Month: March 2022

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Thesis Draft

The application and creation of lighting montages in 3D animation

Research objectives

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the application of continuous light and shadow in 3D animation design. The use of light and shadow is essential in people’s 3D animation creation, and most of the current research tends to focus on the role of light and shadow in static images while lacking attention to light and shadow changes and contrast effects in continuous images. Based on the theory of camera succession (successive contrast means: “The human eye’s perception and evaluation of a specific light or darkness are often changed by the stimulus of the previous picture. For example, a brighter picture appears brighter after a darker picture.”) (Xu et al., 2005) In my research, I hope to fully recognise and understand the changing visual representation of light and shadow and its laws and to explore the application of light and shadow representation in continuous images and changes in light and shadow in the same shot in contemporary 3D animation design, which I refer to as light and shadow montage.

Scope and context of the study


The objectives of the project are divided into three main areas (1) to investigate the visual metaphors and design ideas of continuously changing light and shadow in 3D animation based on the best contemporary 3D animated films and shorts, and to fully understand the applicable rules of both; (2) to analyse and evaluate the potential of future applications of light and shadow in animation with illustrative examples. (3) Based on the first two parts, conceptualise and create a work with an in-depth interpretation that provides new ideas for the application of light and shadow in animation design. The aim is to turn continuous light and shadow into a new aesthetic idea in 3D animation by analysing and evaluating the potential of its application and expression in animation design.
As one of the key elements of artistic expression in film and television, light and shadow is a highly expressive artistic language. In contemporary animated video works, the scope of light should not be limited to showing the time and space where the story takes place, shaping the character’s personality, and enriching the structural layers of the picture (Katatikarn and Tanzillo, 2016), but should also be richer in visual metaphors and aesthetic expressions. The aesthetic fatigue brought about by traditional forms of artistic expression has forced artists to seek new ways of expression in order to break out of the confines of tradition from a new perspective, and the constant iteration of 3D software has provided the conditions for the construction of continuously changing light and shadow in animation. Light and shadow are not only widely used in film and television but are also increasingly valued in other fields for their unique advantages. The effects of light and shadow are diverse and have unique artistic effects in animation design, which can bring different visual effects and convey different aesthetic ideas and perceptions (Cao, 2015). Through the study of light and shadow elements, the visual effect of continuously changing light and shadow is applied in animation design, so that light and shadow can form a unique visual language and significantly improve the expressive power of animation art. The continuous progress of technology, it makes light and shadow in animation design more creative and possible, providing new vitality for the future development of 3D animation as well as VR.

References List:

Kataikarn, J. & Tanzillo, M. (2016). Lighting for Animation: The Art of Visual Storytelling, New York: Routledge, pp. 13-265.

Cao, Y. (2015) ‘ An analysis of the application of colour in animated films ‘, Art Education Research, 18(9), pp. 77-79.

Xu, N, M., Fu, L., Cui, J, Y., (1986) Film Art Dictionary. Reprint. Beijing: China Film Press, 2005.

Lanier, L. (2018). Aesthetic 3D Lighting: History, Theory, and Application. Routledge.

Li, S. (2022). Visual Communication of Light in 3D Film and Television Animation. In International Conference on Cognitive based Information Processing and Applications (CIPA 2021) (pp. 79-85). Springer, Singapore.

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Week10_Rendering and Project Reflection

This week we’ve been working on rendering and compositing. My task was to set up the camera in the base scene we had created and match it with the camera we had shot. I did this by putting in two standard models of similar proportions to our actors, then importing a frame into the camera and matching it so that we could match the footage we had shot relatively accurately.
If it’s a pure effect shot, I use Maya’s playblast to shoot the screen first and then give the director confirmation of the motion picture before rendering the start and end frames, which minimises rendering time.

The Last Ai

Video link:

Reflection:

Overall, I think our project was very good, despite the many difficulties encountered during the production process. The biggest challenge for me was working with the director. Filmmaking and animation are completely different workflows. During the filmmaking, the director can shoot a lot of material for post-production editing, but not animation, where you have to do all the pre-production work and decide on every shot before you start. As none of us had any experience of making special effects films, we did a lot of useless work, including reworking scenes and key shots. With this experience, I will make sure to prepare well in advance for future projects. Secondly, I also found a serious problem in the final rendering process, which is the naming of the shots, as in a film project a shot is named as a unit, which may be used several times in the finished film. However, in an animation project, we name the shots as a unit according to the one shot of the finished film. This leads to confusion in the files, but it’s a good thing we didn’t have too many shots for this project, otherwise, it would have caused a lot of trouble.
I feel a sense of achievement when I finish a project and see the finished product. Maybe that’s why I chose animation as my major, to keep the love of it alive through the process of trial and error.

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Week09_Rendering and Compositing

This week I found that I had missed a couple of important effects shots, one of Noma dismantling itself, one of the arm falling off and one of Steven dropping the remote control.
I downloaded the Noma robot model from the internet and I made a few modifications according to the image of our actor to make the Noma robot look as realistic as possible, and secondly, I created the mapping for the model, as well as creating the bones and binding them mechanically. After the preparations were complete, I created a movement of noma dismantling her own arm, which I did mainly from my own imagination and by having the actor noma do a similar move during the shoot on location on the 10th.

I exported the model to C4D and used C4D’s rigid body effects to complete it, then exported it back to Maya in ABC format for rendering, C4D’s rigid body effects are more realistic than Maya’s, and Maya always wears out the mould during production, so I simply switched to another software for production.


I also intended to use a rigid body to make the remote control fall, because it was simpler and more realistic, but after I finished the simulation, I found that the action of the remote control fall was not good, so I had to set the keyframe manually to complete the way.

Rendering will continue next week.

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Week08_Lighting and Scene Optimization&Rendering Tests

This week I have continued to optimise the base scenes by changing the vertical lighting to horizontal and optimising the glass display cases by adding some dirty stains to the glass.

I then put this background into the Mengyang keying sequence, and the composite is as follows.

This week I also finished the last shot of the project, it was based on the opening shot, the director wanted the big robot to have a shattering effect at the end, I put the model into c4D for the effects and then imported it into Maya for the mapping render.

Most of the scenes have been created and the next stage is rendering and compositing, the finished film is just around the corner.

This week I made some optimizations for the bottle project, making a hand for the bottle and holding it, and a small scene with high quality render. After that, they did some text effects in PS and made some optimizations.

The final result is as follows.