MoodBoard
For this project I decided to have my modern device as a speedboat and put it into the time era of the vikings.
Above is the mood board created for my retro device, this being a Viking speedboat. I wanted to replicate a classic Viking ship design with a more modern way of working mechanically. The boat is powered how a steam engine would, via coal in a burner and force produced by steam pressure on a crank that produces energy. The narrative for this project is set in Viking 800-1050 AD in the middle ages featuring Norsemen who were largely known for taking part in raids, colonizing, conquest and trade in Europe. After researching the time period and variations of boats they had, mainly longships, Merchant ships, and War ships, I decided to create a War ship for a more interesting narrative.
MindMap
Above is a mind map I created showing my ideas, brainstorming, research and images I thought useful. As seen in the mind map I researched classic Nordic symbols that would be featured in this time period and planned to digitally paint these on the shields alongside the boat’s edge. When thinking of the colour palette I wanted to feature various earth tones, such as browns, greens and dark yellows alongside digitally sculpting dirt, blood and moss on the design.
Above are sketches I created in the pre-production period to understand what the Viking speedboat would look like. Initially, I was going to include seats inside the ship, however, when coming to 3D sculpting these I felt they didn’t fit the tone of the design. Furthermore, I created a small engine that would sit at the boat’s end, however, I decided to change the way the boat would be powered, and this was cut out of the final designs. Alongside this I tested out numerous different dragon/animal head designs that would have sat at the front of the ship, however, due to later modelling difficulties these are not featured in the final render. Below are tests I created on the app Nomad to better understand what I wanted key shapes to look like. This helped me better understand what was possible with the software I was being introduced to, such as Zbrsuh allowing me to carve out wood on the boat rather than manually sculpting planks as seen below.
Above are examples of 3D models I was inspired by and tried to mimic in my own work, I was attracted to the form of the boat and the use of a wind effect on the sails. Furthermore, below is the concept art of a flying Viking ship from the film ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, these designs inspired me to be more colourful and creative in my designs as seen through the vibrant shields in my final render. Alongside this I wanted to try and model a dragon or animal head much like from the designs below for the front of the ship, however, after various attempts at this it did not become part of the final design.
Above are designs created by Florent Vibrant a 3D artist from Art Station. These designs largely inspired some of the shapes and designs of the model and gave me inspiration for what I wanted my own to look like. I was drawn to the use of sunbeam lighting and wooden panels on the sides of the ship, this is something I later incorporated.
To the left is one of the first rough models of the design where no colour or sculpt had been added yet to the mode. This helped me map out where I wanted each part of the boat would placed, for example where the oars sat or how the sails were shown.
Above are progression shots of the boat in Zbrush and Substance Painter, I used Zbrush to carve out a wood grain on the boat alongside Substance Painter height and texture to add depth and realism. Alongside this, there are screen shots of the boat fully textured and coloured (not lit), as shown I created 14 different types of shields that show numerous symbols and designs. Alongside the burner and cogs within the boat that generate energy. Below is a screenshot of a water test I created initially in Houdini as this was software I wanted to experiment with. While this was not used in the final product this helped me gain a better understanding of nodes. Below are some of the assets created for the ship, including shields and helmets. This was a part of the production I enjoyed the most, using Substance Painter allowed me to create somewhat realistic and interesting textures and colour pallets, using moss, mould, blood, dirt and metals to generate renders such as these.
Initially, when thinking of ideas I knew I wanted to create a retro device in the Viking period, this being a period of time I already had good knowledge about and greatly loved to research in my own free time. The idea for a Viking speedboat came about when thinking of how a Viking ship could have improved during 800-1100AD, the idea that speed and agility could be improved was interesting and I investigated how I could create this. During the production phase, I did a vast amount of research on the different types of Viking boards, there were three that stood out to me, one being a longship, which was used for travel and long voyages. One was a merchant ship, used for trade across Europe. And lastly, a warship stood out to me the most, while this concept was a violent one I found it the most interesting and gripping for a narrative. Initially, I was going to create solar panels on the sides of the ship and put them onto what would be the shields, this would power and ultimately move the ship. However, later in the stage of modelling, I was told by one of my teachers this may not work and I would need to rethink my idea. Later I decided the way the ship would be able to move would be similar to the design of the steam engine, the coal would power the lever of a cog and it would churn the paddles around in a circular motion without any manual labour.
Initially, when creating a rough model of the ship’s first shape it was a great struggle. I had to watch numerous tutorials and get advice from my teachers as I struggled to figure out a way to create a somewhat realistic shape of a Viking boat.
I was going to carve out separate pieces of wood from rectangles in Maya and take them into zbrush to add detail, this can be seen in my pdf presentation. After creating this, I realised it may be a more time-efficient way to create a wood effect was to carve it onto the boat directly in both Zbrush and substance painter.
For my design, I was going to just create rectangular sails for the boat, however after seeing various other artists’ 3d models of Viking ships I decided to create a much more dynamic and realistic sail that can be seen in the 3d model.
During this time I was learning much more about Maya, I found how to curve objects, parent and combine objects, etc. A lot of this part of the production was trial and error that I had to put a lot of practice into.
One of my favourite parts of this project was getting to use Substance Painter, as seen in my project I created fourteen different shields with different textures, patterns, designs and shapes. This was really fun for me to make as it gave me a lot of freedom with what I wanted them to look like, this was also what I think to be a greatly successful part of the project. Alongside this I created a small Viking helmet which I think came out quite well, featuring mould, blood and dirt covering it in the 3d render.
A part of the model I feel I could have improved on was the burner sitting inside the ship, there is a somewhat lack of detail in it due to a lack of time to finalise the project. If I could go back, I would have added much more detail and significant texture to this part of the model. Alongside this, I would have liked to have done more research on the different types of materials used in the Viking era and incorporated this into my design. Such as the different types of woods, metals, metals and natural fungi found at the time.
I also feel the sails proved successful, I liked the dirt and grime I created on them that gave a more violent and scary effect, evidencing a backstory to the design. Even more so, in my spare time, I tried using the software Houdini to create the waves seen in the final render, while this was a software I didn’t get much time to learn I made a small sequence of waves crashing. If given more time I would have used this within my final project instead of just a trial test. For the waves in the final render I used Maya; by doing this I got to learn Bifrost fluids and nodes in the software, alongside learning how to constrain objects from one another. This is something I want to try and improve on outside of university and in the 3d course next year.
If I could have had more time I would have taken the gloss of the wood seen in the render, looking back I feel the textures could have been a bit more rough and less shiny. Alongside this I would have liked to add more rope detail to generate a more realistic effect of a sail in the wind. Ultimately however I am really happy with the final product and feel it is some of my best work.
Process & Overall Experience:
Initially, when thinking of the concept for my retro device I was intrigued to research the Viking period due to the rich history, atmospheric environments and architecture I could design. I accumulated information about the different types of Vikings ships they had in this period, the most interesting being longships, merchant ships and warships, this being one which I was most intrigued by. This ship would conduct raids on different lands, take food, materials and resources, alongside this they would go to battles and fight other Vikings. The concept for my retro device was a Viking speedboat, powered by a burner on the ship that would burn coal and turn this hot air into energy through pipes and cogs inside the ship, very similar to how a steam engine would run. This in turn would churn oars on the sides of the ship around and thus allowing easy ocean travel. The boat in size differs from a classic Viking ship, being part speedboat, the frame and density of the shape is much smaller, therefore only allowing a small number of passengers. The reason to make this ship was to allow ocean travel at a higher speed. When reflecting back on my concept I feel I could have designed a more structurally sound way that the boat is powered, however, due to the lack of time this could have been changed. Despite this, I am really happy with my concept and proud of the end design. When reflecting on the process of creating the Viking speedboat, there were numerous setbacks, Maya crashing, struggle with UV unwrapping, particle and collider confusion, water simulations, polygon problems, etc. Despite these technical and design issues I was able to work through each setback and learnt so much from my mistakes. Beginning the process of this unit started with a simple mind map, mood board and research of the chosen time period, these being the Viking period from 800-1100AD. Next, I blocked out the shapes of the designed design in Maya and begin adding in detail from there. Starting with a rough blocky shape of the ship and adding masts, sails and oars. Once I was happy with my design, I UV unwrapped each object, this was possibly the most challenging part of this unit as it took me a while to fully understand what UV unwrapping was and how to go about it. However, after a week of trying I feel I have a great understanding and knowledge of this due to a lot of failed attempts and a final clear understanding. After this I took the boat into ZBrushand scratched out a wood grain alongside the ship, giving a much more 3D and realistic effect than a flat low poly surface. Moreover, I then took the boat into a software called Substance Painter, a part of this unit I found the most enjoyable. Through this I was able to paint on and refine textures and colours on top of my object, I chose a variety of wood grains and textures for the boat, silk for the masts and metal for the shields and helmets. Alongside this, I added detail onto each material such as dirt, blood, grot and mould to assure a more realistic, finished look. What worked best from my model was the fourteen different shields I created that would sit on the side of the boat, representing different villages the Vikings on the boat had raided. I then took this back into Maya and made a water BOSS Bifrost system that would allow me to generate an ocean and waves colliding with the boat. Again, this was one of the most challenging parts of this process as it took me a while to understand how this worked. Lastly, I created camera movements for the final animation and rendered the sequence. When reflecting on my final outcome for this unit I am extremely happy with the end product, I feel I have learnt so much from my teachers and the variety of software I have tried: Maya, Substance Painter, ZBrush, Houdini, Unreal Engine and After Effects. Despite this, if I had more time I feel I could have added more to this project, such as better water simulation, adding foam on top of the water, for example, an island or village in the background horizon line, clouds or birds moving above, etc. While this is true, I am extremely pleased with my final product and animation, I have learnt so much from this unit with the help of my teachers (and Kalista!) and look forward to studying 3D in year 2 of University.