Evaluation

From the start of my project alot of things have change and I have had to make alot of changes and alterations to my work, originally my plan was to create the Colosseum overran by plantation and decayed, the idea of this was trying to making it more interesting and explorable just by changing the appearance. In the end I had to leave my the Colosseum as it was and make it look more new then old and decayed, I used various textured which I hoped have matched upto the standards of the modern day Colosseum and also the standards of some of the games and films I have compared it to in all of my research. I have gone through various changes, some in size and some in stuff like the models textures. In my design alot of things were very hard to portray as the models size interfered with construction and also I could not fit in alot of the details and passageways into my model that the real Colosseum has, it dissapointed me because the whole point of the model was to walk around a life like Colosseum and to be a good experience, I have completed the model but I am not one hundred percent happy with its outcome. When it came to function with all the pick ups and doors I think it all worked out very successfully as all the pick ups work and look great and also all the doors open on demand whenever you attempt to walk near them, I think they have both turned out very well and I am impressed they have. One thing I am also dissapointed with was one of the doors gave me difficulty and would not function properly causing it to not open when prompted, this as abit of a setback but I am glad everything else has turned out okay. When it comes to textures in my model I think I have chosen them very well and they all give me the effect I had asked for making the Colosseum look like its back in its prime, even when it comes to the grungy textures in the dungeons I am very happy with the finished textures. Only one bad thing about my finished textures are that due to the modelling of my Colosseum it has blurred some of the textures and ruined the pristine look that they have therefore ruining the part of the model they cover. It has happened with various parts of the model, some in slightly hidden places so it is only a minor problem but others are abit more obvious, I am happy to say that the dungeon turned out perfectly and all of the textures I have applied have been mapped well and turned out great giving it that dark, grim effect I desired. Overall I am fairly happy with my project I just wish I could have worked out all the flaws in my project and make it a better experience.

Texture Research

In this I will show the various textures I have gathered to compare them to other textures and also to compare them to the pictures of the Colosseum to see how precise I can make my final project. The first few textures I am going to show are sand textures for the arena and just the floor in general.

This is one of the textures I chose for my project, I think it would suit very well for the sand on the Colosseums arena, from what I have seen in various pictures and also in the film Gladiator. The sand is very light and the sun reflects off it making it look alot lighter, giving a nice effect. This is the texture I have used on the floor of my Colosseum, as I had hoped it gives a nice effect when the point light shines on it and seems to be a good match for the Colosseum.

This is the stone I used for most of my Colosseum, giving it a nice look, the same effect with the Colosseum floor the light brings it to life and makes it more realistic. To begin with I decided to use a red brick texture as the Colosseum today has been rebuilt with different materials but the bricks did not map out as well as I had hoped so I chose this as my final texture.





 

This is a grunge texture I found on the internet, for me the very bottom level of the Colosseum, the dungeon more is less is what I wanted to concentrate on the most as alot of detail was put into it and it was my own interpretation and I wanted to make it look good. This is what I used for the walls because as the bottom layer all water and dirt would make its way down to this level, also I wanted to give it a dark, gloomy feeling when you walk down the stairs so no light colours.

 For the floor of the dungeon I had to find a dark sand that looked like it had been mixed with dirt and hay etc maybe even abit damp, eventually I found a texture to suit which is quite similar to the picture on the left. It also had to fit in with all the other textures I had put in e.g the grunge texture above.

When I had eventually completed the dungeon I had to adjust the size of certain objects to make them realistic in first person view, after I had done this I realised that there was alot of room left and it was looking quite empty for a dungeon that was meant to hold and punish slaves. To start with I made some wooden beams going through the middle of the room up into the ceiling which gave a nice effect, this is the texture I used which I think turned out really well, it is a rotted wood texture and shows how old and decayed the bottom level has become.

Another thing I added to my bottom level was a set of wheels meant to be used for a carriage in the arena, I thought it would be a nice touch and it looks quite good and adds nicely to the environment aswell as filling up abit more space. This is the texture I decided to use in the end, I know that carriages in the arena would look alot nicer but I had to take into account that they had been sat in the dungeon for awhile, the texture looked good in the end and had a slight similarity to the grunge on the walls so it blended well.

Another feature I took alot of time on were the cages or prison cells in the dungeon, I think they were a great feature for the dungeon and portrayed clearly what it was for. For the prison bars I wanted to go with a rusted iron texture where bits are flaking off and the colour on them is running. In the end I could not map it perfectly so not alot of detail is visible but the main rusted effect can be seen and gives the desired effect.

Self assessment

Am I on track with the current work?

I am not on track at this moment of time as I did not progress with my work through the Easter holidays and have fallen behind therefore I am not upto speed with the plan presented on my EILP. To solve this problem and catch up with my work I will work on my project at home or I will come into college on self directed study days to progress with my work until I am upto speed and on target with my goals. My current goals that i need to catch up with are mostly research but also to start modelling so I could progress with my research at home and modelling within the college to ensure I stay on track, research being a vital part of the project I need to have it completed by the dates I have set for myself.

Do I think I will meet the designated deadline?

I am aware of my progress at the moment and also aware it is slow, I still have 7 weeks on this project and I believe if I put in the hours I will be able to get on track in no time, giving me a large space of time to fully complete my project. I think splitting my work into two parts will help me progress faster, adding to my research at home and working on my 3D modelling in college, this will make it easier as I will only have concentrate on one aspect of my project in college. I work at the same level at home as i do in college so there is no change in where I work apart from there isn't a time at home that I have to stop working, I can work to whichever time i choose.

Do I think my work is of a good standard?

My work at the moment is not on target but I am quite happy with the standard of work I am achieving, for the goals that I have completed so far I think there is a good amount of work and is presented in a good standard. I see no problem with the standard of my work apart from minor details that may have to be corrected, when i progress with my work and get upto speed I will be satisfied if my work stays at the same standard or improves in anyway I will be happy with my work therefore overall the standard is good I just need to go over it and perfect any small details and also make sure when I catch up the work is of the same standard and not rushed.

How can I improve my time keeping?

My time keeping skills over the holidays have not been very good as I have fallen behind due to not adding to my work over Easter. To improve I will dedicate a few hours a night to work, as I have split my work into two sections now as I explained earlier, I will be working on research at home and modelling in college and I will use 3 hours or more at home to progress with my research. As there is a large amount of work to complete on both research and modelling I will use my three self directed study days to complete research and my two days of being in college to model, this will make things easier so I can concentrate on one subject in the different habitats helping me progress faster.

Foliage research

 In this section of research I will be collecting numerous different images of plant life, tree's and any foliage that will fit in well with my work in the model. I hope to collect different types of tree's and research specific ones that drape or hang on buildings or ruins, along with that i will also gather examples of plant life growing around buildings or tree's growing through them. I wish to look into games as well just to see how they have portrayed any of their levels that have plants overgrowing constructions and collect some example images to show what i wish to achieve in my final piece.

In the image to the left it shows a large tree growing and draping it roots around an old ruin, it has managed to grow all the way down to the bottom covering the entrance to what looks like some kind of tomb or underground building. This picture portrays the same kind of effect I would like to create in my game, In my model of the Colosseum or my interpretation of it I would like to have one large tree that stands out from the rest coiling round most of the Colosseum, blocking some entrances and exits, almost making it look like it is part of it. This will achieve a more interesting path, instead of just venturing around you can inspect where the trees roots has grown, maybe creating a different path or for example an arch way made from the roots of the tree.

This picture to the right has the same structure as the last and has the same kind of idea, it has wrapped around the buildings features giving it a brilliant and ancient look, this is exactly what i hope to achieve. Instead of blocking entrances like the last photo this trees roots have grown around it, this is a good feature and i will most probably use this a lot in my design as it gives a nice effect.


Where there are no trees or large amounts of foliage I still want it to have some kind of growth on plain walls, obviously I want a lot of the Colosseum's construction visible but the textures on the walls can be changed, in this case, the picture to the bottom left is a image of an old wall with vines and plants growing through the windows and a green type of moss covering a lot of the wall making it look older and more overrun by vegetation. Also, paying attention to small details, in parts of my model where cracks will be visible due to how old it is, i will hopefully have moss or small foliage coming out of the cracks showing how overrun it is. To the bottom right is the Sorrento ruins, a small castle like structure completely overgrown by plantation, it is covered in so much foliage that only small parts of the walls are visible as you can see. I think this would be a bit much to cover my model completely in this type of growth, I want it to be overgrown but not so much that you can hardly see the ruin itself, but one thing I do like in this model is how the plantation is mostly growing on flat surfaces, not up the walls, I may use this a lot on the top of my model.

             







The screenshot below shows a clip from assassins creed brotherhood where you can see from an angle most of the Colosseum, it is have been overgrown slightly as you can see all the grass and foliage covering the walls and floor, especially where all the characters are sat. My interpretation of the Colosseum will look very similar to this, alot of moss and foliage covering the ruins but not completely and also the few trees I will model and insert into it. Paying alot of attention to all the different types of overgrowth, i will hope to have alot of vines and various hanging foliage hanging and draping off ledges and around door frames and maybe just wrapping around other trees meshing together.
 

There are various games that show brilliant interpretations of ruins that have been overrun by vegetation, e.g tomb raider, hunted the demons forge and turok. All games based on roaming through a jungle or abandoned buildings that have been overgrown.

Tomb Raider

The eighth chapter of the world known game, the 2007 anniversary sets lara in a vast world of various ruins and jungles, in the pictures i have researched and gathered below it shows various levels of the game where you have to explore vast ruins covered in foliage to get to your objective.

The image to the left shows one of the levels from tomb raider underworld, she is scaling a wall in a large kind of temple, the statue seen in this photo has the same effect i wish to achieve on my model, making it believably old and abandoned. It has moss or some kind of mold growing around it, also showing its white stone material, this is going to be quite similar to my project hopefully as it was made from a similar colored white stone. One more feature about this level is that is a large group of plants or bushes scattered behind the statue, this way it is bringing the statue out more and making it stand out, making its features more impressive and more interesting, in my model i will use this technique to create atmospheres inside the Colosseum as outside there will be a lot of foliage and trees due to rain and sunlight giving it a lighter look and causing nice effects of the sun reflecting off it surfaces. On the other hand when you enter the lower levels it is going to be dark and sunlight will vaguely pass through small holes in the structure, other than that it will have a very dark, gloomy atmosphere which will be very fitting as that is where the gladiators and animals were kept before they were sent up to fight and most probably die.

This is a perfect example of what I wish to achieve with my final piece, from a distance you can see all growth and gives a good effect. Also, scattered around the ruins randomly are small plants that sprout from the cracks of the ruin, this is the type of plants that I want to be spread out through my model.





 Turok

Released in 2008, after Turok evolution, it is a first person shooter where you play as a corporal Joseph Turok roaming through vast jungles and enemy bases and running into reptilian enemies a lot of the time. This game displays a vast amount of vegetation that may be useful for my final project.

The screenshot to the left is an image taken from the game play of Turok, the moss and plants growing on the the rocks in this picture is what I hope to have in my final model. In the game it is unknown island overran by jungle and dinosaurs, the only normal life is the enemy group of military forces, this would be good for my game as it has a similar principle because the games level and my model are made to look abandoned and overrun by vegetation. Also in this image it has a type of vine in front making a sort of arc, I have mentioned that I would like to have something like this in my game, maybe as just a vine curving making an archway or simply curving around one of the many arcs in the Colosseum.

In my research in foliage and different types of ruins or buildings overran by plantation I have collected various images which portrays old, decayed buildings that over the years have been overgrown by plants of all kinds. I gathered real life types of ruins but I also looked into gaming and all of the environments players are given to roam around in, assassins creed brotherhood being a very useful source of information of what I want my final piece to look like. overall I have a good understanding of how the buildings may look depending on how long a structure has been abandoned. Also, one of the main features of the plants that wrap around the Colosseum are the roots, I have found various examples, in game and real life of how the roots form and grow around ruins, helping me get the effect I'd like to achieve in the final piece. I think I have collected a good standard of information on this aspect of my project and I have found what I was looking for.

Colosseo

In my FMP research I wish to seek out all of the Colosseum's facts and secrets and everything about its structure including the amount of arches built in, the height, length and width. I will be looking into all of the events that were held in the Colosseum to present in my final project, finding out when the events were held, how many animals or people roughly were killed. I will further investigate into such things as what happened to make part of the Colosseum collapse and how and what they rebuilt it with. after I have researched into all of its history and facts I will begin my research in plant life or 'foliage' so I can begin to get examples of it or how it drapes over buildings or ruins, what textures would the plants and Colosseum have and finally I will look into various ways of modelling in Maya to maybe make the construction of my model quicker or simpler.

In the pictures below it shows the simple construction of the Colosseum or also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, as it portrays in the picture the Colosseum is a large oval shape with a large amount of arcs built in that were used as entrances, there is 80 arcs for access of around 55, 000 spectators, being a huge 188m long and 156m meters it had no problem fitting thousands of people in to watch events that were held there. This information was collected from http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/domitian-index.html

Construction of the Colosseum began in 72 AD under the rule of Emperor Vespasian, he completed most of it but then passed away and that was when his son, Titus Flavius Domitianius, took the responsibility of Emperor and continued to build the Colosseum. At the end of Titus's rule he became ill, rumour had it that Domitian poisoned Titus to get the throne, others say that he simply died of an illness. Either way that same night when Titus lay dying, Domitian rode to his camp and proclaimed to his soldiers that he was now Emperor, the following day of Titus's passing Domitian was confirmed Emperor by the senate. Now Domitian wanted to live upto the reputation of his predecessors, so aswell as his great victory on the conquest of Agri Decumates, lands of the upper rhines, he fully completed the Colosseum with a grand total of 240 masts on the 4th floor. This was gathered from http://www.rome.info/colosseum/

The Colosseum has been slowly damaged through the years, it has endured various earthquakes and took large amounts of damage, of course the largest destroying the entire other half of the wall. It has been rebuilt and preserved over the years, it can now be visited and aswell as walking around in the actual Colosseum there are displays and statues to observe and 3D models of the Colosseum and the city surrounding it.

The photo to the left is a completed model of the Colosseum, unlike my model this Colosseum is fully complete and it has not been damaged and it is not decayed in anyway. My model will look very differently to this as mine will be broken down and decayed, similar to the real thing as it stands today, in my recreation of the Colosseum it will not have the 4th level and therefore will not have the 240 masts placed around its top. Although, in my version the passages or pathways will be preserved so that it will be easier and more interesting to walk around in.

This brilliant model has the same structure that I wish to achieve in my project, it has half of the wall left from when it collapsed in an earthquake but has been rebuilt so the edges do not look completely destroyed. I hope after paying alot of attention to detail through various types of research on the Colosseum to get all its passages and rooms, I will build them correctly in my design so that with the first person controller you explore the entire Colosseum picking up facts that are brought up on the screen as you pass through them. A factor of this model I wont be adding to mine will be all the metal gates, it would be good to stop the character to stop from walking off the edge and giving you a sense of direction, but in this model instead of the gates, foliage and trees will be blocking most of the exits above the 1st floor.

This image I have collected has a similar design of what I wish to achieve in my project, this an astounding piece of work and I do not expect my model to be up to these kind of standards but as close as I can get. The light seeping in through doorways and holes in walls also is an effect I wish to achieve, giving my model a more realistic feel and a better experience. It is parts of the Colosseum like this that I will be placing fact pick ups for the player, stating what happens here and where it leads and other information and facts I have collected. As you can see in the image above there is various passages you can take at anytime, one leading around the Colosseum or another leading into the actual arena or beneath it, most of the models passages like this will be preserved, hopefully it will look as well as it does here.

The picture to the left shows a closer view of the Colosseums bottom level, this is where the gladiators or animals would sometimes come up from. It gives me a better look inside the lower level so I can make my interpretation of this more accurate, there are multiple cavities and spaces in this layer for all the equipment and gladiators. In the background there is a small moon like base covering the lower level slightly, this is to show us where the stage would be and therefor giving me a better insight on how to lay out the structure of my model.

This image of the Colosseum shows how I can set out most of the staircases in my model, all the holes in the walls and the decay around the stone materials gives me an insight on how to texture and portray them in my final project. This image has obviously been taken recently as it has the handrails for visitors, in my version it will not have anything like this, it will be as if it was abandoned only a few months after the collapse. Also, the stairs in this picture have been rebuilt due to damage from the earthquake and for the purpose of the thousands of tourists it attracts, my version will not have demolished stairs but I will portray them like they are still intact and made from the same material they were years ago, my main aim is to show decay and overgrowth in most places but the inside where you will be able to explore will be mostly preserved.

To the left is an image I have collected, a type of blueprint which allows me to see a side view of the Colosseum, making all hallways, entrances and exits clear. This will help my design greatly, I now know where specifically to model my hallways and passages, making alot more points accessible for the player. This gives you the ability to explore every passage, door and stairway to any other room or level. Also this will help me to plan out my bottom level of my model and able to make it quite similar to the rest of the level giving it a more realistic feel.

 The picture of the Colosseum to the left is from the the film gladiator, it was set in the time when the 'Colosseo' was in its best state, as I have explained in earlier research I am recreating it as ruins so as impressive it does look in this picture my model will be alot more broken down. Some features that are visible in this picture that caught my eye is the large archway in the background, this would make a nice addition to my model especially when I have to improvise and make it as If it was decayed, my own interpretation. Another thing in this picture is the large canopy looking feature at the top of the Colosseum, this was for keeping the sun out as it is mostly always hot in Rome, it would of been a nice feature in my model when you reached the top but with the material it was made of it would of decayed completely years ago

This picture shows Maximus out of Gladiator fighting in the arena itself, in the background you can see types of pillars, they are in the same style as the archway in the picture above. I hope to include some of these pillars in my model, even though my model is decayed I think standing in the arena looking around should be the best part of the model.

This picture of the Colosseum from the film Gladiator portrays it as if its just been built, pristine white stone, all the statues in the archways, if possible I would like to include at least one statue in my model, obviously decayed. The way it portrays the Colosseum in this picture is very different to how it is in real life as I have been to the Colosseum and took pictures of its structure, especially the material, here it shows it as a white stone, now it is a decayed ruin made up of types of red brick and whatever is left of the actual Colosseum itself. 

From my research so far I have managed to collect all the facts and information I wished find out about, I now have a rough understanding of the Colosseum's size all around and the amount of arcs needed to make it evenly set out and get the size right. Through my research I have also got various images of the Colosseum itself and peoples interpretations of it, giving me ideas of how to set my model out and as I do not know in detail what the inside of the Colosseum looks like I will be making it upto the standards of the actual thing and interpreting what I think the underground section would look like. After looking into detail at the events held in the Colosseum in the end I found out what I wanted, what events were held and roughly how many deaths there were, giving me more than I expected but therefore adding to my list of facts I can insert into my final project. I think this is a good amount of work as a main factor of my project and I think the information I have gathered is very useful and has helped me understand how I should construct my model and how it should be portrayed.