Final Product

My final product, the animated educational video depicting the hazards and protective methods against tsunamis including my partner's inclusion of the formation of tsunamis, has been completed.
After competing the product in this year's Technology Student Association Stats Conference against five other schools in the state, this video placed second.
Here is the video, from Youtube:

Formal Progress Update

How to Construct a Wave on 3DS Max

This tutorial will accurately instruct how to create a wave on a plane using Autodesk 3D Studio Max. I chose to use a plane instead of a 3D object so that the space underneath the surface of the water may be visible. I would suggest at least basic familiarity with the program before attempting this process.

Note: Save your progress after each step.

Step 1: Create a plane

Click the ‘plane’ option from the command panel. Click and drag on the viewport to create a plane. Be sure to make the plane long and narrow. Making the object large is usually better because you can more easily work with little details, but not too large or else the program will crash.

Step 2: Editing your plane

Right click on the object and at the bottom of the panel, choose ‘convert to editable poly’ and then in the control panel choose the option ‘view points’ which appears as a graphic of three points.

Step 3: Begin Animating

Under the time bar at the bottom, click on ‘Auto Key.’ This will automatically set times of change on the object in the time bar.

Step 4: Move the end points

Select the end points on the plane and, using the move tool (QWRTY key W), move the points up the Y axis 2 or 3 unites up.

Step 5: Move the inner points

Select the next set of points on the inner side of the plane and, using the move tool again, move the points up to half a unit lower than the first set of units.

Step 6: Create a slope

Continue moving the columns up, each one slightly lower than the one before it, until you reach the desired steepness of the wave.

Step 7: Create the wave

 

Once the steepness is achieved, lower the first column of points, and continue to create a hump. Playback the animation to make sure the wave is smoothly rolling and no sections are moving when they shouldn’t be.

Step 8: Roll on

Continue moving the points on the inner side of the plane up and the points on the outer end down. The Auto Key will automatically set the times of change and animate your wave. To make the wave curve smoother, apply the modifier Turbosmooth.

Continue this process until your wave reaches the end of the plane. You can gradually make the wave larger by moving the points higher as you continue to construct your wave.

 Step 9: Making the surface look like water

 

First, select the object. Then, select the material modifier at the top of the menu.

 

The window above will open. On the left, scroll down and select "Autodesk Water."

To see the surface of the object better, select the text in the top left corner of the perspective viewport. On the list that appears, unclick "Edged Surface" and click "Realistic."

 

 



 

MP2 Schedule

November

 

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
24	25 Schedule, POP	26 Schedule, POP	27 Schedule Due	28 Thanksgiving Break	29 à	30

 

 

 

 

December

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
1 POP	2 Plan of Procedures Due	3 Continue work on animation	4 Press release	5 Animation	6 Construction Progress	7
8	9 Animation	10 Press Release	11 Construction Progress	12 Press Release	13 Construction Progress	14
15 Press Release, Construction Progress	16 Press Release Due	17 Construction Progress	18 Construction Progress Due	19 Animation	20 Animation	21
22	23 Winter Break	24 à	25 à	26 à	27 à	28 à
29 à Construction Final	30 à Construction Final	31 à

January

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
			1 New Years	2 Continue work of animation	3 Animation	4 Construction Final
5 Construction Final	6 FPU	7 Animation	8 FPU	9 Animation	10 FPU	11 Construction Final
12 FPU, Construction Final	13 Animation	14 FPU Outline	15 FPU Outline Due	16 Formal Progress Presentations	17 Construction Final	18 Construction Final
19 Presentation Reflection, Construction Final	20 Presentation Reflections Due, Construction Final Due	21	22 Compile Mentor Contacts	23 Mentor Contacts Due	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Developmental Work

Animation Process

The animation developed so far is a scene of the ocean floor and shore with the surface of the water overhead. The wave in the first scene will be filmed on the surface of the water. This same plane will also be used for the rest of the water effects throughout the video.

 

Script

-        [Fade in from black. Pan left]

-        “At up to 500 miles an hour, these waves can travel entire ocean lengths in a day without losing force or speed.”

-        “As the wave approaches shallower water, it slows down and rises to tremendous height.”

-        [Pan out, show ocean floor.]

-        “The upsurge of water is caused by the friction of the wave against the rising ocean floor.”

-        [Pan back in, rotate 45° to right. City appears]

-        “A tsunami’s destructive power is colossal, sometimes irreparable.”

-        [Wave crashes over city]

-        “Thousands of people are affected every year by tsunamis in coastal areas, especially in Japan.”

-        “There is no way to stop a tsunami once one has started, but there are defensive procedures you can take when one forms.”

-        [Cut view to mangrove trees]

-        “A common defense in India and parts of Asia is growing vegetation, such as large trees and dunes. This blunts the force of the wave when it rises onto shore.”

-        [Cut view to sea wall. Quick surging tides against wall, each growing larger than the last. Screen 45° to right]

-        “Sea walls are another protective structure, built on the coasts of Japan and the West Coast of America.”

-        “The best defense, however, is early warning, so that people may evacuate to higher ground.”

The script will be read by either a male of female voice

Musical Score

The background musical score of the video is crucial to the set mood of the video. The music must sound appropriate and in accordance with the voice of the speaker, without interrupting the script or being louder than the voice.

Model

The solution chosen to go through developmental work was Solution 2 "Serious Mood." Above is the hand drawn model of the story board for the final solution of the video. The arrows depict the motion of the objects in the picture.