Week 13
Renderings...
Since my groupmates jokingly said I was doing too much work in general, I let Levena and Sala work on the Spline pass the week before. Once Alyssa is done with render testing, she can move onwards to polishing the spline pass.
The spline pass turned out okay, with some minor issues like sliding, snapping, and ankle-twisting that I needed to fix. I managed to address everything before 02/06 Sunday afternoon so that Alyssa could start rendering using the school PC.
I kept checking the rendering results every day, but barely any images and videos were sent to the group. Mostly, I received questions about errors Alyssa encountered, and I tried to solve them through messages.
On 04/06 Tuesday, Alyssa couldn't continue rendering and had to go home to work on her other assignments. So, she sent everything she did to the group, and it was at that moment I realized I might need to redo all the renderings from scratch.
There are essentially 3 types of problems that have left me with no choice but to rerender everything.
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| Some of the metalness, roughness, and normal map missing, e.g. the drawings, table, and chairs |
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| Unfinished and missing frames |
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| Missing textures throughout the sequence |
All I can do is leave some comments for Alyssa regarding the problems. After that, I delve back into Maya to render as much as I can. Despite the time constraint, I'm determined to make the most out of the time we have left to ensure our project reaches its full potential.
Nonstop rendering
By 06/06 Thursday night, I managed to finish rendering 3/4 of the sequence. However, considering the remaining workload and the need to avoid rushing the post-editing phase, it would be better for our group to apply for the three-day extension. This would give us additional time to ensure the final product meets our standards...well, my standards in general.
Rendering each frame took an average of 4-7 minutes on my PC, and I had to redo most of the lighting setup to achieve a more believable result before each render. My poor PC didn't get any rest for two days straight, and the same can be applied to me as well... This process was incredibly time-consuming and exhausting.
However, there are a couple of shots I would like to rerender.
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| For example, I notice this weird light reflection under the table from the hallway light. I suspect it could be a topology or normal map problem |
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| There simply is not enough time to include the collar to float into the cremation urn and for Mrs. Wrinkles' paw to reach out so I might ditch the collar floating idea entirely |
Post Editing
Every group members contributed to the post-editing process:
Sala: Sound recording, assets gathering
Alyssa: Background music, Assets gathering
Levena: Color correction
Keon: Background Music, compiling final product
Conclusion
Overall, I'm very satisfied with the short film we've produced. We had a great start, though the process became a bit bumpy near the end. Despite this, we managed to push through it as a team. I'm particularly pleased with the design and animation of Mrs. Wrinkles. My favorite scene is when she jumps on the floating tables and chairs to reach higher ground. Animating that sequence was both interesting and fun, and I think it turned out exceptionally well.
However, it's a bit unfortunate that many great ideas had to be left out due to the 15-second time constraint. If we had 30 seconds for the short film, each shot would have more breathing space, as our current cut feels quite rapid.
In conclusion, despite the challenges we faced, our team's dedication and creativity resulted in a compelling short film. The design and animation of Mrs. Wrinkles, especially the dynamic scene with the floating furniture, showcase that our hard work was not wasted. While the time constraint limited the inclusion of some ideas, it also pushed us to make each second count. With a bit more time, our storytelling could expand, but as it stands, we've created something truly special.
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