Final Design – Amber Rose Dalton

Introduction

This design portfolio blog post will explore how Edward Tufte’s five theories were implemented into the final 3D metamorphosis animation. A series of screenshots will communicate each stage of the design development process across Autodesk Maya, Photoshop, Illustrator and Premier Pro.

3D Design Development in Autodesk Maya

The final design development process can be seen below and consists of a series of screenshots, communicating the overall final animation construction. Image planes were used as references to the original Stonehenge, this aided with the placement and shapes of the rocks.

Figure 1 – Using image planes of Stonehenge as reference images I was able to map out the shape of rocks using the 3D polygon tool in Autodesk Maya.

Figure 2 – The multi cut tool was then used to create new angles that could be manipulated to form a more believable rocky shape.

Figure 3 – Using the wireframe view and the vertex settings to select different parts of the rock to be manipulated.

Figure 4 – Transforming the rock using the transform settings and resize options from the tool bar.

Figure 5 – Choosing the strength of manipulation to form rocky edges.

Figure 6 – Using the bevel and smooth tool to give the rock a similar appearance to the real Stonehenge rocks.

Figure 7 – The final rock shape without texture applied.

Figure 8 – Adding a rocky texture to the final rock.

Figure 9 – Manipulating the attribute settings and colours to form a rocky appearance similar to Stonehenge.

Figure 10 – Experimenting with adding sub textures to the rock.

Figure 11 – The final Stonehenge rock with texture applied.

Figure 12 – Adding more rocks to the scene following the above steps.

Figure 13 – The finished version of 3D Stonehenge.

Figure 14 – Adding a flat plane to form the land below Stonehenge, the plane was left flat with minimal manipulations to follow the realistic Stonehenge ground.

Figure 15 – Adding an Arnold SkyDome Light to the scene with an original photograph of the sky to form the environment.

Figure 16 – Adding a Swiss cheese texture to Stonehenge to advertise the purpose of the final animation (Atchabao, N. 2015). Manipulating the orientation of the texture in the Hypershade settings menu.

Figure 17 – Forming the crisp packet for the brand advertisement and animation purpose.

Figure 18 – Manipulating the shape to form a believable crisp packet design using multiple settings and tools.

Figure 19 – Preparing the UV by cutting and sewing edges and unwrapping the crisp packet ready for texturing.

Henge Brand Design in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop

The below screenshots show the development of the animation purpose. A new crisp brand, handcrafted in Salisbury, with the flavour of Swiss cheese.

Figure 20 – Using an original photograph of cows in a field to promote the crisp brand and Swiss cheese.

Figure 21 – Manipulating the image in Photoshop using the image masking tools and greyscale settings.

Figure 22 – Creating a label for the crisp brand Henge, developing the animation purpose.

Figure 23 – Adding the new label as a texture file in Maya, and manipulating the UVs so that the label fits the packet properly.

Figure 24 – Inspiration for the crisp packet design taken from the Tyrrells brand, using greyscale and spots of colour (Newsroom 2021).

Arnold Rendering and Lighting

Figure 25 – Using the Arnold renderer to view the final outcome of Stonehenge.

Figure 26 – Final manipulations to the environment to add more depth, using the Fractal texture settings.

Figure 27 – Test rendering of Swiss Cheese Stonehenge to ensure it looks right in the environment.

Implementation of Edward Tufte’s Theories

The theories that have been put into practice throughout the final design include,

Use of Colour

Edward Tufte’s colour theory has been applied to the final animation of Stonehenge and relates to his statement that ‘Nature’s colours are familiar and coherent, possessing a widely accepted harmony to the human eye.’ (Tufte. E.R, 1990). This theory applies to the animation as it projects all aspects of natural colours and nature throughout, which provides familiarity to all viewers. The colours chosen for the animation also convey logical information, using realistic colours close to the real Stonehenge.

Comparison of Small Multiples

Edward Tufte’s comparison of small multiples can be seen throughout Stonehenge’s rocks and throughout the final animation. The rocks are all different shapes and vary in size, although similar none are the same. This adds depth and realism to the overall design.

Figure 28 – Stonehenge demonstrates the use of nature’s familiar and coherent colours relating to Tufte’s colour theory and also the comparison of small multiples.

Narrative over Space and Time

Narrative over space and time is demonstrated throughout the Stonehenge animation. The overall animation purpose is revealed as time goes on, the camera flyby reveals the narrative of the new crisp brand and where it is made.

Figure 29 – The final Stonehenge animation narrative discovered as the animation runs.

Layering and Separation

Edward Tufte’s layering and separation theory is demonstrated throughout the animation but is heavily seen in the final packaging design inspired by the existing brand, Tyrrells. Saturated spots of the yellow flowers in the photograph not only make use of his colour theory but also help communicate the flavour of the crisps whilst the rest of the image is in greyscale.

Animation Reflection

The Stonehenge animation can be viewed in the final Design Portfolio blog post. Reflecting on the final metamorphosis animation, changes were made to the original narrative plan. The ending scene was changed from crisps falling to a zoom-out to frame the crisp packet, advertising the brand and packaging. Moreover, when animating the animation through keyframes I came across a design fault, which can be seen when Stonehenge transitions into Swiss cheese. One of the rocks disappears and I couldn’t find an explanation as to why this was happening. I tried multiple times to restore the rock through keyframing although couldn’t find a solution, this is something I would focus on fixing if I were to do it again and had more time. I would also change the texture settings of the Swiss cheese to have a rougher appearance as it is too shiny. If I were to redo the animation in the future I believe the skills I have learnt creating this piece would aid me in creating smoother transitions as the animation transforms.

Figure 31 – An image showing the final development of Stonehenge in Maya.

Figure 32 – An image showing the disappearing rock in the Swiss cheese version of Stonehenge.

Figure 33 – An image showing the redevelopment of the final scene in the animation.

References

Atchabao, N. (2015) Download free cheese seamless vector for free, Vecteezy. Available at: https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/94524-free-cheese-seamless-vector (Accessed: 21 May 2023).

Newsroom. (2021). TYRRELLS ‘TYRRELLBLY TYRRELLBLY TASTY’ Campaign Back On TV At Easter With £1M Investment – FAB News. [online] FAB News. Available at: https://fabnews.live/tyrrells-tyrrellbly-tyrrellbly-tasty-campaign-back-on-tv-at-easter-with-1m-investment/ [Accessed 28 Mar. 2023].‌

Tufte. E.R. 1990. Envisioning Information. Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press. (p. 91).