A small task was assigned to us this time, mainly to get us used to Photoshops Brush Dynamics. It was to create a Cloud Brush.
Starting on a 500x500 canvas, we set up the tablet to have a reasonable pressure sensitivity and to only spread across one monitor to give more control. The brush dynamics were then set by changing a default soft brush and hard brush by activating Shape Dynamics, which allows the pen pressure to control the size of the brush, and transfer (AKA Other Dynamics) which controls the opacity of the brush.
This allowed us to start creating the cloud by mixing together the brushes. After laying down the dots across the canvas, I began smudging them together to create a softer edge as a cloud would have.
The completed brush is below:
Our next task was to save that brush and, only using that brush, create a skyscape of clouds by layering shades one on top of another.
Below are two examples of using the cloud brushes.
Starting out in Texture Development. We were given the task of modelling a crate and making a wooden texture for it. This was the first example of hand painted materials instead of relying on shaders and lighting in engines.
First, I started by modelling a simple crate by creating a plane, extruding it twice to create the indent and then duplicated it 5 times.
I then UV mapped then crate and took a snapshot of it into Photoshop to begin texturing.
Firstly, I picked a base colour and filled one layer. Next, I added the lines, using the UV as a guide, to show where the planks of wood met each other by using a darker colour than the base. I then added a lighter colour than the base to the places where the light would catch in the grooves to simulate a light without needing one. Finally, I added a shadow where the light would avoid, on the inside rim of the crate.
With that done, I started to draw in some wood grain using a soft brush with Transfer and Shape Dynamics turned on and, to complete it, added a outer glow to the grains to simulate light and bring depth to the texture.
To give some variety to the piece, I then added some text and an image on a separate layer which I could then apply to an individual plane on the model as shown below
I then brought the textures into Maya and applied them and duplicated the crate, changing the orientation and location of them to make a small cluster of crates.
