So who is Team Clockwork? What do they do/love/see/eat? Surely it’s not all work and no funzies?
Well, a whip around the office garnered a cool collection of happy snaps from vacations and staycations, parties and feel good days. It appears that we are rockin the fun things, invigorated by the scary things and in love with the simple things in life.
With so many pics to choose from, we will have to make this a regular feature!
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As part of our treatment for a pitch, we spent 2 days unleashing our inner Maverick, racing F-18s, doing flybys over aircraft carriers and shooting missiles.
What does a visual effects artist do in his spare time? Thats a trick question, cause there is no spare time to be had in this industry :) It would be more accurate to ask what one does when he should be sleeping!
Speed Modeling Challenges is the answer. The concept is a simple one. A time limit, usually an hour or two, and a theme are established at the start of each weeklong challenge, you’re then free to create what you want within those constraints. Its purely a modeling challenge, meaning that lighting and texturing are excluded from the time limit, aswell as the judging process. A simple render and wireframe are required for judging.
I tended to push the renders further than they needed to be pushed, but for me, the whole point of taking part in the challenges, was to polish my modeling aswell as my lighting and rendering skills.
Many of the topics were inspired by real life objects. I take no credit where it isn’t due for the design of some of the objects I recreated in 3d. When you’re pressed for time, its just easier to model from a reference image, than to either wing it, or sit and design something yourself.
A special note, and nod of appreciation to Lawrence Northey, the creator of Dave The Robot. (the robot at the top) That little personal project was not part of the Speed Modeling Challenge series. I love anything retro, and had stumbled upon Dave The Robot one evening while browsing. I thought he was definitely worth my spare time (err sleep) and decided to create a 3d version of him. With only a few reference photo’s of the original metal sculpture available on the internet, there are a few inaccuracies, but overall, I was really pleased with the end result. Take a few moments to visit Lawrence Northey’s website at http://robotart.homestead.com/gallery.html, and have a look at his other amazing work.
 Dave the Robot – Still |
 Dave the Robot – Turnaround |
 Fridge |
 Shell Lights |
 Cocoon Lights |
 Green Radio |
 Clock Robot |
 Rocket Launch |
 Rocket Launch |
 Rocket Launch Wireframe |
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Team Clockwork is sometimes accused of making things look easy – this is no exception! Here, in brief, is the making of a 3D character. We go from 2D concept, to 3D model, add textures, build a rig and animate a simple walk cycle.
 Bully Designs |
 Falcon Mascot Design |
 Kid Sketches |
 Kid Render |
 Kid Turnaround Animation |
 Falcon Sketches |
 Pinky Sketches |
 Pinky Sketches |
 Pinky Sketches |
 Layout for Character Design |
Various Concepts, Character Designs, and Character Models that we have completed over the recent months. Credit goes to Qais M. Sedki at Pageflip Publishing for the design of the Kid character above.
We’ve been working on a pitch over the past 3 days, and thought you might like to see the progress. The shots were filmed on our new Canon 5D, in one of our many splendid local parks. For your interest, for the second and third shot, the foreground grass is all CG, with a displacement effect added to create the illusion our little guy is actually walking on it.
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Every so often it is nice to make a 3D model you can cuddle in the real world … if that’s your thing. The tactile experience can be a great selling tool for a pitch, or a keepsake from an awesome project. How do I get one, you ask? Through the power of fairy dust and possibly some technology, the 3D printer converts a CG model (or even photographs) into a real maquette. The result can either be full colour or a blank canvas for you to paint. Wicked!
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Whaleboy, the brainchild of Patrick Morgan, exists in the real world as a 6 inch vinyl toy. He’s a character so unique and goofy, that when I first discovered him, felt compelled to create him in 3d. I was finally able to complete the model recently, and do a couple of fun renders with two of his four interchangable faces. His scream face just suited an idea I’d been tossing about in my head for a few days. The gag was simple, Whaleboy, flat on his back, fallen over, or left outside, screaming up at the blue sky as birds used him for target practice. Below you can find the progress of that render, which I’ll revisit someday and complete, when I next have some free time. Dont hold your breath though, as it took me 4 years to get to this point :)
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