Reality 2.0
I've noticed a common theme in my own personal research, I'm always looking and analyzing what beauty is, the perception of it. What makes something interesting and attractive to look at, and just as importantly how to then recreate or better these effects in CG.
I've centered my thought's a few key things, physical dynamic natural phenomena like fluids, particles. The natural beauty in fractal/patterns. And the natural beauty of light/color.
And when I say centered... this is still going to be messy, a scrapbook of every changing ideas and goals, a brain dump or ideas and theories, a massive mashup of hundreds of principles
This is where I'll be collecting information and examples I've gathered on:
volumetric particle simulation (gaseous, flame, fluids, cloth, softbodies, rigidbodies)
generative systems and forces that shape the creation of and/or existence of objects (lsystems, fractal, lorenz attractors) with forces (gravity, magnetic)
math art, and tools for creating such art in polygonal or volumetric/particle form
intelligent particles (flocking, clustering, swarming, dodging, form into structures, combustion, electricity)
naturally occurring effects like lightning, auroras, nebulas, fluids/flame
rendering and manipulating volumetric objects / voxels / sub surface scattering (rubber blending into clear glass, red and blue fluid mixing, candles made from multiple colors of wax, etc)
simulating camera/eye optical effects and response (lens flares, depth of field, motion blur, lens effects/diffraction, bokeh, chromatic aberration, tonemapping/filmresponse)
sculpting with light or other interesting materials
My goal is to create photorealistic renders and animation's with the primary goal of being beautiful in a natural looking way, yet do things that are either impossible or highly uncommon in day to day life. Mimicking how natural light and human vision works is key to this. To better understand what in our perception makes something beautiful. Rainbows, Diamonds, The rise of the sun, ink mixing in water, Nebulas are all things I hope we can ALL agree are perceived as very beautiful. To take the principles and reasons behind what makes those things appear beautiful and apply it to new things, things that do not exist in reality, yet behave and look 'realistic'
This collection is going to start off with examples in reality or found examples created by others, and then hopefully! followed up by my creative re-interpreations and or simulated attempts at re-creating the effects. Culminating in the creation of unique abstract art leveraging the learned principles and tools.
I have no doubt a lot of what I'm trying to do is either impossible right now, or highly computationally expensive putting it beyond my capability. There's also the fact that some things require a high proficiency in programming and specialized tools leveraging high level math and formulas... and I'm an artist first, I suck at math... so this could be challenging!
The majority of things I'm trying to do, when I have seen similar things done in film/commercials... I've found typically required specially written in house software... which is annoying and disconcerting. I'm looking to the application Houdini and hoping it can, even with my artistic brain, perform some magic for me!
My interest is not in recreating reality, I want to better it!
Genius:
Link: physbam.stanford.edu --- fedkiw
Link: schloerb.com
Volumetric light in the real world TM
Nebulas... light art on a rather large scale
Subtle details in light and reality can make a simple thing beautiful.
Link: www.colourlovers.com --- bending-light-color-with-alan-jaras
Ink swirling around, inverted and then colored. Can't remember where I got this from
More ink swirleyness
Try rendering that for real... I don't know of anything that can do that volumetrically yet
Link: www.indigorenderer.com
Caustics
Link: flickr.com --- sizes
-- Examples --
Link: helios.mine.nu --- Inspiration
Link: helios.mine.nu --- Math Art
Here are some examples of Math Art and some links on the matter:
Link: www.bathsheba.com
Link: www.evolution-of-genius.de
-- Tools --
Finally!! found a program for creating math type art, this is awesome!
I've been looking for a program like this for years now, and it runs on Mac... woo! and is free!!! double woo!
Link: www.topmod3d.org
is a free, open source, portable, platform independent topological mesh modeling system that allows users to create high genus 2-manifold meshes.
Just did the following with Topmod3d playing about:
Link: paraclouding.com --- home
Link: www.remotion4d.net
Link: 3d-xplormath.org
Works on Mac and PC, has 3D export too in the Java version
Link: leofink.de --- gaston
Mac only right now, no 3D export, but It's fun and realtime:
Link: projects.gandreas.com --- quadriumflame
Has all kinds of free brushes you can download:
Link: Qbrushes.com
So you too can follow everyone else in style and substance for that not YET dated 21st century style
You too then can paint with light!
Below was achieved using special magical powers... well, not really, go learn about 32bit, then go play with 32bit in Photoshop and think in terms of light and wavelengths instead of that old fangled 256 levels of RGB your brain has been likely used to for so long... so 19th century.
Polished an old piece, still needs more to it, but this will do for now.
And before:
And before:
