September 2022 – Page 2 – [OLD SEMESTER] 15-104 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice

3D scanning of Laojun temples

Author: MediaStorm

3D scanning is no longer a novel topic today when everyone can take a series of images of an object and use computer software to process these images to generate a clean model. However, the project I am interested in expands the scope of 3D scanning drastically by reproducing the Laojun mountain temple in China. The immense size of temples requires them to use drones to take images of the temples carefully. To do that, they used software to select a region they wanted to scan. The software then calculated the flying route to control the drone so it could scan the temples accurately.

The best part I love about this project is that they have to climb up the mountain several times to control the drone and get to appreciate the temples in real life. Many ancient architectures are not properly taken care of, and even for those that get protected, they will eventually collapse someday. Therefore, 3D scanning could be a reliable way to produce 3D models of these buildings and make sure they exist in digital forms forever.

Wallpaper art

I try to build a pattern that fakes depth through gradients in brightness. The important part is to write a function for the arrows so I can make nested loops with them and array the arrows throughout the canvas.

//Jason Jiang
//Section E

//Setting variables 

//Creating Sky
function setup() {
    createCanvas(600, 500);
    background(255);
    colorMode(HSB);
    }
    


function draw() {
    //draw rows of arrows
    for(col = 0; col < 10; col++){
    for(row = 0; row < 32; row++){
        push()
        //Changing size of arrows
        var scale = 0.25 * (col+3)
        var l = 20
        translate(2*scale*l*row, 2*40*(col))
        rotate(radians(180))
        Arrow(0, 0, 20, 20, 250-col*6, 10*(col+1), scale);
        pop()
    }
    }
   noLoop()
}

    //Arrow gradient function
function Arrow(x, y, l, step, H, S, scale){
    strokeWeight(5);
    push()
    translate(x, y)
    for (i = 0; i<step; i++){
        stroke(H, S, 5*i);
        line(0, 5*i, scale*l, l+5*i)
        line(0, 5*i, -scale*l, l+5*i)
    }
    pop()
}

Looking Outwards-05

The piece of work I selected is “Cellular Forms” by Andy Lomas. The piece of work depicts a simple example of morphogenesis. In the video, the form morphs and changes and goes through a series of evolutions. Each time the form undergoes a change it shakes and undulates and then almost “settles.” I picked this piece because I was intrigued by how the artist represents something quite scientific like cell morphogenesis, and makes it feel very peaceful and elegant. I was unable to find any information about the specific algorithm Lomas used but it seems like he used some kind of additive algorithm and based all of his additions on a spherical boundary surface and all of the spheres which made up the larger cell object divided by an even amount within that boundary surface. In my opinion, it seems like Lomas took into account the overall action of the cell’s division but chose to remove the human aspect of it in order to make it feel more like art.

3D Computer Art

The project that I found that was very beautiful was Alexey Kashpersky’s “Environment for Umakala Movie Project” released in 2016.

I admired the project because of the beautiful colors and structure that was used to create the abstract and otherworldly environment. It seemed like this project took a long time to create, and it shows in the details of each piece. The texture of the coral really brought this piece to life, and I can imagine a beautiful animated movie that happens in this world.

I know that the artist used ZBrush to create the world, VRay to render, and After Effects to comp it all together. I do not think there was an algorithm that was used to create this landscape. Rather I think the artist created this landscape completely by hand. He also used some floral elements and ice models that were created by his wife.

I am not sure what the movie project is about or if the artist captured what they were going for. I do know that a trailer of it came out in 2016, and all of the subtitles are in Chinese. I think the story is mythical, powerful, and mysterious based on the trailer. Therefore, I would say the artist’s sensibilities manifested well in the final form. The world he created is very mythical and mysterious.

LO 05: 3D Computer Graphics

Galleria dell’Accademia – Daniele da Volterra bust 3D model

Exhibitions

(Exhibition page)

https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/the-bronze-effigy-of-michelangelo-fb759e11a7ce470bac5e8e4fe70881c4 <- 3D MODELED BUST

When I was in Italy over the summer, I went to the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, where Michelangelo’s David’s is housed. After looking at David, there was a nearby room that showed a screen with a collection of 3D models made from real life historical sculptures, specifically busts of Michelangelo made by an unidentified artist. These 3D models were created by scanning the bust, and allowed for a greater degree of investigation of technique. On the walls there were many, many iterations of these models along with actual 3D printed busts themselves, and it was really interesting to see the way these digital images existed in the real world. Obviously, the meshes of these models were more complex than, say, stylized Pixar character models, and the detail that was able to be achieved was really interesting. Ultimately, this heightened ability to investigate the bust allowed for it to be attributed to Daniele da Volterra, made in the 16th century. I also find the gap of time between the creation of this piece and digital re-appropriation to be really fascinating, and it really made me think about how the people who would’ve been renowned clay sculptures back in the day likely would’ve made great character modelers within the 3D animated film & game industry (and vice versa).

Michelangelo Busts – Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze

Looking Outwards 05

Graham Murtha

Section A

James Jean Woodcutter Awakening

This week, I’m looked into the 3D artwork of James Jean, specifically his video called “Woodcutter Awakening.” In this video, a sculpture that he created begins to slowly move, and then is engulfed in flame and emerges as a painted mosaic. This mosaic sculpture then becomes enveloped in flowers, and as the petals wilt away is reborn again as the original sculpture. I find this particular piece interesting for numerous reasons. For starters, I love that photogrametry programs allow for us to take objects from the real world and manipulate them in a digital space. This is exactly what James Jean did in this process- after creating many technical drawings of his character, he used Maya and 3d printing software to make an actual, stone sculpture with natural imperfections from existing in the wilderness. After weathering the sculpture, he used photogrametry to bring the sculpture back into Maya, to create it’s incendiary transformation into a porcelain mosaic, a feat that never could have been accomplished naturally. The vines and flowers that engulf the statue (returning it to its natural state) referencing the natural physicality of the base model. The transformation that this stone sculpture goes through represents the transformation of the 3d art world with the introduction of 3d programming and modeling software.

Landscape by Afanassy Pud

Alexia Forsyth

Pud is a Russian contemporary artist. His work has been displayed in over twenty exhibits since 1970. His piece “Landscape” is a three-dimensional tapestry showing a colorful collection of trees and hills. I really admire the traditional aspects of the landscape that are stylized with more modern ideas. Afanasy Pud transforms the common image of trees and hills into a psychedelic visual experience. The artist considers himself a scientist and programmer. He used Corel and Photostyler software to create his pieces. More recently, he favors CorelPhotopaint and FractalDesignPainter as his main source of composition. His artistic sensibilities are demonstrated through the overlaying of colors and odd patterns onto a plain image.

Link: https://digitalartarchive.siggraph.org/artwork/afanassy-pud-landscape/

Blog 05 – 3D Computer Graphics – srauch

A work of 3D computer graphics I find really interesting is a collection of digital furniture called “The Shipping”, designed by Argentinian architect Andrés Reisinger. (Here’s the collection on his website.) The collection includes ten pieces of furniture, each meticulously 3D designed and rendered, and each of which were auctioned off as NFTs for as much as $70,000. The digital furniture can be placed into any digital environment, such as the metaverse or even Minecraft. Five of the ten pieces will be produced physically as well, and one chair – the Hortensia Chair, originally deemed “impossible” to recreate in physical reality – has been put into physical production.

Digital furniture design like this pushes the imagination. Different mediums afford different creative processes, so the opportunity for furniture designers to work in a world without traditional constraints opens up the door to completely new creative mindsets. More than that, it changes the way artists can think about what work is physically possible. Beyond just creating “impossible” digital furniture, the ability to be creative in a digital environment allowed Reisinger to make real furniture that was once considered to be impossible. It’s exciting to see how access to 3D modeling and rendering will continue to develop artistic fields such as furniture design in the future.

Looking Outwards 05: 3D Computer Graphics

Alexey Kashpersky – ‘Ebola Virus’ (2013)

I was really awestruck by Alexey Kashpersky’s 3 dimensional rendition of Ebola virus. Something that attracted me towards learning more about it was perhaps its form and vivid color scheme. After reading more about it I really liked how the artist approached this 3 dimensional work in 2 dimensional form first by sketching it out and learning the natural shapes and behaviors of it. At first glance I thought this was something that looked peaceful and a visual delight, until I realized it was a rendition of a deadly virus, I also read that it was the intention of the author to do the same. The artist intentionally decided to paint the image of a herbivore disguised predator for the ebola, I also really like the analogies he used to compare ebola with a pickpocketer. I do have some idea of how vray and after effects work as that is where this form was modeled, however, I am not sure of the advanced algorithms or codes used to model this piece. The author’s ideology behind the piece was making a portrait of something dangerous in a pleasant form, which is exactly what I felt when I first saw that, so I do feel that the artist’s intentions manifest exactly how he planned it.

link

LO-05: Human After All

Human After All is a series of photographs that depict everyday people through their circulatory systems. A collaboration between photographer Jan Kriwol and Markos Kay – a digital 3D graphics bio-artist and programmer, these photographs not only explore the interaction between the fragile human body and its rigid environment but also challenge our exterior differences (ie. our skin color) by stripping the subject down to the barebones of human anatomy. This very subject matter is exactly what I admire about this series of work- deep inside, our bodies are so simple and similar, yet so complex. To generate this work, Markos Kay implemented an algorithm that generated 3D circulatory veins and arteries within the constraints of the human body as well as the given environment – this likely involved the use of 3D interactive programming software such as unreal engine and, on the backend, code that mimicked the way our veins spread within our bodies, repeating itself as it generated random patterns that simulated the flow of blood. Markos Kay’s works often blur the lines between art and functional science; Human After All demonstrates this very skill.

Human After All, Jan Kriwol & Markos Kay, 2017