Interaction Design, Project Two, Blog Sixteen

Project Two Complete!

I have now completed the final video for my navigation application. Here it is...

I have added music more or less throughout the entire clip in order to keep the flow and keep it alive. The music changes a lot to suit the different clips and add to the quick swipe, changes.

I have also edited some of the clips in order to make Arrown seem more alive through animation, and I also changed the "KELBURN CAMPUS" map clip. I now have the map warp fading into a red tint making it seem scary and hard to navigate around.


I feel like this video represents my actual application fairly accurately, not in a screenshot/user guide way, but it represents the tone and general aesthetic. I have also generally stuck to my storyboard with the addition of a few things, such as a 6-pack of beer with a face, and many other gags which will hopefully be a little bit funny or at least make someone smile. I also changed some transitions in order to keep the fluidity. One thing however that has taken away from the fluidity a bit are the little comments between Arrown and the offstage hand guy, however I found it adds to the kind of humour so I wasn't willing to remove them, as the clip needs a balance of both.

The changes that I have made including Arrown's voice and personality, and the addition of real life images I would want to carry over into the application if I were to keep developing it as I feel they would make it more fun and light. Also I think I would incorporate a background soundtrack in my application to keep it alive.

Interaction Design, Project Two, Blog Fifteen

I have continued to work through my video and I'm almost at the end of animating. I have noticed that I have forgotten to animate Arrown properly when he is first seen in the chair at the beginning as he is completely static, so that is something I will go back and redo. I have noticed that as I go I am finding better ways to bring Arrown to life through animation, and I think this is showing in the clip. One very simple thing that I think brings him to life is blinking. It's a very simple thing but it makes him seem way more alive.

Here's what I have so far...

Another thing I am going to redo is the map of Kelburn when Arrown says "KELBURN CAMPUS". At the moment it is pretty average as I just added it in using iMovie, instead I think I will animate it somehow in Flash.

After all the animation is complete I will then need to start looking at sound. I think I'm going to add a music track underneath the whole thing, as it needs a bit of a boost due to the fact there a quite long parts with Arrown just talking with not a lot else going on where the clip kind of dies.

Interaction Design, Project Two, Blog Fourteen

I am currently working on animating my promotional video for my find: Navigation Application. I have decided to animate it piece by piece, exporting it piece by piece as I find when using Flash big projects can get very messy and confusing in flash. 

In term of the application I have developed Arrown's character more. He is no longer English but now a New Zealand modern day Maori. I did this as this makes him more relatable to users as they are going to be staff and students of Victoria University, which are mostly New Zealanders. His personality now is also very Kiwi, he is now very laid back.

The above video is what I have so far. I have combined my current progress and added some sound in Flash.

Digital Creation, Project Three, Blog Ten

Project Three complete!


For this project in the end I mainly used the precedents the of sky scraper buildings and the parthenon columns. I took the structure of the city scape and the structure of the columns from the parthenon and experimented with combining them together. For my final model I made a central column and surrounded it with a rotatable abstracted city scape. I lit the model from the centre so it illuminated out as real buildings do, as the are made of generally bleak materials, but the light from inside makes them look better. This is why I used a concrete texture on my final model and then used bright lighting from the centre. I also made the central column a glass material which reflects the outer city scape, creating what looks like more windows. I also attempted this with the photo of my physical model as I put it on a reflective material which reflects the model underneath.

City Scape Precedent (NYC)

Parthenon

Physical Model

Render of final three models

Below are some close-up details of my final model.

The central glass column surrounded by a concrete city scape which it also reflects

Individual shot of my final model

Close-up of central column

Below are some individual images of my two other models.

A close-up of the model in the background of my final render

A wide shot of it

The model in which my final model it placed on in the final render

Digital Creation, Project Three, Blog Nine

I now have my final composition and have just been experimenting with lighting and materials.

This is my most current progress. I just need to extend the lengths of the light rays so they go off the screen, I also need to change the material on my main model as no material is currently showing.

I added another omni light to alluminate the other models more, however it needed to be toned down as you could no longer see the light streaming from my main model.

Here I tried using volume lighting in my second model however the light penetrated through the material.



This is the effect I want on my model it just needed to be toned down.



Models with correct materials. I have made the columns marble and the building structures glass to keep with the modern architecture versus old architecture.

Composition without good camera angle, materials and lighting.

Digital Creation, Project Three, Blog Eight

I have taken some photos of my printed final model. I wanted to light my model from the inside/behind to make make it illuminate like a building. In order to achieve this I first used a light on a cellphone to light it from the back as I needed a small light as my model is so small. I then lit the model from underneath with a large light, I then cut a small hole in a piece of cardboard and put a piece of paper over it, which I then place over the light and place my model over the light coming through the hole in the cardboard. This achieved the desired amount of light.

This image is lit from the side with the cellphone. I like the blue colouring and the reflection however it doesn't really achieve the effect I want as this looks cold and icy.

This is lit from behind, it has a good reflection which is what I was wanting to achieve to make it seem taller + it is similar to city images which are alongside water where it is reflected. This is similar to my precedent images of the city scape. The lighting for this image is a little bit too low.

This is lit directly in the centre which is what I wanted. I think this sets out close to what I  was wanting to achieve and I think I may use this as my final.

This image is lit from underneath. I like the glow around it, and I like how the windows are distinctly lit up, however I don't like the yellowy tinge.

This is similar to the above image but I prefer the focus on this image, as it draws attention to the extruded windows.

The lights a little too off centre.

This image gives an alternative view on my model. I think the illuminate column in the centre is quite successful and the contrast of the light of the model and the background.

This is a fairly plain view of my model with direct lighting.

For this image and the one below I tried to capture the reflection of the model so the angle of the camera is high.

Interaction Design, Project Two, Blog Thirteen

I have made a storyboard for my video clip about my navigation application. I have decided to make it a promotional video which is completely animated. I have decided to do this as it better suits the cartoonish style of the application, and since my application isn't particularly that hard to use it doesn't really need to have a direct representation of how to use it. This video will more give the user an idea of what to expect interms of the aesthetic and general tone.

Below are the larger original images from the storyboard...