So Many Ends of the World

This image is a still from my Fall 2009 research project, So Many Ends of the World, a digital stereoscopic (3d) film designed for the C-Wall, a passive/active stereoscopic projection system. This system was pioneered at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory at UIC. Primarily, my research is in the area of stereoscopic 3d cinema. So Many Ends of the World is the latest component of an ongoing exploration of the fine arts potential of powerful digital tools such as Autodesk Maya, a computer graphics modeling and animation suite. In this scene, the viewer travels over an unfamiliar planet, just above the atmosphere, finally encountering a brilliant star rise. The stereoscopic effect gives the viewer an immersive view of the planet; various layers of the atmosphere and surface details are heightened. The primary components of the technical arts research explored in this piece are: exploitation of the various camera techniques that are costly in physical cameras but readily available through Maya, experimentation with various states of liquid, gases and solids, including dynamic simulations and the abstraction of computer graphics in Maya and After Effects striving for an atypical stereoscopic animation—e.g. softening of edges, simulation of depth, augmented lighting scenarios, hyper- and hypostereoscopy.