Orbiting the Orb

As I was too tired to post this when I finished last night you're getting it this morning instead. I have been doing some intense animating to try and get as much done before Easter because I plan to be gorging myself on chocolate with my family over the break. So far I've managed to get a large portion done however some aspects are still proving difficult. So far this is what it looks like;

 I added in the spire post which has these little projector orb thingys on it to power the core of the orb.

Yeah pretty much.

Kicking Things Up a Gear

This post is a little overdue as quite a bit has happened. After a conversation with my tutor Byron I came to realise my idea for my animation was more or less a collection of things that looked cool but lacked coherence. Although I was looking into the visual side of things I was neglecting proper narrative. The resulting changes to my concept are the 'cog teeth' that extend from the orb no longer grow out of it but instead are internal blocks resting in a shaft like a button. Also the core of the object will now be an electromagnet of some description. This will allow the pieces to float around the core with a better explanation than "its futuristic and looks cool".
I also had the idea of using a kind of orange sunset backdrop because the light reflection would look gorgeous but it didn't make sense for the orb to be there. Now it will be mounted atop a spire that extends below view, giving the orb the role of some kind of beacon or weather device and allowing to exist in the context of its environment.
I have quite a bit of remodelling to do now unfortunately before I can start animating so I can sense some late nights on the horizon.
I decided to do some sound effect research in the meantime for either background noise, primary sound effects or a soundtrack and this is what I've found so far:
http://www.freesound.org/people/Imitatia%20Dei/sounds/96465/
http://www.freesound.org/people/PhreaKsAccount/sounds/46486/
http://www.freesound.org/people/Razzvio/sounds/79571/
http://www.freesound.org/people/PhreaKsAccount/sounds/46487/
http://www.freesound.org/people/genelythgow/sounds/147069/
http://www.freesound.org/people/tlipfert/sounds/90879/
http://www.freesound.org/people/gcmax/sounds/130464/
http://www.freesound.org/people/Argitoth/sounds/38970/
http://www.freesound.org/people/stickman/sounds/38175/
http://www.freesound.org/people/Olaf464/sounds/133514/
http://www.freesound.org/people/stk13/sounds/121329/
http://www.freesound.org/people/stk13/sounds/120365/
http://www.freesound.org/people/Timbre/sounds/101334/
http://www.freesound.org/people/Halleck/sounds/19487/
https://soundcloud.com/solitude/ambient-dubstep-vol17 (I might see if there is a lyric-less edit of this)
https://soundcloud.com/philipraivander/ataleofinternetspaceships-intro
https://soundcloud.com/fitn/fitn-levitation-ambient
Intense. Between these I could mix and match to make the animation sound legitimate. I couldn't find any decent length electrical arcing noises for the core but I suppose I could cut and paste.

Show Me Tigress

I've been doing some modelling in Maya, thus the pun in poor taste. The orb may look fairly plain but it is actually divided up into sections to replicate the shape of the orb in my first concept. I decided to run with that idea for a couple of reasons.
Firstly because I am new to Maya and the orb was the simplest to construct with the knowledge and skill-set I have. Secondly, the movements will be simple enough to animate, yet still look effective if I do them well. Thirdly, I plan to use a sunset style background with moody orange lighting which will reflect really nicely of the orb's metal surface. The play with light should give the animation some real character.

This shows how the orbs is divided into segments.

The "cog teeth" extending.
Oh, I also whipped this up last week. It was only until recently that I figured out how to render it properly.

I love my degree :)

MDDN 241 Materiality; Concepts

All three concepts in one presentable package. Easy to look at. Easy to talk about.

I'm finding myself favouring concept one for a number of reasons. Firstly it hold the most 'meaning' of the three. Secondly, considering I am still learning the basics of Maya I already have an idea on how I would construct this particular object, and considering time efficiency it is currently the best option. Thirdly, if I get it right it has the potential to look awesome :)

Spider Flowers

My final concept for Materiality. This one is primarily inspired by Francis Bacon's work. I wanted to take something that looked horrific and give it a little twist. The violent and invasive nature through which this flower blooms deceives initial expectations as the claw-like appendages seem predatory, not aiding. But once we see it is a flower bud and not an egg or case of some sort being invaded we are put at ease.

Corkscrewing Crystal Fish

That's pretty much the best name I could come up with. This concept is a simple appreciation of the geometries that occur in nature, stemming from my research of Maholy-Nagy's work. When I first drew the fish-thing it totally looked like a sperm cell so I changed it to look like a sad balloon someone let go off and is now farting around the room. But it turns into something pretty, I promise!

Also while I was working on this I found some 'free' textures online for potential backgrounds/surface materials;

Cool beans.

Concepts and Close-Ups

I went on a photo-shooting spree (not to be confused with a photo shooting-spree) this morning to get some textures as a starting point for materiality. At this point in time I only had one concept I was set on in my mind so about 30% of the textures were intended for use, the rest were a shot in the dark. Here are some samples;

Pretty pictures are the best :)

I also solidified my first concept today. I stems from the research I did on Dali and as I was thinking initially I went in the opposite direction to his work, focussing on a mechanical object. The narrative behind it, however, bring the imagery closer to Dali's work, if only briefly.

Back in the Game

It's time to blow off the dust and rip into some new design work for this year. To start with I have been looking at some of the precedents for our first 3D Animation and Modelling project; Materiality.
My current favourite is the work of Laszlo Maholy-Nagy. I find his play with light and shadow as interesting as the models themselves. While the forms of the models are quite beautiful the shadows they cast are a whole other form.

The ghost-like ambience he creates in some of his other work makes the photograph seem more mysterious. Viewers aren't instantly aware of what they are looking at causing them to study the photograph for longer, even if it's just to appreciate the simple geometries present.

Concerning my project, I am thinking I could try and replicate Maholy-Nagy's atmosphere. Having some kind of mysterious object shifting and changing in a ghostly environment could be intriguing or peaceful. If the texture of the object was glassy or watery it would also bend the light in unnatural ways, adding to the ambience.
Another precedent was the work of Salvador Dali. The surrealism of his work is quite astounding. The dream-like content and detail in his painting is fascinating to say the least.

The style of the paintings is very fluid and the lighting in them makes the shapes seem soft and organic. I find that if I was to use Dali's work I would replicate the organic style and have the form melt down into something else, or go in the complete opposite direction and make something rigid and structured and almost mechanical.
The last precedent I'll address is the work of Francis Bacon. His style is somewhat morbid and horrific. The forms are twisted and melting, almost like the style of Dali but far darker in nature. Also like Dali they are dream like but in this case nightmarish.

The forms this work inspires in me are more chaotic and ominous and the transformations more violent or unpleasant. Perhaps the form will resist the change but be forced into it. The environment or textures used could be darker or morbid.