Week 24 - Fixing Issues and Heaving Ourselves Over Hurdles.

   This week was in most ways better than the last, and that's good. We're moving forward at least. I think, for all of my group, the problem has been the pace at which we're moving forwards. It sort of feels like we're plodding along and not really progressing.

   I started the week by trying to solve the Degenerate Tangent Bases problem. Craig helped us out by telling us a fix, however I realised after trying this that I had also needed to unwrap the object before it would work. To fix it, you first should unwrap the problem objects, their light maps too. Then create a box and convert it to 'editable mesh'. Attach the problem object to it, then convert it to 'editable poly' then delete the box and export as normal. It was SUCH a relief to not see that little error box pop up as I exported the objects after fixing them.

   I've been enjoying the balance of concept/modelling flow in my development throughout this project and I actually have been really enjoying moving back and forth between the different processes. Which is a good thing, because as our project has been developing and we've been making more decisions, it's been required of me to produce more concepts. We came to the conclusion that we would probably not have the time to make the interior of the cake shop. We haven't ruled it out altogether, but for the meanwhile we're going to make a cake shop and a cake stall out in front of it. I had already concerted the shop fronts, including the cake shop, but I went on to concept the cake stall.

   We settled on the look of the top left, which in my personal opinion is the most interesting one, which we will also be able to reuse throughout the level. I then went on to build this cake stall, along with a selection of cakes to go on it.

   I also got some more texturing done over the course of this week, but from now until early next week my main priority is making sure everything I have is exported so we can flesh out the level and things can be placed accordingly, waiting for materials to be plugged in. 

   I came home over the weekend and had a much needed visit with my Mom and Dad and my boyfriend, breaking from work by watching Brave (which is now officially my favourite Disney film), and going on a long drive through Birmingham in the early hours of Sunday for no reason, feeling like an actual teenager for once. Which was pretty great. I did some work while I was home as well, though. Some parts of our level needed some painting over, to explore how we could cut off some sections of our level, so that the player would be able to see them but not venture into them. I didn't have my computer with me, so I printed off some screenshots of the level and sketched over them with marker. These were so enjoyable to do and to be honest, I think I'd like to do more concepts on paper from now on.