Creating Stereoscopic 3D Images

Flowers Red/Cyan

 Tower Hall Red/Cyan

The Train is Late Red/Cyan

Recreating Cameras and Lights in Maya

Photo

Maya

Angle Shot

Extra Credit: Lighting a Scene in Maya

 One Point Lighting

 Two Point Lighting

Three Point Lighting

Building a Scene in Maya

My first two term paper scores were 95 and 80; I will not be writing a third term paper

Outline for the Third Term Paper

I.Intro
-I will explore the use of human made substitutions for animals and characters, such as with animatronics and CGI.
-the two films i will explore for this are Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Jurassic Park 3
-I will focus on the AT-AT and the Spinosaurus

II. Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back
-Uses stop motion, when they originally planned robotics
-Uses a multitude of different sized models for different shots
   -large 50 centimeter walkers for closeups down to simple cut outs for back ground walkers in the distance
-Matte paintings where used for backgrounds along with baking soda snow
-They wanted to produce a "staccato" like feel, to fit the mechanical nature of the war machine
-They succeeded, to an extent, in making the scenes believable, especially since they regularly mixed these scenes with models with those of life sized sets featuring different parts of the AT-ATs body.

III. Jurassic Park 3
-Uses animatronics to make its creatures move.
-Uses Hydraulics and a steel track for movement
-Completely remote controlled
-The machine, moldings, maquettes and all where life sized
-To this day i believe that Jurassic Park has successful mastered the art of creating realistic creatures in film, surpassing CGI and stop motion models.

IV. Conclusion
-These two films went two different routes when creating large beasts for their films, animatronics and stop motion with models.
-Stop motion allowed fro work to begin as soon as they received the models, but the animation was slow and tedious, producing 5 seconds a day.
-Animatronics produce a mechanical actor to perform, but takes an entire year to produce the working machine.
-Both also have completely different budgets, stop motion being relatively cheap, and animatronics being incredibly expensive.

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/animatronic1.htm
http://mentalfloss.com/article/54235/animating-walkers-star-wars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_(Star_Wars)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIlYk7KQe-s

Stop-Motion Character Animation

Creating this animation took more thought than actual shooting and re-shooting, mostly because I had no idea how to even begin the project. First of all, I wanted to do something different than to what I have done, since i feel that trying out new forms of stop motion would be more beneficial then doing what I know. Secondly, I have NO idea how to do stop motion properly, from shooting things in mid air, to having things in an exact position that i would want, I dont understand the process so to speak. Ultimately, i decided to start small, by using a simple shape, that shape being a lemon, and seeing if i can control its position and movement. It was simple enough, except that i realized I had more establishing shots than I did animation, and it turned out to be more of a story board and camera test than a stop motion one. As for the animation itself, I used a camera on a tripod (which I had just recently acquired for this assignment) a lemon with kneaded eraser to stick it in place, a plate, utensils, and a small but reflective knife. Everything was shot in a straightforward manner, Sometimes requiring a re-shoot if something seemed out of place or if I didn't like how the segment looked. I prefer re-shooting an entire section rather than simply trying to replicate the frames that I saw where inadequate. An instance being when the lemon rolls away, it didnt seem like it was following a bath properly, and it seemed to wobble to irradicaly rather than moving on a smooth path. I had also music in the concept, but due to recent assignments in Ani114, where music was forbidden and action/framing was emphasized for emotion or mood, I decided to see if I can make those work for me.

Science Fact or Cinematic Fiction

We all understand physics, and whether or not we understand the mathematics and science behind it all, we all have a natural knowledge of how things behave in the world we observe. Entertainment media, such as films and television shows, are known for pushing what is physical possible to create fantastical scenes and situations, and while these things are naturally jarring to us as humans with an understanding of physics, our lack of understanding behind the actual laws allows us to have some suspension of disbelief. One of these laws that is often broken is Newton Third Law, which dictates that every action has a reaction, that is of equal magnitude as the action itself but in the opposite direction. I have found three shows and movies that have been guilty of disobeying Newtons third law, defying the concept of action with reaction, in some way or another.

Dragon Ball Z

One television show in particular that is violating this principle of physics is the japanese animated cartoon “Dragon Ball Z”. In this show, the heroes are a group of saiyans, aliens with incredible super powers, and their ridiculous powers are tested by the constant arrival of super villains who are more or equally powerful. In this show, the average character weighs below 200lbs, has the physical strength to move mountains, but when one character is considered stronger than the other, the other character can not move him or hit hard enough to provoke a reaction.

In one episode, Goku is fighting the antagonist Freeza, a powerful and evil alien intent on enslaving the universe. During their fight, Freeza, while floating in the air, grabs Goku by the neck with his own tail, and manages to push him to the ground with his tail while remaining in place in mid air. It is important to note that Freeza has no wings or physical means to maintain flight outside of “hes so powerful, he just can”.

In another fight, Vageta, the other protagonist, blasts his opponent with a powerful beam that destroys the land, including an entire mountain that was nearby. Not only does this blast not push vageta back, the blast also fails to push his opponent or even harm him.

Hancock

In the superhero film “Hancock”, Will Smith, the superhero and protagonist, calmly goes out of his way to rescue a man in his vehicle who is stuck on the train tracks just as a train is headed his way. After Hancock/Will moves the vehicle our of the tracks, he realizes that he is seconds from being hit by the speeding Train head on, and instead of moving out of the way Will Smith braces himself to receive the impact. He remains unmoved by the incoming force and is also unscathed, as if he himself weighed more than the locomotive and emitted just as much force back at the train without actually physically pushing.

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

In the climax of this film, Aragorn, the king of Gondor, leads the remains of his army to draw out the armies of Mordor, an evil kingdom of beasts and demons. He does this to distract the forces and the eyes of the dark lord of Mordor, Sauron, so that his companions Frodo and Sam can traverse the dark lands to destroy the one ring in the fires of Mt. Doom. It is a hopeless fight, and while his army is engulfed by the ocean of orcs sent against them, a single, armoured, and gigantic Troll seeks out Aragorn to destroy him. The troll swings down on Aragon with a giant machete, and Aragon blocks it instantly, as if, for a split second, he had the strength and mass of a troll.

Conclusion

Newtons third law is a part of physics that all things must obey, but in entertainment, exaggerations are often taken, breaking the very laws of physics, to make some point. During the dragon ball scenes, where people are shown to resist reactionary force, we are made to feel that these characters have obtained a sort of unnatural power that has helped them transcend our own powers and understanding. Vageta is shown valiantly shooting his beam standing perfectly still against the reactionary force adding to his epicness, and in the opposite end we see his enemy, a seemingly simply enemy who in his absolute resistance to the incoming force paints him as some kind of “out of this world” power, capable of defying the power of our protagonist and not submitting to our understanding of physics.

In Hancock we see a hero, Will Smith, refuse to move out of the path of an incoming Train, and choosing to simply take the hit out of laziness to exert excessive force in jumping or running away. He could have been shown being launched far away, as he should have been, but the depiction of him absorbing that immense amount of force and the fact that he chose it as an easier thing to endure than moving a few steps away shows us that he is a truly amazing powerhouse that has not even tapped into his full potential for what ever reason he has to not care for it.

Aragorn, a king of men, has been fighting with the strength of an average man but with superior fighting technique, allowing him to contend with any enemy that opposes him. It is with the arrival of the large troll in the climax that shows us that he is truly in peril, because he couldn’t possibly have the power to compete, and showing him parrying a direct blow from the giant troll without showing any force exerted on him tells us that he has gained some kind of new strength now in the end of all things, where he could very well die.

These erroneous depictions of physics are done with intention, with the purpose of accentuating the heroism or the raw power that these characters have achieved, increasing our interest and excitement in the scenes. Lesson to take from this: laws are meant to be followed, unless you have good reason not to, dont break them because you are careless, but because you are taking care in the story telling.

Outline for the Second Term Paper

I. Intro
a. Action and Reaction: Newtons Third Law
b. All forces occur in pairs, where a force is applied a force applies back.

II.
a. Dragon Ball Z (cartoon)
b. Characters all weigh below 200lbs, have the strength to move mountains, but when one character is considered stronger than the other, the other character can not move him or hit hard enough to provoke a reaction.

III.
a. Hancock (film)
b. Will Smith, a superhero, is hit by a large speeding vehicle and remains unmoved and unscathed, as if he himself weighed more than the vehicles and his feet on the ground pushed him in place as hard.

IV.
a. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
b. Troll swings down on Aragon with a giant machete, and Aragon blocks it instantly, as if, for a split second, he had the strength and mass of a troll.

V. Conclusion

*Question to Garcia: Since two of these are superhero films, do we have to remain in the mindset that, as superheroes, they SHOULD be able to compensate with strength? I am confused on that one video concerning the soccer mom movie you showed us, and whether or not the characters lack of reaction are allowable through suspension of disbelief.

Reverse Video Reference

Clip A:

Clip B:

Clip C:

Clip D:

Stop Motion Animation of Falling

A little robot happy at his own accomplishments. History behind the story/design goes back to an Ani class with Annabel concerning stop motion and simple shapes.

The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe

 “Emperors New Groove” is a fantastic, 2D animated comedy from Disney Pictures. Produced in 2000, this traditionally animated film stars a mesoamerican emperor from ancient times who, in his arrogant and cocky ways angers his adviser who then turns him into a llama , and Kuzcos only hope to returning to his human form and his throne is with the help of a lowly llama herder all while learning what it means to be kind and considerate of others. This film is an oddball in Disneys repertoire, being primarily a lighthearted comedy without impromptu singing and story driven songs. This focus on comedy allowed the animators to push beyond the norm. Disneys animated movies then and now always have to have some form of tragedy and suspense, which meant that many scenes had to be brought down to earth, where characters moved and behaved realistically so we can all relate. The world is darker, realistic, and somber. With “Emperors New Groove”, the setting was absolutely colorful and bright, even at the lowest points of the story when death seemed to loom over, the threats where comedic and the suspense was not so much about whether or not a character was in danger, but what sillyness would it take to get out of the situation. Many scenes in the movie are packed with typical and established jokes and and slapstick that includes things breaking our known laws of Physics for comedic effect. What I have discovered watching this film is that it does these things so consistently, that it can very well be said that it never does break the laws of Physics but it in fact establishes its own.

Character Durability

One thing that the universe of Kuzco differs in comparison to our own is that the humans of the movies world are immortal, or to be more precise, they are incredibly durable in comparison to everything else around them. Early in the film there is a scene where Pacha and Kuzco fall off a bridge and end up dangling precariously from rope. Here, a swarm of scorpions crawl into Pachas back, and in a panic he begins to smash his back against the side of a cliff. Pacha strikes the rock face with such great force that the back of his head begins to chip away at the rock face and even cracks it while suffering no pain or damage what soever.

In another scene, Izma, who is the emperors adviser, is destroying stone busts of Kuzcos head. She hands the hammer to her assistant Kronk, but she does this by swinging the hammer up with the same force she has been using to crush the busts, and Kronk grabs hold of the handle of the hammer with his bare teeth. The momentum of the hammer should have ripped Kronks teeth if the managed to bite down on it as it swung up, and even if his teeth held in place the force should of tossed his head back.

Near the end of the film, Izma is turned ito a cat with a magic potion, and while that itself debatable on whether or not it can be done, while in her cat state she is smashed between a stone slab of a window cover and a rock wall. Enough force is applied to squish the cat flat and to cause cracking in the wall, but Izma suffers no physical damage outside of slight dizziness.

Gravity: its effects or lack there of

While in our universe gravity is a force that applies to us all, a gentle force pulling everything towards the center of the planet, but where our gravity is a constant force, the gravity of Kuzcos world is delayed to affect things in free fall, but after a quick second characters in free fall will hit terminal velocity instantly. When the journey begins for Kuzco and Pacha, they walk across a rickety bridge held only by weak ropes, and when the bridge inevitebly collapses right under their feet, both of these characters are left hanging in mid air without being pulled by gravity downward. It isnt until a couple of seconds later that the force of gravity affects them, pulling them down immediately into terminal velocity without the need of acceleration.

Later, while Izma and Kronk are in hot pursuit of the two protagonists, they take off in a makeshift flying contraption to reach across the now bridgeless ravine. Mid way through their flight, a lighting bolt strikes them, to which they immediately stop their forward motion (even though it should technically not affect their momentum), they hang in mid air without any force to push them forward or downward, and a few seconds later the worlds gravity finally takes its immediate effect and plunges down down the cliff at high speeds.

Near the end of the film, Kronk and Izma become enemies, and Izma opens a trap door right beneath Kronks feet, and just like every other instance of characters in free fall, Kronk hangs in mid air for several seconds before plummeting at terminal velocity downward. The odd thing about this law of physics in Kyzcos world is that it applies particularly to other characters in free fall, and not objects. An instance of this is when the cook at a restaurant quits due to the crazy demands from Kuzco for proper food, and as he packs his bag everything he throws into the bag fall slowly and at a constant rate.

Characters out of curves

While on the subject of gravity we can also look into how everything in motion also retains momentum and a path of action, but in this particular movie everything moves to different rules. In this case, things don’t follow such paths of action, they don't follow through with curves or even obey the concept of momentum. For example, near the end of the film, Izma (as a cat) leaps out off a ledge to grab onto a vile filled with some magical potion. While normally there would be a curved path of action as the cat falls on an arc, instead, Izma goes forth half way the arc, reaches the apex, and then stops all motion and while in midair she plummets to the floor at high speeds, again, at terminal velocity.

Earlier in the film, Kronk is offered a cookie, and instead of being handed the cookie it is tossed out in front of him. Kronk leaps out to grab the cookie with his mouth, and as he reaches the apex of the curve he stops mid air, ceasing all forward and downward motion, and after hanging there for a split second he plummets downward.

Another example of this happens when there is a group of royal guards who, under the command of Izma, attack Kuzco and Pacha when they are suddenly turned into animals with magic. This transformation occurs as the group is sprinting forward, and once the light clears and the transformation is complete, it shows them in mid air, motionless, without that forward motion or coming down from the lunge upward (due to their run requiring having both feet off the ground, for whatever reason). After being suspended in this mid air position for a split second, they fall straight down.

Conclusion

Emperors New Groove is an incredibly funny and interesting movie, not just in its conception and direction that is totally strange even for Disney, the fact that it manages to recreate the laws of physics for its own devices is enlightening. It has its own laws and rules concerning physics and the things affected by it to maximize comedy and silliness that is expected and reliable, allowing us to not simply laugh at strange events and occurrences, but to predict and totally accept such strange changes in physics as things that are established and true in this particular world and thus believe it.  

The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe: Emperors New Groove Outline

I. Introduction

a. Emperors New Groove

b. D traditional animation

c. The world of the EnG has many odd laws of physics that it abides by in almost every instance.

II. Characters are more durable than solid stone/rock

a. Pacha hits a solid rock boulder with the back of his head with enough force to break into it.

b. Izma swings a hammer upward into Kronks mouth without slowing down, and his teeth catch it without breaking.

c. Izma, as a cat, is smashed into the wall by a window and breaks the stone.

Gravity's effects are slow to be felt and immediate when it is

a. Izma falls through her own trap door instantly.

b. Pacha and Kuzco are suspended in midair well after the bridge has collapsed, and when they do fall it is immediate when they hit terminal velocity.

c. After Izma and Kronk are hit by lightning, they cease to move forward and immediately hit terminal velocity when falling down.

d. Kronk hangs in the air after Izma opens a trap door beneath him after which he immediately hits terminal velocity to fall down.

Characters dont move in curves and break such lines of action

a. After Izma leaps out to grab the vile, she immediately stops in mid air to fall straight down.

b. After Kuzko slides off his party slide, he stops in mi air and falls straight down.

c. After the guards are transformed by the potions into animals, they hang in mid air and stop their forward running motion instantly.

d. After Kronk leaps forward for a cookie, he ceases mid way the jump curve and falls straight down without forward motion.

Conclusion

The world of EnG abides by its own laws of physics. a world in which gravity is slow to be felt but then instantly intense for all things in free fall. This world, understandably so due to these dangerous gravity conditions, are more durable and solid than stone or strong objects.

Video Analysis of Path of Action

could not export single jump with plot points due to error "could not encode video"

Tracker Video Analysis of Falling

Shooting Video Reference

Mini-Portfolio

I am Luis Del Real, I have been in the animation program for about 3 years, with 2 to go (hopefully). I have just gotten into the program, and i hope that i will be able to pursue a career in traditional animation despite it being a dead medium. I am currently enrolled in Ani114 and 51a, and I have taken some science classes in college, but mostly astronomy and oceanography, although i did take a basic physics class which I was not smart enough to do well in.

1st Post

Awesome