A view from inside the neocortical forest by Antille Nicolas, EPFL
Entry in category 1. ©Nicolas Antille; See also bit.ly/snsf_comp_copy
This is an illustration of the neocortical microcircuitry, featuring all 55 morphology types observed in the neocortex. After the publication of a paper – Reconstruction and Simulation of Neocortical Microcircuitry – by Markram et al. in Cell journal, a new version of this illustration was requested for A0 poster printing in July 2016, which is the subject of this competition.
This 3d scene was made in Blender with some Python scripting to access simulation data. The virtual lens is a wide angle 18mm. Compositing was done in Photoshop.
This illustration of a neocortical circuit is a testimony to the hard work of many people at the Blue Brain Project, a joint effort between engineers and scientists to digitally reconstruct and simulate the rodent brain. The morphologies and their location in space come from the simulation data. The aspect of the neurons, the lighting and the environment are left to the artist’s creativity. Only 2% of the neurons are visible here. There is a particular attention to details and a play on light in the way the neurons reflect and refract it, revealing a fragile world.
The composition focuses on a group of pyramidal neurons on layer 5 and places the spectator into a microscopic and fascinating underwater forest. Brain cells are surrounded by liquid, which is why this illustration feels like being underwater, with light seen far above, peeking through a dense cluster of branches. The vertical axis of the composition takes the viewer from the depths of the neocortex to its near surface. This image gives a feel of never ending complexity, they are branches going in all directions. Microscopic cells have become large tree-like structures. We are looking at the neuronal architecture of the brain. ¦ Image#1_16
A view from inside the neocortical forest by Antille Nicolas, EPFL
Entry in category 1. ©Nicolas Antille; See also bit.ly/snsf_comp_copy
This is an illustration of the neocortical microcircuitry, featuring all 55 morphology types observed in the neocortex. After the publication of a paper – Reconstruction and Simulation of Neocortical Microcircuitry – by Markram et al. in Cell journal, a new version of this illustration was requested for A0 poster printing in July 2016, which is the subject of this competition.
This 3d scene was made in Blender with some Python scripting to access simulation data. The virtual lens is a wide angle 18mm. Compositing was done in Photoshop.
This illustration of a neocortical circuit is a testimony to the hard work of many people at the Blue Brain Project, a joint effort between engineers and scientists to digitally reconstruct and simulate the rodent brain. The morphologies and their location in space come from the simulation data. The aspect of the neurons, the lighting and the environment are left to the artist’s creativity. Only 2% of the neurons are visible here. There is a particular attention to details and a play on light in the way the neurons reflect and refract it, revealing a fragile world.
The composition focuses on a group of pyramidal neurons on layer 5 and places the spectator into a microscopic and fascinating underwater forest. Brain cells are surrounded by liquid, which is why this illustration feels like being underwater, with light seen far above, peeking through a dense cluster of branches. The vertical axis of the composition takes the viewer from the depths of the neocortex to its near surface. This image gives a feel of never ending complexity, they are branches going in all directions. Microscopic cells have become large tree-like structures. We are looking at the neuronal architecture of the brain. ¦ Image#1_16