Science Graphics

Resigned from SquareZero

OLLY TYLER

FOUNDER, HEAD OF ANIMATION 2003 - 2013

Two weeks ago I left SquareZero the company I started almost ten years ago. Having struggled to get consistent work over the last three / four years I've had to forego getting paid so many times that it's now just impossible to afford continuing there. 

We did some great stuff there with the changing team over the years and I'm very proud of what was achieved. The in house team and the favourite freelancers + collaborators produced well over a thousand projects in those ten years.

I'm looking out for new opportunities for the future - something the same something different, not sure what yet.

Here are a set of design ideas for the SquareZero logo which I was figuring out back in 2003:

Eurovision Song Contest Promo

We made a fantasy world high end promo for Zlata Ognevich. We were asked to create an immersive animation for Zlata’s entry, Gravity, which was performed at the Eurovision Finals in Malmo, Sweden in May. Zlata came within 20 points of the eventual winner Denmark and she finished third in the end.

I headed the animation department which included all our guys plus some of our favourite freelancers to do some serious compositing, chromakeying, tracking and effects.  I personally composited the pictured scenes as well as making the 3d diamonds.

The video can be seen here on YouTube where it's had 2.5 million hits. 

Fairy Party Invite

Brief to make a party invite for a fantasy themed fancy dress party.

My Parents are Aliens

Job I storyboarded and animated, found in online archive:

Liquid Television Graphics was commissioned by Granada Media children's producer Beryl Richards to produce the titles for new comedy series My Parents Are Aliens. Designed by Tim Varlow, they were made in a 2D 1950s comic-book style, reflecting the show's storyline of two aliens who crash land in Surbiton and become parents to three orphaned children. Animated in Matador and composited in Illusion by Olly Tyler and Thorston Rienth, the new series debuts on Tuesday (9 November) on CITV.

Broadcast Magazine

5 November, 1999

New 3d models from 2012

To brush up on some modelling skills last year made a few new models. There was an oil refinery - full of a tangle of complex pipes and engineering and also a set swords and blades from different historical periods. Also a set of oil paints picked up and improved from a model started six years ago.

WAA Mannequins

A job we did at SquareZero a few years ago that still makes me smile. The brief was unusual for us in that it was fro a print campaign only - so no animation needed. The dummies were made in Maya using some generic human figure. Jonson awkwardly bent them into stiff poses and rendered them high resolution. The photo backgrounds were supplied by the agency and we integrated them in Photoshop.

Hologram effects work

The company I founded in 2004 SquareZero has become the leading production company for content appearing in today's holographic projections. We have created over 50 events for the Musion Eyeliner platform since our first hologram for the launch of the Toyota Auris.

The holograms are made possible by our partnership with the patent holding inventors of the projection system, a company called Musion. Their Musion Eyeliner foils use an old victorian stage illusion technique updated for the digital age using HD projectors and high tech projection foil.

I have helped design, animate, composite and shoot live action which has all been optimised for maximum effect on the system. We devised all the best practices to get the most impact out of the holograms and we fully understand the do's and don't involved with making the most sensational events.

We also have been involved in recreations of famous people - including Frank Sinatra for Simon Cowell's birthday.

Michael Phelps in hologram for launch of Speedo swimwear range

3d animations for lifesize Formula One car

Glittering gemstones

A project called for some sparkling diamonds. Although we already had some from before we needed a range of types of stone. I was interested by the structure and the shading / raytracing techniques involved so I looked for online tutorials. I followed an excellent one by an Indian guy - unfortunately cannot find again now. I made this selection from his set up - they really glint when animated.

3d Map of Europe

This 3d model is designed to be a simplified fully customisable map of Europe. Each country perfectly fits into it's neighbours. The effect is you cannot see borders unless you change country colouring. All countries are arranged so they can be labelled or grouped according to EU membership.

WW2 Destroyer

I found some great naval plans online for WW2 British destroyers. When I saw the elevations and deck plans plus a set of model kit instructions I though the model had to be made. Using Maya 2011 I put together a fairly simple model that would be low poly were it not for the railings going right around the deck. I also found quite a few photographs of the same or similar classes of destroyers - so I had good reference material for all colours, textures and materials.

Oil plant explosion vfx

A safety video was filmed by Myriad Global Media as a 'what if' drama. For the finale they asked me to make a huge explosion which devastates the unlucky Omani oil plant. Along with Jon Ossitt we made  key parts of the buildings and installations in 3d so we could blow them apart. Animated 3d debris flew all around. I also drew up the blackened overlays for 'after' the destruction. Using Nuke I composited over ten footage explosions, smoke and fires along with wipes for  the mattes, heatwave distortions, animated masks, shake and grading / lighting effects. BOOM !

(click on to enlarge )

Fifties Project

A collection of 1950's themed 3d models to practice my lighting and rendering skills in Maya. Using Maya with MentalRay and testing out some of the cool nDynamics features in the recent versions of Maya. Trying out glows, neons, refractions and environment maps as well- not to mention modelling berries and cherries.

I got this great Wurlitzer from Turbosquid and I've been relighting and texturing the whole thing.

An ice-cream sundae type dessert which I have modelled from scratch. Mental ray rendering and layered shaders to get a good semi- melted ice cream texture.

Ice- cubes splash into the nDynamics drink

Ice cubes and invisible inner glass model are made collision objects.

Then a gravity force is added plus a vortex to spin them in the glass. The nDynamics liquid is set to collide with the ice causing some good splashing and slooshing. When the ice is in the fluid the trick was to lower the gravity suddenly so they didnt just drop straight to the bottom of the glass but so they would swirl around in the liquid. When the gravity was released sometimes the ice cubes would bounce out and float off under their own simulated velocity !

The cars are from our archive - I had to take the basic meshes from .obj import and reassign all materials and textures

Mars

I have a few sketches based on Martian landscapes - after reading Kim Stanley Holmes books about terraforming the red planet. One is made in layers for a parallax scrolling game - just a test.

Architectural, interiors

3d environments, buildings and interiors have featured in  a range of my work over the years. Its always good to populate and light up a space. These images show work from corporates, branding projects, virtual sets and pitches among others. Click any image to expand views.

Virtual set - Golf TV

Playstation hub project interior

Playstation hub project interior

interior of Dr Evil style villain's HQ - corporate video

virtual set - Boots

Arabic style house - property development pitch

CG interior and bath from feature film 'Miracles in Reshetova'

Scientist Portraits

I've been working on a personal project about histories most famous scientists. Out of a list I've made up with fifty names I've managed to draw and colour four of them. Vector art all drawn using Flash.

Isaac Newton has a certain gravity about him.

Radioactivity. Discovered by Madame Curie

Albert Einstein is a relatively well known scientist.

Democritus - father of modern science , not democracy - as far as I'm aware.