First Post

We are approaching the conclusion of the Car Project at Ringling College of Art and Design. This project serves as the semester final for the Game Art major during the sophomore fall term. The assignment requires selecting a car from a list of approved models or proposing one that meets the specified criteria, followed by modeling it to a realistic standard.

For this project, I have chosen the 2015 Ford Mustang GT. Below are some progress images showcasing the work I have been refining since the project commenced in November of this year. The final model is due on Monday, November 25, 2024.

Throughout this process, I have gained significant experience with Autodesk Maya, enhancing my proficiency with its tools and features. Notably, I have developed a deeper attention to detail and mastered techniques such as edge support for smooth surfaces, the use of Duplicate Special, and other essential modeling practices. I will soon begin creating UV maps for the car, marking the next stage of the project.

Following the modeling phase, we will begin texturing the model, which is expected to take two weeks to complete before the final submission. This submission will be incorporated into our exploration game.

As part of the exploration game, we plan to include intro and outro cutscenes within Unreal Engine. This is my first time working with Unreal Engine and its Blueprints system, and I have found it more challenging than initially anticipated. However, I have learned a great deal in a short period and am extremely proud of my progress, especially considering that within a few months, I will have a packaged game featuring assets that my classmates and I have created from scratch. The exploration game will include an internal outro cutscene, several game mechanics, and a developed story. As part of the project, we are required to feature the final car model, which, in my case, is the 2015 Ford Mustang GT. We are also currently incorporating sound effects for dialogue, and I am editing the script for the in-game dialogue.

In addition to the Car Project and the exploration game, I am taking a Digital Painting class, which is separate from my other courses within the Game Art major. In this class, we are preparing for the Adventure Game project, which will be the focus of our spring semester. For this project, we will create a game entirely from scratch, with an in-depth story that guides the player character on an adventure. This will be my first experience fully coding a game on my own, as well as creating a playable character, animations, video effects, and sculpting in ZBrush, in a more professional setting than my previous work, which was more for personal practice or my high school projects in ZBrush and Blender.

In my Digital Painting class, we are currently working on pre-production. I have already completed the character design, weaponry, and player progression, and am now focusing on architecture and player environment concepts, some of which are displayed below.

Thank you for reading!