Fantasy World Map now with Cities

  It's been an interesting divergence lately to work on maps for fantastical locations. After my last posting I had two key ideas to make the map more authentic.

  The first was to create a more thematic-looking set of icons for the various locations. Instead of Ordinance Survey like set of icons I had the idea of shorthand visuals: One hut for hamlets, two for villages, three for towns, a mage's tower for an academy, castles, castle-towns and do on to better fit the more old-time mythical style of the rest of the map. The sits sit much more neatly than the original black marks, and I have a few brushes for future projects of a similar style.

  The second idea was partially inspired by how some fantasy maps embellish a representation of an important site. A recent example being the stand-out representation of Erebor on a map from Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. On this map, that focus was given to the capitals: The port and temple of Kirstan, the royal citadel of KharKanas, the fortress-gates of Drongo and the marbled spires of Istri. While KharKanas is much larger compared to the others, I figure it justified as the Conglomerate Empire has a whole continent to itself.

The client was certainly happy with the end product and it has got me thinking about the environmental or architectural side of my creative ideas.

(WIP) A Fantasy World Map

One of the projects I've received lately is a world map for the setting of my brother's upcoming D&D campaign. Can't say I've done much of this sort of thing save for the occasional more science fiction like map, but it was good drawing practice all the same.

The current deal is for a map that can be printed on A3, so I'm working in a CYMK format at 300 DPI. It's pretty big. It could have been A2 but by the sound of where he's playing his game an A2-sized map might be too big for the table.

I wouldn't call this finished though. The world could do with roads connecting the various settlements and after some discussion with him I'm considering reworking the locations on the map to better fit the current graphics. Special thumbnails have been discussed representing the world's various capital cities or important locations and maybe the sea could do with something like waves.

Or sea serpents... The world doesn't stop at the edges of the map.

Character Design Project

   The last month I've been deep in Maya and Zbrush with character crafting. My original inspiration was a character I had drawn up for Dungeons and Dragons with friends, but despite having a rather short life (dying twice in quick succession to a blast of light from a much more powerful magician), he made impression enough that I have fond memories of my experience with him.

   So, with such an impression I drafted him as the first for possibly a whole line of such characters, and a showcase for anyone who might like a similar result.for their own player characters. Posable, usable in animations and quite possibly a source for 3D printing if the setup is right.

   Magic users have had quite a compelling allure to them - masters of mystic arts, scholars and academics who shape reality. This talent, and a lack of armour for their class gives the opportunity to make them one of the more casually-dressed character types in games of D&D. Other classes certainly have a style, but one way I find magic users fun is how they can bring court style and artisan outfitting to an adventure.

   For this particular character, this connection to courts was key to his design as the background for him was of an aristocratic family in decline. This particular member of the ruling classes, who I called Varthen, took to travelling the countryside after becoming an adult. Funding his travels with money made performing tricks which come innately to him at various villages with the occasional performance in a town pub. As well perhaps as other services that come from magical ability coming naturally to him or having a formal education.

   These two factors: A noble background and a life on the road, created a character who was of privileged status but lived with few of the trappings. While I could have taken the angle of just a few trinkets to show his wealth, such as a signet ring or a necklace, I thought he'd go a little more flamboyant. Namely he would still be in touch with the fashions at court, and underneath a (relatively) simple coat would be a silver-threaded blue velvet doublet, linen shirts and silvered leather boots. Underneath a simple overcoat is a man of proud upbringing, who could weave his way through the royal circles if he so wished.

   He's not fully human, more a half-elf. While this does make him rather Eldar-esque, elves in the D&D settings are often far more fairy-like than Lord of the Rings. Half-elves have often been described as a miawy point between human and elven beauty, so a half-human-half-elf is more along the lines of a handsome or beautiful human with somewhat pointy ears. To an elf, they'd look ugly with rather puny ears.

   Most importantly it was really fun to design his outfit, particularly the designs of silver and padding on his luxurious buttoned doublet.

  The other fun thing was learning tricks to rig up large pieces of fabric in the absence of ncloth programs. Varthen has two arrangements to make this work: The lower half of his coat has a grid of controls that link to nine different chains of bones while his half-cape is controlled by a single chain of bones much like a tendril coming from his shoulder.

   There was a lot more work than I initially thought but that is part of the learning process. Some of the most fun things to work on were his hair, eyes (which are rigged with a blendshape to dilate), the pattern on his doublet and getting familiar with the rivet tool. Which I've found can be far more than a way to pin an object to a specific point on a mesh.

   With him done, I've had various ideas on my mind where to go next. Such as offering various components for sale like his coat with attached rig or a blank version of his head. But also considering less human characters like dwarves, tieflings or lizardkin.

Further reading

Artstation entry: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/N5bkON

Developments with 3D Modelling: Making Clothes, Characters and Accessories

When I started using Zbrush I had no idea what I would be doing with it after my first year. I had gone in with a handful of ideas and creature designs, and yet one of the most interesting uses I've had for it lately is clothes and accessories. But the versatility has been amazing so far.

The character I have been designing over the past couple of weeks has been mostly of a personal design. A rather newbie sorcerer character I designed for use in Dungeons and Dragons, but made such an impression on me and my friends that I thought why not actually create him in all his adventurer status.

He had a short existence. Having a few adventures, befriending some lizards before dying twice to the same spell shot twice, but that's how you create memorable stories. You do stuff you don't forget. And as a result it's been hard to get him off my mind even after I've given him an existence in 3D software.

The current model has come a long way. I've been planning to rig him for posing as well as looking into a cost-effective renderer for far more polished images, since my current version of Maya is without Mental Ray. With the practice I've recently had with the other elf, it might only take a couple of days. The most complicated area to work out has been how to rig up the robe, as the version of Maya I currently use is also lacking the use of the Ncloth feature. Which means loose items will need their own rig. Such as The large sleeves (not too difficult) and the coat ('challenge' might be an understatement). But what is lost if I do not at least try?

To get him to move, that would be very cool.

In other news, I have had great success in a much fancier version of the character's signet ring. It might be too detailed for a practical model but that's not to say there is no chance it could be used for anything.

I've been musing about going public with these designs. Selling pieces of them, or at the very least their templates, as 3D assets. Artstation has over the last few months offered this as a feature in the form of a virtual marketplace. This I think I can do alongside a possible career in custom 3D character models, where I could set up a website to sell these templates, or specific items, as a separate shop.

The ring is nice, I have had some favourable responses to it. I don't see much harm in offering it ors its template for anyone interested.

Alpha maps, hard surface modelling, understanding hardness, It is all building into what I love about the virtual. That feeling that with the right tricks, anything you can possibly imagine is in fact possible! Who knows, I might be able to submit the ring to a 3D printer or plastic moulder and get the accessory (and others) created in real life. Could there be avenue in costume jewellery design perhaps?

The ring does have an existence in Maya. I had to replicate the shader in Maya as it did its properties translate well when transferring between the two programs. But it still has its shine. Good gold is not an easy material to mimic.

Detail shots of the signet ring can be found on the Artstation submission: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/v1EaqA

Character Modelling Experimentation

  When combined with Maya, the possibilities of Zbrush have been bonkers. I've been working fervently for a few weeks now on a character model that is taking shape to the point it is just about ready for rigging. I have lately been far more comfortable painting, texturing and drawing in 3D than I have in 2D, and I think it was mostly an issue of how to make light fall on a body.

  I have struck conversations with people online, in public and among friends about taking these skills as a custom design service. Modelled and rigged characters (player avatars initially, but also potentially monsters and bosses) offered alongside a storefront selling templates and props. Going in this direction I feel has been an enlightening experience in designing not just people, but also textures, objects and clothing. As well as various translatable tricks.

  One of the most interesting experiments was in a custom alpha for a 3D brush. I am unsure if I could have done it freehand, but using Photoshop was pretty interesting for creating a 'stamp' set upon a model. If nothing else, these past two weeks have been an interesting foray into advanced 3D modelling tricks.

Four Redone: Building a Better Base

  The last couple of weeks I have felt invigorated to return to developing my first proper story. Which so far has played out in the for mof a revision to the environments I had designed originally. With confidence I've found I am much more confident creating detailed models while also playing around with tricks to get the look just right. Right now the main work has been on the texturing for leather and some of the walls. Some of these kits were arranged to share textures for ease of rendering.

  It has also been a time for inspiration. Today came flooding with ideas on what the chambers such as the biolab could look like with a little bit of polish and planning. I had strong inspirations from 2001 A Space Odyssey with this approach, which could give a lot more character to Ceti Base's airlock and layout even if the design will also be staying mostly true to that 1960s and 1970s space aesthetic.

This time around I definitely plan to add a few more doors so the whole place doesn't feel like a series of tunnels. Maybe some furniture for the airlocks like spacesuit racks or some corridor furniture like trolleys or scattered cables. I'll look into that. For now the priority has been on a look for the rooms themselves.

I'm planning to keep at least some of the basic layouts.

Media Reviews: Demons of the Punjab

Forward: It has been honestly years since I last posted something on this site. I want to thank everyone who has been curious despite the inactivity, and with some recent vigor this might change. Time to bring back something that was once a ritual for me with a review.

  For most of my life I've always found science fiction to be one of the most magical of genres. From the medieval space adventures of Star Wars to the FTL-less explorations of space of Leviathan Wakes. Hard or soft, plausible or magical, whether Star Trek has been a wagon train to the stars or Stargate with more space ships, science fiction has had a rather unique position in the cultural sphere.

This is what particularly hit me with tonight's Doctor Who episode Demons of the Punjab.

  First off, I can already imagine some might see political commentary in this episode. I've kind of had my head in American politics for a while and I can see the episode's mention of "angry men on the radio" speaking of something seen in divides on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This is something the latest season of Doctor Who has been doing though I personally though find this is one of the strongest series to date. Despite the messages laid within we've had some a very compelling and emotionally gripping stories.

It goes without saying, if you have not seen the episode then I'm going to be dropping a few spoilers.

Sample 1: So far the series has been in plenty of remote locations. But this has its advantages. [BBC, 2018]

  This episode is set in Lahore as the Partition of India gets underway. It's 1947. The separation of Pakistan from India after tension between Hindus and Muslims reaches a boiling point. The British Empire is waning, only just starting to recover from the Second World War while memories of famine remain fresh on local minds. But a lot of these tectonic shifts are largely in the background for the episode - the partition is explored by the Doctor's Pakistani-British companion Yaz discovering her grandmother's husband was a Hindu, and the division this creates with her grandfather's younger brother, a staunch Indian patriot. About halfway through the episode, it is brought up that this younger brother has his head deep in the revolutionary words spoken over the radio. He doesn't say any creative slurs (which has been all too easy in modern political discourse), but he does make it clear his vision for his country does not include his Muslim neighbors. Not only that, but while angry radio voices are mentioned, it isn't argued if these voices are right or wrong in what they say.

Fear and anger can spur people to do terrible things. As we find out.

  Science Fiction, for me, is at its best when its story is three things: Mindful of the past, thinking of the future, and observant of the present. Some of my favourite stories in science fiction use the past or the future to hold a mirror up to the present. The Partition of India was not pleasant, there was a lot of unrest with the establishment of these two nations. Lives were lost, blood was shed along the new border, but Demons of the Punjab never shows this. Not even at the climax when history's course reveals itself do we see a life lost on screen. The unrest is invisible yet its effects are a driving force of the plot. When we discover it was not the visiting aliens who killed a local holy man, but a man who believes he is doing what is right. Two thirds of the way through, the demons in the title are implied to not be the visiting aliens, but human beings who would make their neighbors to be monsters to build their vision of a brighter future.

  Having grown up in a household with rich thoughts on the wars, what comes to mind for me when Yaz's grandfather tries to talk sense into his brother are accounts in the Great War where soldiers of both sides came to realise the enemy weren't so different from themselves. This is something at the forefront of my mind, especially as on this particular celebration as the London ceremony was graced by the president of Germany. At the ground level, whatever your leanings be they spiritual, social or otherwise, the ones who think or sit differently likely have the same problems you do. Others may disagree with your ideas, but that does not make them something to remove.

  The story is not all about political division and the atrocities which can be committed in the name of a righteous vision. At first it seems like the "demons" of the episode are the aliens. Which the Doctor describes as an ancient race who have molded themselves into the perfect assassins (which makes them peers of the Weeping Angels and the Carrionites). Turns out these assassins reformed after finding themselves on the verge of extinction. what is left now wander time and space collecting imprints of people who have died alone. They didn't come because Earth was special or that they had an interest in someone important. Yet they were very civil once their true nature was revealed, which just goes to show that a dreaded reputation does not mean you are dealing with heartless monsters. On the day the participating nations of two devastating wars take time to remember the fallen, it warms the heart to see a group who would trek across space and time to do the same for everyone who has ever lived or shall live. Not just soldiers or those in service, but everyone who departs out of reach of those who care about them.

Sample 2: Not all which is alien are monsters. Not all monsters are alien. [BBC, 2018]

  The eleventh of November is a time to remember those who gave their lives to protect their homes and their families. Risking everything but getting caught up in the maelstrom of war. The catalyst was a war to end all wars that ended nothing. The soldiers who fought in it do not choose who to fight, and the ones they are set up to oppose are probably no different from they are when you strip away ideology or higher-level principles.

Demons of the Punjab held a mirror to what we're doing to ourselves right now, but it was also a welcoming tribute to those who gave their lives to protect those they cared about or those who helped the unfortunate, who in their final moments had no one beside them. Offering a light that maybe we are not alone in this remembrance. However your Sunday has been, remember this as a day of remembrance of all the fallen for all the nations.

Image Sources

• 1: BBC, 2018; [So far the series has been in plenty of remote locations. But this has its advantages.]; image name: p06qxd48.jpg available at  https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/976x549_b/p06qxd48.jpg (last accessed 11th November, 2018)
• 2: BBC, 2018; [Not all which is alien are monsters. Not all monsters are alien.]; image name: p06rf6f7.jpg; available at https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/976x549_b/p06rf6f7.jpg (last accessed 11th November, 2018)