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alundrigan2

CONCLUSION

Finally, I've finished all of my experimentations and research. I've thoroughly enjoyed this module since it's open-endedness has been the source of many new discoveries for me in terms of technical art. I've learnt about concepts I had no clue existed 3 months ago, and I would've continued not to know if I hadn't have chosen this topic.


I thought it would be a good time to reflect back on my statement of intent which I set myself at the start of the year and see if I've achieved what I set out to achieve.


The question I was intending to resolve was "How can I develop my technical art skills to efficiently optimise the game development pipeline?". Now, this was something I discussed with associate lecturer Louise Crouch in the Games Academy afternoon one afternoon when I was asking her advice on where to take my project. I was stressed that I hadn't met the criteria of 'optimisation', as when I set the statement for myself I was uneducated in the world of technical art so I didn't understand how restrictive that would be.


Instead, I opted for spreading my research across as many topic areas within technical art I could, ensuring I linked it back to Unreal since that's the game engine my team is using for our project. This was more fulfilling in terms of research as it meant I could experiment more freely.


These were my methodology points:

  • Research professional technical art practices and recreate them to the best of my ability.

I believe I achieved this by discussing professional practice with Lewis and replicating shaders that emulate those used in video games, such as the water shader I created.


  • Read articles and watch videos to support my understanding of methods/techniques and therefore accompany my experimentation.

I read many articles, referenced a handful of books and watched plenty of Youtube videos to back up and complement my research and practices.


  • Evaluate and reflect on my experimentations so I know what to improve on and to refine my workflow in future projects.

I believe I showed constant self reflection throughout my research, as I often had to reassess and curate my plans for experimentation according to scope. I am now armed with new knowledge and definitions I can expand upon to take my knowledge of technical art to the next level not only in my university work, but also in personal projects.


These were my learning goals:

  • Discover how I can use my prior knowledge of Python to script and procedurally generate objects in my workflow.

I somewhat achieved this in my Maya Python scripting blog post. I didn't get round to procedural generation this time, however I feel more able to tackle that subject with the skill I've developed in this module.

  • Gain a deeper understanding of the tools used to create art for games.

This goal was definitely achieved. I now understand how simplified game engines are for users, and how many stupendous formulas that oftentimes go unnoticed are calculated to cut corners and deliver an experience to users.

  • Develop technical art skills which will enhance the pipeline of my GAM202 group game.

Unfortunately, i don't feel like I hit this goal. For one, my group project is highly realistic so the type of shaders I developed would be difficult to develop, and for two I have someone on my team who is essentially an advanced technical artist. I have learnt a great deal from him over the course of the group project, however I have felt slightly inferior in technical art because of his abilities. This is something I'm working on overcoming though, because his skills have enhanced our game massively and he's been a pleasure to work with.


Finally, I created my poster for this project. I thought the most simple approach was to showcase 5 equal slices showing my 5 main showcase pieces I created throughout the module. I added a paper texture into the background and a halftone effect to give the poster an editorial magazine look.



I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog - it's been a long 4/5 months but I'm proud of what I've achieved :)

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