L-System continued...

So I continued with the basics of L-systems moving into tree forms. There are literally endless combinations and smarter people than me with more time on their hands have come up with plug-ins or add on programs that do just that. They allow you to create trees and foliage using the L-System with leaves and mesh manipulation and texture options. I may have to end up using one of those or a generically modeled tree. I don't the i have the time, knowledge or patients to generate trees from scratch. But here are some of the examples I was able to create.

 

One can make all of these in to tube formed trees and mess around with more 3D aspects such as rotational vectors and add leaves at the ends of the branches.

While this proved to be kind of a dead end in regarded to my project, (since the focus is on falling leaves) it was valuable to learn and i only spent a day on it.

Time to learn L-Systems (Fractals)

I'm starting my second project finally which was suggested by Lead VFX Artist of Pixar, Gary Bruins who helped me with my internet internship requirement for graduating. Falling leaves is the next project. First though, instead of just creating emitters and replacing the particles with leaves and manipulating them with forces, i wanted to understand how to make the trees i'd have to model. It was either model them myself or find crappy free ones and have to mess around with the geo. In order to understand how to model trees naturally, i needed to understand L-Systems. L-Systems is basically a naturally occurring math/algorithmic construct which occurs in nature. It helps dictate how trees, leaves and snow flakes are formed. Interesting huh? These systems were figured out a while ago by nature loving mathematicians. They have since been applied to many things including art and emulated in programs such as Houdini.

 Here's some simple examples that i'm starting with

using simple equations simply telling the computer what do draw

by going straight, right and left.

Starting to look familiar?

Ever see a snowflake close up? Of course you have.

Dipping a Toe into After Effects

Upon starting tutorials in After Effects, I never realized how deep of a program it really is.

I knew you could do motion graphics and some rotoscoping and match moving things incorporating

3D elements into live action shots. But never did I realize all that this program could offer.

That being said, I have to pick and choose what i focus on, so i just chose to learn some 

minor motion graphics stuff from a youtube tut. This was the result.

Small explanation on how it was done: basically created text, added a 3D "Shatter" to it inside AE

reversed the direction so it would come together instead of blowing up (classic cinematic method)

messed with the camera angles a bit and inserted the original explosions with some variants (i had to watch a separate tut on how to do the camera shake)

Now i feel confident that i can composite my future demo reels and add nice motion 

graphics and sound to them and be professional and competitive.

That being said, time to move on to the meat of my studies, more 3D VFX.