3D visualization

DMC collaborated with a Postdoc on creating a cover art for a journal article

janezhaoLeave a comment

Sohini Bhattacharyya, Rice Academy Postdoctoral Fellow and Ph.D. in Materials Sciences, approached Mario Norton, DMC supervisor, for making a covert art for reclaiming precious minerals from batteries, which brought in a wonderful collaborative opportunity for both parties. The main idea of the image is that critical metals for energy, e.g., Li, Co, and Ni, can be recycled from Li-ion batteries using a green Deep Eutectic Solvent following a hydrogen bond mediated chloride coordination mechanism.1   Mario modeled it in Blender, rendered an image, and made the final touches in Photoshop. The image is published as an alternate cover art of  the May 8, 2023, Volume 11, Issue 18,  American Chemical Society publication “ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering”.

Reference

Alhashim, S. H., Bhattacharyya, S., Tromer, R., Kabbani, A., Babu, G., Oliveira, E. F., Galvao, D. S., & Ajayan, P. M. (2023). Mechanistic study of lithium-ion battery cathode recycling using deep eutectic solvents. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 11(18), 6914–6922. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c06571

VR/Desktop game for Architecture technology class

men3Leave a comment

The DMC has collaborated on a multi-year project staring in Nov. 2020 to assist professor Juan José Castellón in creating a digital means of experimentation for his students. Professor Castellón’s class includes assignments which require students to physically create form finding models from wood, chain, cloth and other material. The DMC has supported the Architecture assignments by allowing students to create digital versions of these models using a videogame created with Unreal Engine. The game was created using the collab viewer template which is actively used in Architecture firms to collaborate and display architecture visualizations. DMC Supervisor Mario Norton added features into the existing template enable users to quickly create relevant models and explore forms that could be created physically. Several hired student researchers from the Architecture department contributed ideas and feedback and development suggestions.

game screenshot

 

The current game allows students to play the game simultaneously in a Desktop and/or VR environment. Added features include the ability to create hanging chains, height map displaced cloth which can be sliced and configured, simulated “cloth” meshes, add common shapes, rigid body simulations with parenting, and import of 3D geometry from Rhino and other packages.

The game was installed in Rice Architecture’s RAVL lab in July, 2021 and updated in Nov, 2021. Professor Castellón’s students were able to experience the game as a practical component of their course. For more details and blueprint code of this project, please visit https://dmcgraphics.blogs.rice.edu/unreal-engine/collab-viewer-additions/

Hanging chain experiment:

Height map “cloth” experiment:

Draw polygon, extrude and slice:

Rice environment, add geometry, rigid body sim, and multiplayer:

3D printed replacement part

men3Leave a comment

The Physics and Astronomy department was in need of a very small scale for one of their lab telescopes. The professor reached out to the DMC to have the part modeled and 3D printed. 3D printing can be a suitable alternative when a missing or broken part is hard to obtain.

Below is the 3D model created in Blender:

3D model of scale

 

With the help of Moody Center for the Art’s Makerspace, Robert Purvis printed the piece using a resin printer. Below is the finished piece with graphite brushed into the incised markings:

 

 

Cover Art of the October 26, 2021, Volume 54, Issue 20 American Chemical Society publication “Macromolecules”

men3

The Digital Media Commons provided a rendering which was accepted for the cover art of the October 26, 2021, Volume 54, Issue 20 American Chemical Society publication “Macromolecules”.

Xueyan Feng provided the geometry to Mario Norton who rendered the image using Blender.

https://pubs.acs.org/toc/mamobx/54/20?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_OdrOnHnAssNcyxo_GVUxKpQZf60P0OQlimvEvEyF8SM-1635256763-0-gqNtZGzNAiWjcnBszQd9

full-size

Material Science graphics

men3

Assistant research scientist Jinho Hyon collaborated with the Digital Media Commons for the creation of this graphic. Depicted is a meandering network of multiwall carbon nanotubes impacted by a projectile. Visit “Extreme Energy Dissipation via Material Evolution in Carbon Nanotube Mats” for full article.

Can be found in “Extreme Energy Dissipation via Material Evolution in Carbon Nanotube Mats” in Figure 4, part C. Illustration by Mario Norton.

The above graphic was created using the 3D software program Blender. This particular graphic was challenging because many different features such as bundles and interconnected tubes needed to be portrayed in one image. By creating a 3D model, Mario was able to receive direction in order to position the key features accurately. 3D also allows more flexibility in terms of a more iterative workflow and different camera angles. Below is an animated rendering of an earlier iteration of the model. Please note that the color key is different.

Ethnography Studio/Anthropology project in VR

men3Leave a comment

This Interdisciplinary project with students from Anthropology, Religious Studies, Visual and Dramatic Arts, Mechanical Engineering, History, and Bioengineering is a VR experience assembled in Unreal Engine. 3D models were created using photogrammetry from photos taken on 3 location: Rice tunnels, Natural Bridge Caverns, and the Houston Cistern. This exercise was part of the Ethnography Studio/Anthropology project taught by Andrea Ballestero with Johannes Birringer and Marie Saldaña.

The DMC assisted with loaning out cameras, audio recorders and projectors through its checkout program. After the media was captured on location, the DMC assisted students in processing the photos using photogrammetry software and editing the audio and video. Students collaborated to make a multimedia installation with their final edited multimedia and a VR experience.

Virtual Reality assistance for ARCH 650

men3Leave a comment

In Spring 2019, the DMC helped students in ARCH 650 visualize their architecture models in a virtual reality environment. Students exported their models from Rhino to Unreal Engine where they added textures and lighting. The exercise was part of the Design Studio “Existenzminimum” taught by Juan José Castellón. Student models included: 0:00 Ling Sha, 1:43 Kejia Lu, 3:28 April Zhang 5:04 Denise Yee.