Security reimagined - OpenText

This is the final entry in the reimagined series, and this time we're diving into the oh-so-important world of security. The original idea with this animation was to show some sort of secure database through abstract shapes. Over time, it morphed into some sort of lock mechanism, but I'm still quite proud of how this one turned out!

The Process

As mentioned above, this animation went through many rounds of revision until we settled on the lock style offset in the lower right corner.

The highlight of this animation is what I referred to as the database power plant structure in the middle. They feature some relatively complex materials and were created using something referred to as SubD modelling. In essence, we create a simple shape and use the power of the subdivision modifier to smooth the shape out. This method allows us to smooth edges by pushing edge loops around or as I have done here, using the edge crease level.

Materials

As I mentioned, the database power plant structure contains a material that I am quite proud of. This project allowed me to practice more of the decal method I had used in previous animations from this set.

I'm sure there are ways to organize this better, for example, grouping the decals as their own node groups, but there is something pretty about a large spaghetti node tree that I keep chasing these down. These sorts of things often make sense to us as artists as we are working on them, and as I'm looking at this now, it does become foggy as to what I was thinking. In the end, that doesn't really matter, as oftentimes we're creating assets that are only needed once. The important thing is that we take lessons from each project we work on.

Conclusion

This marks the end of the Reimagined series, covering all of the assets I worked on at least. The time spent working on these animations marked a great learning journey in my career. Each step plunging me deeper into the world of Blender and all that it has to offer.