Environment/Asset Design- The Oboe District- Gondola's and General Signage

Some initial Oboe/Gondola idea's. I'm not entirely sure about the shapes. but the Oboe's long tubular element proved difficult to turn into the streamlined Gondola shape.

I've completed some general shapes for signage perhaps to be found mostly around the Overture. Next I'll be creating shapes tailored for specific districts.

Destination Board Test #01

To create the flipping text for the destination board I went into After Effects, created a grey panel, and centred the letter I wanted onto it. After pre-composing these two layers (the grey panel and the letter) I added an adjustment layer to brighten it up a little bit to create the Top of the flipping panel. I then duplicated both of these layers in the Project panel to create the Bottom, where I flipped the letter vertically and removed the adjustment layer so it was darker than the top. I then duplicated the 'Top' composition and replaced it with the duplicate with the 'Bottom'. Next, I created a mask to cover half of the Top composition so the Bottom would show. The Bottom composition was then turned into a 3D layer and animated the rotate so it rotated 180° - I had to play around with where the anchor point was for this to get it right although it could still use some adjusting.

After this, I went into the Bottom composition to moved the letter's keyframes so it'd only show up in the animation after the panel had rotated past the centre of the Top panel (so the upside down letter didn't show when the panel hasn't flipped yet). I then duplicated these to create the other letters and offset the animations so they didn't all flip at the same time. I still need to sort up adding more letters so the words go from things like 'Boarding' to 'Departed' or change to different cities. I also think I can make the letters flutter to give a blurring effect for a while before settling by duplicating the flips, animating them faster, and adding some motion blur. I'll continue to test this out and see where it leads me.

Environment/Asset design- The Overture- Mapping

I've rather created the following to help me find some logic in the vast space that is the overture. The multilevelled space was difficult to picture when there was no clear-ish plan of what it may look like.Using my earlier Overture design, I've made a stab at a map (below) as a vague top-down guide toward major pathways, platforms and staircases. I've envisioned that perhaps the Overture is a cavernous half circle shape, like the orchestra footprint and run from there.

The 2 tone elements represent walkways/ bridges that migrate from one level to the next. the transparent part disappearing towards the upper/lower levels.

 Ground floor                                       First Floor

Second Floor                                       Third floor

Sum of all levels

Base design of the Overture

Below is a new concept of the space as seen from round the back of the sphere. Next I'll be investigating some more of Red's POV. In particular all the signage/ departure boards and the map of the Kingdom.

YPGTTO: Character Model Progress - The King and Queen

Just another quick update.

I have started to work on the King and Queen character models. It's still in the early stages, but you get a sense for how they will look as 3D characters.

The King and Queen

What I want to do is bring the King and Queen to the same level of progress as Yellow before getting into the nitty gritty bits of rigging.

In order to do that I still need to:

• tidy up these models
• create the flat shaded look
• place the joints and controls

Ethan Shilling

Environment/Asset Design- The Overture

I've gone back and re-coloured one more Overture scene to fit the latest colour adjustments.

I have also been trying to create a series of columns and supports suitably musically themed to hold up the varying floors, bridges and walkways to be found round the overture. The small grey silhouettes are side views of each structure. I tried to imagine 5 with more levels, rather than having everything aligned like the previous designs. (I'd need to create a proper orthographic for this one.)

I've designed a few lift fronts ready for Reds slightly chaotic exit from the Overture, heading for the Flute District. 

Modelling: The Flute District Assets #02

Environment/Asset Design- The Overture- Assets

Below are a few Overture assets. Some are new designs and others have featured previously in Overture concepts. 

The greyed silhouettes are top down views of the structures for additional clarification (5 is a particularly complicated structure to convey!)

As the Overture has been described as a Terminal/ Spaceport/ Station I made a list of things you may find in such a place, on that list was seating. I imagined a few benches dotted about and perhaps some individual seating for feigned cafe area's perhaps? 

Among other things I though it may be useful to investigate more complicated structures within the Overture 

1 features in my previous Overture Concept art. I imagined a sort of multi floored cafe/ dining area. Each level perhaps housing seating, or conversely it could be a glorified staircase.

2 was another multi floor structure concept. Where I was playing with levels using music sheets.

3 was an interpretation the treble clef, reimagined as a baggage claim conveyor belt. Or perhaps an ultra twisty escalator coming up from the level below?