Spider Walk Cycle Animation
When designing the spider, my group and I opted to strike a balance between a cartoonish and realistic appearance. We aimed to ensure that players could easily identify the spider on their screen while avoiding a frighteningly lifelike representation that would be unsuitable for the game's tone. As such, the spider's design is intended to enhance the environment's aesthetics, rather than to elicit fear. As for animation, I only had to create a walk cycle for the spider, as it was primarily included for its visual impact on the game world.
Rigging Spider
To begin rigging the spider, I first rigged one of its legs and refined it until it was polished. To expedite the process, I then duplicated this rig three times and adjusted the duplicated bones' size and rotation to match the legs they corresponded to. After completing half of the spider's body, I mirrored the rig to apply it to the remaining legs. Next, I created a separate rig for the fangs and main body and merged it with the leg rig. Once I had a complete rig, I attached IK handles to the joint endpoints, linking the selected end joint to the start joint. Finally, I created NURBs circles and parented them to the IK handles to serve as controls.
Texturing Spider
For texturing my spider model, I utilised Substance Painter to attach a hair material and paint over the main body. I specifically opted for this software to facilitate the inclusion of a hair material. To create the spider's texture, I drew inspiration from the Black Widow spider, which is widely recognised by many people. As such, I sought to emulate its appearance in my painting.
Bird Fly Cycle Animation
To manage my time effectively, I allocated the majority of my time to rigging and animating, as opposed to modeling and texturing. This decision was based on the group's consensus that the bird would not be a significant focal point for the player. While animating, my primary objective was to animate the wings in a realistic manner, as they would be visible during gameplay. To accomplish this, I added an offset to the wings so that they would move slightly after the rest of the bird's body.
Texturing Bird
For texturing my bird, I followed the same approach as with my spider model and imported it into Substance Painter. I used a hair material for the bird's feathers and applied the brush tool to paint over it. However, for the bird's beak, I was able to use a wooden material as it yielded a realistic appearance.
Title Sequence Animation
We placed significant emphasis on the title sequence, as it was crucial to get the aesthetics and animation right to reinforce the game's brand identity. We collectively agreed that the game's title should explode into tiny particles resembling a swarm of bees as the player initiates the game. While designing the title's appearance, I adhered to the brand's guidelines regarding the colors but made slight adjustments to the design so that the words appeared as if they were covered in honey, further solidifying the title's association with bees.
Gameplay
We produced a complete gameplay demonstration, showcasing the relaxing experience that players can enjoy from start to finish. During the demo, the player assumes control of the bee, flying around and collecting pollen from the various flowers scattered throughout the environment. The objective is to then deliver the pollen to the beehives, completing the cycle of pollination.