ReferencesThe NASA 3D models were taken from one of NASA's websites - https://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/models The Audio was taken from NASA's main website - https://www.nasa.gov/connect/sounds/index.html The Images of Jupiter were taken from NASA's Juno site - https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu The bulk of the textures came from - https://www.solarsystemscope.com/textures The space textures were from Rocketstock - https://www.rocketstock.com/free-after-effects-templates/19-free-4k-space-backgrounds/ While the rest of things (the IXS_Enterprise) came from: - https://www.turbosquid.com - https://free3d.com - https://www.highend3d.com - https://github.com/nasa - http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/ - http://www.sciencefictionmodels.com/real-space/ixs-enterprise-nasa-faster-than-light-concept-ship/ Further Reading - The Alcubierre DriveA spheroid object would be placed between two regions of space-time (one expanding and one contracting.) A "warp-bubble" would then be generated that moves space-time around the object, effectively repositioning it - the end result being faster than light travel without the object having to move with respect to its local frame of reference. The warp drive in its initial concept would have required exotic mass the size of Jupiter. With the doughnut shape rings, it could be done with a mere 1,600 pounds of mass, even less than that of the Voyager 1 spacecraft. "Remember, nothing locally exceeds the speed of light, but space can expand and contract at any speed. However, space-time is really stiff, so to create the expansion and contraction effect in a useful manner, for us to reach Interstellar destinations in reasonable time periods, would require a lot of energy." - Dr. Harold White. AudioThe English audio used was taken from NASA's website, which has a variety of actual mission comms, while the Russian audio was recorded by my friend. I supplied a list of phrases for him to say, he translated and spoke them, and afterwards I brought them into Adobe Audition CC and made them sound like an actual shuttle comms. CompositingWhile I have been learning Nuke in college I decided to go with Premiere/After Effects as I have much more knowledge and experience with that.
WorkflowThe main pieces of software I used to create my project were Autodesk Maya, and Adobe After Effects. I also used Adobe Photoshop & Audition. The background image is a map of distant galaxies from the Hubble telescope. 3D ModelsSputnikTo model Sputnik I created a sphere, added edge loops along the middle and scaled them in to create the look of a seal. I then added in smaller spheres to create the bolts, while the brackets are squares which I tapered in to give a sense of shape. The colouring was just three individual VRay materials which were set to a grey/silver colour with a bit of reflection. IXS_EnterpriseI got this on github, following a link from NASA's website, I had to open it in Blender and export it as an obj as the file was in a lightwave format. There were hundreds of individual pieces I had to group and combine together as it was kind of messy. The colouring was the most fun to do, I used techniques I learned from my Screen Based Practices module for the glass. The lights on the inner ring were blue VRay light materials with a n extrusion to the model to create the casing, which I added a frosting to. The doughnut shapes were highly reflective compared to the rest of the model, except for the solar panels which give a reflection of the ship doughnuts. Docking StationThis was the hardest model to do as I had to group and combine three thousand individual pieces, most of which were little glass shapes. I coloured it similar to the white of the IXS_Enterprise but more of a silver/chrome colour, and I also use the same technique for the lights panels as well. NotesFor the models I didn't create, I had to do a lot of work on them in Maya before using them. For the IXS in particular I had to group, parent, separate, and combine a lot of the mesh. I did the same for the others, as well as having to download Blender to convert some to OBJ file format so that they could work in Maya.
ResearchFor my research I looked through a variety of books and magazines for reference. I went through some of my Guinness Book of World Records, I got a book 'The Atlas of the Universe', I also got some National geographic magazines that were space themed. Model ReferencesThe various references I used for inspiration for the project, including some of the things I didn't get to make/use due to time constraints, difficulty to get the models to work, or no longer fitting into the idea once further developed. Spacesuit ReferencesModels form PixelSquid of both NASA astronauts and Roscosmos cosmonauts. Planet ReferencesThe various planets in our solar system, including the dwarf planets. Moon ReferencesThe various moons orbiting the planets in the solar system. Russian ReferenceRussian words in Cyrillic and the Roman pronunciations. Visual DiaryThe physical diary I kept for the work I was doing and any ideas I came up with to add in. ReferencesNat Geo - August 2017 - The Space Issue - ISSN - 0027-9358 - BIPAD - 9 770027 935166
Nat Geo - Special Publication 2017 - The Next Earth - ISSN - 2160-7141 BIPAD - 9 771536 659031 New Scientist - December 2017 - ISSN - 0262 4079 - BIPAD - 9 770262 407275 Astronomy - December 2017 Vol.45 No.12 - ISSN - 0091-6358 - BIPAD - 9 770091 635122 Astronomy Ireland - December 2017 - ISSN - 2009-4779 - BIPAD - 9 772009 477008 Critical AnalysisSettings;
I chose the sub-theme of art & memory as it appealed to me the most. I came up with two ideas for what to do, a literal meaning of art & memory by going with the memory of art (mnemonic memory.) The second idea was to create a space sequence using audio and images from NASA missions, and combine it with 3D models. I went with this heading instead of the other two as it spoke to me more, I could have done the same idea with them but it suited art & memory better: With the art of memory I planned to follow the principles of mnemonic memory, which involves sequences of images connected together in a chain, such as memory images within visual locations. The main principles are visual sense and spatial awareness, order, limited sets, association, effect, and repetition. I would create a 3D object, either a sphere or pyramid, and then have different scenes from various major points in Earth’s history, such as the building of Giza, the formation of the planet, the extinction of the dinosaurs, the first world war, etc. I later decided to go with my second idea as I knew it would take a long time to get the transitions and the huge amount of scenes finished. With the space theme I wanted to reflect the memory of past space explorations with my own 3D models flying through space. To get the necessary images and audio I went to NASA’s website which has downloadable high-res images of space, the planets, and distant stars, as well as audio of older space missions such as Discovery, Juno, Cassini, and audio of deep space observations. I also found texture maps on Solar System Scope, which I can put onto 3D spheres. References; Artists: I chose to look at a few different artists, Zdzislaw Beksinski and Edward Gorey, whom I really like, and John Martin who made fantasy compositions, and whose work has been emulated in modern cinema.
Films: For the science fiction nature of my project I looked at primarily films involved Earth as opposed to fictitious settings.
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SynopsisIndividual project from first year of VFX course in Ballyfermot. Archives
May 2018
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