Create a Kaleidoscope

[Tom]

Hello-

 

Does anyone know how to create a kaleidsocope image, through rendering (or otherwise) ? Something similar to the attached jpg?

I was hoping there was some sort of AM render effect that might work, or something that would at least create part of a kaleidoscope section....... that could then be x flipped.

 

 

I was looking at my After Effects filters and they have something which says it creates kaleidoscopes but is more a "Tiling"

sort of thing that looks cheesy anyway.

 

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

Tom

[NancyGormezano]

Most likely Johnl3d will chime in here eventually - as he was doing something similar:

 

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?s=&am...st&p=271412

 

essentially I believe - he placed objects inside a 100% ? reflective sphere/cube and set the number of reflection levels to some number of your choice (default =2) when rendering

[Paul Forwood]

Try constructing a 100% reflective cylinder and then experiment with different arrangements of flat mirrors in the centre. Add some coloured particles and some rotation. Maybe try using Newton Physics with small coloured beads. You could also try fluids for a bit more fun.

 

Just add a light to one end of the cylinder and a camera to the other.

 

Oh. Post some results please.

-------------

Edit: Better to use a flat sided cylinder rather than a round one.

 

Edit: Hmmm. I just tried that and it didn't work.

[Luuk Steitner]

This website shows how a real kaleidoscope is made: www.kaleidoscopesusa.com/makeAscope.htm

It's pretty easy and you should be able to get similar results with CG mirrors.

[johnl3d]

did a quick attempt with a animated material on a sphere with a triangular mirror tube stuck into it with a light inside the tube along with the camera with the view clipped by a model disc with a hole in it.

 

 

kal.mov

 

 

 

layout

 

[NancyGormezano]

did a quick attempt with a animated material on a sphere with a triangular mirror tube stuck into it with a light inside the tube along with the camera with the view clipped by a model disc with a hole in it.

 

Hoo Hoo - fabulous John!

 

(but..ummm...huh? you stuck a whatsis in a whosis ?)

[johnl3d]

see diagrams for a hint ..

 

 

 

model tritube.zip

 

 

this should be easy even for the artists to understand...like NG....

[Rodney]

I haven't had a chance to look at John's project so have no way of determining how different my approach may be. I suspect John's is closer to building a real kaleidoscope whereas this method is a straight out cheat.

 

I would use patch images driven by a sequence of images to drive the kaleidoscope.

Especially if you are just wanting to create the image you first posted.

 

The image is basically just a repeat of the same image multiple times around a common origin.

If you were to lathe a fairly simple cone from a 2 CP spline then either flatten that or set a camera up to view it correctly applying a image to the Group should work pretty well. (16 cross sections in your image... or is that 15?)

 

Consider transparency

Consider flipping Normals

Consider Rotating individual patch images

Consider multiple layers of sequential images applied to the same Group

 

Edit: Attached is an example of the basic idea

first image (left) is the basic image used

second image (middle) shows the geometry used to create the results

third image (right) shows the results

[Tom]

Many thanks to all the contributors and John's animated Kaleidsocope was awesome!!!!!

 

This was supposed to be for a book cover design and since there was a short deadline I wound up modeling and rendering one of the 16 "petals" and then I recreated a kaleidoscopic mask by hand in Photoshop for the printers.

 

Thanks again...the forum is an amazing resource.

 

Tom

[Paul Forwood]

Nice example, John!

 

I finally worked out the problems that I was having by turning off all the lights, and shadows, and setting the subject matter to 100% ambience. Not quite the effect that I was after but... it's not needed now anyway.

 

 

[Tom]

Nice example, John!

 

I finally worked out the problems that I was having by turning off all the lights, and shadows, and setting the subject matter to 100% ambience. Not quite the effect that I was after but... it's not needed now anyway.

 

 

 

Very Coool!!!

 

Tom

[johnl3d]

Nicely done Paul