As the semester nears its conclusion, we have shifted our focus toward preparing for the soft opening this week. Our priority is to make final adjustments to the visual elements to ensure the project shines in its final presentation.
One significant addition was the hand-drawn title and credits sequence, giving our animation a personal touch. We wanted these elements to reflect the warmth and charm of our story, and incorporating hand-drawn elements felt like a fitting way to do that.
We also made substantial changes to the animation in the galaxy scene. With the addition of new models for the jam slide and jars, the previous animation felt stiff and didn’t fully showcase the important aspects of the composition. To address this, we adjusted the starting positions of the models, pulling them back and to the side, allowing the camera to move forward with a slight sideways rotation. This adjustment not only highlighted the dreamlike setting but also kept the camera movement smooth, minimizing any risk of dizziness for the audience.
Beyond the larger changes, there have been countless small details that require our attention. For example, we fine-tuned the timing of Margaret’s disappearance to better match the music and adjusted the credits to ensure they moved smoothly on-screen. Some of our more detail-oriented teammates took the lead on these adjustments, making sure every element was refined to perfection, no matter how small.
We also worked on optimizing the sound effects and tested them in the cavern. We removed abrupt noises and adjusted volumes and tempos. It was important to double-check that every sound was synced with the animation—particularly sounds like footsteps or the clinking of plates, which need to be precise to enhance the scene’s realism.
One ongoing challenge for us has been the rendering process. In these final stages, we need to render frequently to see how our adjustments look in the cavern. First, we have to render individual level sequences, which, due to the unique format of the cavern, is a slow process—each render outputs six separate videos that must be stitched together in Adobe Premiere, edited, and exported. Only then we can view the final result in the cavern. This is vastly different from previewing on a computer screen, as the cavern offers an entirely different experience, making it essential to see how our changes translate in the immersive environment.
This week, we also created a simple trailer video to introduce the project. The goal was to give a concise overview and capture the essence of our story for those unfamiliar with the project.
Despite all our efforts to refine the visuals, we’re sure there are still areas that could be improved. After the soft opening, we plan to use feedback from the faculty to polish our animation further. This final round of input will be invaluable in helping us ensure every aspect of our work is as good as it can be before we reach the end of the semester.