Team project rebirth

[bOBaN]

Hello!

Last year there was some discussion about making a longer, more cooperative collab-like project. The discussion started in week 20 collab, and were forked off to this thread:

The new challenge discussion thread!

Hi everyone, On the lattest blender collab (week 20) we did had some great discussion about setting a new challenge with an extended period of time. The weekly challenge rules will not change, we are talking a brand new challenge here. This Thread purpose is to get some fresh idea about how we could get it started with the maximum benefit for everyone. So let’s start some brainstorming session here! Here is what I think could be interesting: In my opinion, a duration of 2 weeks up to a m…

This resulted in this team project:

Team Project 1 - Hopper's Western Motel

Ok, let’s get this project rolling! This is the subject that we will try to recreate in Blender: [image] As I wrote previously in the original discussion, I’d go with a low poly recreation of the scene; a few points: the final render will be static, so the woman can be either rigged and posed or directly modelled in pose, however the person who will model her feels the most comfortable with by the same token, while I think that most of the element should be in the correct scale to make bui…

I recently stumbled upon those threads and was thinking that was really cool project. As @NP5 pointed out:

@NP5

We could try again but we have learnt a lot and it probably would need to be different.

So I’m creating a thread to discuss re-activation of this idea.

So let me start the discussion rolling by gathering some thoughts:

• as everything related - the main purpose is learning
• the second underlying goal I think it’s to have fun
• it would be cool to have some roles pointed out - like someone would take care of project management, someone would be responsible for art direction, someone would be responsible for ‘devops’ (e.g., setting up github and/or discord server, setting up a workflow), producer, etc.
• ideally we would end up with a scene that would look cool and could even be added to our portfolios
• it would be good to time bound the project, but I think it would rather be longer project. So the subject matter should be something that really motivate at least couple of people very much
• I personally wouldn’t mind if some people joined for smaller amount of times (e.g., add just couple of models and move on to other interests) or for whole project duration. It should be fun, not a burden for anybody
• In my mind it would be cool to focus on one area only if someone likes that. For example - in recent weeks I’ve been learning substance, so I could paint models created by others. Or if we need a characters, one person could do the sculpting, the other could retopo it, another rig it and pose it, etc. It might create a certain tension in regards who is responsible for what. Though with good communication I believe it won’t be a major hurdle.
• to avoid copyright issue I think it would be good to choose some open license (like Creative Commons Attribution) and use it for the whole project. It would be also cool to share the final scene with the whole community to learn from it and use it as they want (within the license bound).

What are your thoughts on reactivating idea of team project? Who would like to join in?

[Jaco_Pretorius]

@bOBaN

Though with good communication I believe it won’t be a major hurdle.

This is key… I was guilty of almost derailing the collab that happened that week because I thought the team collab was somehow tied into the weekly collab.
As an observation, I did notice that participation in the weekly collab dropped at that time as a lot of the regular collab contributors tried the team collab instead…
Something to consider.

[FedPete]

I do like the idea very much.
But I didn’t participate at that time, because it is a difficult process.
Also, the subject of recreating a panting was too difficult in my thoughts (which became true).

And everybody is fighting for a spot on the end result. And a screen has only so much space.

Just an idea to throw into the group of interested people. Why not try to make a video clip. Like a dungeon map or a roller coaster. Animation stays simple. Camera following a track or route. Many moments for everybody to show something. Add module based items to a repository to build the scene from.

[FedPete]

Theme park roller-coaster …

[bOBaN]

@Jaco_Pretorius

@bOBaN

Though with good communication I believe it won’t be a major hurdle.

This is key… I was guilty of almost derailing the collab that happened that week because I thought the team collab was somehow tied into the weekly collab.

What I’ve learnt from working on many project is that the communication is always the key… and it’s always the hardest thing to get right… it’s better to over-communicate even…

@Jaco_Pretorius

As an observation, I did notice that participation in the weekly collab dropped at that time as a lot of the regular collab contributors tried the team collab instead…
Something to consider.

Ah, yes. Good point! Didn’t think about that…

For the team project I wish it could be quite relaxed. With no tight deadlines etc. Something like open source project.

Though it is something to consider as a day have only so many hours…

@FedPete

And everybody is fighting for a spot on the end result. And a screen has only so much space.

Just an idea to throw into the group of interested people. Why not try to make a video clip. Like a dungeon map or a roller coaster. Animation stays simple. Camera following a track or route. Many moments for everybody to show something. Add module based items to a repository to build the scene from.

Ah, this is another thing I didn’t consider as I focused on “learning, collaborating and having fun” elements . The animation idea is a good one. We could have a simple one like you mention, or if someone is really interested in animation - he could take charge of this area and make a complex movie out of it. I also think that “single picture” as an outcome is not the best approach (it was for a reproduction of a painting). So on top of the animation we could have multiple renders so work of everybody could be highlighted. And maybe, just maybe, if we collaborate more closely and some models would be touched by multiple peoples (modeller, texturer, rigger…) than the sense of achievement would be more shifted toward collective vs the individual.

@FedPete

Theme park roller-coaster …

Like your both ideas! The “dungeon” one that you mentioned earlier even more… Let me throw a few additional ideas to consider:

• medieval village (multiple focus points, buildings, nature, animals, characters… I even have an anvil ready to use for a blacksmith shop )
• city (or e.g., modern, cyberpunk city, ancient Greece city, etc.)
• warzone (e.g., battle scene from WWI or earlier historical battle… or a sci-fy battle inspired by some movie like attack on a death star)
• pirate island

[bOBaN]

Ah, additional idea - we could even make it more of a learning experience for those more of beginners among us and co-work on some model, or someone takes a model of less experienced person and improves on it. Of course, it always should be with mutual consent.

In the previous iteration of team project for some people feedback was important - the above might even be better than “simple” feedback. Or we could do a kind of cross lightweight form of mentoring between us…

Edit: And another thing to consider: as some of us try to learn how to draw - we could even start out with a concept drawing. If that would be a thing that sounds even more like a studio work

[FedPete]

The reason for a theme park roller-coaster is that it can contain all kinds of visual subject as you mentioned. Start at theme park, go under the ground, then on the surface western park etc.

As see a lot of students creating a dungeon, learning components, so these components can be used. Also the students which make the walking turent can be part of the SciFy theme.

The animation is quite simple the camera follow a path, nothing more. The only thing are standards, use the 2by2 cube dimension, in the middle the wall or column, or rail track. So everyone can contribute. Even low poly high poly beginners and experienced. More people and models longer train track.

[FedPete]

[FedPete]

Side project could be the end title with credits, using stills to show the name and their contribution to this project.

[bOBaN]

Ah, yes! This is a good diverse theme. I really, really like it! But there is a risk, that it would lead to a disjoint world - in terms of styles, themes, and most importantly - collaboration.

So maybe not a “total freedom”, but having a “master design”? Even something as simple as laying out tracks and having a different sized and shaped plots of lands “for sale”. Someone could come in, and say “ok, I want to make this plot in scify theme” and he leads the effort for that plot (the question is - do other also contribute there? can a person take full ownership and make a plot without accepting other’s contributions?).

The ‘master design’ could be really loose (like outline in previous paragraph) or more rigid (like having ‘thematic plots’). It could be extended if we run out of ‘plots’ or could be shrunken down if we decide to finish the project at some point…

Potentially this could even address “people leaving weekly collab to work on team project”. E.g., someone can make anything for both projects… and the winner might choose a collab subject for his “plot” encouraging/asking people in weekly collab to contribute their creation to team project…

The other need I think is to set up some standards. Like the one you mentioned above, about scale. But I also think that having some other standards might be useful. Like: maximum texture size, template plot in .blend file set up. Using eevee or cycles? maybe some simple organization collection (e.g., put your stuff in collection named plotXYZ_name), recommended triangle count, etc. That shouldn’t be to big of a standard though (as it will be a barrier to entry and the bigger the standard is the harder is to follow it).

[FedPete]

When you enter a door, you never know what lies behind.
So, if entering a tunnel the outside world is gone, you leave the tunnel and a completely new one has started. Its all 3D.

[NP5]

Generally, a good idea and we learnt a bit from the first one. Key is choosing a good theme\subject. The painting apart from the perspective issues had few items in it for people to make. Which limited participation and ability ranges to participate. I began to get an idea of how GitHub worked. Sort of. lol.

@bOBaN

it would be cool to have some roles pointed out - like someone would take care of project management, someone would be responsible for art direction, someone would be responsible for ‘devops’ (e.g., setting up github and/or discord server, setting up a workflow), producer, etc.

There is a good logic to specialisations, in that so many doing this course are mainly interested in game stuff, and that is how that industry tends to work from what I understand.

I think a very long term thing is best so as not to distract from the main weekly collab.
However! every now and again the weekly collab could be 'hijacked by making it on a theme for an item for this collab! Which would help spread the awareness of both by interaction on a very limited way.

Why not try to make a video clip. Like a dungeon map or a roller coaster. Animation stays simple. Camera following a track or route. Many moments for everybody to show something. Add module based items to a repository to build the scene from.

My main reservation about animation is the render times, and the almost inevitable need to use Eevee. Though that probably just reflects my personal choices and preferences for non low poly high realism etc. Which probably is not suitable anyway for such a project.
It does make a bigger ‘space’ than one scene though which has advantages if we have many participants.
A dungeon would be very much a comfort zone, which may be a good test run. A roller coaster fairground more wide interesting and challenging.

I also have mused, longer term, if we can get this to work as a group first, like a modelling studio effectively, if the next step might be to engage the game making side of GameDev, and use their interests and abilities in combination with our asset making interests. There may well be some crossover already.

So @bOBaN
Create a list of rolls. Ask for interest areas, and abilities.
Create one of your plans, road maps!
Decide a theme, and end goal. Image or animation etc.

[FedPete]

Personally I should aim for low poly. When success, replace LP by a HP.
It more or less the same strategy for fast pace games.

Use a GRID, like experience with 2D games grid, tiles. So 2x2 blender units (defaults cube) = 2x2m.
Tracks is the only thing to keep track of, needs to be the same. For a visual continuity; straight, left, right, up down.

A cart is 1m wide, leaving 0.5m on each side in a 2x2x2 block. Which make an tunnel entrance 3 blocks wide and 2 blocks height as minimum. It’s like mine craft.

I worked on a classic board game using orthographic blender objects to build a maze. All same dimensions.

[NP5]

@bOBaN

Someone could come in, and say “ok, I want to make this plot in scify theme” and he leads the effort for that plot

Yes that is in effect using the tiled world I suggested before but with no common direction and theme to match in with. It is certainly a way of doing this and the fairground ride concept, or stargate principle, lets themes not match up. Though then it is all very independent rather than working together.

[bOBaN]

@NP5

Though then it is all very independent rather than working together.

That’s what worry me the most about this “total freedom in tiles” approach. On the extreme one could ask: why should I join as I can make my own render of a little ‘plot’/tile and don’t relay on others and their stupid standards?

[FedPete]

Because of learning.

[FedPete]

It doesn’t matter style etc. That is a problem when project succeeds.
First problem, working together. Build your creations on the 2x2x2 cube.

green is floor (one block lower), blue street (tracks), red building (lower floor), or a person or a tree trunck …

[FedPete]

Choose a subject (SciFy), but that more a male thing.

[FedPete]

2D tiles

[NP5]

1. Yes my original tiled world was in one theme and had to join up to the ones next door. But each tile was one person’s work that fitted together with the whole community world.

2. The other way of all joining in making one ‘tile’ or scene is perfectly fine, more like the painting copy experiment. With some specialist roles, passing models on to texturers animators scene builder, etc.

3. An animation that travels through magic doors past different makers, or groups of maker’s zones of any style.

Plus any other Ideas, versions.

Perhaps we need to test run each on a very very simple level and develop the organisation of the concept. See what functions best, learn some lessons etc. then pick a direction from there?