3D Worldの March 2017 の目次

We embrace Houdini 16 (H16) this issue. Starting on page 18, SideFX reveals all of the new features coming to the leading industry software. Also, we offer exclusive training for H16’s new hair tools (page 32) and new fluid features (page 44). Plus, those new to Houdini can get ahead with our starter tips and advice on page 26. SUBSCRIBE FROM £11.25! Get print and digital editions every month, turn to page 30 SPOTLIGHT ON OUR CONTRIBUTORS Mark Spevick Mark is head of 3D and a course leader at Escape Studios, and a board member of VES. On page 26, he shares his tips for getting started in Houdini. www.bit.ly/mark-spevick Gustavo Åhlén Gustavo is the founder of Svelthe, a creative studio working for games, films and advertising. On page 58,…

Houdini has traditionally been viewed as having a steep learning curve, particularly when migrating from other 3D software. Houdini requires not only good basic knowledge of 3D animation, but also a whole new and different way of thinking compared to traditional 3D software. Understanding these differences, and getting your head around a few other concepts, is key to demystifying how to work within Houdini, and will help to reduce that steep learning curve. After many years of using, learning and teaching Houdini to people of all levels, I want to share with you some key points that I believe will help you understand these key differences in order to get the most out of Houdini. 01 PROCEDURES The biggest difference between Houdini and other 3D software is proceduralism. According to…

Piers has over 12 years’ experience in the games industry and is director and 3D artist at digital art studio The Digi Monsters. www.thedigimonsters.com The idea for this project came to me after pouring over some of the amazing artwork on ArtStation. I’d seen many great creature creations, but the ones that seemed to work the best were those that took the form of some sort of chimaera, and used different parts of various existing and recognisable animals, grafting them together to create something interesting and new, but more believable than a completely fictional creation. After going through my reference material, the idea for the Pygmy Chinchibex was finally born… It’s part ibex, part chinchilla, part creature of nightmares! This was a personal project from the outset, and I knew…

Syawish A Rehman A motion graphics and VFX artist from Pakistan with nine years’ experience, Syawish loves motion graphics and making video tutorials. www.facebook.com/theredpineapplearts Pietro Chiovaro Pietro is an Italian 3D artist who creates 3D assets and environments, and is currently working on an open-source game. www.bit.ly/PietroChiovaro Francis-Xavier Martins Francis-Xavier is a character artist and CG generalist based in Brighton, with over a decade of experience in video games, media and TV. www.polyjunky.com Jason Knight Jason is a freelance digital artist with over 30 years’ experience. His digital journey began in 1983 on a computer with 2K of memory. www.knightgraphics.daportfolio.com Paul Hatton Paul leads a studio of visualisers based in the UK. He delivers a host of projects including video and interactive environments. www.cadesignservices.co.uk GET IN TOUCH EMAIL YOUR QUESTIONS…

PRICE From £1,849.08; as tested £2,933.33 plus VAT | COMPANY Scan | WEBSITE www.scan.co.uk/3xs James has been writing about technology for two decades, focusing on content creation hardware and software. He was editor of PC Pro magazine for five years. www.tzero.co.uk FEATURES 3GHz Intel Core i7-6950X running at 4GHz 64GB 2,666MHz DDR4 SDRAM AMD FirePro WX7100 graphics with 8GB GDDR5 memory 256GB Intel 600p Series M.2 solid state disk, 2TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 SATA 7,200rpm hard disk, Asus DRW-24D5MT DVD rewriter Warranty: 3 years – first year onsite, second and third years RTB (parts and labour) Workstations using Nvidia graphics are almost as universal as the Intel processors they are based on. But AMD has finally released a new range of professional graphics cards, and our first taster comes installed…

PRICE £150 (Annually) | COMPANY SiNi Software | WEBSITE www.sinisoftware.com Paul leads a UK-based studio of visualisers. He delivers a whole host of projects including video and interactive environments. www.cadesignservices.co.uk/services/3d-studio FEATURES Scene set-up tools Export to Nuke and After Effects Up to 4K network play blasts Custom Maxscript launcher Object and animation tools HISTORY PLUG-IN PROGRESS SiNi Software is a relatively new start-up from two people called Si and Nigel, hence the name of the company. They are attempting to draw on their experience of using other plug-ins within the industry to try and release “world class plug-ins.” Over the years, there have been a variety of utility plug-ins for 3ds Max that have attempted to make our lives easier. That is exactly what SiNi (the name comes from the…

Practical tips and tutorials from pro artists to improve your CG skills A 3D and 2D artist, photographer and filmmaker from France, Andrey loves the traditional arts yet believes that new technologies allow artists to perform miracles. www.cgfaunstudio.wixsite.com/home After you have spent time creating long and carefully laid-out curly hair, imagine that the director of your project comes and says, “Good hair, but I want it less frizzy with more curls.” In this situation, using most 3D packages, you have to almost completely remake the hair. In Houdini, if you create a well thought-out process from the start, you can make these changes with a single click later. Due to its procedural core, Houdini enables you to create a hairstyle very quickly, and you have complete control across all the…

Ryan is an FX artist from Hong Kong and a recent graduate from SCAD. He works at SideFX in Toronto, where he loves working on fluid effects in Houdini. www.ryanngfx.com Suction Fluid is a new tool within the Particle Fluids shelfset in Houdini 16. This tool allows you to suck up a fluid surface and fill a target object with that fluid. Depending on the amount of Suction Strength you use, along with Inside and Outside Distance, you can create rather interesting results with your fluid surface taking on the shape of your target object. The fluid can retain the liquid shape of the target object and keep the volume intact, or there can be a gentle moving force that grabs and releases the fluid. Additionally, the use of static…

News and views from around the international CG community With an accountant for a mother and an opera singer for a father, Penrose Studios founder and CEO Eugene Chung has always had what he describes as a “duality of left and right brain,” something which has influenced his career path. “I’ve been a software developer, but also a filmmaker who has made some independent movies that were done for animated film companies,” he explains. At an early age, the native of Virginia learned that public consumption changes over time. “There is a German phrase that describes the ideal work of art [Gesamtkunstwerk], and the followers of Richard Wanger said it had to be opera, which was the culmination of the best characters, stories and music. A few decades later, people…

PRICE £1,600 (13-inch) to £2,000 (16-inch) | COMPANY Wacom | WEBSITE www.wacom.com Ian is editor of the magazine you’re holding and has over 20 years experience editing and writing for film, games, art and technology magazines in the UK. www.bit.ly/iandean FEATURES 15.6inch, 16:9 ratio screen size 16.7 million displayable colours Up to six hours battery life Intel Core i7 Nvidia Quadro M1000M, 4GB GDDR5 512 GB SSD / 16GB DDR 5MP HD camera on the front, 8MP HD camera and 3D Intel RealSense camera with Artec 3D on the rear 3 USB-C ports 6 customisable ExpressKeys Wacom tried and stumbled when it released the Wacom Companion two years ago. With a short battery life and the need to connect to a workstation to really use any 3D software, that release…

PRICE £42 | COMPANY Nitro4d | WEBSITE nitro4d.com Steve is a freelance tech journalist and CG artist, with an unhealthy addiction to 3D apps and plug-ins. www.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Steve_Jarratt FEATURES Creates shattering simulations automatically Manually paint Voronoi fracture patterns Tags for adding fragments, dust, and retiming dynamics modes Connect function keeps fractured objects intact Provides extra control over destruction of multiple objects Prolific developer Lazaros Paschos – aka Nitroman – has spent the best part of the last decade making plugins to shatter, break and smash objects in Cinema 4D. But with R18’s new Voronoi Fracture tool, he’s gone to the next level. NitroMoFracture uses a similar auto-fracture approach to NitroBlast, enabling you to easily set up collisions and have objects knock chunks off one another, but now you can use…

MODEL + VIDEO + STEP IMAGES SCULPT CLOTH IN ZBRUSH Download our artist’s video walkthrough, plus get the model for free! FREE! GET THIS MODEL VIDEO + STEP IMAGES CREATE AN ATMOSPHERIC SCENE Follow the video walkthrough and download the step-by-step images to get more from this tutorial STEP IMAGES FLUIDS IN HOUDINI 16 Use the high-res step images to follow this exclusive training VIDEO + STEP IMAGES TIPS AND TRICKS TO MASTER REDSHIFT Download this collection of video tips and tutorials for Varomix’s advice on getting more from Redshift 12GB OF VIDEO & FILES GET YOUR RESOURCES You’re three steps away from this issue’s video training and files… 1. GO TO THE WEBSITE Type the following into your browser: www.bit.ly/vault 218-houdini 2. FIND THE FILES YOU WANT FROM THE…

Victoria is an industrial designer and self-taught 3D artist who specialises in hard surface modelling. She loves creating robots, mechs, vehicles, ships and weapons for video games and films. www.victoriapassariello.com FOLLOW THE VIDEO If you see the Play icon, use the link A ll of us have probably heard about Quixel Suite, the new generation of texture software. The Suite contains a huge variety of physically-based rendering (PBR) materials including metals, cloth, dirt, wood and so on, which you can modify entirely as you wish. You can create your own materials from scratch too, plus the Suite offers a very helpful and easy tool to create Normal maps. Quixel is a very intuitive and easy to learn software if you know the basics of PBR, editing masks, and working with…

PRICE €995-€3,695 (depending on license package) | COMPANY Next Limit | WEBSITE www.nextlimit.com Rob is a 3D artist and creative director, working across TV, film and print. When not in the studio he is often found presenting at various events, from FMX to Siggraph. www.pariahstudios.co.uk FEATURES Multiple particle types Dynamic physics engine New daemons and falloff options New visual project manager Updated Export manager Dyverso Multiphysics Improved performance CPU and GPU support RealFlow has a reputation as a capable VFX tool with lots of power on tap, although at the cost of a steeper-than-normal learning curve. Version 10 looks set to ease people into its workflow more quickly, while at the same time adding to its toolset. RealFlow’s user interface was updated a few versions ago now, and this release…