Creating Stereoscopic 3D Images

 All these images require the red/cyan 3D glasses.

This image is created using 2 cameras in Maya.

Recreating Lights and Cameras in Maya

Photograph











Maya Renderings

Building a Scene in Maya

No Lighting

Key Lighting

Fill Lighting

3-Point Lighting

Second Term Paper

No term paper is being submitted

Outline for the Second Term Paper

I.                    Introduction

A.      Introduction to Galaxy Quest

B.      Introduction to Star Wars

C.      Introduction to Avatar

D.      Thesis: Many movies set in space, such as Galaxy Quest, Star Wars, and Avatar have characters that react to gravity the same as they would on Earth despite unlikelihood having the same gravity in space.

II.                  Gravity in Galaxy Quest

A. Gravity on the planet with the Beryllium spheres effects the characters exactly as Earth’s gravity affects the characters.

B. Gravity on the Protector affects the characters exactly as Earth’s gravity effects the characters.

        1. There is no mention of how gravity is maintained on the ship.

III.                Gravity in Star Wars

A.      Gravity on multiple planets in consistent with the gravity of Earth.

1.       While it is possible that one of the planets would be consistent in gravity with the Earth, it seems highly unlikely that all of the planets would be consistent.

2.       Interestingly enough, throughout the series, the effect of all objects, large and small, it consistent with how gravity would effect that object on Earth

B. Gravity on the Millennium Falcon is consistent with that of Earth

        1. It is not mentioned how gravity is maintained on the Millennium Falcon.

C. Gravity on the Death Star is consistent with gravity on Earth

        1. It is not mentioned how gravity is maintained on the Death Star.

IV.                Gravity in Avatar

A. Gravity on Pandora is consistent with Earth.

        1. If gravity has been changed to be consistent with Earth, it is not mentioned how.

B. Gravity on the transport to Pandora is consistent with Earth.

C. The only inconsistency with gravity on Pandora is the existence of the floating mountains.

V.                  Conclusion

A.      Recap gravity in Galaxy Quest

B.      Recap gravity in Star Wars

C.      Recap gravity in Avatar

Stop-Motion Character Animation

In order to create this animation, we first thought about what we wanted to do in the scene. We then storyboarded out an idea and revised the idea until it seemed appropriate. After deciding on a scene, we went and bought the supplies necessary and set up the scene and lighting. We used sand for the sand, small plan props and shells for the beach, and blue foam for the water. When it came to actually shooting the photographs for the stop-motion, we set up multiple cameras and worked frame by frame moving the characters slowly. After shooting the frames, we put the photos into Adobe Premiere and converted it into a movie.

I worked on the original storyboards and editing the movie. My partner worked primarily on the camera angles and the lighting. We both worked on setting up the scene and the movement of the characters, as we would take turns moving characters and taking the photos.

Reverse Video Reference of Walking

CLIP A













CLIP B

CLIP C

CLIP D

The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe

Ghost Rider, released in 2007, is a film based loosely on the Marvel Comics anti-hero of the same name. The film follows the story of motorcycle daredevil Johnny Blaze, played by Nicholas Cage, who sells his soul to the devil in an attempt to save his father from cancer. While his father is spared from cancer, his father ultimately dies during an unsuccessful stunt. Years after initially making his deal with the devil, Blaze is set ablaze as he transforms into a fiery skeleton at night when he is around evil. Blaze is set to become the devil’s bounty hunter and must stop the devil’s son from taking over the world for evil. To do this, he must find the deal that the devil made with a small town. The live-action film relies on CG in order to create the skeletal figure of Johnny Blaze, as well as the fiery effects that occur throughout. Although Ghost Rider takes place on Earth, the laws of physics in the movie are often inconsistent with the physics of the real world in order to move the story forward.

            The first hypothesis is that in Ghost Rider the speed of an object has no bearing on whether that object can cause shockwaves or produce enough heat to set other objects on fire. Based on the physics of our universe, it would require a great amount of pressure, friction, or speed, and therefore force, to cause either shockwaves or instantaneous and immense heat. When Johnny Blaze first becomes the Ghost Rider, the force from the speed of Blaze’s motorcycle causes windows to shatter, presumably from a shockwave. It is highly likely that the physics of the Ghost Rider world would have to reject the notion that a certain amount of force or pressure must be applied to create an immense amount of heat because it would take an incredibly large force based on our physics to cause a shockwave. It also seems unlikely that a motorcycle, a small object, would be able to create enough force to cause a shockwave, unless it had an impossibly quick velocity.

            In addition to the ability for Ghost Rider’s motorcycle to cause shockwaves, it leaves a trail of fire on the road wherever it travels. Not only does it leave a trail of fire, but at times melts the asphalt beneath the wheels. According to the physics of our universe, it would take a large amount of heat over a large amount of time in order to melt asphalt. It is unlikely that a motorcycle would be able to create enough heat to melt asphalt as the amount of heat and time required would likely damage the motorcycle significantly. In fact, the only way to create enough heat would be to have an enormous amount of friction and a high speed or an already incredibly hot tire touching the asphalt for a long enough time. In order to create enough heat to melt asphalt, the tires of the motorcycle would also likely melt, thus rendering the motorcycle immobile. As the motorcycle’s tires are caught ablaze for a long period as the motorcycle travels, it is obvious that the tires have not melted due to heat. Therefore, the only way that this is possible is that the speed of the motorcycle is irrelevant to the amount of heat that is produced. The difference in physics is not to defy our laws so much as to move the story forward. The motorcycle catches fire to show that the motorcycle has changed with Johnny Blaze into Ghost Rider.

            The second hypothesis is that gravity does not affect objects as strongly when they are under the control of supernatural beings. Blaze is protected by the devil’s power as the devil plans to turn him into the Ghost Rider later in the story. He jumps over several buses during one stunt jump in the movie. While in theory the jump is physically possible given a high enough speed at a near 45-degree angle, the arc in which Johnny Blaze travels is not a parabolic arc, which would be expected if gravity were to act as it does in our universe. In addition to the unrealistic arc of the motorcycle, the airtime for the motorcycle is far longer than it would take to land according to our physics. Based on the strength of gravity for Earth, it would take a large height in order for a fall to last roughly 30 seconds. Not only does the jump itself seem unrealistic based on our laws of physics, the landing causes Blaze to suffer a large amount of force over a short time span. It seems unlikely that Blaze would survive such a large amount of force in such a short time. Not only does Blaze survive the crash landing; he is conscious and able to walk only seconds after his crash landing. In a separate jump later in the film, Blaze jumps over several helicopters, supposedly spanning 300 feet. The amount of time that would occur for the jump is far less than the amount of time that the jump takes in the movie. Again, the jump takes several seconds longer than the jump would take on Earth in our universe. In addition, the parabolic arc again is inconsistent with the laws of physics for Earth in our universe.

            The third hypothesis for Ghost Rider is that objects can instantaneously catch fire or melt at the touch of a Ghost Rider, regardless of that object’s temperature. Ghost Rider melts the bars of the prison with his bare hands after he burns the souls of several he deems evil. It would take an incredibly hot surface to cause metal to melt instantly. It is impossible based on the physics and biology of our universe for a human being to be hot enough to melt metal instantly without being severely injured. Another peculiar instant of an object catching fire instantly is whenever Ghost Rider touches his chain-link whip. When he takes the whip from his back, it catches fire all at one time. Assuming that the chain could indeed catch fire whenever the Ghost Rider touched it, it still seems more likely that the whip would catch fire link by link instead of all at once based on the physics of our universe. While the physics do not match our universe, it makes sense for the film to engulf the entire whip on fire for story purposes. It conveys the control that Ghost Rider has gained over his new powers.

            Ghost Rider’s motorcycle does not only leave a trail of fire; it also catches fire instantly whenever Jonny Blaze becomes Ghost Rider. Based on the laws of physics of our universe, it is highly improbable that a motorcycle, or any other stable object at room temperature, would ignite instantly. There would have to be some source of heat in order for the sudden ignition of the motorcycle. However, if we assume that this can occur in the Ghost Rider universe, we must also assume that the laws of physics in that universe allows for objects to be capable of withstanding large amounts of heat without being destroyed. According to the physics of our universe, a motorcycle that instantly caught fire would suffer catastrophic damage, and might even explode after the oil or gasoline was heated to a high temperature. Similarly to Blaze’s motorcycle, Carter Slade, the previous Ghost Rider, ignites along with his horse. Based on the laws of our universe, it is highly unlikely that three different flesh beings would be capable of catching on fire instantly without a source of heat. It seems far more unlikely that all three would survive such heat. It seems more unlikely that all three would be able to survive the process multiple times. Obviously, the laws of physics for the Ghost Rider universe allows for objects to instantly combust on multiple occasions without severe damage. This hypothesis is not entirely thorough though. On several occasions in the film, objects combust for various reasons and are destroyed. One instance of this would be when the road is destroyed be Ghost Rider’s motorcycle. A more correct hypothesis for this film’s physics would be objects that are under the control of supernatural forces can instantaneously catch fire with no damage and objects can melt at the touch of a ghost rider regardless of the object’s temperature.

            Clearly, the movie Ghost Rider, released in 2007, has some elements of physics that are consistent with the laws of physics from our universe. This is likely because the film is supposed to take place on Earth. However, despite the setting of the film being Earth, several laws of physics are broken involving velocity, gravity, and heat. They include instances where low speeds can cause shockwaves and intense heat, a lower effect of gravity, and the ability of fire to act differently than it does in our world. The instances where the laws of physics are broken often revolve around Johnny Blaze and Carter Slade, the two Ghost Riders, or the devil and his son, the supernatural beings.  The physics are different in the film in order to carry the story forward.

Outline: The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe

I.                    Introduction

A.      Introduction to Ghost Rider (2007)

1.       Brief plot summary

2.       Live-action / CG

B.      Thesis: Although Ghost Rider takes place on Earth, the laws of physics in the movie are often inconsistent with the physics of the real world.

II.                  Hypothesis 1: The speed of an object has no bearing on whether that object can cause shock waves or can produce enough heat to set other objects on fire.

1.       When he first becomes Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze’s motorcycle causes windows to shatter, presumably from a shock wave.

                                                               i.      Would take incredibly large force in our world to cause a shockwave according to our physics.

                                                             ii.      Highly unlikely that a motorcycle would be able to create enough of a force to cause a shock wave.

2.       Every time that Johnny Blaze becomes Ghost Rider, his motorcycle leaves a trail of fire on the ground.

                                                               i.      The heat needed to melt concrete is far beyond the capabilities of a motorcycle according to our physics.

                                                             ii.      The heat would have to be created by either friction or an incredibly hot tire, which would cause the tire to melt.

1.       The tires of Ghost Rider’s motorcycle do not melt while the asphalt beneath the tires does.

III.                Hypothesis 2: Gravity does not affect objects as strongly when the devil owns the object’s soul.

1.       Johnny Blaze jumps over several buses during a stunt jump.

                                                               i.      While this in theory would be possible according to our physics, the arc in which Blaze travels is not parabolic.

                                                             ii.      Time in the air is unrealistic according to our physics.

2.       Johnny Blaze jumps over several helicopters during a stunt jump.

                                                               i.      The limited time necessary for the jump is far shorter than the amount of time given to the jump in the movie, according to our physics.

IV.                Hypothesis 3: Objects can instantaneously catch fire or melt at the touch of a ghost rider regardless of the object’s temperature.

1.       Ghost Rider melts the bars of the prison with his bare hands.

                                                               i.      Assuming that GR could be hot enough to melt metal with his hands without being injured, it would take an incredibly hot surface to melt metal instantly.

2.       Ghost Rider touches his whip, catching the entire whip on fire instantly.

                                                               i.      The metal would not all catch fire instantly, but would catch fire link by link.

3.       The motorcycle instantly catches fire whenever Johnny Blaze becomes Ghost Rider.

                                                               i.      A motorcycle in our world would have catastrophic damage if it were set on fire, likely exploding due to the gasoline or oils in the motorcycle.

                                                             ii.      A motorcycle would not instantly catch fire whenever someone touched it

4.       Carter Slade and Johnny Blaze instantly catch on fire, as does Slade’s horse.

                                                               i.      Based on our physics, it is highly unlikely to instantly combust, and even more unlikely to instantly combust multiple times.

V.                  Conclusion

1. The movie Ghost Rider, despite taking place on Earth, does not follow several rules of physics from our world.

2. The physics rules that were broken involve gravity, heat, and velocity.

Stop-Motion Animation of Falling

I created this stop-motion through a few easy steps. I rolled a ball out of plasteline clay and then set up the scene. The scene is not particularly complex, as I simply rolled the ball along the ground to simulate falling. I took several pictures, including some that I ended up not using as they were too far to the side of my general motion downward. After taking several photos, I uploaded all of my photos to my computer and imported the first frame to Quicktime Pro. I then added photos individually to the movie file in order to create the stop-motion animation.

Video Analysis of Path of Action

Graphs indicating the X and Y coordinates

Video with Tracker overlay

Original video reference

Tracker Video Analysis of Falling

Video Reference

Mini-Portfolio

My name is Michael Claus and I am an Animation/Illustration major at SJSU.  I am planning on pursuing the animation side of the degree, particularly focusing on 3D animation.  I have not taken any physical science or math classes in college, but did take Honors Chemistry, AP Physics, and AP Calculus in high school. I have taken several art classes in college, having taken all the required classes in the A/I major through 114 (Beginning Animation). The relevant classes I am currently taking are Physics of Animation and Intermediate 3D Animation (ANI 129B). After earning a BFA degree, I hope to pursue a career in 3D animation with a major studio (PIXAR, DreamWorks, etc.)

 This is a knife modeled in ANI 51A, beginning modeling. While the modeling itself is rather basic, the texturing took far more time.

 This is a city-scape done in ART 113A a couple years ago. This was part of the final project for the class, which focused on perspective and painting.












 These two color comps were done in ANI 113B last fall. The class focused on painting and learning to draw trees and other natural objects. These were color comps for the final two paintings.

This video is from ANI 51B, Beginning 3D Animation. It is a ball rolling across the screen.

This is from ANI 114, Beginning 2D Animation. This is a character walk, meant to show an upset/ sad character.

The First Post

Here is the first post. Looking forward to a good semester this fall!