The topic for today

Hello again everybody. Christmas is over now and a new year has started! Which means that our group is back and will be working with Submarine Explorer again. Today. I will be talking about our prototype phase, what I’ve been working on and my experience with 3D modeling.

Prototype phase

Before we went on Christmas holiday, we had a little discussion of making our goal to have a prototype before Christmas. We noticed that it has almost reached its prototype phase, however, it still need more time for tweaking, levels and bug fixes before we will release it.

Things that’s done

Our quest system works, you can accept and complete them. We have a very basic level of just testing out how everything will look. We also have a couple of every kind of 3D models such as fish and environment.

What I’ve been working with

Since my last post, I’ve only been working with 3D modelling. I’m really enjoying making new kinds of 3D models. There’s just so much that you can do when using a 3D model engine. As you use it, the more experience you get and can make more advanced 3D models.

Here’s a new fish that I have created. A pixel fish. The idea was formed when we in the group brainstormed ideas. We had a funny gag of having a game that has fish with its graphic made out of big pixels. It would look really funny of seeing a pixelated fish in a game together with other fish with low poly graphic.

When I started making the pixel fish. I thought that it would be really easy since it was only making “big pixels” instead of a lower poly style. But it was a bit difficult. The hardest part of making it was the beginning. Where on the body should I start? What is it going to look like? Will it be a standard fish or a completely new creature? There were many choices of making the pixel fish. I felt like making a plain regular fish out of “pixels” as graphic. The modelling part was a bit easier. I used the extrude tool a lot to drag out new “pixels”. One thing I still want to know is how to extract the exact amount until you have the new dragged block as big as the one that you started extruding.

Some parts ended up a small amount bigger or smaller. But hey, it’s a fish made out of “pixels”

Here’s another form of coral. A spiral coral. When I wanted to make more environmental 3D models of corals. I thought what kind of corals was missing. I looked at my collection and saw that I didn’t make a spiral coral.

I thought that I could make a more cooler looking coral that twists in a spiral with a smaller version of itself as branches.

Here’s a preview of a new fish that I’m currently making. A face fish. The biggest difference this fish will have is going to be on its face. It has the whole body of a fish and the face of a human.

I knew from the start that making this fish will be a challenge. The body isn’t the biggest problem since I’ve already been making fish bodies, the face will be difficult since making faces in 3D in general is difficult. I also knew that just extruding parts from the face might work, but it will just look horrible. I tried it and it looked like it wore a mask and didn’t even resemble a human face. That’s why I needed a better way of making the face, which I have at the end of this topic.

my experience with 3D modeling

On this day, I now have a couple of weeks’ experience of 3D modelling. So far I think that I have gotten better if I compare the first model with my latest. Even though I only a couple of weeks’ experience, I only know the basics of making 3D models. When I’m making new models, I for the majority of the time extrude lots of new faces to make the form that I wanted. I watched a couple of guides making fish models. They used advanced techniques and they could form the model just like holding a piece of molding clay which I didn’t understand how to access it (Majority of the videos was time lapses and sped up clips which I could not follow).

Recently I discovered the tool that can do just what I wanted. The Sculpting tool. When I have the model that I want and want to detail it, I can now mold it which I find so satisfying. It almost feels just like holding a piece of molding clay, but it is on a computer. With this, I can make the face that I want for the Face fish.

That will be the end of this topic. Have a great day everyone and we will see you again in the next topic.
Regards
Tim