OVERVIEW
Reflecting on the current global climate—both environmentally and socio-economically—this project only scratches the surface of a much deeper web of issues. My goal was to capture the emotions of our generation as we navigate these challenges alongside our mental health. Through ideation and research, I developed thumbnail sketches and a structured learning plan to create an animated 3D scene.
Inspiration
Heavily inspired by the retro pixel art of the 2000s Renaissance and independent game studios.
Development & Testing
This stage involved researching and selecting appropriate tutorials, refining ideas through experimentation, and testing various settings to achieve the desired outcome.
THE JOURNEY
Understanding Composition Nodes and Interpolation Animation
Motion
By parenting objects to both other objects and a blank axis, I was able to keyframe basic movements such as rotation and blinking light souce. The blinking effect was achieved by adjusting the emission settings in the properties panel.
Grease Pencil
The software includes a feature to prevent the Grease Pencil from appearing through objects, but this has caused issues with how it displays on attached surfaces. To address this, I reduced the number of original 2D elements, creating a less cluttered and more refined composition.
REFINEMENT & IMPROVEMENT
This piece conveys the feeling of being watched and judged, reflecting the anxiety of falling behind peers in terms of life milestones. The words illustrated on the security cameras represent the emotions of viewers navigating an increasingly challenging job market amid a worsening socio-economic and political climate.
To improve the animation, I utilized the graph editor to streamline the process, allowing me to apply modifiers that mimic the blinking effect of lights and neon signs. Additionally, I used interpolated keyframes in the dope sheet for a more efficient animating process.
Below
Example without the pixel composite filter allows for the blinking light source on the neon sign to show better.