Description.

1. Resistance on Naboo
Project Evaluation
Matthew Evans

2. Project Overview
In this section you will outline the aim of the project/task and give an
overview of the activates you undertook to complete it.

3. What was the theme of your project and
what attracted you to it?
• The theme of this project was Star Wars. I chose to theme this project around Star Wars as it's something that I have
always had an interest with and due to the huge audience that the Star Wars franchise has accumulated over the years,
there were a number of character assets and other models that I was able to use to speed up this process slightly. I
thought going into this project that it would be beneficial to theme this project around something that I enjoy, I try to this
in all of my projects as I feel it helps me to remain motivated to continue through challenges that I may encounter and also
helps me want to complete these projects to the highest standards of my capability.
• Outside of the 3D aspect of the project, I planned to format this project in a fanzine. I chose to do a fanzine as it would
allow me to spend more time working on the 3D part of the project opposed to making a video documentary which would
have taken much longer to make than a fanzine. Although I did not get chance to make the fanzine part of this project, I
feel the idea of making a fanzine for this project and theme I chose was right and had I finished it, I believe it would have
been great.

4. What research did you undertake and how
did it help develop your project?
• Going into this project, I set out to research a number of different things. I started by conducting some research into
fanzines. During this research I looked at conventions that a lot of fanzines use, this way I could identify what was
successful and if I wanted to incorporate it into my own fanzine. From this research I discovered that a lot of successful
fanzines use a simple layout where they have imagery-based content on one side of the page which is then
described/talked about on the other page through text-based content. I thought this was a simple but effective way of
laying out a fanzine so I decided I would try to incorporate that into my own fanzine. I also noticed some other details such
as colour schemes which were consistent throughout the entirety of the fanzine which was something I wanted to try do
in my fanzine as I felt it helps to tie everything in.
• Another thing that I researched for this project was actually creating my 3D scene. I needed to identify the aspects of Star
Wars that will be familiar to fans and how I can put that into my own work. I also needed to research the planets in Star
Wars to help me decide which planet I wanted my project to take place on as well as some more technical aspects unique
to Blender so that I know steps that I'll need to take during production to create the scene that I wanted to create.

5. How did you develop and improve your ideas
throughout the project?
• Initially I set out to make a fanzine around Star Wars using already existing imagery from Star Wars projects. I thought this
would be really bland and not really allow me to explore any interesting topics besides those already discussed within
already existing Star Wars projects. Because of this, I decided that I would use my knowledge of 3D software to complete
a new visual completely from the ground up. This way I could base my fanzine around anything that I wanted to within Star
Wars as I could create imagery based on what I think the specific subject would look like. This provided me with much
more creative freedom during this project as well as allowing me to develop my skills within Blender.

6. What was the outcome of the project/task?
• The outcome of this project is a scene that I'm really happy with. I created a complex scene with lots of assets and used
many different techniques to achieve this scene. Although I didn’t complete what I originally set out to complete during
the course of this project, I did complete something that I'm still happy with and I believe I still shows I high technical
skillset used. I do wish I could have completed what I originally set out to complete for this project as I do believe that my
idea was really good for the purpose of this project, but I still believe what I have created in the time frame I had is
something to be proud of, even with it still being a little bit away from being completed.

7. Personal Response
This section will explore your thoughts and feelings about the
experience. This will help gain a understand of how your personal
feelings may have impacted the final outcome.

8. How did you feel about the project before
you started?
• Going into this project, initially I felt that this project and brief would be challenging to come up with an idea for. I toyed
with a range of different ideas for this project but desperately wanted a way to incorporate my specific skillset and
interested into this project. I felt that developing this project around cinema would be a good way to home in my interests
into this project as it’s a topic that I am both studying and want to work around in the future. I also wanted to do
something for this project developed within 3D software. I felt that this would provide my project with a technical
challenge and uniqueness that would set my production apart from others.
• I also knew that I would have limited time for production in this project and that would therefore make it extremely
challenging to create something large scale within 3D in the time frame that I had. However, I felt that I wanted to do 3D
regardless as it provides practice in the subject area I want to move into in the near future.

9. What do you think about your project development and
how did it help you to refine your idea?
• Initially, I started with the idea that I would work on a fanzine centered around Star Wars. I decided to do this because it
something I'm really interested in and would provide me extra motivation throughout the course of the project. I then
decided that I would work on a 3D scene for the fanzine. I decided upon this as it would allow me to explore previously
unexplored ideas within the Star Wars franchise as I would be able to visualise what I was talking about through the use of
3D. I later decided to animate this scene to show more technical skill in this project, but I eventually ended up trying to do
a little too much for the time that I had. However, I do believe that the ideas I strung together to try incorporate my
interests and area of study into this project was a great idea, just needed slightly more time to finish the project to the
standard I wanted to complete it to.

10. How did you feel when the project was
completed and why?
• I was happy with what I had produced during this project. Although it is not what I set out to complete originally, I'm really
happy with the development that I have made regarding my 3D skillset during the course of this project. Throughout this
project I have learnt a range of different skills within 3D that I had never worked on before, due to how unique this project
was, I was I able to apply new skills to it. With all this in mind, I'm happy with what I created during this production despite
it not being great regarding the aim of the project, of course I wish I could have completed everything I set out to do in
order to make my project fit the brief more, but I'm happy with it for what it is.

11. Evaluating the project
In the previous sections, you have been commenting upon the project development. The
evaluation may include some similar information but it will also include critical comment.
An evaluation must include information about the good and bad points of the project and it
is important to be honest. Finally, you should make a judgment about the effectiveness of
the success of the project

12. What were the good points about the project/task and what did you
learn from them? [try and think of at least 3, more if possible]
• One good point about this project was that I was able to experiment with a range of new techniques to further develop
my knowledge and understanding of the 3D software Blender. During the course of this project, I got the chance to use
new techniques such as boid particle systems, fire and smoke simulations as well as some more in-depth character
animation.
• Another good point of this project was that I got to work on a subject that has been an interest of mine for a very long
time. Getting the opportunity to work on a 3D project related to the Star Wars universe meant that I really wanted to
complete something that I would be happy with and want to show to people within my portfolio/showreel moving
forward.
• I also got chance to use the NLA editor in Blender to help enhance my animations for this project. I had never used the
NLA editor before this project, so it was good to get a chance to learn this technique. I was also able to use the graph
editor and develop my skills using the graph editor for my animations in this project.
• Finally, another good point of this project was that I got the opportunity to work with EmberGen. EmberGen is a software
part of the GenSuite by JangaFX. EmberGen is a simulation software that allows you to simulate fire and smoke. I had
never used this software before, so my simulations aren’t the greatest but I'm happy with what I created, and I feel they
serve the purpose I created them for relatively well.

13. What challenges did you face and how did you
respond to them? Try and think of at least 3...
• One challenge that I faced during this project, like any other project in 3D with such a small-time frame, is rendering. Due
to the complexity of my scene and the amount of volumetrics and assets, rendering the entire project on home computer
would have taken days. To get around this issue I used a Render Farm to render my project for me. This way I could pay for
a company to render the entire project in a matter of minutes whilst still having the availability of my computer to work on
other things such as sound design.
• Another challenge that I faced during this project was working with fire and smoke simulations. For this project I knew that
I would need to incorporate these simulations as I wanted to show the planet at war with the empire. To do my fire and
smoke simulations, I used a software called EmberGen, this allowed to create fire and smoke simulations, then import
them straight into blender as an OpenVDB.
• Finally, another challenge that I faced during this project was enhancing my animations. I feel I did a pretty good job with
the stormtroopers for the time frame that I had but I spent a lot of time working on the ships in the scene. These ship
proved challenging to animate in a realistic way. There are a lot of rules that you have to take into account when animating
something flying like a ship so practicing this was the only way to improve the animations.

14. What were the negative points about the
experience, and what could you have done to
improve them?
• Time management was a real issue for me in this project like any other that I use 3D for. I started to solve this issue
towards the end of my project. I found it was simply not possible to do the vast majority of things that I needed to do in
Blender on the computers available to me here at college. Therefore, I decided to work on research and project
development inside of college. This consisted of working on gathering reference images for new models I was created and
sometimes creating models in separate project files. I then did the vast majority of my production work for this project at
home, allowing me to get through parts of the project much faster than I would have been able to do them at college.
Going forward into my FMP, I want to make sure I use all the available time that I have to me and spend my time at home
working on this project. This way I should be able to complete everything that I want to complete.

15. How would you rate the final piece? [think along the lines of
poor, satisfactory, good or excellent...justify your rating]
• Overall, I would rate my final piece as good. I'm really happy with what I produced in terms of the 3D work for this project,
but outside of that, what I have created doesn’t really work for what the project was meant to be. Again, like a lot of my
previous projects, I was too ambitious and aimed to do too much in the time frame that I had, this meant that I spent
almost all my time working within blender on the 3D aspect of the project and didn’t get time to work on the fanzine that
the 3D aspect would be apart of. Because of this, I rate the final piece lower. Despite this, I am getting much closer to
setting myself realistic goals for my projects, this time I felt just a couple more days and I would have been able to
complete everything that I wanted to complete. Therefore, I'm hopeful for what ill be able to do in my final project and
believe that ill be able to complete everything I want to complete to achieve the best I can.

16. What is your opinion of your final piece? What
elements do you think are successful and why?
• I think that my final piece is good for what it is but in relation to the brief for the project, it doesn’t really fit the brief. The
point of the project was to create a fanzine or a documentary. I chose to create a fanzine for this project, but I also wanted
to incorporate 3D into this project. However due to time management issues, I wasn’t able to spend time working on the
fanzine aspect of the project, because of this, I can't rate my final piece as high as I would like to.
• I think that most of my animations in this project are pretty successful, despite there being a few animations that I pretty
questionable, I'm happy with the majority of my animations and I definitely feel I'm getting much better at animating in
Blender. I also learnt new techniques for animating such as using the NLA editor to edit actions that I had created for my
characters. The NLA can be a very powerful tool in blender, so it was great to get an opportunity to use it in this project.
• I also think that my smoke and fire simulations are successful in achieving the goal that I wanted them to achieve. For my
first time doing anything like that and using a completely new piece of software, im happy with what I was able to create,
and I feel they do a good job in adding the effect that I wanted them to add to my project.

17. How did your design appeal to your target
audience?
• I feel that my project appeals to my target audience as I worked to create something similar to what audiences have
already seen in the star wars films. To do this, I gathered a lot of reference images before starting production on this
project, this was important in making sure I was always working towards what the target audience would be familiar with.
During production, I then referenced these images frequently to ensure my models were similar to those that my target
audience is already familiar with. I think this helped me to keep a constant goal in mind and help me to stay on target for
what I was trying to create within this project.

18. Analysis
In this section, you will focus on the details of the project and make
sense of what happened in the project. You should demonstrate how
your decisions informed the project development and the success of the
outcome.

19. In what ways was the overall project a
success?
• Overall, I think that my project was a success in the 3D aspect of the project. This is by far the best piece that I have
produced in 3D yet and gets me extremely hopeful for what ill be able to produce in the future. I learnt a wide range of
new techniques for this project that I will be able to take forward with me into future projects that will allow me to
enhance my work and expand my skillset and range. This project was a great success for me because of this as I have
learnt many things that will be really important moving forward into future projects.

20. What elements did not go well and why?
• I think that my ship animations in this project were not the best. This was my first time ever animating something like that
and therefore I found it quite challenging to make the animations feel natural and realistic. Although I'm happy with the
camera shake from the ships passing, which helps to add realism, the ship animations themselves are not great. I hang
animated a couple ships that would be focus points of the project, these few ships aren’t too bad as I spent quite a lot of
time working on these ships, however they could definitely be a lot better. The main issue with the overall animations of
the ships is that I used a boid particle system to animate a group of the ships. This was a new technique that I learnt during
this project, so I feel there's most likely a way to improve it but what I have doesn't really feel natural at all. I decided to do
it this way due to the lack of time that I had and using this particle system allowed me to animate 6 ships at once. If I had
the time, I would have hand animated them like the other few ships but for what it is, they're not too bad.

21. What feedback did you get from your peers
and viewings?
• I got a lot of positive feedback from those who saw my project and how it progressed throughout the course of the
production stage of this project. I think this is because they're able to see how much goes into just creating the smallest
details in 3D and I think that can be quite impressive to people that maybe don’t know too much about 3D. I also got some
feedback from people that have helped me to learn Blender online, which was also mainly positive but was also a lot more
technical as they could pinpoint things that someone who doesn’t have an understanding on Blender can't, which was
helpful to make my project that little bit better.

22. What knowledge have you gained that would help you in the
future to improve your project? Also, what knowledge from
academic literature and professionals has helped and why?
• This project is definitely the project that my skills have developed the most throughout the course of. Prior to this project,
I hadn't really made anything I was particularly proud of, and my animation skills were extremely minimal. However after
finishing this project, I feel much more confident about many technical aspects in Blender as well as my animation skills.
Throughout the course of this project, I have used a range of different techniques to achieve my final scene as well as
learning some new skills that allowed me to further develop the scene. For example, I used EmberGen which is a software
used to create fire and smoke simulations. Prior to starting this project, I had never used this software before or even used
any fire/smoke simulations before. However, I now feel confident I could create pretty high standard simulations that I
could use in future projects.

23. Action Plan
This section will identify what you would do differently in the future and
identify ways you could develop.

24. If you were making a similar project in the
future, what would you do differently?
• If I were making a similar project in the future, I would work on the fanzine part of the project from the get-go. This way I
would have completed the fanzine before starting the 3D image that I would incorporate into the fanzine. Doing it this
way, I would have known exactly how long I had left to work on the 3D part of the project and could then alter my aims for
the project depending on if I feel I had time to do what I wanted to do or not. I think this would help me with some time
management issues as well as some planning issues that I had during this project.

25. How could you develop your skills for future projects? Please
identify the appropriate resources and courses. For example,
webpages, tutorials, books, short courses and qualifications.
• I think that for future projects I could develop my planning and research slightly just to ensure I know exactly what I'm
doing during production. I also need to ensure that during planning, I'm not aiming to do too much during the time frame
that I have for these projects. However, I do believe that I am getting better at setting more realistic aims for my projects
as I'm gathering a better grasp on what I'm able to achieve within 3D in certain time frames. In order to get better at this, I
just need to spend some more time carefully thinking about my planning and just continue to do more projects to further
develop this skill.
• Also, I will always be able to develop my skills within 3D. For example, in this project, I feel that I have developed my skills
in a range of different aspects in 3D. To do this, I can continue to watch YouTube tutorials to learn new skills and learn
more advanced techniques for skills I already have an understanding of. I can also use online courses and webpages to help
develop these skills.