Digital TechniquesLaura Hodge

Year 1

PhotoshopCostume

The first programme we used in our Digital Techniques lessons was Photoshop. I had used it at school and in college before to make things like posters and also to edit photos.

We were given an already existing outline of a body, with which we had to add the head of a man from a photograph. We then had to add pictures of materials onto the outline to represent the colours and textures of the costume he was wearing.

This was a new technique for me – something that I feel would be useful to use when designing costumes in the future. This is because a clearer representation of the fabrics and patterns on the costume can be shown, meaning that the design can be interpreted by the costume maker much easier.

PhotoshopSet

The next thing we did in Photoshop was to draw an outline of a stage and a set. We then used the technique we learnt previously from the costume design to add colours and textures to our set.

Once you feel more comfortable with the technique, it becomes must faster to add to your set using Photoshop rather than drawing it out then painting it.

Painting is not my strong point and I feel that I could create a much more accurate design on the computer, rather than by hand.

3D Studio MaxCreating a table

3D Studio MaxCreating a table

• To create our table we first had to cut out the table leg in the picture to the left. When it was put into the programme we were able to resize it and add it our rectangle, then paste it 3 times to create a full table.

• I found this quite tricky to do as it was hard to keep a steady hand when cutting around the table leg. Also, because it is quite a complex programme, it’s hard to get to grips with all of the functions immediately.

• More practice would certainly be required to start picking up many of the techniques. I would however still consider using it for future designs as it allows you to have a three hundred and sixty degree view as well as being able to zoom in and out. This would be very useful when showing the director your designs and would save you having to draw out a set from many different angles.

3D Studio MaxAdding lights to your design

3D Studio MaxAdding lights to your design

As I am particularly interested in lighting design, I found this function very useful. It allowed you to see how the set would be lit and also, where the shadows would fall. You can choose from different types of light, allowing you to work out which ones will light up your set the best.

Having never worked on a programme that gives you a chance to try out the lighting, I found it very helpful and interesting to experiment with.

AutoCAD

In our AutoCAD session we were given a number of shapes to draw including a cross, squares and a floppy disc.

We were shown how to round off corners, slice of corners completely and trim away unwanted lines.

I found it hard to keep up, as like 3D Studio Max, AutoCAD is not very straight forward.

I would however use it in the future, as dimensions can be added to your shapes. This means that if you draw your set out, the director can get a good idea of roughly how big it will be in real life.

Conclusion

Overall I feel that I have learnt some useful new techniques in my digital practices sessions. I have had the chance to see what kind of software is available for designers, and the benefits of each one.

Much of the software is complex and requires a lot of concentration. I often felt that it was hard to keep up with the lecturer, as there were so many settings and buttons to choose from. However, the more time spent experimenting with the software will mean that I will pick up the techniques need to create full scale set and costume designs.

I think the end results are well worth the effort as you get a much clearer idea of what your designs will look like once they have been realised in real life.