Ntropic Creative Director and Founder Nate Robinson pushed the boundaries of Autodesk Flame visual effects software and Autodesk Maya 3D animation software to deliver extraordinary visual effects for "Creation," the newest stereoscopic 3D video installation from Artist Marco Brambilla.
An epic conclusion to Brambilla’s 3D video collage “[Megaplex]” trilogy, “Creation” features 1500 visual elements derived from iconic film sequences spiraling through the center of a hypnotic and visually stunning double helix. The piece was on display for a limited time at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in New York recently.
As described by the artist, “Creation” takes the viewer on a spiraling trajectory that begins with a big bang and continues through embryonic inception, idyllic Eden-like bliss and decadences, and culminates in annihilation – only then to re-invent itself. Throughout the video, several images form a hyper-realistic landscape of clouds, meadows and burning cityscapes, against which the cycle of the human endeavor unfolds.
Leveraging the stereoscopic tool set in Flame, Ntropic’s team was able to realize Brambilla’s creative vision for the project. To make sense of all 1500 video clips, Ntropic custom-designed a digital rotoscoping pipeline with Flame at the core. The team also relied extensively on Maya to create a high volume of 3D elements that appear throughout the film.
“‘Creation’ is a fitting finale to Marco’s trilogy; it’s a masterwork that tells an engaging story through a collage of artfully curated visual moments,” said Robinson. “We pushed the technology to the limit to create an immersive 3D art experience and applied some of the same techniques and tools that we use on commercial and music video projects to help realize Marco’s vision.”
The third installment in Brambilla’s 3D “[Megaplex]” trilogy, “Creation” follows Brambilla’s “Evolution” from 2010 and “Civilization” from 2008. The installation debuted at the Christopher Grimes Gallery in Santa Monica, California, in 2012, which was followed by a showing earlier this year at the Nicole Klagsbrun gallery in Chelsea, New York.