Chris Mella

Artefact Four

2011-05-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

For my fourth artefact, I rendered an image from the 3D model I produced for the Client Project. This had to show an improvement on the last artefact so I made a high quality single frame render of my redesign of the cocktail bar, ‘Minus One’. This image shows a well lit view across the bar including a realistic raised seating area.

I put the image into a questionnaire of the same structure alongside three photographs. Participants were asked to pick out the computer-generated image and to give any reasons for their choice.

The results showed that out of the people who participated, a modest fifty five percent of them correctly identified photo D as the computer-generated image. Most participants gave very limited comments when explaining their decision. However, a lot of people noted that it was a hard decision to make or that they were torn between two particular images. These findings show that there is an improvement in standard from the image used in the previous artefact. A much larger group of people were fooled by this questionnaire, which shows that a fairly decent standard of reality can be created on an inferior machine. Even though the percentage is only just a majority, the results are encouraging.

Client Project - Final video..

2011-04-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

the quality needs to be inproved..

Artefact Three

2011-04-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

When I put together my third questionnaire I created a 3D model based on the flat that I live in. I felt it was important to experiment with a visualisation that I had created myself on a machine with a much lower specification than industry standard. This would enable me to judge the extent to which people can be fooled by CGI.

I decided to keep the same structure of questionnaire containing three images from stock photography websites and my own image. Participants were asked to pick one image out of the four options that they believed to be computer-generated.

The results showed that out of the people who participated, a very high seventy five percent of them correctly chose photo B as the computer-generated image. The main reasons given for choosing this image were unrealistic lighting and the image having a “video game look”. This suggests that the image I created is not necessarily up to standard, in terms of realism. Only a quarter of participants were fooled into picking A, C or D, suggesting that the image used in the questionnaire needs to be improved. In order to achieve the same effect as the images of Alex Roman, CGI has to include a realistic lighting system. This highlights the gap that there can be between the standards of two different computer-generated images. By reworking and improving work that has been done in the past should enable me to create a very realistic image.

Artefact Two Feedback

2011-03-21T05:21:00.000-07:00

My second artefact has given me results which are even more supportive of my research conclusion.

I decided to once again produce a questionnaire containing four images. Again, three of these were photographs, and the other was a computer-generated image by Alex Roman. Participants were asked to pick one image out of the four that they believed to be computer-generated and to give any reasons for their choice.

Results showed that out of the people who participated, a very low twenty percent of them correctly chose photo A as the computer-generated image. The main reasons given for choosing photo A were that the lighting and focus were not accurate, as well as some of the photo being blurred. In the image, Alex Roman has tried to give the illusion of filmed reality by adjusting the focus using depth of field. Eighty percent of participants were fooled into picking B, C or D, suggesting that computer-generated imagery can convince people by showing techniques used in photography. People who picked the wrong image gave reasons such as the textures not looking real and the images looking "cut-out". From this, it shows that Roman's image effectively mimics reality to fool the majority of people.

Client Project Update - Short Clips

2011-03-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Artefact One Feedback

2011-03-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

My first artefact returned results which supported the conclusion of my research document.

I produced a questionnaire containing four images, from which the participants had to choose from. Three of these were photographs, and the other was a computer-generated image by Alex Roman. Participants were asked to pick one image out of the four that they believed to be computer-generated and to give any reasons for their choice.

Results showed that out of the people who participated, only thirty percent of them correctly chose photo D as the computer-generated image. The main reason given for choosing photo D was that there was some repetition used within the bookshelf. This is only really obvious when you take the time to look closely at the image. However, the fact that seventy percent of participants were fooled into picking A, B or C, suggests that computer-generated imagery can mimic realism very well. People who picked the wrong image gave reasons such as lack of detail and unrealistic light levels. From this, it is obvious to see that Alex Roman's image must have very accurate lighting and show a high level of detail.

Client Project Update - Single Frame Renders

2011-03-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

Client Project Update

2011-03-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

The modelling of Minus One is going surprisingly smoothly, the majority of the different elements have been completed. I am almost ready to put everything together and play around with materials and lighting systems. Images to follow shortly...

Studio AKA

2010-03-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

Definitely worth a look...
http://www.studioaka.co.uk

They are the animation company that produced the Lloyds TSB adverts with the people with the pointy noses :)

Animation - Update

2010-03-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Quick render of my character that will star in my 'Cup of Tea' animation. I took this just before i painted the skin in Photoshop..
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Visualisation - Update

2010-03-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

just a couple of quick renders from my airport model, not finished yet but its getting there :)

Fallout 3

2010-01-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

over my christmas/new year break i have downloaded a version of Fallout 3 for my mac, the modelling looks very well done. i havent spent much time playing yet, but i am looking forward to seeing what the animation is like.

Visualisation

2009-12-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

Heres an update on my rollercoaster project, bit late because of my printscreen problem...

I have made a crater-style landscape around the roller coaster itself. The track will wind in and out of run-down buildings in an abandoned village...

At the centre of the village will be the well that i made...

And here are a couple of images of views from inside the village. I still have more buildings and other structures to put in, but it gives you an idea...

Games

2009-11-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

soo, got my card game pretty much done :) just have to write up my rules and start getting feedback from my housemates.

heres a sample of what my cards actually look like...

print screens???

2009-11-19T10:47:00.001-08:00

how many more problems am i going to have???

ok, so im having trouble with doing print screens.

i have a macbook pro and i have split the hard drive so i can run windows on it as well. however, there is no print screen button on a mac keyboard and the combination used on a mac to print screen will not work on windows....

help.

Visualisation

2009-11-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

just a quick post, here are some images i rendered today...

the first is just with natural daylight...

the second is with another small corner light added...

in the third i have added lights to the bulbs in the ceiling lamps...

and the fourth is the same but from a different view...

Animation

2009-11-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

so i am getting on well with the animation side of the course.

ive been enjoying building and rigging a robot and feel pretty confident in doing it.

i have been playing around with rendering and lighting as well when modelling my robot, and i will upload screen shots later.

Soooo...

2009-11-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

after 2 months f trying to cope with no internet and a stolen laptop, amongst other things..

i can update my blog :)

easter blog entries...

2009-04-17T05:56:00.001-07:00

to be put online shortly...

Identities - Avatar 3D Max

2009-03-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

still a work in progress, but it is coming together. i need to play around with the body shape a bit more and add detail to the head. i am looking forward to adding the graphics though...

Identites - Avatar Development

2009-02-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

here are some of my original sketches that i have scanned in from my drawings for my avatar.

however i cannot upload all of my images, because blogger doesnt seem to like some of them for some reason.... so unfortunately you cannot see the full extent of my avatars development.

Identities - 3D Max

2009-02-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

I have been playing with 3D Max today, and i thought i would post a screen shot of the first figure i have made...

Even though it the limbs and proportions are not very accurate, I found this suprisingly easy to make. I am looking forward to experimenting more with 3D Max when creating my avatar.

Identities - Home Screen for Box

2009-02-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

I have decided to use my passport photos idea in the home screen of my box. i have managed to dig out old passport photos that i had lying around at home.

i plan to have the photos change as they do in the two images when you scroll over them, using flash.

Identities - Logo Development

2009-01-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

Here are some scanned images of logo designs that i have sketched out. Number 2 is the one that i feel is the strongest. It resembles a signature and is instantly recognisable.

Identities - Logo

2009-01-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Just some initial ideas for my logo for the identities module. I have gone for the obvious first thought of something that resembles my face.

However i plan to develop my ideas alot more...

Identities - Research Passport Photos

2009-01-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

i have decided that i would quite like to use passport photos in my project. this is because they are literally used to show your identity.

i am not quite sure where abouts in my project to use them yet, i think maybe in my logo or for my homescreen of my box.

Final Second Life

2009-01-14T13:31:00.000-08:00

Let's be honest, Second Life has started to bore me. Even though there is normally something new to find and explore, you are still limited to how much you can actually get involved in these activities.

However, you can make your own fun when talking to other people online. I personally had a lot of enjoyment winding people up and getting on people's nerves. Maybe this says something about me in real life? Who knows?

I will definitely think about revisiting Second Life in a year or so to see how and if it has evolved...

Morning Parade and New Year

2009-01-09T01:30:00.000-08:00

I have decided to post some photography that i have done over the holiday of a friend's band as well as at new year...

Even More Second Life

2009-01-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

Throughout my time playing Second Life I have realised that the majority of people on the game are simply after money. For example, when talking to a new person, you do not have to wait long before the M word comes up in conversation.

In a way this is quite similar to real life, even if it is exaggerated a bit, as money is very much a part or our world.

Despite this I have managed to con a few people into giving me things such as cars and clothes, which was nice.

More Second Life

2008-12-31T08:38:00.000-08:00

I am still having problems with the program running slow on my PC at home, but I think I will have a better chance of using it when I am back in Nottingham.

I have managed to explore Second Life and I have started to speak to other online users a lot more. I have also changed the appearance of my character which I had quite a lot of fun doing.

A nice person took me on a ride in their car, which was nice. And i even called shotgun....

They were also nice enough to take me driving through the ocean, (which i thought was pretty cool) where they talked about obama alot...No idea why...

Happy new year...

Second Life

2008-12-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

Create an avatar in an online 3D environments, such as Second Life, there.com or Virtual Doppelganger and spend some time exploring the virtual environments and think about the role of identity in these virtual worlds, try and talk with the virtual residents. Keep diary of at least four weeks of your Avatar’s experiences and post it to your journal, also take screen shoot of your experiences.

I have decided to go with Second Life for this project. However, I have only had time to spend a couple of hours on it so far. My first impression is that it seems a bit slow, but that could just be my computer....
Here are some screen shots of what I have been getting up to...

One Shot Film - CCTV

2008-12-04T04:41:00.000-08:00

This is the final version of my One Shot Film, it shows a CCTV camera following a suspicious member of the public.

Midnight Feast

2008-12-01T04:20:00.000-08:00

This is an initial idea for our One Shot Film about sleepwalking. However I think I still like the idea of using several cameras...

Pixilation With Music

2008-11-25T17:25:00.000-08:00

Light and Colour

2008-11-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

Visit the FIGURING LIGHT, Colour and The Intangible Exhibition at Djanogly Art Gallery, Lakeside. Choose a piece of work and write 200 words about the artist use of colour and light.

Rebecca Partridge
Evolver
oil on canvas, 155x185cm, 2008

Today I went to the Colour and The Intangible Exhibition at Djanogly Art Gallery. I didn’t manage to take any photographs of my own because they wouldn’t let me, but I managed to find a picture of my favourite piece on the internet to put in my blog.
What first attracted my attention to this piece was the use bright colour, it draws you towards the painting. There is good use of complimentary colours and geometric shapes next to each other to create a white space in the centre.
The colours and shapes used in this piece also create a lot of energy. It seems almost as if it is exploding towards the viewer. The way the artist uses different tints of the colours used in the background gives the piece depth, which emphasises the explosion effect.

Take two photographs based on a theme of your choice. Using Photoshop change and replace the colours to express complementary pairs of colours. Explain your choice of colours.

In both of these photographs i have edited the colours in the sky in order to enhance it. I have changed the colours in the clouds to oranges in order to make them stand out more against the blue sky. This is because orange and blue are a pair or complementary colours, which means they make each other stand out when place next, or near, to each other.

One Shot Film Inspiration

2008-11-14T07:44:00.000-08:00

This is the opening scene from Guy Ritchie's film, 'Snatch'. The use of several monitors can make a one shot film a lot more interesting and complex. It is an idea I am considering using myself.

Pixilation

2008-11-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Walkabout

Due to illness I was unable to attend the group sessions for the pixilation project. However I have produced a short animation of my own. It is only a rough version, which i plan to edit at a later stage.

The Rule of Thirds

2008-11-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

The rule of thirds is a technique used mainly in photography. The canvas is divided into 9 equal parts, using 2 horizontal and 2 vertical lines. Areas of interest are positioned both along the lines and at crossover points.

Very effective pieces of work can be created when this rule is used properly.

MacBook Pro

2008-11-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

Why is it that we want our belongings to do more for us than to function well?
Why are we willing, as soon as we can afford it, to pay extra for things with appealing forms?

The most recent piece of equipment i have bought is my MacBook Pro. I chose to buy it over any other model firstly because of it’s great performance. However, Apple products have a certain appeal to them due to their sleek and stylish look. They are seen as the best in their field, particularly in the world of computers.

As long as we can afford them, most people are happy to spend extra cash just to have a nicer or more professional looking product. This is usually due to the fact that it makes us feel better about the product we are using, as well as how people look at us.
Apple seem to have got it just right. they have established an image that creates efficient products that are more aesthetically pleasing than the competitors.

Assignment 001 - Robot Servants

2008-10-29T05:31:00.001-07:00

Write a 300 - 500 word article that tells the audience about a recent multimedia technology that is being or has been developed in the last six months and explain what you think the impact of this technology will have upon society.

Robot servants have long been a dream, but recent technology has been unveiled announcing the arrival of ‘house-bots’. Advanced new robots which have been developed as toys, have opened doors to wider acceptance of the technology. They are expected to become a reality in British homes within ten years, according to experts at Britain's biggest technology retailer.
Even more sophisticated worker robots are currently being developed, such as the iRobiQ,by a South Korean company called Yujin Robots. Robots like the iRobiQ are linked up to home technology and broadband internet. They will be able to do such things as turning on the washing machine or change the TV channel or music. This is all done by transferring voice commands into wireless signals. The iRobiQ can also be used to teach cildren English. This is being done in South Korea through both spoken word and letters which appear on a screen.
I feel this advance in technology can bring both good and bad consequences. On one hand, ‘house-bots’ can turn out to be a great time saver for households and allow people to work more, earn more money, or just simply get more done.
However, there is a risk that they could create a wave of laziness across the nation and people may start to take advantage of them. I think the outcome of this advance in technology will completely depend on the situation the user is in.

Whiteboard Animation

2008-10-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

using whiteboards and marker pens, my group's animation starts at 2 minutes 22 seconds.