3D Animation: Imaginary Landscapes

There are quintillions of planets in our universe, all different from each other. Each planet with its own planetary system and physical laws that greatly influence the appearance of its landscapes, the way its atmospheres behave and the way life might even develop.

Planet Earth is just one planet among many others - the result of a unique combination of variables that shape our reality, making us who we are, how we behave and what we experience, how things are and how they look. Our universe is incredibly diverse and it is in this diversity that we thrive.

Inspired by alien physics and landscapes of other planets, workshop participants created 3D animations using the softwares Cinema 4D and Blender, focusing on some of the softwares' physic systems and dynamic simulations. In parallel, we also explored storytelling and worldbuilding methodologies.
Participants started by choosing one of the 4 planets in blue below, and produced the landscape animations that you can see further below.
This workshop was designed for Store Projects and it was delivered online to final year high school students, as part of their After School Club.

“Planet 4 is made mostly of crystalline carbon (which is similar to diamond), and so in my animation there are reflective surfaces in the water and ocean blue mountains. I imagined that the mountains on planet 4 are spiky because crystalline carbon is very dense. Planet 4 also orbits a pulsar, which is a sun that spins very quickly and emits lots of charged particles, this is why black particles are falling from the sky. The sky is a greeny-yellow colour since these charged particles create auroras.”

“Planet TRAPPIST-1d is thought to be an exoplanet located in the constellation of Aquarius. It is a planet tidally locked meaning that one side of the planet is very hot and the other side being very cold and there may be some space in between where life exists. This animation depicts what it could be like in the colder portion of the planet. The mountains are inspired by earth-like glaciers and the ozone level has been dropped to give a icey-blue tint to the mountains. The sea and sky are purple for a better overall aesthetic and to really emphasise the cold of the mountains. There are particles that leave the mountain that are intentionally made to be like crystals, to represent very low density particles and made purple to contrast with the white exterior of the mountain.”

“My planet is called Montagna d’acqua, one that orbits a star in the constellation of Pegasus because of its proximity to the star, its atmosphere evaporates in great quantities into space, the rain falls upwards and sideways. The colours are tinted blue and it has a coo atmosphere to it. The light, sky and water are all light shades of blue which represents a calm and peaceful mood. The big mountain is shaped like a wave from the sea as the ocean and how water moves naturally is what inspired this animation. Everything is shaped as curve as I wanted to keep the vibes light and soft.”