Table of contents for October 2019 in 3D World

Donovan Douglas CG veteran and industry trainer Donovan provides the second part of his rigging course this issue, to help you work smarter and faster. www.donoman.com Maya Jermy Maya is a 3D artist and animator based in the UK. She started her career in 2012 remaking and animating characters for Oddworld mayajermy.artstation.com Pat Imrie Pat is a 3D/VFX artist with over ten years of experience working in high-end TV, visual effects, look development and concepting. www.patimrie.com Chris Pavia 3D artist and UX designer Chris Pavia is our cover artist this issue, with his quirky, fun character sculpted in virtual reality. chrispavia.artstation.com Ian Failes Ian is a regular contributor to 3D World, and in this issue he goes behind the scenes at Milk to discover their processes on page 28. www.beforesandafters.com…

How do shots get made inside a visual effects studio? Who works on them? What tools do they use? How do problems get solved? These are just some of the questions 3D World will be answering in a new multi-part series focusing on the Londonbased visual effects studio Milk VFX, an outfit that began in 2014 and that has been part of projects such as the Oscar-winning Ex Machina, the romantic drama Adrift, and the Amazon/BBC series Good Omens, which is based on the impending-apocalypse novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, among many other television shows and films. This 3D World series begins with a look at how assets are generated at Milk, and subsequent pieces will dive into animation, environments, FX and compositing. Each part, too, includes a…

I grew up in Lake Garda, Italy. I’m a freelance 3D generalist and motion designer now based in the North West of England. I am in love with characters and sci-fi with a good eye for compositing and rendering. Instagram: @micdoesthings Visual effects should be so subtle that you think they’re real. Compositing is all about making disparate visual elements work together in order to create a unified final image. It can be as simple as taking green or blue screen footage, keying it and placing a new environment in the background, or as complex as layering elaborate 3D animations into previously shot live-action footage. However, no matter what kind of compositing you find yourself doing, the basics never change. These ten quick tips will teach you how to achieve…

Will Smith is a product specialist at Notch. Prior to this, Will founded 4 Point Studios, focused on photorealistic architectural projects. www.notch.one Working in real time empowers artists to focus on their creative ideas throughout the entire process. Notch is a real-time graphics workhorse that provides artists with a powerful ‘what you see is what you get’ workflow, which enables creatives to iterate concepts in a much quicker fashion. In this tutorial I will show you how to build a highly realistic architectural scene in Notch. The step-by-step guide will explain how to build a simple 3D space with minimal assets, which can then be turned into a hyperrealistic ray-traced, lit and textured archviz demo. Ray tracing is one of Notch’s most powerful additions in the current 0.9.22 build, with…

First introduced in Modo 13.0, AMD’s Radeon ProRender is a fast, physically accurate GPU render engine. It quickly became part of Tor Frick’s workflow, enabling him to see photorealistic previews of the models he is working on, rather than just relying on the simplified versions that are visible in the viewport. “Being able to see how things look with real materials, not just grey-shaded, means a lot to me,” he says. “A model can look correct in the viewport, but completely different in-game. The faster I can preview things the way they’re going to look later, the better.”…

Since World of Tanks launched on consoles in 2014, Wargaming has added over 900 tanks to the popular game. Generating this amount of content and optimising it to run on the decade-old hardware of the Xbox 360 is no mean feat. The tank optimisation process took an average of two to three days per tank, and a typical monthly update for their title could require anywhere from four to over 100 tanks to be reprocessed by a team of three artists. Much of this heavy lifting has been taken care of by InstaLOD’s remeshing and optimisation features. Both InstaLOD’s remeshing and optimisation can handle skinned meshes, meaning artists were able to save valuable time not having to reskin tanks that had complex suspension rigs. After integrating InstaLOD into their pipeline…

Mike Griggs is a 3D and visual effects artist with vast experience across the industry, as both a creator and a technical writer. www.creativebloke.com If you are new to CGI, there are far too many tools to choose from in a dizzying array of software. This series’ aim is to break everything in CGI down to the very basics, so that every artist can be armed with the knowledge of which tool is best. This month we look at fluid simulations. Creating liquids either in animation or stills is a creative challenge. Movement and scale are two areas where a viewer can spot the difference between convincing and ’fake’ fluids. While simulations are the best way to create a range of fluids, from oceans to drips of condensation, simulations do…

For many studios, Marvelous Designer, with its ability to generate realistic cloth and clothing quickly and intuitively, is fast becoming a fundamental part of their pipeline. Yet the issue remains that the geometry it generates isn’t directly useful. Yes, the high-resolution models are great for rendering or generating textures, but when it comes to the lower-end models, as you need in game development, you pretty much have to rebuild them. Even with the introduction of Remesh, a new option that takes the triangulated models and converts them to quads, the topology doesn’t flow nicely. Instead you are given a very rigid grid, which still takes a lot of time to clean up. There are a whole host of solutions floating around on how to get around this, but the problem…

Using CG to enhance an advert can range from subtle effects through to full-on shots,” says Keith Rogers, a man uniquely qualified to discuss the subject. Rogers has over 15 years’ experience as a 3D artist at boutique post-production studio Smoke & Mirrors and its sister studio Big Buoy. During this time he has created visual effects for a host of advertising projects. “U “A lot of the time I find myself either having to come up with solutions to things that would be expensive or difficult to shoot,” he tells 3D World. “In a perfect scenario anything that is to be done in post is thought about beforehand and planned out. Adding post effects to shot footage can enhance an advert remarkably.” “ONCE YOU HAVE AN IDEA, YOU HAVE…

3D artist Christopher Pavia spent two and a half hours creating his adorable image, Sore Loser. “This image was part of a project I undertook to create a 3D render every day for 365 days, inspired by daily render artists like Beeple and Fvckrender,” he tells 3D World. Pavia chose to create the character in MasterpieceVR, finding its lack of layers to be an oddly enjoyable constraint. “It led to more happy accidents in the exploration phase,” he adds. Sculpting took just an hour, with Pavia stamping out the basic form, then cutting out or adding to it. “My cartoony aesthetic works well with this process,” he explains. “For example, you can see that Sore Loser’s body is just a cone with the edges smoothed out, two more cones for…

1. An overview of Nexture: Nexture by Cronobo VFX is a new software to help create realistic micro details for use in closeups that works to enhance any displacement and bump. It does this by using a library of highresolution realistic patterns, which get populated by a deep learning algorithm using the geometry and edge flow. This was invaluable for us to get the details into Satan’s face as he got so close to camera. You need to start with plenty of reference and a good idea of what you exactly want to achieve. 2. Preparation: For each scale or skin type you’ll need a different mask. For Satan we had an overall skin for the head and neck, one for the face, one for around the eyes and ears…

Donovan teaches modelling and animation classes at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. He has worked in 3D since 2002. 3ds Max, ZBrush, Mudbox and Maya are his favourite 3D programs. www.donoman.com FOLLOW THE VIDEO http://bit.ly/3DW-VR PART 2/4 Welcome to Part 2 in our four-part series on creating a unique fully rigged robot using only a CAT Rig in 3ds Max. In this part you will learn how easy it is to turn CAT Rig bones into Editable Poly objects. With the freedom to model anything you like, the possibilities are endless. Intricate geometry created in ZBrush or Mudbox can easily be applied back to the CAT Rig model using these techniques. Even just within 3ds Max there is great freedom in the modelling process through the use of a variety…

Modo 13.1, the latest release in Foundry’s Modo 13 Series, brings with it significant improvements in performance, particularly when working with the kind of assets that Neon Giant creates in production. The process of converting mesh geometry into a surface that can be drawn to the screen is now up to four times faster, really accelerating animation playback. Multi-threading has also been optimised, enabling artists to make better use of the power provided by high-core-count processors like AMD’s Ryzen™ Threadripper™ CPUs. The speed boost makes it possible to manipulate complex meshes with multiple deformers interactively in the viewport. Modo’s modelling tools continue to evolve, with a new Tool States Presets system enabling artists to save and reuse custom settings, and new options for creating bevels, selecting and thickening geometry, and…

Mike Griggs is a 3D and visual effects artist with vast experience across the industry, as both a creator and a technical writer. www.creativebloke.com When looking at a computer screen running CAD and digital content creation software, many people would likely find it difficult to tell them apart – they both make models that can then be moved and rotated around the screen. The truth of the matter though, as many 3D artists are only too aware, is that CAD software is actually very different, using another modelling paradigm that utilises NURBS and volumes rather than subdivision surfaces, which are typically found in 3D software. Not only this, but CAD software also differs in that it operates with precision in mind, rather than the more freeform creativity that can be…

There are a few ways to cut out shapes in a mesh. Some of them require more elaborate actions, others come with a press of a button and one stroke of the brush. Depending on desired results, we can choose the action accordingly. For example, Live Boolean uses the relationship of subtools to make a new mesh, by projecting one of three actions: add, remove or difference. It is pretty straightforward but it can be timeconsuming, especially if we are trying to achieve more hand-drawn shapes. For irregular shapes cut ‘by hand’ we could use a simple mask-hide-delete hidden action, but it would just leave a hole in the mesh. A family of Clip brushes offer a variety of options worth exploring. They divide into five actions: Clip, Unclip, Trim…

If you’re applying for a job in the advertising sphere at a postproduction studio, the trick is to sell yourself and create your own personal advert, in the form of a showreel. With over a decade and a half of experience under his belt, Keith Rogers is well placed to dish out some advice in these areas. “Be as confident and outgoing as you can,” he adds, “it’s how you'll get noticed.” He goes on to stress the importance of being inquisitive, asking questions and being unafraid to make mistakes. “As for reels, I like it to be no longer than a minute,” he explains, “featuring just your best work. If you’re unsure, leave it out. Also if it was a collaborative effort make sure you say what you did…

Virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree experiences have the power to create stunning visual worlds that surround the viewer. But to create a truly immersive experience, you need to consider the sound design too. Audio can make or break an experience – and often this is overlooked. Jamie Currie, lead developer and audio engineer at Immersive Studios, discusses the importance of sound design in 3D spaces. WHY IS AUDIO SO IMPORTANT? A lot of VR and 360-degree experiences have audio that’s headlocked, which means when you turn your head, the sound moves with you. But of course this isn’t what happens in the real world – and the whole point of VR is it’s meant to be as close to a real-world scenario as possible. So straightaway, if your audio is…

PRICE Free | DEVELOPER Microsoft | WEBSITE maquette.ms Sometimes less is more, and that is definitely the case with Microsoft Maquette. While the rest of the applications in our list need to be bought, Microsoft Maquette is (for now) completely free. And even though it’s a beta, it already feels a lot more stable than other commercially released applications. Microsoft Maquette has a minimal toolset of basic objects to create with, none of which can be edited on a point or vertex level, which is possible with some of its competitors. However, the range of primitives has been well thought out, with some of the distressed cubes being really useful for quickly creating scene setups. The only downside is the default creation trigger being in a different place than in…

PRICE £23.79 | DEVELOPER NVRMIND | WEBSITE nvrmind.io While the other applications on test have the creation of models or scenes at their core, AnimVR is different as its primary task is to create animations. While AnimVR can be used as a modelling app, and has a good range of creation and layer tools, it shines when combined with other VR applications or as an animation sandbox, with the ability to create unique animations incredibly quickly that can then be used in traditional 3D software. While creating an object and then animating it via the duplication of keyframes is an exciting experience in VR, it is the AnimPen that is AnimVR’s secret weapon. This allows an artist to create a brush and ‘draw’ a movement in the VR environment; AnimVR…

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1. Satan – skeleton and muscles For Satan we built a full Ziva rig. The first part is the muscle rig, which is composed of skeleton and muscle geometry. The skeleton and muscles have to be built as separate objects – there needs to be no self-intersections in the bind pose. The muscles are connected to the skeleton using zAttachments, and the skeleton is driven by an alembic cache from the key-framed animation. The muscle solve must start from its bind pose at the origin and move to the world position of the animation, then blend into the first frame. We use a locator that we cache out to get the world position of the animation. 2. Satan – skin and fat The second part of Satan was the skin…

Oscar Juárez is an architect who loves creating in CG – he has had his own studio based in Mexico City, Fibrha Studio, since 2010. www.fibrha.com FOLLOW THE VIDEO http://bit.ly/3DW-VR Creating archviz has so many shades, and that is the fun of it. We can do homes, parks, large projects, smaller ones, even futuristic spaces, all of them with their own purposes and needs. As a result, there are many different ways that we can tackle an archviz project. Through all the years I have been a CG creator I have come to a big realisation: we all have our own workflow, our own methods of organising our work, modelling, texturing and post-production, and we all have our own ways of tackling a project and overcoming any issues we may…

ISSUE 250 SEPTEMBER 2019 250TH ISSUE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL • 250 expert tips and tricks in celebration of our big milestone • Artists from the likes of Pixar and Ziva take a look back at the growth of the industry over the last two decades • Discover the CG artistry behind Toy Story 4 • Downloads Free video training, files and more! ISSUE 249 AUGUST 2019 DETECTIVE PIKACHU • Discover the VFX secrets behind adapting the Pokémon world for the big screen • ILM talk Avengers: Endgame • Explore some of TV’s biggest sci-fi shows and the CG work behind them • Go behind the scenes with the • Downloads Free video training, files and more! ISSUE 248 JULY 2019 DIGITAL SCULPTS: ZBRUSH TRICKS AND TECHNIQUES • Learn from the pros…

One of the many aspects of ZBrush that makes it such an attractive option for content creation is its flexibility with assets; it allows us to work free of the usual constraints that we are used to in some of the more traditional modelling packages. At the top of the list is the ability to work on an asset without worrying about our topology. Now, I want to be very clear that topology is incredibly important and is something that should never be put to the side as a second thought. However, when you are creating a concept sculpture or starting a new asset from scratch, at times a rigid topology can affect your ability to get detail in exactly the right place and would require subdividing your model higher.…

Here I will show you the full process for creating a fine leather material using Substance Designer. For this type of material, I selected the Physically Based (Metallic/Roughness) Graph Template and deleted the Metallic output since it isn’t necessary for this particular substance. At this point we can start to add all the nodes from the Substance Designer library: the Cells 3 and the BnW Spots 1 noises (these two are the main elements of the leather material), the Height to Normal World Units filter, four Levels filters, a Blend filter, and last but not least the Gradient Map filter. Now we can start to link these elements, starting with the Cells 3, which will be placed at the beginning of the graph with the BnW Spots 1. These two…