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Effects Workflow and Asset Creation for Animation, Live-Action, and Virtual Reality Stephen Thaddaeus Wassynger Clemson University, [email protected]

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Effects Workflow and Asset Creation for Animation, Live-Action, and Virtual Reality Stephen Thaddaeus Wassynger Clemson University, Swassyn@G.Clemson.Edu Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 5-2018 Effects Workflow and Asset Creation for Animation, Live-Action, and Virtual Reality Stephen Thaddaeus Wassynger Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Recommended Citation Wassynger, Stephen Thaddaeus, "Effects Workflow and Asset Creation for Animation, Live-Action, and Virtual Reality" (2018). All Theses. 2889. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2889 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Effects Workflow and Asset Creation for Animation, Live-Action, and Virtual Reality A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Fine Arts Digital Production Arts by Stephen Thaddaeus Wassynger May 2018 Accepted by: Dr. Eric Patterson, Committee Chair Dr. Jerry Tessendorf Dr. Brian Malloy Abstract Animation, live-action, and virtual reality all use effects to further express the artistic vision of story creators. The effects help immerse the viewer in a fantasy world that is unlike anything that exists on Earth. In this paper I explain the planning, creation, and final implementation of various effects assets for Making Friends (an animated short), Right to Bear Arms and Hot Air (live-action shorts), and Journey to Proxima Centauri: Terror of the Mnar (a virtual reality experience). I also cover some of the differences and limitations when creating effects for animation, live-action, and virtual reality. Lastly, I explore if it is possible and beneficial to take techniques used in one workflow and apply the concept or tools to make a different workflow easier and more efficient. ii Dedication I would like to dedicate this project to my parents Stephen and Patricia Wassynger; without them and all their support that they have given me over the years, achieving this milestone would only be but just a dream. iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Eric Patterson, for teaching, inspiring me, and supporting me throughout my graduate career. My thesis would not be possible without his knowledge, experience, and most of all his patience. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Jerry Tessendorf and Dr. Brian Malloy, for all the help, guidance, and inspiration they have given me over the years. They have always reminded me that if I am not tired and having fun then I am doing something wrong. Finally, I would like to thank all of my family, friends, and all who have supported me throughout this endeavor and for keeping my spirits high when I started to tank. iv Table of Contents Title Page ............................................ i Abstract ............................................. ii Dedication............................................ iii Acknowledgments ....................................... iv List of Figures..........................................vii 1 Introduction & Background................................ 1 1.1 History of Effects...................................... 2 1.2 How Effects Drive Entertainment Media......................... 3 1.3 Efficiently Creating and Managing Effects........................ 12 1.4 Conclusion ......................................... 15 2 Planning the Effects ....................................17 2.1 Meeting with Directors................................... 17 2.2 Differences and Similarities Between the Requested Effects............... 18 2.3 Directability of Effects................................... 21 2.4 Effects Creation Tools................................... 22 3 Asset Workflow and Creation...............................23 3.1 Making Friends....................................... 24 3.2 Right to Bear Arms .................................... 27 3.3 Hot Air ........................................... 30 3.4 Journey to Proxima Centauri............................... 31 4 Implementation and Limitations.............................36 4.1 Implementation....................................... 36 4.2 Limitations ......................................... 37 5 Results ............................................39 5.1 Making Friends....................................... 40 5.2 Right to Bear Arms .................................... 41 5.3 Hot Air ........................................... 41 5.4 Journey to Proxima Centauri............................... 42 6 Postmortem .........................................45 7 Conclusion..........................................47 7.1 Effects............................................ 47 v 7.2 Limitations ......................................... 48 7.3 Applications......................................... 48 Appendices ...........................................50 A Making Friends - Environment Creation......................... 51 B Right to Bear Arms - Particle Simulation ........................ 52 C Journey to Proxima Centauri: Terror of the Mnar - Air Particulate.......... 53 D Journey to Proxima Centauri: Terror of the Mnar - Electricity Explosion . 53 Bibliography...........................................54 vi List of Figures 1.1 Water Spirit interaction Moana [31] ........................... 4 1.2 Original Plate [10] ..................................... 5 1.3 Final Shot [10] ....................................... 5 1.4 Original Plate [10] ..................................... 5 1.5 Final Shot [10] ....................................... 5 1.6 Original Plate [10] ..................................... 5 1.7 Final Shot [10] ....................................... 5 1.8 Original Plate [10] ..................................... 6 1.9 Final Shot [10] ....................................... 6 1.10 Original Plate [10] ..................................... 6 1.11 Final Shot [10] ....................................... 6 1.12 Final Shot [28] ....................................... 7 1.13 Final Shot [28] ....................................... 7 1.14 Effects leading the user to a new place [34] ....................... 8 1.15 Effects evoke the emotion of yearning [34]........................ 9 1.16 Cloth effects showing motion [4].............................. 10 1.17 Subtle dust and sand effects [4].............................. 11 1.18 Flocking effect that draws the player to that location [4]................ 12 1.19 General entertainment media pipeline [7]......................... 13 1.20 Reality of a pipeline [9] .................................. 14 2.1 Low Polygonal Style [5] .................................. 19 2.2 Seemless Computer Generated Bear [2].......................... 20 2.3 Environment of Journey to Proxima Centauri: Terror of the Mnar . 21 2.4 Art Directable Paint.................................... 22 2.5 Instanced Geometry from Paint.............................. 22 3.1 Basic Workflow....................................... 23 3.2 Making Friends Workflow ................................. 24 3.3 Example of the low-polygonal style [5].......................... 25 3.4 Live-Action Workflow ................................... 27 3.5 Shader sampling from texture............................... 28 3.6 Custom Hair Shader.................................... 28 3.7 Example of water vapor [1] ................................ 29 3.8 Live-Action Workflow ................................... 30 3.9 Journey to Proxima Centauri: Terror of the Mnar Workflow.............. 32 3.10 Example of Air Particulate [3]............................... 32 3.11 Breaking the JPC Workflow: Air Particulate ...................... 33 3.12 Breaking the JPC Workflow: Water ........................... 35 5.1 Shot 01 without effects................................... 40 vii 5.2 Shot 01 with effects .................................... 40 5.3 Shot 05 without effects................................... 40 5.4 Shot 05 with effects .................................... 40 5.5 Without Bear Fur ..................................... 41 5.6 With Bear Fur ....................................... 41 5.7 Without apple explosion.................................. 41 5.8 With apple explosion.................................... 41 5.9 Without Whirlwind .................................... 41 5.10 With Whirlwind ...................................... 41 5.11 Without particulate .................................... 42 5.12 With particulate ...................................... 42 5.13 Without Electricity Explosion............................... 42 5.14 With Electricity Explosion................................. 42 5.15 Without Dust........................................ 42 5.16 With Dust.......................................... 42 5.17 Without Laser Blast.................................... 43 5.18 With Laser Blast...................................... 43 5.19 Without Mining Cart Particles .............................. 43 5.20 With Mining Cart Particles................................ 43 5.21 Without water stream................................... 43 5.22 With water stream..................................... 43 5.23 Without Charging Beam.................................. 44 5.24 With Charging Beam.................................... 44 viii Chapter 1 Introduction & Background Effects have been utilized in animation, live-action, and virtual reality for a long time. Effects have not always been the flashiest or most noticeable parts of entertainment media, however, that
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