3D Stock Model Build Review Fabrique National Herstal F2000 built for Splinter Cell Pitch in 2005

A 3/4 side view of the Splinter Cell firearm 3D model I made for the advertising pitches back in 2005.

The wire frames shows I did a lot of solid modeling and converted to polys.

The other side of the rifle showing a bit more for the front in this render.

 

 Wireframe renders to show the build.

 A close up on the details in the various torx and hex screw heads in the construction of the composite virtual replica.

Wire frame of this close up shows a few quad modeled asserts bust mostly Solid Modeling.

A birds-eye overhead back view [POV] of the firearm.

 

The birds-eye wire frame 3D build shot at the same angle.

 An overhead showing the details out front on the business end of this beast.

A very complicated cast body to recreate, and the frame is what took most of the build time on this one.

A close up underneath the gun on the trigger areas.

 

The wire frames show the way I built each part, some quad sub-D, some solid models converted to polys,  and some beveled parts and extrusions.

A nice exploded view shows the various pieces I made for this prop build out in 3D. We planned to use the gun in an MGFX animation, but it never went to that stage, so it went up for sale online instead.

3D Stock Model Build Review

Fabrique National Herstal F2000 built for Splinter Cell Pitch in 2005

Client: The Cimarron Group for Stock 3D Model Sales.
Art Director: Myself.
Project Date: December 2005.

Back in 2005 I was 3D Design Director at The Cimarron Group, and I regularly did both 3D Illustration, as well as 3D Animation for the print and AV division, in which I built out highly detailed 3D Models, and today I am reviewing another 3D model, and this one was the specific firearm used by the main character in Splinter Cell, a Fabrique National Herstal F2000.

I have built out many 3D firearms for both print and MGFX work from 007 on up, but this is a very unique designed firearm that has a fully composite frame and fully molded look, but since we were pitching Splinter Cell back then I decided to build this asset out as I had for the iconic Goggles as well here.

I build my models with a high level of detail on the parts so that the end user of the stock model can use them for close up shots and this Microphone was no different. This model was also build suing N-powers Power-NURBS software and exported out as geometry.

Some is a bit rough, but just after building this out nPower added the 'convert to quad mesh' feature which I use almost daily now, to fix all those open grid spaced on the stock frame seen in the wire frames above. If I was building this today I'd go full quads rather tha n a solid build much cleaner for end use and scalable.

The model is still for sale online at the largest 3D stock company TurboSquid and can be bought here.

I will continue showcasing many of the stock 3D models I have from various companys I have prepared them for in future posts, so enjoy!

Cheers, THOM

Project Review Conceptual Design: Un-Named Teaser Trailer Spaceship Conceptual Designs PART II

Here is the first concept design I did for the version B round, which was more of a saucer shape like the typical flying saucer for the project.

I built 3D rough blocking models to mass the object and get a grid pattern to work over due to budget and time constraints.

Here the original sketch is still taped to the 3D Perspective Grid underneath the velum.

This second version of the round "B" design was one of my favorites. I added a lot more surface details and cabin level details. 

The 3D Base massing object I quickly built to use as the underlay.

Here is a shot of the design with the  3D perspective grid object I built out still taped underneath it.

Here is a quick massing of a group of the fighters[ just the blocking models] as they all linked together to create a nano-cloth surface.

 Project Review

Conceptual Design:
Un-Named Teaser Trailer
Spaceship Conceptual Designs PART II

 

Client: Rock!T[ Now Method Studios]
Art Direction: Seven Viola.
Project Date: July 2011.

Today I am posting for my regular Tuesday 2D post, part two showcasing my design project from just over a year ago in the Summer of 2011 that I did for Steven Viola at Method Studios as well.

For this round of spaceships I only did the little ones, so there were no big mother ships for this round.

As before, I could do this faster with my 3D perspective grid blocking done in 3D, though I presented the finals as sketches , the base was concepted in 3D first to speed things up and lower the cost substantially for my client.


Today I have posted my second design B, I will be posting the final 2D sketches for design C, as well as showing the 3D versions of A that I took a bit farther before I completed the project last Summer.

You can review PART I here showing off Design A in two versions.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review The Phantom 2040 PART CXI [111th] Perspective Grid Background Action Layouts

 Cyberville was a B.I.O.T. based city in the later episodes of The Phantom 2040, and this is a layout blocking I did for the team to follow.

 This was a fun shot to design, Mr Cairo was on an operating table looking up at the ceiling so I put some strong fish-eye on the shot along with a tilt-rotate pan of sorts as he looks up to his reflection.

 For this blocking I did this for the layout and the storyboard crews to help set up our truck in pan shot here.

A shot of the curved walls inside the space station where Sean One lived with a scaled blocking for the characters.

Project Review
The Phantom 2040
PART CXI [111th]

Perspective Grid Background Action Layouts

Client: Hearst Animation Productions.
Art Director: Myself.
Project Date Spring 1993.

So today for my Thursday 2D post, I have here my 111th post covering the Conceptual Design and Art Direction work that I did for the TV animated series, The Phantom 2040 from in the early ninety's, and I am reviewing some episode Direction Scene Blocking that I did for the show.

As Art Director on the show, I blocked out in simple grid format a whole bunch of shots to assist the multiple teams with staging in fish-eye. Getting folks who have only drawn straight edge perspective to move over to curves was a difficult one, as most students I meet do not understand the concepts behind why we see in perspective in the first place[ parallel lines projected onto a sphere will converge]so they had difficulty with the fish eye, let alone just an accurate straight edged perspective, so I did these grids to help them.

They were all small sketches, so as to fit on the storyboards themselves, and we taped these originals to a board pages to give the animators a clear understanding of some shots along with the various other reference.

Trained in space planning at both CCS, and ACCD, this was a skill I never thought would be used in TV animation, but it was a great help in staging these shots.

If you are a FAN of The Phantom 2040, and on FACEBOOK, there is a group for that....  here.

There is a TAG on the list to the RIGHT for other Phantom 2o4o entry's, but you can click this as well.

Cheers, THOM

Production Design: Raveonettes' Music Video: Heart of Stone The Greenhouse Exterior Design Development PART VI

 Here is the rough under drawing I did with a red grid in perspective and blue-lines as the blocking model.

 Here is the drawing done over the top of the grid and the comp rough, all still taped together.

 The clean Line art as I finished and scanned in to deliver.

A Close Up on the Greenhouse entry and elevator

The final as delivered to Blind.[ a re-post]

Production Design:
Raveonettes' Music Video: Heart of Stone
The Greenhouse Exterior Design Development 
PART VI

Client: Blind.
Art Director: Chris Do.
Project Date: January 2010

Today I have posted my sixth part, in a series on the Production Design work I did for the Music Video Heart of Stone, by the Raveonettes back in 2009-2010, and for todays posting I am showing the 'behind the process', in the creation of the exterior of the main Greenhouse Design used at the front end of the piece.

I had bout 4 hrs for each design and so for this one, I did a fast rough as seen above, and jumped onto the details quickly. I had an interior as well I designed too, so I made sure the two scenes matched up for continuity, a term used in Television Animation to ensure that the designs are logical to each other.

I had such a great time on this, even though it was a super fast work pace. Don't get me wrong, this is very stressful to design something that fast, I turn off all music and talk radio and focus something feirce to get this done in that timeframe, and I am exhausted once I am done.

It all paid off, and I will always be proud of the work I did for this fun music video.

Cheers, THOM

You can view the prior posts below:
PART I
PART II 
PART III 
PART IV 
PART V

The Music Video is here.

Project Review:Out Takes PART V Universal City Walk 1992

 One main feature we had was an adjustable table height for the main blue-screen operator and this was a CNC milled girder look as seen in this concept here.

 A dimensional tapered armrest with hidden panels as seen in this design.

 A backdrop with design styling similar to this and this.

 The blue-screen backdrop enclosure with a bit more open space so visitors could see a bit better to go with these.

Project Review
Out Takes PART V Universal City Walk 1992

Client: Out Takes Via Eric Allard at All Effects.
Art Director: Eric Allard.
Project Date Summer 1992

Out-Takes was a blue screen photography studio at Universal's City Walk Outdoor Mall in California, and in my fifth posting today, I have some of the detailed parts drawings as well as some alternate blue screen enclosure designs.

I originally designed about 20 looks, with two l picked. The one that went to manufacture was to match the frame and girder look that the motion controlled camera jig was on, ans the second was a enclosed sleeker look with metal wood and composite materials.

I was on-site in Woodland Hills for about a month for this gig way back in the 90's when I was doing freelance before I went over to Walt Disney Imagineering. I had a great time designing these items and I got to sit in the FX house with all the props from the various films them made every day too...[ Demolition Man, Short Circuit].

PART I is here.
PART II is here.
PART III is here. 
PART IV is here.

Cheers, THOM

Production Design: Raveonettes' Music Video: Heart of Stone: Torso Design Development PART III

 Here is the base 3D torso I built out for the perspective grid to sketch fast over.

  A 3/4 view showing the 3D base scene with the grids for perspective I built using a cone, and plane object.

 The first 2D Blocking over the copy of the 3D render, done on tracing paper.

 Here are all three layers, still taped together with the 3D render print first, the blocking, and ending with the velum final lines.

 Here it is scanned hiding what is under the velum for shading.

The final delivered Image[ re-posted].

Production Design:
Raveonettes' Music Video: Heart of Stone
Torso Design Development 
PART III

Client: Blind.
Art Director: Chris Do.
Project Date: January 2010

Today I have posted my third part, in a series on the Production Design work I did for the Music Video Heart of Stone by the Raveonettes, and for today I am showing the 'behind the process', in the creation of this piece.

To start off, I had just 4 Hrs total to complete the task, including designing it out, and sketching a single image accurate in 3D space so a team of 3D modelers could build off the one sketch. They did have a bigger budget, but I was brought in at the 11th hour to 'put out a fire', so to speak and delivered theses designs this way in the time allotted.

To do this fast I started in 3D and built out a quick torso with a few main elements in there and did a quick grid render. I use 3D Perspective Grids in the same way I use 2D ones. 

I printed the render out, and did a tracing paper overlay and blocked in the design. I then overlaid that with the velum, and proceeded to do the final line art. Once scanned in,  I added a bit of shading to finish it out in Photoshop and delivered the JPG.

I will be posting a few additional sketches in the next weeks to show the other design areas I covered, all in about 3.75-4.00 Hrs per design delivered to Blingd for production to build it out.

Cheers, THOM

You can view the prior posts below:
PART I
PART II

The Music Video is here.

Project Review: Raveonettes Video "Heart of Stone" Emmy Awards Honors PART II

My Primetime Emmy Awards 2009-2010 Honors Certificate I received this week, Nice!

A Re-Posting of the first sketch I did for the project[ my favorite!]

Another Re-Post of the Lungs without and steam to keep them running sketch I did.

Emmy Awards 2009-2010 Honors Certificate
for the Raveonettes' Music Video: Heart of Stone
PART II

Client: Blind.
Art Director: Chris Do.
Project Date: January 2010

I posted the sketches originally on the blog, about one year back here, and this week I recieved this in the mail. Chris Do, won the Emmy for Art Direction for the Music Video, but theose who helped, also recieved a certificate of Honors as I have scanned above, and just found out about.

I love Steampunk design and Jules Verne looking concepts , so to be able to design these sets for the production was an honor for me. I love the sketch jobs which are fewer and fewer with the majority of my work being 3D Illustrations, and the subject matter for them was a joy to do.

Cheers, THOM

Details are over on Blinds website below:
http://www.blind.com/work/directors/chris-do/heart-of-stone/

Project Review: Genius Productions Film Company Logo Design

The Dark Look

The Warm Look.

The Combo Look with both the Dark Design Look and the Warm One.

The Vintage Light bulb

The Final "G' Filament inside the antique light bulb.

Genius Productions

Client: Genius Productions via The Cimarron Group.
Art Director: N/A
Project Date: Spring 2007

I did a few days of design work while at The Cimarron Group a Film Company logo for Genius Productions. The first day was limited direction on a "Rube Goldberg" mousetrap device we would coast through, so I designed a few various looks for the contraption. I started out dark and whimsical like Tim Burton's style and then went very candy and warm with red and gold. And ended up wit a blend. The direction was abandoned.

We next moved to the light bulb idea and started with an antique bulb on a chain that became the "g" in genius, as the light up filament. It was finished but I was not involved past development.

Cheers, THOM

Raveonettes Video: Heart of Stone

Inside the Head.[Camera, Stock Ticker, Tubes, Lights, Speaker etc.]

Inside the Stomach: The wind is gone and the butterflies in the stomach are scorching.

Exterior on the "Heart Tree".

Interior of the Rose Greenhouse.

Exterior of the Rose Greenhouse with water collection system.

Production Design:
Raveonettes' Music Video: Heart of Stone
PART I

Client: Blind.
Art Director: Chris Do.
Project Date: January 2010

Well here is my latest work from just a few weeks back. I was commissioned to sketch out the final designs to model in 3D for a section of interior and exterior virtual sets for the new video for Heart of Stone by the Raveonettes'.

This is the first sketch job I have had in a while, and it was FUN!. I love what is now called "Steam-Punk", which is Jules Verne meets a Victorian Industrial Revolution. And these sketches were quick drawings that would be used by the 3D team at Blind to build from, and each was about 3 Hrs to deliver.

Cheers, THOM

To view the video you can click on the post title or paste the text in below.

http://www.blind.com/work/directors/chris-do/heart-of-stone/