I learned not only how to create a game or a 3D world in Unreal, but I also learned how to create pieces in Maya and export them into the world of Unreal. I had never worked with Maya or Unreal before so I am not more familiar with exporting and creating 3-Dementional objects that could be used to build video games or create demonstrational layouts.

What was easy?

Once I got the hang of how to make some of my pieces in Maya it actually became fairly simple to create some funky designs and try out new shapes with different surfaces. Additionally, when the project began to come together more as a put more pieces into my art gallery and craft some of the textures, I was able to envision my game more clearly.

What was challenging?

Truthfully, it was pretty challenging to move individual pieces within Unreal. Once I got the hang of the commands and the features to zoom in, move around, walk, just the size and angle of a piece and much more it became easier. I think it was mostly just a learning curve with being unfamiliar with video game controls, keyboard shortcuts, and Unreal.

How could your submission be improved?

I think if I had more time I would have created a more interactive environment. For some reason, I created an outdoor art gallery for my video game. Im not really sure what inspired that but I suppose when we started to create the chess pawn I thought it might be cooled to display all of the pieces I made in Maya within Unreal. I imagine it would take much more skill to develop a more interactive environment with many moving parts but it would be cool to learn if I had more time.

How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?

Sometimes it was a bit confusing when it came to exporting things from Maya and Photoshop into Unreal. I think slowing down that process a bit and working through uploading textures from Photoshop and our pieces from Maya into Unreal as a class would simplify the process.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

Video game design is an exponentially growing market right now that not everyone has the skill or capability to learn or create a career in. It is helpful to be exposed to this type of Digital Media because it could open doors for me in the future if I decide to pursue game design.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

A reading that helped me was actually the Epic Game website. It explained some of the shortcuts used on the keyboard and mouse in Unreal Engine. I was able to move around the world and the map easier that I knew how to use the keys on my mouse and how to delete nodes and work with widgets.

I learned a great deal while working with Figma. I had no prior experience with the website so not only did I learn how to use the design feature and the prototype feature but I learned how to build a website display that actually works.

What was easy?

I found choosing the colors and implementing them throughout the design of my website fairly easy. I think at the start when I was designing my logo I chose colors that complemented each other and we visually pleasing to look at.

What was challenging?

Something that I found fairly challenging was coming up with a unique layout for each of my pages. After seeing what some of the examples displayed in class looked like I realized that I wanted make mine different from others. I also found some of the formatting on the Resume page to be particularly difficult when trying to fit all of my work and leadership experiences.

How could your submission be improved?

In order to improve my submission I would make a more intricate home page that communicates more about my goal of the website, that being to promote my photography. I would also try to learn how to embed a calendar into the contact page where individuals could physically schedule their sessions and see my availability.

How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?

I think that we spent a very appropriate amount of time working on our project. The days when we just got to work on developing our websites allowed me to catch up and make the website appear the way I saw it laid out in my head. I think something I would change for next time would be to either work on the business card after the project 2 was submitted or to spend another class developing it, because I didn’t really have enough time to make it look how I desired.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

Now knowing what I do about Figma I will use the website in the future for more digital design and to build on my website so I can actually use it to develop my business. I really love that Figma is able to be accessed by any computer and is not like photoshop where you have to buy the software on the computer you are using.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

When initially trying to develop a design for my pages I looked online for some tips for beginners. I found the Wix website’s “5 Web Design Tips for an Outstanding Site” and it suggested keeping the website pages free of clutter, simple, and having a sense of hierarchy. I tried to implement this in the green boxes outlining some of my text boxes as well as an increase in font size to help communicate the importance amongst the words I am using and what I want to draw attention to.

I learned so much from this first project. I had never worked with Adobe Photoshop before, so everything that I did to make this card was a new experience. I learned how to work with layers, remove backgrounds from images, create shapes, add a text box and type along a curve, add noise, and from there create background gradients, and so much more! I learned a great deal about Adobe Photoshop while making my Valentine’s Day card!

What was easy?

If I am being completely honest, not much about this project was easy for me. I had to refer back to the slides that laid out step-by-step how to insert shapes or edit the opacity of images we imported. It was hard to keep up with the pace of the class because I couldn’t really see the board or the buttons being selected before making an edit or altering the card. I did however being to get the hang of removing the background from images after a lot of practice. I feel pretty confident in doing that after trying the various methods in class.

What was challenging?

This project was much more difficult than I anticipated. Being so unfamiliar with the program Adobe I had quite the learning curve. All of the buttons and features that Photoshop offers creates a fair bit of confusion when trying to figure out which button does what or how to delete something that you ultimately didn’t really like after you created it. I had a difficult time figuring out how move elements on different layers. Once I figured out how to select the individual layer I wanted to work with or edit over on the right-hand side of the screen, it became much easier to change or move features added to the card. I also initially had some difficulty with writing on the custom line, the shape wasn’t quite coming out how I imagined but I eventually tried it out a few times and played around with the program and liked what I ended up with.

How could your submission be improved?

I believe that my submission could have been improved by adding a bit more to the front of the card. I’m typically a perfectionist when it comes to my assignments or life in general, however, I learned very quickly that when it comes to art it is very difficult to find what you deem to be perfect. I realized after I finished and printed the card that I could have made the text on the front a bit larger to fill up some space. Also after I printed the card, the gradient was a lot darker than shown in Adobe, so if I could change anything I might have brightened that up just a bit so that the flowers on the front could be seen a bit easier.

How could the professor improve the assignment for the next class?

I feel like maybe one more day of in-class work would have allowed me to play around a bit more with the features of Adobe Photoshop. I frequently needed assistance from the professor or my peers which took a while when the other students needed help too. I had to wait to get help before I could proceed which took up some time of in-class work. I also think that sometimes it was hard to keep up with the speed of what the professor was doing and after a while, I fell so far behind that I only referred to the slides posted online and just kind of had to work at my own pace.

How might you apply your knowledge in future assignments or work scenarios?

I am very excited to work on my next project in Adobe Photoshop! I want to play around a bit more with new features but also really practice the new skills and elements that I worked with on the Valentine’s Day Card project. I want it to become easier and a bit faster when trying to remember how to import images or remember which button meant what when they aren’t labeled. I think one of the most valuable things that I learned from this project was how to remove a background from and image and how to place embedded photos onto my work. I will definitely use that skill in the future while working on editing pictures or creating other graphic design projects.

How did a specific reading or video inspire or help you?

The “Robin Williams’ four basic design principles for non-designers” article that we read outside of class and discussed a bit in class was very helpful when thinking about how I wanted to structure or design my card. Zhenghui Shen talked about the importance of repetition and using similar colors and structures when designing. I tried to use similar colors and themes throughout my Valentine’s Day Card to keep the whole thing looking cohesive. I used a range of purple to pink and a common motif of flowers when designing my project! I also practiced using contrast on my card in order to draw more attention to a particular part of the page. When choosing the font and the coloring on the front of the card I wanted to outline the letters in a color that would stand out against the purple, so I selected a light pink.

https://wiredcraft.com/blog/robin-williams-four-basic-design-principles-for-non-designers/