Surface
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 29.11.07While Vectorform hasn’t done a lot of broadcast-style work in the past (beyond corporate videos and training pieces), with a freshly burgeoning motion graphics department we’re looking to expand our clientele. Project one; prove we can do it!
Since the programmers have been working on various Microsoft Silverlight demos to be posted online, it seemed appropriate to work on a short clip that would help showcase the latest online video player. The Microsoft Surface, if you haven’t heard about it, is a table computer featuring a multi-touch input system and programming structure running on top of Windows. It’s touted as the next wave of computing… and while IBM actually developed this “new” technology in the 1980’s, it does look pretty cool (well, for commercial applications, I guess).
It was decided that we’d illustrate one of the more abstract elements of the user experience… Taking the multi-touch water application, it was expanded into an immersive environment the user could feel they were a part of, emphasizing the serenity instead of the frenetic environment of the bars and point of purchase displays the table will be marketed for. Aaron worked on developing a storyboard and script, from which the motion graphics team broke off to work in separate pieces. With my background in VFX, I got to do the water-based environment.
Since the main character and table were being rendered in a half-realistic style out of Maya, we quickly ran into trouble trying to find any photographic plates that could be used as backdrops. That left me to do a purely CG environment that would dance between realism and the mix of hyper-realism / toon shading found in the Maya renders.
The environment was also a curious challenge because we wouldn’t have any final camera moves from the character animation until the very end. I needed to create a setup that would allow for maximum editing, close integration with After Effects for particulate effects, and fast render turnaround so we could be making the necessary camera changes late in the game.
The cliffs were modeled as basic subpatch primitives in Lightwave, with the jagged rocky shapes created with displaced geometry and nodal texturing and procedurals. The stones near the foreground were randomly generated by Maya and imported into Lightwave as low-res .obj files, and the trees were all created using the Lightwave plugin TreeDesigner. Leaves were added using another Lightwave plugin, and all texturing was designed in the nodal texturing system. Textures were kept fairly simple, save for the diffuse gradations designed for the high-contrast / semi-toon shade render style.
Once I had the basic environment set up in Lightwave, I rendered out layers based on distance from the camera. This was edited further in Photoshop to prep for a 2.5D scene in After Effects; each separate 2D layer could move in 3D perspective, without the render overhead of rendering each rocky surface, branch, and leaf. This also allowed me to composite in 3D particle systems (Trapcode’s Particular was used for all of the falling water and mist) with correct layering of the cliff walls. The reflections were handled the same way, with various distortions and textural effects layered on top of the inverted layers to give the impression of water. Using After Effects 32bpc colour space and recursive additive layers, I was able to generate a brighter-than-white backdrop that would bleed through the foreground elements using many blurred effect layers. By the end it was a good 5 hour render out of After Effects just for a quick 5-10 second animation!
The Microsoft Surface table and character modeling, texturing, lighting, mocap, and Maya rendering were handled by Adrian; the fish were illustrated and animated by Aaron, with final compositing a group effort by all of us. The birds were a last minute addition using Lightwave’s particle system and a simple bird model and a looping wing animation. I worked for a day or two on an entirely procedural animation system that would drive flapping based on flight path characteristics. Unfortunately, it proved to be too much for the Lightwave system, and had to be abandoned for a simpler motion setup.
You can see the full video on the Vectorform Silverlight demo page! (unfortunately you’ll have to download and install Silverlight first)
Oh, Papa John! It was utterly delightful to see you at Christmas for the first time maybe ever. And I’m looking forward to next weekend, as well! However— and it pains my heart to voice such discontentment— my great joy has been nearly consumed by fury because of the yuletide neglect which has undermined your blog. I eagerly wait for hours on end—thanks to this distressing dial-up internet— for your stupid page to load, and then… NOTHING! Nothing at all is new under the sun! Why do you provoke your family to such wrath? Please, be reasonable. And… would you mind wiring me my New Year’s money? 
Love you mucho mucho mucho.
mediaboxAdvanced
Looks good!