Search For A Star & Sumo Digital Rising Star 2018
Games VFX | Stage 2 Brief
Core Brief
Create a game-ready VFX action sequence appropriate for a contemporary AAA game, presented in Unreal Engine 4. All stylistic, thematic and aesthetic considerations are at the artist's discretion. The full development process must be evidenced, from pre-production, production, post-production to final presentation.
Objective
The goal of this piece of work is to demonstrate your ability as an artist to conceive, develop, create and present an innovative and creative effects sequence. The process that leads to the result is as key as the final composition itself, the creativity and motivation of the final piece should be evident from the foundation work.
Fixed Conditions
The scene must contain a chained Area-of-Effect sequence typical of VFX in games environments. The final sequence must be presented both as individual sections and as a complete chained sequence, beginning and ending in the passive state. The sequence should take place within a 30x30x30m area.
Effects sequence must include:
One passive/idle state
One ‘powering up’ state
One ‘release’ state
One ‘impact’ state
Thematic and Stylistic Suggestions
The theme and tone should act as strong motivators toward your choice of response, render style, execution and your personal strength, as it’s your artistic judgment in these areas that will be on show.
The choice of theme and complexity of the sequence are at the your discretion, but to help here are some examples to encourage a range of creative interpretations around the brief:
A basic group healing effect (self-targeted)
Idle; [generating object] encircled with an ethereal glow
Charging; slow pulse as if a heartbeat
Release; an outward cascade of light
Impact; crash to sparks as they hit [secondary object(s)] or fade out with distance
A fantasy-styled elemental attack (ground-targeted)
Idle; [generating object] dripping with water
Charging; gathers a growing pool beneath them.
Release; In a sudden shift, the water is raised high into the air above & arcs back down
Impact; The liquid hits [secondary object] with a mighty splash.
A high-tech, proximity activated charge-station, (linear-targeted).
Idle; [generating object] with gentle pulsing lights & a rotating hologramatic sign
Charging; rapidly spinning holo-sign and increase in lights activity
Release; A beam emission of light and data to [nearby object(s)]
Impact; a pulse wave passes over [nearby object(s)]
A raging storm cloud with arcing lightning bolts (auto-targeting)
Idle; [generating object] floating above surface, pulsing with inner lights
Charging; electrified aura, sparking and crackling with potential
Release; discharge of directional lightning bolts towards nearest [target object]
Impact; electrified aura on [target object] & loop back to Release state.
Concept & Design
The pre-production phase is there to help solidify a vision and decide the motivating factors for the visual effect being produced. Whilst reviewing the final piece, the journey, influences and creative choices along the way will be taken into account.
Evidence of reference gathering, moodboards, collation or collage of specific designs, concepts or reference points will need to be produced and presented.
Whether the use of photo reference, concept art or existing game materials is more relevant when consolidating your design, depends on the creative direction you choose, so long as the vision and compositional elements can be clearly communicated.
Storyboarding should give a feel for the structure & timing before starting production, acting as a template for your initial sequence. This could take the form of simple sketches right through to beautifully painted concept art, but the key is for the frames & annotations to be clear and solve as many pre-production questions as possible.
The pre-production phase is an integral part in both outlining and defining your objectives, as well as giving a reference point for your artistic and creative progression throughout the project.
We cannot understate the importance of good research, development, planning and documentation.
Presentation of materials
The final piece will need to be presented alongside all the preliminary pre-production works, the layout and composition of all pieces should be well considered and clearly communicate your creative intentions.
Often strong VFX work can be mis-represented when not demonstrated or composed effectively. Your ability to show good judgment when focusing your 3D creation effort and techniques towards specifically composed areas will be taken into account. Be sure to know the framing of your scene to maximize your efforts and the impact of your final render(s).
Do consider the format and framing ratio of both your final renders as well as the preliminary works. Explore and consider your dimensions and relative composition and layouts.
Development Process / Assessment Milestones
|
|
|
|
|
| MS1 | Pre-Production | Written intro, outline the tone and artistic motivations |
|
| MS2 | Curated references, mood board, influences |
| |
| MS3 | Concept design, Compositional exploration |
| |
| MS4 | Storyboarding |
| |
| MS5 | Production | Sequence preparation, modelling of any required guide object(s) |
|
| MS6 | Initial sequence blocking & base layout |
| |
| MS7 | Reviews & revisions of initial sequence, add to detailing & aesthetics |
| |
| MS8 | Final sequence in full, complete with all detailing |
| |
| MS9 | Post Production | Rendering of final sequence and post render edits |
|
| MS10 | Presentation | Present and discuss Pre-Production documentation and assets |
|
| MS11 | Present and discuss Finished piece |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Assessment Criteria
Concept design & development
Technical
Creative
Documentation
Presentation
Recommendations & Considerations
Industry professionals have been consulted throughout the SFAS process. Below you’ll see a list of common threads and feedback points that often occur. Each point is worthy of consideration when defining your own brief, subject matter and executing on your own works: -
Aim for high quality - your best work
Show Concept Development
Researching & Purposeful Mood boards
Know your strengths and build upon them
Show full process documentation
Demonstrate Compositional sense
Understand and Define your Style
Showcase of artistic ability
Showcase of creative ability
Showcase of technical ability
Dev Diaries
Scaling, Accuracy
A well selected Colour palette
Use industry standards / pipelines
Detailing of aesthetics
Layout and arrangement
Appropriate detail & density
Unreal engine best practice
Use of mixed tools
Well composed Lighting
Consider use of post-prod’ FX
Meshes, maps, textures
Use & application of guide objects
Leverage Post Processing
Summary and Goal
Design and create a VFX sequence based on a typical games AoE chain.
Define your own setting, theme and tone
The sequence must contain the following stages: -
One passive/idle state
One ‘powering up’ state
One ‘release’ state
One ‘impact’ state
Format and present your final in-engine renders and supporting assets.
The goal of this exercise is to create a brief or framework that focuses your attention and skills into a single piece that demonstrates both industry relative abilities and your own personal creative judgment.
Submission Details
You may use any additional tools that you have access to (e.g. Maya, Substance etc.)
Finished projects should be presented as a combination of in-engine videos, images, sketchfab models (optional), and as a self-contained downloadable PDF project.
Projects must be submitted using the Itch platform (see submission guide below).
Submission Guide
All finished projects are required to be published on the itch.io platform and submitted to the Search For A Star VFX Challenge 2018 by 28th January 2018 at 11:59 PM GMT
You must join the SFAS VFX page to take part : https://itch.io/jam/games-vfx-challenge
We advise that you set up a draft of your project page ahead of the deadline. To create your art project page, go to your itch.io Dashboard and select the ‘Upload New Project’ option.
Complete the submission form, in line with itch.io’s Quality Guidelines
- Set Classification to ‘game assets’.
- Set Kind of project to ‘Downloadable’.
- For Release State, choose an option that best describes your project, even if ‘prototype’ or ‘in development’.
- Set pricing to ‘Disable all payments’ - You can change this once all projects have been marked by the judges, if you wish.
- Upload your project files as a single zip file, exported from UE4 (Package project > Zip)
- Upload a separate project PDF containing your intro, pre-production work, summation and any additional production documentation.
- Include the following on your project page:
- A cover image
- Your key screens as the screenshots
- Video content of your full sequence
- The ‘Description’ text box should contain a copy of your written intro & final written summation from your documentation. It may contain further documentation if you choose.
- When your project is complete, set ‘Visibility & Access Settings’ to ‘Public’.
- To prevent your project showing up in public listings, choose the option for ‘Unlisted in search & browse’.
To submit your project, return to the Search For A Star 2018 page and press the ‘Submit your jam’ button
Select your finished project, fill in your name and challenge tier details and press ‘Submit’.
If you have any issues with the submission process or want to clarify anything, let me know either at dan@gradsingames.com or ask on the Grads In Games Discord : https://discord.gg/7ppfTnT
Please note that there is no ‘fail’ or ‘disqualification’ criteria. Do what you can & submit what you are able to. Even unfinished pieces and works in progress can be valuable.
Support & ResourcesSupport information, FAQ & resources, as well as a copy of this project brief, can be found on the itch.io community forum pages for the project. Additional help & guidance may also be posted here throughout the challenge, so it’s recommended you check it regularly. Community Forum : https://itch.io/jam/games-vfx-challenge/community Grads In Games Discord: https://discord.gg/7ppfTnT We’ll also be active in the community forum & in the Grads In Games Discord to help you out & answer questions. If you have any questions about the project or competition contact Aardvark Swift / Grads In Games at dan@gradsingames.com or call us on 01709834777 |