The Jazz Club
With The Jazz Club I wanted to create lighting that would bring depth to the scene and project the mood of a smokey bar from days long since past. I started off by modeling the instruments. I used simple lambert and blinn shaders for the piano, trumpet, clarinet, phonograph horn and snare drum. I then proceeded to texture the rest of the props by unwrapping them and using texture pages. I decided to use hanging bulbs for the lighting. I put directional lights in the bulbs to create the atmosphere in which I was going for.
Rainy Restaurant
My initial idea for the restaurant was to create a cold rainy evening outside. Having the early evening lights from the outside pour into the interior space helped to achieve the mood I was trying to accomplish. The warm colors from the interior lights and the cool colors flooding in from the window help tie the scene together. I began this scene by blocking out the items and then I began to light it. By using the blockout of the scene, I was able to see how the lighting would reflect off the objects and filter through the room. I then textured the scene and adjusted the lighting to play off the textures.
Barbershop
I wanted to recreate the feel of an old fashioned barbershop, where pomades and hair tonics litter the dresser. I started with modeling the barber chairs and then the vanity, which are the main focal points of the scene. Once those were modeled, the rest of the details and props in the scene seemed to fall into place. Directional lights are used in the vanity lights with tints of peach to balance against the cool lights bouncing off the wall and pillar.
Street Scene
I began the street scene by modeling out the pizzeria and then the other businesses next to it. I modeled the small props, like the fire hydrant and the benches, after the initial buildings were done. I added stains to many of the buildings and props on their texture pages in Photoshop. This was done to create a more worn down city street look, which is what I initially wanted. I then added in the palm trees, which are simple paint effect in Maya, to add more atmosphere and depth. They also helped the scene to look more realistic.
Tenement Kitchen
My intentions for this scene was to recreate a Victorian-era tenement kitchen. I really enjoyed modeling this scene and all the fun details scattered throughout the kitchen. I wanted the scene to take place in the evening at dusk and then at night while snow coats the ground. In order to recreate the lighting of late afternoon / early evening, I used directional lights with point lights in the lamps on the tables. I added in the room in the back to give the kitchen an added depth, along with the window connecting the two rooms, which I found in references.
The Speakeasy
I have always been fascinated by the 1920s so it was fun to do this scene. I wanted to recreate the mood of a hidden speakeasy where you would have to enter a hidden door way and know the password to get in. I added the wall sconces to give off additional atmosphere, while adding the chandeliers for an element of elegance and sophistication. I used directional lights in the main chandelier and the two wall sconces to help further the depth and mood of the scene.
The Boardwalk
With the boardwalk scene I wanted the central focal point to be the theater and ticket booth. I created the theater and marquee first and followed it with the ticket booth and movie posters (all from the 1930s), and then the rest of the buildings followed. I then found many references for the props and began modeling the lamps, benches, and railing. I added painted on advertisements to the some of the buildings in order to help it look according to the time period, which is the 20s/30s. I used physical sun and sky for the lighting and adjusted it to fit the time of day that felt right for the scene.
Cars Exhibit
This exhibit was based on an acutal exhibit for Pixar's Cars by Mattel at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Although it is similar I added some of my own touches and changed it to an "Art of Cars" exhibit. This scene relies heavily on textures and lighting as opposed to modeling.