Table of contents for December 2018 in 3D World

THE PROS Ben Mauro, Valerian senior concept designer and art director Martin Macrae, Framestore head of art department, who oversaw the studio’s designs for Blade Runner 2049 Kim Taylor from Animal Logic, The Lego Ninjago Movie production designer Felicity Coonan from Animal Logic, The Lego Ninjago Movie art director The worlds you see in your favourite live action and animated features are the end results of hours, days and months of work by CG and visual effects artists. But those worlds also had to start somewhere, and that’s typically with concept artists, art directors and production designers. It’s with these artists that many early decisions get made about building the aesthetics of a world. With feedback from other filmmakers, they implement a vision for how visual themes in certain landscapes…

By digitally recreating a 75-foot long prehistoric Megalodon, filmmaker Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) has sought to craft a shark-versus-man thriller that can stand apart from the genre-defining Jaws released in 1975. The Meg stars Jason Statham as rescue diver Jonas Taylor as well as cast members Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, Cliff Curtis and Jessica McNamee; they have to work together in order to save the world from a massive predator that has been inadvertently unleashed from the oceanic depths of a deep ocean trench. “Jon is always driven to make something that’s entertaining, compelling and has a broad appeal,” states The Meg visual effects supervisor Adrian de Wet who previously collaborated with Turteltaub on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010). “He likes to shoot from the hip.” The…

If there’s one thing that each contributor to this feature agrees upon, it’s that there are some base-level qualities needed to succeed as any kind of digital creative. It all boils down to passion and determination, but there are numerous tips and tricks that can help you build on these foundations and become the best of the best. To assemble these words of wisdom 3D World spoke to freelance creative director Antony Ward, SouthernGFX director Glen Southern, and self-taught freelancer Rico Cilliers. So what qualities are necessary in order to become a successful professional in this industry? According to Ward, flexibility with your skill set and how you apply it is key. “It’s like being a joiner who only fits doors,” he says. “Eventually work will dry up, whereas if…

At the end of 2017, New Communication, a creative and marketing agency from Kiel in Germany, was asked to create detailed images of the largest Caterpillar generator set – the 16CM43 – for a press release. The Caterpillar 16CM43 is a heavy-fuel off-shore generator set that is used for power generation. The brief set by the client was to use the data provided by them to produce this image, so that in the future, cut-out images or detail shots of the generator would be possible. From the start it was already clear that this would not be an easy task, because the data provided by Caterpillar would be of the highest quality. So before we could even begin, we had to think about a smart and efficient software/hardware production pipeline…

Mastering lighting is probably the most important skill a 3D artist can learn, as light creates everything we see. It informs how reflections look, how rough a material should be, and most importantly enables us to create spaces that tell stories. Creating a lighting setup can be a time-consuming process. Thankfully though, Light Kit Pro 3 from Greyscalegorilla is here to make learning and creating bespoke lighting setups as easy as it can get. Wisely, Light Kit Pro 3 creates lighting in the same way a photographer does, with a range of light sources that act (and look) like the lighting tools a photographer would use, from softboxes to photographic studio backgrounds. These objects show in the viewport window and can be interactively moved and modified around the scene without…

Geraldine Atkins, Durham Throughout my career, which now spans over two decades, I’ve created a wide variety of rigs. These have included more high-end systems for TV shows like Abney & Teal, Floogals and Wolfblood but in contrast I have also built a whole host of lower-end rigs for a variety of games. You would think that one rig system can fit everything, but you’d be surprised by how differently you need to approach each project. The systems you choose depend entirely on the character and how the client wishes them to move and emote. On top of this, they may also need a specific animation style, or a preferred set of animation tools included. So even though the base systems could in theory be the same, how these are…

The idea for VFX Legion was bouncing around my head well before the tech caught up to my ambitions. As early as 2000, I was trying to figure out how to tap the potential of new technology to create a decentralised remote business model. Eliminating the need for talent to work under a studio’s roof was clearly the next logical step in the evolution of the industry. It was the only way to bring together a large, diverse and experienced team of artists, and position a company to meet the demand of the ever-increasing number of television shows and films produced each year. I was working in Santa Monica at Filmwerks Studio, and at the time, the way to move large amounts of data was large RAID storage systems and…

PRICE $299/£230 approx (not including iClone 7 or Motion LIVE plugin) | DEVELOPER Reallusion | WEBSITE www.reallusion.com Live Face is Reallusion’s latest markerless facial mocap solution for iClone 7. It’s an app specifically for the iPhone X that uses the phone’s depth sensor and tracking software to track the user’s face and stream the data into iClone through Reallusion’s Motion LIVE plugin. Facial animation can be previewed and recorded in real time on single or multiple characters. It can also be performed whilst capturing animation (for the body and hands as well as the face) from other mocap systems. I’ve used many different facial mocap systems over the years, marker based and markerless, and while none are perfect, the iPhone X/Live Face approach is remarkably stable and easy to use…

CONCEPT: This concept frame by Framestore established the orange alien-like landscape of future Las Vegas, and the remaining decrepit architecture. “We concepted everything with a certain level of natural destruction, scuff marks, rips, sand drifts and discolouration – anything to dull it all down and make it feel more hostile,” says Martin Macrae. CG ASSETS: Framestore then added its 3D architecture, which were ultimately inspired by Syd Mead’s original designs for the first Blade Runner film. “As the design process got more and more complex, so did the 3D models we were building; we had to section it off into separate areas to make it more manageable,” notes Macrae. LIVE-ACTION: On a stage in Montreal, cinematographer Roger Deakins shot a plate for the scene in a heavily smoky environment, with…

Antony Ward – “Have a separate room that you can use as an office. At the end of the day close the door and leave any work behind. When I started out I was working in the bedroom and developed trouble sleeping because I was effectively in my office all day and all night.” Glen Southern – “Your environment is crucial to your mental health and so take the time to understand what works well for you. Pick the correct chair with good support or work out whether you would be happier standing. Look at the placement of things like monitors and tablets to make sure you’re not straining.” Rico Cilliers – “For me it’s more about attitude than surroundings or equipment. If you’re not in the right mindset, no…

Towers are the bread and butter of city renders. From looming skyscrapers to small residential blocks of flats, they’re everywhere. Thankfully for us, many of them follow a similar design principle. The tripartite pattern – based on the classical column – divides the building’s height into one or more bottom floors (the base), repeated middle floors (the shaft), and one or more top floors (the capital). Within these divisions, the building can be further subdivided into vertical and horizontal mullions, corners and an infill that’s solid, glazed or a combination of both. Modelling these types of buildings isn’t difficult, but it can be time-consuming. Traditional modelling techniques make it tricky to go back and make adjustments when needed. In this step-by-step tutorial, we demonstrate an alternative approach that uses a…

This tutorial will enable you to re-create Hollywood destructions in VFX. You’ve likely seen many scenes of awesome VFX destruction in the movies, and you may have decided that you would love to re-create these scenes yourself, but you do not have enough knowledge or an idea on where to start. If that’s the case, we are here to help you in the process of bringing these ideas to life. Firstly, we should sketch our concepts on paper or digital media and try to imagine how the final scene will look. Sometimes we avoid this process to save time and we begin at the end, but we should start any new work deciding on the basics of the project. Sometimes we start a new work trying to finish as soon…

Tim Reynolds, Coventry Maya Jermy replies Stylised characters are wonderfully creative, and many artists have at least one in their portfolio. The word stylised represents a non-naturalistic conventional form – in other words, something that would not take place in the real world as we know it. It could, however, be an interpretation of a real thing. The most obvious difference between creating stylised and realistic forms is that by opting for realism, we are limited to making things look real. We have to follow rules and be careful about doing so, because some exaggeration could burst the bubble and break the illusion of realism. Stylised art, on the other hand, is often based on exaggeration and playfulness. It can represent real features but in an enhanced way. Artists have…

Eleanor Reed, Ireland Today I will show you my creation process for a simple stone 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 here. At this point we can start to add the nodes useful for this material, so from the Substance Designer library we need: the BnW Spots 1 noise and the Grunge Map 010 (these are the base elements of the stone material), the Height to Normal World Units filter, three Levels filters, a Blend filter, a Blur filter and the Gradient Map filter that will give colour to the stone. Now it’s time to link all these elements together. First of all we need to link the BnW Spots…

PRICE £22.99 on Steam / £75.99/month subscription | COMPANY Gravity Sketch | WEBSITE www.gravitysketch.com gravity sketch What designer hasn’t thought about bringing their ideas to life in the air in front of them? In the last few years we have been able to do just that, at least inside a VR head-mounted display and with controllers in our hands. Gravity Sketch started life on an iPad and was followed by the VR version which can now be experienced in an Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and the Microsoft Mixed Reality headset. There’s a basic version with some limitations (only four layers, limited exports etc) and a subscription model to access the full feature set. Unlike a lot of the other VR creation tools that have cropped up, Gravity Sketch is much…

VIDEO + STEP IMAGES MONSTROUS MACHINES In this tutorial you will learn how to create enormous industrial machinery using Cinema 4D, including aspects like matching materials to their real-world counterparts, xrefs, data management and working with references. VIDEO + STEP IMAGES MARMOSET Watch as Martin Nebelong explores VR and shows you his tips and tricks. VIDEO + STEP IMAGES ITOO Follow along with this expert training from Paul Roberts of iToo, to get to grips with building towers. 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-240-meg 2. FIND THE FILES YOU WANT FROM THE LIST Search the list of free resources to find the video and files you want…

CAT RIDER ARTIST Luo Qi Sheng SOFTWARE ZBrush, Arnold for Maya Infinity Studio’s art director Luo Qi Sheng’s breathtaking image was created and finished entirely in ZBrush, with no additional tools used. “When I have an idea I’ll sketch it out as soon as possible, before collecting reference pictures, artwork, and whatever can inspire me. Next I block it in ZBrush, sculpt the shapes, add secondary details, and finally the fine details.” Luo has around seven years’ experience creating video game characters, finding inspiration in fantasy movies, oil paintings and the work of master artists. Reflecting on the finished product Luo says: “I’ve always liked animals and beauty, but this is the first time I’ve incorporated them into one work and I enjoyed everything about it.” ● artstation.com/luoqisheng MONTAGUE RATSBONE…

THE SMALLEST DETAILS: Animal Logic production designer Kim Taylor asked, ‘What would a jungle look like to a Lego mini-fig?’ That meant plant and rock designs resembled backyard foliage – things a child might also find to build the world with. Taylor macro-photographed and scanned leaves, small trees and even moss (as seen here) for reference. QUICK CONCEPTS: The timeline to get Lego Ninjago made was tight, which often meant environments were designed quickly in 3D, sometimes even using the VR tool Tilt Brush. “I also used to get my camera and shove it underneath a bush to see what worlds were down there,” says Taylor. “I really wanted to capture that micro-world on the big screen in this film.” CLOSE TO FINAL: Animal Logic’s art department took concept and…

Marmoset Toolbag is by no means new to the 3D industry. It’s been out for years, and it’s known for its robustness and ease of use, especially when it comes to showing off game assets and smaller, confined projects. Basically, Marmoset Toolbag is a live viewer that gives you instant feedback when you change lights, materials and so on. For me as an artist who’s used to making brush marks on paper or in Photoshop and instantly seeing the result, having to wait for renderers to finish to see the tweaks I made to my scene has always been a surefire way of getting me out of the creative flow. I’ve used Marmoset Toolbag for many years, but only after I started working with VR modelling and painting have I…

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. Let’s continue exploring materials and shaders by looking at transparent surfaces. Creating a transparent material such as glass seems easy – just increase the transparency slider to 100 and the job is done, so why doesn’t the glass look right? Transparent materials are actually one of the most complex items in a 3D scene to get correct, as they have a wide variety of factors that impact on their look. From the thickness of the object, to the…

In the constantly evolving world of VFX, the studios that last are the ones that move with the times. After moving to their new facility in Playa Vista, Gradient Effects have done just that. “While building out the infrastructure we decided to increase our bandwidth and processing power to handle 8K, since that’ll be the industry standard one day,” explains owner and visual effects supervisor Olcun Tan. “As a company that does a lot of digital effects and simulation work, the bandwidth requirements are pretty intense, so thinking ahead helps.” To test this powerful new infrastructure Gradient began work on Megan, a five-minute short that takes the audience deep into the heart of an alien hot zone, where monsters lie in wait. From a technical perspective, the short was tailor-made…

PRICE $249 (£190/€215) | DEVELOPER Greyscalegorilla | WEBSITE www.greyscalegorilla.com Lighting is an integral part of any CG work, but it can also be fiddly and time-consuming, so anything that helps speed it up is a real bonus. This latest upgrade to Greyscalegorilla’s venerable Light Kit Pro takes a holistic approach to the process, providing a complete and fully customisable lighting solution. There are plenty of free lighting rigs available for Cinema, offering a selection of lamps, panels and softboxes to create a perfectly serviceable studio setup. So why should you spend nearly 200 quid on this? The short answer is: efficiency. Clearly the GSG team has thought long and hard about every aspect of the lighting process, simplifying and streamlining it as much as possible. So choosing a light is…