Creating Stereoscopic 3D Images

 Red/Cyan Anaglaph glasses.

Red/Cyan 

Red/Cyan

Building a Scene in Maya

No lights.

 One point.

Two Point.

Three point rendered with Maya Software because mental ray doesn't come standard with 2016. No cast shadows -___-

Three point lighting before rendering

A Trip to the Tech Museum

Free tickets are pretty cool.

 We have arrived!

 Space Lettuce.

 A souvenir. Till next time...

Special Effects in Animation and Live-Action

My first two term paper scores were both above 80; I will not be writing a third term paper.

Outline for the Third Term Paper

Outline for the Third Term Paper

1. Introduction: In Animation there are several eye dazzling moments that capture audiences time and time again. Specifically special effect animations like clouds, water, or magic that helps tie a visual story together and carry viewers through. As audience members we are aware of this moments but do we ever stop to wonder how they are created?  In this paper I will be analyzing the work that went into effects animations for two blockbuster DreamWorks films, The Prince of Egypt and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.
   
   
2. Paragraph one: In the Prince of Egypt there were several effects that helped bring the miracles performed in the Bible to life on screen. (Burning bush, Pillar of Fire, Parting of the Red Sea)
   
   
   
   
3. Paragraph two: In Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Eris, the main antagonist was animated and had a wispy, cloudy effect on her at all times. This challenge was achieved by…

1. Conclusion: In conclusion The effects we see on screen would not be possible without the hard work of effects animators and their unique set of problem solving skills

Character Animation

Working link

This stop motion animation was fun but I vastly underestimated how long it would all take. All together it is about 325 frames at 24 fps. I used the trial version of Dragonframe to cut it together in 3 separate takes and put them all together in Photoshop. First I set up my scene and picked my objects (the posable mannequin and hand). At first I wasn’t sure how I wanted them to interact. While test posing the hand I noticed that the index finger kept falling off so I used that as an opportunity for a story. The plan was to have the mannequin place the missing piece on the hand and bring it to life. Then the interaction between the two would be some sort of altercation. I was running short on time for this so I decided to shoot it straight ahead with not much planning in mind. It was difficult on some poses to get the pieces to stand in the way I wanted them to on certain frames. I tried using a kneaded eraser for support in places but inevitably I ended up holding the props with my hands in the shot. I brought those frames into Photoshop, when I was finished shooting, and edited my hands out of them. I wanted to do more, but without a solid plan this one sort of lost steam near the end. All and all I learned a lot and look forward to the next opportunity!

Science Fact or Cinema Fiction

Second Term Paper: Analysis of the Action Reaction Principle of Physics in Video Games

 Part of the appeal of video games is the ability to do things we can’t ordinarily do in the real world. Things like defying gravity or leaping into danger with the assurance of comfort and safety upon your arrival. Sure these things sound nice but just like the rules of a game we are bound by the laws of physics, and in this case rules aren’t necessarily made to be broken. One of these unbreakable rules, or principles of physics states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is true of any and all actions in the physical world. There is no such thing as a stand-alone action, it must have a counterpart. Video games violate this principle quite frequently and in ways so clever and exciting, most people don’t even realize it is happening. Video games incorporate broken physics into the basic functions of the games to further immerse their audience into the world of the game. Super smash Bros double and triple jumps

Double jumping is a very important game mechanic. Not only does it help you reach platforms you ordinarily cannot with just one jump. In most games double jumping allows for the player to recover from a hit or dodge an incoming attack. When playing a game no one stops to question the usefulness of this handy ability. But in reality it’s needless to say that double jumping makes no fundamental sense. Let’s apply a principle of Physics to help illustrate how completely impossible the task of double-jumping is. The Action/Reaction principle states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words a balance of forces acting on the same object or character. In the case of jumping the force that the character exerts on the ground in anticipation of the jump is equal to the force that the ground exerts on the character. That force is what propels the character into the air. From the point where the character reaches the apex of their jump, the only other force working on them is the force of gravity. If this is the case then in order to propel oneself even further into the air or into a different direction, one would need a force equal to gravity to stop the free-fall and one greater to moving the opposite direction of the g force acting on you the character. In Super Smash Bros almost every character is capable of performing not only a double jump but a triple jump or recovery move. This is sort of an internal propulsion is an essential part of the game. The entire play style of the game revolves around staying on the stage, and to do so these jumps are a necessity. If the game was reliant on the principles of real world physics, players would not be able to play the game for very long without getting frustrated and ultimately rage quitting

      Another form of Action reaction is demonstrated when you fire a gun. This particular reaction is called a recoil. In other words an equal force that works in opposition of the action of the projectile being fired from the gun. In the video game Ratchet and Clank, you play as Ratchet, a little dog creature that runs around firing off heavy artillery weapons without stopping to brace himself for the recoil and often times firing these heavy hitters while in midair and maintaining a constant forward momentum. This would not work in real life because in order to properly fire a standard At4 rocket launcher, for example, one must take a knee in order to widen their base of support and increase the force they exert on the projectile being fired so the force of the projectile doesn’t knock them back.

Here is an example of what happens when you do not fire this heavy artillery weapon the proper way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9tfbvGO5FA In the video the force exerted on the person firing the rocket knocks him off of his feet. So if the recoil on this smaller, shoulder-firing weapon has enough recoil to knock back a fully grown man in real life, than that force would be doubled, if not tripled on a character of smaller stature such as Ratchet. However this recoil does not occur. In fact Ratchet is able to run full speed and jump forward while firing rockets that are larger than the AT4 launcher without and problem at all. Of course if the laws of physics were applied in this scenario the game wouldn’t be very fun to play. The player would probably lose some ground while firing and more than likely take damage from their own attack. So for the sake of the game the laws of physics are sacrificed in exchange for smoother and more satisfying gameplay. Ratchet and Clank gameplay Both of these games have faulty physics ingrained into the basic mechanics of the game in different ways but one of the most outrageous displays of action with no reaction is occurs in the next game.  http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maddbbxJyr1r3dqzgo1_400.gif

      In the popular gaming franchise, Assassin’s Creed one of the most icon maneuvers is the leap of faith. Which involves scaling a massive piece of historical architecture, doing a swan dive from the very top, and landing miraculously unharmed at ground zero in a lofty bale of hay. I don’t need to point out how immensely impossible this maneuver is in reality. It is common knowledge that anyone who attempt to jump from such a height would meet there end when they reached the ground. This can also be explained with the principle of Action/Reaction.  In this video clip from Assassin’s Creed Syndicate the character makes a leap of faith from the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster in London. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T8T_MgfImM According to Parliament.uk the clock tower which contains Big Ben is 320 feet (97.5 meters) high. A fall from this distance would most certainly kill the character because the force required to stop them would be equal to the force they exert on the hay pile. Although it is to that the impact of a fall would be cushioned by the hay do to the displacement of energy, in this instance there would have to be an amount of hay proportionate to the distance fallen in order to successfully slow and cushion the fall. Since this is clearly not the case the forces are unbalanced and there is little to no reaction for the action of the great impact that would naturally occur. But once again the character is spared the logic of physics in favor of game mechanics. In the simulated world of Assassin’s Creed scaling buildings is a good way to expand your map and hay piles serve as prime hiding spots for an assassin on the run. Also it is really fun to watch your character dive from ridiculous heights into the heart of the city unnoticed. This is probably why, even though it makes sense, the leap of faith has been kept throughout the games. Leap of Faith in real life

       So there you have it. Broken physics is a staple of blockbuster gaming. It is seen time and time again that the physics of our world would ruin a lot of great games and that a separation from reality is needed to a certain degree in order to fully immerse ourselves in the gaming experience. 

Outline for the Second Term Paper

Second Term Paper: The Action Reaction Principle of Physics in Video Games

        I.            Introduction: Part of the appeal of video games is the ability to do things we can’t ordinarily do in the real world. Things like defying gravity or leaping into danger with the assurance of comfort and safety upon your arrival. Sure these things sound nice but just like the rules of a game we are bound by the laws of physics. And in this case rules aren’t necessarily made to be broken. One of these unbreakable rules or principles if you will in regards to physics states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is true of any and all actions in the physical world, you cannot have one without the other. In this paper I will be analyzing what happens when this principle is broken for entertainment purposes across three different gaming platforms.

      II.            Paragraph one: Double-jumping (crash bandicoot) This is impossible because there is no other force large enough acting opposite of crash in midair in order for him to perform a second jump.

    III.            Paragraph two: No Fall Damage in Borderlands 2 or leap of faith in Assassins Creed. If you fall from a great distance the force that you exert on the ground would be equal to the force of the ground on you and you would die.

    IV.            Paragraph three: no recoil when Rachet fires his shotgun while moving forward and jumping. (Ratchet and Clank).

      V.            Conclusion: Although the principle of Action/Reaction is broken in these games it is enjoyable to play them because it makes the game world fun and exciting because it’s different from our own!

Reverse Video Reference

Stop Motion Animation of a Falling Object

For this animation, first I thought about what I wanted to do. Since we are animating a water balloon in Ani28 I figured I could do the same but in stop motion. Instead of having the settle I decided to let it pop on impact to save on time.  In order to drop it from a reasonable heights so that it would believably pop, I decided to animate a bird dropping it from the sky. First I drew the birds extreme positions of the wings in flight, then drew the break downs and inbetweens on separate pieces of paper. I then cut them out and swapped them out when I shot each frame so it reads like it is flying across the screen. For the falling object I measured out equal increments horizontally and then used the “Falling a la Chai “method for the vertical motion. I made sure to move the 4^th position down a bit to make the spacing more accurate. Then I marked where in the arc the balloon should be over time. Next I sculpted a balloon out of my kneaded eraser and filmed myself dropping to calculate the number of frames I would need for my fall.

I measured out the distance of my stage (desk) and dropped it vertically from the same height. Then I took that reference into QuickTime and changed the timing counter to frames to get the number of frames in 30fps. Using the conversion formula I then divided the frame number by 30 and then multiplied it by 24 to get the amount of frames I would need for an animation in 24fps. From there I Shot it using a digital camera and a tripod, loaded the image sequence into Dragonframe on twos and exported it as a Movie file for your viewing pleasure. This was a really fun assignment and my first experience with stop motion animation!

Physics in the Animation Universe: The Animatrix

In the world we live in, all forces must obey the laws of physics; If  a glass gets knocked  off a counter, we anticipate it to fall and shatter once it hits the ground, thus it is safe to assume that if a ball rolls into a wall it will bounce off of the wall and roll back. It is simple, predictable and unchanging. The predictability of our physical world makes it reliable and easy for us to trust in. But what if the world that we lived in was only an elaborate illusion? Would reality and our basic understanding of the physical world be as reliable? The answers to these questions can be found in the film The Animatrix (2003) where we, the audience are introduced to such a world. Through the skillful use cleverly augmented maneuvers that are grounded in physics, the creators of the Animatrix blur the lines just enough in order to create a believable dichotomy between reality and the perception of reality.   

            The virtual universe known as the Matrix is modeled after the tangible world in almost every aspect. In the film the design is so convincing that most people cannot even tell the difference. Distinguishing between two worlds that are made to be essentially identical is not an easy thing to do visually and doing so is essential to the structure of the story. That being said the writers and animators solved this problem in a few unique and eye-catching ways. The first of which was done by slightly altering certain paths of action to accentuate the movement and catch the audience off guard. In the third short film featured in the collection, Program, the two main characters of the narrative race off a cliff, horse-bound and locked in battle. In reality the assumption is that both the characters would plummet into the massive abyss to their deaths, but since the scene takes place in the matrix, the audience is surprised to see them land safely on the other side of a large chasm. If this sequence took place in a setting bound to the laws of physics, and the characters still stuck the landing, it would be cheesy, unbelievable, and the audience would not buy it. But since there is a pretext that the setting is virtual, our expectations of reality and objections to the obvious flaws in physics are suspended and we are free to fully immerse ourselves in the universe.  This augmentation of the path of action of a free-falling object helps separate this virtual world from our own and adds flair and excitement that propels us through the scene.Another prime example of a path of action being altered occurs in Beyond, the sixth short featured film. In this short story there is a glitch zone in a small neighborhood that allows a few kids to defy gravity. These sequences feature arcs of motion in time that could never occur in the physical world. One the children jumps into a front flip, slows into the apex of his jump and remains frozen there for several seconds before gentle floating back down. Although in reality objects do slow into the apex of a jump or throw, they also accelerate out of the apex without any sort of pause or hiccup. This is not the case for the movements displayed in this scene. Because we anticipate the kid to come down to the ground quickly we are caught off guard by this irregular path of action and are in turn entertained by the unexpected result. Although examples like these are prominent throughout the film, without other visual ques or stimuli, separating the two worlds for the purpose of the story would seem to present a colossal task. Luckily animation and problem solving go hand and hand. 

            Along with the skewed paths of action, filmmakers needed a way to enhance the fighting scenes and make them extraordinary. What better way to do this then by tampering with physics. By enhancing maneuvers and manipulating the conservation of energy law, the team was able to give their characters super-human abilities within the realm of the matrix. The best example, possibly in the entire film occurs during the final episode, The Final Flight of Osiris. During a visit to the matrix the character Jue takes a leap of faith through a collection of high voltage spires and lands safely onto the ground below. That is not even the shocking part (pun intended). When she makes contact with the ground it crumbles underneath her feet and sends out a shock-wave that makes the surrounding asphalt ripple like rubber and sends the surrounding dumpsters flying into the air. According to the law of conservation of energy, energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from on object to another. Keeping that in mind it is safe to assert that the energy that would take to lift up the weight of three dumpsters and ripple the ground is not equivalent to the energy that a human being, from any particular height, is able to put out. Therefore the character must be creating some sort of energy in addition to her momentum in order to produce such a force. Since this law is constant within the physical world, an effect like this could never work. But anything goes in the matrix and if it helps push story then that’s what we want. A similar yet less dramatic effect occurs earlier in the film as well. In Program, The main character blocks a massive blow from an enemy of greater mass and momentum. The force of the attack sends the broken shingles of the rooftop flying upwards but has no effect on the character making immediate contact with the primary force. The main character then proceeds to snap the enemy’s sword in half with her bare hands. Although there is a certain degree of reliability in the fact that the energy delivered from the attacking character to the blocking character to the rooftop would probably crack a few shingles, the effect we get in the matrix is much more dramatic. The roof top splinters dramatically and sends shingles flying upward. Much like the display in the previous example the energy require to pull this off would not be equal to the force delivered in the real world. The sword would also not be able to be broken so simply with bare hands but we are just going to let that one slide for now and chuck it up to the magic of the matrix.

            The final, and arguably most iconic tool for distinguishing the matrix from reality in the film-makers’ repertoire has to be the slowing of time. On several occasions within this film time slows down in order for dramatic effect. For example in the opening scene of Program. The main character jumps into midair and takes out four enemies with her lance blade before landing back on her horse. In order to the character to land four, successful, consecutive strikes in midair, there would have to be a time delay. In the natural world time is a constant. Always moving forward, never slowing down or stopping. The concept of time is so universal to our world that it is blatantly obvious whenever it is tampered with. This makes for  a wonderful way to explain that the battlefield in does not exist in the physical world but the virtual one where time is like any other program within a computer and can be modified or tampered with in anyway. This concept is used again later on in the same episode where the same character jumps into the air to dodge an incoming attack and gently lands on top of her enemy’s weapon. It is also used later episodes like Beyond where the paths of action are altered by the slowing of time and The Final flight of Osiris as well.

Although these physical laws are intentionally broken within the realm of the Matrix, the audience is not skeptical because it is necessary to show the break in reality to reinforce and serve the main ideas of the narrative. We the audience are aware of and accustomed to the world around us, therefore when we are introduced to concepts that would not hold up based on that fundamental understanding, we have no choice but to assume that said concepts and events must take place in another world. The physics maybe off and a little wonky, but it serves as the perfect platform for telling a great story; and for visual storytellers that is a very reliable thing.

Term Paper Outline: The Animatrix (Program) Analysis

                               I.            Introduction

a.       Animated Short Film: The Animatrix ( III Program)

b.      Thesis: In the matrix, the laws of physics are skewed in order to create a dichotomy between reality and the perception of reality.

                            II.            Body Paragraphs

a.       Enhanced Maneuvers

                                                                                      i.      Pole vault’s, kills enemies and lands back on horse

                                                                                    ii.      Dodge’s lance slice by jumping, lands on top of it mid-swing with perfect balance.

                                                                                  iii.      Time slowing down

b.      Arcs of motion are altered (exaggerated)

                                                                                      i.      The horses leap over a huge chasm and land safely

                                                                                    ii.      Jumps from building to successively higher buildings

c.       Forces are unbalanced

                                                                                      i.      Character breaks  a sword in half with bare hands

                                                                                    ii.      The force of an attack travels through the character and shatters the ground beneath them but the character remains unharmed.

                         III.            Conclusion

a.       Although these physical laws are intentionally broken within the realm of the Matrix, the audience is not skeptical because it is necessary to show the break in reality to reinforce and serve the main ideas of the narrative.  

Video Analysis of Path of Action

Tracker Video Analysis of Falling

Shooting Video Reference

Mini Portfolio

Hello, My name is Michael Fullilove. This is my second year student in the Animation/ Illustration program. I am from Sacramento, California and I transferred to San Jose State in the fall of 2014 with my Associates degree in Art New Media from American River College. I am still on the fence as to whether or not I want to go into visual development or animation, moving forward here, but I have always had a knack for character design and drawing the human figure in particular. During my college career thus far I have taken quite a few art courses as well as g.e.'s. A few include, digital painting, character design, color theory, facial expression and anatomy, figure drawing, light and optics and both 2D and 3D animation. When I finish here with my B.F.A. I would love to get into the gaming or film industry as a character designer and eventually become art director for a major motion picture or game. Here is some of my work:

These first two characters are from a short idea about a two crossing guards, who like to dance to direct traffic. One day they both get assigned to the same block and a dance battle ensues..

During my last year at American River College I was tasked with telling a story about a natural disaster. I chose the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. I made two neighboring cities in the Bay of Naples Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as the volcano into characters. Here is some of that work.

I didn't really include any of the work I have done here and SJSU thus far, because it is mostly foundation based, but I hope to continue to improve and add to my portfolio was I progress through the program.

Here is a short 2D animation project from ARC:

The First Post

Hey everyone, welcome to my blog! My name is Michael Fullilove and I am and Animation/ Illustration major here at SJSU! This is my second year here and I am super excited to see what this semester brings and to share it all with you!