3D Modeling | Animation
My affinity for modeling and visualization grew out of a strange obsession to precipitate the visceral experience which I was unable to capture through photos. The image you see on the right is one example of this. On hovering, it appears to play like a video. At first, I learned to introduce a subtle depth to this photo through iterative offsetting of its displacement and bump maps but this trickery still couldn't bring out my expectation.
And so, I continued to
Follow the fish
A-Jelly-TaLe
Explore my fascination with Jellyfishes across dimensions
Hover to add a dimension
2013 | S.E.A Aquarium, Singapore
The application of mathematics in art and design, especially in relation to motion graphics acts not just as a subtle overtone but also catalyses perfection in the resulting output. It was imperative for me to understand the governing equations of their physicality so as to model them. Mathematically, jellyfish are treated as a system of elastic volumes that are deformed by both internal and external forces. While the horizontal movement is affected by ocean currents, the kinetics of their umbrella controls the overall means of their vertical locomotion.
The following are the briefs of four crucial processes involved in the rendering of a jellyfish.
Hemispherical mesh
Velocity-color coded
motion capture
Thrust/ Propulsion force
Buoyancy and other viscous forces
A basic visual model
The base structure of the umbrella (at rest position) is realized as a triangular tesselation on a subdivided hemispherical mesh. The motion is visualized through particulate propulsion. The velocity of expulsion is represented through color-code (blue-low,red-high) based on the total field strength from the forces acting on it.
Volumetric deformation and the resulting motion
In motion, the umbrella expands by filling the subumbrellar cavity with water. The force of water expulsion then propels the jellyfish along its axis of symmetry. This was captured here by programming the transformations of necessary parameters as detailed below.
R0 = Radius of the umbrella at rest (1.5 cm)
Rm = Radius of the umbrella at motion
▲R = Contraction gradient of the umbrella
H0 = Height of the umbrella at rest (1.3 cm)
Hm = Height of the umbrella at motion
Equations: - Rm = R0 + a sin³(wt) +b sin(wt) - Hm = 1.62 Rm -▲R = 0.81 Rm -Vm =V0 +sin(wt +e sinwt)
Viscosity=2.110
Damping Coefficient=0.357
Spring Tension=1.9
Buoyancy=0.071
V0 = Volume of the umbrella at rest
Vm = Volume of the umbrella at motion
w = 2πf , f= frequency of contraction (2 seocnds)
e= Umbrella Shear factor (0.7)
a+b=1
0.72
0.9
Environment & Interaction
An ocean model depicting an aquatic environment was developed with appropriate lighting and caustics. This enhances the understanding of natural systems and their reactions to the behavioral effects of a jellyfish.
Materialisation
The surface imperfections were added with the aid of digital sculpting. The information regarding mass density distribution was applied through weight painting followed by the final skin texturing to bring definitive resemblance.
The result
Thank you!
Rendering this most fascinating and one of the oldest lifeforms has made me appreciate their existence even more. Hope this experience makes you feel the same about ocean life in general.
References
Rudolf, Dave & Mould, Prof. (2020). Animating Jellyfish through Observational Models of Motion.
Yang, Patricia & Lemons, Matthew & Hu, David. (2018). Rowing jellyfish contract to maintain neutral buoyancy. Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Letters. 8. 147-152. 10.1016/j.taml.2018.03.001.
Tools
