Maya Dynamics: Stormy Ocean Simulation

In this image, I rendered out an ocean scene completely based on calculations. As I constantly try to understand the vast application of Maya, I've drifted into the piles upon piles of dynamic options the program has to offer. This stormy ocean started as a calculated body of still water with then different values added to things such as wave height, frequency and maximum and minimum values. As I write this, the animation is rendering out, frame by frame, tied together with a camera which bobs with the waves of the ocean.

Cycles Tea Scene

As a side project, I've been really trying to step up on my 3D art skills. I've been trying to make the transition to Maya to use the Mental Ray renderer but Blender is anything but dead to me. I used the Cycles render engine to make this scene of a tea set. Using a nice wood texture I found online, Cycles multiple shader feature to create the ceramic martial, and lots and lots of polygons, I came to this result. The final render took about 30 minutes and I plan to add fluid dynamics and a smoke particle system to make actual tea in the cups and perhaps lemonade in the pitcher. 

Drop the Base

This week, I made this little cartoon chemist playing off the pun of drop the base. I mainly used the pen tool to create all the layers that make up his body while also using some shapes. Lastly, I finished the piece off with Livememe in order to add the white stroked text. One aspect I want to improve personally is the drops of chemical releasing from the beaker. They are too elongated and should be more tear drop shaped.

MY BRAND

Here, I tried to go for a "comically crude" approach. We were told to make a piece which had a "punny" aspect to them playing off of witty wordplay and elements of the sort. I did the main part of this piece in photoshop using some simple layer styles. Lastly, I finished it off in Quickmeme for the "MY BRAND!" caption.

Vexel Image

This week, we followed a tutorial using a quasi-vector method of image creation. Using the Shapes Tool and the Pen Tool, I traced over a photo of an elephant. through this project, I learned that the Pen Tool actually doubles almost a "custom shape" tool (not like the real Custom Shape tool) which can make vector derived (paths) bitmap shapes. Lastly, I added some gradient shading and a background. I really enjoyed the final product and the stylized look.

GIF Animation (Image Coming Later)

This week, we were to make a gif animation on a political policy of our choosing. I chose to illustrate human trafficking. Unfortunately, the gif is unfinished and not with me at the time so I'll do my best to describe it. Basically, an austere woman is in a darkly lit setting where there is a robotic stamp above her. More copies of the same woman are behind her. Her forehead is embossed with a seal of a locked padlock. The gif loops back again. Without actions, I don't think I could have ever got this done.

Spring Luncheon Piece 1

This week, our focus was the annual Spring Luncheon. We're supposed to include a Sunflower in honor of  Mrs. Wineman who passed away recently. I was quite fortunate to find super high resolution photos for this piece making it perfect for print with next to zero blurriness. There were supposed to be people walking on the Earth, almos giving a miniature impression but I decided against it.