Final Submission - Research Assignment

BENV 2423 - Dominic Cheung - Research Assignment - 2010 from Dominic Cheung on Vimeo.

My research bridges the gap between EXP1 and EXP2 in terms of the "Lens" for porosity. Porosity Lens is an investigation of the usage of space, and how the environment reacts with it. The use of Proximity Trigger enables the interaction with space and to trigger a reaction. This tutorial is unique in its usage of trigger in terms of porosity, most tutorial about trigger only explains HOW to use the trigger, not the EFFECT of the trigger. Also my tutorial assumes a simple basis of flowgraph knowledge in its viewers, such as simple adding lights into a scene, changing the diffuse property. I just thought proximity triggers isn't something that should be learnt in the first few lessons of Crysis Sandbox without any knowledge of flowgraphs.

In the tutorial, I also showed how to set up one trigger to activate multiple lights, with the introduction of a few math nodes. This can be set to change the intensity of light in one single spot, changing the diffuse light property by using the addition of lights with different colour. It should also be noted that I left out a few of usage detail from the video but instead wrote it in the description box. The last part of the tutorial, I introduced the usage of Material Parameter, in relations to glow colour and opacity, and how it can be used in conjunction with proximity trigger.

All my research reference are in the research blog post, most of my information are gather from working with Russell and Vinh.

Final Submission - Uploads

FileFront

This includes all crysis level files, objects (only 1), and sketchup file

My crysis level, there isn't any keys to play around with the level, they are all triggers that triggers on enter, no keys needed. I did put a debug input key "k" that enable all triggers once so I can see which trigger need debug. There is a few cameras and sequence objects that I used to record a few of the sequence.

EDIT: I just checked my levels files again, apparently the level files didn't save at all, so my level files should be at very first stage still, I'm really sorry but something is bugged about my crysis files which I can't save them even when ran as administrator. Please reply if you want me to redo my entire scene. thanks.

EDIT: I have re-uploaded my new crysis files, this level is simplier but contains all the flowgraphs and triggers that was in my original scene, I didn't redo the cameras and sequence because they would probably take a long time.

Final Submission - EXP2

BENV2423 - Dominic Cheung - Porosity Lens - 2010 from Dominic Cheung on Vimeo.

Please watch the HD version, I tried almost every video sharing site to get the best HD quality for this video :)

EXP2 - Video planning

One of the major advancement from the last experiment I want to make with this video is the is the actual video quality. Instead of a simple demonstration video of porosity lens, a few factor needed to be consider for the documentary.

1. Firstly in the assignment brief, caption is specifically needed for the video to be successful in explaining porosity. I want to consider using the captions in a different way than normal documentaries. Using minimal captions to create maximum dynamic effect and direct to the point about porosity without using too many captions.
2. Next is documentary style, instead of the documentary styles we learnt in experiment 1. I want to incorporate film making style into this documentary, I intend to use cutscene to act as introduction and prologue for the video, thus giving it a very simple intro, body, conclusion style to the video. Also with the use of a camera instead of freestyle recording, camera can provide a much steadier and smoother recording thus better quality. I researched few movie titles for camera angle techniques, Chris Nolan uses of the sky view of the city to give an introduction to "The Dark Knight" is a very nice and effective introduction without using too much information to cluster the viewer.
3. Lastly is the music choice, too many past examples uses techno or heavy metal music as the "choice to go". In this video, I wanted to provide music that ties in with the notion of porosity; coincides with my explanation of porosity, porosity creates the character of architecture, giving it life and aesthetics; and provide a dynmaic effect of a good video. Here are the choices.

Sketch Installation

Porosity Lens

Architecture are often discussed in terms of form and character. They are usually viewed as a separate and independent entity that has life of its own. My porosity lens will explore the relationship between architecture and its inhabitors, and how architecture are form its people to create its structure, aesthetics, and defining characteristics.

So the building is defined by how it is occupy, its level of porosity instead of how it is designed and shaped by the architect. The Porosity lens will 'create' the architecture based on how the environment is interacted with. By using Proximity Triggers, I can track movement of inhabitors and display different effects on porosity, thus creating the architecture based on their movement, in the end recording and viewing their effect on porosity.

Research

Simple AI: http://wiki.crymod.com/index.php/Sandbox_SimpleAI

Level Creation: http://wiki.crymod.com/index.php/Introduction_to_Level_Design

HUD: http://www.incrysis.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=26737

Flowgraph Mastery 3 - Trigger

Flowgraph Mastery 2 - AI Path

Flowgraph Mastery 1 - Slow Motion

Experiment 1 upload

Machinima:

Sketchup model:

Crysis Uploads:

http://www.filefront.com/17250262/BENV2423-3330875-EXP1-Crysis Files.rar

Afterthought of EXP1

Just to put a few comments while my video is uploading.

At the start of this experiment, I watched a lot of machinima online to get a feel of what camera angles and special effects will be best to use in the machinima. I did some research on Porosity and had a discussion with Russell about it. In my video, I tried to focus on the our interaction with the environment causes the physical effect on porosity. Also on explosions, I used different sizes of explosions to portray the effect on porosity and the impact and changes due to the size.

Screenshots of environment

Trial Video

Week 2 - Explosions

In the explosions, I tried to explored the idea of space and the connection between architectural entities that are unitied into one single entity by one explosion.


This features a field of helicopters, while each act as an individual entity, by using a TAC gun, firing at the center of the group of helicopters, creates a chain reaction of explosions



The field of village houses grouped together to form a phase "EXP", by using C4, causes a chain reaction of explosion, giving a connection between the houses.



This features 6 helicopters, 3 on land and 3 in air, with the 3 helicopters colliding with the other helicopters, we create one explosion that effectively connects all 6 of the entities.

I've posted more explosions from different angles on my youtube account

Week 1 - Video

Crysis Terrain