Gods Of War Sprint 5

    For this past sprint, I worked on polishing my three FX. For the water, I worked on making the materials look more water-like, and I changed the path of the water to go around the sword instead of Susanoo. For the lightning, I added some more tertiary detail and stronger embers. Because the pose changed, I also altered the hand lightning FX to match it. For the fire, I added a lot more embers and desaturated the fire a bit so it didn't look like a funhouse effect.

Gods of War Sprint 4

For this sprint I worked on the water and lightning VFX. For the water, I combined a static mesh with a niagara system to give it a semi-animated look. I will be refining the shape of the slash for next sprint. For the lightning, I have a first pass of the lightning branches coming off the lightning. The issue is that they are not totally attached yet to the beam so I am still figuring out solutions for that. I also randomized each section of the beam so they're not all identical in width, speed, or jitter. 

Gods Of War Sprint 3

This sprint, I have worked solely on the lightning and fire FX. For the lightning, I made it less chaotic, created a custom lightning material, and added sparks and smoke to surround the lightning. For the fire, I rendered out a flipbook simulation to layer on top of the VDB simulation so that it has the 3D volumetric look while still retaining the detail from the fire simulation in EmberGen. Next sprint, I plan to focus more on the water FX. 

Gods Of War Sprint 2

 

These past two weeks, I have worked on refining my VFX block outs from the previous sprints. For the fire, I figured out how to implement VDBs so I was able to get them on the character. I used ember-gen to create and render out the VDBs. 

For the water sim, I went back in Houdini and edited the movement of the water so that it had more noise and variation. I'm still working on a solution for implementing the solid water on top of the particles

For the lightning, it is still only done in Niagara. I replaced the bars that held the drum together with the lightning to make it look more dramatic. My next steps are to refine the shape further and add a more detailed material to the Niagara Ribbon.

Gods of War Sprint 1

For Sprint 1, I blocked out the VFX for the three characters, Raijin, Oni, and Susanoo. For Raijin, I created a lightning effect for her drum sticks and a slight lightning spark effect for the drums behind her. For Oni, I created a fire effect surrounding the back of the character and also fire emitting from his hands. For an extra dramatic effect, I added some subtle smoke to surround him. Lastly, for Susanoo, I blocked out a water effect that will emit from his katana. This effect was created in Houdini and then imported into Niagara as both a point cache and geometry cache to layer on top of each other.

Artist Statement

 

Who am I as an artist?

    I am someone who appreciates the beautiful things in life. By that, I mean that I enjoy romanticizing the things that people don’t often think about. For example, I find immense joy in gazing out of a plane window at the tiny cars and buildings below, marveling at the unique patterns of the clouds, and getting a glimpse of the sun setting in the distance. These moments fill me with warmth, joy, and awe.

    I love combining the five senses to evoke strong emotions—like the crackling warmth of a flickering fire or the feeling of snowflakes falling on my face on a freshly powdered mountain. I savor the distinct aroma of coffee in the air as I rush to my gate at the airport, a reminder of the exciting journey ahead.

    How does this relate to my work as an artist? For years, I immersed myself in still life drawing, illustrating the world in the way that I see it. Life is more enjoyable through rose-tinted lenses, even if it's not always practical. It adds a spark of excitement to the mundane. That’s why I am so passionate about VFX. For example, with a simple dust particle simulation, volumetric smoke, and some god rays, I can transform any object or scene into something ethereal. It's all about reimagining scenes to enhance reality. The main challenge that I face is being able to take an immersive real-life experience that incorporates the five senses, and convert it into a purely visual experience.

    My main goal as an artist is to evoke powerful emotions in others—not just any emotions, but ones that bring happiness. I want people to look at my work and see beauty. By beauty, I mean something aesthetically appealing that evokes a sense of pleasure and satisfaction. It doesn’t have to be extravagant in nature; it just has to make someone feel good. Creating beautiful things brings me great joy and fulfillment, and I aspire to share that feeling with the world.

 

 

HW 4 Lighting Assignment

Environment Shots: Moody, Abandoned

 

Reference Boards: moody warehouse lighting