blackCircle

Computer graphics enthusiast with architecture and design background.

[markolost]

Here is look development for “fabric of information” concept for motion graphics project. Post production is done mainly in Digital Fusion and from there I go to After Effects. For this still frames at the end Photoshop is used to do some minor color corrections.

Idea is to create felling of light glowing stream of data-information goes into darkness and disappears, but keep felling of fabric-string overall look.

Can’t wait to finish rendering of this sequence, Mantra is real workhorse.

On my Flickr profile you can find and download all 4k and 5k images.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marko_lost/albums/72157659552076794

[markolost]

Here are some raw renderings from Mantra, untouched by post production tools. First one is 4k and other one 5k. For now i’m pleased with result. Needs a lot work from this point, but i feel inspired.

[markolost]

VEX is really powerful language system in Houdini. Just fact that you can recreate most of the nodes that ships with Houdini out of the box is mind blowing. 

What this means for us designers?

Well, possibility to go low level and do some stuff that you can’t in other software packages, or it is very hard, means we can be more free in materializing our ideas and visions.

For example, shop context and shader development system in Houdini allows you to affect any value that is fabric of shader and return a meaning-full value in a sens of shader that can be rendered.

This system is test that is based on fact that is possible to distort uv tiles coordinates in shop vex context. As assumption is proved, a lot of possibilities for motion graphics effects are opening.

This particular poc (proof of concept) for animation project is designed from one plane grid object, one distant light, and one texture in shop’s “material shader building” network. I found that Houdini’s Mantra handling of displacements is stunning. With each next project like Mantra more and more, seems like really reliable rendering solution.

Idea is developed, now I’m look forward for doing some high res renderings and look development for style on static frames.

After that next stop is animating values on developed shader for small motion graphics project - animation.

[markolost]

Hello to everyone.

This is final video of this tutorial series considering making point attractor systems in Grasshopper 3D and visualizing it through 3Ds Max Vray and Photoshop. Main goal is to do some small look development so our procedural model looks like maquette and integration in photograph backplate. We use some Photoshop plug-ins from Nik Software collection, mainly Analog Efex Pro and Color Efex.

I really hope you enjoy this series and find it at least entertaining. Stay tuned for more free tutorial series, that I'm preparing.

Some high res images:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marko_lost/albums/72157655808412873

[markolost]

Hi there.

The main purpose of this fourth video in series is to show you how to do simple HDRI (high dynamic range image) IBL (image based lighting) in 3Ds Max and Vray. Goal of our small LSR (light shede render) look dev is to develop light wood maquete look. We'll continue from Houdini to Max, and use our procedurally designed uv maps to get really fast seamless texturing. AOVs (arbitrary output variables) are necessary because we'll do some compositing in Photoshop in next video in photographed backplate. After rendering AOVs and beauty pass next stop is Photoshop. We'll done basic integration here, and prepare job for last part in this series, and that is 2D look dev, color correction,... Stay tuned for last part next week. As always hope you'll find it informative.

[markolost]

This small research project was created in my spare time to learn how to work with attractor systems in Grasshopper 3D. Goal was to develop some simple “bullet proof” point attraction script.

This pictures was generated during process of learning and creating.

As you can see, it inspired me to create this second tutorial series  “attractor_systems_Grasshopper_3D”.

[markolost]

This third part of tutorial series takes you through the process of exporting geometry from Rhinoceros to HoudiniFx via obj files. 

Notice obj settings that I did before exporting from Rhino, its really important to set precision of file from 16 to 17 digits, that solves problem of transferring large data sets of independent objects through single obj. We'll use Houdini for some geometry preparation for 3Ds Max and Vray. Of course in Houdini we are still in realm of procedural design, so we can use its procedural paradigm (read: awesomeness) to do some magic, considering fast simple sanity checking of geometry, uv mapping, beveling stuff through foeach looping. I find that some small beveling looks good in Vray, for catching highlights from HDRI that we’ll use in next part. And finally geometry is exported to Max for further LSR (light shade rendering) work-flow. 

Maybe unusual work-flow in this video but I find Houdini absolutely amazing piece of software. More I work in it, more I like it.

Stay tuned for next two parts.

Cheers, Marko. :)

[markolost]

grasshopper_procedural_metaball_systems by Marko Lost Via Flickr: This is my simple personal learning project. Goal was to learn metaball systems and work flows in Grasshopper and visualize it. Rendered in 3Ds Max and Vray, and some basic compositing in Photoshop. All done in one day in my free time.

[markolost]

This second part of tutorial for creating and visualizing attractor systems is primarily focused on developing global attraction based on point position in space. After we successfully develop distributing system on one object idea is to go further and deploy it on larger scale, on city block with many buildings. Attractor will do it's thing, and that is to make some buildings taller and further away smaller, so it works like procedurally defined position of city center with skyscrapers. We'll use Elk, free component of Grasshopper to establish communication between Gh and OSM (open street maps) so some context to our conceptual procedural modeling is defined. Also I bake, sort and prepare geometry for exporting in Houdini.

As always I hope you like it, and find useful tricks that you can apply to your own projects.

[markolost]

Hello to everyone.

As promised I finally uploaded first three parts of new tutorial series that was announced on my blog few days ago.

Main goal of this first video of new five part tutorial series is to work on abstract futuristic city elements and deployment of those using attractor techniques through Grasshopper 3D and Rhino. Here we’ll develop procedural system the deploys some elements inside single isolated plan of one building form using bounding box and controle height of those with point attractor script.

Idea is also to go from this forms in Rhino to final rendering and compositing in Photoshop as maquete. We'll implement attractor systems on object base and globally on city block.

First two videos are devoted to Grasshopper and Rhino part of procedural modeling. Third one for HoudiniFx geometry preparation for 3Ds Max and Vray rendering. Fourth is purely multipass rendering in 3Ds Max and Vray , and finally fifth is all about compositing in Photoshop. Hope you enjoy and find it informative.

Cheers, Marko. :)

[markolost]

Hello everyone.

This pictures are preview of my next tutorial series considering attractor systems in Grasshopper 3D. I’ll start by uploading every week one part of five parts, also post here description of topics covered in video.

Idea is to develop some kind of futuristic hexagonal elements that are distributed based on two attractor systems and visualize it as virtual maquete.

This attractors are simple point based systems implemented on large scale of objects.

First one is building by building defined, and second one is global by part of city. In this way we simulate that this streets are part of center of city and by height is dominant in city outline.

We’ll also use Elk as to take some data from OSM (open street maps).

After we done procedural modeling in Grasshopper next steps that I cover will be export geometry from Rhino to HoudiniFx to do procedural beveling of edges and more important fast procedural uv mapping. This will massively help us in 3Ds Max and Vray, which is next destination. 

Here, idea is to make rendering with few AOV passes that look like maquete and give as freedom in Photoshop compositing. 

After rendering is done we’ll cover some basic 2D compositing and reference matching techniques in Photoshop.

This free training will take you through various aspects of pipeline between Grasshopper procedural modeling, Houdini procedural geometry preparation, 3Ds Max and Vray basic LSR (light, shade, render) and compositin with Photoshop some Vray AOV and web picture as reference.

Hope you like it and learn some new stuff.

Stay tuned for more, after this series I plan to do few more.

For high res images go to:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marko_lost/albums/72157655808412873

Cheers,

Marko. :)

[markolost]

And finally last part of voronoi table project tutorial. As promised here we go into Photoshop to do some color corrections on beauty pass from PRman. I use some of plug-ins in PS, like Nik Color Efex and Nik Analog Efex pro.

This video consider only some modifications of beauty pass, and no compositing.  Hope you learn something in this three part series. This is my first ever tutorial series, and it's my humble contribution to wonderful online knowledge sharing community. I prepare next five part series in witch we will delve again with Grasshopper 3D with setting attractor systems, Houdini for geometry preparation, 3Ds Max and Vray for rendering and finally Photoshop for compositing and post production.

Hres images:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marko_lost/albums/72157654614576096

[markolost]

Finally last third part of voronoi table tutorial is divided into two parts.

This first one is aimed to explain how to simply as possible export finished model from Rhino to Maya. Idea is to setup most basic studio scene and do LSR (light shade render) with Pixar”s PRman technology. As its free for non commercial use, you can find it on next link.

http://renderman.pixar.com/view/renderman

It’s amazing piece of software technology that is now available for us to learn and use to build portfolio of works.

PRman is Pixar’s Rendeman complient rendering engine. It’s not only one on market, but it is most popular and powerful, you can check also 3DElight, Sitex Air, and many others.

I used through this video RIS engine in PRman, simply because it is easier to use than REYES and it’s considered to be future of Renderman.

From shader point of view PxrDisney principle based shader is used to materialize our model. Also PxrLM shading system is as far as best one in market, beside Houdini’s Mantra VEX based shading.

Lighting was done using Renderman lights that are physically plausible, and if I can add they are extremely realistic.

I did not use any AOV’s simply because I in this point in time not shure how to do mathematically correct reconstruction of beauty pass. 

Small note if you want to follow this video:

At the end of video when I press render final image Maya crashed for some reason. From that point I used earlier render, simply because I did not have time to do screen recording again.

Few high res images from tutorial:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marko_lost/albums/72157654614576096

[markolost]

Proud on work of my students, specially on this illustration. All material produced during summer school of digital architecture where I teach them CAD, BIM, procedural modeling and visualization techniques. This course was in form of workshop.

We spent 2 months learning AutoCAD, Revit Architecture, 3Ds Max, Vray, Photoshop, Grasshopper 3D and work flow techniques.

Tadao Ando’s House 4x4 was our inspiration so we chose that project to work on. 

You can see full gallery on link bellow on Behance.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/27511323/DAP-napredni-Tadao-Ando-kuca-4x4-enterijer-01

Some 360 rendering applications of interior visualization on next link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPLd3OPEaIk

[markolost]

This is part 02 of three part series for procedural modeling of simple system that generates voronoi like table. Software used: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 3D and Kangaroo, Python with Rhinoscriptsyntax API. In this part we made basic system and form. In second tutorial idea is to develop system for attaching glass panel plane with all support elements, of course procedurally in Grasshopper 3D. Third part will bring LSR (light / shade / rendering) in Maya and Renderman 19 with RIS engine and tweaks of beauty pass in Photoshop and post production. In this lecture we will finish our procedural model, and prepare geometry for exporting in Maya for LSR, for next lesson. Hope you like it.

[markolost]

This is part 01 of three part series for procedural modeling of simple system that generates voronoi like table. Software used: Rhinoceros 5, Grasshopper 3D and Kangaroo, Python with Rhinoscriptsyntax API. In this part we made basic system and form. In second tutorial idea is to develop system for attaching glass panel plane with all support elements, of course procedurally in Grasshopper 3D. Third part will bring LSR (light / shade / rendering) in Maya and Renderman 19 with RIS engine and tweaks of beauty pass in Photoshop and post production.

Few Hres screenshots: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marko_lost/sets/72157649436662518 and this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marko_lost/sets/72157654614576096

[markolost]

After successfully done POC (proof of concept) in Houdini for cloth tearing OTL I managed to port result in Cinema 4D via Alembic pipeline cash for further look development.

On link bellow I write short explanation what I did in Houdini for this POC OTL.

http://markolost.tumblr.com/post/108339862940/another-rnd-test-for-cloth-tearing-affect-on-a

In Cinema 4D I designed studio and light setup. Important thing for me was to do just pure tracing rendering, so there is no GI or any kind of secondary ray bounce engine. This lighting setup was based on few are lights in standard studio setup and key light that is simple spot light with visibility attributes. 

Almost whole lighting setup is based on key light that has GOBO map sequence on it, so it can cast shadow like there is tree in front of it. Gobo texture is designed in Photoshop and subtly animated and distorted in after effects so light can emit realistic tree shadow. Now tricky part was simple notion that although it looks like shadow it actually don’t show up in shadow pass on render time. Took me a while to figure out how to deal with it in after effects. In compositing I did some basic multipass stuff, grading, lens effects, motion blur and some small tweaking of passes.

Final video editing is done in Adobe Premier with addition of sound. For sound I used Kangding Ray - Mojave. I really like sound design that he produces, really atmospheric and always have nice vibe.

In next few days I’ll try to find some time to make tutorial on this gobo technique for lighting in Cinema 4D.

Some high res images on link bellow.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marko_lost/sets/72157649231550473/