Spend just a short amount of time in the online 3D art community and you are bound to stumble across the world of generative or procedural animation. This particular corner of the community embraces abstract imagery and often applies coded, randomised or handmade animation to it, creating eye-catching pieces that convey a theme, sell a product, demonstrate technological capabilities, or simply look cool. Many of the techniques used to create such imagery exist at the crossroads between art and computer science.
Just what is it about this mind-boggling imagery that proves so compelling to 3D artists and so oddly mesmerising to the viewer? 3D World has gathered a host of experts in the field to answer that question, as well as discussing the style’s practical use in VFX and how the budding artist can create their own complex and appealing visualisations.
WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?
Mark Hodgkins, global head of FX at Framestore, has been embracing the stranger side of 3D art in high-end VFX throughout his 20-year career. “We’re hardwired to find natural structures pleasing and fractals or computer generative art often mimics forms or patterns found in nature,” he says, discussing the appeal of such complex visualisations. “Fractals and generative animation allow us to create something very abstract and highly detailed that would be difficult to produce by hand,” he continues. “The nature of the tools means it can still have a natural feeling, and the points of similarity and difference create something that people haven’t seen before, that gets them thinking.”
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Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av 3D World UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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CGI creatures
Leading film creatives pick the VFX animals that have inspired them
Creating photorealistic visuals for Shōgun
The digital matte painting team at Goodbye Kansas Studios embrace a collaborative approach for the environments in Disney's miniseries
FaceBuilder
PRICE £18/$23 monthly / £180/$230 annual COMPANY Keen Tools WEBSITE keentools.io
Mars 4 Ultra
Elegoo has created quite the name for itself within the 3D printing community, with a loyal band of users singing the praises of its machines from the Mars range to the Saturn series, and also the quality of its resins.
Revodok Max 213
Although a new computer or the latest GPU are the obvious contenders for your cash, there are things that will offer big benefits even if they don’t have the same initial appeal, and a good dock is one of these.
DESIGN CHARACTERS INSPIRED BY HISTORY
Marco Teixeira explores a personal piece that resonates with Brazilian culture and influences to create an appealing portrait
HOW DO I MASTER MATERIALS IN KEYSHOT?
One of the best things about KeyShot is its ability to create and render realistic materials. When paired with beautiful lighting, product visualisations take on a whole new level of believability. When it comes to materials, KeyShot isn’t quite as advanced as some other rendering packages, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still able to create some killer materials.
HOW DO I MAKE A REALISTIC JELLY MATERIAL IN BLENDER?
This issue’s Q&A is a real sweet treat, as I’m going to show you how to prepare a realistic jelly material in Blender – you’ll have to provide the strawberries and cream yourself though! This is a relatively straightforward procedural recipe and can be done in three quick minutes.
CRAFT UNIQUE MARIO FAN ART WITH A TEAM
Pejman Rajabi explains how his crew of expert artists put their own twist on a classic video game character
BLEND BUILDINGS AND NATURE IN A PEACEFUL SCENE
Find out how Navid Ahmadi combines a selection of assets from BlenderKit to create an awe-inspiring forest setting