Quantum Theory is a short film made in Blender that tells the story of a regeneration or renovation of the earth. The purpose of this project was to explore tracking and matchmoving in Blender.
Blender employs a 2D motion tracking algorithm that identifies high-contrast pixels in live-action footage, creating markers for tracking purposes.
Academic Poster
In accordance with the antecedent project titled "Quantum Theory Ep.24" (2022), the narrative unfolds subsequent to the unexplained disappearance of a distinguished scientist who spearheaded global rehabilitation initiatives. This storyline is marked by the sudden manifestation of governmental spacecraft descending from the celestial expanse. The rationale behind this intervention lies in the escalating consequences of premature global warming, leading to a depletion of Earth's humidity. The direct exposure to ultraviolet rays emanating from the sun exacerbates environmental conditions, rendering the terrestrial habitat inhospitable. Consequently, the deployed spaceships are tasked with the comprehensive reconstruction of human development in response to the exigencies imposed by the adverse planetary climate.
Project Plan was to scout for a location, take a pictures of those angles that I imagine my scenes to be, then creating a storyboard for early references, 1st base modeling objects and record selected frames from the reference photos.
Camera data: Panasonic – AGUX180, Height - 5ft from ground mount on tripod, Focal length – 24.5mm, Frame rate – 25fps File format – High resolution 1080p
Story board
Tracking: Importing footage into motion tracking software involves evaluating footage, where industry standards recommend using EXR file sequences, though this project uses PNGs. After importing, camera data is transferred to the software's digital camera. The scene frame should match the clip length, and prefetching retrieves content in advance. For feature tracking, setting marker size helps with motion blur. Adjusting the threshold, distance, and margin controls marker placement and reduces the risk of tracking failures. A minimum of 8 tracks is required for the process.
Marker schematic
Below highlighted error is 0.70px. As per the industry standard below 1px is a good camera solve but still can be refined…
Modeling and Texturing: The storyboard features 3D models created using Autodesk Maya and Blender, incorporating shapes like cubes, cylinders, and cones. Tools used in the modeling process include: Extrude, which adds depth by extending 2D shapes into 3D; Bevel, which rounds or chamfers edges for a more realistic and appealing appearance; and Bridge, which details elements like arches, supports, and railings.
Physically based rendering (PBR): A technique in shading and rendering aimed at achieving a heightened precision in depicting the interactions between light and material properties for a more faithful representation. (Figure 18)
Node wrangler: - Ambient occlusion, Base colour, Metallic, Roughness, Normal and Displacement.
Scene reconstruction & Integration of 3D model: Scene orientation tools help align objects with tracked markers. The "Floor" tool identifies three markers near the live footage ground, while the "Set Origin" tool assigns a central marker as the origin for the 3D environment. In 3D model integration, objects are placed into the scene, with their origins aligned to match live-action footage. Ground planes are added to catch shadows, and their origins are also adjusted to the scene's origin.
Virtual elements : Blender has amazing tool known as modifier which allows simple but good visual effects. Strategically understanding the modifier allowed Wave generator, with timely animating makes wave effect.
The scenes are rendered using the Cycles rendering system at 4056 samples per frame, with NVIDIA's CUDA aiding the rendering process. Scene03, which has many polygons and particle animations, took longer to render. For compositing, masking and rotoscoping were done in After Effects. Masking involved using the pen tool to cover areas, tracking the mask, and applying generative fill with an alpha channel. Rotoscoping, made easier by the rotobrush tool, allowed artists to work on specific parts of the scene for color correction or effects.
Throughout the exploration of the matchmoving domain, a notable scarcity of well-documented resources emphasizing the indispensability of this process has been observed. Compounded by system-related challenges, several tasks encountered delays, impeding timely execution. Furthermore, contemporary studies affirm the superior efficacy of recent 3D tracking software applications compared to their predecessors. However, the demanding graphical prerequisites of these applications have given rise to complications. Notably, issues pertaining to the allocation and definition of cached (RAM) data on the system have remained unresolved, culminating in significant system instability and crashes.