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January 09 MMC - Street of Dreams
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January 09 MMC - Street of Dreams // Work in Progress
Post by Finis // Jan 19, 2009, 6:44pm
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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January 2009 MMC
My first idea was to use a strange object that I think I dreamed years ago. I'm not sure where the memory of it came from. Being a dream object, it would be Dali-esque and surreal.
Without any ideas for a scene for the strange object, I decided to have a street scene but use textures on all the objects that represent information. Binary numbers, punch cards, letters, news papers, cd's, etc. This could represent some subconscious connection between information and the universe. It could mean a Matrix like concept that the world isn't substantial and really is made of information, or that we gain information by learning about the universe, or that the things we make are possible because of our knowledge. Meaning would be for each viewer to decide since surrealism is about the strange subconscious or dream world.
Then I thought that the strange object would look so out of place in a city street scene that it would be surreal. With that an image of the object, the street, and a lens distortion of the scene entered my mind.
I'm trying to make the scene have a fish eye effect except for the object which will remain undistorted. That might mean making two images and adding the undistorted object in post process.
The canopied shop is a cube point edited into shape plus some long beveled boxes. The canopy is a sweep of a 2d shape. I made one section of the taller building and then copied it.
TS 7.6 model side, or TS 6.6. |
Post by Finis // Jan 19, 2009, 7:04pm
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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This is the object.
I made a shape like the base of blocks by point editing a modified cube and using SDS. Then I extracted the final SDS mesh. I used the Particulator plug-in from Cool Powers 2 to distribute copies of the block around the verticies of the base shape. Moving and adding some blocks finished the base.
At first the plug-in produced unexpected results where each shape was elongated and of varying size. That was an interesting shape and I was going to use it but when I saved and reloaded the scene the blocks had their normal shape. This is closer the object I planned but the accidental one was interesting.
The sphere has no refraction. |
Post by Finis // Jan 19, 2009, 7:19pm
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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This is a picture of some preliminary objects I used to explore possibilities for the scene. It looks like abstract art. It is odd how this project keeps producing accidental art. |
Post by Mr. 3d // Jan 19, 2009, 8:04pm
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Mr. 3d
Total Posts: 747
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...My first idea was to use a strange object that I think I dreamed years ago. I'm not sure where the memory of it came from. Surrealism is about the strange subconscious or dream world.
It is odd how this project keeps producing accidental art.
Welcome to The Twilight Zone ! |
Post by Steinie // Jan 20, 2009, 2:29am
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Steinie
Total Posts: 3667
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Your post #2 had some Picasso cubism influence which I liked. Glad to see your entering the MMC with the rest of us Finis. |
Post by Finis // Jan 20, 2009, 8:44am
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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Thanks Steinie and Mr. 3D.
Crits and comments welcome.
I tried wrapping a building with 1's and 0's and cuneiform writing for my original theme. That didn't work well. It might with bolder or more definite shapes. So no information connection theme now unless projector lights produce a good effect.
I'm now trying for a dream like quality. An unreal reality. Here the absence of the familiar and the presence of the unexpected is the theme. Writing and signs are absent as are lines in the street. The strange object is there. The windows will have something out of place. Nothing but the sphere is reflective and it neither casts or receives shadows.
I want a non-reflection in the windows. Rusted windows might do but I don't want it to look ominous. The ocean scene gives the reversal of outdoors being indoors but distracts from the strange object which should be the focus. Maybe the water part of the texture as if the building is full of water.
Any suggestions for the windows?
Suspecting it will be too difficult to get an undistorted sphere to cover the correct area, I'm not going to try the mixing of distorted world and undistorted object. Instead I'll touch that theme by distorting the world but the sphere has no refraction for a reversal of the expected.
This will be more subtle than much of Dali's work.
I made a lens by flattening a sphere and putting it in front of the camera so the fish eye effect is adjustable by changing the index of refraction.
Odd color specular highlights for the road might have been different but they had no noticeable effect. Negative intensity lights might have a surreal effect.
Lighting is HDRI, mapped shadows, 10 samples, with the kitchen scene that comes with TS plus an infinite light with ray shadows.
The picture's proportions are the golden ratio. Height = 0.618 width. |
Post by Finis // Jan 20, 2009, 10:52am
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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Changed the windows to water. I might distort the picture more. |
Post by kena // Jan 20, 2009, 5:42pm
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kena
Total Posts: 2321
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will any of these brick textures work for you? I just whipped them up out of Texture Maker... no bump maps, but they look really nice.
17767
17768 |
Post by Finis // Jan 20, 2009, 6:54pm
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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Thanks Kena! I'll probably stay with the non-info theme now but these might work if I go back to that. Some are good for regular use too.
A few adjustments. More lens distortion, bump map for the water, door handle color same as canopy, moved the building in back for placement of the columns.
It may technically be surreal but it doesn't have that much of a surreal feel. A dream yes, but a surreal dream? Just strange? Making it more subtle and avoiding melted things may be the culprit. The challenge is to do a Dali, not just any surrealism. Dali did this in a way as extravagant as his mustache.
The strange object should look, well, strange, or out of place. Its unusual appearance does that. Also these things: No lines or curves visually extend directly to lines or curves on the object, it has no color in these colorful surroundings, and no texture while the surroundings do, and it is in the street.
I think something is needed but I'm having trouble seeing or applying the things I suggest or notice when I look at "y'all's" pictures. Anything I think of clashes with some other goal. It should be simple so adding more objects could clash with that. Unexpected shapes or substances for objects would be Dali-esque but I'm relying on the normality of the surroundings to make the object and the water look stranger. An object in the foreground maybe, but I want the open space between the viewer and the object. That space plays on the viewer's curiosity, approach it, and vulnerability, it might be dangerous. Etc. Maybe it's done and I don't know it.
Suggestions and comments welcome. |
Post by kena // Jan 20, 2009, 7:10pm
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kena
Total Posts: 2321
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very nice. You were right that it's not very Dali-esk, but it is a very good symbolism! |
Post by Breech Block // Jan 21, 2009, 6:52am
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Breech Block
Total Posts: 844
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Nice work Finis. Unfortunately, sureal type art is not my cup-of-tea and is way beyond my comprhension. However, I thought I'd throw some ideas at you to see if I can help in any way. How about a businessman, standing on the street corner, holding up an umbrella with his hand out as if testing for rain. Or, a hole/crack/tap in one of the windows leaking water out, perhaps into a drain. Or, place some road markings in the centre of the road, but they go around the pile of blocks. Or a crack/hole in the road revealing another layer/piece of art underneath.
HTH, but like I said, this is not really my thing. |
Post by Finis // Jan 21, 2009, 7:52am
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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Thanks Kena.
Hi Breech Block. Thanks. For something that is not your cup of tea those are certainly are Dali-esque and surreal suggestions. The business man character is beyond my ability to model in the short time left.
I think I'm conflicted between what I want this picture to be and making a Dali like picture. I think this picture is complete as is. Maybe various technical improvements are possible but conceptually complete. However, I need to make a variation of it to be my contest entry since this one does not meet the theme well.
Projector lights seem to work for putting binary numerals on the scene. The effect is acceptable for my original theme. For one variation, I'm having some trouble with projecting the numerals without distortion onto only the needed objects ...
Can layers be used to cause a light to shine only on certain objects? Any other method (model side) to shine a light only on specific objects? I want each projector light to shine only on a specific building from directly in front of it regardless of the presence of other objects ... which would have their own projectors. The strange object must not have any of the binary projection on it.
I have another idea for a surreal image with this object. It can be done quickly. Does this MMC require one entry per contestant? |
Post by rjeff // Jan 21, 2009, 7:59am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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Breech continuing on your man and umbrella idea...the umbrella could be just a frame and no covering. |
Post by kena // Jan 21, 2009, 8:53am
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kena
Total Posts: 2321
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Not sure about the projector lights, but the Man with the umbrella could be a stick-man. |
Post by Dragneye // Jan 21, 2009, 9:13am
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Dragneye
Total Posts: 602
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Finis - not bad at all. I especially like the statue.
Here's my 2 cents, for making it more Daliesque... maybe :) (I like Dali but never studied him) - the brickwork, especially the tan front ones, are too good. Too real. Maybe eliminate some area of them, and show the plaster underneath Possibly a crack - maybe showing a leak.
How about dripping one of the windows so it 'drips' to the street (the lower half of the window for example), which then turns into a sea, or shoreline (sand towards the right where your statue stands, water towards the left from statue to window). Just some thoughts. |
Post by Finis // Jan 21, 2009, 11:16am
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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The picture like I like it, Dali, surreal, or not will appear soon.
Then I'll send the picture to Daliwood for spectacularizment FX for an MMC entry. Combining the help so far, thanks everyone, the canopied shop will get an upper corner cracked off and floating midair with the crack revealing something odd. Some water will ooze out of a window and run down the gutter. A stickman with a stick umbrella will step out of the water at the shop door.
I have to wrap this up today because, as usual, I've spent much more time than I should have on it. So what I get done today is it.
I have binary numerals projected onto the scene but the object must not have them on it or on the building behind the ball. Finding no solution within TS I'm using the mask shown to put two versions of the picture together in Paint Shop Pro. For the mask, I copied the scene and deleted everything except the object. It got a constant reflection white texture. I made the background color black and rendered the mask. With this mask I can put the object from the numberless scene into the numbered scene. |
Post by Finis // Jan 21, 2009, 11:21am
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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This is the way I like it. |
Post by Finis // Jan 21, 2009, 5:49pm
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Finis
Total Posts: 386
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Probably this is my MMC entry. Suggestions still welcome but probably no time to implement them.
I removed a corner of one building. It floats above the building. Textured its inner surface with cork. I tried an apple but it didn't look right there. The corner was removed by booleans with a cube that I shaped with point edit and Cool Powers 2 plug in Wiggledy. One copy of the cube was subtracted from a copy of the building and I used intersection on another set.
Water flowing down the street took too much time so I had Earnest and his umbrella walk out of the water wall with water sticking to his hand and foot.
I made the water arms by sweeping two faces of the door and then using SDS on the sweeps and some faces around them. I discovered that TS 6.6 allows SDS on selected faces without changing the rest of the object.
Earnest is made of cylinders and a torus. I tried IK links for his joints but just moving the parts was quicker. The umbrella is a sweep and some half tori.
Tools used TS 6.6 and Paint Shop Pro. |
Post by tahnoak // Jan 23, 2009, 12:21am
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tahnoak
Total Posts: 487
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Very interesting finis. I like it, especially the water sticking to the hand and foot, nice touch. |
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