Based on the constraints of the ident competition by NODE, I created this 15 second logo reveal inspired by kinetic sculpture installations by Ben Margolin. This project was an exploration of creativity, and an opportunity to learn 3D camera tracking and MASH (Motion Graphics) within Maya.
The Brief
I decided to use the Node Fest ident competition as a brief for my own project. Researching the themes of logo reveals and nodes (points in a network), I found gallery- style 3D sculptures that formed a recognisable shape from a particular viewing angle. I used this idea in my own project as a way of revealing the Node logo. I also combined this with the use of moving particles, as I had found in some kinetic sculptures.
Process
I gained permission to film inside the Hawthorn Town Hall Gallery. 3D camera tracking of the footage was handled in Adobe After Effects, which was then exported to Maya, where I also developed the “MASH network” that forms the logo. I used PTGui to turn fisheye lens photos of the gallery into an HDR image, which I imported into Maya for lighting the scene. I composited my final rendered clips into my original After Effects project to be overlaid with the original footage used for tracking. I lastly used my depth passes of each render to create a depth of field effect, and made other little enhancements to tie the composition together.
Photographs taken with a fisheye lens
Fisheye lens photographs stitched together using PTGui and cleaned up in Photoshop to create a full HDR 360º panorama
Setting up Image-Based Lighting (IBL) in Maya and 3D camera tracking in After Effects