cool futuristic clothes design

Found this interesting tumblr that seems to be futuristic clothes design for clothing companies

http://thecarbonline.tumblr.com/

Cyberpunk 2077

I like how they made this trailer for the game, it shows the scene so dramatically and is very well made.


CYBERPUNK 2077 Trailer from Platige Image LLC on Vimeo.

This is their behind the scenes on behance, it goes pretty in depth about the trailer and is great way to see the progression of how it came to be.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Cyberpunk-2077/6573211

Ryan Woodward's Though of You

Since I been in the process of animating in 3D, I been looking around the internet looking at different animation from 2d to 3d animations try to grasp a better understanding  of movement and flow. I saw this one by Ryan Woodward and thought it was very well made even though it is somewhat sketchy and very simple. It is very interesting that he kept it somewhat gestural in the way he keeps the very basic line to show the intersection of the spine and shoulder or even the face.

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

Animating Static Images

This is a pretty cool video animating from still images that I saw a while ago.

WWF PARALLAX SEQUENCE from Make Productions on Vimeo.

Video Tutorial Shocking how to use this techniques

Intro Game Title

Films Before and After Visual Effects

I thought this was a very interesting in showing visual effects in movies.

Resource Links Dump

just some useful sites that are great for learning new skills and researching.

Tutorials
http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/
http://ae.tutsplus.com/

Resources
http://aescripts.com/
http://animationresources.org/

Research
http://hudsandguis.com/
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/
http://theanimationarchive.com/

Innovations in Next Gen. Video Games

I was reading an article about the next gen of video games and found it interesting of what the video games of the future will be like. Here are the five big ideas that was stated in the article I read. 

Seeing is believing

While the virtual reality headset seemed to go the way of the beeper in 1990s, updated takes on that technology have emerged that could make a big impact on the way players view virtual worlds in the future. Google Glass, Oculus Rift and CastAR are already giving early adopters a peek at images in 3-D or projected in real life — all without a TV screen.

Time warp

Games have long explored what’s physically impossible in the real world, like instantly teleporting across space in the first-person puzzler “Portal” or effortlessly bending time in the 2-D platformer “Braid.” With higher definition graphics, new controllers and increased fidelity, expect game designers to continue to push the limits of make-believe reality.

If you build it

The success of “Skylanders” and “Disney Infinity” has proven gamers want to merge physical and virtual worlds. The next evolution for players might be to create their very own toys or accessories utilizing at-home 3-D printing technology. Imagine scanning an old-school “Star Wars” figure, printing a new version then sending it to a virtual galaxy far, far away.

Touchy subjects

Touchscreens have revolutionized the way users interact with devices, but their slick surfaces don’t always make for the best game controllers. Advancements in technology that physically respond to touch — called “haptic touch” — combined with motion detection and augmented reality could bring interfaces imagined in “Iron Man” and “Minority Report” to life.

Reality check

As hand-held devices become more pervasive and projection technology is more accessible, interactivity will likely continue to leap off TV screens, as illustrated earlier this year by Microsoft’s IllumiRoom project, a conceptual system that combined a projector and Kinect sensor to augment areas surrounding a TV screen with dazzling projected visualizations.

I have begun to see a lot of these innovations in the video releasing now. I have experienced many of these ideas, like the Oculus Rift. The Oculus Rift was a interesting idea in which I was able to interact with the game environment by viewing the game through a headset and was able to view different points in the game just by turning my head in any direction.  I have also experience some of the other big ideas like time warp through the games mentioned above. I have not been in contact with other ideas mention above to fully experience them for myself though. I can not wait to see what the future of video games will bring to us.

HUD

I have been exploring HUD design and been trying to see what kind of design it should be and what information should be shown to the user.

Questions have been coming up since I been exploring the HUD which hopefully I can answer soon.

• is showing the hp needed?
• how should equipped weapons/armor/skills be shown?
• maybe it should be shown on the actually weapon?
• do I need to show a mini map?
• will there be vehicles in the game? in that case where would I show the speedometer?
• where will objectives show?
• do I want it the hud only visible at certain times?(like only after it wants to be shown)

Dax's Class Character Turnaaround

Headless Knight

UX and UI Research

UI, or User Interface, refers to the methods (keyboard control, mouse control) and interfaces (inventory screen, map screen) through which a user interacts with your game. 

UX, or User Experience, refers to how intuitive and enjoyable those interactions are.

Diegetic user interface elements exist within the game world (fiction and geometry) so the player and avatar can interact with them through visual, audible or haptic means. Well executed diegetic UI elements enhance the narrative experience for the player, providing a more immersive and integrated experience.

Example : Assassin Creed's eagle vision highlights enemies and other important information which gives the player and the character see the same thing.

Sometimes UI elements don’t fit within the geometry of the game world. They can still maintain the game’s narrative but sit on the 2D hub plane — these are called Meta elements.

Example : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Blood Splatters shows health.

Spatial UI elements are used when there’s a need to break the narrative in order to provide more information to the player than the character should be aware of. They still sit within the geometry of the game’s environment to help immerse the player and prevent them from having to break the experience by jumping to menu screens. The closer these follow the rules of the game’s fiction the more they can help immerse the player.

Example : Forza 4's UI

Non-diegetic elements, these elements have the freedom to be completely removed from the game’s fiction and geometry and can adopt their own visual treatment, though often influenced by the game’s art direction. These elements are best used when the diegetic, meta and spatial forms provide restrictions that break the seamlessness, consistency or legibly of the UI element.

Example: Diablo 3 HP Meter

Fundamental Questions to ask when thinking about UI Design 

1. Does this interface tell me what I need to know right now?
2. Is it easy to find the information I’m looking for, or do I have to look around for it? (Are the menus nested so deep that they hide information from the player?)
3. Can I use this interface without having to read instructions elsewhere?
4. Are the things I can do on this screen obvious?
5. Do I ever need to wait for the interface to load or play an animation?
6. Are there any tedious or repetitive tasks that I can shorten (with a shortcut key, for example) or remove entirely?

other notes:
loading screens can be used to show helpful information and tips along with a background image that expands on the theme of the game.Game Interface needs to provide relevant information to the player while also occupy minimal screen real estate(simplicity)some common elements : score, time. hp, bullets etc...

Hmm...

http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/11/03/playing-video-games-enlarges-some-brain-regions/61497.html
Thought this article was interesting since parents usually think that playing video games doesn't really help kids but it seems it helps functions like spatial navigation, memory formation, strategic planning and motor skills of the hands.