Kyle Young

I began working on The Little Robot, an action-adventure game, in May 2023. In this game, players assume the role of an elderly robot on a quest to reconnect with the master AI while encountering various challenges from the forces of nature. As the project is still a work in progress, constant development and refinement occur.

After drawing a basic character design, I proceeded to model the character. However, as I continued the modelling process, I realised that the character needed additional elements and enhancements to fully embody the qualities expected of a main character in a video game.

When it comes to texturing, I follow a specific process. Initially, I create an ID map, which helps define distinct regions or areas on the model. This map serves as a foundation for the subsequent texturing process.

To create the remaining textures, I utilise Substance Painter. This powerful tool allows me to apply various textures, such as colour, roughness, metallic, and more, to different model parts. By leveraging the capabilities of Substance Painter, I can achieve detailed and high-quality textures that enhance the model's visual appeal.

ID Map/Albedo Map/Metalic Map/Normal Map/Emissive Map

Within Unity, I developed a custom shader to enable the manipulation of light colours and their removal. This custom shader allows me to dynamically change the colour properties of lights on the player in the game environment. Additionally, it grants the ability to disable lights altogether, allowing for further control and customisation of the lighting effects in the scene.

After completing the modelling and texturing of the character, I proceeded to rig the model and animate it. Upon reviewing the animations, I recognised the need for further refinement. Therefore, I will focus on fine-tuning the animation details to enhance the quality and fluidity of the character's movements. By adjusting timing, easing, and overall polish, I aim to achieve more refined animations for the character.

While designing the enemy characters in The Little Robot, I aimed to create distinct visual differences. To achieve this, I pondered the concept of opposites to machines, which led me to consider organic elements such as nature and trees. Furthermore, by incorporating an element of stealth into the game, I recognised the importance of clearly indicating when the enemies were in a peaceful state versus when they turned hostile.

The Endless Engine was a rendering challenge organised by YouTuber Pwnisher. Participants were given a specific template, and the challenge had specific rules. One of the rules was that the camera couldn't be modified, and another was to be the primary focus of the render. Participants had to showcase creativity and skill within these constraints.

Fortunately, the timing was on my side as I had recently finished modelling a pod racer just a few days before the announcement of the Endless Engine render challenge. This stroke of luck allowed me to leverage my existing model and incorporate it into my entry for the challenge. Additionally, with the pod racer as the centrepiece of my composition, I could meet the requirement of having a moving element as the primary focus while showcasing my modelling skills in the render.

I apologise for the lack of work-in-progress documentation for my pod racer modelling. This is because I was experimenting and having fun rather than actively working on a specific project. During this time, I explored different ideas and allowed my creativity to flow without the intention of creating a finalised or documented model.

After completing the pod racer model, my next steps involved rigging it and applying textures to bring it to life. Then, with the rigged and textured pod racer, I incorporated it into the provided template. Next, I animated the pod racer within the template and began blocking the surrounding environment, allowing me to visualise how it would interact with its surroundings.

After completing the initial animation of the pod racer within the template, I recognised the need for further refinement to achieve a polished result. I focused on refining the animation to enhance its fluidity, timing, and overall visual appeal. I designed a refined animation by fine-tuning keyframes, adjusting curves, and addressing inconsistencies.

As part of further enhancing the animation, I decided to incorporate rocks into the background. These rocks were created to spin randomly, adding visual interest and dynamic movement to the initial stages of the animation. Additionally, I attempted to simulate grass using a hair simulation, aiming to create a more immersive interaction between the pod racer and the environment. However, I encountered challenges with this approach, as the desired effect still needed to be achieved. Despite the setback, I remained open to exploring alternative methods to enhance the interaction between the pod racer and its surroundings.

Continuing to improve the overall visual appeal, I introduced ivy into the background using the Bagapie Geopack Blender addon (free version). This addition made the rocks more captivating and engaging to observe. Furthermore, I enhanced the scene by adding other rocks in the foreground, creating a more dynamic and layered environment.

I implemented a water simulation as the pod racer entered the tunnel to enhance the immersion and visual impact during the pod racer's journey. This added a sense of realism and excitement to the animation, simulating the interaction between the pod racer and the water within the tunnel.

Additionally, I refined the tunnel by modelling the lights, transforming them from simple cubes into more realistic lights. This attention to detail improved the overall visual quality and added depth to the environment, immersing viewers in the pod racer's adventure.

Upon realising that the grass simulation was not meeting my expectations and did not look visually pleasing, I removed it from the scene. Instead, I opted to introduce a new particle system that resembled mud. This change added a different visual element to the environment, creating a more dynamic and immersive experience for the pod racer.

To enhance the excitement and visual impact during specific moments of the animation, I incorporated a video of the pod racer boosters. This video showcased a simulated fire effect I had previously created in a separate Blender file. Playing the fire video within the animation made me achieve a realistic and captivating representation of the pod racer's boosters without sacrificing performance.

Working closely with viewers, I fine-tuned the animation based on their suggestions and observations. This iterative process involved adjusting various aspects, such as timing, transitions, and fluidity. By carefully considering and implementing feedback, I aimed to create a more polished animation that resonated with the audience's expectations.

As a recreational project, I recreated my family lounge for fun. I used an app called PolyCam. This application enabled me to scan the lounge and obtain precise measurements and scale information.

Once I imported the scanned file from PolyCam, I commenced blocking out the environment within the Blender. Using the captured data as a reference for the position of the objects

By working on the models in a separate Blender file, I maintained a focused and organised workflow, enabling me to give attention to the finer details and achieve a higher level of realism.

I utilized Substance Painter to apply textures to each object individually during the texturing process. This approach allowed me to create separate texture maps for each object, ensuring optimal use of texture space and minimising wastage.

By texturing each object individually, I could achieve higher resolution and more detailed textures specific to each object's unique characteristics. In addition, this level of customisation provided flexibility in reusing textured things in different projects without unnecessary duplication of surfaces or wasted texture space.

Using Substance Painter, I could paint realistic materials, add intricate details, and apply special effects to enhance the visual quality of each object. This allowed for a more immersive and visually appealing virtual representation of the family lounge.

By texturing objects individually and efficiently managing texture resources, I created reusable assets that could be efficiently utilised in other projects while maintaining a high texture quality and optimisation.