CGI: Formal Experiments
How can the connectivity between CG Modelling and Craft Materiality be located?
Approach: Texts on the CG Modelling in Visual Effects in contemporary Animation and Craft Theory will reveal the current topics of discourse in both fields. Focusing on alignment and difference can reveal aspects of both that will be the starting point of the iterative cycle.
This approach identified live debates around the issues of Labour, Value and Humanism,issues of hybridisation in production processes and the human-computer interface in CGI Animation practice. I came to question initially, What is the material of the virtual and how can it be handled?
I am interested in is how CG Modelling of Virtual Material and Craft Materiality can be aligned by their formal qualities and how we may think this in terms of convergence. I use the term Virtual Craft for this convergent approach.
I am interested in how the practitioner currently interfaces with the cgi software and how this is informed by the current discourse in 3D digital practices in contemporary Animation. What are the tensions, What is the discourse dominant and what are the issues/problems?
I begin to question the totality of the virtual modelling argument. Is CGI complete in its evolution? Is it a tool of excellence that can do anything, and if it can't do it now it will do in the future.
I began making short experiments in the packaged industrial software, Adobe 3D Max and arranged to work concurrently in Material Crafts practices in which I engage with simple materials and processes, initially the making of Paper.
In the previous reflexive blog I was beginning to question if there is a problem of 'virtual material' handling from the position of the practitioner. Is there an issue, and can these two extremes of practice be converged through a new model of thinking about them?
Can this be answered by the development of a new theory of virtual craft and virtual material processes.
I will now record the working process as it evolved in the re-engagement with CGI technology.
After tracking back the practice evolution I chose a specific model taken from initial tuition in CG modelling.
I begin in considering the essence of virtual modelling, What is the virtual material and how is it handled?, by applying the approach that typifies the 'workmanship of risk', to record the intervention by the software programmers intention and isolate the materiality of the form.
I begin by documenting the simple incremental changes that track the research interrogation as a process of evolution. (The iterative method of research)As Critical practice... 'What if I do this? and then proceed in making a small incremental changes to the experiment, leading to 'How does this answer the initial question?'Are there further questions raised? Can these be researched in practice or Theory?
CGI film experiments
The Tree model chosen for the initial experiment has it's roots in practice. This model takes as it's starting point an actual woven wire tree translated in CGI technology.
What is the wire mesh and how what are it's formal qualities?
The mesh is invisible in the final production of the artefact unless the option is made to render as a wireframe or rendered using mapping. This is illustrated by a model that is partly rendered as a wire-frame and partly as a mapped surface.
Wire Mesh and Basic Rendering (Click to go to film experiment)
How can the surface be made visual in the final film? The object will need to be lit by virtual lighting. This automatically renders the surface as a three dimensional object.
Lighting for the 3D moving-Image Illustration
The object can be rendered as a 2 dimensional form by opting to remove surface shading.
Lighting and the 2D moving-image aesthetic (Click to go to film experiment)
Is the surface solid ? can it be passed through? What can be seen behind the surface?
Tracking the Camera move through the object
Result: The GLITCH
What is a GLITCH ?
Light and Translucency Surface
The Bubble
The issue of placing a translucent object in a translucent object
The Glass Tree
Rendering efficiency
Final Render: Translucent render (HD) (Click to go to film experiment)
Force Backfacing
Light Ray Rendering Illustration
The program automatically deletes the glitch from the exported film.
3D Max exported film (Click to go to film experiment)
Stop-Frame animation post-production on Adobe Premier (Click to go to film experiment)
The trace
Final Film (In production)
(Featuring The Glitch, Undo, Light Rendering, The Trace and sound)
How can this converge with material craft thinking?
Conduct a Literature search on Craft Theory
Collaborate with Craft Theorist (The Textiles research Group)
Paper: Experiments in material crafts processes
Form, Texture and Light revealed in Lighting structure of natural materials
The Making of Material Form.
Paper and CGI convergence: Experiments in Hybrid 'virtual-craft' thinking
Projection, Light and convergence of materials.
Surface and Substance
Atom/Wave convergence
Capturing light image and material properties
Touching Light/Tracking Light
Pictorial space, the images appear in depth but remain on the unified flat surface of the computer screen.
Interlocking Planes
Mirroring of Form
Approach: Texts on the CG Modelling in Visual Effects in contemporary Animation and Craft Theory will reveal the current topics of discourse in both fields. Focusing on alignment and difference can reveal aspects of both that will be the starting point of the iterative cycle.
This approach identified live debates around the issues of Labour, Value and Humanism,issues of hybridisation in production processes and the human-computer interface in CGI Animation practice. I came to question initially, What is the material of the virtual and how can it be handled?
I am interested in is how CG Modelling of Virtual Material and Craft Materiality can be aligned by their formal qualities and how we may think this in terms of convergence. I use the term Virtual Craft for this convergent approach.
I am interested in how the practitioner currently interfaces with the cgi software and how this is informed by the current discourse in 3D digital practices in contemporary Animation. What are the tensions, What is the discourse dominant and what are the issues/problems?
I begin to question the totality of the virtual modelling argument. Is CGI complete in its evolution? Is it a tool of excellence that can do anything, and if it can't do it now it will do in the future.
I began making short experiments in the packaged industrial software, Adobe 3D Max and arranged to work concurrently in Material Crafts practices in which I engage with simple materials and processes, initially the making of Paper.
In the previous reflexive blog I was beginning to question if there is a problem of 'virtual material' handling from the position of the practitioner. Is there an issue, and can these two extremes of practice be converged through a new model of thinking about them?
Can this be answered by the development of a new theory of virtual craft and virtual material processes.
I will now record the working process as it evolved in the re-engagement with CGI technology.
After tracking back the practice evolution I chose a specific model taken from initial tuition in CG modelling.
I begin in considering the essence of virtual modelling, What is the virtual material and how is it handled?, by applying the approach that typifies the 'workmanship of risk', to record the intervention by the software programmers intention and isolate the materiality of the form.
I begin by documenting the simple incremental changes that track the research interrogation as a process of evolution. (The iterative method of research)As Critical practice... 'What if I do this? and then proceed in making a small incremental changes to the experiment, leading to 'How does this answer the initial question?'Are there further questions raised? Can these be researched in practice or Theory?
CGI film experiments
The Tree model chosen for the initial experiment has it's roots in practice. This model takes as it's starting point an actual woven wire tree translated in CGI technology.
What is the wire mesh and how what are it's formal qualities?
The mesh is invisible in the final production of the artefact unless the option is made to render as a wireframe or rendered using mapping. This is illustrated by a model that is partly rendered as a wire-frame and partly as a mapped surface.
How can the surface be made visual in the final film? The object will need to be lit by virtual lighting. This automatically renders the surface as a three dimensional object.
The object can be rendered as a 2 dimensional form by opting to remove surface shading.
Is the surface solid ? can it be passed through? What can be seen behind the surface?
Tracking the Camera move through the object
Result: The GLITCH
What is a GLITCH ?
Light and Translucency Surface
The issue of placing a translucent object in a translucent object
Final Render: Translucent render (HD) (Click to go to film experiment)
Light Ray Rendering Illustration
The program automatically deletes the glitch from the exported film.
3D Max exported film (Click to go to film experiment)
Stop-Frame animation post-production on Adobe Premier (Click to go to film experiment)
The trace
Final Film (In production)
(Featuring The Glitch, Undo, Light Rendering, The Trace and sound)
How can this converge with material craft thinking?
Conduct a Literature search on Craft Theory
Collaborate with Craft Theorist (The Textiles research Group)
Paper: Experiments in material crafts processes
Form, Texture and Light revealed in Lighting structure of natural materials
The Making of Material Form.
Paper and CGI convergence: Experiments in Hybrid 'virtual-craft' thinking
Projection, Light and convergence of materials.
Surface and Substance
Atom/Wave convergence
Capturing light image and material properties
Touching Light/Tracking Light
Pictorial space, the images appear in depth but remain on the unified flat surface of the computer screen.
Interlocking Planes
Mirroring of Form
