[OLD FALL 2018] 15-104 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice
Professor Roger B. Dannenberg • Fall 2018 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice
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The creative agency Chaotic Atmospheres has a series of randomly generated polygonal insects. They were created in Cinema 4D using random values restricted by size parameters to generate the polygonal insect species.
It’s really interesting to me that they can take these randomly generated values and translate them into points. Afterwards, Chaotic Atmosphere will throw them into Photoshop to finish the render, taking the project to an entirely new level.
Archaeology is a prime application for 3D computer graphics. Due to technology, we have been able to discover more and more archaeological artifacts that were previously unknown or inaccessible; however, access and exposure to these artifacts, or simply the march of industrial development, have also put some of them at risk. Old buildings and statues in Europe are damaged by acid rain, sections of the Great Wall of China are swallowed by encroaching desertification, and the giant Buddhas in Afghanistan are being destroyed. A solution to their preservation is to use laser scanning to create a virtual 3D model of the site. This can create an accurate record of the artifact before its possible degradation, or help in the restoration of certain parts. It is also powerful tool to allow researchers to study the artifact in ways that are physically impossible, such as manipulating the models, seeing them from a different view, or just accessing them without having to travel.
The 3D computer graphics I chose is called “Time Machine” created by Aleksandr Kuskov. Alexander Kuskov is a digital artist and graphic designer from Ukraine. He specializes commercial production working as a freelance artist and CGI illustrator. I admire his work because he does not let reality hold him back and is able to create very realistic digital artworks that fits where his imagination brings him. Although not as visible in the graphic I chose here, much of what makes up his portfolio is filled with complicated, yet beautiful 3D graphics including fantasy lands, beasts, cars, etc. As can be seen from his “Time Machine” graphic, Kuskov pays a strong attention to detail. Most of his artwork has a focus on a futuristic, digitalized world.
The Trade by Jacky Lee is an astounding work that was made through 3D computer graphics. The piece took two months for him to complete and it was all done through ZBrush, Substance Painter, Arnold and Photoshop.
What captivates me about this piece is the juxtaposition of two very common fears, the fear of sharks and the fear of going to the dentist. The artist presents the setting in a comical sort of way with the use of computer generated graphics to add a touch of realism. The artist’s creativity shines through and it generates a funny ironic sort of humor in his piece. Although the dark colors used and the realistic and horrifying shark head mounting the center of this piece dominate the visual context, the underlying humorous situation reflects the artist’s sensibility.
Source:
https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/inspiring-examples-3d-art-12121523
(Phillips Exeter Academy Library by Alex Roman)
These are two photo-realistic architecture renders made by Alex Roman. Other examples can be found here. The quality of light and texture make the renders look like photos. I admire 3D computer renders such as this one because they make the viewers feel like they are in the space, looking at the building. They emphasize the details of the building, qualities that people might miss. I think the algorithms that rendered the works might be linking color and light intensity together, using different colors to describe the quality of light. The algorithms might also be using the size of pixels to describe the smooth/roughness of materials. The artist can choose to express a specific quality of the building or the vibe he/she wants the viewer to experience.
CGI & VFX Showreels: ILM “Transformers 3” by Brad Kinley
Talking about three dimensional computer graphics art, Transformers series must be one of the masterpieces. The 165-minute movies are mostly about intricate giant robot actions. It is extremely data-heavy behind the scene. The artwork starts with a lot of design and photoshop in 2D. Then they producers turn the 2D artworks into a 3D characters and built all its little pieces little by little. For example, Optimus has over 10000 pieces in him and every single piece in him has to modeled correctly. For me, the whole movie is like a collection and every single robot is like a piece of 3D computational artwork. With all the structures, colors, animations and etc come together, the robots become realistic on the screen.
source link: https://www.creativebloq.com/making-transformers-3123105
Speaking of computational 3D artwork, the first project that comes to my mind is definitely the 2009 sci-fic movie Avatar by James Cameron. I still remember when I first saw the movie, I was totally shocked by the breathtakingly beautiful scene: the Avatars, the enormous valley, the dragons etc. I was even more surprised when I knew those graphics were computer generated. The director planned to make use of photorealistic computer-generated characters, created using new motion capture animation technologies he had been developing in the 14 months leading up to December 2006. Innovations include a new system for lighting massive areas like Pandora’s jungle, a motion-capture stage or “volume” six times larger than any previously used, and an improved method of capturing facial expressions, enabling full performance capture. To achieve the face capturing, actors wore individually made skull caps fitted with a tiny camera positioned in front of the actors’ faces; the information collected about their facial expressions and eyes is then transmitted to computers.
Reference:
This luscious realistic forest graphic was created by Joannie Leblanc. I really admire Leblanc’s work because she is a lighting artist, creating realistic scenes for video games. You can see her specialty in lighting absolutely perfecting this art. This specific graphic was not part of a video game, but served as an experiment as to how important light can serve to create a 3-D environment. It really opened my eyes to how such small details (like lighting) can affect how I am able to view different pieces of art.
Leblanc was able to create this graphic using Unreal Game Engine 4. She states that she was able to create all this lighting details using their new lighting features.
I personally have never worked with the Unreal Game Engine, but I can guess that this graphic was made by meticulously placing different lighting angles all over the environment (in order to give you that depth and immersion).
All in all, I am incredibly impressed by the realistic attributes of this piece, and if all video games paid this much attention to detail, as a huger gamer, I would be very pleased 🙂 .
Andrew Williams, better known as Gohmn, creates surreal and detailed 3D worlds by using Cinema4D, Octane Render, and Photoshop. He gets his inspiration from daily art makers that he follows on platforms like Instagram, Tumblr, and Ello. His real life inspiration is the southwestern area of the US, particularly Arizona. The above photo is called “Inner Growth” and although it is a quite literal interpretation of it, I’m very intrigued by how realistic the image looks. There’s something very peaceful about the realistic greenery in the photo and the way he portrays inner growth. The photo below also caught my intention in his portfolio. You can see that it is clearly inspired by the southwestern states in the US with an isolated compartment with dirt and trees growing in the middle of the dry, rocky terrain. There is something futuristic about his works and seems like a world very similar to ours yet different — which is personally the most intriguing part to me. Gohmn has been recognized for his works and gone on to create live visuals and stage renders for many big name artists such as Katy Perry, San Holo, and G-Eazy. He has a Vimeo where he uploads “making” videos of some of his most popular art pieces.
This music video for Damon Albarn’s (you might know him from the Gorillaz) song “Everyday Robots” is actually a sculpture video. I don’t know the actual software being used for it, but I really love the way the music and the video go together, even through some unexpected moments. Focusing on the 3D graphics portion of this prompt though, it’s really amazing how detailed the skull is, as well as how realistic you can get with the final sculpture, including lighting effects. In theory, it makes sense for 3D graphics to be easy to compute—instead of just having x and y, there’s just another axis added on. But I never understood textures, lighting, and basically everything else that make 3D graphics look realistic. If I had to guess how those things were programmed, I’d guess that textures might be able to be implemented with for loops and randomization, and lighting could be some kind of vector with a gradient, but I really don’t know. I know there are lighting and texture functions in p5 as well; now that my curiosity has been piqued, I might do some research into how and why those functions work.