Tao Maelstrom and Plastic Vortex

I recently posted some Tao vortex videos on my Instagram (trapcode_lab) and got many questions on how it was made. 

Here's a quick explanation of setting it up:

To make the Plastic Vortex, the Material color was changed to Orange. IBL was setup with the "Dark Industrual" environment (very high Diffuse, like 1000 to get some diffuse from it). Here is the final video:

And here is the AE project file for it: Tao_Plastic_Vortex_CC12.aep

To make the "Tao Maelstrom" effect the Fractal settings were changed to use the positive side (positive Amplitude) of the MultiSmoothRidge fractal. Also the different Fractal>Individual Freq were changed. And a texture was used to create the lines on the surface. Here is the final video:

Here is the AE project file: Tao_Maelstrom_CC12.aep

Depth of Field was added using AE's built-in Camera Lens Blur effect. A quick blur map was created using a shape layer with a Fill Gradient. Note that Lens Blur has a "Blur Focal Distance" that selects where in the gradient the focus is.

ZERO-DAY by beeple

ZERO-DAY from beeple on Vimeo.

An awesome, high-paced, loud, techno/machine/robot animation by beeple (Mike Winkelman) with a warning message about cyber-warfare.

I specially love how the music drives the animation and the amazing finish on both animation and render.

Winkelman notes: "Trapcode Form worked great in the middle part to make the screens all glitchy as well as some ambient dust throughout."

directed by: beeple
video: beeple
audio: standingwave

PROCESS VIDEO: vimeo.com/140163256
BEHANCE W/ STILLS: behance.net/gallery/29729491/BEEPLE-ZERO-DAY

download the entire Cinema4D / SFX project files: beeple-crap.com/resources.php

more creative commons: vimeo.com/channels/beeple
info: beeple-crap.com
daily artwork: facebook.com/beeple | instagram.com/beeple_crap
twitter: twitter.com/beeple
standingwave: soundcloud.com/standingwave 

Design with Trapcode Mir tutorial

This is a two-part tutorial on using Trapcode Mir for design. The first part covers how to make the look above. The finished AE project file can be downloaded at the bottom of this post.

In the second part, we look at some of the variations, for example these:

Watch the second part of the tutorial:

Download the finished After Effects CS6 project file: DesignWithMir.aep

TRAPCODE MIR v2 OPEN BETA

Trying something new - a PUBLIC beta! That means anyone can participate. Well, you need to own Mir 1.0 or be stuck in demo mode with the red X.

Check it out in the brand new BETA section to the right in the top menu above!

David Bowie / LOVE IS LOST / Hello Steve Reich Mix

An amazing track, an amazing video!

James Murphy's (formerly LCD Soundsystem) fantastic remix of David Bowie's LOVE IS LOST gets a super-edgy, glitchy, introspective, just beautiful video directed by Barnaby Roper. The remix works partly as an homage to Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" and the video starts out with visuals of hands clapping laid out in different symmetric compositions. Both music and video can be observed in its move from analog to digital.

Harry Martis ("denial of service") did some loveley CGI work, partly using Trapcode plug-ins in After Effects. Martis notes:

"Sound Keys handled all of the audio reaction throughout the particle and sound-reactive bits. Totally invaluable tool! I also used Form for some of the particle work on the second section (utilising the .obj import capability) and MIR (with the DoF trick) for the obvious fractal landscape traveling. Particular is used throughout most pieces for ambient particle effects & atmospherics." 

Martis notes on the project:

"I was recently given the opportunity to work on a 'taboo' project of sorts. so... here's goes.. lots & lots of intense sound-reactive particle work and utter worship of the glitch. be it displacement. as well as, old-fashioned hand-made data-moshing. my sincere thanks to all these wonderful people stateside! this has been the smoothest collaboration i have ever had so far."

At a certain point in the track Murphy ingeniously brings in some sounds from Ashes to Ashes and Roper responds by bringing in the iconic image of Bowie into the glitchy beautiful mess. 

As a long-time Bowie fan it's an honor to be able to feature this work of art in the Trapcode Gallery. It's an honor that my software was used in its production. I think both the music and video are amazing. It is an homage to the past whilst pointing to the future, a move to understand the present. It is a complete work in my opinion. Kudos to all involved!

Full Credits 

Label: ISO / RCA Records
Production Company: Black Dog Films
Director: Barnaby Roper
Executive Producer: Coleen Haynes
DP: Santiago Gonzalez
Assistant Camera: Tim Romero
DIT: Dai Yoshida and Nick McCann
Lighting Assistant: Christian Larsen
Producer: Richard Hutchins
Production Manager: Doug McCafferty
Director Rep @ Cadence NY: Neil Cooper

Editorial: Modern Post NYC
Editor: Matt Nee
Producer: Seema Naik

Post Production: Industrial Color
Animators: Joe White, Boris Coyere
3D Scanning: Direct Dimensions
CGI Artists: Geoffrey Pons, Harry Martis
CGI Artists: Stephen Hallquist and Sam Blalark
Producer: James Demetri

Models: Dorothea Barth-Jorgensen @ Elite NYC, Reid Prebenda @ Wilhelmina Men
Hair/Make-up: Valery Gherman @ Art Department