MRes Report July_1st_11

Frank Fitzpatrick

StageOne_Initial Experiments
Part Time MRes_2years Date of Start_January_2011

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

Background My background is largely based around my commercial years as a Graphic Designer/Illustrator and subsequently, through my teaching, in Multimedia Design. More recently, a shift in emphasis within my teaching has meant a move away from Multimedia and towards developing a number of courses with the team at UCO around 3D modelling and asset creation for video game and related entertainment industries . This has resulted in a shift in interest and emphasis within my pedagogy.

Initial Experiments: Introduction to Poly Modelling

An initial investigation into poly modelling using Autodesk 3D Studio Max led to an examination of the toolset used to create a basic vehicle model. For the project I chose to model a 2003 Range Rover SE. The reason for this choice was based around a games assignment running with my students at UCO. Having no experience with poly modelling I made a number of abortive attempts before settling on a method that allowed me to develop a series of investigations into poly modelling, texturing and some basic rigging and animation.

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

When all the details had been added including the wheels, I used the Symmetry Modifier and the weld function to create the whole car. Using Adobe Illustrator CS5 and after a little font research I created the Range Rover lettering for the front and rear of the car. Interesting to note that the lettering needed to be exported as an Illustrator CS3 file before 3D Studio Max would accept it. Once done, I applied an extrusion to the text and positioned and scaled appropriately. I began then to look at adding materials using the Ray Trace Materials in Max. I imported the car into a file that contained a HDRI Image obtained from: http://www.openfootage.net/?cat=15

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

This slide highlights the move to reactor rigging the vehicle. The process involved setting up a base rig to attach to the car. I used the process involving the Advanced Car Rigging Video Tutorials by Laurens Corijn. Although I made good progress I could not solve a persistent problem with the IK Solver that linked the Susp_Dummy at the centre of the rig.

By clicking on the 2 movies below, you will see that the rig can be moved in various positions and for the most part is stable and everything linked. However, the dummy attached to the IK Solver that allows for the pitch and roll of the car seems to be reacting to a problem with (perhaps) the XYZ or orientation/path constraints of parts of the rig. Time was spent trying to work back and re-check (and rebuild the rig) but to no avail. A decision was made to try to use the Madcar plug-in instead.

Click image to Play

Click image to Play

Here you can see that the Madcar rig is applied onto the surface plane. However, there are issues around getting the rig to successfully attach to the model. The two movie clips to the right highlight this

Click image to Play At the start of the process using Madcar I was disappointed to discover that the plug-in was no longer available for free. There were copies available for older versions of Max, but as I was using 3DSMax 2011, I took the decision to purchase a copy of the plugin directly. There is very little information either on-line or with the plug-in that gives you clear step-by-step instructions for using the it. Furthermore, this up-graded version is actually found in a different part of the Max interface than before. (The plug-in can now be found in the Helpers rather than Geometry Sub menu. It was a case of trial and error and as you can see from the two video clips to the right, I set up an initial test model to quickly see if it would work. The results were mixed! The main issue seemed to be the connection of the parts to the Skin. This was continued when I tried the rig with my Range rover see next slide....

Click image to Play

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

Persistent issues around linking as indicated here where certain parts of wheels/suspension are failing to attach to the rig

... and the results again were surprising! Click image to Play However, the problems were generally around the successful linking of the parts of the car to each other and then to the skin. After carefully and repeatedly re-linking elements I managed a successful outcome.

An interesting aspect of the plug-in meant that the car needed to sit artificially high on the wheels before the plug-in being run. This seemed to disappear when activated.

Click image to Play

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

StageTwo_Development and Question

APRIL JUNE MARCH

Stage 2: The development of a Research Proposal

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

StageTwo_Development and Question

APRIL JUNE

Initial Intentions My initial thoughts as to the next stage of my research began with thinking about the course we ran at UCO and a purely games specific outcome. I considered my research would reflect production workflow based upon concept art for games coupled with a digital games sculpt based upon unique concept designs. After consideration this left some difficulties for me, I did not feel that this would provide a suitable or interesting area to explore, or to form a question from. I had begun to think about historical representation within video games, its attention to, or sometimes lack of historical accuracy in visual representation. This began to lead me to examine the work of the 3D modeller in heritage reconstruction and representation.
The level of information of the 3D models, the geometrical variation of the global structure and the details, the materials and light sources analysis allow both a careful evaluation and a base for discussion between experts about the interpretative choices and the variation introduced during the modeling step. In addition this kind of visualization represents a clearer and more involving instrument of communication for the comprehension of lost Cultural Heritage. Experts can use 3D models as data repository, exploiting the interactive capacities and real-time visualization of the results for critical discussion or analyzing the effects of the dynamic variations of materials and light parameters.
Guidi, Gabriele. Russo Michele. Diachronic Representation of Ancient Buildings: Studies on the San Giovanni In Conca Basilica in Milan (DISEGNARE CON) 2009

I wished to maintain a focus upon digital sculpture and during my research found that although 3D modelling has been used extensively over many years to help re-imagine/re-create buildings and artefacts, there was little evidence of a use of digital sculpting tools being used to re-create traditional sculpture. Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

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It was whilst reading further and beginning to formulate some kind of question that I came across a research project called the Limestone Sculpture Provenance Project
http://www.limestonesculptureanalysis.com/dynamic.asp?id=questions

Because many sculptures in public collections were removed from their original sites long ago, scientists and art historians have collaborated to answer questions concerning their geographic origin and attribution. Scientists contribute to solving these problems by determining the stones composition using neutron activation analysis.
This lead me to a Catalogue Publication: Set in Stone: The Face of Medieval Sculpture
Little, Charles T., ed. Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Sculpture, New York (The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University Press), 2006

Published as part of the New York Metropolitan Museum exhibition of the same name, It displayed a collection of sculptural heads many of them separated from their original contexts for centuries, making it difficult to know where they came from. Iconoclasm: The willful destruction of images Of particular interest to me, the exhibition contained the Head of King Herod. Due to cultural vandalism by the Paris Commune many of the sculptural depictions of biblical figures were defaced or destroyed. Their overt resemblance to French kings and the dechristianisation taking place at the time meant that first the fleuron's on crowns and scepters were knocked off, and later the figures were cut up and thrown down from all of the portals and from the gallery of kings above the west faade. Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

StageTwo_Development and Question

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Placed within the context of scientific analysis and historical research, could there a role for the digital sculpture to help the reimagining of such artifacts? Not only sculpted, can they be placed within there original context? In this case back on the cathedral wall and as they were originally intended to be viewed, in some cases, with the addition of paints and decorative guilding?

Head of King David, ca. 1145. Paris, Notre-Dame Cathedral, south portal of west faade

King David. Engraving after drawing by Antoine Benoist, from Dom Bernard de Montfaucon, Les monumens de la monarchie franoise (Paris, 172933), pl. VIII

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

StageTwo_Development and Question

APRIL JUNE MARCH

Just prior to starting the MRes I had become interested in deformation modelling particularly with ZBrush. At the time, it afforded me an opportunity to develop a basic mesh using ZSpheres rather than having to create a basic mesh in Max or Maya. Some time ago, a visit to the Notre Dame and the Tuileries in Paris had fostered an interest in traditional sculpture and I became interested in both the digital rendering of such figures and the ideas of surface detail/degradation and through composition and balance, the tensions between antagonist and protagonist particularly in Rameys Theseus and the Minotaur.

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

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Briefly evaluating Mudbox

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

StageTwo_Development and Question

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Can the use of digital deformation software support both academic and public understanding and interpretation of lost, vandalised or eroded historic sculptural artefacts?
Intention: To reconstruct selected historic sculpture(s) with close attention to historical record using a variety of digital methods. Analysis: To investigate and utilise a range of appropriate hardware and software tools . Including 3D scanning, 2D Photometric and Photosynth recording, Digital Sculpting tools, Digital Painting and Rendering, Games Engine, Rapid Prototyping and Computer Carving technologies. Possible collaborative links: The International Centre for Medieval Art, The National Churches Trust, English Heritage, The National Heritage Training Group, The Royal Armouries, The Church Monument Society and academic art historians in the field. Opportunities for a more local approach: Yorkshire and the North East of England in general has some of the most important and concentrated Gothic and Romanesque sculpture in Northern Europe. With a UNESCO World Heritage sites at Durham, Fountains Abbey and Saltaire, and at York the largest medieval church in England, throughout the region are of some of the most important medieval structures and art, in the United Kingdom.

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

StageTwo_Development and Question Just Two Examples.. Last Monday.

APRIL JUNE

The tomb of Sir John Neville in Durham Cathedral

The Neville Screen in Durham Cathedral

Sir John Heslerton and wife, branches of tree represent 13 children. 14th Century Lowthorpe St Martin

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

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Intended Timescale and Approaches

Frank Fitzpatrick MRes Presentation 01/07/11

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Bibliography
C. Baracchini, A. Brogi et al. (2003) Interactive visualization of artworks 3D digital reconstruction Opera Primaziale Pisana EU IST-2001-32641 BHLER Wolfgang, BORDAS VICENT Monica et al. (2004) High Quality Scanning and Modeling of Monuments and Artifacts FIG Athens, Greece Coltrain James , (2009) Reimaging Past Worlds: Issues and Challenges in the Use of 3D Graphics for Historical Reconstructions JDHCS Chicago Falk Anderson Eike, McLoughlin Leigh et al. (2009) Serious Games in Cultural Heritage VAST - State of the Art Reports Levy Richard M, Ph.D. (ND) Computer Visualization and Architectural Reconstruction: An Image of Reality University of Calgary Patel, White Martin et al. (2003)l. Digitisation to Presentation Building Virtual Museum Exhibitions Vision, Video and Graphics Remondino, F.; El-Hakim et al. (2005). 3D Virtual Reconstruction and Visualization of Complex Architectures - Archives des Publications du CNRC Stumpfely Jessi , TchouChris et al. (2003) Digital Reunification of the Parthenon and its Sculptures USC, Institute for Creative Technologies VAST Zhiqiang Du, Tingsong Wang .(2009) Detail-Preservation 3-D Modelling for Elaborate Buddah Sculpture 22nd CIPA Symposium,, Kyoto, Japan Guidi, Gabriele., Russo Michele. (2009) Diachronic Representation of Ancient Buildings: Studies on the San Giovanni In Conca Basilica in Milan Disegnare Con Steen, Joep van der. Rendering with Mental ray & 3ds Max Amsterdam ; London : Focal, 2007 Brooker, Darren. Essential CG lighting techniques with 3ds Max Amsterdam ; London : Focal, 2006 Birn, Jeremy. Digital]Lighting & Rendering Berkeley, CA. : New Riders, 2006 Autodesk. 3ds Max 2010 Foundation for Games. Oxford : Focal, 2009. Dr Sophie Oosterwijk <http://www-ah.st-andrews.ac.uk/staff/sophie.html> Metropolitan Museum of New York <http://www.metmuseum.org/special/set_in_stone/index.asp> The Limestone Sculpture Analysis Project <http://www.limestonesculptureanalysis.com> Yorkshire Travel Guide - Attractions <http://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=4616> The Church Monument Society <http://www.churchmonumentssociety.org/York_E_Riding_2.htm> Medieval Memoria Online (MeMO) <http://memo.hum.uu.nl/> Digital Sculpture Online <http://www.digitalsculpture.org/tools.html> MeshLab 3D Tools <http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/> SIGGAGRAPH Papers <http://kesen.realtimerendering.com/sig2011html> International Centre for Medieval Art <http://medievalart.org/?page_id=999> Vitrearums Church Art <http://medieval-church-art.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html> MiraLab: University of Geneva <http://www.miralab.ch/> National Heritage Training Group <http://www.nhtg.org.uk/> National Churches Trust <http://nationalchurchestrust.org/home.php> Cultural Heritage Imaging <http://www.c-h-i.org/> The Stone Project <http://www.stoneproject.org/stone-workers.html#sculptors> Mudbox Central <http://mudboxcentral.com/> Pixologic <http://www.pixologic.com/home.php> Cathedral Workshops Fellowship <http://www.masonslivery.co.uk/html/news-library/featured-articles-archives/> BluePrints <http://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints/cars/> Setting up a Virtual Studio <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnk3IMeiRnQ> Digital Tutors OnLine <http://www.digitaltutors.com/group/login.php?g=krjhkihlkphgdedmdgkqhg> HDRI Image Bank <http://www.openfootage.net/?cat=15>