Saturday, October 26, 2013

Week 2: Reflection

The variety of programs used in this course and especially in this second project will be beneficial in future activities perhaps in animation or a similar virtual set design type of assignment. Software used is interesting and I didn't know work could be integrated across various programs. I think this will be helpful in other courses that have a heavy influence on computing and using different software. This course allows a lot of self-direction which gives space for creativity and individual approaches.

Week 2: 3 Materials

Choose three materials and do some research on their properties, i.e. the process of making each material, how long they will last, what makes them corrode, structural pros and cons, what these materials are typically used for, environmental impacts.

CONCRETE

Concrete is a mixture of two components: aggregate and paste.
Aggregates: sand and various sizes of gravel and crushed stone. Fine aggregate: 5mm or less. Course aggregate: up to 40mm.
Paste: limestone + clay + gypsum + various other chemicals and minerals = cement. These materials are crushed, mixed in appropriate proportions, burned and ground. Resulting mixture is combined with water where a chemical process called hydration takes place, and the resulting paste dries into a solid stone-like mass.
Cement, water and aggregate measurements have a huge influence on concrete's strength, permeability and durability.
Lifespan: depends on iron and steel bar reinforcement inside. When air, moisture, and chemicals seep into reinforced concrete, the bar rusts, expanding in diameter four or five-fold, which destroys the surrounding concrete. Usually 70-80 years.
Pros: economical when ingredients are readily available, long life, low maintenance requirements, unlikely to rot, corrode, or decay, molded or cast into any shape, non-combustible material, withstand high temperatures, resistant to wind, water, rodents, and insects, often used for storm shelters
Cons: low tensile strength, low ductility, low strength-to-weight ratio, susceptible to cracking
Decay: harsh weather, decay of connected materials (eg steel), physical destruction


GLASS

Primary ingredient: silica/quartz sand without iron impurities as the iron will cause the glass to appear greenish when present.
Other ingredients: sodium carbonate, calcium oxide, magnesium/aluminium oxides. Sodium carbonate lowers temperature necessary to make glass commercially. However, it permits water to pass through the glass, so calcium oxide, is added to counter this. Magnesium/aluminium oxides may be added to make glass more durable. These make approximately 30% of ingredients.
Chemicals: chemicals can be added to produce desired colours. Iron/copper oxide can be added to create a green effect. Sulfur compounds create yellow, orange, brown or black effect, depending on how much carbon or iron is included.
Mixture is melted into liquid. Commercial silica is melted in a gas-fired furnace. Without additives becomes glass at a temperature of 2300 degrees Celsius. Sodium carbonate lowers required temperature to 1500 degrees Celsius. Stir mixture to make it even and get rid of bubbles.
Molten glass is poured into a bath of molten tin for support and blasted with pressurized nitrogen to shape and polish it. This is how glass panes are made.
Annealing: heat treat glass to strengthen and remove stress points that formed during cooling. Then the glass is treated to improve strength and durability.
Glass lifespan: approximately 40 years
Decay: harsh weather, erosion, physical destruction

MARBLE

Large cubes of marbles are extracted from the ground.
Piece is loaded on platform supported by hydraulic lifts that lift marble into steel saw blades slicing from above.
Slab is placed face down and diamond-encrusted abrasive pads grind the surface to smooth the material. It is then sprayed with epoxy sealer and left for 48 hours. This is then repeated on the other side of the material.

Decay: chemical reactions (weather), physical destruction

Week 2: Specular and Bumps Maps Progress


Week 2: Specular and Bump Maps

Specular and bump maps applied to geometry in CryEngine 3 using Photoshop and CrazyBump

Marble:


Brick:


Concrete:


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Exp2 Week 1: Reflection

Investigating into materials is interesting and will help with learning how things will break or decay over time. It makes me think much more about building materials as well as other synthetic things people own and how long they'll  last after all the humans are gone. Are they going to be used as part of animals' homes or somehow become part of nature overtime if plants are exposed to radiation since the humans that store it are no longer there to maintain it?

Exp2 Week 1: House Research

House at Bordeaux

- concrete shell
- the middle living area is a glass room which takes up half the level is out in the open.The entire room is an elevator platform which rises and lowers to other levels of the house; changing plan when it stops on one of the floors. Single wall intersects each level, next to the elevator.
- the lower level which is cavern level below ground is sheltered from most light during the day
- the top level controls light through the 'portholes' carved into the concrete walls on each side. The large porthole at the end of the house can be opened.

Barcelona Pavilion

continuous space
- the entire building on travertine plinth
- U-shape walls on both ends of building, also travertine, forms pools on both ends of house
- floor slabs project over the pool
- the roof plates are relatively small, supported by cruciform columns covered in chrome
- plates of high-grade stone materials like veneers of marble and golden onyx, tinted glass of grey, green, white, and transparent, act as spatial dividers
- structural system: steel frame

Rudin House

- parallel piped reinforced concrete floating on a tray supported by thin pillars
- large windows that open outward, only other access is under the house
- large deck angle, eaves and gutters disappear and rain water slides on concrete until pond located in the tray
- symmetrical lengthwise
- the house stands on a tray of thin concrete

Exp2 Week 1: Exporting from 3ds Max

Post an image of the resulting exported objects in CryEngine to your blog

Export 1:



Have another go at the 3ds Max 2012 to CryENGINE3 export process and post an image of the exported objects in CryEngine to your blog.

Export 2:


Sunday, October 13, 2013

Week 5: Subliminal Reflection

Subliminal is very interesting and I think research into how subliminal messages and images actually affect someone's mind would be fascinating. Trying to make sound clips or videos with subliminal messages could be interesting and then surveys with specified questions as to what they thought of the piece, then analysing the results to see if there were any strange correlations between the answers.

Week 5: Subliminal

Describe your strategy for the concealing and the revealing of your letter/number combination, to be embedded into your island.

Letter: G
Number: 3

Three made of grass:


Three outlined by rocks:


G made of bamboo trees:


 Three G's island shape:


Three trees and the middle one has a 3 shape:


Strategy for numbers and letters are to move around the 3G island during the video and exit showing it, the 3 made of grass will be shown briefly in transition in the video, 3 outlined by rocks will be partially shown in darker light, the G made of bamboo trees will only be partially shown when descending upon the trees, and the three trees are also shown briefly in transition of the video.

Week 4: Sublime Reflection

I like the sublime concept much more than the picturesque because the dramatic flair appeals to me. It's fascinating that adding some natural elements to a scene can instantly make it look much more dynamic and unique. While the picturesque scenes are simpler, sublime has so many things happening in one image and even though many artworks are quite dark there still feels like there are a lot of colours and shades being utilised. I feel like sublime instances are capturing a frame of time in between two important occurrences or just before one. I would like to incorporate this concept into my final video.

Week 4: Sublime Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dvvCTXN4T8

Week 4: Sublime

1 Before:

1 After:


2 Reference: Friedrich David Caspar- Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog


2 Before:


2 After:


3 Reference: JMW Turner- Fishermen at Sea


3 Before:


 3 After:


Week 4: Sublime

James Ward
Gordale Scar


Week 3: Reflection

I've noticed picturesque landscapes are really empty, and even though there's meant to be a feeling of tranquility a lot of illustrations seem very eerie and look like they could be part of a synthetic abstract horror/psychological thriller movie. I think with proper music, a picturesque themed animation could be produced to be quite haunting and interesting.

Week 3 Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRmCBhhXKGI