TylerMDraws Rookies 2021 entry

                         Desert Strider

I originally got the idea for this project after watching a video essay on the mechanical works of illustrator Makoto Kobaiyashi. I've always been a fan of his surreal take on robot and Mecha designs, using large, often elongated limbs, asymmetry, and insectoid like features. During this time, I had been practicing with my hard surface modelling, and rigging of vehicles/mechanical objects, so I really wanted to give this a shot!

I was inspired by desert insects when developing the textures and overall feel of the design. The legs were a unique challenge as I had never rigged saurian style legs before. I ended up giving each knee per leg its own controller, rather than have one controller automate the lower leg extension. I think if I ever return too this design, I'd like to add IK/HK switching in the legs.

When designing this character model I wanted to keep the alien-like design philosophy of Kobaiyashi's work, but I also wanted it to animate and move well. I felt the large, bulbous shapes in many of the reference images wouldn't allow for it, so instead I went with a more lithe, insect-like frame, with reversed legs, as to give it a sense of balance.

When setting up the Mockup scene/turnaround for my demo reel,  I decided to do a desert scape to complete the look. I feel the this "off-world, desert ops" look fits the image of what a mech like this would be doing.  My original mockup had the mech doing an action ready pose, but it still made the scene feel empty. 

 I decided to add the pixel-art jeep and flag, to create nice "lowpoly 2.5D" look, and the massive laser-rifle was also a last minute addition. I feel like the image of this thin, insectoid mech carrying around a massive weapon both adds too the silhouette, and also portrays the balance of the legs far better. 

      Lofi Japanese Train Station

When working on my projects, I love to listen to Lofi playlists to keep me chilled out and focused.  I decided to do this mock up of a lowpoly 3D, pixel art, rural-Japanese train station as  a way to show my love for that aesthetic.

This was my first truly big lowpoly pixel piece, and I had a lot of fun making it, while also overcoming a great deal of challenges. Some of the biggest being how to get the opacity to work for the negative spaces on the pixel textures, and making sure my UV's were scaled correctly.

        Lowpoly Game Rector-Set

This project was done to practice my rector-set construction, game asset making, and trying to find out if I could illuminate pixel art in a scene.

After my initial tests proved successful, I wanted to try a more advanced looking rector-set arrangement. I built my next structure with more light and more overlapping parts.

Overall I was quite please with how these renders turned out. The method I used for the light was too use a point light and direct it at the lanterns, change the light to a soft orange, and increased emission. I had tried to use a mesh light in my tests, and found it too powerful, and the texture was lost underneath.

            "2-Bit" RPG Mockup

I always wanted to make a project like this, even before learning 3D modeling. I love the 2.5D style found in games like Octopath Traveler, and I tried to bring my vision of that too life with this piece. 

The biggest hurdles for this mockup was how to incorporate the lighting on a black and white space, while still keeping the darker aesthetic. To remedy this, I had point lights setup to focus only on the active elements like characters and the HUD. This both helped keep them separate from the background, and also allows each player character too emit a small amount of light. For the background light, I modelled 4 flames, converted them too mesh lights, and emitted white light, turning them into massive torches.

The art style was a fun challenge for texturing. The characters and HUD are all plains, while the back ground is a lowpoly build to help create a unique sense of depth. I feel this style of 2.5D mixed with 2 toned colors creates a fun, retro effect.  

                           Conclusion

I have been on a self-driven path too improving my work since I graduated in the spring of 2020, and I know I still have a long journey ahead of me. With each new step I take in both 2D and 3D, I feel like my goal of working in the gaming industry becomes a little more real! I'm quite excited to be on The Rookies and really look forward to the connections, skills, and portfolio development that I can achieve in the future.

Thanks for checking out my submission!