It takes time to model buildings in a 3D city environment, for example in a game. Time is usually something very constricted in a production stage of anything, whether it is a personal project at home, at school or more occurring; in the 3D industry. This report will bring forth a method to quickly generate detailed buildings with the help of Python scripting, integrated in Maya 2009. The script will be working with modules that will be assembled together to create a modern city type of building. A comparison will be made between this script and a couple other scripts that offer the same solution but in different ways.

Detta är en reflekterande uppsats som behandlar utvecklingen av stridssystemet ”Levande Strid” samt processen att utveckla en animerad film som illustrerar systemet. Målet med verket har varit att genom animationer skapa en varierad visuell upplevelse i striderna i action- och rollspel. Uppsatsen inleds med en beskrivning av bakgrunden, syftet och målet med verket. Därefter följer en redovisning av den teoretiska bakgrund som har använts som underlag för utvecklingen av ett stridssystem, skrivandet av ett designdokument  och arbetet med själva animationerna. Efter detta beskrivs hur jag har använt mig av teorin för att skapa system, dokument och animationer. Animationerna har varit fokus och tar således mest plats i uppsatsen. Resultatet av arbetet har blivit ett system som framhäver variation i stridsmomenten i action- och rollspel, ett designdokument som beskriver detta system på en konceptuell nivå och en film som genom animationer illustrerar och demonstrerar systemet.

Denna uppsats handlar om hur jag arbetat med att ta fram två spelbara karaktärer, en så historiskt korrekt samuraj som möjligt och en 2-årig pojke, som skulle kunna vara hans son. Båda ska uppfylla kraven för nästa generations dataspel. Jag har skrivit om arbetsprocessen, och om de svårigheter jag stött på. De flesta problemen har jag lyckats lösa, men några har jag valt att kringgå. Det finns också en reflekterande text, som tar upp det allmänna intresset just nu för japansk kultur och historia, och där jag bl a försöker förklara varför jag valt att skapa dessa två karaktärer. Den frågeställning som jag anser mig ha fått svar på är vad det innebär att skapa två relativt olika karaktärer med hjälp av programmen Maya och ZBrush. Framför allt har jag blivit väl bekant med ZBrush, där jag utnyttjat möjligheten att göra textureringen i 3D (polypainting), i stället för att på traditionellt sätt arbeta i 2D med Photoshop. Jag är nöjd med slutresultatet och hoppas att det kan inspirera andra, samtidigt som det finns en del att lära av de svårigheter jag stött på på vägen.

This thesis presents the results of research conducted at the ancient Maya site of Pacbitun. The site, located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains in the Cayo District of Belize, offered a unique opportunity to investigate the relationship between the site core and various caves located in its 9 km2 periphery. The landscape was a critical component of ancient Maya religion. The earth and all of its topographic features were considered to be alive and, as living beings, to interact in human affairs. Caves were seen as portals to the underworld and homes to deities. Pilgrimages to these sacred places influenced and were influenced by settlement patterns and socio-political relations. Particularly targeted in this study is the causeway system, which connects the site core to a ritually used cave, and is analyzed through the application of predictive modeling. Since analysis of the intermediate area between sites and caves has been rare, this research makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of the ritual landscape.

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Today, production companies are being asked to create scenes that are almost impossible to render. To create these impossible shots with speed and quality, the industry has created render passes. In this research project, the aim is to learn and understand the fastest and most efficient methods to create 3D Medical Sciences Visualization. A deeper understanding of Render Passes using Nuke compositing software in an industry based pipeline will answer the above statement. This project was developed in collaboration with the Uppsala Biomedical Center (BMC) and the Special Effects company Oddville. The final animation will also be used for BMC medical conferences. The results revealed that the render passes did allowed for the animation in postproduction and also saved a great deal of time.

Proposes a new method to model the geometric form of articulated mechanical parts while simultaneously testing their range of motion in relation to other nearby parts. Utilizing a database of mechanical parts in virtual three-dimensional form, a software tool assists users in quickly building a complex high-level mechanical object which can be placed directly into a visual effects production pipeline. The tool creates a workflow that allows modeling and rigging problems to be solved concurrently within the same interface. Optimized animation controls are generated automatically to expedite the rigging process. A system of standardization provides a framework for each part?s functionality within the hierarchy of each new assembly, while also guaranteeing reusability and backwards compatibility with all other assemblies created with this tool. A prototype has been developed as a plug-in to existing commercial software to showcase the described methodology. This prototype provides a unique solution to common modeling and rigging problems in the field of visual effects and animation.

Equity and fairness in the distribution of tourism benefits and participation in tourism decision-making are key tenets of sustainable tourism. However, little attention has been paid to the study and conceptualization of justice in tourism and robust theoretical or methodological foundations to examine fairness and justice; in particular, in regards to the well-being of ethnic, minority and/or disadvantaged groups are especially lacking in tourism studies. This dissertation reports the results of a grounded theory study of justice and equity in relation to tourism and the Yucatecan Maya in Quintana Roo, Mexico. A robust framework is offered to guide the study of cultural justice in tourism, which was developed based on theoretical contributions from environmental justice, social justice, and political philosophy, among others, and empirical data from multiple sources. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 47 tourism stakeholders, participant observation, and examination of tourism-related government reports, statistics and other data related to legislation, planning and development. Issues of justice were found to be complex and multifaceted, rooted in post-colonial and contemporary power dynamics that affect the economic, social, and cultural status of the Yucatecan Maya in society. The study identified four major issues directly related to tourism that affected the economic and cultural well-being of this ethnic group: cultural exploitation, cultural marginalization, cultural racism, and cultural domination. The extensive research also identified the positive role of tourism in providing for cultural justice, in particular, recognition and respect for cultural, ethnic and minority groups and the cultural sustainability of their cultural manifestations. Based on the above findings and drawing upon theoretical contributions in the extensive literature on justice and fairness, it is argued that discourses of justice and equity in tourism should look beyond the distribution of tourism benefits and access to political power and address intangible matters of respect, recognition, and cultural valuation. A number of key principles to help address cultural injustices are suggested and implications for tourism policy and practice discussed.

In this dissertation I examine population history and structure in the Maya area during the Classic period (A.D. 250-900). Within the Maya area, archaeologists have identified regional variation in material culture between archaeological zones. These cultural differences may correspond to biological differences between Classic Maya populations. I test the hypothesis that Classic Maya population structure followed an isolation by distance model. I collected dental nonmetric and metric traits on 977 skeletons, from 18 Classic period sites, representing seven different archaeological zones. I corrected the data for intraobserver error. For the dental nonmetric data, I developed a Maya-specific trait dichotomization scheme and controlled for sex bias. I tested the dental metric data for normality and age affects. I imputed missing dental metric data for some traits and the remaining set of traits was Q-mode transformed to control for allometric factors. I analyzed the dental nonmetric and metric datasets with both univariate and multivariate tests. I found, with a log likelihood ratio, that 50% of the nonmetric traits exhibited statistically significant differences between Maya sites. I performed a Mean Measure of Divergence analysis of the dental nonmetric dataset and found that majority of the resulting pairwise distance values were significant. Using cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling, I found that the dental nonmetric data do not support an isolation by distance organization of Classic Maya population structure. In the ANOVA and MANOVA tests, I did not find major statistically significant differences in dental metrics between Maya sites. Using principal components analysis, a Mahalanobis Distance test, and R matrix analysis, I found a generally similar patterning of the dental metric data. The dental metric data to not support an isolation by distance model for Classic Maya population structure. However, the geographically outlying sites from Kaminaljuyu and the Pacific Coast repeatedly plotted as biological outliers. R matrix analysis indicates that gene flow, not genetic drift, dominated Classic Maya population structure. Based on the results of the dental nonmetric and metric analyses, I reject the hypothesis that isolation by distance is a valid model for Classic Maya population structure. From the multivariate analyses of the dental nonmetric and metric data, a few notable observations are made. The major sites of Tikal and Calakmul both demonstrate substantial intrasite biological heterogeneity, with some affinity to other sites but with little to one another. Piedras Negras demonstrates some evidence for genetic isolation from the other lowland Maya sites. In the Pasión Zone, Seibal and Altar de Sacrificios demonstrate some affinity to one another, though Dos Pilas is an outlier. The R matrix analysis found evidence of Classic period immigration into Seibal from outside the network of sites tested. The Belize Zone exhibited substantial heterogeneity among its sites, with the site of Colha showing some affinity to the Central Zone. Copan, despite being a geographic outlier, demonstrates genetic affinity with the rest of the Maya area. Kaminaljuyu and the Pacific Coast were both found to be outliers. These results indicate that dental nonmetric and metric data are a useful tool for investigating ancient biological variability in the Maya area and contribute to our expanding understanding of population history in that region.

This research develops a technique focused on shading and texturing, with an emphasis on line work and color, to emulate the unique qualities of copperplate line-engraving from 16th century cartography. A visual analysis of selected maps determines the defining characteristics adapted for three-dimensional computer generated environments. The resulting work is presented in a short time-based animation.