Sam Jerome
Nano II
T340
Fall 2007

'Nano II' is an extension of 'Nano,' which is intended to provoke thought about the infinite interactions going on around (and, indeed, inside) us every second which we are only now coming to understand with the advent of Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEMs) and other technologies related to the nano-world. Not only are our own bodies' literal battlegrounds with myriad untold dramas playing out all the time, but we also owe our well-being, if not our existence, to these tiny agents. Most are not a part of our own selves, like pollen or viruses, and can have their way with us.

The primary element that was necessary to explore here was scale, as these things are clearly not usually visible. This also makes for a very immersive, "Body Wars"-esque experience. The colors and shapes are also quite varied, so that each has its own distinct identity. The color selection was arbitrary, as SEMs produce pictures that are black and white. An image for scientific use is then colorized for the sake of clarity (and dramatic effect). The palette here is more muted, and the objects have been set in their environment, more or less.

All of these forms were derived from polygonal sphere primitives (fig. 2) except for the bacteria, which are NURBS cylinders with some CV tweaking (fig. 1). I worked from actual SEM images in order to derive the proper shapes, which, though often geometric, are still very organic and uneven. The textures are mostly simple procedural materials, with the exception of the tan-colored spherical pollen spore. This has a UV texture map applied to it, which was painted in Photoshop. Upon application of this map to the model, the smooth velvetiness of the procedural texture (as on the blood cells) was missed, so other UV texture maps were not prepared or applied for the other models (the texture was left on the pollen spore, as proof that I finally figured out the UVs!).

Also new to 'Nano II' is the addition of a 'God Particle', which represents the simultaneous origin and

New to 'Nano II' is the creation and implementation of various features of Maya, such as bump mapping and alpha settings via Photoshop files. Also intended were dynamics such as fogs and particle systems, that were meant to fill the environment with a hazy, fluid-like look. These systems were not functioning and are not implemented. However, as a work-around, I've used multiple-layered transparent spheres and lighting to attempt to mimic the effect. This project is also viewable in the Virtools web client. (.vmo)