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dweemeister · 4 years ago

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Movie Odyssey Retrospective

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

There is an abandoned building at 1127 E 31st St. in Kansas City, Missouri. That 1922 building, made up of red brick and mortar, would have met the wrecking ball long ago, if not for its historical value. For one year, it housed the Laugh-O-Gram Studio, founded by Walt Disney and the first job in animated film for several people who would become instrumental in shaping the American animation industry. Alongside Disney, the Laugh-O-Gram staff included:

Ubbe “Ub” Iwerks, who co-created Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit with Walt. Ub stayed with the Disney studios as an animator or special effects specialist through Mary Poppins (1964);

Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, who founded Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies with Warner Bros. in the 1930s under producer Leon Schlesinger, later moving to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM);

and Friz Freleng, who joined Harman and Ising and Warner Bros and MGM as principally a director, while introducing or developing most of the central Looney Tunes characters.

All of these figures would shape the environment for animated talkies into the midcentury. But Laugh-O-Gram could not survive the financial obstacles that led to the studio’s closure after only a year. Go back and watch the Laugh-O-Gram shorts and you will find imaginative, rowdy stories paired with movements as fluid as animators not named Winsor McCay (1914’s Gertie the Dinosaur, 1918’s The Sinking of the Lusitania) could draw in the early 1920s. Laugh-O-Gram’s last film, Alice’s Wonderland (1923), was never released commercially to the public and – considering its hybrid of animation and live-action footage – demonstrates the influence McCay had over Disney and his fellow animators.

Later in 1923, Walt submitted Alice’s Wonderland to Margaret Winkler, whose Winkler Productions was the leading animated short film distributor of the time. Winkler had just fallen out professionally with Pat Sullivan, the co-creator of Felix the Cat. Needing a quick replacement and charmed by the animated frenzy surrounding the hybrid animation/live-action Alice, Winkler signed Walt Disney and his Laugh-O-Gram team (including child actress Virginia Davis) to produce the Alice Comedies short film series (1923-1927, including 1923’s Alice’s Wonderland) in Hollywood. These films, Disney’s first taste of commercial triumph, shared little resemblance to Lewis Carroll’s novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, except for the curiosity of the title character and the fantastical situations she might find herself in. After the end of the Alice Comedies series and the formation of Walt Disney Productions (now Walt Disney Animation Studios), Walt wished to adapt Carroll’s books – which he had been familiar with since his childhood in Missouri – into a feature film. Outside forces delayed the project, including the box office failure of Paramount’s live-action Alice in Wonderland (1933) and the creative and fiscal burdens that his studio had to bear during World War II.

During this time, Walt resigned himself to the fact that any animated adaptation of Carroll’s novels, more interested in illogic and wordplay than any sensible storytelling, would not reach the artistic heights of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). His long wait to adapt Alice in Wonderland as a feature film would end in 1951, with the film co-directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske. A stellar voice cast, mixture of storybook and unusual animation, and an acceptance of its own absurdity make Alice in Wonderland one of the best non-Golden Age Disney animated features.

Alice (voiced by Kathryn Beaumont) is a child, probably ten years of age give or take. She is one of the youngest protagonists in Disney’s animated canon and a rare human female lead without monarchical ties or aspirations. Her story is simply a fantastical dream of her subconscious’ creation. Thus, freed from the limitations and expectations of the “real world”, Alice in Wonderland – and the novels it was adapted from – is an episodic series of nonsensical encounters of the various characters that inhabit Alice’s Wonderland. This posed a dilemma for the Disney animators and the army of writers on the film. How does one make Alice, whose only notable characteristics include her naïveté and incurable curiosity, a more interesting character than what Lewis Carroll wrote? With the animators and writers finding no answer, Disney’s Alice is just as reactive (as opposed to proactive) as Carroll’s characterization for her. Inane things happen to and around her, infrequently because of her own initiative; anyone expecting the studio’s first female lead to write down names, possess a sharp wit, and kick ass might need to recalibrate said expectations given the source material.

This discourse wades into questions about literary fidelity in cinema – no standard formula exists for how literature should be adapted to a film. To adapt Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass as faithfully as possible would be to invite structural and tonal chaos. Carroll’s numerous poetic asides, extremely abrupt (and, to me, exhausting) tonal shifts, and his near-complete dedication to exposition whenever nonsense is not present does not make for a digestible film. The Alice in Wonderland that audiences have enjoyed since 1951 presents its developments far out of any Carroll’s narrative order. The tone and individual moments remain Carroll-esque, but, upon release, British critics savaged the film for degrading Carroll’s best-known works (more on this later). Yet by my judgment and familiarity with Carroll’s books (which, to reiterate, are not concerned about character development) Disney’s animated version is the best cinematic adaptation in line with the Carroll’s artistic intentions.

Alice in Wonderland is best seen as a quasi-Disney package film filled with one-upmanship in its animation. A distracted Walt was barely aware of day-by-day developments during production, and thus did not rein in some of the animated excess Alice in Wonderland is now justly acclaimed for. For the second consecutive entry in the Disney animated canon, Mary Blair’s concept art (1950’s Cinderella, 1953’s Peter Pan) is principally responsible for what the background animators would adopt. In the bookend scenes outside Wonderland, the lush, foliage-filled backgrounds recall her work during Disney’s package era, and are easily the most “realistic” backgrounds since the inimitable Bambi (1942). Once the film descends into Wonderland, the background animators, attempting to convert her concept art into cel animation, attempt (but fail to) replicate the characteristic flatness of her concept art.

But for everything else integral to Blair’s artwork – the lack of straight lines, highly stylized architectural and natural features, and detonation of colors – the background animators (who would be assigned specific scenes) faithfully render her style as closely as they can without completely making Alice in Wonderland a modernist phantasmagoria. The film is an overload of colorful experimentation. Just choose from any one of the scenes involving the White Rabbit’s house, the Caterpillar’s toadstool hideaway, the tea party, or the Queen of Hearts’ domain and one is subject to a visual cacophony of inspired production design and artistic audacity. It can be overwhelming, but Wonderland’s locales represent some of the greatest examples of settings-as-character in almost all of animated cinema.

Alice’s Wonderland, however, is nothing without the characters that dwell within. Some of the most impressive character designs of Disney’s mid-century animated films appear in this film, thanks mostly to two of the “Nine Old Men” – Ward Kimball (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1971’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks) and Frank Thomas (1940’s Pinocchio, 1977’s The Rescuers) – and Norm Ferguson (“Dance of the Hours” in 1940’s Fantasia, 1953’s Peter Pan). Because of the sheer number of characters that Thomas and Kimball designed and directed on this film (and this is not even mentioning several other fellow directing animators), I will focus on two specific characters of theirs.

For Norm Ferguson, he is the sole directing animator of the Walrus and the Carpenter, the characters from the eponymous segment imparted to Alice by Tweedledee and Tweedledum (itself an adaptation of Carroll’s “The Walrus and the Carpenter” poem within Through the Looking-Glass). As a study of differences, the designs of both characters give their personalities away even if one were to mute the audio or view a still image. The Carpenter – scrawny, scruffy, and short – telegraphs his dimwittedness and gullibility from his opening moments on-screen. Adding to that visual characterization is that he shares a voice actor, J. Pat O'Malley, and a squeaky, honky timbre with Tweedledee and Tweedledum. O’Malley also voices the Walrus, but adjusts his delivery to a throaty bass, interspersed with the coughing one expects from a chain-smoker, let alone a chain-smoking walrus. The Walrus – appropriately rotund (as walruses should be) with a kitschy suit – is a charming fellow, but beneath that charm are his occasional all-knowing smirks that belie selfish intentions. Ferguson’s clashing character animation for both, in addition to the morbid comedy of “The Walrus and the Carpenter”, are a brilliant complement the abridged poem used in the scene. Alice in Wonderland would be Norman Ferguson’s penultimate film with the studio before his retirement due to complications with diabetes.

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With Alice in Wonderland, Frank Thomas is the directing animator for the movie’s antagonist for the second straight Disney animated feature. The techniques and artistry used for Cinderella’s Lady Tremaine and the Queen of Hearts – voiced deliciously (and boisterously) by Disney regular Verna Felton (Dumbo’s Mrs. Jumbo and the Elephant Matriarch, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother) – could not be any more different. Where Lady Tremaine was heavily rotoscoped in her movements and facial expressions, there is nothing realistic about the Queen of Hearts’ physicality. As a buxom bundle of waving limbs, she has arguably the most fleshy and expressive face in a 1950s Disney animated feature. In that face, in Felton’s iconic voice acting, we find a crazed monarch who desperately needs to see a therapist to contain her volcanic temper. Thomas’ character design sells the Queen of Hearts’ mood swings – perfunctory courteousness, egomania, pettiness, and bloodlust (“Off with his head!”). Thus, she becomes Disney’s closest analogue to the uptight and pretentious narcissists that the likes of Bugs Bunny or, to a lesser extent, Daffy Duck might have brought down to size in a Looney Tunes short film. How fortunate that the Queen of Hearts only appears in Alice in Wonderland’s concluding stages; an entire film dedicated to her (please do not pass this hypothetical along to a Walt Disney Company executive) would be a wearisome indulgence.

The last masterstroke of character design is thanks to Ward Kimball. Kimball, shortly about to revert his focus from feature animation to television and the Disney theme parks, was the principal designer of the Cheshire Cat. The wide-grinning Cheshire Cat, voiced by Sterling Holloway (Kaa in 1967’s The Jungle Book, the original voice of Winnie the Pooh), is a distinctive swirl of purple and pink stripes, his yellow eyes giving off a blazing glare. As opposed to the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat – no more or less peculiar than any other inhabitant of Wonderland – rarely stands on his hind legs. Instead, he prefers to perch himself, stomach-first, and limit his non-facial physical movements. With Holloway’s mellifluous voice acting, the physics-bending Cheshire Cat is not the sort to be vengeful or unleash verbal fire and brimstone. But with his capabilities of troublemaking for his own personal entertainment, he is the least predictable and perhaps most dangerous character of all. Depending on the viewer, the Cheshire Cat can be seen as a darkly comic figure and/or the film’s greatest source of malevolence, however restrained.

After watching Alice in Wonderland more than most Disney animated films over the course of my lifetime, I still struggle over how to categorize Kimball’s magical cat. Certainly, Cheshire Cat is an antagonist, but do his actions place him in the pantheon of Disney villains? Reading Carroll’s books and noting – however circuitously – Cheshire Cat helps Alice become “unlost”, perhaps being considered a trickster will suffice.

The soundtrack to Alice in Wonderland contains the greatest number of songs (sixteen from a potential thirty) in the entire Disney animated feature canon. That is partly due to the length of these compositions – clocking in, in several instances, at just under or over one minute – and that more than a handful of these songs are adaptations (partial or complete) of a Lewis Carroll poem. Disney hired a battalion of Tin Pan Alley composers and lyricists to pen/adapt songs around Carroll’s poems, but just over half of the songs were composed by Sammy Fain (“Secret Love” in 1953’s Calamity Jane, “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing” from the 1955 film of the same name) set to Bob Hilliard’s (“Civilization”, also known as “Bongo, Bongo, Bongo (I Don’t Want to Leave the Congo)”) lyrics. Among their mostly original compositions, Fain and Hilliard are responsible for the title song, “In a World of My Own”, and “Painting the Roses Red”, among several other earworms utilizing Carroll’s poetry.

Debatably Alice in Wonderland’s ultimate earworm is the original song “A Very Merry Un-birthday” by Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston (the trio also composed “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo in 1950’s Cinderella). Because of this song’s affiliation with a certain ride at the Disney theme parks, you, the reader, might already be very familiar with the song’s melody without ever watching Alice in Wonderland. Sung raucously by the Mad Hatter and March Hare (incredible voice acting by Ed Wynn and Jerry Colonna, respectively) alongside Alice, the “unbirthday song” is even more jaunty, celebratory, and devilishly catchy than “Happy Birthday” itself. With this lengthy soundtrack, Alice in Wonderland’s songs completely overshadow and are referenced across Oliver Wallace’s (the notorious title song and score to 1942’s Der Fuehrer’s Face, 1963’s The Incredible Journey) score. For such a riotous and absurd movie, the film contains an equally riotous and absurd soundtrack to empower all of its nonsense.

The qualities that have made Alice in Wonderland treasured by many (including yours truly) today are the exact same ones that British literary and film critics took issue with in 1951. This Alice eviscerates Lewis Carroll’s literary vision and it is too “American”, these critics wrote. Walt Disney, years removed from his namesake studio’s Golden Age animated features (an era where he might have considered the words of academic and critics), now could not care less.

Walt’s distaste for academic and critics in the second half of his career began after musical and film critics pilloried Fantasia (1940). But his disdain for such individuals was fully realized after their response to the innovative and controversial Song of the South (1946) – which Walt intended as a hurrah for the American folklore that colored his childhood. Even upon Song of the South’s release, protesters and picketers decried the film for sentimentalizing the lives of black people in the immediate postbellum American South. “The master-and-slave relation is so lovingly regarded in your yarn,” New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther wrote, “… that one might almost imagine that you figure Abe Lincoln made a mistake. Put down that mint julep, Mr. Disney.” Disney took this wave of criticism over Song of the South personally, and convinced himself that supposedly communist enemies from rival studios and hostile sociopolitical circles were inflaming these attacks against his films and his studio. How dare these people, Walt must have thought, tell the inventor of Mickey Mouse and the man who gave Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising, and Friz Freleng their first jobs in animated cinema what he could or could not do artistically. Walt Disney could justly say he laid the foundation for American animated cinema in Kansas City – before Burbank, before the overcrowded studio in Hyperion – all those years ago, which must have fueled his pride and dismissal of his naysayers.

In an earlier decade, Walt – especially when noting that Carroll’s work was integral to his start in animated film in the 1920s – might have publicly lashed out to the polarized response that met Alice in Wonderland. Now, Walt had compartmentalized his feelings. And as Alice in Wonderland made its way through theaters, a long-gestating animated feature featuring a canine romance was finally moving forward. Another film, made possible due to the windfalls from Cinderella, had just been greenlit, and would not see completion until decade’s end.

Although not successful in its theatrical run, Alice in Wonderland became the first Disney film to rejuvenate its reputation in the popular mindset through television. TV became widespread in the United States and Britain after the Second World War and, with it, Walt Disney would use the medium to broadcast his older films, to alter popular perceptions of his own persona and personal history, and to employ idealized images and storytelling in telling the story of his namesake studio. Removed from the cultural discourse dominating airwaves and headlines in the early 1950s, viewers in the decades following Alice in Wonderland’s release can now appreciate the film’s role in the Disney animated canon. Alice in Wonderland is a demented classic that, because of its narrative-unfriendly content, has influenced few films following it. The film adjusts Lewis Carroll’s books in ways that pay homage to his writing, but also to chart a colorful course for viewers and Disney fans as cinematically as possible.

My rating: 9/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

This is the twenty-first Movie Odyssey Retrospective. Movie Odyssey Retrospectives are reviews on films I had seen in their entirety before this blog’s creation or films I failed to give a full-length write-up to following the blog’s creation. Previous Retrospectives include The Kid (1921), Cinderella (1950), and The Sound of Music (1965).

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thijihiguri · 5 years ago

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The Emperor’s Ascension - Part 2: The Diamond Prophecy

Disclaimer: it is highly recommended that you read up on the previous chapters prior to reaching this point, or you will find yourself lost in the narrative. They are posted below for your convenience.

Introduction: https://www.facebook.com/notes/2304709552987721/

Part 1a: https://www.facebook.com/notes/280199693228168/

Part 1b: https://www.facebook.com/notes/811622582740697

The capital of Hyoga was tranquil this time of year. Everyone waited out these remaining few weeks before the first snow. Winter was the most active time of the year for the Land of Glaciers, and the first snowfall heralded the changing of the seasons.

On the western portion of the capital, in the residential districts, there stood a lovely mansion which could easily be spotted from anywhere in the district. Other than the architecture heavily contrasting that of Hyogan make, it was teal. From chimney to foundation, every brick and shingle was the same color. Within this monocolor abode was a theater, which was empty save for one woman, who was enjoying a pleasant dessert beverage over a movie, seemingly about a special girl who could harness the powers of the rainbow. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and wore a bathrobe – all of which was teal. She sighed with content as she watched, almost as if she was reminiscing over days long past.

Just as the movie was seeming to get interesting, the picture was beginning to distort. The woman ceased the enjoyment of her beverage and stood up, watching as the screen was beginning to shift into an image of a white-haired maid in blue-and-white, who greeted her with a smile. Knowing her as Sakuya, the woman robed in teal sat back down and put her drink aside…

Sakuya: Madam Shuji. Sorry to have interrupted that grand movie; it was getting to the best part.

Nora: It’s no problem, Queen Mikazuki! If you’re here, then somethin’ big must be goin’ down!

Sakuya: Have you been made aware of your pupil’s recent excursions?

Nora: Who, Thiji? I heard somethin’ about him fightin’ a bunch of ice people lately. Why, may I ask?

Sakuya: Is your estate empty?

Nora: Yup! All my appointments and meetings have been taken care of for the day!

Ripples began forming on the screen as the Eternal Human then walked through it as if it were a portal, appearing before Nora in person as the movie resumed behind her.

Sakuya: Then I can speak to you about this personally. But first, let’s finish this film, yes?

Nora nodded in agreement, and the two ladies watched the rest of the movie to its end, conversing and laughing all the while. They regaled each other over the days when Thiji, Koyuki, and the others were yet young and full of creative energy. Once the movie ended, they relocated to Nora’s office (take a guess at what color it was). Nora shut the blinders and Sakuya closed the door to maintain privacy, during which time she would give her pitch to the Teal Quaintrelle…

Nora: Wait a minute… He’s doin’ what?! How was I, Elementa’s #1 socialite, not made aware of this?!

Sakuya: That’s partially my fault, Madam Shuji.

Nora: Please, Your Majesty! Just “Nora” will do for you!

Sakuya: I’ve only been sharing this information with the Handmaidens of Peace so far, but Thiji has accelerated through the Trials much faster tha new anticipated, which can only mean that he is as anxious to become a God as are my sisters. But if you can get the word out on this, it would mean a lot to me. Not to mention it could bring untold amounts of publicity to Shuji Studios.

Nora: As temptin’ as that already sounds, I’d have done this without such delicious bait! To think that the boy I tutored so long ago became an Emperor of an entire continent, and now he’s gonna become a bona-fide God of Winter! You don’t need to ask twice, My Queen – I’ll happily tell the world! And it’s gonna go down here, before the First Snow! They’ll be callin’ it the “Winds o’ Destiny” once this whole thing blows over!

Sakuya, chuckling: I’m glad you saw things my way, Nora. Just a reminder that you cannot disclose the full details of this event until the moment it starts. If too much information gets out, it’d spark a lot of undue tension throughout Elementa.

Nora: As if I need to be reminded o’ that! Gimme a week and the Borealis Stadium will be so filled to capacity that there won’t even be room for SRO! Let this be known as Shuji’s Finest Hour!

Sakuya: Thank you again, Nora. I’ll be looking forward to your report.

Nora: Oh, one more thing! I’m gonna need footage o’ Thiji kickin’ ass across the multiverse! I know you have some holo-footage lyin’ around somewhere!

Sakuya: Anything you need to get the word out, Nora. I got you covered. I must attend to our Eternal-to-be.

Nora: Then you’ve got yourself a signal-boostin’ deal!

After they shook hands, Sakuya’s form began to fade out of the material plane, leaving behind a small orb in the palm of Nora’s hand. This was no doubt the recorded footage of Thiji’s recent accomplishments.

Nora searched for her hyperdimensional purse and whistled a special tune. Out from within jumped a fully-equipped stage crew, complete with cameramen, stylists, clothiers, and every other possible accoutrement. They all seemed eager and raring to go, for they have not been called by their mistress in what felt like ages.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been one hell of a ride with y’all so far,” Nora told them, “but we’ve got the biggest scoop to have ever graced Elementa, and we’ve only got a week to get the word out, so let’s get to work, because once this is all over, even unborn children will know of the Shuji name!”

https://youtu.be/EuKGNGZjUJI?t=11437 (3:10:36 - 3:16:14)

Everyone cheered and scrambled throughout the estate, setting themselves up for the biggest report ever. Meanwhile, within the Spiral of Time, Thiji had just returned from his final leg of the Trials of Winter. He had contended with other god-like beings that commanded a great deal of winter’s might, and has learned (and re-learned) just about everything there is to know about ice and its many facets. The sheer amount of knowledge he had unearthed intrigued him, and that alone motivated him to learn all he could about winter so that he would be that much better off for his ascent.

With his final battle in the Trial thus settled, the Proofs all gathered, circling around Thiji as the latent energies reacted with his body, instilling their knowledge and memories into him. All he could do from that point was heave a great sigh of relief and fell backwards, landing on his back.

After a few long moments of rest, he rose to a sitting position and noticed a familiar figure walking out of a portal, greeting him with applause.

“Congratulations, Thiji,” spoke Sakuya, “the Trials of Winter have been conquered, and you are now one step closer to achieving your destiny. How do you feel?”

“As if a two-ton weight was placed upon my shoulders…” Thiji groaned as he struggled to stand, the adrenaline in his body finally giving way to massive fatigue.

“You worked tirelessly to make it this far, and it shows,” Sakuya stated. “Now it is time for you to rest; your final Trial is near. Within one week’s time, when the first snows fall upon Hyoga, your penultimate task will begin. Until then, you may find solace in my domain, and recuperate unperturbed. Remember your training; trust your instincts, and ready yourself in mind, body, and soul. This last trial will undoubtedly be your most daunting.”

The Eternal Human waved her hand and placed her nephew in a stasis field, rendering his body motionless. The Emperor wasted no time in surrendering to the sweet embrace of slumber, his body drifting through the limitless expanse that was the Spiral of Time. Meanwhile, Nora was already hard at work getting everything set up for the big broadcast. She spent the entire week signal boosting and utilizing her various media techniques to inform not only Elementa, but to their allies from other realms as well. When it came to the power of media, Nora Chelsea-Izumi Shuji could command the attention of even Gods! Her face was seen on every poster and every television; her voice was heard on every radio and podcast. There was nothing stopping Shuji Studios from seizing the radio waves.

“Goood mornin’, Elementa and beyond! This is Nora Shuji here live in the Borealis Tundra to give you what is perhaps the most special report ever! If you’ve been livin’ under a rock, in a cave, or under the sea all your life, then fear not! I’m here to enlighten ya! Our lovable Emperor of Hyoga, Lord Thiji Higuri, has been undergoin’ some grueling trainin’ recently to be bestowed the rarest of honors: ascension to godhood! He’s been goin’ across the mysterious multiverse and kickin’ the cans of all the guys, gals, and creatures that consider themselves to be masters of winter! But he’s beaten every single one of ‘em, and now the time has come for him to face his final test against an unknown adversary! Is it a person from Thiji’s past? Or a long-lost rival lookin’ to settle a score? The only way you’ll find out for sure is if you head on over to Hyoga yourself to witness this monumental event! Tickets are on sale now, and you’ve got only one week before showtime! But even if you can’t make it, Shuji Studios has you covered: we’ll be takin’ control of the radio waves so that everyone in Elementa can watch the spectacle from the comfort of their own homes! Are you lookin’ to see what a real battle of ice and snow looks like? Then you’d better tune in, because this is a once-in-a-hundred-lifetimes chance! The Borealis Stadium is expected to be filled to capacity, so you’d better act fast and start makin’ your travel arrangements! This has been Nora Shuji reportin’ to you from the icy bosom of the Land of Glaciers, and remember: If It Ain’t Shuji, It Ain’t Worth Jack!”

From the subaquatic city of Arazsha, to the capitals of all thirteen continents and even the Soramori, news of Thiji’s ascension spread like wildfire. People from all around the globe began to flock towards the Land of Glaciers, where the greatest moment in Elementa’s history would unfold.

A week’s time had passed, and it was a peaceful, sunny morning in Hyoga. Atop the glistening walls of Yukiga-To’s outer gates, the leader of the Brides of Winter, Confessor Sylla, sat upon the parapet. Two more individuals approached her, meeting her gaze toward the horizon. They were Celuwen, the Virtuemother and Shijima Yukino, the Voice of Winter, and together with the First Bride, they were the highest-ranking individuals of the Handmaidens of Peace. They watched as the Hyogan skies were dotted by airships and various flying creatures eager to witness the spectacle – one of which was a large airship bearing the image of a multicolored, exploding star upon its sails. This was the War Star, the airship belonging to the Battle Vixens guild, with the entire crew on deck with their warrior elite: Lupi Flametress, the hot-blooded Knight; Aege Stonemantle, the steadfast Whitesmith; Elua Windgaze, the free-spirited Sniper, and Heal-Do, the calm yet fierce Assassin Cross.

Approaching the Frozen Shore were seafaring vessels and seaborne fauna who have befriended the people of Hyoga – the most important of whom being the Glacierfin Naga, led by Queen Mizu and her council. Accompanying her was the Mist Queen, Shiro Reina, Mizu’s old friend and former master.

“I knew that man was something else,” Shiro stated, “but never in my life did I imagine him joining Elementa’s pantheon… I’d like a few words with him when this is over before he parts.”

“To ssee a sshorewalker grace the very heavenss would be a sssight for any Naga to behold,” commented Z’hira. “Let uss make hasste to the sstadium!”

It was truly a sight to behold from the city proper: people from all corners of Elementa and beyond, flocking to one singular location, the stadium slowly filling in its seats. The Borealis Stadium itself was impressive, to say the least, easily accommodating at least half a million people, including exclusive club seating, skyboxes, and luxury suites – one of which housed the Eternals themselves, and even Nora. The Teal Quaintrelle wasted no expense in having as many people filling the stadium as possible, and to attract such a crowd could only be possible for a media mogul like her.

And on the far side of the fields stood a solitary ice block, the man of the hour himself within. Thiji awaited the coming battle, taking this time in solitude to gather himself and focus his power. It appeared to have been under control - no paling skin or abnormal protrusions from his body.

“Looks like it’ll be a full house, sisters!” Raiko excitedly pointed out. “This stadium is freakin’ huge! It should be a landmark!”

“It is,” Homura and Sakuya said simultaneously.

“Where the heck’s Mizore? She should be watching her son’s finest hour!” the Eternal Succubus asked as she took a big gulp of her drink.

“She’s got her reasons for being tardy,” Sakuya calmly replied. “For now, let’s get comfy. Thiji’s battle will be approaching soon.”

In the premium club seats were Princess Seraphina and her entourage: her cousins Kasui & Kasho, along with the Generals of the Tundra Force. She was excited to see her father’s final performance, along with Queen Shiro and the others – everyone of Hyoga’s Finest had arrived to bear witness to this occasion. Turning to her immediate left, she would find herself being greeted by a beautiful silver-white fox with nine tails, swinging them eagerly.

“I know he’ll succeed – I will see him in the heavens!” she thought aloud. This was Da Ji, Purity’s Envoy, and Guardian deity of Amatsu. A close friend of Thiji’s, she was more eager than anyone to watch Thiji’s performance.

With everyone in place, the time had come to commence the event. A large teal dirigible flew over the stadium, and titantrons began activating along the outer edges of the stadium, allowing comfortable viewing access from any and all angles. The Glacierfin Council “seated” beside Shiro and Mizu gazed in awe at the enlarged visage of Nora, and the technology she boasted.

“Thiss woman iss… eccentric,” Zhira commented, “but her pressentation iss not wanting! Thiss is the marvel of sshorewalker technology!”

“And she’s a fierce fighter besides,” Shiro commented. “In fact, she taught Thiji martial arts, among other things.”

“PEOPLE OF ELEMENTA AND BEYOND! ARE YOU READY?!” cried Nora from the airship. The crowd let out a jubilant uproar of cheers and applause in response. “To all tunin’ in today, you’re in for the more delectable treat in Elementa’s history: the hour of Thiji’s ascension! The Emperor of Hyoga himself, Thiji Higuri, has been rampagin’ all over the multiverse to beat all contenders who would get in his way of bein’ Lord of Winter, and now he’s back in the world of Elementa to face his final trial – and you’re all invited to witness it! Any moment now, his final opponent will make their appearance, and the most epic battle of your lives will commence! Now let’s hear it for our lovable ice man, the Emperor himself: Thiji Sorin Higuri!”

The ice block shattered and the man of the hour rose to his feet, gazing upon the countless masses applauding him. He could make out familiar voices cheering him on: his daughter; his niece; Da Ji, and even Shiro. He couldn’t help but smile at all the people whose lives he touched and changed motivating him one last time as a mortal. Because after today, he would become a God.

As the hour of judgment drew closer, the Handmaidens’ leadership began to make their way towards the stadium. However, they would only be able to take a few steps before Confessor Sylla felt a wave of dread wash over her. She frowned as she laid a hand upon her heart, giving her sisters cause for concern.

https://youtu.be/EuKGNGZjUJI?t=6329 (1:45:29 - 1:47:37)

“Confessor?” spoke Celuwen.

“This pang upon my breast…” she whispered. “Is this truly Winter’s will…?”

“What did you see?” Shijima inquired. Sylla remained silent, only pointing towards the heavens above the Borealis Stadium. The clouds were beginning to part as a single pillar of amethyst-colored light shone through – it was finally time. Thiji readied himself as a lotus flower fell from above. Its descent was blindingly swift, and as it touched down, a storm of petals danced throughout the stadium, wowing the audience. The flower itself grew in size until it was tall enough to fit an adult male, and once the petals parted to reveal its passenger… the world stopped.

Everyone – from the spectators in the stadium, to the people watching from all corners of the realm, to even Thiji himself – was utterly frozen. Not a single breeze blew through the arctic. All was still; all was silent.

“Psst. Hey, Sakuya,” Raiko whispered. “I know this is for dramatic effect and all, but we kinda need time to move again.”

“This isn’t me, sister,” the Eternal Human defended. “Even the families of Heaven of Hell are aware of this moment; all of Elementa is still.”

Out from the flower strode a maiden in a violet qipao, her hair and skin flawless. Angel wings were seen protruding from her back and in front of her ears. In her right hand she gripped a decorative jian, an oriental broadsword, and flowers began to blossom through the snow upon which she stood. Her face was tense – not with anger, but with determination, as she glared daggers at Thiji.

Once the perception of time went back to normal, Thiji’s focus shattered. He beheld his final opponent, his penultimate obstacle standing in the way of his rightful ascension:

The Snow Flower herself, Koyuki Kazahana, was his final opponent.

“Hello, my lord,” Koyuki greeted firmly. “It is finally time for you to embrace your destiny.”

“The High Empress…?!” gasped Celuwen and Shijima.

“That I did not foresee this until now…What is Winter plotting…?” Sylla asked herself aloud.

“I am certain we will find the answers we seek once we make it to the stadium. Come, sisters!” Celuwen ordered, and with a strum of her oud, she brought the winds of the north to heel as they swirled around herself and the others, carrying them to the Borealis Stadium.

“My mother… She was an Angel all this time?” Seraphina inquired.

“Always has been, Princess Seraphina,” Shiro replied. “In fact, she is a Seraph, an Angel raised and trained for battle. Note the two pairs of wings.”

“Just like my name! It makes so much sense now!” the Princess giggled.

“That she is a Seraph can only mean that she went to the Dawn Academy at some point... which implies that our Empress is a lot older than she seems!” Hira deducted.

“Preposterous!” scoffed Chui, General of the Wavemenders. “That’d mean she’d be half a century old at the least!”

“Normally you’d be correct, Wavecaller,” coolly spoke Galetracker Yori Honshou, General of the Hailvolleys, “but if there’s one thing I know about the Kazahana Clan, it’s that they hold a lot of skeletons in their closet - the Pure Branch, especially!”

“You’re not just saying that because your bow was blessed by them, are you...?” the Spring Elf Arasil questioned, rolling her eyes.

“He has a point, though,” Hira followed. “The Kazahana Clan are the most powerful and prominent family in Elementa for a reason. Some even say that their capabilities border on the unnatural.”

The others shrugged off the notion and fell silent, refocusing on center field.

“Koyuki, my flower, what are you doing…?” Thiji questioned. He took a step forward, but would be met with only a blade pointed toward him. He looked upon his wife and immediately took notice of her demeanor: she wasn’t the cheerful and demure lady by which she was so known and loved. No, this Koyuki was far different – eyes burning with fervent determination, a fury quelled by the serenity her very presence brings. He had surmised that she has awakened the Kazahana blood within her, turning the Snow Flower into a weapon of war.

“Doing what must be done, my lord,” she replied. “You have completed the Trials of Winter, and now your final test is upon you. Did you think you were the only one training, my Emperor? I, too, have been honing my skills, preparing myself for this fateful day where we would meet each other – as opponents. And as many are wont to say: the more beautiful the flower, the deadlier its thorns, and I have been touted as the most beautiful in all of Elementa.”

“But I’ve sworn an oath to defend and uphold your purity!” Thiji interjected, taking a stance. “Laying a hand on you in aggression is sacrilege of the highest order; the Kazahana Clan is the most powerful in all of Elementa, and drawing their blood is original sin – especially the blood of a Pure Branch member – most of all its head!”

“You’re right: you are still oathbound to protect me, my lord,” Koyuki pondered, “which is why I declare upon this day that you, Thiji Sorin Higuri, shall protect me no longer. I deem you freed from the manacles by which this oath has bound you, sworn no longer to safeguard my purity!”

The entire stadium gasped; some of the Handmaidens were so taken aback that they began fainting on the spot. As for Thiji, he was crushed by this so that he collapsed, falling to his knees. The Eternals watched silently from their box with anticipation, counting on the Snow Flower to carry out their mission. Thiji wanted to feel utter sorrow, but his heart was not as affected by this as he had thought. In fact, he was not even brought to tears. But the same sadness lingered as he rose his head to the heavens, wondering what cruel hand fate had dealt him to come to this occasion. After loving, serving, and protect his beloved Snow Flower – his destined, star-crossed wife – she casts his oath aside like an old toy.

His head felt heavy now. The weight became too much to bear that he would once again lower it to the ground, seemingly losing all energy to move. He was still, as the first snow had finally begun to fall upon Hyoga. Thiji had shut his eyes, hoping that it was all a nightmare. But a voice broke through the silence.

“Thiji. Draw your sword. If you are to claim your destiny, then you must strike me down.”

https://youtu.be/EuKGNGZjUJI?t=11775 (3:16:14 - 3:19:26)

These words came from Koyuki’s lips. But it only hurt him further. Again, the emotional blow was softened by some unknown force. No response from the Emperor of Hyoga. Koyuki pressed the matter once more.

“Raise your head, Thiji. Draw your sword and meet me in battle.”

“What madnesss is thiss?!” Z’hira gasped.

“What corruption has befouled the High Empress?!” Deshir followed.

“Koyuki is incorruptible,” Queen Mizu said telepathically. “She’s plotting something, but it involves battle. I know Lady Shiro and Lady Koyuki well; they wouldn’t do things without some ultimate goal in mind.”

Seraphina only watched on in silence, unable to say a single word from the sheer emotion wrought by this moment. Thiji, again, did not speak or budge. Thus did Koyuki resort to more direct measures. With a beat of her wings, she took the the skies, grasping her blade as gravity gave way.

As she descended, memories of Thiji’s past surged through his mind – all of which involved Koyuki. His most cherished moment, when they were mere children, replaying over and over in his mind. How tenderly he held her that cold day… how icy wet his face was from the tears he shed for her… and the words he spoke to her:

“Please, Koyuki… don’t go. I need you.”

He kept that memory closest to his heart all his life, and now it seemed to have been for naught. Of all the opponents he could have faced, he never once dreamed of raising a blade against Koyuki. But just like the other assaults upon his heart, yet again, the blow was mitigated. Why did not feel so crushed as he originally anticipated? Was his warrior’s spirit taking over? Whatever the cause may be, he found the strength to rise back to his feet, conjuring a katana of ice just in time to clash blades with Koyuki, a loud ring heard throughout the stadium. The resulting force sent the falling snow blowing in all directions, pelting the crowd in a flurry of frost and angel down.

“Good, my lord,” she congratulated as she stared her husband down, that same determination in her eyes. His eyes, however, were filled with something else – cold yet raging. He did not question why he acted in such a way, only that it felt right. “For the glory of Hyoga, unleash your soul and face me!”

And thus the battle had begun.

“Game on, sisters…” Sakuya declared, reclining in her seat. The two concluded their deadlock and forced each other back to opposite ends of the arena. Thiji made the first move and sent blades of ice toward the Snow Flower, who answered with graceful dodges to the left and right. She performed another wingbeat, sending flower petals forward and strewing them about the arena.

Thiji rose his katana and charged, watching the petals explode in a small radius as he came close. She had set a floral minefield to deter Thiji. Stepping directly atop a petal, he was sent flying upwards, throwing him off balance. Koyuki took the skies to meet him, ready to greet Thiji with a series of blade attacks. He was able to recover from the explosion he triggered to meet Koyuki in a clash of blades once more, parrying her blows with his katana. Seeing an opening, Koyuki performed a lunge with her sword, aimed at Thiji’s chest. The Emperor was able to spin in midair to avoid it, sheathing his blade for a brief moment before unleashing stored energy to perform a blinding iai slash at the Empress’ midsection. The attack hit its mark, but Koyuki’s form vanished into flower petals.

“A flower clone…” he thought to himself. He made a quick 180-degree turn as soon as he felt Koyuki’s presence, though try as he did to react, the Snow Flower had already grabbed him by the arm, whirled him around, and threw him straight downward.

Utilizing his newfound strength, Thiji turned to face the ground, clenching his free hand into a fist and slammed the ground with all his might, upheaving the floral minefield and detonating all the petals in a beautiful display of flower and snow. The audience could not help but cheer at the spectacle, scattered cheering for either side to win. Everyone was beginning to get into the fighting spirit, it seemed.

“You’re gettin’ all this, right, boys?!” Nora shouted to her crew, who all gave a thumbs-up. “Good! Ain’t nobody’s takin’ this moment away from us!”

“Thiji... One way or another, I will help make you see,” Koyuki thought as she looked down at Thiji. She began her descent, seeking to meet Thiji head-on once more. As they clashed blades once more, she stared once more into his icy-cold eyes. “Dance with me, my lord,” she invited aloud. “Bring me the beauty and grace of battle that only you can provide me!” Her husband pushed her away, and she performed a somersault before sticking the landing, sliding several meters back along the snow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU0ehpWSZdg

“Then I shall lead…” he coolly replied before wreathing his katana in frost energy. She did the same for her blade, enveloping it in a violet aura of floral energy, and their dance began: a graceful and frenetic flurry of steel, as gusts of snow and flowers whirled around the stadium. The crowd cheered them on as their dance went on, with either side showing little sign of letting up. For Seraphina, however, the residual energies they were giving off reacted with her own body – so much so that it was beginning to feel as though they had counted on this to happen.

The Alabaster Rose hugged herself, unsure of what was going on with her body…

“Cousin! Are you well?!” Kasui said as she hurried to her side. She would then be pushed back as the halo which levitated behind her illuminated, and focused her energies into the heavens, drastically altering the scenery. Kasho caught Kasui, after which they would look up to notice that the clouds had parted, revealing a sunless sky, with the glorious light of Tsukuyomi illuminating the area. Once this atmospheric phenomenon occurred, all jubilation ceased, and only silence followed. All were entranced by the dazzling display.

“What… What is this…?” General Hiro gasped.

“In all my battles, I’ve seen nothing like this before…” Snowmistress Hira stated.

“C’est magnifique…”

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice: the newly-ordained Duchess of Yukiga-To, Masao Inkina Muyo. “A rarity unlike any other: a joining only made possible through the Higuri Clan and the Kazahana Pure Branch; a vibrant and mystical dance of twirling petals and snowy zephyrs beneath the silvery gaze of the moon: the Beauty of the Four Seasons: the Setsugekka no Utsukushi-sa.”

“How do you know of this, Duchess?” inquired Mikomi Toushou, Nomad of Hope, who sat right beside Su Da Ji.

“I’ve served the Royal Family long enough to learn of the unique bond shared between the Higuri Clan and the Kazahana Pure Branch,” she explained. “With Great Empress Kaiyuki’s blessing, I was the one who oversaw a young Lord Thiji’s rise to Prime Minister of Yukiga-To before his 15th birthday. The Higuri have always been the most loyal retainers to them, and of the many bonds that form between Clans, theirs is the most graceful and beautiful in all of Elementa. The Great Empress told me this secret, and I’ve kept it well-guarded until the time was right. Their very powers alter the world around them: Lord Thiji, of the snow; Lady Koyuki, of the flower… and Princess Seraphina, of the moon. Together, they complete this rarest of dances…”

A singular tear fell from her face, compared to the countless others who also shed tears from the serene beauty of the sight – even the Glacierfin Naga cried, never witnessing a more beautiful spectacle since the coming of their Queen. And up above, Nora and her crew were practically bawling.

“D-Don’t stop filmin’ this, gentlemen – no matter how w-watery your eyes get…!” Nora ordered, choking back tears with little success. The Eternals, too, were moved by this sight, though Homura was trying her hardest not to show her tears.

“Man… I oughta slap the white off of Mizore for not witnessing her own flesh and blood doing this!” Homura grumbled.

On the eastern section of the stadium, the Handmaidens leadership arrived just in time to witness the show with Nisou and the others. The Handmaidens either fainted from the overwhelming beauty or were praying in reverence to Winter; Sylla felt utter bliss, hurrying to her nieces’ side to watch with them; Celuwen and Shijima were simply stunned.

The length of their dance was reaching its end; the Borealis Stadium and surrounding area darkening as a sign, until the moonlight was focused only on the circumference of the arena. The two warriors disengaged to focus all their respective energy into their weapons again, before zooming towards center field to meet one another in one final clash beneath the lunar spotlight. The ground then began to shake as the residual energies focused onto a singular area – the stadium itself. A raging blizzard of snow and blossom petals filled the area, contained in a transparent veil of moonlight which protected the audience. The storm rose to the very heavens, until the barrier would finally break from the resulting explosion, releasing a flash of light which temporarily blinded all who gazed upon it.

Once the light had faded and the skies returned to normal, the crowd beheld the last vestiges of the dancing iceflowers, as both contestants laid on the ground.

“Did… Did he win…? Is it over…?” Da Ji asked hopefully. Thiji and Koyuki slowly rose to their feet after recovering from the shock of the explosion, barely a scratch on them, save for a small cut on their cheek.

“Well done, Thiji…” Koyuki said in her mind. “All under Heaven and above the Underworld will remember this day. And with this dance concluded, you’re one step closer… But still you must see. You must further be catalyzed. Only then will the truth be revealed. Jenivieve… Liliana… Dr. Rieleigh… everyone… after all we’ve done for him… I pray that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.”

Grasping her blade, she took to a piercing stance, wings outstretched. Taking this moment in her hands, she charged at Thiji with all her might, her blade aiming straight for his heart.

“MY LORD, TAKE CARE!!” shouted Da Ji, reaching out to the man she loves. Try as he could, he was unable to react, his body feeling… cold. Rigid, even. He only watched as his beloved wife came toward him at full speed, bracing himself for the inevitable blow…

… But destiny had other plans.

A loud clang resounded throughout the stadium, which such force that the wind generated from it blew everyone off of their seats (figuratively, of course). Thiji slowly opened his eyes, gasping at what he beheld: his heart was untouched, a strange barrier holding Koyuki’s blade a meter from it! He rose his head to meet Koyuki’s gaze, who shut her own eyes in response. And in the midst of it all, Thiji could not help but think that Koyuki felt… relieved by this.

Setting the notion aside, he released his pent-up energy in a radial wave of force which knocked the Snow Flower back towards her end of the arena. Koyuki caught herself, getting to her knees as she watched Thiji’s body… changing.

“It’s done…” Koyuki quietly cheered under her breath. The Emperor’s eyes shut as he winced in pain, clutching his chest as he saw his body crystallizing!

“She did it!” Sakuya cheered with a fist pump. “It’s all on her now.”

“I-Is this a result of the dance, Duchess Muyo?!” Mikomi asked.

“Non,” she answered. “This is something entirely different; a first-time occurrence for us all.”

As Thiji fought his hardest to stop this process, he dropped to his knees, clutching his chest desperately to stem the pain. It was then that he heard a voice in his head:

“Thiji… do not fight it.”

His eyes opened, scanning the area for the source, but he saw only Koyuki, and the masses who gathered today to watch him. The voice called to him again:

“Give in to it. This is your destiny. Your time has finally come.”

“I know that voice…” he whispered…

“Come to me… and all will be made clear.”

A protective dome of permafrost formed around Thiji, leaving everyone stupefied.

“The plot glaciates…!” Nora exclaimed.

https://youtu.be/EuKGNGZjUJI?t=10967

Thiji reopened his eyes and found himself in a different realm – far from the Borealis Stadium – far from Hyoga – and far from Elementa. A vast forest blessed by eternal winter; trees turned white and blue by snow and frost; arctic fauna both normal and magical roaming the land. Light snowfall persisted no matter where one went in the forest, and the wind was calm and serene. Thiji was beyond awestruck at the stark beauty of this land. His reverence would be cut short, however, as a snowy owl landed before him, staring at him expectantly. It lifted a wing and pointed it to the path behind it, gesturing him to follow.

Thiji threw caution to the wind and proceeded down the path, until he would eventually come to a glade of pristine snow and ice. Waiting for him in the center sat a lone woman robe in an ornate white-and-blue kimono. Her waist-length hair and skin were as white as the very snow, and icicles decorated her form – from hair ties with red ribbons to lining her obi in a manner akin to strings of charms.

The owl perched itself on a nearby nest, alerting the woman to Thiji’s presence – though she already knew he had come. She rose from her seat and turned slowly to gaze at Thiji, greeting him with a smile warm enough to melt the snow around her.

“My son – my sweet Yukinko…” she greeted with the most gentle of voices.

“Mother…” Thiji replied under his breath. He broke into a sprint towards his beloved parent, and memories flashed back in both their minds, to a time when Thiji was a mere child. This mother of the Emperor of Hyoga was none other than Mizore, the Eternal Yuki-Onna of Ice, and by proxy, Empress Dowager of Hyoga. He embraced his mother tenderly, for he had missed her so, just as she missed him. “Where am I, Mother…? What is going on?”

“Be still, sweetest son,” she replied. “I will explain. Firstly, this is my – and soon to be, your – domain: the Antarctic Glade. I summoned you here personally to help you on your final step towards your ascension. First, I would ask of you to create a reflection.”

“Yes, Mother,” he immediately acknowledged. Mizore then used her powers to conjure a large slab of ice before them, while Thiji utilized the powers of the Glacial Guardian to project his memories onto the ice, replaying them as though it were a television.

“Thiji,” Mizore began, “do you recall a certain crucial moment in time where you changed drastically in demeanor? I will give you a hint: it was during your burgeoning adult years.”

Thiji thought for a moment, which caused the ice to react. The reflections began replaying a younger Thiji with Koyuki, whom he was on the verge of proposing to, and the actual wedding. Then it replayed a moment in time with Thiji and Koyuki again, a few years older, but with a third familiar face: flowing, platinum-blonde hair; stunning violet eyes…

These particular moments kept playing over and over as Mizore continued her explanation…

“Your destiny was delayed due the love you shared with the Snow Flower and the Dragon Empress. Though they may have given you power through love, they had, unbeknownst to them, been holding you back. This was not your fault, nor theirs, for your love was star-crossed. However, you have learned all you could, and now you are at the crux of your power; the zenith of your potential.”

“So Koyuki and Liliana… them changing my heart affected me so?” Thiji asked. Mizore responded with a nod.

“Love is powerful, Thiji,” she said. “so powerful that it can soften one’s resolve. Elementa is in need of new protectors, and it is unanimous that none are a better candidate than you to ascend to godhood. But in order for this to occur, you had to undergo the Trials of Winter – they served as a means of reminding you of your roots as a child born of Winter. You bear it in all forms: its savagery; its ferocity; its serenity; its beauty. Your heart needed to be re-hardened, and you have done just that in record time. To ascend to godhood, you needed to become the undisputed mortal ruler over all things cold and frigid. This… is the Diamond Prophecy. You passed yourself off as the Diamond Emperor, but now you can truly be the Diamond Emperor. This will be your first – and final – transformation.”

“That is why my body was crystallizing!” Thiji realized. “It was a diamond cocoon!”

“Precisely!” his mother affirmed. “Koyuki knew of this, and now she stands between you and your ascension. Though you are among the incredibly rare few to have multiple true loves, you must learn to let them go. Koyuki wanted you to see that; in time, I am sure Liliana will understand as well. We are living forces of nature; the limits of our strength far surpass even that which love can bring. So I ask you, Thiji: will you strike down the Snow Flower – your greatest love – to ascend?”

“I will,” he immediately stated, his expression turning cold. “I must.” Mizore took note of this, smiling in approval – not a single bit of doubt or remorse present on his face.

“Then I have done my duty. Now I’ll just need to give you a little jump-start!”

She lifted her index finger, and condensed the glade’s latent glacial energy into a small orb, resting on its tip. As it drew closer to his heart, Mizore gave her parting words to her son:

“When next I see you, Thiji, you will be a God. For now, I think it’s time you left; you have one last show to put on!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7mt36xZhrk&list=RDj7mt36xZhrk&start_radio=1

As soon as she touched his heart, the energy discharged and quickly enveloped his body, consuming him in a white light that transported him out of the glade and back to Hyoga. Everyone watched with bated breath over the glacial dome that has now been hardened into diamond.

“What could be goin’ on inside that dome?!” Nora shouted. “If you’re still holdin’ your breath, then you’ve got the lung capacity of an Olympic gold medalist!”

“Think she did it?” Homura asked Sakuya.

“For sure. Look at the dome,” she replied. The dragoness looked back, noticing that cracks were forming along the dome. The crowd gasped as the cracks began splitting, growing in length and width. Light broke through the fractures, which made everyone grow concerned.

“That dome’s about to burst! Watch out, everyone!!” Nora warned. The crowd did not have much time to react until the dome burst, sending shards of diamond out in all directions. The audience and Nora and her crew did their best to shield themselves from horrible lacerations and puncture wounds, only to find that the shards have been trapped in stasis before it would strike anyone. They looked around and beheld nothing but a glistening stadium of diamond, as Thiji emerged from his cocoon, completely transformed: his normal garb has been replaced with regal clothing; it along with his hair took on an ice blue-to-white gradient; his skin, pallid and pure white, like the snow. Upon his head was a crown made of pure diamonds, with the shards of the selfsame mineral dancing about him. Koyuki smiled at the sight of her lord – remade whole once more – his former self, restored.

“Is… Is that Lord Thiji?!” Nora gasped. “Ladies and gentlemen and everybody tuned in: the unthinkable has happened! In the heat of battle, the master of ice himself has undergone a PHENOMENAL change, and has stilled the power of winter itself with a mere glare! This can only mean one thing: we’re witnessin’ the first – and last – transformation of Thiji Higuri, the Diamond Emperor!!”

The crowd cheered loudly once more, chanting “Diamond! Emperor! Diamond! Emperor!” Regaining her composure, Koyuki picked up her blade and assumed her best fighting stance.

“Are you prepared, my lord…?” Koyuki called out. He rose his head and slowly opened his eyes, revealing cold orbs of ice blue to match his emotionless countenance.

“Time to find out…” he answered lowly.

With a few slashes of her jian, she called forth miniature petals which gleamed in the light, as though they were tiny blades in disguise. She sent them forth to assail Thiji, who responded with a mere tilt of his head, forming a barricade from the diamond shards. The sound of numerous tiny blades clashing against rock was heard as Koyuki’s attack was nullified.

This, however, was merely a distraction. Koyuki flew forward at full speeds, drifting around the barricade and kicking up snow as she did to strike at Thiji’s blindside, using her deceptive combat style to find a hole in his defenses. Fortunately, he was very focused on the battle, effortlessly deflecting her attacks with his katana, now made from diamond. Koyuki then wheeled around and swung her blade in a clockwise arc, but Thiji easily no selled her attack by planting his blade in the ground. With his free hand, he made a swiping motion with his index and middle finger, shaving off some of the barricade to send a cloud of diamond towards Koyuki, who had to fly to evade.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of Father before,” an awestruck Seraphina mused.

“He was... a different man back then, Princess,” Shiro followed. “He was far more cold and calculating in his ways before he was reunited with your mother. Thiji was well on his way to becoming one of - if not, the most - powerful practitioner of ice in Elementa. But now, it looks like he’s done just that.”

“How poetic - Elementa’s progenitor of winter, he must first rule it as a mortal,” Sylla thought aloud. “A pity we will only see this once in our lifetime.”

Thiji then retrieved his sword and slashed it behind him, sending a wave of frost in an arc towards the Snow Flower, who barely rose a floral shield to fend it off, an ice shard or two cutting her face. Koyuki then planted more lotus flowers on the ground, sprouting into man-sized plants into which she would enter. As she did, that flower shrunk into the ground, effectively teleporting her to another one nearby, utilizing this tactic to get the element of surprise on Thiji. Again, it seemed to provide little effect, as he reacted quickly to where she would appear, clashing swords with and forcing her away as she fell into flower after flower to repeat the same tactic. Another clash, and Thiji pushed Koyuki high into the air with his newfound might, using this time to disable her means of teleportation by shredding each and every flower with his diamond shards.

Running thin on options, Koyuki called upon the heavenly host to fill her with light, swooping down to meet Thiji once more in a deadlock, the resulting force causing another shockwave of ice and flowers to spread, though they were contained by the diamonds which formed a barrier around the arena. Thiji slid his blade toward the guard of her sword, using his leverage to pull her down to the earth in a kneeling position. She gazed into Thiji’s eyes as their blades remained deadlocked, and she felt her very soul running cold. They were devoid of feeling – empty save for the unforgiving chill that his very presence brought.

The Snow Flower stilled the quickness of her heart, keeping her gaze fixed on the only man she ever loved. She was completely helpless; if she lost this deadlock, this battle was his. But she saw no point in reasoning with him now, for she had already gone too far – which is what she had wanted all along. She braced herself for what was to follow.

“I’m ready, Thiji…” she said in her mind. Everyone watching stood up from their seats, some even on the verge of falling over the arena. Seraphina couldn’t bear to watch and shielded her eyes. Mizu and the other ladies covered their mouths in shock at what was going to happen.

“Sh-Should we keep filming, ma’am?” asked the cameraman.

“YES! No matter what!” Nora immediately replied. Thiji sent the diamond cloud into the blade, fusing with and hardening its surface, thus increasing its strength. So much so that he applied just a bit more pressure, causing her sword to split in two… The memories of their teary farewell surged into her mind. She remembered it all: the words he said to her; the way he held her; the countless tears he wept for her…

… Then, time stood still once more, as the only sound that followed… was steel piercing flesh.

#thiji higuri #elementa #drama #winter #is #coming

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lumionblog-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Drone-to-3D workflow for architectural visualizations

Architects and designers often need to know how a design will be incorporated into its real-life location, while clients and “non-architects” turn to photorealistic visuals (images, videos and more) for a deeper, more visceral understanding of the project and the architect’s intentions.

Story by Pjotr van Schothorst, Lumion ([email protected]).

Nesselande Project with context made from this drone-to-3D workflow.

While working in Lumion, features such as OpenStreetMap (OSM) and satellite ground planes can provide some context for your design. They are suitable options for quickly building urban or rural environments relevant to your project’s location, but they’re also limited.

For instance, OSM only provides rough building shapes, rendered white, and the satellite maps are flat, often outdated, and the resolution is too low for client visualization.

NYC skyline with context provided by OpenStreetMap, rendered in Lumion 8.3.

This all got me thinking — there has to be a better way to improve fast context-building without having to sacrifice photorealism. I investigated several options, starting with Google Maps and Google Earth SDKs, but these services do not allow their data to be used outside the scope of Google Maps and Google Earth, such as for architectural visualization.

One solution is to create a 3D model of the environment using a series of photographs taken by a drone. This technique is sometimes used at construction sites to monitor progress, but it is not yet widely used for architecture design and visualization.

To test its viability, we used a drone-to-3D workflow for several real-life design projects. From our experiences, we derived a workflow simple enough to be used by architects (and not only 3D specialists). Using a modern drone and the software RealityCapture, it is now possible to capture an area of 300x300m and create a textured 3D model of sufficient quality for presenting a realistic background for your Lumion visualization.

Oh, and you can do all of this in one day.

Workflow Summary

This summary is a condensed version. Click here for the full drone-to-3D workflow story (PDF).

Step 1: Buy a Drone.

Drones are getting cheaper, smaller and increasingly powerful by the minute. For this workflow, I used the DJI Mavic Air. It costs $800, weighs less than half a kilo and it can fly for 20 minutes on one battery. The DJI Mavic Air can also cover a distance of 10km and make 4K video and 4000x3000 images with good resolution. This is adequate for our purpose of creating 3D environments as a backdrop for architecture design or visualization.

10-inch tablet and tablet holder next to the DJI Mavic Air.

Also, I’d recommend that you buy some extra drone batteries and, if needed, a 10-inch Android tablet.

Step 2: Capture Drone Images.

Using a special app on your tablet for controlling a drone, e.g., Drone Harmony, the second step is to capture images around the area of interest.

The Drone Harmony app lets you draw the area of interest on a map, and then it calculates the flight path of the drone, capturing images automatically with a 60% overlap from the previous shot. This overlap is needed for automatic 3D model construction.

Example flight path in Drone Harmony.

Do five runs of the same flight path above the desired area, but make sure you assign a different camera angle for each flight. For instance, you can fly the first run with the camera pointed down and the other four runs with the camera tilted at 45 degrees. Each run takes 7 to 15 minutes, so the entire flying will take about 1 to 1.5 hours overall.

Step 3: Enter images into RealityCapture (RC).

While there are many different software programs for compiling drone images into a 3D model, I found RealityCapture as the best option. RealityCapture automatically aligns all of the images and then it creates a 3D model, adds textures and inspects the model’s quality. This literally takes a few minutes of manual work, and a few hours at most of background processing by the RealityCapture software.

Constructed 3D model after RC aligned and processed the images from your drone flights.

Step 4: Cut out the lesser detailed areas and unwanted objects.

If the quality of the model is OK, the next step is to cut out the lesser detailed areas and unwanted objects, and then simplify the 3D model to a smaller model. Depending on the model’s size and complexity, this can be anything between 30K and 1M triangles.

Cut out a specific area where you will insert your CAD building or spaces.

Texture the model again and export it in an FBX format. Cutting and simplifying the model takes between 20 minutes and one hour.

Step 5: Import the model into Lumion.

After importing the 3D drone model into Lumion, you can dress it up with trees, cars, people, furniture, etc. You can also import your design from SketchUp or your CAD/BIM program (Revit, 3ds Max, AutoCAD, Rhino, etc) on a separate layer. Make renders and animations.

Westpoint Apeldoorn Project, rendered in Lumion 8.5 after going through the drone-to-3D workflow.

This typically takes anywhere between 15 minutes and several hours.

If you want the full story, with detailed information and tons of great images and videos, check out the full Drone-to-3D workflow (PDF).

Testing the Workflow on Real-Life Projects

I used this workflow for several projects. One is a test project of a beach and dune area featuring an existing Lumion example house. The following two are commercial design projects from local architects. These are briefly described in the next sections.

Beach and Dune Area

Test project. Existing Lumion beach bungalow added to a 500x500m captured beach area near The Hague, The Netherlands.

Animation of the Dune and Beach Project

Nesselande Project

Private house design on a small island in a new residential area near Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Architect: Studio Aaan.

From the architect: “The house is located on a private island in a new urban development close to the city of Rotterdam. The house is oriented towards the new park located on the next island southwards. In order to be able to enjoy the views, the living areas are projected above the surrounding dike levels and the sleeping areas are located below. The lower floor is half sunk into the island and is organized around two patios. As a structuring design principle, the roof consists of expressive wooden beams in a dense pattern. The beams create a canopy on the south facade as well as a characteristic interior ceiling.”

Studio Aaan’s private home design (center right) in a 3D model of the real-life neighborhood of Nesselande, The Netherlands.

Nesselande project detail

Nesselande project interior

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Nesselande project animation

Feedback from the architect, Hilbrand Wanders, of Studio Aaan: “For any architecture project, but especially a private, freestanding housing project, the interaction of the building with its surroundings is crucial. We want to study the project as an architectural object on its location, but also want to consider how the surroundings are experienced from the interiors. Only once a house is finished and the owners move in, one can precisely see how certain trees are creating shadows in the house, what objects in the surroundings are blocking views from a certain position, or how window openings are positioned relative to window openings of the surrounding buildings. These aspects are highly influential on the living qualities and are difficult and too time-consuming to model by hand completely early in the design process. It is very interesting for a designer to consider the correct 3D environment from the first moment on, to test the first design-ideas within a correct 3D surroundings, but also to communicate these to a client in a very clear and tempting format. In the case of this project, the fact that the views on the site were blocked by surrounding dikes, were the reason to place the living rooms on the first floor. All other design steps (bedrooms around patios in souterrain, the stepped garden wrapped around the house) were consequential to this notion.”

Westpoint Apeldoorn Project

Refurbishment of an existing office building into 98 apartments, each with a balcony, in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.

Architect: Paul Spaltman

Paul Spaltman’s design of a refurbished office building in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.

Another aerial render showing city context created from the Drone-to-3D workflow.

Front of the Westpoint Apeldoorn Project

Animation of the Westpoint Apeldoorn project:

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Feedback from the architect, Paul Spaltman:

“Even though the 3D scan isn’t completely perfect, I can say that it offered an enormous additional quality and offered many new options. The fact that my design was embedded so clearly in the environment is an added value, not only during the design, but also during presentations and discussions with the customers, governments, and local citizens or whoever is involved. My client called that he is really positive about my design, and he will now discuss it with the city council (landscape, urban design, review etc.). The plan to replace the existing building is a sensitive topic with the people living in the area, so everybody is super critical. The 3D scan of the environment will play an important role in this approval process.”

Cost Overview

The following table sums up the software and hardware components I used. Other components may be needed, with additional costs, as well.

Creating your own 3D environments with drones

My experiences have shown that creating 3D environment models from drone images is very straightforward and feasible for any architecture design visualization.

The investment in time and money is relatively low, and any architect can do it without extensive training and/or the need for a 3rd-party service provider. The resulting models have value both in the design process (Lumion LiveSync) and for communicating with clients and other interest parties, like the city council and local citizens (Lumion rendered images and animations).

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Knockout City: Is EA’s New Take on Dodgeball the Next Online Multiplayer Phenomenon?

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Den of Geek was recently invited to play Velan Studios’ Knockout City, a competitive, team-based, over-the-top take on dodgeball set to drop as a new EA Original. The game releases May 21 for $19.99 on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch, and is backwards compatible on Xbox Series X/S and PS5. In addition, there is cross-play and cross-progression functionality across all platforms, too. It’s clear, then, that Knockout City is EA‘s latest attempt to tap into a very competitive online multiplayer market after the success of Apex Legends.

The core gameplay mechanic of Knockout City is about as simple as can be: throw and catch. As in traditional dodgeball, two teams (either 3v3 or 4v4) collect balls and hurl them at each other to score points, and can catch balls to defend themselves. The big change to the actual game of dodgeball is that instead of the field of play being flat and split in two, players are free to jump, dash, and glide around multi-tiered environments, pick up randomly spawned balls, and hunt each other down arena-shooter style, but with a twist.

The biggest distinction between Knockout City and most other competitive shooters is that aiming is virtually a non-factor. When you’re near an opponent, you automatically lock onto them, and when you throw your ball, it’ll find its mark every time unless it’s obstructed by an obstacle or your target catches the ball, which gives them an opportunity to hurl it back even faster, putting you on defense. Right trigger throws a ball, and holding the trigger for different durations determines various throw speeds. Defensively, pressing left trigger catches a ball, but you’ve got to make sure you time it perfectly or you’ll get clocked.

Essentially what this means is that Knockout City is a game of timing rather than sharpshooting. It has a fighting-game feel in that you’re constantly trying to feint and fake out your opponents while at the same time predicting their next move. For folks who struggle with competitive shooters, this may be a more approachable way to sample the genre.

Positioning is key as well. Each map has architectural characteristics that open up opportunities for flanking, ambushing, and taking cover, and sometimes when you’re up against a player who has great timing and can easily catch your throws, the best way to knock them out is by catching them from above or from behind, which requires a good deal of forward-thinking and strategy.

There are a few special ball types that appear each match that add an extra layer of depth to gameplay as well. There’s the bomb ball, which starts counting down the moment you pick it up and has the potential to knockout multiple opponents, and the cage ball, which locks opponents in a cage, allowing you to throw them off the map or at their teammates. The moon ball knocks opponents back a great distance, but I didn’t find this to be nearly as useful as the other two.

It took me a while to get used to the timing and strategy of the game, which essentially meant that I was getting whooped by other players one on one. But I eventually realized that good teamwork ultimately trumps individual skill. In other words, I found that three moderately skilled players could beat three higher-skilled players with good communication and coordination.

Traditional team strategies like flanking and double or triple-teaming work wonders, but the game also offers some unique teamwork techniques to employ. If there are no dodgeballs around and you and a teammate see an opponent in range, you can actually “ball up” and become throwable yourself. In addition, if you pass a balled up teammate to another teammate, the balled up ally becomes “charged” and can be thrown high up into the air where they can subsequently land on opponents with an explosion that has the potential to knock out an entire team at once. Balling up can be risky, though: if an opponent picks you up instead of a teammate, they can throw you off the side of the map for an easy knockout.

There were three maps available during the demo: Concussion Yard, an under-construction high-rise building with lots of moving machinery; Knockout Roundabout, a street-level map with moving traffic; and Rooftop Rumble, which takes place across two rooftops with an upward air current that allows you to glide between them. Of the three maps, I enjoyed Concussion Yard most because it had the most verticality of the three, which made for the most dynamic matches. Knockout Roundabout is more flat and radial, and I found that many of the matches I played here involved a lot of wandering around searching for the other team. With matches being 3v3 and 4v4, this map felt a little too big, which often resulted in the two teams clumping up in a small area and staying there for fear of getting separated from the action.

I played the game for about four hours, cycling between three game modes: “Team KO,” a traditional 3v3 team deathmatch; “Diamond Dash,” a 3v3 take on kill confirmed in which characters drop diamonds when knocked out; and “Ball-Up Brawl,” a 4v4 mode in which no balls spawn and teammates must hurl each other to earn knockouts.

Team KO and Diamond Dash are fun showcases for the game’s the core gameplay, but it’s Ball-Up Brawl that I really had fun with. It forces teamwork in a unique way and drastically changes the rhythm of matches. You have no choice but to be strategic and patient, a nice change of pace to the other, more chaotic modes.

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The three modes could get repetitive if the game was limited to them, but thankfully Velan has confirmed that it will offer post-launch content with each in-game season, free of charge, which could include new modes, maps, balls, cosmetics, and more. In the same spirit, the game will feature in-game purchases in the form of cosmetics, but there won’t be any pay-to-win microtransactions.

The developers are confident in the quality of Knockout City’s core gameplay, which means that there are no heroes and no character classes—it’s a completely level playing field. This was done to preserve the purity of gameplay, and I can say that after playing the game I’m convinced that the game is fun enough that it doesn’t need any classes or champions to be fun for long periods of time.

While the game doesn’t offer unique heroes to unlock, you are able to customize your character’s look to your heart’s content by unlocking cosmetic items, taunts, KO effects, and more either by earning them in-game via “holobux” or paying with real money. There’s also a clan system which lets you team up with up to 32 friends and choose your clan name, customize the car you show up to battles in, and more. The game’s “hideout” is a hub where you and your clan members can meet up and practice your techniques in a simple tutorial mode, enter a quick game in “Street Play,” compete in a league, or enter into a private match.

Knockout City is a new kind of competitive multiplayer game, but it also captures an old-school, arcade-y vibe that I liked a lot. It reminded me of Jet Set Radio with its poppy cartoonish art style, and the rhythm of gameplay recalled Power Stone. The most exciting thing for me might be the cross-platform play, though. I look forward to playing with all of my friends online regardless of what platform they own.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

At launch, the full game will be available for free to all players for a limited time. If you decide to buy the game for $19.99 during this period, your save will carry over. The game’s first beta will take place this weekend (Feb 20-21) on PC via Origin and Steam in North America and Europe.

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delhi-architect2 · 5 years ago

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Journal - How to Create Photorealistic Architectural Renderings Using Unreal Engine 4

Ronen Bekerman is an industry leader in Architectural Visualization who hosts in-depth tutorials on his specialist blog. Architizer is pleased to present a selection of these guides written by some of the world’s best rendering artists.

Keeping on the trail we took in the previous installment of this series, “A Photographic Approach to Architectural Visualization“, we will check how these effects can be transported into the world of real-time, more specifically with Unreal Engine as the champion of game engines making their way into the realm of ArchViz. To present this case, let’s take a trip down memory lane starting at the point that sparked it all for me and for the ArchViz community at large as well.

Here, Lasse Rode of Berlin-based studio xoio takes Unreal Engine for a good spin as he strives for photorealism using a real-time tool. He does this with his great-looking, and mostly white, Berlin Flat scene as seen on the forums. Follow along as Lasse explains getting started with Unreal Engine 4. Enjoy it!

Introduction

My name is Lasse Rode, and I am part of studio xoio. We are a small agency specializing in visualization and illustration works for architecture and product marketing. Usually we work in a kind of “traditional” 3D environment utilizing applications such as 3ds Max and the like. We are constantly checking out new rendering engines and currently making big use of Corona Renderer, V-Ray and Octane. Each engine has its strengths, and we always try to use it like that: each for the best purpose.

Lasse Rode’s modeling techniques enable realistic renderings to be created in a relatively short amount of time; images via Corona Renderer.

Back in August 2014, I stumbled upon some drop dead gorgeous Unreal Engine 4 architectural visualization tests by Frenchman Koola, which immediately reminded me “The Third & The Seventh” by Alex Roman, only this time it was done in REAL-time.

In my eyes there have been several main trends within our industry: The strive for (photo)realism and becoming faster — if not real time. Not having to wait for your rendering to come out of your render farm was always a dream for us — especially when rendering animations!

For a long time, the main downside of the “real-time-thing” was the lack of quality you could achieve compared with pre-rendered still images or animations. So even though it looked very interesting, the application of it in a visualization context seemed hard to imagine. And honestly, the “gamey” look of it made it hard to sell for high-demanding clients from the architecture and brand fields.

This has changed rapidly. The results possible with real-time engines today are very beautiful and convincing!

Why Unreal Engine?

The release of UE4 gained a lot of attention within our industry, and the possibilities seemed to be endless. The PBR (Physically Based Rendering) material system and the easy-to-use importing pipeline for getting your models into the Unreal Engine were the most compelling reasons for us to give it a try — in addition to the quality of output possible! If you have seen the work of Koola (also available as a download in the Unreal Engine Marketplace), which went viral some weeks ago, you are probably as convinced as we are that Unreal Engine 4 is capable of impressive quality.

In the following article, I want to give you an outline of the workflow I used to make the Berlin Flat scene you can download from the Marketplace and share some techniques and tricks I came across during the process. Some of them I found myself, while others are derived from information I found on the web. The Unreal Engine Forums and Documentation are a vast and great resource, as are the starter content that comes with the engine and the assets and scenes you can get from the Marketplace.

The Berlin Flat

I made a series of images of this flat in a historic building in Berlin at the beginning of 2013 using 3ds Max with the Corona Renderer. It’s a flexible way of handling the color-mapping, which really helped to pull off the very whitish mood of the whole set. This actually was also the reason for choosing it when giving UE4 a try.

I noticed UE4 being very successfully used on scenes with gloomy lighting and busy textures. I suspected it to be not that easy to get precise shadows and GI within an ultra-white interior. And honestly: It is a tricky task!

Above is one of the original renders done with 3ds Max and Corona Renderer. To have a look at the entire set, click here. Below is the UE4 video made with this scene …

youtube

Viewing on mobile? Click here.

The Original Scene

The entire model was done in 3ds Max in a rush, so I actually detailed only the parts that are visible in the final images. Of course, this is an approach that is not possible in a real-time environment. Repurposing the scene for use with Unreal Engine, I had to reduce the scope a bit because furnishing and detailing the complete space would have taken too much time for testing purposes. I decided to export only two rooms: the ones you see on the lower part of the screenshot below.

Exporting the Geometry for Unreal Engine

This is a very easy task IF you keep some things in mind!

It makes sense to split things up a bit. Because the lightmass is calculated with a separate map for every object, it is good to be a bit careful with high values especially on big plain objects like walls and ceiling. Because of this, I only exported the inner faces of the walls that we actually see.

I also added a bit to the top and bottom of the walls to intersect them later with the ceilings. I found this to be a good way to prevent “light leaks” — lighting artifacts that happen when geometry is not closed or not intersecting. This is no problem when having a gloomy scene with lots of busy textures, but because we are going to have an ultra-white space, it is important to get as precise GI as possible, especially in the corners.

The second crucial thing is to create unwrapped UV coordinated for the channel the GI is going to be stored in by Unreal Engine’s lightmass calculation. In 3ds Max, this would be UV-channel 2.

Channel 1 is for use by all the other textures like diffuse, roughness, normal, etc. Unreal Engine counts the channels starting from 0, which can cause some confusion in the beginning — but once you get it, it is fairly simple.

Note: Unwrapping is only important for the light-map channel! For the texture channel, any kind of mapping can work, such as cubic or cylindrical mapping. In most cases, a simple “flatten mapping” in 3ds Max unwrap does the job to create sufficient UV-coordinates!

If you want to put your scene together in UE4 like it has been in your Max-scene, it is good to leave the entire “space” in place when exporting because the object’s coordinates are easier to align. For single objects like chairs and other assets, it is very comfortable to export it only once and install them in your Unreal Engine scene. For this purpose, it is good to move them near the center of your 3ds Max scene because the new object’s pivot in Unreal Engine will be there.

I used high-poly geometry without any LOD (Level of Detail) simplification. This is only recommended in small scenes like this one, but because I’m after a smooth experience and don’t want to have any jagged edges on my furniture, this was logical for me. I have no doubt there’s room for optimization, though!

Make sure your assets are merged into one object and have different material-IDs applied to handle the different materials later in UE4. Then, save your geometry as an FBX file and off you go over to the Unreal Engine editor!

Importing Into Unreal Engine 4

Importing FBX files into Unreal Engine 4 works pretty smooth! I did it in several steps.

I prepared different files that made sense:

The geometry of the room in a separate FBX file

Different file for the assets, each with some objects in them

Just make sure to uncheck the “Combine Meshes” to receive your objects separately and not baked into a single mesh!

Materials

I’m a very straightforward guy and a big fan of simple setups! It’s a philosophical thing, but achieving things with the least effort possible is far superior to using a setup only you understand or you can’t remember when opening a scene half a year later.

So this example of a shader is very simple, consisting of a diffuse map, desaturated and blended with black color. The same map is then color corrected and inverted to put into the roughness channel of the material. Done.

A normal map would have been too much here, but feel free to explore the materials for yourself in the scene!

Here you see the wood material applied to the chairs and the table — a dark dyed wood with a crisp matte reflection revealing the wood structure and texture.

In this image you see two more materials that might be of interest: firstly the curtain, which is backlit by sunlight and is a two-sided material:

You have to set the Shading Model to “Subsurface” and add a constant node with a value smaller than 1 and wire it to the Opacity property of your material to get this effect.

Secondly, the jar in the foreground has a very simple glass material:

It has a fairly dark diffuse color, zero roughness and a high specular value. I also involved a Fresnel-node with a value of 1.5 to control the opacity and refraction. There are a lot more complex ways to generate more realistic glass — but I honestly had some trouble to really get control over that, so this easy glass seems to be good enough.

Note that I checked “Two Sided” and set Translucency Lighting Mode to “TLM Surface” in the Details tab on the left.

One other material I want to show here as well is the floor because this one is the only one to have a normal map applied:

Here you see a material defined by a diffuse color, a roughness texture and a normal map. The diffuse color is a simple very light gray, defined by a 4-value constant.

Roughness looks a bit more complex: On the left, you see the same map three times scaled differently with a TexCoord node. The red channel of each is then multiplied with the others and then wired as an alpha into a Linear interpolation node (Lerp) to blend to values; 0.3 and 0.2 in this example to get a subtle noisy reflection on the floor planks. This is then fine tuned with a “Power” node to get just the right amount of roughness that looks OK.

The normal map again is influenced by a TexCoord and is then flattened a fair amount via a “FlattenNormal” node to get a subtle relief on the material.

Preparing the Assets

Before dropping the assets into your scene, it is always best to apply the materials onto them within the geometry editor. You only have to do it once and can still apply different materials in the main scene if needed. This is a fast process: Here you see it is important to apply different Material-IDs to your objects to put the different materials where they belong!

Building the Scene

This is kind of brief, but: Put the thing together. First you have to drag in the room geometry. The best way is to select all the parts needed and drag and drop them into the empty scene. Afterwards all the furniture and assets have to be placed in the environment.

Here you don’t see the back faces of the outer walls. As I’ve explained above: They are only single-sided for better lightmass calculation.

For this exact purpose it is also good to set the lightmap resolution for your larger objects to a high value, for the walls I set it at 2048, for example.

As mentioned above, light leaks can be an issue. To prevent these, I put black boxes around the whole scene. It looks kind of messy from the outside — though more clean on the inside!

Lighting and Lightmass

The lighting is also a fairly simple setup: I used the “Koola method” — a combination of a sun and planes with spotlights in front of the window to simulate a skylight. It is rather effective and easy to control!

To calculate the global illumination, only a few tweaks are important:

I drastically increased the lighting bounces and the indirect lighting quality. I also decreased the smoothness to 0.6. Details are pronounced better and the shadows don’t wash away so much.

Further to this, I set the direct lighting to a dynamic shadow, which is important to have the light moving later in the animation!

The last step before hitting “Build” is to set the Lighting Quality to “Production”!

This should result in smooth lighting everywhere.

Actually when getting to this point the first time, I was kind of thrilled! This is actually the strongest part of this engine: to thrill you. Being able to move inside my “rendering” in real time was really a delightful moment!

Post Processing

One of the greatest features is the possibility to apply color correction and camera effects just within the editor. This can be done with a Post Process Volume for global settings. I did some tweaks on the saturation, fringing and vignette, the bloom, disabled the auto exposure by setting the min. and max. values to 1 and increased the overall brightness by setting the Exposure Bias to 1.42. I also added a lens flare, which I find really awesome happening in real time!

Setting up the Animation

The ability to move freely inside the scene makes doing animation a very easy and pleasing task because of the instant-feedback nature of the real-time environment. As a frequent user of compositing software, it took not much time for me to adapt to the integrated Matinee tool and set up an animation.

First thing to do is setting up a Matinee Actor.

When opening Matinee, you will see a window with a track section and a curve editor.

Setting up the cameras and animation work is very self-explanatory. Motion is controlled by key frames and curves just like any other animation software. Also the “cutting” work is done just within the Matinee editor.

I created a couple cameras moving slowly through the space: Seeing exactly what you are doing really helps to tweak the timing of cuts and speed of camera movement!

You can see the camera trajectories just in the editor and control the editing on the fly! After getting the rough “cut” done in Matinee, I then exported the complete animation as an AVI and fine-tuned it in Premiere and aligned it to the music.

Conclusion

The entire process starting at exporting from 3ds Max and importing into Unreal Engine 4, working out the shading and lighting to produce the animation and then posting on YouTube took me about one day. This speed is unheard of in ArchViz and reflects very much the key potential that lies in the use of Unreal Engine 4 for visualization works.

Some screenshot details from the animation

The absence of render times in terms of “producing” images really makes the process of creation very flexible and free. The fast feedback of your action is the real revolution!

We are constantly thinking and testing the possibilities of applying this kind of production and workflow into our daily work and our environment as a whole.

There are a lot of possible applications, and we are very eager to explore them!

I hope I gave some insight into my motivation and process and wish a lot of fun with the Berlin flat scene.

Kind regards,

Lasse.

This article was first published on Ronen Bekerman Architectural Visualization Blog in December 2014 and refers to software available at that time. Enjoy this article? Check out the other features in our series on “The Art of Rendering”:

Methanoia Reveals the Story Behind Architecture’s Most Striking Visualizations

When Architectural Visualization Gets It Right: Victor Enrich’s Surreal Art

7 Magical Demonstrations of Hyper-Real Environments

Alex Hogrefe Creates Stunning Architectural Visualizations Using SketchUp and Photoshop

How Technology Will Revolutionize Architectural Representations

The post How to Create Photorealistic Architectural Renderings Using Unreal Engine 4 appeared first on Journal.

from Journal https://architizer.com/blog/practice/details/the-art-of-rendering-real-time-photorealism/ Originally published on ARCHITIZER RSS Feed: https://architizer.com/blog

#Journal #architect #architecture #architects #architectural #design #designer #designers #building #buildings

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sanjay090205 · 5 years ago

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Architects and Building Designers in Hyderabad

Best Architecture firm or company in Hyderabad

It is often said when you're building a house, you’re building a dream. An architect or master of building design can make your dream house a reality. Architects can help you design and redesign spaces of your home or focus on helping you build your own house from the ground up. Architectural firms have extensive knowledge of architectural design and building materials, and a strong appreciation of ergonomics – warmth, light, and flow within a property. As you search through architects and building designers, keep in mind the following tips to help you choose the perfect one:

How do I find the Best Architects in Hyderabad for my home design or renovation project?

When building or renovating your home, you don't simply hire an architect or Building Designers in Hyderabad — you build a relationship with them. Be sure you chose a home architect who will be involved in all phases of the design process, from the initial concept to the completed construction. Architecture is an incredibly technical profession and one where getting things wrong can literally put lives at risk, so ensure you hire a professional with a valid license or an architectural firm to maintain high quality and standards. Your next consideration will be Architectural Design & planners in Hyderabad. Some Residential & Duplex House Architecture Designer in Hyderabad architects specialise in designing traditional homes or farmhouses, others in designing modern replicas of traditional homes. While a few have a knack for imagining bolder, more futuristic architectural design that incorporates the latest technology.

Once you have frozen on the architect or building designer, chat through your goals, projected budget, scope of work, schedule and any other specific requirements you might have. Ask them to walk you through the process, including the number of architectural design consultations, site visits and what they will be delivering and when, e.g. feasibility study, a technical drawing, tender package and/or planning application drawings. Also, get a sense of whether they are a good listener, collaborator, and problem solver. Finally, be sure to find out what the architect needs from you, deeds, rights of way, deposit, staged payments and so on.

How much does hiring an architect cost?

Home construction and renovation often have a present budget and hence it is important to understand how much architects charge. While there is no set payment structure, independent architects may charge differently from architectural firms. Architects sometimes choose to calculate their fees on the basis of a per square foot rate. In rare cases, especially with smaller projects, architects may choose to ask their clients for a fixed fee. Make sure the total figure and payment schedule is agreed as part of your contract, particularly if you are trying to accurately estimate the cost of building a House Architects in Hyderabad.

Questions to ask prospective architects:

• What types of renderings (3D, video, illustrative) will you produce?

• Who will be working on my project? (This is very important if you hire an architectural firm)

• What is your fee structure?

• What does the cost include?

• Can you handle my special requests?

• What is your experience with similar projects/ architectural design and style?

• When do you expect to start and be finished with the project?

• What do your services include? (It's best that the services are until construction is completed.)

• What happens when the cost exceeds the budget?

• Can you provide me with references?

• Would you say your work has a defining style? (This is important in case the architect's personal style will interfere with your vision.)

• Will you help with hiring a general contractor and other subcontractors?

• What do you estimate the cost will be?

• Are there any complications you foresee with this project?

• What will I need to provide?

Find a home architect on Think Studio. Narrow your search in the Find Pros section of the website to architects. You may also look through photos projects to find building designers who have worked on a project similar to yours.

Be sure to reach out to multiple professionals, especially for larger projects and don't settle for the first bid you hear. Find the professional for your next project on Think Studio.

Find architects & building designers near me on Think Studio

Before you hire an architect & building designer, browse through our network of 3,74,045 architects & building designers. Read through home owner reviews, check their past projects and then request a quote from the best architects & building designers near you.

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definitelynotclickbait · 5 years ago

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The SPOR-1 features the latest biotechnology of the 22nd century. It is modeled after fungi and fungal spores to blend in with the surrounding environment. The SPOR-1 uses hover technology to “float” around like a fungal spore would. It has the ability to latch onto surfaces with bottom pincers. The shell of the SPOR-1 resembles the walls of a mushroom in appearance and texture, genetically modified and grown in a bio lab to fit a human being. Another invention developed in combination with SPOR-1 is foldable technology. The SPOR-1 acts as the outpost and is the first “settler”. The exoskeleton of the outpost is made of foldable technology which is composed of a series of intricately bent scaffolding which can lock into place. The exoskeleton also uses biotechnology by attracting wild fungal spores to attach and grow around the skeleton, creating a shelter.For energy, the SPOR-1 utilises biomass energy, taking advantage of the abundant population of trees and other organic waste on the island. This wood and waste is generated into electricity. Using a direct combustion system, biomass is burned in a furnace, generating hot gas, which is fed into a boiler to generate steam, which is then expanded through a steam turbine to produce electrical energy.Final Submission 1/2 (DRAWINGS IN PART 2)

Images:

Pamphlet side A

Pamphlet side B

Perspective Drawing Rendered

View of Site

Map

Portrait of Field Agent

Field Agent’s Research of Growth in Nature after Spill

The method I used to create perspective drawing was taking the make3D of my model and putting it on illustrator and using the paint bucket tool to fill in shades of teal to follow the color scheme of the pamphlet. For the background of the perspective, I used my drawing tablet and Photoshop to draw in trees. All my other coloured images were created in photoshop using a drawing tablet with the exception of linework (the tree comparison as well as the field agent) which were done in autocad. I preferred autocad for linework because I found it to be the easiest with its curved spline tool, much easier than illustrator’s curved pen tool. For one of my views, I decided against a landscape plan as it would just be a section of land filled with circles to represent trees and decided to draw a perspective of being in the forest to show how large the tree is in comparison to a person.

For my architectural drawings, I used the make2Ds of my model and did the lineweights in Illustrator. My levels of the siteplan weren’t included in the final product as there wasn’t any space so only my capsule plan, capsule roof plan, and site plan were included for plans. The writing I wrote for the pamphlet will be included in the end of this post in case it wasn’t legible in the PDF.

Overall, I think I have improved a lot since the beginning of the term, considering I had no idea how to create anything digital, even a model or render, haha. From this course, I have been able to gain a lot of valuable experience with Rhino, Illustrator, Autocad, and Photoshop. Through that experience, I was able to create these images and also without that experience, I would never have been able to make the switch from analogue to digital this comfortably due to schooling being online because of the pandemic situation. I was able to even tackle my studio project using the skills I learned from this class and produce more detailed drawings and renders. And that’s something I thought would take me ages to learn. Collage renders have now become my favourite and something that I really enjoy making. In the future, I hope to experiment more with V-ray as that is something I didn’t have as much time to explore with and I think it’s always useful to add to your skillset. My goals for the future are to improve on work flow, transitioning between programs, and layer management.

WRITING

1. Site Background and Field Agent Logbook Entry

Located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean near the Bermuda, the unidentified island was previously home to covert lab K94, an American biotechnology lab. The only inhabitant on the island was Californian scientist, Sarah Wong. On December 20th, 2047 during WWIII, it was bombed by three F-16 North Korean fighter jets under suspicion of developing bio warfare. The lab was obliterated, various unknown chemicals released into the immediate environment. Immediately following the attack, the island was barren and dark, the only sign of light from the fluorescently glowing ocean water. After 100 years, the island regenerated swiftly. This event went unnoticed and unreported on Global News as the American and Korean government came to an agreement. On December 12th, 2167, the American government sent world-renowned biologist, Dave Singer, to research the changes on the island.

It has been six months since my arrival off the SPOR-1. Over the course of six months, I have made several observations studying animal tracks, vegetation, and cell samples. One of my immediate observations was the sheer size of the flora. Upon landing, the SPOR-1 grafted onto a tree branch, presumably the branch of a Sequoiadendron giganteum, commonly known as a giant sequoia. However these trees along with all the other plantlife on the island are much larger than what we are used to back on colonized land. Sequoias previously recorded, on average, were 80 m tall and 9 m in diameter. The tree I am currently residing on has measured to approximately 30 m in diameter and more than 200 m as measured by my laser distance meter. Another observation made was the correlated increase in scale of the fauna on the island. On the way down into the canopy of the forest during the floating phase, my ears were bombarded with a cacophony of innumerable bird calls. While floating down, I was able to spot many different extremely large birds, exactly alike all the avian species already known; except gigantic. I have been documenting each species through droppings, pellets, tracks, tree markings, and feathers. Species I have identified are the white-headed woodpeckers, flickers, and nuthatches. Along with these birds, other animals such as insects and mammals are also among the wildlife spotted inhabiting the evolved Sequoias.

Based on my observations so far, it seems to be that the island and its previous inhabitants have been directly affected by the WWIII chemical spill from lab K94. Pre-existing organisms have been documented to show a specific rate of increase in scale with respect to each organism’s previous size. It seems that the birds, chipmunks, and insects in comparison to each other as well as with the trees are to scale, however, they are all much larger with respect to the average human being. I conclude this to be the chemical effect on all pre-existing organisms on the island with the possible exception of the one scientist who researched at the lab. I have not seen her or any signs of her at the moment. It is with my best judgement to assume that she did not survive the spill.

2. Outpost Explanation

For energy, the SPOR-1 utilises biomass energy, taking advantage of the abundant population of trees and other organic waste on the island. This wood and waste is generated into electricity. Using a direct combustion system, biomass is burned in a furnace, generating hot gas, which is fed into a boiler to generate steam, which is then expanded through a steam turbine to produce electrical energy.

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connorrenwick · 5 years ago

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Friday Five with Frederick Tang

Frederick Tang is founder of Frederick Tang Architecture, a boutique architecture and design practice based in Brooklyn, working in physical models, full-scale mock-ups, material samples, and hand sketching, as well as digital renderings. The ten-person studio provides an array of architectural and design services, from early programming and conceptualization through architectural and interior design, permitting, bidding, and the construction phase. Offerings in branding, graphic, product, and experience design make the process totally customized for each client. The practice’s work covers many types and scales, including public spaces such as retail stores, restaurants, art galleries, and fitness centers, and private spaces such as townhouses, apartments, and offices. Tang studied architecture and economics at Yale College and attended the Yale School of Architecture. Prior to starting his own practice, he was a Designer at Polshek Partnership, now Ennead. A few of Tang’s current projects include a Williamsburg studio building for artist Adam Pendleton, a restaurant in Cobble Hill, a guest house in Germantown, New York, and various townhouse renovations in New York City. For the past eight years, Tang has also been an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture in the Barnard and Columbia College Architecture Department. Today Fred joins us for Friday Five!

1. Tendo Mokko Rocking Chair When our son was born, we were, like many new parents, looking for a rocking chair for his room. Nothing seemed right until I came across this vintage Tendo Mokko Heron Rocking Chair on Craiglist, posted by a furniture-collecting dad on the Upper West Side. The chair was designed by Mitsumasa Sugasawa in the 1960s and is made of bentwood and leather. The bentwood reminds me of Eames, but it’s lighter and more delicate. Both of our kids now love this chair, trying to rock until they fall or putting it upside down to climb under. It’s so well-used by the whole family that I have to remind myself that the damage to the leather is “charming patina.”

2. Per Kirkeby’s Brick Sculpture near the Louisiana Museum One of the must-do’s when you visit Copenhagen is a trip to the Louisiana Museum. And at the train station at the museum there is an enigmatic brick structure/sculpture, designed by the Danish artist Per Kirkeby. I love the way this pavilion hovers somewhere between art and architecture, Kirkeby called these structures “architecture without purpose.” It feels mysterious, but also playful. We ended up purchasing a Per Kirkeby drawing of this pavilion that now hangs in our living room.

3. Books Whenever I’m at someone’s home or office, I try to sneak pictures of their bookshelves. There’s often something surprising that I might not otherwise come across like out-of-print books, and I’m inspired to find ones that I haven’t seen yet. Right now on my desk are a massive new monograph of the work of Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati, an old monograph on Ricardo Bofill, the newest (and last) issue of PRAXIS, a pamphlet on Antoine Predock’s Turtle Creek House, and Bruno Munari’s Square Circle Triangle.

4. Night Market Food One of the most exciting aspects of travel is experiencing local food cultures, and one of the best cities to visit for food has to be Taipei. Taipei is famous for its “night markets” – bustling, crowded streets full of freshly made food. I always get a classic like an oyster omelet and then there’s always some new pastry invention to try. The general rule is to find the longest line and stand in it.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

5. The Gowanus Our studio is located in Gowanus, an industrial part of Brooklyn sandwiched between two residential neighborhoods. We’re in the Old American Can Factory, a warehouse complex full of artists, designers, and fabricators. When I leave the studio in winter evenings, the stillness of the Gowanus Canal feels otherworldly. There’s been a ton of new development and surely more to come, so I’m not sure how long the neighborhood will keep this character – but we will stay as long as we can!

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keremulusoy · 5 years ago

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THE LONG JOURNEY OF MOTHER-OF-PEARL FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE SEAS TO THE SKILLED HANDS OF ITS MASTERS…

Mother-of-pearl has been a popular and used material for centuries with its place in Turkish-Islamic culture, high spiritual value and as well as its aesthetic beauty. It has been in demand throughout our history as an ornamental form in our traditional culture and has been referred to as the work of aesthetics and spirituality, not a craft requiring mastery. The pearl craftsmanship has been used in many architectural structures, especially on the doors, windows, lectern, pulpit, and shelves of mosques from the Ottoman period to the present day. Rather than its decorative functions in the palaces, there are handicraft works of pearl artists on several artifacts of art such as swords of sultans, thrones, tables and coffee tables, mirrors and clogs. On the art of mother-of-pearl, which has evolved into a visual art of decoration, rather than being functional, and can be visualized on furniture, plates, cutlery, jewelry, pens, calligraphy artists of wooden boxes, we talked to one of the young pearl artist (sedefkâr), Fatma Ayran, about the long journey of mother-of-pearl from the depths of the seas to the skilled hands of its masters.

Love Of Art Fals Into The Heart Of An Artist During Childhood Mother-of-pearl, which is known as the oyster shell with pearls pearl inside, is also the name given to a shiny, stiff substance obtained from outside mollusks such as sea mussels and snails. In the Qur’an, pearls and corals fished out of the sea are mentioned as the grace of Allah. It is a material, of which its spirituality in folk stories and allegorical expression in folk stories as an element of mythos, used for centuries. The pearl artist Fatma Ayran thinks that performing this art is a blessing given by Allah to the pearl masters. The art of mother-of-pearl, which she fell in love and affection during her childhood and meticulously performed, shaped her future and attracted her to the realm of spirituality.

“I was a child. There were handicraft shops around the small Hagia Sophia Mosque. It is an environment in which classical handcraft works came to life. Growing up in such a neighborhood must be the most important factor shaping my future. In my spare time as a child, I used to watch artists from the windows of these workshops, dreaming and envying them. At that time, I had no idea of becoming a pearl artist. Much later, my path somehow intersected with the ornamentation artist, Hatice Aksu. I watched this magical harmony of writings for a long time. Then I had the chance of being her student. During this period, I met the pearl masters in various fairs and workshops. Watching them while working made me feel the spiritual realm of this art. I cannot forget the first time I had the chance to take mother-of-pearl in my hand and cut it. I was enchanted by its beauty, shine and the way it gave me peace. The moment I went to my first master, Ahmet Sezen, and asked him ‘Do you need an apprentice?’ was the beginning of everything.”

The Pearl Artisanship From Tradition To Future The artisanship of pearl is an intricate art that incorporates different disciplines. Patience and meticulous work habits are sins qua non. There is another skill of the pearl artist that come to the fore at every stage of the art of mother-of-pearl. Wood craftsmanship, carpentry, jewelry arts, lapidary-jewelry, and hand skills are blended with imagination. Then the mastery of the pearl emerges. The pearl artist, Fatma Ayran, who has gained ground this long and spent a laborious way with the master-apprentice teachings, refers to the fine craftsmanship of the pearl.

“I was trained by Salih Balakbabalar, one of the masters of this art, for a while. He was my idol. His work discipline, his attention to work while working, and his graceful and detailed style became very influential in my working order. It was very difficult to make him like what I made. Since he was the best in this art, he helped me to work more carefully, deliberately and disciplined. Later on, as witnessed my artworks, which were produced in the workshop, being admired and purchased gave rise to me to work harder with enthusiasm and to become a master. When my master was convinced that I improved myself, he started to let me accomplish bigger works. We used to work together mostly on musical instruments and spent busy shifts. I had the opportunity of advancing myself very quickly in this art. I used to work a lot, and in my spare time, I used to decorate small objects in the workshop.

The art of mother-of-pearl, which unites many other arts, has consistently taught me new things. Since there is no end to learning, the affection I have been having with this art has always remained fresh.”

The Elegance Of Women’s Hand In Mother-Of-Pearl As in most of the traditional arts, pearl artisanship is an art that men are more interested in, while women, in the case of Ottoman-Islamic habits, prefer to like its visuality rather than performing it. In its tradition, the number of women, who are involved in pearl artisanship, are quite a few. As a pearl artist, Fatma Ayran, who is a young pearl master, believes that her being a pearl artist is mainly related to meeting with the right people so that she has devoted herself to this work and gained ground.

“I am grateful to all of my teachers who have enabled me to learn and practice this art. If they had not seen me as worthy since I was a woman, I would not be able to reach the level of sharing my ideas about this art today. The most important reason why women are not known as a pearl artist is that this art requires physical strength. I think this view shall not prevent us from performing this art. The fact that women and men are different in nature also reflects on their work of arts. Allah created women graceful and fine. The interest in the produced artworks is directly proportional to the women’s rendering performance of pearl artisanship. In recent years, when people meet a female pearl artist, they have been paying more attention to both art and artist. It is very valuable for me to witness this.

Mother-Of-Pearl Is Processed In The Heart Of An Artist Since the art of mother-of-pearl has strict discipline, patience, and heartfelt work, it opens its doors only to those who aspire to its mastery and uphill struggles with many years. According to the pearl artist Fatma Ayran, the pearl artisanship is not merely enough to perform this job. There are also some burdensome responsibilities, such as claiming this long-lasting ancient tradition and passing it on to the next generations.

“some people who want to be acquainted with this art started with me as an apprentice, then many of them left it. Very few of them were able to keep continue. Because the materials of the art of pearl are too expensive, new generations may not be attracted to it. As an artist of this work, I try to draw people’s attention by making tailor-made designs. These works, which I made according to various purchasing powers and tastes, enable this art to reach more people. There are people who come to buy a souvenir to leave it for their children. Those who want to make special jewelry with their calligraphy letters and ornamentation patterns will have the opportunity to meet the art of pearl when they come to my workshop. I’m hoping that maybe this art touch one’s heart who requests this artisanship. In my humble opinion, I recommend that the candidates who wish to give their hearts to this art should first learn about the mother-of-pearl and explore it. It is very important to remind that this art, which is an heirloom from our ancestors, requires a lot of labor, and it should be performed with love and affection. Discipline, patience, persistence and, most importantly, setting your heart on are the basis of pearl artisanship. Then the attachment and love you raised will show you the way.”

The art of pearl is one of the brightest areas of the traditional art styles, and it is an area that is the most attractive, patience required and evolution needed. It is not just to be a handicraftsman, but it is to have a rich imagination, and it is the job of being captivated by the harmony of beauty. Indeed, as being a woman pearl master, the artist Fatma Ayran is the master who devoted her talent and delicate heart to this art.

THE LONG JOURNEY OF MOTHEROF- PEARL FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE SEAS TO THE SKILLED HANDS OF ITS MASTERS

WHO IS THE PEARL ARTIST FATMA AYRAN?

THE ART OF MOTHER-OF-PEARL UNİTİNG MANY OTHER ARTS

THE ELEGANCE OF WOMEN’S HAND IN MOTHER-OF-PEARL

PATIENCE, LABOR, LOVE

SIZING THE INTENT TO GRASP THE LOVE

NOTES

Who Is The Pearl Artist Fatma Ayran? In 1991, she was born in Mersin. She learned about pearl artisanship through a master – apprentice relationship. She studied ornamentation with Hatice Aksu between 2002 and 2006 and learned mother-of-pearl training from Ahmet Sezen and Salih Balakbabalar between 2006 and 2009. Mrs. Ayran, who also took ornamentation lessons from Münevver Üçer, opened her own studio in 2010. Having received the ‘Certificate of Pearl Artist for Mother of Pearl Inlaid’ from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2013, and hold on several exhibitions, the artist has continued her works in her studio near small Hagia Sophia Mosque through combining the pearl art with other side disciplines in its classical and modern designs.

What Is Mother-Of-Pearl, Pearl Artist, And Pearl Artisanship? The twinkle, white, and stiff substance, which are found in the shell of sea creatures such as mussels and oysters are known as mother-of-pearl. Placing these mother-of-pearls into the appropriate carved wooden design is called the art of mother of pearl inlaid. The mother-of-pearl inlaid has several definitions known as pearl artisanship, mother-of-pearl processing or pearl mastership. The master who makes the mother-of-pearl decoration is called pearl artist.

Patience, Labor, Love “Love is the beginning of everything; because when you deal with a job you love you also learn patience and labor. Sometimes, I work slowly so that I do not let finish the pieces I cut because I want to mingle with and spend more time with those mother-of-pearls. I watch the work of arts I have finished and then deliver them.”

Sizing The Intent To Grasp The Love “When starting the mother-of-pearl artisanship, your intention and why you want to learn it is very important. Is it for glory, fame, or money? or because it gets you closer to Allah? Or is it for reflecting your heart-beauty to people? If you want to grasp love, you should size your intentions. If your intention is righteous, then art will reveal its secret to you and gives love and affection.”

By: Özge Öztürk

*This article was published in the November-December issue of Marmara Life

A Journey From Vastness Of The Blue To The Generosity Of The Heart Pearl Artist: (Sedefkar) Fatma Ayran THE LONG JOURNEY OF MOTHER-OF-PEARL FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE SEAS TO THE SKILLED HANDS OF ITS MASTERS...

#MUSSEL #ORNAMENT #OYSTER #PEARL #PEARL ARTISANSKIP #PEARL INLAID #SEA SHELL #TRADITIONAL ART

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cyberblogin · 6 years ago

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Sony’s latest advanced compact camera is the highly pocketable RX100 VII, the seventh iteration of the RX100. Since its debut, this line of cameras has proven a very popular option among enthusiasts looking for a great travel camera, vloggers, and even pros who want a compact backup option just in case. The RX100 VII should suit all those needs very well, provided you’re okay with coughing up the $1,200 asking price.

Not that $1,200 is too expensive for what you’re getting, since Sony has packed tremendous value in the Mark VII, including an extremely versatile 24-200mm (35mm equivalent) zoom range, 20fps continuous burst mode shooting, a flip-up touch screen, built-in images stabilization and the same powerful autofocus technologies you’ll find on its flagship full-frame interchangeable lens pro cameras.

Pocket power

The Sony RX100 VII satisfies a specific need, but it’s one that a lot of people probably have: Striking a balance between image quality, range and portability. One the convenience end of the spectrum, the ultimate device is probably your smartphone, since you have that with you always. On the IQ and range side, you’re looking at a top-end DSLR with a high-quality, low aperture zoom lens that can weigh more than a large dog. The RX100 VII manages to be so impressive because it can delivery near the portability of a smartphone, with some of the photography chops of a setup that typically requires its own suitcase.

Inside the RX100 VII you’ll find a 1-inch sensor, which is very big relative to smartphone imaging sensors. This is important because it means there’s no contest between which will capture a better image, with lower noise, greater depth-of-field and better color rendering. For all the software magic that companies like Apple and Google can bring to the photography table, nothing yet can totally compensate for simply having a larger sensor.

The RX100 VII’s compactness isn’t just impressive because of the large sensor it packs inside, however; you also get an EVF, an integrated flash, an external microphone jack and an articulating LCD display. To get all of this into a package this small is astounding – the EVF in particular is a great feature for anyone who wants to be a bit more direct and particular with their shot composition, while the flip-up LCD means you can also have a great selfie screen and monitor for use when vlogging.

Last but not least in terms of its portability benefits, you can charge the RX100 VII via USB directly so that you can leave any additional charging hardware at home. The camera has a micro USB port for both data and power, and while it would’ve been nice to see this upgraded to USB-C on this camera to keep up with the latest in terms of computer and smartphone charging, it’s still better than requiring an external charger.

Zoom zoom

Sony decided on a very long zoom range for the RX100 VII, which sports a 24-200mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.8-4.5 powered retracting zoom lens. That’s the same range and aperture as the RX100 VI, which opts for more range over the brighter 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 lens found on the V and earlier.

While you’ll lose some ability to separate your subject from the background vs. a brighter lens, you get a lot more reach for shooting action or wildlife. The added range definitely makes it a better all-around travel camera, too, and makes it possible to get some shots you otherwise just wouldn’t be able to get at all with a shorter lens.

The long end of the zoom range also offers stunningly sharp images, especially in bright, daylight conditions. In the examples below, you can see some of the 200mm samples shot on the RX100 VII next to the 24mm wide versions of the same scenes to get a sense of just how close you can get with this lens, and the quality of the images possible even at those extreme zoom lengths.

At the wide end, you have plenty of real estate to capture great sweeping architectural or landscape shots, and the sharpness is also fantastic in great light. There’s some distortion, but it’s mostly corrected by Sony’s software on JPG output. That 24mm wide angle is also the right width for arm-length selfies, though you’re probably going to want at least a short selfie stick for vlogging applications to give yourself a little more in the way of framing options.

Sticky AF

Leaving aside the fact that this is one of the better sensors available on the market for a camera this size, there’s another very compelling reason to pick up this camera, and one that likely gives it the edge over competitors from other companies. I’m talking about Sony’s autofocus system, and the RX100 VII gets the latest and greatest that Sony has developed, which is found only in much more expensive cameras from the company like the A9 and the new A7R IV.

You get face and eye tracking, for both human and animal subjects, and these are both best-in-class when compared with other camera makers’ systems. The animal one in particular is a Sony speciality, and worked amazingly well on my real dog – and on Sony’s Aibo robot dog, captured at the Sony Ginza experience center in Tokyo.

The face and eye detection settings are available in both still shooting and movies, and you can set eye preference (left or right), too. The newest AF feature, however, is object tracking, which allows you to point your AF point at a specific object and have the camera automatically track that object as you zoom or move, or as the object moves within frame. You can choose from a range of options regarding how large of a focal area to track, and this works in tandem with human face detection so that the camera will automatically focus on the subject’s face when it’s visible, and on them more generally when it’s not, which is amazing for sports or action photography.

In practice, this works extremely well. Sony’s claims about how well this sticks, and how good it is at picking a subject back up after it moves behind an object, for instance, are spot on. This is really the best AF system available on a camera in the pocketable category, at any price point, and it’s truly amazing to experience. In the shots below, you can see how it allowed me to capture a very clear picture of a soaring hawk at the 200mm tele zoom, how it tracked a bike in motion and got a clear image of the rider’s face, and how it froze a motor bike in motion during a burst series (all the shots were in focus, by the way).

Low light

Another area where Sony’s RX100 VII and its 1-inch sensor are going to have a leg up on your smartphone is in sub-optimal lighting conditions. Bigger sensors mean bigger pixels and less noise, with better blacks and shadows. Sony is also using a backside illuminated stacked sensor, and there’s built-in optical image stabilization which means you can take sharper photos at lower shutter speeds, letting in more light for clearer images.

In practice, what you get are pretty good low light photos, especially outdoors with ambient light present, or in decently well-lit indoor settings. In poorer lighting conditions or when you’re trying to freeze action in low light, you’re going to get fairly noisy results, especially when compared to an APS-C or full-frame camera. Sony’s tech can do a lot to make the most of less than ideal photographic conditions, but at some point, it runs up against the limits of what’s possible.

Sony also doesn’t get quite as aggressive with computational photographic techniques for digitally compensating for lower available light, as do the Pixel phones and the latest iPhone 11. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though – the images from the RX100 VII present more accurate night and indoor photos, by comparison, and you can still get much better indoor images with the RX100 VII than you can with any smartphone.

As you can see in the gallery above, the camera does extremely well as long as there’s one well-lit subject or element in frame. It’s less effective when the image overall is uniformly dim, but if you’re looking for great photos in those conditions, you should probably consider upgrading to a larger camera with a larger sensor anyways.

Movie maker

The RX100 VII’s greatest strength might just be how good it is at shooting video for a device this size. Video out of the camera with very minimal adjustment from the default shooting settings produces highly usable results, for both home video enthusiasts and for YouTubers or vloggers looking to produce great looking content without lugging an entire film production studio along with them on their travels.

Once again, the versatile zoom range really shines here, and the you can even shoot at the tele end of the zoom handheld and get totally usable footage provided you’re a bit careful about movement, as you can see in the third clip in the sequence below, which was shot at the 200mm range. Low-light footage looks great, as is evident from the second clip in sequence, and at the wide end you can capture sweeping landscape vistas or flip up the screen and turn the camera around for selfie-style video.

The added microphone port makes it an even more powerful filmmaking tool, and if you pick up their optional VCT-SGR1 shooting grip, combined with a small shotgun mic or something like the Rode Wireless Go, you’ve got everything you need to create very compelling travel diaries in an incredibly lightweight package that will be able to produce quality and get zoom and wide shots that are impossible on a smartphone.

Bottom line

The RX100 VII is a delight of a camera and an easy recommendation to make. There’s nothing that compares in this size category in terms of the range of features, autofocus capabilities, video prowess and performance as a general all-rounder. This is the do-everything travel camera that you could really only dream of five years ago, and it’s become more ideal for this use with every generation that Sony introduces.

Whether you’re looking to step up your photographic possibilities from your smartphone, or you want to supplement your professional or advanced enthusiast equipment with a pocket camera that’s available as a b-camera for video or to grab a few choice stills, the RX100 VII is hard to top. It’s only downside is that $1,200 asking price, which is definitely above average for a compact camera – but on a value basis, $1,200 isn’t at all expensive for everything this camera has to offer.

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The Sony RX100 VII is the best compact camera you can buy Sony’s latest advanced compact camera is the highly pocketable RX100 VII, the seventh iteration of the RX100.

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aion-rsa · 5 years ago

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Demon’s Souls Review

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You don’t walk away from a game like Demon’s Souls without a few good stories to share. When I think back on my time with the PS5 remake, two moments that occurred fairly early on in the game spring to mind.

The first happened when I unlocked the door to one of the game’s first bosses. Excited by my progress, I ran down a stairwell to a nearby shortcut, took a wrong turn, and fell to my death. I could have easily walked into the boss room from the respawn point, but I was determined to retrieve my lost souls. Because I had died before actually unlocking the next shortcut, that meant having to risk going through the entire level again. It was ultimately a point of pride, and in a Soulslike game, pride and headlong actions are what get you killed. Ultimately, I decided to take the risk.

I made my way back to the spot where I had died. Just before I opened the nearby shortcut, I viewed a note that another player had left by the door. It read: “I’m proud of you.” It was a stock message likely meant for those who had just unlocked the first boss, but at that moment, it felt like a personal bit of support in a game that is otherwise notorious for its cruelty.

Stories such as that are fairly common in Soulslike games. However, the next moment I remember is fairly unique to this next-gen title. It happened when I was walking down a tight corridor packed with enemies wielding crossbows. As I slowly made my way towards them using my shield to block the incoming bolts, I felt my controller rumble. Specifically, I felt the very bottom of my PS5 DualSense rumble. As the threat neared, the console’s haptic feedback sent the vibrations further up the controller. I realized what was happening just quickly enough to turn around and watch a cluster of boulders bowl me over.

That’s what you get with the PS5 remake of Demon’s Souls: a next-gen version of one of the most important games ever made that impresses with its technical advancements, even as it leaves you wondering whether its developers relied a bit too much on the fundamental appeal of this genre and not enough on their own creative input.

As you probably know, Demon’s Souls is a remake of the 2009 PS3 game that (spiritual predecessors aside) gave birth to the Soulslike Action RPG genre. The remake is developed by Bluepoint Games, who you may know as the team behind the stunningly beautiful Shadow of the Colossus remake.

And that’s where any breakdown of Demon’s Souls must start: the graphics. Even if you typically don’t care about graphics, you’re going to be blown away by Demon’s Souls. The game certainly impresses from a raw technical standpoint (you can really see where all those teraflops went), but what really matters are the ways that the PS5’s power lets you appreciate the timeless beauty of FromSoftware’s artistic direction. Fans have long praised Demon’s Souls for its Gothic architecture and macabre aesthetic, but this remake makes it easier than ever to appreciate how even the game’s darkest corners were carefully designed to display a twisted sense of beauty.

In terms of visuals, I’d go so far as to call Demon’s Souls the only real next-gen game on the market. It could be months before we see a PS5 or Xbox Series X title that comes close to challenging its visual presentation.

That’s hardly the only way that the power of next-gen gaming improves Demon’s Souls. The PS5’s SSD eliminates Demon’s Souls‘ often crippling load times, which isn’t just a great quality of life improvement but makes soul and resource farming far more efficient. The DualSense controller adds an extra layer of immersion to the experience, while the PS5’s Command Center offers unique challenges for certain battles which allow series veterans to flex their abilities and creative muscles.

Release Date: Nov. 12, 2020 Platform: PS5 Developer: Bluepoint Games Publisher: PlayStation Studios Genre: Action RPG

The PS5 remake of Demon’s Souls is, in the ways that matter most, the best version of the game, but that still leaves us with the question of why you should care about Demon’s Souls in the first place.

Well, aside from its historical significance, there are many fans who consider Demon’s Souls to be FromSoftware’s best game. While much of that praise is rightfully reserved for the title’s art direction (which, again, shines brighter than ever in this visual masterpiece), others say that Demon’s Souls features some of the best Soulslike gameplay.

That last point is going to depend on your preferences. If you jumped into the Soulslike genre with Bloodborne, Sekiro, or Nioh, you’re going to find the action in Demon’s Souls much slower than you’re used to. More of an emphasis is placed on deliberately studying your opponents and playing defensively until the perfect time for attack presents itself. While magic users and some melee builds will be able to play a bit more aggressively, Demon’s Souls just isn’t designed to support that more active style of combat that has defined modern Soulslike games.

Personally, I prefer this slower style. At the heart of most Souslike games is a trial and error component which rewards persistence and forces you to learn the language of every encounter in order to survive. Faster-paced Soulslike games are absolutely capable of capturing that element, but there’s something to be said for how Demon’s Souls‘ more methodical combat really lets you savor the carefully constructed dance of every battle. It’s a better representation of the ways that the genre’s challenges so often come down to your ability to recognize and execute on an opportunity.

Yes, Demon’s Souls is often as difficult as this series’ reputation would lead you to believe it is, but I’m struck by how balanced much of this game feels. A big part of the credit there has to go to the game’s character building and equipment systems. There are some builds that are “better” (or more optimized) than others, but generally speaking, it’s easy to build your character based on your preferences rather than what you assume the game wants you to do. Some paths are more difficult than others, but even the act of getting there against overwhelming odds can be fun in and of itself.

The fact of the matter is that Demon’s Souls has, in most respects, aged remarkably well in the 11 years since its release. Yet, it’s that very quality that raises questions about whether or not Bluepoint really maximized its opportunities with this remake.

There is new content in the Demon’s Souls remake, despite what popular perception would lead you to believe. There’s a new character builder, new items, fresh mechanics, New Game+ options, and even new music that is remarkably just as beautiful as the game’s legendary original score. This is not just a strict remake of the original game with better graphics. But it’s easy to see how someone would walk away from this game believing that to be the. From enemy locations to attack patterns, many of Demon’s Souls‘ core mechanics are identical to the ones found in the original game. If you played the original, you’re going to know exactly what to do during your first playthrough of the game.

Is that a problem? That depends on who you ask, but there were times when I was begging for Bluepoint to take the wheel and make this game its own. Namely, there was a part of me that wondered what would happen if Bluepoint had remade Demon’s Souls as more of a Metroidvania-esque experience without the game’s hub world, or if the team had just added a couple of new enemies where you weren’t expecting them. These additions would undoubtedly be called blasphemous by longtime fans and purists, but the point is that Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus confirm that Bluepoint is one of gaming’s greatest restorative artists but we’ve yet to see what the studio’s team can do with a blank canvas.

Whenever I felt that Demon’s Souls could have done more, though, I remembered the Old Monk boss fight. See, the Old Monk is a unique boss in Demon’s Souls which can actually be controlled by another player if they invade your world at the right time. It’s a brilliant use of the series’ PvP mechanics that has been incredibly difficult to properly experience in the years since Demon’s Souls‘ official servers went offline. Well, the remake lets you experience the proper version of the Old Monk boss fight, which also benefits from better visuals, enhanced controls, and a crystal clear soundtrack. It’s a nice touch.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Demon’s Souls resurrects a game that could have easily become a historical footnote overshadowed by its more popular successors. In the process, it also manages to get everyone excited about the potential of next-gen console gaming. It’s the best next-gen launch game and a damn good entry into the Soulslike genre.

The post Demon’s Souls Review appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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nayanasri · 6 years ago

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Not that $ 1,200 is too expensive for what you’re getting, since Sony has packed tremendous value in the Mark VII, including an extremely versatile 24-200mm (35mm equivalent) zoom range, 20fps continuous burst mode shooting, a flip-up touch screen, built-in images stabilization and the same powerful autofocus technologies you’ll find on its flagship full-frame interchangeable lens pro cameras.

Pocket power

Zoom zoom

Sticky AF

Low light

Movie maker

Bottom line

Whether you’re looking to step up your photographic possibilities from your smartphone, or you want to supplement your professional or advanced enthusiast equipment with a pocket camera that’s available as a b-camera for video or to grab a few choice stills, the RX100 VII is hard to top. It’s only downside is that $ 1,200 asking price, which is definitely above average for a compact camera – but on a value basis, $ 1,200 isn’t at all expensive for everything this camera has to offer.

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Gadgets – TechCrunch

The Sony RX100 VII is the best compact camera you can buy Sony’s latest advanced compact camera is the highly pocketable RX100 VII, the seventh iteration of the RX100.

#Best #Camera #Compact #RX100 #Sony

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sanjay090205 · 5 years ago

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• When do you expect to start and be finished with the project?

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• What happens when the cost exceeds the budget?

• Can you provide me with references?

• Would you say your work has a defining style? (This is important in case the architect's personal style will interfere with your vision.)

• Will you help with hiring a general contractor and other subcontractors?

• What do you estimate the cost will be?

• Are there any complications you foresee with this project?

• What will I need to provide?

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dizzedcom · 6 years ago

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Pocket power

Zoom zoom

Sticky AF

Low light

Movie maker

Bottom line

Full sample gallery

The Sony RX100 VII is the best compact camera you can buy Sony’s latest advanced compact camera is the highly pocketable RX100 VII, the seventh iteration of the RX100.

0 notes