Thesis is Complete! For now..............

 

Hello all! I am so please to say after all my blood, sweat, and tears, my thesis has been approved by the Savannah College of Art and Design! I now have my Masters degree in Interactive Design and Game Development! I want to take the time to thank all who helped and supported me throughout this entire process. Thank You!

As I close this chapter on my life I now look to the future to create more positive and inspirational characters for future generations.

Joshua's 3D Game Model is Complete!

Here's Joshua's finished 3D game model! Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy!

Here's his concept art that I designed just to remind you.

I started by texturing his high polygon 3D ZBrush model.

Then I transferred the all textures onto my low polygon model that I made using the Nex 1.6 plugin for Maya.

And it all started from this 3D model. This is my very first attempt at Joshua.

A million and one mistakes later has led me to this new 3D model. Once again not a bad leap forward!

J-Dirty's 3D Game Model is Complete!

Here it is ladies and gentlemen the final low polygon game model for J-Dirty! Enjoy!

I tried to get it as close to the concept art as I could but also add extra little details.

 First I painted the textures on this high polygon ZBrush Model.

Then I transferred the all textures onto my low polygon model that I made using the Nex 1.6 plugin for Maya.

 I can't believe it all started from this 3D model. This is my very first attempt at modeling J-Dirty.

It has lead me to this latest version of J-Dirty. I'd say it's quit a BIG leap!

Thesis Visual Component (3D Joshua)

For Joshua's 3D model I tried to focus on different variations on folds. I hope I achieved this. Now it's time to do the low polygon models!

Joshua's New Look

New Outfit Old Outfit

In order for Joshua to fit into the Tekken universe I had to change his outfit. His old hospital uniform seemed a bit nerdy and lets be honest if I saw him on the character select screen I wouldn't pick him. I had to design a new outfit that would classify Joshua as a dedicated student as well as a skilled fighter. I wanted his outfit to be black and white to keep that sort of, "doctor in training" look and I added the greenish medical tie to go with it. There were a couple of key Tekken elements that I had to include in his outfit.

As you can see Tekken character outfits can range from extremely stylish to extremely bizarre. So I feel this outfit can safely exist in the Tekken universe.

I've noticed that no matter how stylish a character's outfit is, they must have fighting gloves. That's why I put some on Joshua.

I was also influenced by the style of Robert Downey Jr. and the character of Tony Stark that he plays in the Iron Man movies. His style is classy but playful at the same time. His collar shirt that he doesn't button up all the way and his boots with his nice suit, suggests he doesn't take himself too seriously but is still a master of his craft. I wanted Joshua's design to say this about him. This is why I have boots with his outfit.

Joshua's Game

I decided to put Joshua into one of my favorite 3D fighting games, Tekken 6. Every character in the Tekken Tournament has their own reason for competing. Some compete to test their martial art skills, some compete for fame and fortune, and others want revenge. Joshua enters the King of Iron Fist Tournament because he doesn’t have enough money to go to medical school. His grandmother doesn’t make enough money and he doesn’t have any other relatives to ask. If he wins the tournament he can use the money to not only pay for his college education, but also help his grandmother out with her past due bills, and see that his brother gets the medical attention he needs.

Thesis Visual Component (3D J-Dirty)

Well here he is folks! I'd say the high-poly version of J-Dirty is all done for now! A lot of hard work and detail went it this guy so enjoy. Time to finish up Joshua now.

J-Dirty’s Game

It was a suggestion that my characters fit into certain videogame. I decided J-Dirty would fit perfectly into a game such as Def Jam Icon, a 3D fighting game. In this game the player creates a character and attempts to make a name for that character as an up and coming rap legend or “icon”. You beat up other rappers to settle beefs and even deal with dirty cops. In the game J-Dirty wants to desperately move out of his parents mansion to pursue his rap career. He must make a name for himself in order to get signed to a major rap label, so he starts fights with other rappers, their bodyguards, and even members of their entourage all to get his rap songs to be heard.

Thesis Visual Component (Heads)

Hello everyone! Here's the first look at the 3D heads of J-Dirty and Joshua. I spent a lot of time on their hair so I hope you guys can appreciate all the hard work. Also while I was creating the hair for the two characters I felt I should explain something. I am not saying that all African Americans who have braids are bad and angry people because many of my friends have braids and they are the nicest people in the world. However the stereotypical image of "the angry black man" usually has braids, especially in the media. I'm also not saying that anyone with a slick hair do is a good person either. Joshua's character just so happens to have one. There's a lot more to come soon so stay tuned!

Thesis Visual Component (Legs and Feet)

Hello again. I know what you're saying, "These parts aren't even going to be shown in the final model." Yes I know but this was a personal thing for me to #1 Brush up on my anatomy skills and #2 Brush up on all the new tools and features in ZBrush. I think I'm onto a good start. Check back soon for more! Stay Inspired!

Thesis Visual Component (Hands)

Hello folks I know it's been a long time since my last post, but I've been pretty busy finding a job! I thought I'd start this blog off with the hands of my character. It's been said that the hands can be a character of their own, showing the personality of that character just by their pose alone. This is just a prevue to the amount of detail I want to go into the rest of my character. Stay tuned for more!