Digital Paleoart: Reconstruction and Restoration from Laser-Scanned Fossils A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Evan Matthew Boucher in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Digital Media Drexel University March 2011 ii © Copyright 2011 Evan M. Boucher. All Rights Reserved. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For Access to the Specimen and Advisor: Support: Theo A. Artz Chris Coughenour Victoria Egerton Committee: Lucio Ibiricu Jason Schein Kenneth J. Lacovara Ph.D. Elena Schroeter Jason Poole Paul Ullmann Peter Dodson Ph.D. Misc. Consultants and Support: For Helping to Put the Gears in Motion: James Spotila Ph.D. Phil Manning Ph.D. Glen Muschio Ph.D. Howard Coale Bob Walters and Tess Kissinger Patricia Hannaway Christopher P. Redmann Emotional Support: For Aiding in The Scanning Process: Ian and Alex Mark Petrovich E Mary Girish Balakrishnan Dave David Myers Nick Christian Institutions: Tom Nate The Academy of Natural Sciences of Dan Philadelphia Bob The New Jersey State Museum Corinne Clyde and Chad Peeling, and the staff of Greg Clyde Peeling's Reptiland Simon Amanda For the Motion: Nicole Ashley Rocky the Alligator Susan For Instilling My Continued Love for the Natural World: Bernie and Wendy iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... ix I. INTRODUCTION & THESIS OVERVIEW ........................................................................1 II. REVIEW OF RELEVANT RESEARCH AND THEORY ......................................................4 1. The Fossil Record .........................................................................................4 2. A Historical Progression of Paleoart .............................................................6 3. Speculation: The Balance Between Science and Art ..................................18 III. APPROACH ..............................................................................................................24 1. Project Planning .........................................................................................24 1.1. Workflow Overview ............................................................................24 1.2. Thoracosaurus neocesariensis ...........................................................27 2. Working with Scan Data ............................................................................31 2.1. Background of the Scanning Process ..................................................31 2.2. Scan Stitching .....................................................................................33 2.3. Integrating for Animation ...................................................................43 3. Creating the Control Rig ..............................................................................48 3.1. Finishing the Skeleton.........................................................................48 3.2. Levels of Control ................................................................................75 3.3. Creating the Muscle System ...............................................................97 3.4. Creating the Outer Skin ....................................................................115 4. Locomotion and Animation .......................................................................150 v 4.1. Research and Reference Footage ......................................................150 4.2. Animation Pre-Production ................................................................157 4.3. Animating the Schematic ..................................................................164 4.4. Animating the Narrative ...................................................................171 4.5. Environment Generation ...................................................................183 IV. FUTURE APPLICATIONS .........................................................................................202 V. CONCLUSION .........................................................................................................208 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................213 APPENDIX A: NOTES ........................................................................................................217 APPENDIX B: GLOSSARY OF TERMS .................................................................................221 vi LIST OF FIGURES 1. Early Fossil Interpretations ......................................................................................7 2. Crystal Palace Park Iguanodon ..............................................................................11 3. Digitized Triceratops Skull....................................................................................17 4. Tyrannosaurus vs. Triceratops ..............................................................................20 5. Thoracosaurus neocesariensis on Display ............................................................28 6. Scanning Thoracosaurus with PET .......................................................................32 7. Scanning Thoracosaurus with Geomagic Studio ..................................................33 8. The Stitching Process of Geomagic Studio ...........................................................37 9. Poor Scan Data .......................................................................................................39 10. Completed Scan Examples ....................................................................................42 11. Polygon Resolution Detail Comparison.................................................................44 12. Compiling Fossils in Houdini ................................................................................46 13. Fully Compiled Digital Fossil Material .................................................................47 14. A Modern Gharial ..................................................................................................49 15. The Location of the Thoracosaurus Excavation Site ............................................50 16. Gavialoidea Phylogeny ..........................................................................................51 17. Modeling the Skull from Reference Imagery ........................................................53 18. The Alveoli Model ................................................................................................55 19. The Dentary “Kink” ..............................................................................................57 20. ANSP 10079 ..........................................................................................................58 21. First and Second Attempts at the Skull Model ......................................................60 22. Comparison of the External Mandibular Foramen ................................................63 23. The Groove of Finished Bone on the External Mandibular Foramen ...................63 vii 24. Left Arm Reconstruction .......................................................................................65 25. Pelvic Reference Imagery and Reconstruction ......................................................66 26. The Calcaneum ......................................................................................................67 27. The Vestigal Fifth Digit of the Pes ........................................................................68 28. Appended Vertebrae and Ribs ...............................................................................71 29. The Reconstructed Skeleton ..................................................................................75 30. Parent-Child Relationships ....................................................................................77 31. The Joint Setup ......................................................................................................78 32. Joint Orientation.....................................................................................................80 33. The Joints and Control Curves ...............................................................................86 34. The Crocodylian Ankle Joint .................................................................................91 35. The Rotation of the Metatarsals .............................................................................91 36. Rig Limits ..............................................................................................................95 37. Fully Poseable Skeletal Rig ...................................................................................97 38. The Three Muscle States ......................................................................................100 39. The Gastrocnemius ..............................................................................................104 40. The Pectoral Girdle ..............................................................................................108 41. Pterygoideus Muscle Comparison .......................................................................111 42. The Completed Muscle System ...........................................................................115 43. The Shape of the Pterygoid Bones .......................................................................117 44. Throat Topology ..................................................................................................118