This week I made more progress on my feel good ‘dopamine’ animation. I decided I needed to add more elements to my design, sticking with the initial concept of the animation. I started by adding more gears, animating them all in sync. I varied the sizes and shapes of the new gears so it looked more interesting.
Added gears
I then decided to add materials to the pipes and the balls. I made the pipes glass and the balls a jade material but with a purple hue. I felt like this colour pallete went aesthetically well with the copper circle they would fall through.
I then decided to add three plates as walls and a floor. I thought this would give the animation a more contained and neat look, and also meant I could use the factory hdri as a slight, not overly visible, but subtle reflection so we could see more of it but not take away from the main component of the animation.
Updated model
I then thought about how I could fill the emty space, as this animation achieved what I wanted however it didn’t feel complete. I found this compilation of satifying 3D animation and thought what I could do next week to develop the design and background of this animation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y7x_jUttHk
I really like the ideas of having something on the walls or everyday objects around the model to make the peice more full and busy, making sure it isn’t overly busy and still simple.
This week we looked at how to create a realistic CG composition, and apply this knowledge to our garage project.
Simply merging the asset to the background isn’t enough for a realistic CG comp. We looked at colour correction, as a way for the assest to blend into the scene more seamlessly. Splitting the channels to do this enables us to merge each channel and see the progess of the asset in the desired position. Nodes such as the shuffle and grade nodes contribute to colour correction of an asset.
Blended colour correction
We then looked at inputting smoke into the second room. This contained the rotoscoping we did and also working with the camera tracking we had learnt in previous weeks.
Smoke
Work from home
To progress on our garage project, we now had to apply our knowledge of realistic CG composition and add some more assets to our scene.
I decided I wanted to add a tyre to the scene, leaning against the wall, as this would fit the theme of the scene. I downloaded a 3D model of a tyre, loaded it on Maya and started editing it slightly.
Tyre model
I made it slightly thinner and added spotlights coming from the direction the light is coming from in the scene. Then I made sure it looked okay on the render screen and rendered it out to an exr file to input on to Nuke.
Tyre in render view
I then placed this on the scene in Nuke, in my desired area I wanted it to be in.
Model transformed in Nuke
I then had to track it to move with the camera. This was the most difficult part of this task this week as all prior ways I have done this didn’t seem to be working. After adding the tyre to the axis point I created a card on, and reading it through that, it tracked, however the positioning wasn’t right. After playing around with the card, the rotation and size I managed to get it to look right. However, the the tyre needs more colour correction and a shadow to blend. I added a grade node and adjusted some colour gradients, as well as changing the input to RGB instead of linearr, but it needs more focus on colour correction and shadowing.
Tracked tyre
I then used the same approach and template to add two posters on the walls. I decided to add mechanical posters to suit the theme, however these need shadowing as well. I have slightly changed the gain on the grade node of the white poster, as it is slightly out of the light, however the black poster seems to have the appropriate colours and light gain for where it is placed.
This week we started a new project of a ‘feel good’ animation. There are famous loop videos online of satisfying 3D animation, and our task is to design and animate our own.
To help create these sorts of animation, we were introduced to the MASH tool in maya. We tried it out with some cubes first, I input 10 features, meaning 10 cubes appeared next to my original cube I had placed.
MASH practice
You then can change the scale and rotation of X, Y and Z, and these can tthen be keyed, making animation of various objects much easier to make synched.
Synching scale and rotation on MASH
I then started thinking about my design for my feel good animation. I really liked the idea of working with gears for this project and making a satisfying mechanical device animation. I started researching inspiration for this idea. I really liked the idea of many gears working together to move something, but also liked the more complex ideas of things fitting into eachother and the balls wokring with the gears.
Gear inspiration
I started modelling some components I could use in my animation. I made a gear from a pipe polygon, however was soon to learn that there were gears by defult in the polygon primitives section. I also made a spring from a helix polygon, I adjusted it to be more tin like a spring and increased the coils on it.
First modelling ideas
I then worked on placing two gears next to eachother and fitting the teeth together, making sure when this was animated they placed correctly together.
Fitting gear teeth together
I then experimented more using MASH with the springs element. I increased the features to 5 springs and changed the pivot point the the end of the curve line of the springs. This way, the MASH animation of the springs stemmed from the bottom of the helix, and was more accurate to the movement of a spring. The animation was simply a scale up to reselmble the spring popping up and then a side to side wobble after this.
Springs
I then thought more about what I could add to the gear function. I thought about adding balls going in and out of the gear holes, and played around with this idea. I animated one and then decided to add another gear and add another two balls going in and out of all the gear holes and meeting in the middle. I made dure to edit the animation on the graph editor to make sure the tangents were curved so the animation was smooth. I did this by clicking the hill-like icon at the top bar of the editor on each tangent.
Ball animation
Work from home
I decided to download a HDRI to input into my scene for the lighting, so I could see how this would render out as I went along. I found a fitting background of a machinery interior, this however is too distracting to be in the background visibility when rendered.
HDRI
I then decided to add some details and textures to my gears. I extruded some edges and added edge loops, I also played with the radius of some of the gears.
Detail to gears
I had a turning point here at my design and decided to scrap the balls and the springs in my animation. I wanted to stick to the design being simple and satisying. I started researching more and found this animation that I could take from.
Design inspiration
I extruded part of my first gear and created a pipe with a hollow circle at the end. I then created a pipe below and above where the balls would fall from and into. I then did a simple animation of the balls falling through at the perfect moment where the circle is open.
Animation of circle turning
I then added materials such as metal and copper on the gears and the turning circle.
This was a good initial start and I like the idea more, but I will add more elements to this animation.
This week we looked at seperating and linking ‘passes’ within an image on Nuke. This means all the seperate nodes such as grading, diffusing, specular and refraction nodes. We can see what goes into making up the image. If we pull up the lens contact sheet node we can see all of the changes the image has gone through and how these come together.
Lens contact sheet
By changing the colour on the grade node to red, we can see what part the grading affects the image overall.
Grade colour changed to red
We then looked at a more complex and varied version of a lens contact sheet. This time, with an image of a car. We can see different effects Nuke can produce such as a UV screen and a wireframe image.
Lens contact sheet
We then took the 3D image of the car, and looked more into UVs on the 3D viewport. Through using the nodes shown below we were able to see the 3D model of the car in a UV lens, and through an inverted black and white lens.
3D UV lens
Work from home
After some guidance from our teacher, I was finally able to complete the cloning and clean up on our garage project. I realised after advice that I was not using the 3D card node right. I needed to create cards from the tracking points, and attach these to the scene. I was then able to roto around these and sucessfully make them disapear and blend in with the background.
RotoClean up of markersNode map
Then, again with guidance, I also resolved my roto of the wall problem. I used a correct template to follow the correct nodes, and again I was using the card incorrectly. I also needed to add back the lens distortion, perfect the tracking by adjusting the points at some frames, and then this roto tracked with the camera.
This week we looked more into projections, and 3D techniques in Nuke.
There are three common ways projections can go wrong in Nuke; smearing, doubling and resolution. Here are some examples of these.
Examples of projection mishaps
We then looked at changing lighting, from something that seems filmed in the day to a night scene. To do this, colour correction is key. With changing the saturation, hue and colour grading you can create a more night lit scene.
Day to night colour correction
We then need to add light sources such as lighting nodes, and change the direction of these. We can also make artificial lighting from the lamp for exaple. To do this we need to add the glow node, and animate the blinking effect using key frames. We can also changethe colour of this artificial light source.
Glow node on lamp
We then looked into creating a 3D space out of geometry drawn on a scene. To do this, we took the model builder node and created a card, we then shaped the corners to the shape of the wall on the building. Then, we went on edit mode, selected the edge and extruded this all around the scene for floors and walls.
Creating card shapes
When we then looked at this on the 3D screen we saw a 3D card scene of the perspective and shape of our scene.
3D scene geometry
Work from home
This week I worked more on my garage project. I worked out that I was creating an axis node from scratch, for the cone to track along with the scene and camera I needed to create it from the tracking points on the tracking camera. I re tracked my scene with 500 features instead of 200 and learnt the way to connect the axis and cones through the points on the floor through the pre made script.
Tracked cones and camera
This way we know match move is working.
I then rotoscoped the wall surrounding where we would be putting our model, again I am having trouble with the tracking which is something that is my next objective to figure out in the coming week, as well as combating why the clone tool won’t work for me so I can get rid of the markers.
This week we animated the camera movement and rendered out our Rube Goldberg machine.
With my model and bullet animation completed, I looked toward creating a camera and animating this for rendering. In terms of ‘animation’, this is for the movement we will see through the lens in the render. I first created a camera and placed in infront of my machine.
Camera
I then looked at the view through the camera on the viewport, this is a way to make sure it is following the ball when we animate the movement. I then, using key frames, animated the movement to follow the ball, and created a loop by copy and pasting key frames from the very start to the very end.
Viewport of lens and location of camera from a far
I then decided to add details such as bubbles coming from a pipe at the top to make more of a factory look. I did this by animating bubbles using key frames rising from the pipe.
I was then ready to render, making sure it was rendering from the camera lens. First attempt at rendering was super slow, but then I tried switching it to render through GPU, this made it 10x quicker.
This week we looked more on the topic of inserting 3D geometry on to scenes, and 3D scene tecniques in general. First, we practiced this with inputing text and a colour wheel on to a wall in a 3D scene. On the 3D screen viewport we can move these around easier.
Nodes and result on scene
We then looked at more clean up tecniques, but this time on a 3D scene. We were shown written instructions and a before and after of what this would look like sucessfully.
3D cleanup instructions
We continued to look at tracking a 3D scene, in the 3D viewport you can see specks of the scene tracked out and the points that were sucessfuly tracked.
Point cloud generator node
We can then turn this into a ‘Poisson mesh’, creating geometry of the 3D mapping.
Poisson mesh
However, if you create a group and bake this, we can see the group of points created and the 3D scene through these points, the shaping of it from a 3D perspective.
3D mapping
We then went over how to create a plate, and did a quick planar tracking on this scene. This taught us how to create geometry on a 3D scene and how to transform it within this scene.
Geometry 3D
We then moved on to camera tracking the 3D scene of our homework and project we will be starting. From this, we can create a ‘Scene +’ which enables us to have nodes where the camera is linked to the camera tracker, and other elements are too. We also undistorted the lens using the checkerboard lines, and connected this to the scene.
Camera tracking points
Work from home
This week I started to set up my project some more. I added tracking cones to the points on the scene, by transforming them and adjusting their axis points. I have yet to figure how to link these to the tracker and to move with the camera, this is my next obstacle to overcome.
Tracking cones
I also added the checkerboard plates to the floors of the scene through the 3D navigation screen. Again, I tried re starting and linking many node but I couldn’t get past the issue of no tracking working for my geometry, this is something I will work on as the project progresses.
This week we developed our Rube Goldberg machines. I started to continue on from last week and create more elements to my machine.
I decided I wanted to make a ball that went down an obstacle course and then through a ‘bubble machine’ and floated up as a bubble, and make it a satisfying loop.
Firstly I started on the physics design. I wanted to create something simple, but satisfying, that would also work well with my bubble machine design. I kept the original animation made with bullet from last week as the starting point, and added two passive rigid body slides the bubble would fall into. I then made a twist slide the bubble would go through and made it a hollow passive rigid body to make this possible.
Twist slide model
I then did the same thing to two more slides that the bubble would pass through, and started making the design for the main element of the bubble machine.
Draft model of machine
Here I baked my animation so no aprt of the design process would mess the animation up. I then started focusing more on what my design would look like, I decided a pastel pallete, and a cute aesthetic would fit this machine. I added a bubble background image for the machine and added coloured surfaces to each part of my model. These included chrime, plastic and frosted glass. I also added a bubble texture to the ball itself.
Begining of textures
I then added a ‘clear water’ texture to the window of my bubble machine so it would create the illusion of a bubble being made.
Bubble forming
I also added details like the metal pipe the bubble would come out of.
Developed bubble machine
Work from home
My task for myself this week was to complete the machine ready for the camera rendering next week. I felt I needed to add more detail to this machine as the actual physics were quite simplistic.
I found the perfect hdri background and lighting source on Poly Haven. It is a pastel power plant, which was exactly the aesthetic I wanted.
‘Peppermint Power Plant’
I wanted to add a sign for the machine and the little bubble machine. I found a bubble font I liked and then made 3D text to input on top of my model and on top of my bubble machine.
Text added
I then added a foam border to my machine, making it look neater more complete. I also rounded off the dominoes at the start, and also did this to the slides, making a more bubbly look for all of the machine components. I played around with texturing also, and finalised any errors on my geometry.
I then added an animation of bubbles coming out of a pipe at the top of the whole machine for the whole animation, just for an added effect.
For the first lesson of this module, we went stright into looking at advanced tools for VFX within Nuke, with looking at Nuke in a 3D perspective. So far I had only been using nuke in 2D so this was a new development for me,
First, we looked at lens distortion. We used a checkerboard image as this was the most simple way to process what this node could do, as it was only working with striaght lines.
Lens distortion
Here we can see it has detected the straight lines when we click detect, but they slightly are distorted at the sides by curving.
Solved lens distortion
When we click ‘solve’, it strightens these lines to create a flat surface of the lens, as we can see the change of the lines in green.
We then looked at the 3D function node ‘Scaleline render’ in nuke by pressing tab on the viewing screen, on a scene with the moon.
3D viewport
In this function, we can add a camera, and select this on the viewport to see through the camera’s lens.
3D camera node
this means we can render out a 3D scene of models through these, and adjust where they are on the axis.
View through the camera
We can add models through the ReadGeo node, and therefore render these out through any angle, and even animate the camera’s movement around these.
Lego man model in 3D screen
In the 3D screen we can also add lighting, adjust it’s placements and colours in which it inputs onto the 3D scene we create.
Lighting – Colour change
We then looked at camera tracking within an actual scene, and how this camera tracking can be used as a 3D feature within nuke. We were given a scene of a street, and camera tracked a specific part of the scene, We could then increase the amount of features, or points, in the scene that the camera was tracking. We increased the amount of features to 1000, so many points of this scene were tracked as it moved.
Camera tracking
When pressing track nd solve we see the completion of the tracking of these points in motion when we go through the scene.
We can create solid shapes to appear on our scene, we used a checkerboard plate as an example. We could rotate it’s position by swiching to the 3D screen, and moving it within the scene.
Plate on the 3D screen
When you press tab and swich to the 2D scene, you can see these appear within the scene of the street.
