This class explores the impact of computer based 3d modeling, with special attention to the history of illusionistic representation on the one hand, and generative and algorithmic approaches to form on the other.
How have special effects, video games, architectural renderings, or simulations such as Google Earth changed the way we engage space, or are they simply a continuation of perspectival illusions created in the Renaissance? How can artists and designers use or hack these digital mediums in their own work? How do algorithmic approaches to form differ from mimetic or illusionistic approaches to form?
The course will look at various 3d modeling techniques as well as different methods of outputting or presenting 3D models, including rendering images, creating animations, or using fabrication techniques such as lasercutters and rp machines to produce physical models. The main goal of the course is to help students develop a working methodology for integrating 3d modeling into their own practice. The course will not focus on any single software, but will examine a wide range of media and computer software that can be used or hacked by students, from Google Earth, to video game engines, and from xtranormal.com to Maya and 3ds Max, from simple tools to scripting and programming 3d form. The course is open to both beginners and students with experience in 3D modeling