Looking Up
3D Modeling, 3D animation, Video editing
Overview
"Looking Up" is a reflection on 2020. Integrated into everyday surroundings, "hidden in plain sight," this installation is something one stumbles upon on their daily commute, which animates the environment and makes one pause for a moment.
Video showcase
The initial design phase was brainstorm slogan lines within the team. I took some of the strongest ideas and developed designs using the skip the dishes logo as a template to build from.
Wireframe model
Model with cloth material
Model translucency test
The kite creation process started with a wireframe 3D model designed to replicate its real-life construction. This served as the foundation from which I began animating the object.
Initial path animation
To achieve the most realistic movement of the kite, I combined keyframed animation to synchronize with the actual footage during compositing, along with wind simulations to enhance the kite's natural movement in the sky.
To further enhance realism, I implemented a cloth simulation using values similar to the intended build material of the kite. This approach aimed to achieve a natural appearance as closely as possible to the real-world material properties.
Cloth simulation
Final animation
In the final stages of the animation, I tracked the hands of the subject in the actual footage and used that tracking data to create a camera path for keyframing the kite's movement. This, combined with subtle rotations, completed the overall animation, adding a layer of realism and coherence to the final composition.
Final shot of the animation composited on the sky backdrop