Author: Jieyi An

Week 01: Thesis and Proposal Structure

Post author By Jieyi An
Post date 18th October 2023
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This week we learned how to write a research proposal, thought about the questions raised by the professor, and carefully read the materials provided by Professor Nigel in class.

On graduation which area or environment of production do you wish to focus upon and why?

Upon graduation, I wish to focus on the field of digital humans in the areas of film and post-production. I’ve chosen this field because digital human technology and virtual idols hold tremendous potential in today’s media industry, enabling the creation of captivating virtual characters and narratives. This not only aids in cost reduction but also provides fresh entertainment experiences for audiences. I believe this field is rife with opportunities for innovation and growth, and I aspire to contribute to its development.

What skills will you need to attain the standards required for vocational practice?

To attain the standards required for vocational practice, I will need to acquire a variety of skills. Firstly, I need to master digital human technologies, including 3D modeling, character animation, virtual reality, and augmented reality. Furthermore, skills in post-production are crucial, encompassing video editing, special effects creation, and audio processing, among others. Additionally, I must continue learning and staying updated on the latest industry trends to remain competitive.

How will you showcase your FMP practice for the final shows?

I plan to showcase my practical work through my Final Major Project (FMP). This may involve creating digital human characters or virtual idols and applying them to film production or other media projects. I will create a portfolio that demonstrates my skills and creativity, showcasing aspects such as character design, animation effects, post-production work, and other relevant contributions.

Is it important to directly connect the thesis research to your practical work?

It is crucial to directly connect thesis research to practical work. By combining research with practical application, I can gain a deeper understanding of the principles and applications of digital human technology, better guiding my real-world projects. Moreover, this connection helps validate the practical relevance of my research findings in the field of new media.

Do you have an area of research you wish to conduct that is unrelated to practical element?

While my primary focus is on research related to practical work, I also wish to conduct some research unrelated to practice. This research could involve ethical considerations in digital human technology, virtual social phenomena, or the cultural impact of virtual reality, among other areas. Such research can provide a more profound background and theoretical foundation for my work, aiding in a better understanding of various facets within the field of digital humans.

Organizing materials:
ual online library:

organising materials:
ual online library: Cite Them Right Online | UAL (arts.ac.uk)

Thesis structure

A thesis will usually contain most or all the following sections:

Title page

Abstract

Acknowledgements (Optional)

Contents page(s)

Introduction

Literature review (Materials/sources and methods which will inform and support your discussion and how they will provide a foundation to reach viable findings or objectives)

Methodology (all approaches, and methods applied to develop findings, including any not covered in Literature review)

Themed topic chapters

Results

Discussion or Findings

Conclusions

Reference list

Bibliography

Image list

Appendices

Writing your bibliography in the Harvard Style – examples：

Advanced ＆ Experimental

Advanced and Experimental 3D Animation Techniques Portfolio

Post author By Jieyi An
Post date 16th June 2023
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Advanced ＆ Experimental Project 2

Week 10: Final Work

Advanced ＆ Experimental Project 2

Week 09: Editing the Animation

Post author By Jieyi An
Post date 15th June 2023
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After the test was completed, it was found that there was a problem with the character’s hand animation. The solution was found because the bone tree of metahuman had one more joint on the finger than the bone tree of ue Xiaobai. can successfully solve the problem

Afterwards, the same as the previous test animation, import the characters into the prepared map, add accessories to the character blueprint, add slots to the bones and bind the parent and child sets, use the fk that comes with meta human to bind the k animation, adjust, add the camera, and set Level Sequence, export animation
In addition, if the scene map is too large, elements in the scene can be merged to
make loading and rendering faster

Advanced ＆ Experimental Project 2

Week 08: Props ＆ Anime Text

Post author By Jieyi An
Post date 15th June 2023
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Make props, textures, import ue, and add characters to the blueprint

First of all, I tried to directly import the complete fbx model into ue, and found that the material was lost, and it was a white model. The solution is to import the relevant texture maps of the model into ue separately, create new materials in ue, and connect them as shown in the picture. Finally succeeded.

Add props to the character, the idea is to add the props to the character blueprint, select the appropriate bones, and bind the props and bones into a parent-child set

animation text

finger fixing

Advanced ＆ Experimental Project 2

Week 07: lighting ＆ testing the scene

Post author By Jieyi An
Post date 15th June 2023
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Advanced ＆ Experimental Project 2

Week 06: Scene Built

Advanced ＆ Experimental Project 2

Week 05: Facial Expression Animate

Post author By Jieyi An
Post date 15th June 2023
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For the exercises of movements and expressions, metahuman was chosen, and metahuman was
added to the scene. Because only movements are used, the scene construction is as simple as
possible, only planes and lights are built.
Add a level sequence, add a camera, and start animating. Use the ikbinding that comes with
meta human to make the action, and the performance is a thank you action.
Then add the character’s expression, use the actions that come with metahuman for reference,
import the level sequence and change it with the face controller

Some mouth shape libraries that come with metahuman

randering

Advanced ＆ Experimental Project 2

Week 04: Character Animation

Post author By Jieyi An
Post date 15th June 2023
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Animating MetaHumans with Control Rig in UE

Create an animation representing a gesture of gratitude. I chose to use Metahuman for the production.

First, import the Metahuman into the Unreal Engine (UE) scene. In the blank scene, I only set up a simple plane, a large light source, and two small light sources to illuminate the character.

Import characters and create lights and scenes

I refer to the tutorial on metahuman animation production on the virtual engine official website

In this presentation, Cubic Motion’s Senior Technical Animator Riham Toulan takes you through animating a MetaHuman with Control Rig in Unreal Engine’s Sequencer. The techniques demonstrated can also be applied to animating any asset rigged with Control Rig.