When looking for 3D computer Graphics I found Fabricio Moraes and Guilherme Formeti’s project Slug Race that they were able to make from scratch. As someone who has a love for animals I found the project funny and compelling to look at. I really had no idea how something so realistic was possible, especially because it looked like the whole landscape was actually real and the light looked so realistic as well. I was able to watch a video on the making of it, and even without the words containing words it helped to know that the artists did field work and were able to find images of the background to work with after going out into the woods themselves. I thought this was very cool to see especially because from my experience people do not comprehend how hard it is to create images without reference. I thought the 3d sculpting that was done for the characters and the slugs especially was very detailed and time consuming. I like how whimsical this piece is compared to some of the artist’s typical works.
I chose to look at Laura Keuk’s 3D art piece which is called “Ramen.” Laura Keuk used shading and lighting to create a dreamy and peaceful atmosphere. She used Blender’s cloth simulation for the noodles, doing one noodle and then duplicating it. We can tie this into for loops, which we are learning about, but at a much more intricate and detailed scale. I admire this because I really enjoy food, and as a college student I eat a lot of ramen. I think it is interesting that the author decided to make art work revolving around food because she believes food is what brings people together.
3D rendering in architecture is now commonly used and normally all projects use it to represent forms, materials and architectural experiences. In the past, representing forms in a realistic way was difficult and time consuming. Now with 3d visualizations it is faster and more accurate but sometimes it does not show the true architect intention. In my opinion an architect firm which creates renders that seem real but with a lot of post editing that make them unique would be Santiago Calatrava architects. Their renderings truly show the architect’s sense of life and space. One good example would be the renderings for the tallest planned structure in the world, the Dubai Creek Tower.
This week, I took a look at Daniel Danielsson, a graphic motion designer who has worked for a number of independent clients. I wanted to dive deeper into his work with About Time, a design agency with the goal of creating delightful experiences. The motion graphic he created for their rebranding was a series of different interactions revolving around a small ball; it is passed around this joyful mechanism that alters the ball using various interactions and colors to create a very warming and positive experience. I found this work really interesting because the animation does its job of communicating About Time’s rebranding initiative so well with a relatively simple animation. There isn’t a lot happening on the screen that it becomes overwhelming, but it stays engaging as you follow the entire experience of the ball. Everything is very refined, smooth, and sleek.
My artist is Adam Martinakis, a digital 3D artist based in Greece. Since 2000, Marinakis has been making computer-generated visuals. What caught my attention about Martinakis’ work is how he portrays the human figure. To covey the fragility of humans, Martinakis would create 3D humans and then shatter them. I admire the artist’s 3D graphic skills in creating a detailed rendering of the space and subjects in his art. His artworks perfectly captured the critical moment when the figures were destroyed, leaving a strong visual impact. The artist achieved his vision by making the human figure almost featureless, which supported his idea that fragility is a universal characteristic of all humans. In an interview with Marinakis, he described the process and algorithms that he employed. First, he creates 3D models using the software 3ds Max and then renders them. Since he constructed his art in 3D, Martinakis could render different angles of the same model and publish the best ones. This workflow is a unique feature of digital 3D art, which is not possible without the help of computers. Overall, Adam Martinakis inspires me by combining an engaging visual style and actualizing it through computer programs.
One project that caught my attention immediately is “Spells” created by Sasha Vinogradova in 2021. “Spells” is a series composed of 3 pieces, “Air”, “Whisper”, and “Fire”, intending to express “the magic one feels when inspiration strikes”. The 3D strings in the work represent the energy streams that allow us to connect, feel, and create. I really like this project because the artist did an incredible job in creating dimensions. Although it’s a 2D image, the way the strings are twisted and wrapped in the space creates depth and the illusion of a 3D sphere. “Spells” was designed using C4D and Zbrush, which are both 3D software for the creative industries. I explored both of these tools, and I found their features to be quite fascinating. For instance, Zbrush can actually allow users to sculpt 3D figures through “digital clay”. This week’s LO allowed me to gain some insight on how digital art and computer graphics can now exceed 2D and allow artists to generate 3D and interactive art.
This piece, called “Secret Ramen”, is by 3D student Laura Keuk, who used programs Brush and 3ds Max, as well as Adobe photoshop and aftereffects to create the final image of the beautiful ramen bowl. I admire the simple beauty of the image; the detail, the colors, the lighting that invoke a warm, dreamy atmosphere. A secondary source cites that she used displacement for the oily soup texture, and particle simulation to spread out the onion rings around as garnish. I love that she chose something as simple and “commonplace” as food to painstakingly detail and craft, and shows her appreciation for the small joys in life, especially the importance of having and sharing good meals.
Reading about the 3d computer graphics was very intriguing. I like how the there are connections between our last weeks project (string art) and the previous looking out blog posts where we had to talk about data in nature. Most of the computer generated graphic photos looked alike to repetitive or familiar patterns. Specific projects I am highly interested in is programs such as “DALL E”, a programmed neural network that creates images from text captions for a wide range of concepts which are expressible in natural language. When a user puts in a text, the AI will generate images which correspond to such texts. DALL E’s capabilities include drawing multiple objects simultaneously, control abilities, inferring contextual details, combining unrelated concepts, animal illustrations, etc. Text to image synthesis is still an active area of research and DALL E continues to improve contemporarily.
Artist: Stephan Martiniere, a concept illustrator and artist who’s created graphics for Avenger: Age of Ultron, Ready Player One, Avatar, Star Wars, and many other acclaimed films. He’s also produced 150+ book covers, comic book covers, and editorial illustrations for clients like National Geographic, Penguin and Random House, Pyr, etc.
This piece of imagery was created for the book New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson, which is set in a futuristic NYC that’s been flooded by rising sea level. I particularly like this piece of computer graphics because it helps people visualize the effects of climate change. Because the scope of climate change and its effects is so huge, for many of us, it’s hard to comprehend what the world will look like in 50, or even 10 years because of it. Not being able to comprehend the effects of climate change can result in either denying its existence, not doing anything about climate change (due to a feeling of helplessness), eco-anxiety, or taking tangible action. I think 3D computer graphics like this that depict how our world will look like with climate change will really help communicate the effects of climate change to people. This particular image is very optimistic and depicts a world in which we adapt to a changing Earth, so we could assume that the creator is optimistic about how humanity will adapt in the future. Pairing this piece with equally possible dystopian imagery would help show people what results from taking action now vs. not taking action now.
New World artwork by Stephen Martiniere
An interesting possibility would be to put together a project that exhibits an image of a current city, a produced image of how it’ll look in 50 years if we reduce carbon emissions by X amount by a certain time, and a produced image of how the city will look if we don’t reduce carbon emissions by X amount.
Environments artwork by Stephen MartiniereEnvironments artwork by Stephen Martiniere
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