Table of contents for February 2019 in 3D World

There are some key fundamental steps to follow during the process of developing CG environments before you can reach the final composited result. These ‘fundamentals’ refer to colours, shapes, textures, modelling, lighting, atmosphere, exposure, contrast, saturation and so on, and these parameters are the basic principles to learn before starting any work. For example, if we are working on an intro for a film or a series, we should take note of any important details of the script in order for us to understand the essence of the work, which will in turn enable us to understand the needs of our client. Sketching environments using references is a good way to start because it helps us to organise our scattered ideas. It is also very important to understand colour theory…

One of the more tedious aspects of moving between 3D applications is learning where all the modelling commands are. The issue is that there is not a consistent modelling toolset across any of the applications. This gets in the way of creation, and is even worse for new 3D artists trying to decide if they should use polygon modelling or NURBS. As many 3D applications concentrate on subdivision modelling, it’s good to have an independent solution for NURBS that can integrate with a variety of 3D packages. And that’s where MoI comes in! MoI (Moment of Inspiration) is a purebred 3D NURBS modelling application which, as its name suggests, concentrates on excelling at the core task of creating 3D models as quickly and as cleanly as possible. The MoI workflow…

For this project creative agency MEPTIK collaborated with RiTE Media to operate a state-of-the-art, high-speed robotic camera. The extended reality test showcase was created through Notch software, with a desire to challenge the current paradigm of CGI creation in feature filmmaking. Notch was used for the instantaneous rendering of a complex 3D scene. MEPTIK chose Notch based on its ability to take incoming position data and apply it to a scene, as well as for its robust particle system, ability to quickly tweak lighting and the fact that it also allows real-world objects to interact with a 3D scene. The success of this first test opens up a new world of ground-breaking possibilities for both film and experiential design. As a result, MEPTIK and Notch are looking to further experiment…

PRICE $50 monthly / $300 annual / $490 perpetual license | DEVELOPER CLO Virtual Fashion | WEBSITE www.marvelousdesigner.com You can set your seasonal clock by some companies’ release cycles. E-on’s Vue usually has a winter release, you see the annual 3ds Max release somewhere in early spring, and when Marvelous Designer starts showing pretty renders of new garments, posting more on Facebook, or promotes new tutorials, you know it’s autumn and a new release is imminent. This year was no different, but when opening Marvelous Designer (MD) 8 for the first time, you realise they must have worked very hard to make this year’s release roughly on time, as the new features kick everything up a notch. First, there is the beta remesh tool, aimed at handling retopo inside MD,…

With GPU-based rendering now an essential workflow for CG artists, MAXON Computer wanted to integrate a GPU render engine into Cinema 4D, its professional 3D software. Unlike third-party solutions based on proprietary technology, the new renderer had to perform well on any user’s system, whatever hardware or operating system they chose. Enter Radeon ProRender, AMD’s powerful, physically based GPU render engine. First integrated in Cinema 4D R19, Radeon ProRender enables artists to create photorealistic imagery quickly and intuitively, adjusting only a small number of settings – and being based on the OpenCL™ standard, it runs on virtually any combination of CPUs and GPUs, on both Windows and macOS. “Radeon ProRender is a fast, highly interactive way to render images,” says Oliver Meiseberg, MAXON’s Chief Product Officer. “Artists can achieve the…

Connecting to a computer via Thunderbolt 3, external GPU breakaway boxes like Sonnet’s eGFX series enable both Windows and Mac users to boost the performance of their systems with AMD’s powerful Radeon Pro WX 7100, Radeon Pro WX 9100 and Radeon Pro SSG graphics cards. In tests conducted by MAXON, the motorbike model shown above was rendered in Radeon ProRender in Cinema 4D R20. Connecting an external Radeon Pro WX 9100 GPU cuts render times dramatically – and the effect is scalable, with two external GPUs cutting render times still further. Tests conducted by MAXON Computer in June 2018 on macOS 10.13.4 using a mid-2017 15-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU, AMD Radeon Pro 560 internal GPU and 16 GB DDR4 memory, and a…

GUNCRAWLER ARTIST Tomi Väisänen SOFTWARE MoI 3D, 3ds Max, Corona Renderer, Photoshop “Most of all I enjoy modelling and designing, that’s my bread and butter. It’s the most creative and challenging part of working,” explains 3D artist Tomi Väisänen. Tomi has almost a decade of experience in 3D art and currently works at Wargaming in Helsinki. Outlining his creative process Tomi says: “First of all I gather references to inspire me and give a hint towards the direction I’m taking. After that, I start blocking out all major forms, when I’m at least somewhat happy I’ll start the modelling.” Tomi usually works in 3ds Max, MoI 3D and ZBrush at the same time, combining the best bits from each software. He continues: “When everything is modelled I start playing with…

In Houdini 17 SideFX introduced some new tools and enhanced others in order to widen the range of opportunities for artists creating fully procedural terrains or adding details to real-world based models. For example, the enhanced Erode node simulates erosion in a more scientifically plausible way and has many more controls than before. The main parameters of HeightField nodes can now be masked and there is an instant paint button which automatically sets up the appropriate node(s) for painting. Taking a scientific approach to our CG landscapes will always help us to achieve better results, so that’s why we’re not simply running through the new terrain features, but also taking a look at some basic scientific aspects and exploring some new methods, such as the Vellum toolset to simulate tectonic…

As a more technical artist I’m always amazed at how detailed and intricate such simple objects and materials can be. The bark on a tree, the rocks on the ground, even the clouds in the sky contain insane amounts of detail in their shaping and form. The way light scatters across such simple surfaces, revealing so many fine details, is really quite astounding. When it comes to shading and detailing highly complex surfaces the underlying shape/model of the object plays a large role in the result, especially if that object is translucent or refractive in any way. Lighting and shading work together in a unified way, and when surfaces are refractive or scatter light, small imperfections and details on the surface play a large role in distributing that light further…

Maya Jermy replies Noses come in all shapes and sizes, and unless we are trying to sculpt a likeness of someone famous, we can get away with almost any shape we sculpt. However, it is important to know the basics of anatomy to sculpt a more believable nose. As long as our character is a human being, we should apply that knowledge to bring out the correct features. It is necessary to understand how a nose works, but there is no frantic need to learn the names of all the bones and muscles surrounding it. If we were to explain a nose to a child in the simplest forms, we would most likely divide it into three parts that we see at first glance: bridge, tip and nostrils (also known…

In part 1 of 3D World’s VFX Diary series, we learned from experienced visual effects supervisor Stephan Fleet about the important things to keep in mind during pre-production. Now, using examples from Fleet’s career in overseeing episodic effects, we look at the role of the visual effects supervisor during the shoot, a stage in the process that is often referred to as ‘production’. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS ON A SHOOT? Several people who are part of the visual effects process might be required on set for the shoot. This includes the overall VFX supervisor, a dedicated on-set supervisor, various vendor-based supervisors and artists responsible for data-wrangling or surveying on set. “At its core,” expands Fleet, “a TV or streaming on-set supervisor is responsible for making sure all planned VFX shots go…

From the UK’s National Trust to magazine publishers to manufacturers, digital content creator Mike Griggs has a wide and varied portfolio of clients for whom he creates 3D art, motion graphics and multimedia exhibits. A typical day might involve sampling birdsong near Virginia Woolf’s country estate or creating 3D animations for VR. To keep on top of these demands, Griggs wanted to take the full power of the GPU computing revolution on the road. “My work is never the same from one day to the next, and I need the power that GPU computing offers for CGI animation and portability – for client visits, working on the go, collating data from shoots and just exploring ideas while sitting on the sofa,” said Griggs, founder of Creative Bloke. However, until recently,…

Follow the link to download your free files www.bit.ly/vault-243-engines VIDEO + STEP IMAGES CREATE AND SHADE REALISTIC HONEYCOMBS Matthew Novak guides us through the process of producing a detailed, realistic honeycomb render in Maya, along with shading and lighting techniques. VIDEO + STEP IMAGES TEXTURE HARD-SURFACE SCULPTS In part 2 of Martin Nebelong’s tutorial, learn how to unwrap, texture and set up a model for rendering. VIDEO + STEP IMAGES BUILD CINEMATIC ENVIRONMENTS Gustavo Åhlén takes us into World Machine for some cinematic terrain creation. 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-243-engines 2. FIND THE FILES YOU WANT FROM THE LIST Search the list of free resources to…

Few people push Cinema 4D harder than Günter Nikodim. Over the past five years, the freelance CG artist has worked on a series of ambitious visual effects sequences for Austrian movies and TV series, ranging from simulating floods and landslides to recreating the city of Vienna in 3D. “Cinema 4D is the perfect tool for smaller businesses,” says Nikodim. “In most jobs, my highest priority is to deliver things quickly. Cinema 4D has a very streamlined workflow, and good connections to compositing software like Nuke.” That makes Cinema 4D ideal for Cybertime, the boutique VFX house with which Nikodim often works. For the memorably titled 2013 movie Bad Fucking – named after a village in Austria, and actually pronounced ‘fooking’ – the studio simulated both a landslide and a tidal…

In Mortal Engines, director Christian Rivers had to move a massive city. And not just any city. In the future world of the film, the entire remnants of London have been placed on enormous tracks and been motorised. Not only that, London attacks other smaller and more vulnerable cities on wheels. To pull off that stunning imagery, and also flesh out a steampunk world that has been ravaged by a war and extreme geological movements of the Earth, Rivers looked to the artists at Weta Digital who, among many other challenges, had to find ways to animate these enormous machines in photoreal landscapes. 3D World found out from key members of Weta Digital’s team – visual effects supervisors Ken McGaugh, Luke Millar and Kevin Smith, and animation supervisor Dennis Yoo…

So far in 3D World’s look behind the scenes at DNEG, we’ve explored the visual effects studio’s work in visual development and creature creation. Now we turn to animation; DNEG employs a global group of animators to bring to life animated creatures, characters, vehicles and many other elements for the studio’s feature films and television shows. And DNEG’s 20-year visual effects history certainly has some animation highlights. Significant work on John Carter, released in 2012, involved huge numbers of characters and set the scene for the VFX studio’s animation expertise. In more recent times, the central performances in Venom, Pacific Rim: Uprising and Deadpool 2 evidence more of the major contributions DNEG has made in the field. And episodic work for shows such as Fungus The Bogeyman and Black Mirror’s…

The use of game engine technology in narrative film or television isn’t a new phenomenon, “Unreal Engine has been driving previsualisation and virtual production on feature films for years,” says Marc Petit, general manager of Unreal Enterprise at Epic Games. “The first use was by ILM on Steven Spielberg’s 2001 film A.I.” More recently the technology has been utilised by Framestore for on-set virtual productions on the likes of Blade Runner 2049 and Christopher Robin. It’s also been employed by previsualisation company Halon for their work on War For The Planet Of The Apes and by ILM for final effects shots in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. VFX house Method Studios has even used Unreal Engine as the basis for a whole new virtual production pipeline on Robert Zemeckis’…

If you’re new to CGI, you may feel that there are far too many tools to choose from in a dizzying array of software. This series aims 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 continue our look at cameras. Why do some photographs look flat and others look like they have depth? This is usually due to how blurred the background looks. This is controlled by a camera’s aperture and is defined on a camera by its f-stop (or t-stop on some movie camera lenses). Understanding aperture will help sell 3D scenes by giving it a true ‘movie’ look, a sense of scale both large and small. As always,…

Pat Imrie replies Ask almost any 3D artist what they consider to be one of the most tedious and sometimes troublesome tasks of the 3D content creation process, and you could put money on them saying ‘UV mapping’. It’s why tools such as ZBrush give us the ability to paint without UVs, so that we can temporarily bypass a process that can interrupt our creative flow. As much as many dislike working with them, UVs are an essential part of production. They allow us more control over our work than they are given credit for: they can be used for easier selections, to hold skinning data, and in our example today they can be used to help us generate new geometry. Marvelous Designer is an amazing tool for artists. It…

We’ve entered a global age of visual effects. Superhero action flicks might be taking the cinema by storm, but these projects come with an immense shot tally that can rarely be handled by a single studio. Instead, 3D assets and VFX-heavy shots must be allocated across several different teams, countries and time zones. From Hollywood to New York, and from London to Vancouver – these major cities are commonly considered to be the nexus of modern blockbuster film and television production. Modern technology is capable of uniting post-production at the global level. Here we look at three of the most popular tools that a professional artist might use to trade ideas, maintaining consistency and quality on large-scale projects. CINESYNC As the recipient of both an Academy Award for technical achievement…

Trusted by the world’s biggest artists, brands and events, Notch is the first tool to enable the creation of both interactive and video content in one unified real-time environment. “Real-time graphics were considered hard and came with the assumption that you had to know how to code. Notch was born from an idea that puts creatives back in control,” says a spokesperson for the developer. After leaving university, founder Matt Swoboda ventured into the gaming industry, and alongside games he also worked on other creative projects such as music videos, art installations and demoscene productions. All of these projects enabled him to work with real-time technology and after leaving the gaming industry behind, Matt sought to change the bad reputation of real-time graphics. Thus Notch was born, delivering a real-time…