Here's a new piece describing the origins of the LIFE videos:
Life: The Universe and Everything
While drawing on some traditional techniques for connecting geometry throughout frames, I gave my characters more of a say in their movements. On the basis of my creative impulse, they played with each other and taught me what looks good and what works well. I modelled what I could on the basis of fundamental physics, using standard animation techniques when time or hardware or other constraints prevailed. I treated each episode as an experiment. Generally, I used relatively simple geometry with naturalistic forces, instead of complex models with hand-picked motions. However, some of the models became extremely complex, with some scenes using over a million independently interacting components. I crafted a lot of materials from scratch, from synthesiser instruments and software cameras and lights to physical dynamics. For me a highlight was creating stars and planets and an entire galaxy and watching as they naturally developed some photorealistic effects.
Please read, enjoy, and share! :)
Rock & Roll!!!!!!! :)