1. Visit Mocap Studio
This week, we visited the motion capture studio on the main campus and began testing the mocap process. Since we don’t have a dedicated character modeler, we opted to purchase character and scene assets. This approach allows us to streamline production by focusing on set dressing and directly applying mocap data.
After consulting with the instructor and SME, we chose a stylized visual style that isn’t too cartoony. For character models, we bought a set of finely crafted, rigged elderly couples that fit the storyline. For scene assets, we selected kitchen and living room models from the same creator. While our scene artists will still need to make adjustments to fit the story and cavern restrictions, this decision has saved us significant time on tasks like modeling and texturing, letting us focus more on animation and special effects.
2. Cavern Set-up
Fortunately, since our project is rendered animation, it’s a bit easier to adapt it for the cavern compared to projects requiring interaction. The technical artists in our team are well-versed in cavern debugging and are prepared to integrate the scene into the space for immediate testing.
3. Quarter Feedback
During the quarter walkaround, we shared our progress with faculty and staff, gathering a lot of constructive feedback. Some of the most inspiring suggestions included: focusing on what we want the audience to imagine and how to create an emotional connection; refining the storyboard with music to ensure the choreography aligns; emphasizing the character’s dance moves and expressions to convey emotions; utilizing the full potential of the cavern’s immersive screen; and experimenting with contrasting spaces for visual impact.
However, we also encountered conflicting suggestions. We plan to discuss these during our next meeting with the instructor to determine which ideas are feasible to incorporate into the project.