Microbots

Individual microbots perform a collaborative machine-like flipping motion to transport themselves, similarly to mechanical crowd surfing. An animated 3D circuit board pattern is a constant signature in the design of the linearly transforming bundles, supporting both the high-tech aesthetics, and self supporting structural integrity.

My microbot shots in Big Hero 6

Reference

Reference from Youtube

Creative R & D

Development

I developed 3 main tools to accomplish all microbot tasks over 150 shots.

Microbot Circuit Pattern Generator

In the circuit board pattern generation algorithm, during each iteration, 45 degree angled animated branches are generated on a base curve, merged into it, and finally a new curve is extruded which would be used as a base curve in the next iteration. The curve shape of a certain iteration depends on the history of how the curves have been generated up to the previous iteration. Over the course of all iterations the curves generated by the algorithm avoid self collision and are non-intersecting.

In order to assign mechanical feeling on microbots, the tool had ☑Use Staccato option. It quantized the timing to remap the animation cycle in a modularized period of time steps.

Microbots circuit pattern generator tool algorithmically makes non-collided curve bundles. Left image is a render output when I applied thickness on the curves that are generated from the tool.

Microbot Flipper

I implemented a procedural flipping algorithm which executes repeated passing over motion. By analyzing each Microbots' moving pattern within the passing over motion cycles, I classified them into 7 different behaviors. Using the concept of time step, I extracted specific pre-defined procedural rules for each behavior. In this analysis, a Microbot performs one of the 7 behaviors depending on which time step it is at.

Effects Animation by Dale Mayeda

FK-based Connection

Flipper Behaviors

Random Activation Frames

Animated @upDir

In order to assign mechanical feeling on microbots, the tool had ☑Use Staccato option. It quantized the timing to remap the animation cycle in a modularized period of time steps. Right image shows how different look-up curves make diverse movement patterns.

Flipper Staccato Motion

Microbot Transformer

In order to make microbot bundles move, I made a transformer. It doesn't physically move the curves, instead, it carves the curves. Unlike houdini's default "carve" tool, this carves curves based not on UVs, on their length.

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