Eschers Waterfall Animation

This project was challenging to create, not due to the complexity  of the animation or the models, but based on the concept that is physically impossible. The inspiration for this piece was the painting ‘Waterfall’ by M C Escher which depicts a waterfall with water flowing constantly downhill, but ending at the top of the waterfall which is in itself impossible, however the supporting pillars of the structure are also impossible. To create this model in 3D I had to place the camera at a fixed point and model the structure to look as close as possible to the original, the entire scene also needs to be lit equally to avoid shadows exposing the illusion. Originally I intended to use the blender fluid simulation tool to make water flow through the scene however this function is very unreliable and so I settled on a cube which would move up the waterfall. I could not use a singular cube to complete the illusion as can be seen in the image at the bottom right so two cubes were used to give the illusion of a continuous loop moving around the waterfall. I am pleased with the end result of the piece. However without some of the detailing, in particular the inclusion of water as in Eschers painting, some of the awe created by Escher is lost in my creation. Another project to return to once time allows.