Final Course Reflection

This class has been a very interesting one, learning about the different ins and outs of almost all of the different technologies we use on a daily basis, how they came to be, and what the future holds for them. Right now I'm typing this blog on a computer, with a smartphone next to me, a fan blowing cool air on me, and a light on to keep things bright in my room. This class opened my eyes to just how much technology we use 24/7, and I think that's an important thing to recognize. Now, many people, including me, already realize that we use a lot of technology on the daily, but we never think about that. We just kinda brush it off and go on about our days, but I think if we took more time to think about it, it could help lead us into finding smarter ways of doing things without the need for so much tech all the time. I was taking another class talking about the end of the world and the different scenarios that could entail, and it made me think about the fact that if a "world-ending" scenario were to happen, how ready would we actually be? With how much we rely on technology, would we be able to survive very easily without it? These thoughts lead me to think that one of the most important aspects to focus on would probably have to be social issues with different technologies. I think it's important to recognize the different issues that technologies can pose to users because without proper regulation or realization, some technologies could end up being used for malicious intent without the consumers, or even the product-makers, being aware. Take the whole "targeted ads" debacle for example. You talk about something to your friends while playing an online game, only to find an ad for that same thing on Instagram the next time you open it. While it can be helpful to the consumer, I also feel it's just downright creepy and just makes me feel a little worried about privacy issues. It begs the question of whether or not someone is listening to you all the time, and whether or not that person is doing anything with what you are saying. While those things could just be rumors or speculation, it is still very odd seeing an ad for Little Ceasars pizza after talking to your friends about what toppings you like to have on your pizza. Also, with the inclusion of so many different household items and appliances being able to connect to the Internet or sometimes requiring Internet, it ends up adding to the already big digital divide that's a major issue in the US today that many people don't seem to address. With things like education requiring a laptop or an internet connection to even do assignments, it makes it very difficult for the people that aren't capable of getting those kinds of items due to poverty, lack of household, etc. Closing the digital divide would be such an important feat and would truly allow this nation to be one of opportunity.

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out, is created through social media. It is when you feel left out after seeing other people having fun through their pictures and videos online and it makes you feel anxious. FOMO hasn't affected me too much, I try to just scroll through social media without really thinking about what's being posted. However, more recently, I did get acquainted with someone who I now deeply care about, but because of distance, things would be pretty rough while being up here. I'd get anxious whenever I'd see posts from this person and her friends because I wanted to be there with them. I think just in general I've felt this feeling. Sometimes my friends back home all go out to get dinner while I'm left in the voice chat alone since I'm not there to join them, and it makes me feel lonely and anxious to get home for the summer. I think just being so far away from home has increased FOMO for me, but I hope that changes once I move home. I've been working on doing my own thing and staying occupied, which has helped a great deal.

Photo Manipulation

I definitely think the US should have similar laws surrounding photo manipulation in advertising and media. I feel that despite having a "retouched photograph" watermark on advertising, products will still continue to sell. I feel that, to a certain degree, most people know that what we see in advertising isn't the real thing and that the people in ads usually are edited and touched up in some way. I think this could have a benefit for societal norms because it'll help people realize that what they see on there isn't real and could help convince them to do what they want for themselves instead of relying on so many different beauty products. It would be especially helpful for teaching younger kids about being comfortable being themselves and won't have them going to ridiculous lengths to look like the people in the ads, only to be disappointed. I, however, have mixed feelings about what Getty Images have done. I can understand having the policy set in place to avoid false body manipulation and other possibly controversial content, but I also feel that certain kinds of body manipulation can add a certain artistic style to images, such as super large eyes or a very short body to add comedic effect. However, in the case of stock images, I can understand not wanting to have any sort of manipulation for people as stock images are usually used for professional reasons.

Inclusive Video Games

Video games are a very popular media in our technology-powered society, and can have big influences similar to how movies, tv shows, and other forms of entertainment retain. A bigger topic being discussed more and more recently is the idea of inclusivity within video games and allowing for a larger audience besides the typical male. Playing a lot of video games and seeing these changes first hand, I honestly do think that including other people into a fun piece of entertainment is a good step in the right direction, and I feel more people should really give video games a try since they can be very enjoyable and have good effects on the people that play them. I'm glad that games such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and more recently, Apex Legends, are including more diverse casts of characters and character customization because I feel it can help immerse some beginner players into the games more and possibly help them get deeper into games. However, despite me being supportive of more inclusivity and diversity in games, I also do feel it shouldn't be forced. I'm not against diversity or anything, but I also feel like certain things shouldn't even need to be mentioned or done just to appease everyone. Apex Legends, made by Respawn Entertainment which is in the same universe as their previous franchise, Titanfall, seems to do diversity and inclusivity very well within their game. They have many strong characters, with around half of them being either female or nonbinary, as well as other ethnicities.  One character, going by the alias of Gibraltar, learned the value of protecting others after him and his boyfriend stole his father's motorcycle, only to end up crashing and causing his father to lose an arm. Now, it was hinted at in his backstory that he was gay, but what I think is nice about this is that it isn't what his character is built around. It's nice to know that he is gay, but it also wasn't forced and it didn't have any effect on his backstory. This is how I feel most video games should be like. I'm all for diversity, but it doesn't need to be forced, and in certain games, it doesn't matter if we know a character's sexuality, race, or gender, but more about the story being told and the enjoyable and fun gameplay. I feel if every video game story exclusively mentioned everyone's sexuality or whatever, I feel it would almost ruin some stories in certain ways because it would just feel too forced and end up becoming a trope. Similar to Gibraltar, I also feel like characters shouldn't be designed around their sexuality because then it could almost become cliche and stereotypical, and wouldn't allow more people of any sexuality or gender to relate with the characters. I can understand these things being mentioned in more story-driven games because sometimes it can add character to some of the people we meet throughout the story, but their character shouldn't be based around what they identify as because then it can just feel really forced.

Digital Divide

I do believe that the digital divide is surprisingly large, despite it feeling like technology like iPhones and laptops are basically commonplace. I feel like if something substantial isn't done to combat this divide, it may never go away or possibly get even worse. According to the graphic on the Politico article, it looks like at least half of the USA has little to no access to rural broadband, and the places that have lots of access are more or less located around big name cities and counties. Also, many of the places in the US only have access to mediocre speeds in terms of internet speed, which can be a big pain for a rapidly advancing technological society where many jobs are taking place online. Even in places where they get 100mbps, it can still be an issue for some since some jobs can require big quantities of bandwidth. I do think that this digital divide is an important issue to focus on because many people in different countries as well as our own struggle to get what is seen as a normal thing to have in society today. Schools and universities continue to move more and more towards the internet for assignments, projects, and other kinds of work. Slow internet speed is already an issue for some, causing trouble for submitting assignments and contacting professors, but the fact that there are people who can't even afford the technology needed for these different classes prevents them from getting a proper (or at least simpler) learning and educational experience. It's an extreme struggle to do an online project when all you have is a phone and no internet access. I do think that programs providing laptops and other technologies to less fortunate groups is a good step in the right direction, and I feel that more effort should be put into these kinds of programs because I feel it could help shrink this divide drastically and help everyone get the education that they deserve.

Future of the Music Industry

Just like technology today, it seems like the music industry is constantly changing and evolving. Maybe not to as high of an extent as technology, but certainly at a good pace. After looking through 2018's Global Music Report and thinking about what I've seen and heard, I do feel the music industry is straying away from physical and moving more towards completely digital. However, despite this, I feel the change is VERY slow, despite how quickly the music industry seems to be changing. I feel like there has been a sort of revival of owning and collecting physical media versus digital media since it can be enjoyable to have a collection, and record players with Bluetooth connectivity seem to be popping up everywhere. Eventually though, I do think that this will ultimately die down eventually and physical media will slowly fade out. It may still be a very long time until this happens, but I do feel it will happen. With 4.5% of physical revenue going down and download revenue going down by a whopping 20.5% according to the IFPI's Annual Global Music Report, it seems that once this change does finally happen, most music will be primarily found on streaming services such as Spotify, Pandora, and Soundcloud. However, I don't think this music will solely be held on these streaming services. Despite there being a 45.5% increase in paid subscription streaming according to this same report, I feel that saying that media will solely be on these platforms is unreasonable, simply because of how much of a revenue cut these streaming services take from publishers and songwriters. As the sale of physical media started to go down and the introduction of digital happened, songwriters, publishers, and even the band itself started earning less and less money due to these revenue cuts that services started to demand. I do feel that them putting their records onto services that charge for the album or individual songs, such as iTunes, would allow them to get more revenue since some of that money would go to the creators of the music, unlike Spotify which just has people paying for the subscription rather than the music itself.

Kickstart Research and APA

Kelion, L. (2018, September 26). Mirrorless cameras: Photography's new decisive moment. BBC News. Retrieved February 22, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45627055

This article talks about why many photographers are switching over to mirrorless cameras over their mirrored counterparts, and why they are choosing to do so. It also reviews what it means for a camera to be "mirrorless" as well as different sensor sizes and what the sensor is used for. Also it compares different cameras and the quality and usefulness that mirrorless cameras can bring.

Bomey, N. (2018, January 16). CVS bans photo manipulation for store beauty brands, will place alert label on others. USA Today. Retrieved February 22, 2019, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/01/15/cvs-photo-manipulation-ban/1029616001/

This article talks about the move by CVS to remove any photo manipulation (i.e. Photoshop etc.) from anything relating to makeup or beauty products as to remove the false expectation that people will get from using these products. They also want this to help combat health issues women have due to unrealistic body images since around 80% of their customers are women. They expect this move to be active by April 2019.

Group Rules for Kickstart Project

Group Rules:

1. Each team member completes their share of work on time.

2. Each member should have an equal share of work.

3. Try to keep in touch and plan meetings via message or in person.

4. Failing to do one's share of their work, communicate with team members and consistently brings down the group they will be eliminated. 

5. If a member can't complete their work or meet, let the others know.

Kickstart Start (VR and AR Technology)

Out of the many communication technologies available to us in our rapidly-advancing age, I think something I'd really like to learn about is virtual reality and it's applications. As of now, virtual reality is being used in a number of places, but it isn't super widely used just yet (mostly in the early adopters part of our graph from class). While it is available for consumers to buy and own, I do still think that the technology is still in it's infancy in regards to consumerism and entertainment. I do play video games as a hobby and I have noticed more and more VR games coming out which aim to innovate on the movement and tracking controls to make unique experiences. However, it's amazing just how many companies use the technology for different uses, such as Ford using it for their automotive engineering or the U.S. Military using it for defense training. I think what I'd like to look into most when it comes to VR and AR are the millions of other applications it could be potentially used for in the future, while also seeing what side-effects and possible cons that could arise with further development of the technology. It's interesting seeing this technology being used in medical areas, whether it be for students in training or a child patient suffering from a disease that keeps them in a hospital for awhile, allowing them to enjoy their time being there. I would like to invest in a VR headset eventually since I love the many games that have been coming out for it and would love to give them a try. Alongside just being fun, some of the games can also be tasking enough to be used as an actual workout regiment, so it could also be used for bettering my health as well. I'm really interested to see what the future hold for this technology since it already seems to be pushing the envelope and setting bars for technological advances.

History in Pictures (Cameras)

Camera Obscura, circa 1550

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura

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First Ever Camera by Nicéphore Niépce, 1816

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_camera

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Kodak Portable Camera, 1888

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_camera

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TLRs and SLRs, 1928

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_camera

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DSLRs and Digital Cameras, 1988-present

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_camera

Story Project One

For this project, I was tasked with going through the standard process of creating a small animated short film, from the initial character design phase all the way up to a full animatic. We were given the rule of having our characters be living inanimate objects. No human characters were allowed. Given this rule, I decided to make my world fully consist of living shapes. My story was called Lost Love. A heart who terrorizes others with his love of pranks finally realizes that his interests can have devastating outcomes. After a small child is hurt from one of his pranks, he has to face a very difficult decision that could change him forever.

Animatic:



Overall, creating the animatic was probably one of the easier things to do for this project. All I had to do was simply throw all of the storyboard shots in Premiere and line them up with their timings, which ended up working out very nicely. The one main issue I had was getting sound effects. I went to one website and set up an account, only for it to have a download limit of 3. I went to a second website which required an account and other licensing things. Then I finally went to a third website that didn't have too many sound effects that I was looking for, so I eventually just had to make do. However, other than that, the animatic wasn't too difficult.

Storyboard:


The storyboard was probably one of the more difficult sections of this project for me, and the one that took the most amount of time. I'm not the best at drawing or perspective, and some of the shots I had in mind really challenged those aspects for me. Also, there are so many things that go into storyboards including camera movements, character movements, character actions, etc. which did tend to overwhelm me while doing this portion, which is why there is a bit of a lack of those different aspects within my storyboard. If I could improve on it I would, but I'm not sure if I'm fully cut out for it.

Beat Board:

Similar to the storyboard, I had a bit of trouble during the beat board process just because I'm not really too great at perspective and other such things. However, I did feel like I did a bit better on this and took less time to complete it simply because it didn't require all of the other technical aspects that storyboards need. It was a bit of a challenge to figure out what to draw for the big plot points based off of the beat sheet, but it ended up not being too bad once I got startedd.

Character Construction and Models:

I think doing the designs and models for the main character was the most enjoyable part of this assignment for me. I originally got the idea for the character from a little drawing game my friends and I played while in art class that had us designing bosses for a video game that had a "cute" look to them. I partly based this design off of that, and I was very happy with it. I like the idea of a living HEART being so evil looking, despite what we normally associate a heart with. It was a little difficult keeping proportions correct, especially when drawing him in different poses, but overall, I was pretty happy with the turnout.

Script:

The script wasn't actually too bad to do honestly. Once I had my beat sheet and beat board done, the story slowly, but surely creeped its way out, and ended up being pretty straightforward. For my story I wanted it to have no dialogue just to add to the whole "show, don't tell" idea and I'm not the best at creating compelling dialogue. This script did also challenge me though because it made me think harder about what the actions and movements of the characters should be and how they are beneficial or useful for the plot.

Loglines, Plot Summary, and Beat Sheet:

Unlike the script, the beat sheet was a little more tricky. It was a bit difficult for me to figure out 5 different key points within a 1 minute short film. However, once I got a logline in, which took some hard thinking, it started to slowly come to me. It was difficult figuring out the 5 key points since I felt they needed to have a big enough impact to be placed within those different areas, which made coming up with what to say a bit of a challenge. Once the 5 beat sheet points and the logline were done, the plot summary was a piece of cake.

Overall:

Despite the many trials and challenges I had to tread through to get through this assignment, I feel it turned out decently well. Things like the storyboard and beat boards were challenging because I'm not very good at perspective and drawing in general, but I managed to push through and deliver a good enough product. It would be interesting to revisit this story again and see how I could improve it in the future because I do like the concept that I went with, but I do feel like it could use a little bit more work before it can really shine.

Game Environment Scene Powerpoint

Game Environment Scene Part 5: The Final Product

Finally, the project is complete. Over a month was spent on this project, and it turned out quite well. We, as a group of 3, were tasked with modeling and texturing one building each from the three video games to choose from, those being Overwatch, The Last of Us, and Zelda BoTW. We chose Ilios from Overwatch at the beginning of this project as we really like the design and look of the map.

The building I chose is one of the main capture points on the map: the lighthouse. This did seem a bit daunting to me at first, especially since I chose the only building out of us three that had an actual interior. I started the first week finding references for this model, as well as taking pictures in-game to get different angles that weren't provided online. The following weeks were dedicated to modeling, UVing, and texturing, with the last week being used for finishing touches.

I did the bottom portion first since it was more complicated and I wanted to just get it out of the way. I originally tried modeling it with the inside, but that ended up being too hard to do, especially to get the UVs all matched up correctly. To remedy this I just put doors on it. I did my own custom edge bricks in Photoshop, as well as some texture for the trims along the tops and bottoms of both parts of the building.

I did the lighthouse portion last as it was a much easier thing to model. Both of these took most of the weeks allocated for the project, this somewhat due to the fact that I'm not the best at Maya and my time management was pretty bad. Also, because of my other classes, it was hard to balance this project. I did also run into a major crash at one point, causing me to lose a lot of progress towards the last two weeks for the project, which made me have to rush some portions (mostly textures).

I did two texture sets since it allowed me to get more quality out of my model, despite me having to rush them within the last week before the due date. I would've taken a lot more time had that crash not happened to me so far into the project.

Overall, I feel this project (despite having to rush a few things in the last week and a few disagreements/stress) turned out quite well in the end, and maybe in the future I'll revisit this model and give it some fine tuning to make it look great.

Game Environment Scene Part 4: Finished Model and UVs

I got all of my UVs finished for my model, with a few things being added to the model. I decided not to do the extra brick thing for the corners of the building as that would end up taking a lot more geometry and time that I need. I also ran into a huge roadblock during my work, which was Maya finally crashing for the first time ever for me, so I ended up losing a lot of progress and resulting in much not being able to be finished. I plan on using as much time as possible to get back to where I got to over the break. Over the break I was able to completely finish my model, but due to that crash, I don't have too much done since last time.

I got the top railing in, which ended up taking quite awhile to get each one evenly spaced (I ended up having to use a calculator and using a math problem to find the exact halfway point between two different poles, which ended up taking quite awhile due to all the poles needed). Now, in the actual game, there are cross-hatches that fill in each space like this:

Due to my crash with Maya, I ended up not having time to get those in again, which I plan to implement once I have more time. Thankfully I have all of my UVs done, so texturing should be a piece of cake. Despite my model still needing some texture, I plan on putting it into Unity just to see how it compares in size against my other group members' buildings to see if it needs an increase or decrease in size. I also finished the tower, but ended up leaving out some of the circular railings as I could not find an easy way to implement that in a way where it was even all the way around. Also, I didn't want my tri-count to be too high.

Game Environment Scene Part 3: More Modeling

I managed to get most of my models and UVs done since my last post, and now I'm in the process of texturing and painting for my models. Also, I plan on doing a few more small adjustments to my models themselves since I'm not completely satisfied with them right now. I may possibly add some extra "bricks" to get the bricks into my photo that are shown in the image below, but I'm going to test out bump maps first.

My tri count right now is just a little over 2000, which is pretty good, but I'd like to keep it as low as possible. Below are a few textures that I've selected for my building specifically, with some others within our group being shared. I also plan on getting some brushes to add a few extra details to textures that may be a little bland without extra detail.

Over Thanksgiving Break, I'm not going to be doing a whole lot, but I want to utilize any free time that I have to work on this project, and, if I'm lucky, get my model finished and textured, with a little small details thrown in for good measure. Also, I finally adjusted the top of the lighthouse to fit the original model a lot more, which already looks much better.

Game Environment Scene Part 2: Beginning of Models and References

For this part, I was tasked with beginning my modeling process. To really start this process, I had to get reference, and most of the images online didn't have good angles or looks at the building I am modeling, so I had to actually go in-game to gather reference.

I ended up taking a bunch of different screenshots in-game using the spectator mode that Overwatch has to get all angles of the lighthouse that I plan on modeling. Also, the spectator mode within the game allows me to look fully vertical downards, so I utilized this to get the texture of the roof tiling on the building, and I have plans to get the textures for the walls.

I plan on getting a lot more modeling and UVing done after this point, but I felt like I was struggling a bit to really figure out how to model certain things, such as the doorways into the lighthouse as well as the edges and bevels. I will most likely looks up some tutorials and ask for help to help me figure these problems out. Overall, I just hope to get my problems sorted out so I can utilize my time more efficiently.

Game Environment Scene Part 1: The Blocking

For this project, we are tasked with modeling a few buildings from a choice of three different games, those being Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Last of Us, and Overwatch. We are able to be in a group of three for this project. My group and I all agreed on doing a few buildings from the map Ilios from Overwatch since the buildings stand out with lots of bright colors and they seem much easier to model over more complex buildings that would be present in the Last of Us.

I chose to model the lighthouse on Ilios, one of the main capture points on one of the versions of the map. I wanted to model this since it is a main point of interest on the map and doesn't seem to hard to model.

For our scene, we plan on having that building, as well as two buildings chosen by my group members, and if everything works out right, we'll model the giant pit in the center that is one main part of another version of the map.

The Dining Scene

The Dining Project Part 3: UVing, Lighting, and some more Modeling

For this part of the project, I was tasked with adding in some lighting into my scene, as well as finishing up some models and UVs so I could then get started on the textures.

In terms of lighting, I was able to put in a few different types of lighting, and one of those was the hanging lights that you see here. Since this is a requirement for this project, this was my first priority. What I did is used simple cones and cylinders to represent the light shade and the cable, and a sphere with certain statistics to make a "glowing" light bulb. I used spot lights to achieve the light that it shines down onto the bar and tables.

I also made some small little lights to go on some parts of the shelving behind the bar as another accent and light fixture in the scene. As seen in the first picture, they came out quite well and don't take away from the scene.

Finally, I was able to get windows put into the right wall of my scene, allowing for natural light to enter my scene as well. I put in a sort of skybox as well to add a more natural look for the outside. I ended up using the glass preset for my windows and then messing with those settings for a bit after many failed attempts of recreating a glass texture.

Overall, I feel the progress is going steadily, but I will be starting to pick up my pace since the due date is right around the corner. I did have a few different problems, with things such as lighting not showing up to lights not duplicating to mesh lights not working right. There were many times I had to take breaks due to the program being super finicky and glitchy at times, but hopefully things start to settle in fine again.

The Dining Project Part 2: Modeling and UVing

For this part, I was tasked with modeling and UVing the objects within my scene, and so far, there have been some good parts and some not so good parts. Overall, I feel like I've been getting some decent progress in.

I was able to get my bar all UV'ed (I didn't change it really from the blocking version since it still seemed to fit my scene well, so I only did minor touches to it). I simply used planar UVs and unfolded them by cutting a few corners on the sides.

I kept my shelving the same too as it fit well with my scene, but I do still have plans to add either a mirror or some form of beer dispenser in the middle in the big open part. The UVs went down normally as usual, with the process being the same as the bar UVs.

I managed to do the floors and walls of the cube and get them UV'ed, as well as the ceiling (not pictured) using the same process as my other UVs. I do have plans to go back in and work with them a little bit more if I do happen to add anything like windows or pillars and such.

I got my chairs modeled (it actually was quite simple to do) and now have the UVs to do on it. I experimented a little bit on different ways of UVing it, but I haven't been able to find a way yet.

Finally, I was able to make a stool (with a curved back rest to boot, using just a few edge loops). However, I have run into a problem that I've tried to address and that deals with the UVs. Since I used the extrude tool to make the actual seat part of the stool, the UVs come out very distorted and glitchy, so I may go back in and redo the model itself or find a way to UV it correctly.