Creating Stereoscopic Images

This was a pretty fun and cool exercise! Got a little carried away. Can't wait to play with this 3D effect more over winter break.


                                                                    1) Green/Magenta

2) Red/Cyan

3) Red/Cyan

4) Red/Cyan

Bonus (Maya):

1) Green/Magenta

2) Green/Magenta

Recreating Cameras and Lights in Maya

Original Photo (1)

Maya Render (1)

Maya Render (Second View)

Extra Credit (Photo 2)

Extra Credit Maya Render (2)

Extra Credit Maya Render (2- Second View)

Bonus Points: Lighting a Scene in Maya

Rendered Scene in Maya: No Lighting/ Default

1. One-Point Lighting (Spotlight Only)

2. Two-Point Lighting (Spotlight+Fill)

3. Three-Point Lighting (Spotlight+Fill+Rim)

Term Paper #3

My first two term paper scores were both above 80; I will not be writing a third term paper. 

Outline for the Third Term Paper

Special Effects in Animation and Live Action Films

Introduction:

A.   Films Discussed: 1) Avatar 2) Inception

B.    Thesis: In this paper I will be discussing and comparing the visual effects, as well as the process in achieving success in delivering visually appealing and stunning scenes such as out of this world battle scenes and intricate dreamlike visuals in both animated and live action films,

C.   Body Paragraphs:

1. Avatar: Scene where the Na’vi and avatars Battle to defend Pandora from the overtake of the greedy humans

-CG animation/software such as Maya used create the realistic gunships, missiles, smoke, fire, water and other effects in this fighting scene for survival

-Blue screen shots of live-action actors in cockpits to create realistic avatar with overlay of animated textures

-Incredibly detailed explosions that had the ‘wow’ factor used CG and a fluid dynamics engine to create that realism

-Photorealistic virtual characters and environments achieved using 20 million polygons with 1.2 million leaves (WOW!)

-Stereoscopic 3D

-It definitely puts the “special” in Special EFX (visually stunning)

-Realistic/relatable characters with sensitive emotions

2. Inception: Scene where the cityscape is literally upside down/ 3 dimensional (sphere)

-Double Negative Team spent weeks taking thousands of stills/ millimeter-accurate scans

-Replicates- photorealistic models of Persian apartments

-3d Modeling in Maya and other 3d software (CG)

-Digital people/cars added

-Ptex mapping used to avoid burden of UVs- mapping

-Interesting and unordinary geometry/ realism within imaginary world

-Crazy dreamlike environment (I’ve had lucid dreams like these)

-Unique looking/ Sci-fi environment that takes you to a different imaginary world

Conclusion

- In conclusion, while comparing the different visual effects used in both animated and live-action films such as Avatar and Inception, I’ve come to realized that CG plays a big role in bringing life to an imaginary world. Both films used modern technology and software such as Maya to produce 3D computer graphics imagery that would later be rendered out to stunningly beautiful visual effects on camera. I also learned that in Avatar they brought the best of both worlds, and had animations on top of real actors in cockpits. I’ve seen many great films that use traditional and optical illusions to create great visual EFX, but in this case, modern day CGI takes the win with these stunning and amazingly successful battle sequences and intricate dream-like worlds.

Stop-Motion Character Animation

Stop-Motion Character Animation by Daniel Herrera: Enjoy!

Hi! So, for this assignment we had to do a simple stop motion of a character. We could use a doll, stuffed animals, or other inanimate objects, as long as they were posable to create a character out of it. The picture bellow shows my setup on my desk. My story was supposed to be a simple dive by my posable art doll into a pool of water. But I started to think on ways to extend it and make it a little more creative. Then I started having my art doll do stretch poses prior to the dive. I used my speakers as the platform for the diver’s launch area, and a container full of water as the pool. I shot frame by frame using my camera and tripod. Things got a little complicated when one of my doll’s legs came off because the water dissolved the glue. Therefore, I improvised and extended the story to a more abstract ending that involved mutilation, and that surprisingly still worked and was sad but kind of funny in a way. Then, i grabbed all the images, edited out my arms and strings in some of the photos using Photoshop's clone stamp tool. Finally, I put all the images into the iMovie software, played around with the timing of the photos, and finalized it into a movie with sound. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did!

Second Term Paper for Physics 123

                                                   Science Facts or Cinematic Fiction?

“Cinema should make you forget you are sitting in a theater” –Roman Polanski. The degree of believability varies in the world of cinema. From traditional live-action films, to CGI and Special EFX animated films, we often see mistakes in which laws of physics are pushed, broken, and incorrectly illustrated. One of the principles of physics that is often disobeyed in the film industry is the action/reaction principle. Newton’s Third Law of Motion was violated in films such as The Matrix, Fast and the Furious 6, and The Avengers. From jumps, to fighting sequences, to explosions, the absence of the equal and opposite reaction principle in action scenes are often done on purpose in order to push story and create visually appealing images that are interesting to see, while allowing the viewer to live in that scene and in that moment. In other words, they want to provide the “wow-factor” and leave their audience in “aw” when they leave the movie theater. Many times film directors avoid science facts in order to provide the audience a science fiction world in which the viewer can not only engage with, but can escape their reality in those 2-3 hours on the big screen.

First, a film that violates Newton’s Third Law of Motion or the action/reaction principle, which states that in every action there needs to be an equal/opposite reaction, is the popular American-Australian science fiction film known as The Matrix. The film has several scenes that break this law of physics throughout the entire movie. This 90’s blockbuster had its own world of physics that allowed it to become a very popular film thanks to the awesome out-this-world fighting sequences. One scene that really stands out in my opinion for this paper is the part where Neo and Trinity shoot and kill all the agents inside the lobby while they are trying to rescue Morpheus. They shoot their way through the many agents without a breeze and without getting harmed by the bullets themselves. The movie defies the law of action-reaction, when their heavy-duty riffles do not show the recoil effect, allowing Neo to look like a cool superhuman as he launches forward in a cartwheel while shooting the agents, and without changing his trajectory from the force of the heavy weaponry. With big assault riffles and shotguns, the recoil effect should have been quite visible and the character should have recoiled backwards instead of forwards due to the gases released by all the gunpowder. Defying laws of physics such as the action/reaction principle is a method filmmakers often use in order to show the character’s super abilities and possibilities within that film’s realms of physics. It can also make for a more interesting action film to watch.

Next, a second film that defies or ignores Newton’s Third Law of Motion is Fast and the Furious 6. Most of the fast and the furious movies from the series are known to defy physics to the max throughout their films, but I’m going to talk about a scene in Fast and the Furious 6 more specifically. The scene where Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, jumps out of a speeding car and flies over a bridge, into the air to save Letty, the love of his life. The car does not have enough impact on the side of the bridge for Toretto to fly that far up and across the bridge as if he was superman. He was also shot out in a specific trajectory onto the window of another car across the bridge. What are the odds right?  Not to mention, at that speed and height in the air, he would die at impact when landing, yet he saves Letty with practically no scratches on him. Vin Diesel is now a superhero according to this movie. Big Hollywood movies tend to manipulate Newton’s Third Law of Motion in order to create a specific tone or feel to the movie, especially if it’s an action film. Action shots are known to defy the action/reaction principle in order to show the actors accomplishing the impossible and make the viewer intrigued by the actor’s actions. Although some films push it too far off and create less believability, at the end of the day films like Fast and the Furious are intended to create a fantasy world where the impossible is possible.

Finally, the third film that violates the action and reaction principle in Newton’s Third Law of Motion is the famous superhero movie known as The Avengers. This film, along with hundreds of other superhero movies, tends to defy laws of physics in order to show superhuman abilities on the characters and the effects of their superpowers. For example, in the scene where Loki drops Thor from the sky in a steel/glass-cage and Thor is able to use his superhuman powers and hammer to jump up and break out of the cage just in time before impact, defying gravity and real life movements in a falling object. At that extreme speed and height of drop, Thor should have basically resembled a human-tortilla on impact. Yet he is able to jump out and escape as if he was just falling off a bike or something. However, in order for superhero films to be catchy and entertaining, such as The Avengers, they need break laws of physics and push real life in order to show a more or less believable universe. Superhero films are usually successful in the world of cinema in Hollywood because they bend and break physics through the use of superpowers, inter-dimensional portals, and other out-of-this world phenomena. Also, let’s be honest, if film directors completely followed Newton’s Third Law of Motion, action films would be quite boring to watch in a movie theater.

In conclusion, movies tend to break, bend or violate laws of physics left and right in order to provide entertainment on the big screen. Films are meant to create a sense of believability whether it is in true-story films, love, tragedy, or science fiction. As I mentioned before, from one end of the spectrum to another, films often disobey or violate laws of motion in order to create fascinating and breathtaking scenes on camera. They defy physics to create cinematic shots and sequences that remain in people’s memories through time. In other words, they create a visual impact through decision-making while creating a film. Directors tend to avoid real life physics and science facts when creating a universe of science fiction. We see this happen in films that defy Newton’s Third Law of Motion, or action/reaction principle, such as The Matrix, Fast and the Furios 6, and The Avengers. Their decision in violating the action/reaction principle allows them to show us awesome fight sequences and action scenes that are definitely what Hollywood is now about. At the end of the day, laws of physics are pushed and broken in the cinematic world so that as a whole we can come together in a movie theater and enjoy the beauty of watching a film, allowing us to escape reality and all of its chaos. We can live in that moment and be a different person even if it is just for two hours.