My Heart

I have been working on a 3D heart model for both my project research and my Maya class.  This has been a very long and tedious process, but is finally showing some results.  This images below are from a short fly through animation of the heart and electrical conduction system I created.  I will do a speed through description of the workflow/programs I used to make this an anatomically correct heart model.  First, I used a Dicom file consisting of CT scans of the thoracic cavity.  Next, I uploaded these scans into a program called Mimics.  Within Mimics, I had to go through the 300 layers of scans and isolate out just the heart tissue…. which took… a while.  Mimics produces a model from this that is unmanageable to work with in any 3D program.  (Side note:  this is the same process I used for the Kidney project)  I then took the unusable model into 3D Studio Max to use as a “template” and created my own heart model using retopology.  Now that I had the model, I UV mapped the heart in order to prepare it for materials.  Finally the hard part is done and the fun begins… painting!  I took the model into Mudbox and created diffuse, normal, and displacement maps.  Everything was then imported into Maya.  Within Maya I created the electrical conduction system that exists within the heart.  Finally, the lighting was set up and a fly by/through animation was key-framed.  I also have “glowing” particles that move through the electrical conduction system demonstrating the flow of electricity.

Surgical Illustration

I have been in the Surgical Illustration class this semester, which has proved to be an amazing experience.  The first part of the semester was just going into surgery and sketching in order to increase our comfort level and clarify our own sketching styles.  Often, everything important seems to happen at once, so we’re forced to jot down the anatomy, instruments, and terminology rather quickly.  Once we leave the OR, we take the information and sketches obtained and sort through them.  For the two examples of my work below, we had different requirements as far as how many surgical steps and what format or media we were allowed to use.  The Total Abdominal Hysterectomy is directed toward medical students.  It shows the first six steps of the procedure and is a black and white photoshop painting.  The second image is an editorial piece demonstrating a procedure which was used to correct a flat foot.  This is a color photoshop painting, with my pencil sketch showing through.

Maya

I have begun to learn Maya this semester, another 3D computer modeling program.  All of my previous 3D work has been done in 3D Studio Max.  Maya is a similar yet different program.  Right now we are just exploring different sculpting tools, materials and lighting.  I created this environment for our last exercise.  It is my representation of one step during mitosis.  Below are a few of the renders from this environment with different lighting and camera angles applied.  Despite this being a general art class, not in the Biomedical Visualization department, I can’t seem to get away from the scientific/medical/cellular themed environments.

Kidney’s are Finished!

Since the last post, I have painted, lighted, and rendered the kidneys.  The last part of the project was to put them into some sort of “editorial” format.  This is the end result.  I expect this would be an ad for the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation, seen in a magazine or journal.

The Kidney

Another project for the Advanced Computer Imaging class this summer was to create both a healthy kidney and a diseased kidney using a combination of Mimics, 3DS Max, and Mudbox.  The first step was to isolate the kidneys in Mimics using CT data sets.  The models created in that program were then taken into 3DS Max to use as a shape/size reference.  I used retopology to create my own mesh model in 3DS Max, and assigned a UVWmap to both the kidney and ureter.  From that point, the model and UV maps are taken into Mudbox to further sculpt and continue painting the kidney.  The image below is the healthy kidney sculpted.  I have painted this model as well, but I still need to light it correctly in 3DS Max.  I now need to sculpt the kidney into a diseased state and paint it as well.  More pictures to come!

I have now modeled the diseased kidney (polycystic kidney disease) and the model without paint is shown below.

Osteocyte in Bone Matrix

The first assignment for Advanced Computer Applications this summer was to create a digital painting using a 3D model as a guide.  I decided on representing an osteocyte in the bone matrix as my subject matter.  The first image shows the preliminary sketch.  Once I had the sketch, I created a 3D model in 3DS Max (shown below).  It is a rough model without textures/materials applied.  The idea was the experiment with perspective and lighting and use the model as a template for painting on.  The last step is to create the painting in Photoshop and/or Painter.

Surgical Orientation

One of the classes I’ve been working on is Surgical Orientation, in preparation for Surgical Illustration next semester.  One assignment was to draw three medical instruments in line.  I decided to create vector line drawings using Adobe Illustrator.  The three instruments are: a small retractor, hemostats, and a scalpel.

Another assignment was to illustrate a surgery.  I drew the procedure for a complete thyroidectomy.  This was just a “sketch” assignment, so I decided to try out traditional pen and ink.   I condensed it down because it’s a two page spread, sorry if it’s difficult to see.  I will upload a better image soon.

Molecular Environments

For both my last illustration and my last 3D Studio Max project I had to create a molecular environment.

This first one is an illustration done in both Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop.  It shows glomerular filtration in the kidneys.  This project went through many different colors and stages, but overall I’m happy with how it turned out.

For the 3D assignment, I focused on Olfactory Epithelium and the interaction between receptor cells and odor molecules.  This was modeled and rendered in 3D Studio Max and touched up in Photoshop.

3D Studio Max Exercises

Here are a few exercises we had to do for my Computer Visualization class.  All of these are modeled and rendered in 3D Studio Max.

This first one is just a couple pair of hemostats.

This one shows some RBCs flying through a blood vessel.

Here is a syringe I made.

For this project, I took some CT data from a donor into Mimics and modeled the scull and soft tissue.  Then I took that model into 3D Studio Max and  removed the ears and nose.  I had a scan of a different donor ear and a 3D photo of my nose so I re-sized and manipulated everything until they fit together!  Thus the name of this project… Mr. Potato Head.

For this last exercise, I used the Protein Data Bank to find the structure for Ribonuclease with the Ribonuclease Inhibitor.  I then imported that data into Chimera and exported models.  I then took those models into 3D Studio Max and added texture and illumination.

Knee Model

I had the privilege of spending my Spring Break modeling a knee for my 3D Computer class.  The structure of the knee was first modeled using Mimics and then brought into 3D Studio Max in order to add texture, color, lighting and materials.  This was definitely a tricky process.  I learned all about UVW Mapping and Pelt Mapping, which I’m sure will be helpful in the future.  A brief synopsis of the procedure is as follows:  First the overall shape of the bones is modeled, then the “shell” of the bones is flattened and a map is created from this.  This blank map is then taken into Photoshop where I paint on color “Diffuse Map.”  Another blank map is then taken into Photoshop where I paint on texture, “Bump Map”.  And yet another blank map is taken into Photoshop where I create a few areas of glossy highlight, “Specular Map.”  So then these are all placed on the bones in 3DSM and I created an environment and lighting scheme.

I’ll post some of the process later, but here is the end result:

Below are two other images created from the same 3D model.  I just applied different textures.  They are supposed to have more of a 2D feel.  The first is a material I created to look like a pen and ink drawing and the second is a material created to look like an x-ray… with additional touch-ups in Photoshop.