Animation:

“My idea was to integrate the two [computer graphics and three-dimensional art] so that there’s a natural flow between the virtual and the real—both expressively and conceptually,” says Luecking, a new member of CTI, a sculptor and full professor in DePaul’s Department of Art and Art History.

“I did a project whose design phase took a year and a half. I thought, I could really use some help here,” says Luecking, who began thinking about merging the two disciplines when he began using computer-aided design (CAD) equipment years ago.

“I was really turned on by it because you can use this environment to design, explore, experiment, create and test. Then, you can bring it out [of the virtual world] into reality by using sculptural processes.”

Luecking explains that the integration of computer science and art will lead to multiple job opportunities. Few schools are approaching the process the way that CTI is, he says. “Our methods of output will be closer to industry. For example, cutting patterns and folding them into three-dimensional shapes is related to sheet metal fabrication.”

Wolfe adds, “The final output is being done by numerically controlled equipment that has been used in industry.” These processes are used in building everything from ductwork and cabinets to automobiles and boats. Computer animation is being used in industry, advertising, entertainment and numerous other areas.

There are three basic form-making techniques: construction, subtraction and addition. Students will be able to experience all three types, they say.

“The thing that’s so exciting is actually building a physical object. All of the work that we’ve done before in CTI has always been a picture of a three-dimensional object,” Wolfe says.

“Computer animation is becoming more of a factor within engineering as far as product design is concerned,” Wolfe says. “It’s efficient to store and easier to manipulate.”

She adds, “Technology is the underpinning to what we’re doing here. With a solid understanding of the technology, you can become even more expressive and creative in what you’re doing.”

Both Luecking and Wolfe say they are amazed by the number of parallels between the processes of developing code and how an artist creates a sculpture.

“I attended some meetings for HCI (human-computer interaction), and they use some of the same terms—“design,” “prototype,” “evaluate”—that any designer of objects, including artists, would use,” Luecking says.

The experience has enhanced practitioners of both disciplines. “It’s been a wonderfully broadening experience to have artists in our midst,” Wolfe says.

Luecking calls the merging of the two fields the wave of the future. “It’s going to be so cheap that you can buy CAD for less than a tube of cadmium paint. You can get a good draw program for less than the cost of an easel.”