Week #12

Advanced, Experimental VFX Animation and Techniques
Blog WK#12 (Apr 20), Nuke Roto and Maya Camera Pull Focus

Aldo Tutorial: The Roto Node

Mon the 20th involved a tutorial with Aldo, -specifically reviewing some of the Roto Node basics from a couple months ago. From the tutorial, a notable point which warrants highlighting is the concept of a "fried roto". Aldo explained that excessive manipulation of vertex points from a roto can induce "frying" of the roto (industry slang). That is, a render of the roto outline may very well prove problematic (the resulting image will have some sort of visible defect). As below, per a brief slide excerpt of our tutorial, frying especially results from a total rotation of a roto shape which is then compounded by abrupt positional changes of a vertex point.

Christos Tutorial: Maya Pull Focus and Project Review

Christos prompted me to send a paragraph summarizing my plans for the upcoming term. As below, an email was sent the following day. My plan involves two basic components. The first is the development of a model for a single neuron, but within the context of background that provides some genuine scientific context for the model. The second goal is presentation of a street scene implementing camera tracking w projection mapping, as per our Nuke didactics from last term (but, to include my original street scene footage from my neighborhood).

SIngle Cell Neuronal Modelling and Neural Network Context

During the tutorial on Tues the 21st, Christos and I addressed the approach, or shortcoming, of many Hollywood presentations of single neurons. These generally provide no appropriate neuroscientific context for what is being displayed (because these clips are usually done solely for entertainment purposes, their deficiency of 'genuine content' is perhaps appropriate for the simple dramatic context in which they are presented).
As part of a more general exercise to develop 3D visuals portraying neurons and the brain, Christos encouraged me to further investigate presentations of neurons as done by other artists. Ironically, this effort and the following video more intensively underscores my point as above. The clip (from Ghost Productions "medically accurate, inspiring graphics") is actually intended not simply to present an entertaining shot of neurons, but rather to communicate a neurobiological story. The flow of the video seems to want to communicate didactics about emerging from the brain thru the optic nerve, retina and pupil, but the histology of visuals is not accurate. For example, the clip immediately following the neuronal shots looks like the esophagus and not the optic nerve! I also subsequently conducted an internet search for histology of the retina, and i was not able to find anything similar to the artist's portrayal of the retina. As per the images below (above the video clip) please find a typical representation of the optic nerve and retina. As is apparent in the 2nd frame below, the video artist presents a clip of the esophagus (the tube from your mouth to your stomach) as being the optic nerve (note that the optic nerve is not an empty tube!). In other words, the video marketed as "medically accurate" unfortunately contains an absurd egregious medical error.

Christos Tutorial: Maya Pull Focus

Christos sent a tutorial for my initial efforts w revisitng the Maya camera. His tutorial effectively addressed my inquiry re 'Pull Focus'. My first attempt w this skill is below, note how sphere and cube obviously show a different degree of focus and focal length.

Bibliography

Maya Focus Pull, (posted by Obscene Angles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPHJGnvzu

neurons to pupil: ghost production https://youtu.be/RDspAS2rHGk3D_Character_Medical_Animation