Programme Of Study (Draft)

Programme of Study Title

An investigation into the collaboration between art, science and technology (3d computer graphics and animation) in the field of visualisation.

Project Rationale

My undergraduate study provided a strong understanding of 3D computer graphics, and developed practical experience of the most common areas – including modelling, texturing, lighting, rigging and animation – but did not focus on the various applications of these skills. My intention as a postgraduate student is to continue developing skills as a digital artist (working with advanced 3D techniques) and apply skills in 3D computer graphics to research into visualisation. This research is important because 3D computer graphics and animation can now be used to communicate complex ideas (often medical or scientific) to an audience who is not trained in the relevant area, using more user-friendly visual methods of displaying information/data.

Aims

The aim of this research is to explore the use of 3D computer graphics and animation, in the field of visualisation.

Objectives

To explore relevant examples of visualisation which use 3d computer graphics (to help communicate their message).

To research the tools and techniques used in creating 3d computer graphics for visualisation purposes.

To create 3d computer graphics that can communicate scientific data sets, using more visual methods.

To identify the benefits of using 3d computer graphics in visualising complex scientific data.

To explore future applications of 3d computer graphics as a beneficial visualisation tool.

Research Strategy

Research examples of visualisation, which make use of 3D computer graphics, and explore how the use of 3D has improved visual communication of complex information. Sources will include related books, academic journals and conference papers (such as SIGGRAPH). Online examples of visualisation will also provide a sense of what is currently being done, and how. All research will be documented and reviewed as part of the final written deliverable.

Research will be supported with practice-based learning – exploring the tools and techniques used in creating 3D computer graphics for visualisation. This could include exploring advanced techniques in Autodesk Maya, such as using dynamics, particles, and MEL scripting to further skills as a digital artist (dependant upon research project). Additional skills in rendering complex scenes and compositing may also be required.

Although the University will offer some classes, self-directed learning will be part of developing technical abilities – undertaking tutorials from books/DVDs/online articles.

All personal development will be reinforced by creating examples of the methods and techniques used in visualisation, which will potentially applied as part of a directed visualisation research project.

Undertaking a collaborative visualisation research project will provide opportunities to develop the necessary understanding of communicating complex ideas visually, and showcase technical skills in 3D computer graphics and animation - whilst working towards a brief, and within a group dynamic. This work will potentially open up new areas for future development or continuing research beyond Masters level.

Expected Outcome(s)

Strong technical toolset, suited to continuing research into visualisation.

Depth of knowledge in using 3D computer graphics for visualisation.

Series of short video clips, generated from collaborative visualisation projects.

Schedule

Stage 1 - Develop personal skills and understanding, relevant to the field of visualisation.

Stage 2 - Apply knowledge to working with scientific data using 3d computer graphics.

Stage 3 - Critically evaluate the outcome of all learning and collaborative projects.

(these stages do not necessarily represent semesters, and may be cycled for multiple short projects if necessary)

Key Challenges and Issues

Developing a wide range of abilities in a limited amount of time.

Collaboration with other (non-artistic) disciplines – essential for gathering information for visualisation, however difficulties in communication can hinder progress.

Resources

Access to both online tutorials (e.g. Digital Tutors) and offline (e.g. Gnomon Workshop DVDs)

Availability of books/papers/journals/etc. (e.g. In Silico, Studio Projects)

Scientific data-sets generated by collaborative teams (e.g. cell visualisation alongside mathematics division)

Reference Materials

Palamar, T., (2010), Maya studio projects: Dynamics, Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley

Sharpe, J., (2008), In Silico: 3D animation and simulation of cell biology with Maya and MEL, London: Morgan Kauffman

Reflection On "The Story So Far..."

In a recent post, titled "The Story So Far..." I talked about the work I have been doing, and the progress I have made with the various sources of learning. This post aims to expand on this, with some added reflection on my programme of study, and the 'journey' so far.

Initially, I commenced my studies at DJCAD with the intention of focusing on 3D animation - specifically gaining a better understanding of the principles of animation, and how to apply them in being a better animator. This interest came from the work I had undertaken as part of my Honours studies, where I created a short animation depicting a story from Greek mythology - "Theseus And The Minotaur" (this was an individual project).

However, after taking advantage of the opportunity to attend presentations by a wide range of people, I gained an insight into using 3D computer graphics as a visualisation tool - this was thanks to an insight into the work being done by John McGhee and Chris Rowland, although I was more interested in the idea of biomedical visualisation.

This change in direction forced me to change my programme of study to something more appropriate, and as discussed in "The Story So Far..." I have since spent time developing the necessary skills in 3D computer graphics.

These skills have been relevant to my programme of study, as I am currently involved in two projects which make use of this new technical undertstanding. The first project is in collaboration with the University mathematics division, and involves developing more visual methods of visualising mathematical data (more specifically, cell visualisation). The second project is a visual-effects based project, in collaboration with another MSc student. As part of this project, I am responsible for 3D modelling, and creating a dynamics simulation.

Although each of these projects have had difficulties, good progress has been made and the experience has been invaluable. If the projects did not have any problems, I would not have learned nearly as much as I have, and I would not be as prepared for future projects as I am now.

Now that I have a stronger understanding of 3D computer graphics and their use in visualisation, I can focus on the application of these skills, and concentrate on completing these projects.

Moving forwards, I would like to continue developing my 3D abilities, and gear this specifically towards using RealFlow for advanced dynamics simulation (allowing me more flexibility in the type of visuals I can create) and learning MEL scripting within Maya (potentially giving me the option to automatically generate visuals from huge amounts of mathematical data).

Considering the drastic change of direction in my programme of study, I am glad I started developing skills in visualisation. Moving forwards, I am excited by the range of projects out there, and look forward to developing my own visual style.

Visualisation Techniques : Cells (Continued)

Continuing my experimentation with how my cells could look (first post here), here are three more examples which all use a spherical soft-body as a starting point. These examples also show a change in colour - something relevant to the mathematical data I am working with.

The first example combines previous render techniques, and uses a Cloud shader applied to the particles. Unfortuantely this gave the cell a glowing appearance, and had no distinct shape or outline.

The second example instead uses particles which are invisible, using a Blinn shader applied to the soft-body surface directly (the particles are used solely to drive the animation of the cell). A 2D fractal was used as a bump-map, ensuring that the surface was not too smooth and plain.

The third and final example builds on the second, using the same Blinn shader, also applied to the surface. The difference is that the surface material is created using a Layered Shader, which uses the original Blinn (made almost transparent) and a second copy which uses a Ramp Shader to adjust the transparency based on the object's facing ratio (making the shader less transparent towards the object edges). Although there are two shaders layered here, it gives a more interesting look - a transparent looking cell with a clearly defined outline.

Research Skills & Methods : Research Poster

The third and final assignment of this module required me to create a poster which would communicate my research using visual methods. The poster built on work completed in the first two tasks (here and here), and is shown below;

Context & Review : Comments

Please add any comments and/or feedback from the blog presentation on 24-Nov-10 to this post.

Playing With Fire

Adding more special effects to my arsenal, Studio Projects Dynamics moves onto creating and controlling fire (using Maya fluids). Using fire is something which will be particularly relevant to a side-project I am currently involved in, and one of the tutorials involves burning down a 3D model of a house, which hopefully will be useful.

Starting off slowly, the first example introduces using fuel and heat within a fluid container. As this is not particularly exciting by itself, there is not much to show, so below we can see the second example - a simple flame created entirely in CG;

After working with a simple flame, a preset was created, and then imported into a new scene featuring a simple house model (provided on the tutorial disc). The flames were scaled up and tweaked to suit the new size. The house structure was already broken in segments, so these were converted to nCloth components, ready for destruction. Randomness was applied to the building 'burning down' by using keyframed ramp shaders with noise applied. The finished render can be seen below;

This chapter was one of the most important topics I have covered so far (and very relevant to the side-project) which allows me to transfer the skills learned during this tutorial, and apply them in a more creative manner.

Inspiration 1 : Cell Visualisation

In collaboration with the University mathematics division, I am working on cell visualisation - starting off with mathematically generated data, I am importing this into Maya and defining the aesthetics of the scene, making the data more accessible and visually exciting.

Alongside my own work, I have found some examples of cell visualisation that I am particularly interested in. The first of these is a clip called "The Inner Life of the Cell", created in 2006 for Harvard biology students, by a company called BioVisions. Although this animated sequence looks dated, compared to today's standards, the content (and it's importance) are still just as relevant today. A tremendous amount of effort was put into to this project, and those working on it were constantly aware of the relationship between the quality of the visuals and the accuracy of the data. One criticism I would make, is that the scenes are often very 'busy' and feature lots of moving items and lots of different colours. Although this means there is more to look at, it can also make the shots somewhat confusing, as there is no clear focus. "The Inner Life of the Cell" can be seen below;

BioVisions have also continued working on molecular animations, with their latest video titled "Powering the Cell: Mitochondria" (a clip can be viewed here). This video is a significant update to the other one above, primarily thanks to the improvements in technology over the last four years. Although the concept is the same, the video has been output in high-defination, and this is definately a noticeable improvement. The visual style has also 'quietened' down somewhat, and is much more pleasing to the eye, as can be seen in the image below;

Moving away from this type of visualisation, I am particularly fond of "Nature by Numbers" created by Cristobal Vila. This is an expertly created piece of work, and focuses on how nature is driven by mathematics (at it's core). The content is of excellent quality, and there are segments where it appears that some sort of dynamics system has been used to drive the animation - something I am currently developing skills in. The overall look of the video has a very polished feel, something I would certainly hope to achieve by the end of my MSc programme! The video can be seen, in all it's high-definition glory, below;

After looking at other examples of work out there, it is clear to see that there is a great deal of importance placed on both the quality/accuracy of the data, and the appeal of the visuals. Trying to find this balance however, can pose difficult, and it is important for an artist to find an individual style which suits them. As mentioned in a previous post, this reinforces the importance of experimention - practice makes perfect.