Wednesday, May 12, 2010

3-D Ramp Illusion

This video shows a 3-D optical illusion where balls appear to roll uphill. Thanks, Colin (via BoingBoing)

5 comments:

Evan T said...

Fun stuff! I used to have one of Walter Wick's old books on optical illusions that was full of stuff just like that.

The fearless threader said...

Love the video, where do you find them all? Also bit of a shame about the spammers!

Sean said...

Hi Mr. Gurney,

Cool video. This stuff always interests me because it seems so simple once you see it, but the genius of creating it and making it work is what sets the creators apart.

This is off topic, but I was wondering if you would be interested in doing a lecture at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, New York. I just started adjunting there and have used your book just about every single class in both children's book and editorial illustration. Our illustration degree is very small and dwindling and I believe it is because new students are going to the animation degree thinking its the cool thing to do. Not that animation is bad, but I believe there are a handful of students who would benefit more from the illustration program learning to draw, paint, and conceptualize with both traditional and digital media. I have talked to a few of the animation students who felt frustrated by the animation classes and found they want to do more of the concept design, character design, set design, matte paintings, storyboarding, etc. and have encouraged them to switch to illustration where I believe they are happier now and realize they can still go into the field of animation, but as something other than the actual animator.

I know you are very busy and appreciate both your book and your blog which help me out incredibly in classes. If you have any suggestions on revamping the illustration program to save it from destruction or would like to come lecture, myself as well as my co workers and students would be greatly appreciative.

Again, thank you for all you do for the art community.

Sean

James Gurney said...

Sean, interesting what you say about illustration and animation. From my visits to a bunch of art schools, it seems the departments are overlapping each other a lot more than they used to, which I think is a great thing.

Please send me an email (jgurneyart@yahoo) about MVCC, and let's see if we can work out a visit.

Gran Pa Orca said...

If you would like to make your own, check out Kokichi Sugihara's site: http://home.mims.meiji.ac.jp/~sugihara/hobby/hobbye.html

There are PDF diagrams on how make the "Impossible Motion" and 3 other illusions.

Truth is stranger than perception.

GPJ