Stereo Painting: Towards new aesthetics in painting today

Proceedings of the URECA@NTU 2010-11

Stereo Painting: Towards New Aesthetic in Painting Today Yew Yong Xiang Ivan School of Art, Design and Media

Asst Prof Ina Conradi Chavez School of Art, Design and Media

Abstract - With the emergence of new 3D hardware and software technologies, traditional and digital painting methodologies can be redefined to provide new ways of perceiving abstract painting in 3D space.

The aim of this research targets at the exploration into inventive applications of 3D Stereoscopy as an art digital media tool, through the uncustomary use of industry standard softwares like NextLimit RealFlow and Autodesk Maya. This project draws inspiration from the idea of pushing the limits of perceptibility and exploring new aesthetics possibilities in contemporary paintings and art practices, specifically to deliver artistically beautiful contents which are further developed into a stereoscopic piece of experimental animation or a still art print.

of a canvas, giving an added depth and adding to the overall feel of viewing abstract painting. [4]

Keywords - experimental animation, stereoscopy, abstract painting, anaglyph

2 AIMS / OBJECTIVES This project aims to explore and develop aesthetically artistic contents through the inventive use of fluid meshes generated in RealFlow 4.3.8i, which are then tested and documented on various stereoscopic settings to achieve the best possible anaglyph viewing experience using Autodesk Maya 2010ii.

3 LITERATURE REVIEW / BACKGROUND Abstract Expressionism has remained the essence of content development in this project. A painting movement in which artists applied paints dynamically to express feelings and emotions, and the works often reflect a form of abstract art that expresses the inner artistic sense evoking the emotions within, connecting the artwork and the viewers. [5] Thus by bringing such abstraction into three-dimensional space as an art installation, has provided a new platform for artists to venture into and explore. Particularly, the works of Helen Frankenthaler has been the core of our reference.

3D

1 INTRODUCTION Historically, broad acceptance of 3D has been limited by technologies of the time. Presenting stereo images was problematic and the results often caused eyestrain and headaches. But emerging digital projections and display technologies combined with the accuracy of CGI are revolutionizing stereoscopic content creation and delivery. [1] By taking advantage of these emerging and available 3D hardware & software technologies, it is possible to bring stereo imaging as a visual art form to a wider audience.

Helen Frankenthaler – Frankenthaler is an Americanborn painter, printmaker, and sculptor who, along with fellow artists Kenneth Noland and Morris Louis, spearheaded the practice of Colour Field painting, a component of Abstract Expressionism. There is a clear visibility of her echoing Jackson Pollock’s large scale canvas painting on the floor rather than on an easel.

“Her paintings conveyed a sense of tranquility as though reflecting the nature of the world.

Frankenthaler's use of light hearkens back to landscape painters of earlier centuries who used light from the natural world to define focal points and illuminate their works.” [6] Her staining process of washes of oil paints applied onto raw canvas has also resulted in the consistency of luminous colours paints and many other accidental splashes that enhance the emotional gestures. [7] This spontaneity in abstract art has become the inspiration for our works in this research.

Among the many great works, The Moors (Fig. 1) and Blue Tide (Fig. 2) [8] are of particular interest to create a dull and sad emotive state.

Stereoscopy is known as a technique to create the illusion of true depth experienced in a real world, by taking advantage of the binocular nature of human vision. [2] Amidst the various ways of viewing threedimensional imagery, we will be working closely with anaglyph stereoscopy– the perception of depth via the process of filtering offset images from a single source separated to each eye, most commonly known and accessible to the public. [3] In this research, more attention will be placed upon the development of the contents; the process of generating expressive painterly fluids both in colours and grayscale in 3D stereoscopy, rather than on other technological hardwares or inventions to enhance stereoscopic viewing.

This paper emphasizes on the creation of abstract painterly imagery in motion conveying emotive states and seeks to engage the viewers in an immersive experience while the crisp and clear projection of 3D stereoscopy transcends the typical two-dimensionality

i

NextLimit® RealFlow® is a unique fluids and body dynamics software package for creation of flawlessly realistic simulations. realflow.com ii Autodesk® Maya® software is an integrated 3D modelling, animation, visual effects, and rendering solution. usa.autodesk.com

1819

Proceedings of the URECA@NTU 2010-11

Figure 1: Helen Frankenthaler, The Moors, 1962, Acrylic on canvas, 8’11” x 3’11” Figure 3: A modelled base is used as the base for the interaction of the particles emitted by the surrounding emitters. All actions took place within a imaginary simulated environment with different fields such as, wind, gravity and vortex etc.

Figure 2: Helen Frankenthaler, Blue Tide, 1963, Acrylic on canvas, 8’ x 6’93/4”

4 METHODOLOGY The challenge continues to be in the harnessing of animated motion, intricate dynamics and colours, which through the use of 3D stereoscopy to deliver new experience in viewing painted image. This process can be classified into two areas; the creation of the painterly contents and addition of stereoscopic effects.

NextLimit RealFlow is used in conjunction with Autodesk Maya to achieve the desired look and feel of expressive painterly marks. Splashes and swirls of liquids are the key referenced actions in this research.

Figure 4: Particles are simulated and reacted upon parameters like ext. pressure, viscosity and speed, which determine the nature of the liquid as well as setting them to increase movement speed or slow down at different time frames.

4.1 ANIMATED CONTENT CREATION– REALFLOW/ MAYA MENTAL RAY NextLimit RealFlow, a software primarily used for visual effects, for generating particles designed to simulate realistic liquid-like effects, bears the role of creating the animated meshes in this project. Particles are simulated using emitters; fields are then created to influence, move and sculpt them, resulting in the creation of abstract shapes and form. (Fig. 3) [5]

Figure 5: Particles are built into polygonal meshes within RealFlow before imported into Maya for texturing and rendering using Maya’s Mental Ray.iii

Due to the erratic nature of these particles, trial and error is required to get the desired effect. Parameters like ext. pressure, viscosity, speed, polygon size and blending factor are the keys to achieve the various liquid attributes for experimenting. (Fig. 4) [9]

iii

Mental ray® renderer is a high-performance rendering engine with advanced photorealistic lighting features. usa.autodesk.com

A layer of polygonal mesh is built over these particles to materialise its surface and shape, which they are then exported out as *.bin files and imported into Autodesk Maya via a RealFlow-Maya plugin. (Fig. 5)

1820

Proceedings of the URECA@NTU 2010-11

Upon settling on a rough draft of animated polygonal meshes, they are then loaded into Maya sequentially and pre-textured in grayscale to preview the initial outlook of the liquid as well as the camera angles best suited for projecting these liquid meshes. (Fig. 6) Different angles paired with different textures deliver to us new visual imagery and composition every time.

(Fig. 7a & 7b) Hence, it is through a series of experimentation to narrow down towards the idea of emulating dripping and splashing paints in threedimensional space.

dielectric material shader, commonly used for liquid textures, are applied to the mesh and different blends of colours are experimented. (Fig. 8 – 12)

Figure 8: Parameters like Polygon Size and Relaxation in RealFlow controls the crispness of the mesh’s edges.

Figure 6: *.bin sequences are loaded into Maya through a RealFlow-Maya plugin

Figure 9: A high value of Ext Pressure and Viscosity of the fluid mesh helps to keep them compact, thus avoiding the tendency to over expand. A reference to Frankenthaler’s The Moor.

Figure 7a: An example of a grayscale rendered mesh with low Index of Refraction value, thus giving a flatter and painterly liquid outcome.

Figure 10: Blends of different colours controlled through the parameters- Col and Outside Colour, of which a lighter value will create a more vibrant hue.

Figure 7b: An example of a grayscale rendered mesh with high Index of Refraction and Reflection values, thus enabling attributes of a more realistic liquid.

However so, this has only marked the initial stage of developing the animated contents, further adjustments are necessary to perfect the quality of our liquid– the crispness of the meshes’ edges as well as the surface tension between the particle meshes. This time round,

1821

Proceedings of the URECA@NTU 2010-11

the desired composition and scrubbing the timeline to ensure that the necessary actions are within our focus and vision. After locking in the position of the camera, the camera’s stereo specific settings are adjusted. [10]

Figure 11: The low values of Index of Refraction and Raytrace’s Reflection and Refraction helps to ensure a flat painterly look.

Figure 13: Basic stereoscopic camera rig: Stereo Camera Left, Stereo Camera Right and Stereo Camera Center.

In the attribute editor of the camera rig, options and settings would allow numerous variations. The first important task would be to set the Stereo type to offaxis, so as not to suffer from vertical misalignment that is seen in the traditional converged method. Apart from that, the Interaxial Separation & Zero Parallax settings are main key in getting the a good stereo effect that doesn’t cause eye pain when viewed. (Fig. 14)

Figure 12: An example of various attributes adjusted to emulate expressive painterly strokes. A reference to Frankenthaler’s Blue Tide.

The strength of dielectric material shader in Autodesk Maya lies in its ability to simulate realistic reflections and refractions similar to what we see in actual water and the few main parameters controlling its overall look and feel are ‘Colour’, ‘Index of Reflection’, ‘Outside Colour’ and ‘Phong Coefficient’. However, these attributes are value sensitive and minor tweaks may result in drastic appearance of the liquid. A tested set of values for ‘Colour’ to be a lighter tone, ‘Index of Refraction’ to be between 0.85-0.95, ‘Outside Colour’ to be a darker tone and ‘Phong Coefficient’ at a value of 1, results in generally a flatter visual of the liquid mesh. In addition, the render settings in Mental Ray, especially under Raytracingiv, tested to be that its Reflections and Refractions attributes is recommended within the range of 6-8, ideally 7, in order to achieve the flat painterly look we are aiming at. Nonetheless, these values only applies to this research project, while these attributes are still what we need to take note of to determine the appearance of the liquid.

Figure 14: Adjustments to Stereo Interaxial Separation & Zero Parallax settings in Stereo Camera Parameters Attribute Editor. iv

Ray tracing is a method for calculating the path of light waves or particles through a system. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_tracing_(graphics) v Stereoscopy, stereoscopic imaging or 3-D (three-dimensional) imaging is any technique capable of recording three-dimensional visual information or creating the illusion of depth in an image.

4.2 STEREOSCOPIC EFFECTS Stereoscopicv effects are created within Autodesk Maya through the creating of a set of stereoscopic camera under the create camera tab in Maya. The basic stereoscopic rig consists of three cameras, Stereo Camera Left, Stereo Camera Right & Stereo Camera Center. (Fig. 13) These are connected to one another via expressions and the primary controls are located on the Center Camera. Subsequently, it is to position the center camera parenting both left and right cameras to

1822

Proceedings of the URECA@NTU 2010-11

Interaxial Separation determines the distance between the left and right cameras, in real world scale it would be set to a value of 6.0-6.5 cm, or (2.4”-2.6”). This is to simulate the average distance between the human eyes. However in the case of these art works, the Real Flow mesh is abstract and relative in its size. Hence, values had to be generated via trial and error by using the anaglyph preview window. (Fig. 15) [10]

sourcing of the files during compositing later as well as easier referencing in the case of errors in between. [11]

Figure 17: A stereoscopic view, ‘stereo pair’.

5 RESULTS In the earlier stage of trials, an untitled piece of “Blue” animation was made prior to the experiments of stereoscopic effect in colours. (Fig. 18) It experimented with different mixtures of colours and values to attain the visual referenced. By adjusting values accordingly, we are capable of echoing the visuals of abstract expressionism and projecting it in a three-dimensional space. However, it was tested that to achieve maximum impact of anaglyph stereoscopy, contents are best recommended to remain in grayscale as colours would affect the filtering by the red-cyan anaglyph filters.

Nonetheless, it was a precursor to Chrysocolla, an animated clip, which features the effects of action painting such as, dripping and splashing with harsher environmental fields, in stereoscopy that are pleasing to the eyes. It explores the extremes of anaglyph stereoscopy and pushes its limits between subtlety and complication so as one could experience the contrast of 3D perception to the eyes, yet perceived less literal in an abstract manner. (Fig. 19 – 21)

Figure 15: Interaxial separation (left) A large value of 5.0 would make the object appear larger and near, while (right) a smaller value of 1.0 would make the object appear smaller and far.

The Zero Parallax determines the point in depth where both image converge. In stereo terms, an object in point of the 0 parallax from the camera will have 0 depth, while anything between the camera and Zero Parallax point will have positive depth (appear to pop out from screen) while anything behind this point will have negative depth (appear to recede behind screen).

A visual representation of the Zero Parallax plane and a safe volume cone can be generated in the controls to assist in the setting. (Fig. 16) [11]

Figure 16: Zero Parallax plane dividing positive depth (in front of plane) and negative depth (behind plane) with its Convergence distance.

Figure 18: Initial trial on perfecting anaglyph stereoscopy in colours, “Blue” animation.

The optimal point judging from the stereo tests is to have the zero parallax at an average of the distance between the furthest object and the nearest object to screen as well as keep the object/s within the safe volume cone. (Fig. 17) Once the desired camera set-up is completed, the renderable camera should be set to stereo Camera (Stereo Pair) in the render settings, this will automatically allow Maya to render both the left and right stereo images separately. Also, added should be <camera> suffix to the file name so it will be named accordingly from the camera and this allows better

1823

Proceedings of the URECA@NTU 2010-11

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Asst Prof Ina Conradi Chavez from School of Art, Design and Media.

We wish to acknowledge the funding support for this project from Nanyang Technological University under the Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) programme.

REFERENCES Autodesk®, "Stereoscopic Filmmaking Whitepaper: The Business and Technology of Stereoscopic Filmmaking," 2008.

Figure 19: Anaglyph composite of a stereoscopic effect still frame pushing the limits of depth, in Chrysocolla.

H. Jensen and A. Keller, "Image-Based Stereoscopic Painterly Rendering," 2004.

Reynaud, Francoise. Tambrun, Catherine and Timby, Kim in association with the Musée Carnavalet, Museum of the History of Paris, “PARIS in 3D, From stereoscopy to virtual reality 1850-2000,” 2000.

R. Zone. (2009). The 3D Zone: Its Past & Its Future. In Creative COW, Creative Communities of the World Magazine.. Retrieved June 10, 2011, from http://magazine.creativecow.net/article/a-creative-cowmagazine-extra-the-3d-zone.

Figure 20: Anaglyph composite of a complicated stereoscopic effect still frame in Chrysocolla.

K. Y. Hui, “Project ID: ADM09036, URECA Project Category1 Title: Painting Using Experimental Animation,”, Second Author Conradi I., Singapore, 2009.

S. Jessica. (2011). Helen Frankenthaler. In The Art Story: Modern Art Movement, Artists, Ideas and Topics.

Retrieved June 10, 2011, from http://www.theartstory.org/artist-frankenthalerhelen.htm.

Figure 21: Anaglyph composite of a stereoscopic effect still frame in Chrysocolla.

Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive. (2010).

Before the Caves 1966.63. In Calisphere– University of California. Retrieved June 10, 2011, from http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft8k4007qh/?layout =metadata&brand=calisphere.

subtle

Elderfield, John, “Frankenthaler,” 1989.

6 CONCLUSION

RealFlow and Maya Integration. DVD. Oklahoma City: Digital-Tutors/PL Studios Inc, 2006.

With the stereo as the final output for these works, the understanding of stereo depth and stereo workflow will be vital for future works. Continuing challenge is to be able to keep up with commercial, proprietary software and latest developments and technological resources in the field of stereo. Direct access to the professional 3D stereo pipeline would enhance the experience for screenings and one of a kind art installation. As the content becomes more interactive, so as the need for an interactive platform to display such works. Typical screening or projection are limiting the possibilities of even more immersive experiences. What truly lies ahead is the ability to transform these works that are capable of interfacing and interacting with the viewers, into real time and enhancing one’s viewing pleasure.

T. C. Quan, "Project ID: ADM09037, URECA Project Category1 Title Digital Imaging: Anatomy of 3rd dimension,", Second Author Conradi I.,Singapore, 2010.

Conradi I., “The Undiscovered Country– The Art of Pictorial 3-D Stereo Animation”, Second Author Y. Y. X Ivan, Singapore, 2011

1824