WEEK 4
WEEK 6

SCAD x NYC – Week 5

My progress during the 10-week collaboration with Harbor Picture Company, Electrical Theatre Collective, and Calling All Talent.

(Most recent progress at the top)

WEEK 5 – TO-DO (INDIVIDUAL):

  • Shot 2 (Embroidery)  – Continue working on the movement of FX
  • Shot 2 – add lighting and look-dev
  • Shot 4 (Sheet) – Make cloth feel softer and less heavy 

WEEK 5 – TO-DO (TEAM):

  • HERO SHOTS:
    • Shot 6 – Bedroom
    • Shot 1 – Weaving
  • Add Look-Dev and Lighting to shots 1 and 2
  • Fix timing of shots
  • Refine materials to make fabrics look softer
  • Refine simulations to make fabrics feel softer

Feb 8, 2026

Shot 2 – Embroidery (Pattern Exploration)

  • Embroidery Test on sheet edge (without movement)
  • Camera Movement (Left)
  • Render (Right)
  • Notes:
    • Try different camera angles
    • Make the thread smaller + increase weave pattern of cloth, so scale looks correct
    • Try more zoomed out to read better as embroidery on the edge of cloth
    • Reduce contrast in lighting 
    • Fix cloth thickness + render artifacts
    • Add groom to thread as well as cloth
  • Embroidery test with moving cloth (as if someone is pulling the cloth)
  • Notes:
    • Make it keep rolling
    • Back roll looks odd
    • Make embroidery be on sheet edge 
  • Ladder Stitch Test (Image S)
    • Notes:
      • I think that this doesn’t read very well as embroidery without being very zoomed out
      • Might get distracting with multiple lines of stiching happening at once
Image S
Reference - https://www.bollandbranch.com/products/signature-embellished-sheet-set-sale/?color=Cream%2FSand+Ladder+Stitch&size=Twin

Feb 7, 2026

Shot 2 – Embroidery (Lighting + Rendering + Groom Test)

  • First pass of lighting! 
  • I wanted to keep the lights and shadows softer to match the rest of the commercial
  • I used quilts with every shot to see how this shot fit together with different thread color variations
  • Image P – We originally planned to make the thread gold, but this felt too out of place with the rest of the materials throughout
  • Image Q + Image R – We liked the thread being more of a muted copper color
  • Shot 2 Lighting (To -do):
    • Add updated textures
    • improve composition 
    • test out patterns with composition
Image O
Image P
Image Q
Image R
  • Groom Test
    • To-do:
      • Increase density
      • Increase curl
      • Improve composition to make lighting the groom more interesting
Reference - https://www.bollandbranch.com/products/elysian-cotton-cashmere-sheet-set/?color=Cream%2FPewter&size=Queen

Feb 7, 2026

Shot 2 – Embroidery (Twist Troubleshooting)

  • After adding the twisting threads yesterday, I started to have some issues with jittering (Image L)
  • At first, I thought it was that the point numbers were changing, so i tried using solutions with id attribute to fix that
  • When I looked closely, I realized, the problems weren’t caused only by the addition of points
  • The problems were also because the twisting points that create the pattern are continuing to twist every frame and don’t stop once they settled
  • With some help from Claude AI, I was able to add onto the original VEX code to make sure that the twist only occurs when the points are added and not afterward, too 
  •  I used Claude to give an explanation as well to fully understand each step

Image L

Image M
Image N

Feb 6, 2026

Shot 2 – Embroidery (Twist Pattern)

  • Using VEX I added in the twist pattern from last week back onto the thread
  • Image G + H – two points are constantly added and twist around the center line, created below in Image F
  • Image I – Add node to create curve for the twisitng points, while deleting the center line
  • Image J – Mask that can be controlled for newly added points to control pscale (thread is thinner at the tip, then grows)
  • Image K – Twist geo
Image G
Image H
Image I
Image J
Image K

Feb 5, 2026

Shot 2 – Embroidery

  •  After exploring with the zigzag pattern for the embroidery, I think the old pattern wasn’t reading as embroidery 
  • I decided I wanted the effect to replicate hand stitching instead
  • I used Claude AI to help me write a VEX script that would allow me to create a twisting pattern around an input curve. This gave me extra control over the exact pattern I wanted and where it would be on the sheet, with a custom curve.  
  • With the help of Claude, I was able to create controls for loop width, loop height, spacing, growth speed,

Curve Pattern Creation:

  • Image A – Original curve for stiching to happen aroung
  • Image B  – Points created for growing stiching effect
  • Image C – Add node to connect points and create string curve
Image A
Image B
Image C

Curve Pattern Offset Growth:

  • Image D  – Adjustable mask for newer added points to control bulge height and offset speed
  • Image E – Points with new buldge mask
  • Image F  – Add node to connect points into embtoridery curve + jitter added to make it feel less perfect
Image D
Image E
Image F

Additional Control:

  • Since my team and I are trying to make sure that all of the shots feel cohesive with speed, I wanted to have a lot of control over speed (with the overall speed and specifically the newly added thread speed)

Feb 3, 2026

Feedback – Week 5 Review

 

Feedback from Mentors:

  • Hailey:
    • The sheets feel heavy with because of the simulation behavior and shaders
    • Shot 4 feels like it is getting stuck, cut the beginning part of it
  • Beck:
    • Animate the vellum constraints in shot 4 – they feel too stiff
    • Have pre-roll for vellum to
    • Shot 6 (Comforter) feels too stiff and like a curtain rod
  • Molly:
    • Shot 7 (Wide Bedroom) should be much more interesting since it is the last shot
    • There is ease-in and ease-out on your cameras
  • Kyle:
    • The end of shot 6 (Comforter fall) cuts too fast and should be slightly longer
    • Shot 7 (Wide Bedroom) – Use lightwrap for live action integration
    • Shot 4 (Sheet) feels like a ghost and like there is something pulling it down
    • Shot 4 should be cut shorter
    • Look development and lighting for the first 2 shots is needed
    • Shot 7 needs more interesting lighting

Week 5 Video