Daniel Collins | Product and Immersive Design
Deep Sea Aquarium Model
Following the bleaching of the Great Coral Reef, our team wanted t o digitise these environments to demonstrate how rapidly we're losing these natural beauties to climate change and pollution.
Throughout this project, our team split the workload into each of our proficiencies, one tackling furniture, one environmental design, and finally me, who took on lighting and atmospherics. By playing to our strengths and covering each other's weaknesses we've managed to create a virtual experience that mimics the real thing!
Lighting
Part of my job in this project was to handle the lighting inside and outside the aquarium; ensuring that the lights look both natural, but also visually interesting, since an evenly lit room would look flat and dull.
I also ensured that the textures, especially the glass, reflected and refracted light correctly, otherwise every texture could look more like plastic, rather than metal, rock, or glass.
Water effects
My other responsibility was to create the visual effects of the water, which is done by adding a blue-tinted fog throughout the scene, and a light filter that creates the look of the water's surface rippling with the waves.