Catch-Up #1

Dev Diary #26

Hi anyone reading this! It's been a while since I last updated my blog so I figured before I start blogging my business stuff this September, that I'd catch up with what I've been up to over the past year!

Shortly after finishing my first year of uni, I entered my university's annual gamejam with my now partner - Avery! With 3 themes to pick from, we chose 'All time low' and incorporated it in, in the form of a 2D top-down adventure in which you fight to travel back in time to when your dream cat bed is at an all time low price.

Overall, development on our game went really well! That being said, we did crunch a bit (a lot) towards the deadline which was less than ideal (we did get the game done in time though!)

Not long after the gamejam, my second year of university started! After a rocky start (caught the flu and missed the first 1-2 weeks), I started my first major module - Designing for Animation! This was my first time both modelling a character properly and my first time animating anything other than a turntable. After learning the basics by modelling and animating Totoro, we were given an assignment to model, texture, rig and animate an illustrated children's book character. I chose Lauren Child's own Clarice Bean as the character for my project thanks to the unique art style that I thought could be interesting trying to turn into 3D.

This project taught me a lot and was my first time learning and applying important tools and practices such as the importance of good topology, UV unwrapping, texturing, rigging and animating. These skills would later help me with my CASPR project and my future business.