Ball drop.
August 21, 2021 9:54 AM Subscribe
"For Dynamic Machines, I challenged 3D artists to guide a chrome ball from point A to point B in the most creative way possible. Nearly 2,000 artists entered, and in this video, the Top 100 renders are featured"
Earlier challenge on Mefi: 100 x 3 second 3D Renders
Earlier challenge on Mefi: 100 x 3 second 3D Renders
I guess they have a significant audience on mobiles and they wanted a transition (and aspect ratio) that was adapted for that medium.
posted by Gyan at 10:05 AM on August 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Gyan at 10:05 AM on August 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
These are beautiful but kinda samey? Like everyone used the same graphics engine and shaders to render these hyper-realistic shiny contraptions. There's some exceptions, definitely later on, but it still all feels like video games. Not that it's bad! But I'm curious why it's so consistent. Is it the community that put it together? A shared tool? The curator's choice?
The YouTube description has this, a spreadsheet of all the artists. And I found the call to creators. Some of the rules kinda dictate a certain look but it feels like there's still room for a lot more aesthetic variety than the final video shows.
posted by Nelson at 10:37 AM on August 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
The YouTube description has this, a spreadsheet of all the artists. And I found the call to creators. Some of the rules kinda dictate a certain look but it feels like there's still room for a lot more aesthetic variety than the final video shows.
posted by Nelson at 10:37 AM on August 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
It’s amazing to me, not so much that these kinds of graphics are possible, but that they are affordable and accessible enough that a contest like this receives hundreds of entries from individuals within a short time frame.
But then I’m old enough to remember being impressed by this in 1982.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 10:48 AM on August 21, 2021 [11 favorites]
But then I’m old enough to remember being impressed by this in 1982.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 10:48 AM on August 21, 2021 [11 favorites]
I loved it and it’s absolutely killer on my iphone.
posted by mochapickle at 10:52 AM on August 21, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 10:52 AM on August 21, 2021 [3 favorites]
Oh god, if you watch it long enough and come back here the page won't stop moving down
posted by Acey at 10:58 AM on August 21, 2021 [17 favorites]
posted by Acey at 10:58 AM on August 21, 2021 [17 favorites]
Such a wealth of talent out there. Impressive and delightful.
posted by gwint at 11:05 AM on August 21, 2021
posted by gwint at 11:05 AM on August 21, 2021
Very cool! We loved the last one ("figure pulling a thing/struggling forward"). What people can do within the constraints simply boggles me.
posted by jquinby at 11:05 AM on August 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by jquinby at 11:05 AM on August 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
Previously: The Audio-Kinetic Sculptures of George Rhoads.
posted by migurski at 11:10 AM on August 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by migurski at 11:10 AM on August 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
My favourite ones are the ones that don't just do the "pinball machine/Rube Goldberg tracks" thing, like the quality control inspector, the parasol lady and the fan fox (I think?), and FURBY SNAKE.
posted by chrominance at 11:32 AM on August 21, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by chrominance at 11:32 AM on August 21, 2021 [6 favorites]
I thought the exquisite corpse, scrolling format was brilliant. Some artists didn’t stage things quite perfectly for the camera movement but it was great overall. I'd like to hear a bit more volume on the SFX rather than the music but still super enjoyable.
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:35 AM on August 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:35 AM on August 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
After a little research: the scrolling effect is an example of the motion aftereffect illusion. It's a cheap alternative to psychedelics and a great way to trigger a migraine!
posted by Acey at 11:55 AM on August 21, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Acey at 11:55 AM on August 21, 2021 [3 favorites]
I watched the whole thing! So much amaze. The slidey presentation was hypnotic and very clever for the phone age. Can’t wait for more iterations of this project! People are amazing.
posted by wemayfreeze at 12:12 PM on August 21, 2021
posted by wemayfreeze at 12:12 PM on August 21, 2021
I think my very favorite one is the ball inspector.
posted by ourobouros at 12:49 PM on August 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by ourobouros at 12:49 PM on August 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
I think some of the 'sameyness' could be selection bias-- we might just be seeing the set of entries that conform to the organizers' idea of what good CG looks like, which happens to be hyper-realistic and shiny.
posted by Pyry at 1:50 PM on August 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Pyry at 1:50 PM on August 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
A few of these appear to have skirted the rules by integrating signage or using an environment that renders the ball incapable of reflection.
nearly ruined by the sliding panel presentation that prevents seeing each whole piece at once
It was designed that way (down to the camera movement) from the beginning, so you literally are not missing anything.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 2:42 PM on August 21, 2021 [4 favorites]
nearly ruined by the sliding panel presentation that prevents seeing each whole piece at once
It was designed that way (down to the camera movement) from the beginning, so you literally are not missing anything.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 2:42 PM on August 21, 2021 [4 favorites]
My kiddo was absolutely riveted for the whole animation. Honestly, so was I. Highly enjoyable.
posted by Scattercat at 10:26 PM on August 21, 2021
posted by Scattercat at 10:26 PM on August 21, 2021
we might just be seeing the set of entries that conform to the organizers' idea of what good CG looks like, which happens to be hyper-realistic and shiny
I think it is more that the constraints are built towards being able to arrange them in a montage like this - if you don't have to work with any outside constraints then you can be more creative with shaders and styles, but it's harder to work within them.
Cool stuff but nearly ruined by the sliding panel presentation that prevents seeing each whole piece at once. Cuts would have been so, so much better.
One of the constraints is that the camera is doing a pedestal shot throughout the entire entry - every single piece is designed to be seen in this way, which you can see from the entries that do neat things with perspective as they're scrolling off screen.
posted by Merus at 12:22 AM on August 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
I think it is more that the constraints are built towards being able to arrange them in a montage like this - if you don't have to work with any outside constraints then you can be more creative with shaders and styles, but it's harder to work within them.
Cool stuff but nearly ruined by the sliding panel presentation that prevents seeing each whole piece at once. Cuts would have been so, so much better.
One of the constraints is that the camera is doing a pedestal shot throughout the entire entry - every single piece is designed to be seen in this way, which you can see from the entries that do neat things with perspective as they're scrolling off screen.
posted by Merus at 12:22 AM on August 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
Needs more peristalsis.
posted by flabdablet at 4:18 AM on August 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 4:18 AM on August 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
Yeah, my vision can't process that. Everything's moving at once, look now whole new thing! Same reason I get yanked out of action movie sequences the last decade and a half or so.
Shame, I would have loved to get a good sense of the graphics and environments, but the presentation ruins it.
posted by tigrrrlily at 10:10 AM on August 22, 2021
Shame, I would have loved to get a good sense of the graphics and environments, but the presentation ruins it.
posted by tigrrrlily at 10:10 AM on August 22, 2021
Oof.
That long Furby one suuure is Nightmare Fuel!
Also some of them are wwaaaaay dark once you consider the little details...
Overal enjoyable though.
posted by Faintdreams at 11:56 AM on August 22, 2021
That long Furby one suuure is Nightmare Fuel!
Also some of them are wwaaaaay dark once you consider the little details...
Overal enjoyable though.
posted by Faintdreams at 11:56 AM on August 22, 2021
"... so you literally are not missing anything."
Except the ability to take in each piece in detail—to see more than just the ball.
posted by bz at 12:17 PM on August 22, 2021
Except the ability to take in each piece in detail—to see more than just the ball.
posted by bz at 12:17 PM on August 22, 2021
I'm amazed that when I watched some of this before reading the comments I was certain that some were longer than others and I was wondering how they made it flow so smoothly when there wasn't a constant time limit.
Even knowing that they have the exact same number of frames between each ball drop, I still feel like some of them somehow drag it out longer than others before dropping the ball to the next one.
I'm also impressed how many fool me into thinking I've moved on to the next one but, no, wait that was all the same one.
posted by straight at 1:34 PM on August 22, 2021
Even knowing that they have the exact same number of frames between each ball drop, I still feel like some of them somehow drag it out longer than others before dropping the ball to the next one.
I'm also impressed how many fool me into thinking I've moved on to the next one but, no, wait that was all the same one.
posted by straight at 1:34 PM on August 22, 2021
Motion Aftereffect-
Long ago I had a part-time job that sometimes included working on an assembly line, and I can tell you this is a real effect. When the line would suddenly stop, it looked like everything was backing up.
Almost made me dizzy.
Oh, and I really enjoyed the whole YouTube.
posted by MtDewd at 5:38 PM on August 23, 2021
Long ago I had a part-time job that sometimes included working on an assembly line, and I can tell you this is a real effect. When the line would suddenly stop, it looked like everything was backing up.
Almost made me dizzy.
Oh, and I really enjoyed the whole YouTube.
posted by MtDewd at 5:38 PM on August 23, 2021
Sorry to add this so late, but here’s a video by one of the guys from Corridor Crew creating his own entry for the contest, and going through the process.
posted by LEGO Damashii at 3:30 AM on September 4, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by LEGO Damashii at 3:30 AM on September 4, 2021 [1 favorite]
I've seen the first 15 mins so far and there are a lot more entries in this challenge that wouldn't be out of place in the Top 100.
posted by Gyan at 12:53 AM on September 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Gyan at 12:53 AM on September 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by bz at 10:00 AM on August 21, 2021