Growing Lamps From The Ground.

[Symbolic]

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POST HISTORY:

1) The Idea (POST: 1)

2) Technique_1 (POST: 4)

This technique uses a WireBlend SOP to animate a growing pipe.

3) Technique_2 and Technique_3 (POST: 7)

Tech2 uses IKs to animate a growing pipe.

Tech3 uses DOPs wire solver to animate a growing pipe.

4) Focusing on Technique_2 (POST: 12)

Animating a curve using IKs.

Then using this curve to create the pipe and later adding the growth effect.

Issues related to curve lenght and curve shape.

5) Focusing on Technique_1 (POST: 13)

The wireBlend SOP gave better results now. I just have a problem with

the rotating Normals that I generate with the help of the last two points

on the curve. I could not find solution to the curve length problem and

keeping the number of the points on the curve constant. But it seems like

not pushing the limits of the curve while editing its shape prevents it

from getting longer.

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Hi,

I started working on my new project. The main effect in the project is a scene (2 shots) where I have a street lamp growing out of the ground.

I will be starting to my RnD as soon as possible. Before breaking down my problems into parts and tasks,

I just wanted to post some concept tests and ask for advice.

//

The concept frames for shot_1:

Here, the lamp's body starts to come out of the ground.

...it grows.

...the camera follows the process as the lamp's body grows up.

//

The concept frames for shot_2:

The camera changes angle to reveal the top details.

The pipes start to unwrap.

...as they unwrap, the growth process continues.

(Sorry for the crapy images, especially the last two ones. Just had to put them together last night.)

//

The following examples are similar effects created by "The Orphanage" and "Digital Domain"

"Digital Domain" - grow1_A.mov

"Digital Domain" - grow1_B.mov

"The Orphanage" - grow2_A.mov

"The Orphanage" - grow2_B.mov

(Since I am a student and this is a student project, I think it is ok to look at some professional work in terms of reference )

//

So I think that the fist thing to explore is finding a way of growing things with some deformations going on.

I am avoiding L-Systems because I do not have enough time to go into that and my object is not that complex in terms of branches.

Any ideas on growing geometry? Cookies? Curves? BlendShapes? Latices for the deformations?

The second problem is the "Unwrap" effect. Maybe it will be IKs? (capture geometry), DOPs wires?

I also plan to model the lamp first without being worried about the procedural animation so I know the exact shape since

I do not have any references. And then start to build the animated components and design a procedural approach.

Any ideas and suggestions?

Thanks to everybody.

Edited July 25, 2007 by Symbolic

[michael]

very interesting....

I think not taking advantage of what l-systems will offer in this case is a mistake...but...

I'd try building curves (which can be animated/blendshaped) and animating a sweep/skin etc

looking forward to seeing more

[Symbolic]

very interesting....

I think not taking advantage of what l-systems will offer in this case is a mistake...but...

I'd try building curves (which can be animated/blendshaped) and animating a sweep/skin etc

looking forward to seeing more

Thanks arctor!

L-Systems are very complicated, at least for me and for now. But if non of the alternatives work...

I will have to go for them.

I will start testing the "curves" and the "skins"

I am just worried about the places (top) part where the model gets complex and branches into 4 pipes.

[Symbolic]

I have been ill for a few days.

Now I am feeling better and I am trying to figure out something.

I have created a very basic network to make 4 pipes grow and move while growing but I have the following issues:

1) I am getting a jerky animation, the growth and movement conflict with each other.

2) The bottom parts of my pipes turn and do not keep parallel to the X axis.

Here are some test renders:

tmp_camera.mov

tmp_side.mov

What kind of an alternative and more stable technique I can use?

Is there a way to control the animation of the pipes individually...

(I am aware that I can manually create each pipe with its own animation and then place them at their places manually.

But I am trying to find some procedural techniques.)

Thanks.

The hip file:

grow_the_lamp_v1r4_post.hip

[kumpa]

hi !

i think this is quite close to what u expressed. It is based upon legendary "Breaking Object" tutorial, and i am sure this trick has been used widely during production of clips u showed. Steering wheel scene might not be as difficult if one would consider the use of metaballs.

good luck with your project

lamps.hip

Edited July 24, 2007 by kumpa

[Symbolic]

hi !

i think this is quite close to what u expressed. It is based upon legendary "Breaking Object" tutorial, and i am sure this trick has been used widely during production of clips u showed. Steering wheel scene might not be as difficult if one would consider the use of metaballs.

good luck with your project

Hi kumpa!

Thanks for the file... it is a great resource for me... I will study it.

What is "The Legendary Breaking Object Tutorial"?

You said:

"Steering wheel scene might not be as difficult if one would consider the use of metaballs."

In what way one should approach the metaballs for that?

...I am trying to get different tools involved...

The thing is I have lots of parts and animations dependant on eachother...

I) I have the main POLE

II) Then it splits into four branches

III) At the end of each branch I have the heads of the lamps that have their own internal animation

So somehow everything has to work together and I am just not that experienced...

I have very hard time trying to address all the problems at once.

The problem is while the growth is happening I have to animate the branches as well.

So NOW: I will try some techniques involving IKs and DOPs (wire solver) and try to "bend" a growing pipe.

I feel very confused.

Edited July 24, 2007 by Symbolic

[Symbolic]

Hi Everybody,

I have been experimenting with different things. Here are two very very rough results.

I am trying to create an animated growing pipe... (for now)

TECHNIQUE_01:

This is the technique posted before. The one using the WireBlend SOP.

TECHNIQUE_02:

This one uses IKs and CaptureGeometry so it moves while it grows.

growing_pipe_tech2.mov

growing_pipe_TECH2_post.hip

I could not make the pipe curved, smooth... it is edgy. Any ideas on this one?

TECHNIQUE_03:

This one uses DOPs... the wire solver. I have modified one of the examples in the help

where there is an L-System tree and it is been pulled and released. I think I messed up lots

of things, most of the things do not work any more... it is quite a big mess.

But I got something close to what I want.

growing_pipe_tech3.mov

growing_pipe_TECH3_post.hip

The original example file:

wire_test_v1r0_ORIGINAL.hip

I could not fix lots of things with this one. I do not have any control on how the pipe bends. That's why

the top part is wierd. I also could not use the NULLs to determine the starting point and the ending point

of the pipe. What do you think about that one?

//

Thanks for your help.

Edited July 25, 2007 by Symbolic

[Symbolic]

...do you thing this post is becoming very messy.

should I start a new one?

I do not know... I remember once I was warned about making new posts on the same topic and things like that.

Better keep it here.

[rdg]

...do you thing this post is becoming very messy.

should I start a new one?

If you ask me: just keep it all here ... maybe have some TOC in the first post?

Georg

[Symbolic]

If you ask me: just keep it all here ... maybe have some TOC in the first post?

Georg

what is TOC?

[michael]

Table Of Contents...hee hee hee...

just leave it all here

[Symbolic]

Hi,

I will keep it here.

I decided to focus on technique_2... the one that involves IKs.

So I have found a solution to the strange edgy pipe.

instead of capturing the skinned pipe... I some how (with the help of one of my class mates)

managed to bend the curve with the IKs. Then applied the skin. Anyway, it kind of worked.

technique2_tmp.mov

I have some problems, actually three for now:

1) I am not able to control the curvature of the pipe. I need the bottom part to stay vertical and

bend as less as possible and the overall shape to be more like an arc.

2) I am not able to keep the curve length stable. Since the length changes the object at the end of the pipe

keeps jumping. Yes there will be an object at the end of the pipe and it will have its own revealing animation

that will start as soon as the pipe animation is completed.

(this problem is clearly illustrated in the *.mov file linked above.)

The Houdini file:

grow_the_lamp_v2r6x_post.hip

Please help me!

[Symbolic]

Hi All,

Have been playing for the last couple of hours...

Technique_1 (the one with the wireBlend SOP) gave me some better results.

Somehow I just edited the curve and bended it trying to maintain its lenght.

So it is not adding extra points now.

Then I managed to group the last two points and use them to generate Normals for the Copy SOP.

The problem that I have is that the Normals are rotating. So the copied object is rotating.

techniqueOne_try2.mov

Could you please have a look and help me with those rotating normals.

Here is the next hip file:

grow_the_lamp_v1r11_post.hip

Thanks.

[grasshopper]

Try adding an up vector set to (0,1,0) in your point SOP that adds the normals.

j

Hi All,

Have been playing for the last couple of hours...

Technique_1 (the one with the wireBlend SOP) gave me some better results.

Somehow I just edited the curve and bended it trying to maintain its lenght.

So it is not adding extra points now.

Then I managed to group the last two points and use them to generate Normals for the Copy SOP.

The problem that I have is that the Normals are rotating. So the copied object is rotating.

techniqueOne_try2.mov

Could you please have a look and help me with those rotating normals.

Here is the next hip file:

grow_the_lamp_v1r11_post.hip

Thanks.

[Symbolic]

Hi grasshopper,

Thanks for your help... I will try it as soon as possible.