Entry 1 was composed in Google Docs, snipped images copied right into the document with no backup. Due to this lack of foresight the full text with images can’t be pasted into this format. Text only will be pasted below and full PDF will be available for download. Future posts will have both text and images.
Entry 1 – 21/02/2020
My initial build of the Mecha Oni was in entirely separate parts. The torso, mid-section, and hip piece were all separate blocks and objects. The spin I did by creating one piece and then copying and pasting it down with only an occasional resize. It helped me get my mind around the 3D shapes and how they fit into a more open space. I realized that it looked a little sloppy and would require extensive rework (especially probably during animation) so I went back and began to work from a object.
I reworked the hip block and then began to extrude and build upon that shape to build the spin, mid-section, and torso.
I noticed in the early rough version that I would need to make sure the spine looked like it was built as part of the mech and not as something just clipped into it, so going into the rebuild I was already mindful of how I wanted to meld the spine into the piece. The spine came out looking much cleaner along with the mid-section. The hip and torso just needed some minor polishing. The next big part is the legs and the arms. I’ve struggled with a few attempts to start and build the leg off the current model. So that is something I’m using my original file to build the leg up separately, get a feel for how it should look and be built out before attempting to build it off the current single unit model again. Then after the leg is in place I have to build out the arm as the last big hurdle. Then I go back through and add the tubing, the pnuematic, the armor detailing, and other aesthetic touches.
Entry 2 – 25/02/2020
Added a whole leg.
Decided instead of using feet to use a single nub, something like a hoof or versatile support object like that in some of MITs robots.