Test Model Camera Shots

Now that I've got a test model for one of my ground plans I have set a camera up and moved it around the model to get some shots of it from different places. This should enable me to start giving each part of the model design a role in the garden such as path, flower bed, pagoda and seeing if the layout works.

 

 

 

 

Ground Plan Test Model

Once I had my level coded ground plan I took it into maya and extruded the shapes into layers to form this first 3D set of a possible blocked out version of my Futurists' garden.
I have dropped a couple of lights in and my next stage is to move a camera around and grab some renders to paint on top of in photoshop.

 

 

Garden Features/Accessories

As my next stage in designing is to produce eye level thumbnails I am going to need to include things typical of a garden as these will be key to showing it is still a garden even if they are designed to look very different. I did some research to compile a list of things which commonly feature in a garden whether it be a small family garden or an exhibition garden.

• Trellis
• Arbors/Pergolas
• Statues/Sculpture
• Water Fountains
• Urns/Pots/Vases
• Bird Baths, Feeders, Nest Boxes
• Lanterns/Plant lights/Ground Lights/Oil Lamps
• Decking/Patio
• Gazebo
• Paths
• Columns
• Tables and Chairs
• Parasol
• Bridges
• Sundials
• Windchimes
• Weathervanes
• Waterfalls
• Feature Walls
• Raised Beds
• Plant Displays (Hanging Baskets)
• Fences

Layer Colour Coded Ground Plans

To help me take my ground plans onto the next step which is to envision my garden from eye level instead of a flat birds eye view I took my ground plans and worked out layers building up my garden. I then colour coded them and started to use a key to label different aspects such as paths. However, I realised that with it still being flat and looked down on I couldn't label most of it just yet.

Now that I have these layer coded plans I can rough them out in maya and use renders from there to draw on top of.

Developed Futurist Colour Schemes

To help with the next stage of my work especially creating coloured thumbnails and concepts but also trying to keep to using colours that make sense in the world of Futurism for text and other branding elements for the project I have taken my previous research on Futurist colours into the 'Colour Scheme Designer' website.
Using the base colours I already had I created triadic colour palettes for each one as I had found out that triadic palettes were common of Futurism. I now have a much wider choice of shades/colours which I can eyedropper from and get corresponding theme colours from at the same time.

Linear Workflow

During the maya lesson we learnt how we could improve our renders through linear workflow. This was quite a lot to take in but I think I have managed to understand it.

Finished result

 

Process:

 

 

  

 

 

Part 5: Object Tracking Part 1

This time with matchmover we tracked a moving object and replaced the sign in maya. Seeing this actually working was really cool.

Artist Influence: Aurora Robson

Today I also learnt about the artist Aurora Robson who is a multi-media artist transforming waste materials predominately plastic debris into pieces of art. She originally started off by painting her childhood nightmares but since has decided to take them into 3D sculpture.

When I first saw her sculptures I thought they were beautiful, very cleverly crafted and completely different from any other sculpture I've seen before. I also felt that to a viewer they could be interpreted as depicting a range of objects as well as Robson's nightmares.

I've found it really hard to pick which of her sculptures to sample here because they are all beautiful so here is her website for anyone who wishes to continue looking Aurora Robson

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at Air Plants

Yesterday while I was doing a bit more research I stumbled across something that is called an 'air plant'. They really caught my eye because they seemed so structural and unusual. In fact they reminded me of blown glass or plastic which is perfect for my garden because that is completely synthetic. I also liked the different ways they can be displayed/planted, this shows me that I can really make my Futurists' garden out of the ordinary through unusual plant placement.

Unusual/Contemporary Garden Designs

To help inspire me more with my garden and also help me start to give the shapes in my ground plans qualities I have looked at unusual gardens.

Somerset House Floor Plans

Having decided that I would like to use Somerset House as a basis for placing my Futurists' garden I have looked up the floor plan with the courtyard so that I can work on top of it and get accurate points where my garden would have to stop.

 

I have used the rest of the images to get a better understanding of how the courtyard sits in the middle of Somerset House especially where the entrance/exits are.

 

Minor Project... A Little Change

Its been a week now since I was approached with the possibility of extending my work of producing a Futurist garden into a year long project. After a lot of consideration I went into my tutorial last Friday with the intention of giving it a go! So from this point on this project will be worked on until the submission of the major project. :)

I have now made a list of elements for the minor and major parts of the project as this will help fix a cut of point for both projects. I have also written proposal like summaries for what is intended over these two cut off points.

Minor & Major Planned Pipeline.pdf by Emma Foster

Garden Plans- Results from Collaging

Once I had my new collages I got some copier paper and traced over the collages to come up with basic shapes and designs for the layouts. I really enjoyed this technique and have come out with some more unusual results!

More Futurist Landscape Collages!

While still exploring the layout/plan of the garden I carried on producing collages to work from. This time I didn't just stick to cut up triangles but actually took strange shapes from futurist paintings. These are the results I ended up with. (Please excuse the quality of the scanning I will be rescanning on a printer which does like my size sketchbook!)

Part 4: Masked Auto Track

For part four of matchmover we masked off someone going past the camera so that if something was put on the truck the track wouldn't be interupted.

Process Shots.

 

 

Part 3: Target Tracking and Scene Building

This time we roughed out the scene in blocks in maya and texturing these using the use background shader and the tracking placed an object which was lit to make it look like it sat in real world terms to the background.

Part 2: Target Tracking

Instead of using auto track today we learned about target track and after a few problems with the grid axis going in the wrong place I sorted it out myself and got it done!

Target tracking in process.

Final result

Matchmover Part 1: Auto Tracking

This was my first time using matchmover, I found it pretty simple to get around with the help of the tutorial and here is my result from using it.

Giving my Futurist Garden a Setting

So that I have a set area to base my garden design in I have been looking up possible places for it to be if it actually existed. I had already decided that I did not want it to be for a regular garden or a stately home. Being completely artistic and innovative I want it to be able to be on show so I decided that it should be placed in an exhibiton. I could place it as part of RHS Chelsea Flower Show but with their small set plots I felt I wanted something bigger.

 Somerset House

 

 

Somerset House is a big arts and culture centre which is always placing different attractions in it's courtyard area. These attractions are all laid out differently too to change the appearance of the space.

Tate Modern

 

The Tate Modern would probably be a perfect place to exhibit as it is full of innovative art work. The only thing I would worry about is that the outdoor 'space' may be a bit too all over the place to get a definitive area for a plan.

Victoria and Albert Museum

 

The Victoria and Albert museum has a beautiful outdoor space for an artistic garden. It is even interupted by a water pool which would challenge design work, even with the question of how to cover it because there shouldn't be any natural elements in a futurist garden.

A Futurist Garden Layout

I've probably gone too crazy with this especially the colours, but I would rather go over the top and tone it down than not go crazy enough with it! I took one of my Hockney-esc collages and went over it with futurist patterns and colours to form what could be a futurist garden. I like all the separate sections and that you can see it is built up of triangles. I can also work out from it which parts could be fences/screens and higher up elements like steps, decking or pergolas.

Juxtaposing Existing Garden Styles

After it had been decided that a futurist garden goes against so many of other garden styles I went on to take these anti-futurist gardens and make them futurist! I printed off some formal garden plans and draw futurist triangles all over them. I then cut them up into these triangles and stuck them back together in a completely futurist way. These are my results.

 

 

I personally prefer the first one as it looks more geometric which is common of futurism. It also looks easier to break down and more along the lines of flying around the garden to all these different sections. However, there is something about the shape of the second one and the spirals I can see forming in some sections which I like. I think trying out a couple more will be very beneficial.

The Emotion/Feeling of a Futurist Garden...

One of the questions that had been posed to me was, what exactly happens in a Futurist garden? Existing garden styles already have their emotions, like formal gardens which are tranquil journeys.

For me the futurist garden should be highly interactive, lots of layers, lots of rushing around to discover other parts. A futurist garden is more of a fly through, an energising experience which is all about movement and speed. It is the complete juxtaposition of most gardens. Therefore, this should be expressed through the arrangement of the garden itself. The futurist paintings could in fact be layouts for one of their gardens, they are simple and bold enough to do just that.

Existing Garden Styles

During my last tutorial it was suggested that I take a look at existing garden styles as this would help me see what was already out there and in a way what not to do! Instead to do the complete opposite :)
From my research the gardens which seem most anti-futurist are the formal, cottage, foliage, productive, family, sustainable and country gardens for many different reasons. So I need to stay clear from creating anything along the lines of these.

Garden Styles Research by Emma Foster

Landscape Design/Planning

On Alan's suggestion I have been focusing on the actual layout of the garden rather than getting ahead of myself and trying to design plants. Phil also suggested that I look into types of landscape design for example, formal gardens as this may help me figure out the landscape rules for my futurist garden. It could even be that the Futurists would take an existing landscape design and go completely against it. To aid my research into landscaping I found this very helpful book in the uni library, The Encyclopedia of Garden Design. 

 

Before I looked at specific garden types I read about important parts of the garden and ways specific feelings can be portrayed through certain elements in the garden. Here is the research I have gathered so far from the book.

I found out that important parts to the garden comprise of:

• Enjoying the plants and wildlife
• Entertaining and having fun
• Appreciating the picture/view
• Relaxing and unwinding 

There are also different gardens for different emotions:

• The Dynamic Garden- This garden is exciting and upbeat. Use of vibrant and hot colours, spiky plants, sharp lines and varied textures as well as water introduce movement and the sense of energy.
• Refreshing Garden- This garden is rejuvinating. Sunlit reflections in the water, natural planting, soft colours and lots of different materials create the sense of energy and growth. As if to "recharge your batteries".
• Restoring Garden- This garden creates a sense of well-being. This is normally a private garden which is full of unchallenges spaced and recognized for cullinary, therapeutic and medicinal plants. This space is a reassuring, relaxed and restorative environment.
• Contemplative Garden- Peaceful and calm, this garden is full of cool colours, simple shapes and delicate shapes. A restricted use of materials and planting, simple focal elements, waterfalls and carefully chosen lighting, this garden creates a calm and peaceful mood which enhances empty spaces.

If I had to relate any of these types of emotional gardens to Futurism, it would definitely be the dynamic garden.

A garden can be anything from traditional to contemporary and there are different ways to show this:

• Filled with flowers (very traditional)- is a horticultural extravaganza for favourite plants. There is constant involvement with it to keep it looking in tip top shape.
• A tropical retreat- Holds the idea of sculpting with plants. The use of bold leaves gives the sense of the exotic, lush and enclosed.
• A hint of holiday- Allows you to bring something natural home with you, you can take ideas from travels. This usually involves fragrant flower beds and window boxes. Also something quite nautical.
• A space to reflect- Acts as a sanctuary, it is a garden of tranquility, full of straight lines and simple shapes.
• Chic and minimal- This type of garden appearance means no clutter and quite a plain, muted colour palette. Large, striking features add dynamism.
• Fun and funky (very contemporary)- Wants to hold your eye, it is attention grabbing and full of creative arty heart. It allows the artist to go crazy and let all of their creativity out! 

Other interesting and handy rules for garden design I found out are:

• A diagonal layout directs the eye out to the corners and evokes energy.
• Parallel divisions with offset gaps force movement and draw you in.
• Routes that snake through the garden add a sense of movement and an air of discovery. (Curves)
• The view from the house is the most important view and dictates the layout.
• Any eating areas are normally near the house.
• If there is the opportunity to look through planting the garden becomes less formal and more organic.
• Circular features break up straight lines.
• Add layers above ground to make the garden more functional and visually exciting as well as dynamic angles and twists and turns.
• Triangular beds add depth.
• Angled rectangles= diagonal lines of view.
• Different materials add more interest as well as breaking up spaces.
• S-shaped elements give the impression of movement and space.
• Curves add momentum.
• Multi-level layouts create movement, dynamism and drama.

There were also a few objects/layouts throughout the book that I thought would be great to adapt for a Futurist garden as they link to their rules too...

• Transparent screens.
• Varying heights.
• Day-Glo colours & neon lighting -perspex screens?
• Decorative edging patterns.
• Dynamic garden furniture.
• Recessed lighting (decking).
• Directional spotlighting.
• Underwater lighting.
• Colour-changing lighting.
• Illuminated pathways.
• Mirroring lights.
• Backlighting.
• Grazing lights.

Mental Ray: Using Maya Layered Shaders with Mental Ray Nodes

For this tutorial we worked on getting mental ray shaders to layer. This could come in really handy with my project if I were to use mental ray shaders for creating for example plastic effects and then putting futurist patterns on them.

Final result:

Process: