So, now that I have my lab set built, we're really getting into the rendering side
of Maya. I'm really enjoying trying out all sorts of different textures and colour
schemes. I came into the course knowing right from the start what I was going
to do and all my colors were pretty much set on. The characters won't be
changed, but the sets do need some refining in the texture department. I'm torn
between making the environments hyper-realistic and doing something more true
to the original design style.

After having spent an entire week on the one set, I'm not to inclined to go back
in and start warping the shapes of the bases of the machinery to make them
look odd in perspective. I kinda like the idea that they look like miniature sets
built for puppet animation. I think I'll leave the wonky perspective for another
project when I know how to handle the basics a bit better.

I'm having a real problem with the floor in the lab, it's not looking like I originally
intended. I think next week I'm going to redo the floor by creating individual
planks rather than relying on texture mapping. I had thought of drawing the floor
like the storyboards, in Photoshop but I think the difference in medium would be
far too apparent and the floor would stand out as too different.

I've started on the opening shot but there are an awful lot of trees to go through
and it's really weighing down the size of the scene. I'm not really sure it does that
much for the story or atmosphere anyway, so I may end up scrapping the big long
pan and just go with the original shot of the castle.

I've also done a model of the spiral staircase and done a few simple camera move
tests. They all look incredibly boring. I think I may revise this section and give it a
more elaborate location with an open spiral staicase rather than the original tower
version.

Next week, I'll post some of the renderings from the work done this week and next.