Experimenting with water

I've taken a few days off modeling to experiment with water. I am having a lot of fun. Here are a few tests. Some are terrible. But, some are starting to look kinda cool, too. From the tests so far I am leaning towards real flow but we will see how the others look down the road.

Maya + After Effects, Real flow + Krakatoa + Vray + Maya

Water Simulation Tests from Liz Martin on Vimeo.

Houdini and Maya

Maya Toon Ocean

Mental Ray Dielectric

Mermaid Model Update!

Made some changes to the model. This is closer to final

Shark tooth

Now I am on the gum and tooth modeling stage! This part took a little part of research. The shape of sharks' teeth vary according to their diet; those species that feed on mollusks and crustaceans have dense flattened teeth for crushing, those that feed on fish have needle-like teeth for gripping, and those that feed on larger prey such as mammals have pointed lower teeth for gripping and triangular upper teeth with serrated edges for cutting. (Gilbertson, Lance (1999). Zoology Laboratory Manual. ISBN 0-07-237716-X.).

While the visual shape of my shark-like mermaid will follow the long lean sharks such as the silky, blacktip, and mako I am going to make her teeth follow that of a great white.

Here you can see the difference in the upper and lower teeth formation.

Smile for the camera big guy!

Victorian Clothing

Now that I have a decent base mesh for Warren I am onto the clothing. Getting the clothing right can be difficult. If you do everything correctly no one will notice it because it will fit into the scene seamlessly. In order to do this there has to be a great deal of research. Fortunately there is a group of passionate tailors and historians that have excellent breadowns available for those looking to learn more about Victorian era fashion. Andrew at the Victorian Tailoring blog has a multitude of information available. Here I am collecting some of the images I will use for research. Please check out his blog as it is very interesting!

Here are two 3d models that have victorian clothing.

And Williams Clothiers also offers a great source of information as well!

Dr. Warren

Dr. Betram Thaddeus Warren III is the voice of the story. He is holding the mermaid in his basement. He captured the mermaid under questionable circumstances. He is always right, always proper, and always in control...or so he believes. This story is about what happens when he meets something he can't control. So meet the references for Dr. Warren First is the character from Contre Temps, which is french for 'against time'. Here is the short!

I think the short did a good job capturing his attitude in his character and animation. I am not a big fan of the little girl character. She just doesn't seem to fit into the same world as him, design wise. That may have been intentional but I think her shape and head size could have fit a little better. Otherwise I see almost no flaw in this short and I will be using this character as a reference for my own.

My next reference comes from clone wars. Count Dooku. His design is awesome. This is how I imagine Christoper Lee as a cartoon. Some of the other characters turned 3D don't feel as strong but Dooku isn't one of them! I am betting you can tell I have a sore spot for star wars villains. They are just some of the best characters!

I want my design to look as much like the character reference sheet but I will be pulling some of the success elements from the two designs above.

Shark reference

There are sooo many types of sharks that it is hard to just describe something as shark-like and leave it at that. I am using two specific species for reference.

First is the lovely Silky shark. The Silky Shark (Carcharhinus falciformis)is named for the smooth texture of the shark's skin. It is a long shark, growing up to 8 feet. It lives in open ocean where food is scarce. To compensate for this they are 'swift, inquisitive, and persistent hunters. They are often found trailing schools of tuna.

The Silky is an excellent reference for my mermaid as she also waits patiently for the perfect moment before striking quickly. I don't think Warren would be pleased to know he is being hunted like a Tuna.

The second shark I am referencing for her body is the Black Tipped Reef Shark. The Blacktip Reef Shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) is a shark that inhabits tropical reefs. This shark is special to me as it is the first species of shark I was ever fortunately to swim with. Well, at least the first shark I knew was circling under me...

I was maybe 12 years old and was on a snorkeling trip in Jamaica. My mother was noticeably cryptic about the boat's three stops. But I was in vacation mode so I just went along enjoying the water themed side trip, glad to be away from the beach. The first stop was a lovely reef where I fed parrot fish and other tropical lovelies. The second stop was a purposefully sunk plane used for the filming of one of the Jaws sequels. Another snorkeler noticed my strong breath holding and swimming abilities, a result of years with my head underwater at swim practice, and showed me a very relaxed puffer fish hiding under the plane. My pride was boosted by the extra attention I got from the snorkler, that turned out was a scuba diving instructor on the tour with the rest of his family. Once we were out the boat drove into deeper water. It didn't take long for me to figure out the final stop. We were told not to enter the water if we were menstruating and not to urinate. I knew what that meant. The last stop was swimming with sharks.

I was nervous. But in an excited way. There was no way after my recent pride boost that I was going to turn down this opportunity.

The tour guides lowered a giant crate of dead fish down into the water. It was lowered very far. I couldn't tell how far but it took a while. Then the put out ropes into the water like pathetic strands of hair coming out from the back of the boat. The smaller number of people willing to go out on this final stop were split into groups and sent out, instructed to hold onto the ropes and to not splash about.

I was afraid to put my face underwater. I hadn't seen the sharks yet. I went out a few feet before I put my head under, afraid I wouldn't go forward if I knew what was below me. Then, with courage from my mother and the friendly scuba instructor and I put my head underneath.

It was breathtaking. Deep below us circled dozens, no more than that, of blacktip reef sharks. Their long slender bodies moved effortlessly as they went around and around the crate. The silhouette of each shark was smooth and stunning. They seemed so small, no bigger than my hand, from the distance. Dangling there, a bit unceremoniously, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I could see the perfection of these creatures. They have been in these waters since before the dinosaurs and their perfect way they moved through the water reflected just that.

When everyone was finally back on the boat I was in a state of awe that couldn't be broken. At least I thought that, until the tour guides pulled the crate back onto the boat. Now the sharks were at the surface, their fins peaking the water like out of a movie. They knew exactly what was going to happen next and they were ready. To my astonishment they were not small. These sharks were long and bigger than me. I had just been swimming with them! Then as the fish were tossed into the water I was in a whole different state of awe.

The thrashing, the blood, and the speed.

It was horrifying and beautiful. I could see what these sharks were made for in front of my eyes. I still remember their silhouettes. I remember thinking these aren't mindless killers. They knew the drill with the crate and were waiting for the meal. So I have a found place in my heart for the Blacktip and hope to bring some of their beauty and characteristic markings into the model.

In my own thesis I hope to show this subtle intelligence. Warren thinks the mermaid is taunting him. She isn't. She is doing exactly what she was made to do. Wait patiently. Intelligently. Wait for the perfect moment to strike.

And if this little story from my past doesn't give insight as to why I am doing a thesis like this I don't know what will! :)

Reference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacktip_reef_shark
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silky_shark

Gif of the day!

I stumbled upon an oddly appropriate gif today