By: Gina Griza (Artist)
Throughout the quarter, I worked on details for the Cul de Sac level, which included 2D decals for texturing, as well as 3D models to be strewn around the environment. I used Autodesk Maya 2020 for the 3D modeling, and Manga Studio for drawing the 2D decals.
2D Decals
The decals we needed for the level included chalk drawings, ominous shadows/silhouettes, and blood stains and spatters.
The chalk drawings were to be used on the ground, to suggest that children lived in the environment. They were made to look slightly faded and partially erased, suggesting that some time has passed since they were originally drawn and that nobody had been around to create new drawings in a while. I achieved this look by using a chalk-like brush and blurring and blending the edges of the drawings.
The silhouettes were intended to look ominous and gloomy, as well as cryptic and nebulous. I drew silhouettes using a soft-edged brush, then blended and blurred the edges of the drawings, using brushes of multiple sizes to achieve a watery effect. I then used a spray airbrush and sand effect brush to create the clouds of particles that surround the silhouettes.
The bloodstains were merely a decorative effect. I took a pretty stylistic approach to them. I used streaky and liquid-y brushes to make the streaks and trails of blood, then blended them around to make them look even more streaky and smeared. I again used brushes with spray effects to make the blood spatter, as well as a built-in brush that had a blood droplet effect.
3D Models
We needed a bunch of random 3D models for the level, including a brick gate, window frames, a dog collar, and various pieces to be scattered on the ground throughout the level. I modeled a variety of different windows, using brownstone buildings for inspiration and reference. I experimented with variables like the number and positioning of the panes and the shape of the frame.
For the brick fence, I made a piece of fencing that could be duplicated and placed in succession to build a wall of any length in-engine. To make this original piece, I built the base of the wall, which would be textured with brick, and then I made the post, pickets, and rail as separate objects that I grouped together.
Lastly, I needed to make some props to be strewn around the ground to suggest that people had lived in this environment. These props included pieces of garbage and children’s toys. For the garbage, I modeled various pieces of crumpled up paper and broken bottles.
To model the pieces of paper, I used a technique where I essentially created a plane, gave it a cloth effect, and wrapped it around a deformed sphere. This randomly folded the plane and made it look like a scrunched up piece of paper.
For children’s toys, I modeled a toy truck, a yoyo, and pieces of chalk. I also made a wagon, based on the Radio Flyer design, and as this was a bigger piece I spent more time on it and made it higher-poly, with more detail. Below is a work-in-progress version of the model.
I used a lot of beveling to give the edges a rounded, soft, and realistic appearance. To make the wagon, I had to make a variety of individual pieces: the cart, each wheel, and the axles were all separate. The handle is attached to the front axle and bolster. Below is the finished version of the wagon.
Though I didn’t work on texturing or materials at all this quarter, I took the liberty of coloring the wagon just for fun, complete with the Radio Flyer decals.
