Using the Bridge and "Curve Type: Blend" creating the realism that comes with including such parts that are innately modular in real life aswell.

KEY INFORMATION from the week:

Choice: Having finally chosen a single shop I will be able to refocus my efforts on the quality of the overall project and continue refining elements and adding details. (I need to remind myself that I am not creating a whole level, just a single shop)

Maya: Several models have been refined this week most notably the telescope and guttering.

[1] www.youtube.com. (n.d.). How To Model Pipes And Wires ¦ Simple Techniques [Maya]. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/wDajjyyAKWw?si=iCF2qiNeSgI-BFzv [Accessed 14 Mar. 2024]‌. [accessed 7 Feb 2024].