Nicole's 3D Computer Animation blog

Author: Youran Wu

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Collaborative Unit

Week 1 Topic Selection and form the group

This week, we received a variety of topics, including NHS patient care, causality in animation, and physical objects. I chose the theme of dark fantasy and gothic and joined Anis’s group. After discussion, we decided to create a three-layer dungeon. We will use Unreal Engine for the final composition and rendering.

Initially, we explored ideas related to religion and the underworld. We wanted each dungeon layer to have a distinct theme while maintaining an overarching connection. The first layer features a gothic aesthetic, the second is filled with mycelium and plant life, and the third is shaped by molten lava. This progression symbolizes a descent into the depths of the self and the subconscious—where the deeper one goes, the more chaotic and uncontrollable it becomes, ultimately reaching the core of human primal chaos.

In the first week, we experimented with different styles. I gathered a large number of reference images and uploaded them to Mirror. I’m particularly drawn to dark fantasy works like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, especially the way they depict the struggles of survivors in a ruined world. This theme resonates with me deeply, making me feel truly passionate about this project.

We only have two months, so designing the layout and ecosystem of all three dungeon layers is an incredibly challenging task. Since the dungeons need to be logically connected, this involves some level design knowledge.

The creatures within the dungeon may function as producers, consumers, and decomposers, forming a self-sustaining food cycle in the absence of external interference. Their characteristics must align with the design style of each layer, and some may even undergo periodic growth and developmental changes. For example, mimetic plants might have distinct transformations from seed to maturity, which we need to carefully consider.

With all these elements to integrate, we have a massive task ahead of us.

Later, I suggested incorporating gargoyles into each layer, as they are a quintessential element of the gothic style. Since our project is set in a dungeon, we couldn’t express gothic aesthetics through architecture. Instead, we explored the possibility of using gargoyles as a unifying visual motif.

After discussion, we decided that the gargoyles in each layer would have distinct eye colors to reflect their environment. The gothic-themed first layer features gargoyles with blue eyes, the second layer, dominated by plants and mycelium, has gargoyles with green eyes, and the lava-infused third layer features gargoyles with red eyes. This color progression reinforces the thematic evolution of the dungeon.

ref of gargoyles:

The gargoyle design was relatively convenient for us because gargoyles don’t require a growth cycle and can seamlessly adapt to the dungeon environment. This meant we didn’t have to spend too much time developing complex lore or justifying their existence within the setting.

Categories
Collaborative Unit

Week 5 Visit Tate Modern and Use reality capture to create models

This week, we visited the Tate Modern and captured a lot of reference materials. It was my first time using Reality Capture to process model data, which was very interesting. Meanwhile, I was also keeping up with the progress of my group project (rigging).

‘Untitled‘, Ibrahim El-Salahi, 1967 – Tate: Oil paint and enamel paint on hardboard

“El-Salahi combines African and Arab cultural motifs with elements of Arabic calligraphy. Here, strange animal and plant-like forms, faces, and skeletons emerge from the broken calligraphic lines and morph into mask-like, totemic figures.
In the wake of Sudan’s independence from colonialism, El-Salahi looked to his local environment for inspiration. He developed a distinctive visual language later identified as the ‘Khartoum School. He stated, ‘I wrote letters and words that did not mean a thing. Then … I had to break down the bone of the letter.”(from Tate Modern)

Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002 – Born and worked France)
Tirage 1961
Shooting Picture
Plaster, paint, string, polythene and wire on wood


“To make her Shooting Pictures, Saint Phalle filled polythene bags with paint and enclosed them within layers of plaster and chicken wire that created a textured white surface.
She invited spectators to shoot at these constructions, releasing the paint. Saint Phalle considered these shootings to be performances, or ‘happenings, which she saw as integral parts of the work just as much as the finished product. This one was shot by North American artists Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. Saint Phalle stopped making these works in 1970, explaining ‘ had become addicted to shooting, like one becomes addicted to a drug.'”(from Tate Modern)

Salem Arif Quadri 1949 – Born India, works India and UK
Landscape of Longing 1997-9
7 works on wood, muslin, acrylic paint and oil paint

“Landscape of Longing refers to Arif Quadri’s interest in spiritual quests and journeys. It evokes a map seen from above. Arif Quadri describes the work as ‘a celebration of life with all its inexplicable mysteries’. He relates the painted forms to the sinvous strokes of Islamic calligraphy. The shapes between and around each form are important to the artist.
They suggest figurative elements such as female and male figures, or pods and birds.
Arif Quadri is influenced by texts ranging from Sufi writings to work by Dante, the 13th century Italian poet.”(from Tate Modern)

Scan model:

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D computer Animation Techniques Project 1

Week 2 Adjustment and reflection of 3 stories

After discussing with my teacher, I realized that my stories mainly suffer from incompleteness. For example, the cyberpunk story and the magic hat story lack a clear beginning and ending. So this week, I will refine my storyboards and start using Maya to build 3D scenes and create a previs video.

Starting with the cyberpunk city story, my teacher suggested adding a news report about the theft at the beginning to provide context for the audience. Additionally, during the chase sequence, I can enhance the tension by including police cars and shooting scenes.

Notes:

After adjustment:

Notes:

In the second scene, my teacher suggested adding a shot of the puppeteer reluctantly shedding tears over his puppets, as well as a shot showing how he eventually puts them down. This will help improve the coherence between the shots.

After adjustment:

In the third story, my teacher suggested adding a scene showing the protagonist’s loneliness, indicating her deep desire for a friend. In the end, although she doesn’t get the unicorn she wishes for, she gains many other friends instead. So, I drew the beginning and ending scenes. In the final scene, the girl happily runs outside with her animal friends.

Previs video for cyberpunk story：

https://syncsketch.com/sketch/vml7cUTU1YOg/?offlineMode=1#/31953396/33248148/f_0

Moodboard:

References:

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D computer Animation Techniques Project 1

Week 1 Develop storyboard 

This week, I developed three different storyboards, each exploring a unique theme and narrative style. Throughout this process, I conducted extensive research to deepen my understanding of the subjects and refine my storytelling approach. Here, I’ll share my thought process behind each concept and reflect on the challenges and insights I gained.

The Cyberpunk Escape： A High-Speed Chase

The first story takes place in a futuristic cyberpunk city. A mercenary steals a powerful gene orb, triggering a citywide lockdown. With the gates closing, she must escape before it’s too late. The entire animation revolves around a thrilling chase sequence.

Initially, I was drawn to the fast-paced, visually dynamic nature of chase scenes, inspired by action-heavy sci-fi films and games. However, while developing this idea, I realized that a good chase isn’t just about speed—it needs tension, stakes, and emotional weight. Why is the gene orb so important? What personal struggles does the protagonist face? These questions pushed me to think deeper about world-building and character motivation rather than relying solely on visual spectacle.

The Puppeteer’s Dilemma – A Story of Tradition or dream and Survival

The second story is about an elderly puppeteer, a profession that is now considered an intangible cultural heritage in China. I discovered that few young people learn this craft today because it doesn’t provide financial stability. Even in ancient times, puppeteers struggled to make a living.

This story takes place in a ruined temple during a harsh snowstorm. The puppeteer, cold and impoverished, realizes he is running out of firewood. He faces a difficult choice: should he burn his puppets to survive, or preserve his dream at the cost of his life?

Through research, I became deeply fascinated by the struggles of traditional artisans. This story resonated with me because it highlights the sacrifices artists make for their passion. It also made me reflect on the fragility of cultural heritage and how many traditional arts are at risk of fading away.

The Magic Hat – A Reflection on Gacha Games

The third story initially started as a critique of the gacha mechanics in pay-to-win games. However, after discussing it with my teacher, I realized that it could be reimagined as a more warm story with happy ending.

The story follows a young girl who receives a mysterious package containing a magic hat. She discovers that by pulling objects from the hat, she can get animals—even rare creatures like unicorns. Excited, she continues drawing, spending all the coins in her piggy bank. But no matter how many times she tries, she never gets the unicorn she wants.

This concept was inspired by the addictive nature of gacha games, where players keep spending in hopes of obtaining rare items. I initially approached the story from a critical angle, but I realized that framing it as a whimsical, childlike experience could make the message more relatable. Instead of outright condemning gacha mechanics, the story now highlights the emotions behind it—the thrill, the disappointment, and the cycle of hope and frustration.

Categories
Design for Animation, Narrative Structures and Film Language

Week 10 Critical Report Submission and Presentation

Critical Report:

Critical-Report-Youran-Wu-24012345Download

Audio Visual Presentations File for 1.2 Design for Animation, Narrative Structures & Film Language

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG0LE4vbBRI
Categories
Design for Animation, Narrative Structures and Film Language

Week 9 Continue revising and complete the Critical Report 

This week, I started working on the literature review, which means I need to read through many articles and select the ones that are relevant to my topic.

This is a challenge for me because, aside from some blogs, almost no one has analyzed the tattoos in Jibaro. Therefore, I need to search for literature related to tribal tattoos in Latin America, cultural identity, identity recognition, and colonial history, and then use them as examples to support my argument.

This is some reference I plan to use:

  • Balvay-TattooingRoleFrenchNative-2008
  • Indigenous Nationalism in Bolivian Tattoo Art
  • Antillean Islander Space: On the Religious Beliefs and Representations of the Taíno
  • People
  • Catholicism and National Identity in Latin America
  • Literature Review: The Taíno — Connecting Erased Histories and Contemporary
  • Ethnographies Ken Chitwood
  • Mestizaje and the Discourse of National/Cultural Identity in Latin America
  • The Chicana Canvas: Doing Class, Gender, Race, and Sexuality through Tattooing in
  • East Los Angeles

However, due to limitations, I had to keep narrowing down the literature selection, because I needed to focus on Taino culture, Latin American tattoos, so I ended up using only these documents:

1. Chitwood, K. (2015) Literature review: The Taíno — connecting erased histories and contemporary ethnographies, Academia.edu. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/12054494/Literature_REVIEW_The_Ta%C3%ADno_Connecting_Erased_Histories_and_Contemporary_Ethnographies (Accessed: 21 November 2024).

This article help me with the background of that time from a macro perspective, it reflects the Taíno people during the colonial period of the Great Voyage and discusses how the Taíno people’s history and existence were erased by Spanish colonizers.

2. DeMello, M. (2004) Bodies of inscription: A cultural history of the modern Tattoo Community. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

This book discusses the origins, past, present and future of tattoos in a very broad span, in which it explores the semiotic value of tattoos and explains how tattoos are associated with different social classes and hierarchies.

3. Haynes, N. (2022) ‘Inking identity’, The Routledge Companion to Media Anthropology, pp. 381–394. doi:10.4324/9781003175605-38.

It explores how tattoos can serve as a medium for the fusion of urban culture and traditional culture.

4. Simons, J.W. (2015) Ink with meaning: What we can learn from the tattoos of our ancestors, CNN. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/what-we-can-learn-from-the-tattoos-of-our-ancestors/index.html (Accessed: 03 December 2024).

It shows that tattooing is both a personal projection of self and a means of communicating deeper cultural meaning.

5. Trujillo, M.S. et al. (2021) ‘The tattoo as ancestral legacy and dichotomic element of national identity’, International Journal of Organizational Business Excellence, 1(2). doi:10.21512/ijobex. v1i2.7155.

This article explores the origins of tattoos, starting with the world’s earliest known tattooed mummy, the Tyrolean Iceman, dating back 5,300 years. It discusses tattoos as an ancestral legacy and how they function as a dichotomous element of national identity

Next, I completed the literature review and made revisions to the formatting issues based on last week’s feedback.

paperDownload

Feedback from teacher:

First, I need to remove the indent from all subheadings and add a new subheading: Content Page.

Second, I need to add space between chapter and 1.

And finally, I need to edit the reference format of the images.

Categories
Design for Animation, Narrative Structures and Film Language

Week 8 Tutorial for thesis

This week is tutorial for our critical report, and some skills about how to write literature review.

This is a periodic summary of my critical report:

outline-2-1Download

In The beginning, I planned to write The visual design and symbolic analysis in the short film Jibaro, after conducting my research, I realized that discussing the visual design and symbolic meaning in Jibaro inevitably revolves around the colonial background of the story. The historical context is deeply intertwined with the work, and the concept of “visual design” feels too broad. It can encompass color, costumes, character design, environment design, artistic style, props, lighting design, and storyboarding.

There are too many elements to analyze, so I decided to focus on a specific category of visual design.

After reviewing a lot of material, I gained a general understanding of the historical context and noticed something unusual—the knight’s facial tattoo.

In film or animation, facial design is often very important, and the author places the tattoo on such a prominent part of the face, which I believe must have a specific role. Since discussing this story inevitably involves the historical background, I decided to narrow my topic to

“The Cultural Significance of Tattoos in Jibaro: A Visual Narrative in the Colonial Background“

You can see that the circles in the top pdf represent the relationships between the various elements in the title. I plan to analyze the role of tattoos in Jibaro as a visual narrative tool, particularly from the perspective of the colonial background. I will explore how tattoos drive the plot and their symbolic meaning within the story.

Additionally, I aim to discuss the cultural significance of tattoos themselves and how they relate to the themes of the story.

During my research, I experienced both pain and enjoyment because it led me to explore tattoo culture and the colonial history of Latin America, topics I had never deeply considered before. This information gave me a new perspective on tattoos, and I even discovered that their origins are closely linked to tribal culture, with tattooing in the U.S. actually tracing back to South American tribes.

Although indigenous groups like the Taíno were nearly wiped out during the violent colonial process, many tattoos with tribal cultural symbols continue to be popular among young people and have become a trend. These tattoos are not only symbols of fashion but also carry deep cultural significance.

Inking_Identity_Indigenous_Nationalism_iDownload

For example, the essay above mentions that Gus and other tattoo artists incorporated elements of “Bolivian” or “Andean” styles into their designs, using pre-Incan symbols, Bolivian folklore, and local flora and fauna. Through these tattoos, artists convey the culture of Bolivia and the Andes. Even though some ethnic groups have disappeared, their culture has been preserved through tattoos.

Feedback from teacher:

In format, I need to use “Chapter 1,” “Chapter 2” to label the subheadings in the main body, and categorize the images in the text into the Appendices section on the last page.

In content, I need to cite more references and complete the literature review. The literature review can support my Chapter 1 or Chapter 2, In this way, it can link the references with my topic.

Categories
Design for Animation, Narrative Structures and Film Language

Week 7 The Language of Animation: Editing

Class Discussion question:

“•Kristin Thompson asserts that Hollywood realist conception of cel animation developed partly as a defense ‘against the disruptive properties of animation’ (p. 108). This trivializing of animation and adoption of the language of cinema made it palatable and recognisable to a classical Hollywood cinema audience.

•What properties does animation have that could potentially make it disruptive? What can animation do that live action cinema cannot? Make a list.

•How did cartoons such as Duck Amuck (Dir. Chuck Jones, 1953) http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ofats differ from/or diverge from Disney realism and classical Hollywood cinema. Make a list. Consider things such as aesthetics, the sound, the performance of the characters, the style of animation and the ideology.”

——– From Week 7 powerpoint

I think the answer to this question should first start from the 12 rules of animation, animation has offsetting, aniticipation, overlapping, exaggerated deformation, and in most cases do not conform to the reality of the mechanics of imagination, based on the real but higher than the real. This is a valuable characteristic that I think animation has but movies do not.

https://informatics.wu.ac.th/wp-content/uploads/12.gif

I think Hotel Transylvania is a good example to compare to Disney animation.

The characters in Hotel Transylvania, especially Dracula, are more cartoonish and exaggerated. The character’s facial expressions, range of motion, and body shape are often exaggerated and distorted.

Moreover, Hotel Transylvania does not strictly follow the scale and structure of animals or humans in the real world, but uses geometric shapes to abstract and simplify the appearance of the characters.

This design approach makes the characters more distinct and expressive. For example, Dracula’s design, his body is often composed of simple geometric figures, such as a round head, triangular shoulders, straight limbs, etc. These designs make the role more cartoonish features, can visually quickly convey Dracula’s tall, thin, majestic.

Disney’s character designs usually go for a more natural look, trying to make the characters look like actual animals or people. Like Simba in The Lion King.

The animal designs in Hotel Transylvania are also like this, for example, this sheep is combined with some exaggerated shapes.

However, the animal character design of Disney animation is still restored in accordance with the real animal, although some cartoon stylization is done, but there is no bold deformation of shape. For example, Bambi’s fawn character maintains the basic physical characteristics of a deer.

Compared to Bambi, animated films like Hotel Transylvania use geometric shapes and exaggerated body movements more boldly, breaking the physical laws of the real world. For example, the animal characters in Hotel Transylvania like sheep are often designed with the basic characteristics of the animal highly simplified, and through exaggerated deformation to create expressive and humorous images.

I think the following animated works are different from the classic Disney style:

  • Hotel Transylvania
  • Ice Age
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Helluva Boss

Categories
Design for Animation, Narrative Structures and Film Language

Week 6 Mise-en-scène

Animation Staging

  • Character placement & composition
  • The use of long. Medium and close up shots
  • Background and setting

Screen Direction

  • Screen Continuity

Mise-en-Scène, as a central concept in the art of cinema, involves the arrangement and placement of all the visual elements that can be seen in the frame.

I would like to analyze the combination of split-screen and Mise-en-Scène with narrative in the context of my favorite movie, Lord of the Rings.

Set Arrangements and Props:

For example, the strong contrast between the Hobbit village and Mordor in the movie is conveyed precisely through the set arrangement of Mise-en-Scène.

The warmth and naturalness of the sets and color palette of the Hobbit village expresses the peaceful, uncontested life of the Hobbits.

While Mordor is a gloomy, barren landscape with shades of black and gray, representing the power of evil.

Light and color

In the Mordor shots, the director uses a lot of low light and shadows to focus on the characters’ faces or key props, highlighting the sense of danger and oppression.

Rivendell（Fairy kingdom）’s lenses use brighter and more natural light, bringing more openness and serenity.

The picture below shows the white-robed wizard Gandalf, the Aragon, the dwarves, and the elves on the journey to Rohan for support.

The lens slowly pulls back as the horse moves to the left. This picture is very characteristic，which contains close-up, middle-range and long-range shots. The close scene is the nearby rocks, the middle scene is the grassland and the moving Gandalf group, and the distant scene is the boundless mountains and the twilight sky. When a scene designer constructs a scene, they will choose to do so, because the images with close-up, middle-range, and long-range scenes have more depth and space.

Shape the characteristic

For example, a very distinctive character in the Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Gollum has complicated personality traits, and his good personality often talk to the evil personality. “Gollum is a compelling case study on the internal struggle of good and evil all on his own. The Lord of the Rings provides an impressive blend of relatable individual struggles while simultaneously setting up a clear “good versus evil” scenario.” (Pak, J. (2020, December 04). Why the lord of the rings are the best fantasy films of All time. Retrieved December 06, 2021, from https://www.looper.com/289917/why-the-lord-of-the-rings-are-the-best-fantasy-films-of-all-time/)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-105.png

One of the scenes was that the Gollum squatted by the water and talked to his evil personality to discuss taking the Lord of the Rings. When the evil personality speaks, the camera records the water surface, and when the good personality speaks, the camera records Gollum’s face. Objects with reflection function such as water surface and mirror are often good means for photographers to show the dual personality of the characters.

Shot and theme

This picture is from the third section of The Lord of the Rings. After Aragorn and the other people defeated Sauron and became the king, Aragorn and the people saluting the four hobbits who destroyed the Lord of the Rings.

At the beginning, the king and queen salute first, and then the people closest to the hobbit begin to salute. As the people gradually gave the respect to the four heroes, the camera zooms out.

The audience found that the small and humble hobbit was honored by so many people. This shot shows the theme: no matter how small you are, as long as you persevere with hope in your heart and never give up, you will be respected by others.

Categories
Design for Animation, Narrative Structures and Film Language

Week 5 The Animated Documentary

Before taking the course of animated documentary, I had a vague understanding of this category. Although I have been exposed to some documentaries in the form of animation, they have never been classified as a separate genre in my memory. However, through the study of this course, I began to realize that animation documentary is not only a form of creation, but also contains profound narrative intention and diverse expression styles.

Animated documentary is a form of media that fuses the art of animation with documentary narrative.

In my opinion, it can be mainly categorized into two types: macro-narrative and micro-focus. The former focuses on recreating historical events or restoring what happened, while the latter focuses on the experiences of individuals or small groups by focusing on them.

Macro-narrative type

The macro-narrative type of animated documentary centers on recreating the full picture of an event.

For example, Tower Official Trailer 1 (2016) – Documentary vividly recreates the University of Texas shooting through a combination of animation and historical footage.

The film not only relies on survivors’ narratives, but also utilizes animation to recreate the subjective feelings and tense atmosphere of the event so that viewers can more strongly vicariously experience the event.

This type of animated documentary is particularly good at conveying complex events, and can quickly attract viewers into the narrative situation through rich visual language.

However, I think animated documentaries also have certain limitations. Macro-narratives are difficult to balance between artistry and authenticity. Creators are sometimes unable to cover all perspectives and details, and certain narratives may appear one-sided due to personal choices. At the same time, grand themes sometimes sacrifice depth of detail, making it difficult to fully demonstrate the complexity of individual experiences.

Macro-narrative type

Unlike macro-narratives, micro-focused types of animated documentaries focus more on individual perspectives or the special experiences of marginalized groups.

For example, A is for Autism presents viewers with the sensory world and inner emotions of autistic people through their drawings and narratives. Based on real interviews and contributions from autistic people, the film breaks through the limitations of language and behavior through animation and deeply restores the feelings of marginalized groups.

I think this is a very great work because it deeply links the autistic community and the audience across the span of time and distance. While some other animated works may also reflect some of the issues and dilemmas faced by marginalized groups. Although this format has a high degree of authenticity, it also suffers from under-representation, I looked up the information and it seems that only 10% of autistic people in the author’s research were willing to be interviewed.

Class dicussion topic:

“There is little question that animated documentaries are animated films, whereas there is potential debate as to whether animation is a acceptable mode of representation for documentary’ (Honess-Roe, 3

Do you think that animation is an acceptable mode of representation for documentary? Why?”

In my opinion, animated documentary can be regarded as a form of documentary, the core of which lies in whether the creator respects the facts and creates with a serious attitude.

As a medium, the characteristics of animation will not naturally weaken the authenticity of documentary. As long as the creator aims to record objectively rather than deliberately distort facts, the legitimacy of animation as a documentary should not be denied due to the particularity of the medium.


Some people may think that animation documentaries lack the authenticity of direct shooting and are difficult to represent objective authenticity, but in fact, any documentary form will inevitably have a certain bias. This is because the documentary itself is not only a record of the event, but also the reflection of the perspective of the creator.

When the director chooses the object of record, material editing and narrative method, he will bring his subjective intention, which inevitably affects the content of the documentary. For example, in some Japanese teaching materials or documentaries, they tend to choose the historical narrative mode that is favorable to their country, and even deny the past crimes; In the Chinese documentary, we will interview survivors to tell more neglected historical truths. These choices themselves are not determined by the medium, but by the position and purpose of the creator.

Therefore, whether it is a live documentary or an animated documentary, the bias comes from the person, not the form. Animated documentaries express content through painting or animation, and are not more likely to deviate from the truth because of the creativity of the medium. On the contrary, it may be more helpful in some situations to restore facts or present a complex subjective experience.