While many may think that we at the AMS sit around in the summer plotting ways to make students' lives more difficult with new guidelines, the truth is we are busy tormenting ourselves by making projects that test the limits of the lab.
I have chosen to make one of my summer projects a miniature diorama.
When I think of a diorama, images of the Museum Of Natural History pop into my head. I wanted creatures caught forever in a dynamic moment inhabiting an environment of my making. I realized that this project would span most of the services we provide here at AMS, so it seemed like a perfect thing to put op on the blog. Hopefully it will inspire anyone who is interested in this sort of thing to come on down and give it a go. Also, I hope that my stumbling process will help others to come up with better ways of pulling this off.
Enjoy!
STEP 1 : RESEARCH
I started out by doing a bit of research on dioramas in general so i could find my favorite flavor.
I found that the Museum of Natural History had my favorites, but I liked the attention to detail and scale of some of the military themed ones as well. The best one I found was the Halo 3 diorama that the model makers at WETA Workshop created for a website that corresponded with the release of the video game (
http://halo3.com/).
STEP 2 : PLANNING
I did some really simple visual outlines of how I wanted to build this. By looking at the big dioramas, I knew that I would need to use three of the Advanced Media Studio's services. The laser would build my enclosure, the large format printers would print my matte painting for the background, and the 3D Rapid Prototyping service would handle the monsters themselves.
I decide that 10 inches high by 10 inches deep should be a reasonable size for having around the house, and 18 inches wide should give me enough room for the creatures, allowing me to build models big enough to show considerable detail. I've already done some sketching here for the background as well. It is important to keep in mind differentiations in terrain so that he poses of the creatures reflect that. having a boulder in the middle or a hill on one side would affect my 3d modeling considerably.
The next phase was my favorite part, creature design. I had some fun little dino-like things kicking around in my head for a while, so decided that they would be perfect for this. I knew I would be modeling them in 3D and adding a lot of detail, so I wanted to make this made up creature as anatomically correct as possible. I wanted these creatures to look like sleek runners, so I looked at a lot of horse anatomy and some fantastical creatures to boot. I've learned that even a superficial understanding of the way muscles work will add a layer of realism to any creature model.
Then I drew out the sketch that would guide my modeling and detailing process. I tried to create a realistic muscle structure without getting too bogged down in detail. If this model were for film/animation, I would use this structure to model working muscles under the "skin" of the creature. Since this project is purely sculptural, this sketch is just a reference. I strongly recommend this phase, even if it seems excessive. When you begin to detail the model (as I will do in ZBrush), "real" looking muscles will make your job much easier.
STEP 3 : MODELING, PRINTING and BUILDING
Then using a rough outline of the image, I take it into Maya to begin modeling. Setting it to the SIDE view panel, I use it as a reference for the shape of my creature. There are alot of tutorials on setting up image planes for modeling reference. A search for "image planes in Maya" will bring back tons of hits.
Building the object, I make sure to slice it in half down the x axis, then mirror the geometry on that axis. This forms a very basic and symmetrical 3d mesh of my first creature. I export it as an OBJ file.
Then I import the File into Pixologic's Zbrush. In ZBrush, I can use the Wacom Tablet (my favorite) to draw/sculpt directly on the model with pressure sensitivity. This recreates the feeling of actually sculpting clay, giving the artist unparalleled control over organic modelling. Because the model is symmetrical along the x axis, Zbrush can automatically mirror my brush strokes as I make them, cutting sculpting time in half. This is definitely the fun part, and I spend an afternoon detailing the model down to the texture of its scales.
The model is detailed in Zbrush
This stage is where my anatomy drawings really come into play. By referencing the muscles I can give the creature, though totally fantastical, an element of physiological realism. I pose the creatures in ZBrush as well, which bends the contours in an extremely fluid and realistic way. I pose two of the creatures and send them off to Maya, where I can better check their integrity and save them as VRML files. These VRML files are then sent ot Zprint, the software that communicates with the Rapid Prototyping machine.
Then the model is posed and exported as an OBJ to MAYA
In MAYA the models are checked and saved as VRML files for printingI decide to paint the background in Corel Painter 10 using the lab's Wacom tablets. I've settled on an alien desert. The color palette for this will affect the creatures' coloration as well. I know that when I print the image, I have to cut it as well to fit into the box, so I keep that in mind when drawing. I plan on curving the sides along the box to avoid showing the inside corners, giving the illusion of being in the environment. I have to make sure the length of the image gives me enough room to do this, so I add a few extra inches on the sides to be safe. I print the final image on the Epson 9800.
Next I made the enclosure file in Adobe Illustrator. I draw out each side of the box, with tounge and grove edges for gluing together. Then I send it to the laser for cutting.
Because I want light to be able to shine through the enclosure, I choose to make it from clear plexiglass, about 1/4 of and inch thick. With some acrylic cement, I soon had most of my enclosure put together.
The models are now done and need to be infiltrated. This makes them hard and not as easily chipped or broken. Through testing I have found that the Zcorp Zbond infiltrant creates a glossy finish on the model while other infiltratns give more of a matte, sandy finish. I have found that even after priming the model with spray primer, the difference in these two infiltrants comes through, and the matte finish is much easier to paint.
I use an old, broken terrain model as a stand for the one creature, infiltrating its foot directly on and binding it to the base. Then I spray primer on the models and get to painting. Painting miniatures and maquetes is an art unto itself, and I have found that the best way for an amateur to learn is by watching. DVD extra documentaries (anything done by WETA Workshop such as
The Lord of the Rings or
King Kong) are a big help, and I have found that there are tons of model train hobbyists and war-gaming enthusiasts who provide tutorials online. My personal philosophy is to layer as many thin coats as possible, creating the illusion of the semi transparency of skin. By keeping your brushes wet and taking your time, you can achieve nice gradations between different parts of the body, giving the model dynamic skin that reflects physiology rather than a flat tone. The best reference is your own skin, of course, and the knowledge of what can change on it and underneath it depending on environmental conditions.
For these guys, I wanted to show that the skin around their legs and feet is in contact with hot sand and receives more sunlight from reflections off of the bright ground, so I gave it a darker coloration. The skin on their back is brighter to reflect heat from sunlight rather than absorb it. I also played around with different skin patterns, ones that might emulate the dry cracked ground that they would sleep on. These guys have bony skullcaps for dominance/mating rituals, aerodynamics and defense. Whether or not these things have actual scientific grounding is technically irrelevant in a fantastical creature, but attention to detail and a sense of "story" built into the model gives it a life of its own. In my opinion representations of fantastical creatures need that attention just as much (if not more ) than real ones.
In the spirit of drama, I decided that showing these two creatures nimbly walking across an environment was not enough. One of the great things about the best dioramas is the sense of conflict and story. The famously referenced "squid and the whale" installation in the Museum of Natural history shows us drama on an incredible scale, an epic battle taking place in a world that most of us will never see. Because I do not see these two creatures as predators, dont want to have them chasing something down to eat it. I decided that one of nature's most exciting and emotional tales is the defense of the young against a predator. Which means I would need a baby creature and, of course, a predator threatening it.
Creating the baby involved more thought than simply shrinking down the adult models. I wanted its muscles to be less developed, its skin slightly less weathered, and its features to convey a feeling of innocence. In ZBrush I enlarged the eyes, shrunk the horn on its head, and smoothed out many of the muscles. I also made the feet larger and the pose less sleek, to give a feeling of awkward inexperience.
Then I had to decide on a predator. I went into my mental catalogue of creatures and decided on a more old-school, "pulpy" humanoid beast. Something like and alien bear, this creature comes from a friend's design. To me it harkens back to movie monsters of the golden age of cinema. It has a look that is at the same time terrifying as well as primal and blank. Its large, lumbering and aggressive, and would sort of hide amongst the rocks and lunge out at careless prey.
This one has gotten ambitious and is hoping to get into a fight. Its armor, natural weapons and endurance means that delivering one major injury and then tracking the wounded animal across the desert could result in a weeks worth of meals. The two runners would survive by using their speed to escape, but that would mean leaving the clumsy baby to die. The scene we see in the diorama takes place in the moment after posturing and threatening, when one of the runners (the mother) is going to charge the predator before he can raise his claw for a swipe. Its like the discovery channel on another planet.
STEP 4 : PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
So now I have to finish the enclosure and pose the monsters on it. I use simple modeling clay for the ground, because I want to be able to mold the terrain and change it. Most modeling tutorials would recommend using foam or something more solid, but I want flexibility. I lay down all of the clay first, and then i wedge in more broken pieces of other models for rocks, including the base of the charging mother. I also use the free standing models to put in the footprints.
Then I lay down some glue on top with my hands and put in sand on top. After it dries I dump off the excess and fill in the blanks by adding glue and repeating the process. The result looks like this.
Most of my work is done now. I just have to put it all together and light it! I put the top of my plexi enclosure on and shine a desk lamp through the "ceiling". The effect is just what I was hoping for. The clear plexi allows light to shine through and the background print acts as a color filter and a light diffuser, giving the scene a grim mood.
STEP 5 : AFTERTHOUGHTS
Overall, I find myself pleased with the fruits of my labor. That being said, there are some thigns about my process that I might change.
First, I would sand down some of the models a bit more after infiltrating them. I avoided this in order to keep some of the fine deatils I added in Zbrush, but to be honest, some were lost in the printing. Our new RP poweder did give me some scales and skin texture, but not all of the detail amde it. sanding the model down a bit more wodl ahev made it easier to paint and would have fully removed the sandy skin texture.
Also, I would have made another enclosure to go around the first one with a light built into it. Using the desk lamp is fine, but for presentation, one would want the diorama to be able to function solely by itself.
From an artistic perspective, I would have modeled in even more nature drama. I love my lumbering bear monster, but having its arm raised for a swipe or its legs pumping for a chage would have heightened the visual impact.
I learned a lot throughout this process, and I reccomend this sort of cross-service project to anyone. The AMS lab has many uses for artists of all kinds, and mixing and matching the services succesfully can stretch your creative limits in amazing ways.
An example of a vector etch on glass @ (100,4,1000)
A raster etch @ (100,5,1000)