Doyeon Kwon 2014 IDAS | Media Environment Design | Prof. David Hall
Index
Background p.4
Ernst Haeckel
p.6
Voronoi Algorithm
p.8
Marine Life
p.12
Sketch
p.16
Process of Composition
p.18
step1. Topmod
p.20
step2. Fusion360+3D Printing
p.22
step3. Sculptris
p.24
step4. Maya
p.34
Final Model
p.40
3D printed model
p.48
Follow-up study
Background
Digital Fabrication: RELIQUIAE
reliquiae [NOUN] fossil remains of animals or plants The word relic comes from the Latin reliquiae, meaning “remains” or “something left behind” (the same root as relinquish)
I’m interested in biology, especially the structure of organism. Ernst Haeckel, a German biologist and artist, is one of the most inspiring people for my work style. The thing that impressed me most strongly was “Kunstformen der Natur” that I mentioned in class. His biological researches are also interesting, but his illustrations in the book inspired me. It consists of 100 prints of various organisms, many of which were first described by Haeckel himself. When I found his works, I was incredibly amazed. Since that time, I wanted to study the structure of organism such as invertebrate or algae. For this reason, I want to study organisms and make it. At first, I searched the images of marine life (include jellyfish, deep-sea fish, coral, sea anemone, barnacle, seaweed, etc…) and watched some documentary movies, “The Blue Planet - Ocean World” created and produced by BBC. (The Deep episode is the most interesting.)
Ernst Haeckel Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor, and artist who discovered, described and named thousands of newspecies, mapped a genealogical tree relating all life forms, and coined many terms in biology, including anthropogeny, ecology, phylum, phylogeny, stem cell, and the kingdom Protista. … The published artwork of Haeckel includes over 100 detailed, multi-colourillustrations of animals and sea creatures (see: Kunstformen der Natur, “Art Forms of Nature”). [Abstract from Wikipedia]
Illustration from Kunstformen der Natur.
Background
Voronoi Algorithm
In mathematics, a Voronoi diagram is a special kind of decomposition of a given space, e.g., a metric space, determined by distances to a specified family of objects (subsets) in the space. These objects are usually called the sites or the generators (but other names such as “seeds� are in use) and to each such an object one associates a corresponding Voronoi cell, namely the set of all points in the given space whose distance to the given object is not greater than their distance to
the other objects. It is named after Georgy Voronoi, and is also called a Voronoi tessellation, a Voronoi decomposition, or a Dirichlet tessellation(after Lejeune Dirichlet). Voronoi diagrams can be found in a large number of fields in science and technology, even in art, and they have found numerous practical and theoretical applications .
We can find this algorithm in the nature, such as the wings of dragonfly or structure of cells.
Mathematics in Nature
There are so many mathematical structure in the nature. A lot of artists are interested in the organ structure, but the only few people study mathematics or science. In my opinion, that is really big problem even though I did in the past. At first appearance, there is no connection among these pictures above. However all the pictures are the result of Voronoi algorithm. Why they form like these? According to the formula, this is the most efficient way to be performed or deformed. The link of the centers of each parts is ‌
The simplest case In the simplest and most familiar case (shown in the first picture), we are given a finite set of points {p1, ‌, pn} in the Euclidean plane. In this case each site pk is simply a point and its corresponding Voronoi cell (also called Voronoi region or Dirichlet cell) Rk consisting of every point whose distance to pk is less than or equal to its distance to any other site. Each such cell is obtained from the intersection of half-spaces, and hence it is a convex polygon. The segments of the Voronoi diagram are all the points in the plane that are equidistant to the two nearest sites. The Voronoi vertices (nodes) are the points equidistant to three (or more) sites.
In addition, these pictures that I took in Coex Aquarium show the form of the marine life. Also I could observe the movement of the sea creatures such as jellyfishes closely.
Dance of Sea Nettles COEX Aquairium, Seoul, Korea
Sketch
Digital Fabrication:: RELIQUIAE Thus, I want to observe and express the structure of organism that flow in the wind, wave in the water flow, Fossil of life in a dead land where was once a deep sea. There is no water, no life. Only few remains are in the white desert.
At first time, I want to make physically interactive structure like this sketch. When I was young, I played with this spring toy(I don’t know that’s name).
mesh sketch by illustrator
This is my drawing to record phases of movement. But it is divided into each pose like a frame in a film. How can I make flow of change, flow of life?
Pitcher (Watercolor on paper)
There’re my sketches. The form of organic/biologic structure is pretty interesting because the form, like tumors, looks like haphazard and irregular but there’s some hierarchy or geometric rules. So, my plan is to create the remains of overgrown organic structure.
Process of Composition
Program List
For this project, I used more than 4 3d-program including Topmod, Fusion 360, Sculptris, Maya
Topmod
Fusion 360
Sculptris Alpha 6
Maya 2015
ms a.
CPS Boole / Konstruk + Plug-ins
Larmor Voronoi PDI 3 +Îą
Composition Step 1. Topmod
I tried to make some geometric form using Topmod, but it was a little bit hard to understand all of the functions. I couldn’t control the tool and shape what I plan to express continuity‌ Maybe it could be a new possibility to make unique form never seen it before. Search : How can I use other 3d models made by other programs such as Maya, 3dsMax.
Composition Step 2. Fusion360 +3D Printing
Last week, I tried to find some other programs to make 3d models in mac OS and I found Autodesk Fusion 360. I studied this program by watching tutorial videos, then I made simple object looks like vase or medical device. At the class, I test to print this object with the help of prof.David. I’m really looking forward to see my first 3d printed object..!
4TH NOV 2014
WOW This is what I did! I think it printed pretty good, but if look carefully this surface, it isn’t clean enough. Because some parts of polygons are crashed when I made 3d model using Fusion360. For past 2 weeks, I really want to find other 3D programs that would work in macOS. I found this program(fusion360) and tried it but there was minor problems like overlapping and shaping. This program could not express how I wanted design. So, in the end, I need to use Maya. Actually, I never use Maya before, I have to study this program by watching tutorial videos(e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIvvDC6CcCI ).
Composition Step 3. Sculptris
I found another program, Sculptris Alpha 6. But I also found a big-very big problem of this work. Whenever I try to save the model in my computer, the program is stopped. When I forced quit and reopened the program, it automatically upload my model that wasn’t saved. Anyway, this form I made is similar with my sketch of organic structure.
Composition Step 4. Maya
Now, I made a model using Sculptris and then deformed it in Maya. When I start to make this model, my plan was to express the tentacles or antennae of organism. Like sea anemone, it has some tentacles in upper side. Lower part is bone structure so when it stand it can support. Then I tried to make variations of the model. This is the first deformed model. I think it’s better to use nonsmooth textures because if the surfaces are polished, it doesn’t look like organism or biologic creatures.
Modeling
Rendering
Final Model
There are minor changes throughout the whole model, include the thickness, size and curve of each parts.
3D Printed model
After printed the model, it was supposed to erase the supporter by putting in hot acid solution. But I decided to keep the supporter because the shape of whole printed model is really interseting. Isn’t it looks like ria* or extraterrestrial ancient architecture?
* A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Typically, rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they can be straight and without significant branches.
Follow-up study There are few ways to make voronoi surfaces, such as LarmorVoronoi. PLUG-INs CPS : Please check the pdf file to use CPS plug-in. Boole Konstrukt : www.ticket01.com/index.php Larmor Voronoi : www.larmor.com/LarmorVoronoiMayaPlugin PDI 3 : www.pulldownit.com PROGRAMs Grasshopper Rhino
But, there’s few problem. Konstrukt, the best way to make voronoi surface on Maya I thought, is not working in my Macbook. I received the message “An error occurred during the installation. Plrease contatct to company to support.” (a picture above) There’s no information about the failure of installa-
tion. How can I fix the problem and use that? I don’t know why it doesn’t work. I send a mail and message to ticket01 for troubleshooting, but there’s no answer yet.
To express the erosion of remains, I use ISOPARM and BOOLEAN (Union/Difference/Intersection) functions to make/fill tunnel in Maya alternatively. In most cases, it worked well, but sometimes it made a hole that wasn’t connected with each surfaces.
Follow-up study: grasshopper
Study Grasshopper and Rhino for follow-up and future project. Also need to study Arduino.
Doyeon Kwon