"Grow" Second Model Development

So I've decided to start a new family of models based on the Golden Ratio, as I thought I had gone as far as I could making objects directly using the Fibonacci Spiral. Whilst I think the patterns have a certain attraction to them I was interested to see what other kinds of objects I could make.

When I looked again at my precedents I found that the Fibonacci Spiral was not the only utility of the Golden Ratio, and I wanted to explore and reproduce some different occurrences of it.

As you can see in the fractal algorithm above there is a Fibonacci Spiral, but along the line that the spiral makes are other examples of the Golden Ratio. The circles that go inside other circles decrease (or increase) at a rate directly proportional to the Golden Ratio. I made some sketches of this earlier, and I wanted to see what models I could generate from this idea. 

I decided that I would make a nest of loops in a similar pattern, and thought that if I was going to make a loop, I might as well make it a cool one. Above is a Mobius Strip that I made in Solidworks, and is a three-dimensional object that only has one side. I like the physical and philosophical connotations this object has, and I thought it would make for a beautiful object if done right.

This is a nest of Mobius Strips mimicking the Golden Ratio. A lot of the models below are modified versions of this model. I also attempted to make a gyroscope out of these strips, but because the Mobius Strips don't have perpendicular faces it was near impossible to make the right connections for it to function.

"Grow" First Model Development

Some development images from my first family of models

This is an extrusion of the Fibonacci Sequence which I imported from Solidworks, after making the curve from scratch using the algorithm of squares. I felt that all my models would have a greater authenticity and would look more natural by directly using this shape. Below are some patterns I made by tessellating this shape in different ways.

 I wanted to use these patterns by either making a shape directly from them, or by etching it into whatever model I end up with so that it carries inherent markings of the model's origins.

I like the ball made from the spirals as it forms an interesting shape which I think could look really good close up and in photographs when lit so that the shadows would be prominent. The box is interesting too, though I think that it's hard to see the patterns as they're effectively stacked up on each other no matter where you look at it from. I think that by putting something solid in the middle it would look much better, though I'm wondering what solid shape could be made using the Golden Rule that would also look good inside this cube.

Pattern Sketches

From looking at the patterns of the precedent images in the previous post, I found that most could be reduced to very simple geometric patterns, and often utilising the fundamental "Golden Rule".

A spiral using the Golden Rule

 Here I played with the Golden Rule quite literally, taking the very basic spiral that uses the formula a+b/a  =  a/b  = 1.61803, and turned in into a spring looking object that expands both in length and in width at a rate adherent to the Golden Rule. I think I should be able to use such a formula more easily in 3DS Max where I can scale objects by directly inserting this number.

 Here is a very basic pattern I drew of a mobius strip, showing the underlying concept in it's simplest of forms. My intention is to take this basic pattern and mess with it such that the pattern is still there, though it would be transformed into a shape much less recognisable than this.

Here is yet another example of the Golden Rule, this time using circles. I hope to use this pattern to tessellate my forms using both the scale and position seen here, though I may opt to rotate one of the circles in an interesting way. I'm quite fond of this pattern and it looks both like the magnetic centres on each pole of a magnet, and the eyes of Kaa the snake from The Jungle Book. Either way, I think this would have a cool effect on the transformations of my models.

Material Precedents for DSDN104 "Grow"

I investigated the different capabilities of modelling using a 3D prototyping machine and it's limitations, and so far as I've seen the objects that can come out of such machines would be extraordinarily tricky to make in any other way. Take a look at these for instance:

So as far as limitations go.... I don't think there really are many limitations! Well, not so far anyway. I'm going to crack right into making some 3D forms and see if there are problems later. I also had a look at some textures that I could use for my models in 3DS Max, and come out with a mixture of natural and fractal images I'm willing to try:

Precedents for 104 "Grow"

Here are my precedent images for my DSDN104 project "Grow". I decided to investigate some naturally occurring patterns and found that most of the underlying patterns had an adherence to The Golden Rule in one way or another. I was also curious about fractal images and found that there were many images to adhered to both the natural "Golden Rule" and the computational rules used to create the fractal images.

A fractal image showing the Golden Rule

A chameleon's tail showing the Golden Ratio

A shell showing the Golden Ratio

A natural occurence of the Golden Ratio

A staircase modelled after the Golden Ratio

A shell showing the Golden Ratio

I also had an interest in the concept of a Mobius Strip and the connotations it has in physics and philosophy, and the interesting shapes that have been made using this concept

A 3-strand Mobius Strip

A table showing the mobius strip using bent wood

A torus knot

Project 2 Shoot 1

Here are the images from the first shoot for DSDN144 Project 2 - Time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liamgilbertsondesign/sets/72157631741711550

So far I have only composed one of the sets of images into a final composition, though it was enough to show me the general aesthetic of the kind of composition I have attempted to make. I found that the image painted on the canvas did not show enough of a progression through the painting from start to finish, and was not particularly interesting as a composition on it's own which I thought was because the painting did not have enough layers to mix together. I did find however that the progression of time was evident in the surroundings of the painting, with the movement of the artist and the paint on the palette. I want to do another shoot that includes both this progression of time with the artist and their tools, and also a painting that has more layers.

Final Re-render and Photograph

Here is the final Re-render for my 3DS Max Model for DSDN104 Project 2:

And here is the photograph of my final acrylic model:

DSDN144 Project 2 Precedents

Here are a couple of time lapse videos I found that look like good examples of the process I want to use for my shoots. Bear in mind that my intention is not to create a time-lapse video per se but simply to follow the process of making one and superimpose all of the frames shot into one image.

This is a time-lapse of a Colorado artist Jeff Jagunich, who does a lot of these kind of videos for his illustrations and paintings. This is the right idea for the techniques that I want to use, although I imagine I'll have to set both the camera and the canvas up as stationary, otherwise the final image will just be a blur. I do think that the type of image he is drawing would work really well because of all the colours - through the blending I would do in photoshop the colours will hopefully mix together so that the image would look different from the final product.

Another video of an artist drawing for a time-lapse, this time by Alex Young. This would be an interesting composition to see done with the technique I intend to use, as I think it would show the progression from start to finish very well with the opacity of the lines drawn toward the end. I do really want to add a lot of colour to the pictures though, as I think they would make for a better photo.

I added this video because i think that it would work really well if all the frames for the video were superimposed down to one image, as you could see the movement of both the stars and the camera, and the blending of dawn, night, and dusk all together. I am interested to see what it might look like if I choose to make the camera move at a steady rate throughout the composition.

Test Re-render

Here is a test render of my model in 3DS Max

I tried to replicate the photo that I've decided upon for my final, though I feel this is a really weak image and is so much more deserving of some nice textures and effects. Whilst the simplicity and contrast works in the photo I've taken, here it just looks underworked and plain. It does look strikingly similar though!

Re-rendering 3DS Max Model

I decided that I thought in all the photos in the previous post my model appeared to me as a vessel of some kind - like a ship in a vast ocean of a spaceship of some kind. I liked the spaceship idea because a lot of my model looks kind of alien, and it worked with the 3 words used to shape it. So I chose to re-render my model into a space scene! Here are some images of the process of re-rendering, you may even get a sneak preview of what it is to look like....

Lens Flare Effects! YUSS!

Acrylic Photoshoot

Here are some of the images that came from my first photoshoot of my acrylic model:

These are all without photoshopping, as I intend to take the images that I think work the best and do a second photoshoot and push my favourites that little bit further.