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T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R D I G I T A L C O N T E N T C R E A T I O N A N D P R O D U C T I O N
$4.95 USA $6.50 Canada
Sony Imageworks creates an unusual home life by putting a new spin on graphics
HouseHaunting
July 2006 www.cgw.com
Computer PiracyILM’s new mocap tech brings a digital crew to life
Super CGThe Man of Steel’s virtual alter ego
Art of DesignCan CAD and art co-exist in today’s 3D world?
Re-building ProjectArtists re-create an ancient church for The Da Vinci Code
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T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R D I G I T A L C O N T E N T C R E A T I O N A N D P R O D U C T I O N
W O R L DComputerAlso see www.cgw.com for computer graphics news,
special surveys and reports, and the online gallery.
w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 1
Departments
Editor’s Note 2Classics New and Old
CG has movie presence. Recently, the medium gave screen life to the book The Da Vinci Code and, once again, to the theme-park attraction Pirates of the Caribbean.
Spotlight 4
Products
AutoDesSys’s FormZ
E-frontier’s Virtual Fashion Basic
RealViz’s VTour
Side Effects’ Houdini 8.1
Eyeon’s Fusion 5.02
News
ArtVPS, Mental Ray team on a new raytracing solution
User Focus
Finishing Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Target commercial brings CG characters to life in CG backgrounds
Viewpoint 14Animation 2.0
Portfolio 72SIGGRAPH Animation Theater
Products 76
Backdrop 82Fur Fun
Creating and grooming the fat cat Garfi eld for his sequel appearance.
Features
Yo Ho Ho! 16MOTION CAPTURE | Innovative mocap
and simulation enable ILM to create
CG pirates, a menacing sea monster,
and more in this treasurable sequel.
By Barbara Robertson
Cover storyThis Old House 28CHARACTER ANIMATION | Performance
capture and hand animation help
artists construct Monster House.
By Martin McEachern
Leaps Tall Orders 52DIGITAL DOUBLES | CG artists help the
Man of Steel when the action became
too intense even for the superhero.
By Barbara Robertson
When Worlds Collide 56CAD/ART | How digital design and CG
art co-exist in a changing world.
By Kathleen Maher
On Holy Ground 62SCENE RE-CREATION | Artists rebuild
an ancient church for The Da Vinci
Code using 3D geometry and photos.
By Karen Moltenbrey
Roundball 68MODELING/ANIMATION | Creating a
theater-in-the round game experience.
By Karen Moltenbrey
On the cover:
An animated house springs to life in the
uniquely handcrafted world of Monster
House, created by a Hollywood newcomer
and Sony Pictures Imageworks, pg. 28.
28
52
56
62
July 2006 • Volume 29 • Number 7
16
68
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KAREN MOLTENBREY : Chief Editor
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2 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
editor
’sno
te
After all these years, I am still amazed when it comes to the power of computer
graphics. It has the ability to educate, to make our lives more effi cient and safe,
and much more. Above all, it has the ability to entertain. The medium can turn the
pages of a book into a cultural phenomenon, as was the case with The Lord of the
Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the popular Harry Potter series.
Indeed, Hollywood has used many a novel—some best-sellers, some obscure titles—
as the basis for feature fi lms. This summer, author Dan Brown’s phenomena, The Da
Vinci Code, fi nally made its long-awaited fi lm debut. Some critics loved it; others did not.
And some readers expressed their disappointment, as well. Most of the less favorable
comments were reserved for the actors and their dry performances. Yet, fans of this book
turned out in droves to see the novel’s intriguing plot unfold on the big screen.
While making the fi lm, director Ron Howard’s goal was to stay true to the book. At
times, though, this was extremely diffi cult to do. One of the more challenging scenes took
place inside the ancient Saint-Sulpice Church in Paris. As Rainmaker VFX supervisor Mark
Breakspear notes, Saint-Sulpice is both atypical and well known, and as a result, no other
church could have been substituted for this scene without audiences raising an eyebrow.
But, the Vatican would not allow fi lm crews into the actual church. So, under VFX super-
visor Angus Bickerton’s guidance, Breakspear and his group of digital artists re-created
this magnifi cent structure in 3D splendor by building on a
relatively standard method of mapping photographic textures
onto 3D geometry (see “On Holy Ground,” pg. 62). The proce-
dure worked so well that, according to Breakspear, audiences
will think the scenes were fi lmed rather than created virtu-
ally—as Howard did when shown early tests.
Not only can CG turn a book into a fi lm classic, but it
also has the ability to transform what is already a cultur-
al icon into one of even bigger proportions for the theater.
This summer, Buena Vista/Disney used the medium to
once again bring the fi ctional pirate Jack Sparrow to life
in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, a sequel to the 2003 blockbuster The
Curse of the Black Pearl. Both movies, in addition to a third in production, are adapta-
tions of the popular Disney theme-park attraction Pirates of the Caribbean. When the
ride opened in 1967, it marked a high point in the development of audio-animatron-
ics technology. Similarly, in Dead Man’s Chest, a novel technique involving the ability
to capture the performances of several actors on location during principal photogra-
phy rather than during a separate motion-capture session sets a new watermark for
motion capture (see “Yo Ho Ho!,” pg. 16). With this treasure trove of new technology
from ILM, animators can create far more believable CG character performances, and
fi lmmakers can look beyond the previous limitations of physical location and time
restraints when employing motion capture.
CG turned this animated property (by way of animatronics) into another smash,
as it surpassed the weekend-opening box-offi ce record previously set by Spider-Man.
Disney, anticipating this reception, just updated its classic theme-park attraction to
include Sparrow as the new hero of its high-seas ride. These are but two of the recent
“novel” effects of CG.
CG can turn a book
into a fi lm classic,
and it can transform
a cultural icon into
one of even bigger
proportions.
KarenMoltenbreyChief Editor
Classics New and Old
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4 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
spotlightM O D E L I N G / A N I M A T I O N
Your resource for products, user applications, news, and market research
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Enhanced with a number of new features and functional-
ity, FormZ 6.0 will be released this month at SIGGRAPH by
maker AutoDesSys. Some of the new features include ani-
mation, 3D printing with color and textures, and a number
of others that extend the software’s modeling power.
The release will
have object-centric ani-
mation, meaning the
object retains its integ-
rity during the anima-
tion process. FormZ
animates well-defi ned
objects complete with
their parameters and
attributes, which can also be freely animated. This poten-
tially makes the animation process a modeling venue that
can generate forms beyond what is possible through con-
ventional means. At any stage during the animation pro-
cess, models can even be captured as different types of
objects. FormZ 6.0 also offers a seamlessly integrated ani-
mation environment, where objects, lights, and cameras
can be animated and transformed over time.
In addition, AutoDesSys offers a venue to prototype its
objects not only in color but with textures, as well, through
Z Corp.’s new ZPR fi le format, which is optimized to sup-
port geometry and color capabilities of current 3DP systems,
providing an option for those needing a tangible example of
their project in color and with textures. FormZ also sports a
new 3D print preparation tool.
Also, the new release contains a number of new model-
ing capabilities, including a morphing ability that allows
users to pick two objects, the source, and the destination,
and have the shape of the former change to the shape of the
other by a certain percent. The operation can be executed
dynamically or in one step, and can be used as part of an
animation or by itself.
FormZ 6.0 will be priced at $1495. Updates from previ-
ous versions are available for a reduced cost.
AutoDesSys Improves its FormZ
The New Virtual Fashion Basic E-frontier has accessorized its product
line with the new release of Virtual
Fashion Basic for Poser, easy-to-learn
design software for the creation of
dresses, jackets, skirts, shoes, and
other 3D design garments. Originally
developed for high-end designers such
as Gucci, Prada, and La Perla, Virtual
Fashion Basic for Poser was modifi ed
to incorporate Poser characters and
export “dynamic clothing” directly
into Poser libraries.
Virtual Fashion has an intuitive user
interface that makes creating garments
for Poser fi gures easier than ever. The
work fl ow-based interface moves users
through a series of steps to quickly
create almost any garment. After the
garment is designed, fabric choices
such as silk, cotton, denim, or fur are
selected and simulated in the Fitting
Room module. In PhotoStudio, lights
and camera angles are set, and print-
ready images are produced in a vir-
tual photo shoot. The last step uses
the Material Editor module to adjust
materials and change fabric colors.
Poser users export garments cre-
ated in Virtual Fashion in the native
Poser fi le format. The program cre-
ates its own runtime folders in Poser
and automatically uploads every new
garment into the Poser library.
Virtual Fashion Basic for Poser sells
for $99.99.
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From acclaimed feature film finishing...
To film quality effects for television...
Copyright © 1988-2006 eyeon Software Inc. All rights are reserved. All trademarks, company names and products are the property of their respective holders.
eyeonline.com
Armies Of Exigo image courtesy of Digic Pictures.© 2006 Cinergi Interactive LLC. All rights reserved.
© Copyright ABC, Lost image courtesy of Digital Dimension.
The Da Vinci Code © 2006 Columbia Pictures.All Rights Reserved. Image courtesy of Rainmaker.
eyeon continues its tour de force.
To high definitiongame creation...
Fusion delivers.
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6 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
C A T E G O R Y
M O D E L I N G / A N I M A T I O N C O M P O S I T I N G
S C E N E C R E A T I O N
PR
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Image-processing software developer
RealViz has unveiled VTour, the latest
addition to the company’s content cre-
ation offerings. VTour draws on the tech-
nology of RealViz’s Stitcher and Image
Modeler products, offering users a solu-
tion for creating photorealistic 3D envi-
ronments from 2D photos or panoramas.
Starting directly from digital
photographs or full 360-degree pan-
ormas (crafted, for example, using
Stitcher), VTour facilitates the cre-
ation of 3D scenes such as interi-
ors or urban areas using polygo-
nal photo-textured primitives. The
results can then be exported and
published as a 3D movie or an inter-
active application using 3D viewers
such as Spi-V3d (based on Shockwave).
VTour is ideal for a range of applica-
tions such as virtual walkthroughs of
buildings and monuments, 3D simula-
tion, virtual reality, urban planning, and
video games. It can also be used for the
creation of digital sets in fi lm and tele-
vision. In this way, the product comple-
ments RealViz’s StoryViz, 3D previz and
storyboard software for creating photore-
al backdrops for previsualized projects.
VTour is available for Windows 2000/
XP for $499. A Mac version will be avail-
able in September.
RealViz Offers a VTour
Houdini 8.1 Appears in 3D for AnimatorsSide Effects Software has released Houdini 8.1, featuring
an animator-friendly Auto Rig, Muscle System, Character
Picker, and Pose Library, as well as other enhancements to
the Rigid Body and Wire dynamic solvers. The new version
also supports the importation of Collada fi les, an open digi-
tal asset exchange schema for interactive 3D applications.
A new Biped Auto Rig tools lets artists quickly posi-
tion their character’s joints and generate production-
ready rigs at the touch of a button. It creates both an ani-
mation rig with built-in proxy geometry for blocking and
a separate capture rig for deforming geometry. These rigs
are created as Houdini
Digital Assets and form
the backbone of the char-
acter pipeline. Moreover,
technical directors can
customize the anima-
tion team’s rig to con-
form to their preferred
way of working.
For capturing and binding geometry, Houdini 8.1
includes a new approach that is ideal for setting up fully
functional muscle system using a system of metaball-
based muscles that can be used in place of bones for
capturing the geometry.
Houdini 8.1 is priced at $17,000; through September,
users also can save up to 40 percent on Houdini Master.
Eyeon Fuses Together UpdatesEyeon Software continues to build momentum with the
release of Fusion 5.02 by adding approximately 100 new
features and enhancements to the compositing soft-
ware’s core architecture. Fusion 5.02’s OpenGL accel-
eration with display views makes interactive viewing
more fl exible, while the new GPU-accelerated plug-
in architecture and
LUT system make
for easy transitions
between multiple-
display LUTs.
Tailoring and im -
proving the prod uct
based on demand
and ongoing artist
feedback, Eyeon has added a plethora of cutting-edge
innovations, such as format improvements, to give
Fusion the ability to read DV OMF and 32-bit fl oat
PSDs from Photoshop CS2. OpenEXR format options
now display a drop-down list that shows available
channels. The product also has new enhanced optimi-
zation tools that affect all blur-based tools and func-
tions, resulting in as much as a 30 percent increase
in performance. And, the company has added more
than 20 new scripting functions.
Fusion 5.02 pricing starts at $1295 for the DFX+
video version, and $2995 to $4995 for the fi lm versions.
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spotlight
8 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
R E N D E R I N G
Two of the industry’s largest commer-
cial forces in rendering—ArtVPS and
Mental Images—have formed a part-
nership that will result in an integra-
tion of their respective products, which
will cater to the increasing demand for
photorealistic visualization of 3D data
within the design sector.
ArtVPS, developer of a unique graph-
ics processor for photorealistic raytracing,
and Mental Images, developer of the high-
end Mental Ray rendering software, will
further the evolution of advanced raytrac-
ing solutions. As part of the deal, Mental
Images will license intellectual proper-
ty from ArtVPS with the exclusive right
to its sub-licensing. In turn, ArtVPS will
become an OEM partner of Mental Images
for the integration of Mental Ray into
future 64-bit versions of its RenderDrive
products. Also, the company will become
a system integrator for RealityServer, a
unique software platform for the develop-
ment and deployment of 3D Web services
and applications from Mental Images.
According to a Mental Images
spokesman, the partnership will allow
the duo to explore the use of dedi-
cated graphics processing hardware
architectures for the acceleration of
raytracing algorithms within Mental
Ray and RealityServer without com-
promising on image quality. The col-
laboration will cater specifi cally to
the demand for photorealistic visual-
ization in product marketing, design,
architecture, and the automotive seg-
ment, where photorealism and real-
world lighting is a requirement for that
market’s 3D imagery.
ArtVPS, Mental Ray Team on New Raytracing Solution
NE
WS
P O S T F I N I S H I N G
US
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West Post Digital, a boutique postproduction facility special-
izing in HD and SD online fi nishing and color correction,
recently completed work for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition—
After the Storm. The work was for a series of four shows featur-
ing rebuilding projects in Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, and
Texas following major destructive hurricanes.
West Post Digital had been handling online fi nishing for the
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition reality series since its premiere
in 2003. “We’ve been able to streamline processes to where we
can completely fi nish
an entire show in about
24 hours,” says West
Post Digital co-owner
Kenny Fields.
It was this ability to
make “Extreme” dead-
lines that led produc-
ers to select the facility
to complete work on
the special editions. The group did all the fi nishing process—
assembling, conforming, and color-correcting the shots, as
well as titling, in standard defi nition. The assembly/con-
form/titling was done on an Avid Symphony system and a
Symphony Nitris running on a Unity. Meanwhile, the group
performed the color grading on a da Vinci 2K system.
According to colorist Paul Roman, the ability to color-
correct the show in real time on the da Vinci while conform-
ing and titling simultaneously on the Symphony played a
big role in helping the group fi nish the episodes quickly and
at a high quality. Pre-digitizing fi ne cuts (a show in prog-
ress that will change but has a lot of what will end up in the
fi nal version) and digitizing only new shots in the locked
picture instead of the whole cut also helped bring the show
in under deadline.
“The most challenging aspect is time,” says Fields.
“The locked cut is not delivered until the last minute. We
pre-digitized with handles, so if slight adjustments were
made in the off-line, we didn’t have to re-digitize the clips.
By pre-digitizing the fi ne cuts with handles, we were able
to relink once the locked cut came in—late in the process—
making the digitizing of the locked cut much faster. So,
instead of digitizing 1500 clips from scratch, we only had
to do about 200 to 300 at that point.”
Each Extreme Makeover: Home Edition features a construc-
tion project that is essentially a race against time. Similarly,
shooting, editing, and posting it is another race against time—
one that West Post Digital has consistently won under these
Extreme conditions. —Karen Moltenbrey
Working Under Extreme Conditions
©20
06 A
BC
, In
c.
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________________
__________________
spotlight
10 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
A N I M A T I O N
US
ER
F
OC
US
The department store Target is
known for its whimsical, stylized
television commercials that feature
men, women, and children—and, of
course, the signature Target dog—
moving at a fast pace within a set-
ting dominated by its other signature
of red and white colors and bull’s-
eye. Recently, the store began a new
“Product People” campaign that con-
tains a similar colorful, active, and
theatrical look as the previous com-
mercials. But, on the other hand, it is
a marked departure from the earlier
design-oriented spots: In place of the
energetic actors are energetic 3D char-
acters made from everyday items that
can be purchased at the store.
After completing the design
phase, Radium, which crafted the
spot, used Autodesk’s Maya to
model all the objects that would
later comprise the characters, from
a “woman” composed of nail pol-
ish and cosmetic–related items to
an “athlete” made from sporting
goods: a football face, tennis ball
eyes, and a basketball belly.
Next, the crew photographed the
actual products under studio light-
ing, fi rst to enhance their natural color and texture, and then
to give them a photoreal quality and retail appeal that would
be retained in CG. The lighting pipeline was based on global
illumination techniques to achieve the desired mix between
photorealism and stylization, notes Aladino Debert, lead CG
artist and head of CG at Radium.
The group had to design characters that would be not only
photorealistic, but also fun to watch. Their anthropomorphic
nature dictated that the artists use motion capture for the ani-
mation. So, fi rst the artists created simple rigs of each charac-
ter within Maya that mocap facility House of Moves (HOM)
used during motion-capture sessions. At HOM, the animation
was derived by motion-capturing a set of live dance perform-
ers (seven dancers responsible for a total of 14 actor/charac-
ter combinations) within a 40x40-foot capture space using a
Vicon MX 40 camera setup. During
the process, all the “Product People”
characters were shown in real time to
give the director and the actors/danc-
ers the ability to see how each of the
characters moved. Real-time video
feeds allowed the client and Radium
creative team to approve the perfor-
mance prior to animation.
“There were a lot of character rigs,
and they were very complex and
needed attention from our technical
directors to ensure that there would
be reliable real-time feedback and
a high-quality fi nal product that
matched exactly what was seen on
set,” says Scott Gagain, executive
producer at HOM. “It was one of our
larger commercial productions. The
set was packed with dancers and
clients, but it was also fun, and it
shows in the fi nal product.”
Once the animation data was
delivered, Radium used its lay-
ered controls to fi nesse the motion,
which Debert says was “90 percent
there.” Next, the group textured the
images, and then rendered them
using Mental Images’ Mental Ray.
“We were modeling, lighting, tex-
turing, and rendering so that everything had a real feel. The
animation comes to life via motion capture,” he notes.
The biggest challenge, though, resulted not from the
complex motions but from the complexity of the entire
piece, with 16 3D characters and full CG environments—a
kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, hallway, and more, all tex-
tured using Target’s signature red-and-white color palette
throughout for brand recognition.
“The project required that many parallel processes move
forward in a smooth way. For example, as we were fi n-
ishing the character design, the set designs were moving
ahead, along with the fi nal storyboards and rehearsals
with the dancers,” says Debert. “In the end, though, all
those at-times disjointed processes came together to give
the spot a unique look.” —Karen Moltenbrey
A TV Commercial Hits its Target
When the different products came together into
each distinct character, it was important to
retain visual integrity so the piece made sense.
Grouping similar products into a background
where they belonged accomplished this.
While CG played a key role in the earlier Target
commercials (mainly to generate or augment the
backgrounds), this time the medium not only took
center stage, but was integral to casting, as well.
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Torsten Reil is CEO and co-founder of NaturalMotion, the fi rst company to create 3D character animation software based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS), a technology that utilizes adaptive behaviors and artifi cial intelligence to simulate the human nervous system.
14 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
Gam
es
By Torsten Reil
view
poin
t
frame animation or processed motion-captured clips, and the data is played back
at, more or less, appropriate times in the game. There are two issues with this
approach. First, animators have little creative control over the last section of the
pipeline (that is, what their animations look like in-game). Second, played-back
data can never be truly interactive.
Animation Solutions
The manifestation of the fi rst problem usually results when animators walk over to
the game’s animation programmer and complain that their carefully crafted anima-
tions look totally wrong in-game. The way to solve this, and to get in-game anima-
tion to the quality that the raw material already supports, is to provide animators
with intuitive tools to perform the tasks currently carried out by animation program-
mers. Those include the determination of the transitions between animations, the
nature and timing of blends, the distribution and weighting of different animations
across the character’s body, and even the responsiveness of the animation to user or
AI input. All of these are creative tasks and, therefore, should be under the full con-
trol of the animator, and this should result in very quick turnaround times.
The solution to the second problem (that is, non-interactivity and repetitiveness)
lies in the CPU power available on next-generation hardware. Rather than pre-pro-
ducing every clip beforehand, we can use the console’s processing power to syn-
thesize animation on the fl y, as the game unfolds. This, of course, is not straight-
The visual quality of video
games has improved dra-
matically with the arrival
of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and,
soon, Sony’s PlayStation 3. In
fact, some games—in particu-
lar, racing titles—approach the much-
promised goal of photorealism. However,
amongst all the talk about HD, new
shader models, and lighting, many con-
sumers have come to realize: The ani-
mations still look distinctly last gen.
The high state of rendering fi delity
exposes low-animation quality much more
than on previous consoles. Characters look
great in screenshots, but they can seem
unnatural, clunky, and even robotic
when in motion.
And a second prob-
lem has surfaced, as
well: After playing any
game for a little while,
users will notice that
the animations always
look the same. This
didn’t matter so much
when simple rendering
signaled that we were
merely playing a com-
puter game. However,
when a photorealistic
Kobe Bryant repeats a
move for the hundredth
time with digital preci-
sion, something seems
very wrong.
The reason for
these two problems is
that our game anima-
tion pipelines have not
changed very much
since the 16-bit days.
Animators create key-
The high
fi delity of
new consoles
exposes low-
animation
quality.
NaturalMotion’s Euphoria (above) and Endorphin is based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis,
which uses adaptive behaviors and AI to simulate the human nervous system.
Animation 2.0
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Vancouver Film SchoolWhere Results Matter
Special Presentation: “Tech Talk: Training for Careers in Animation”Wednesday, August 2 at 1pm on the trade show fl oor
MAKE MORE ENEMIES
Booth 2204August 1–3, 2006
Boston Convention Center415 Summer Street
Join us at Siggraph in Boston and discover why Vancouver Film School is the place to be for everything you see, hear, and experience in the entertainment industry.
VFS is offering $50,000 in bursaries to students who arepassionate about video games and want to make their own.To apply, visit www.vfs.com/games
Game Design at VFS
and take your
share of $50,000
w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 15
forward, as it requires a full (and real-time) simulation of the 3D
character (including body, muscles, and motor/nervous system),
but it is now possible on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Not only does
this approach increase the visual quality of the game, but it also
enables unique moments that have never happened before, and
will never happen again: every tackle is your tackle; every hay-
maker is your haymaker. Crucially, animators require full control
over synthesis, too. In this case, rather than creating baked anima-
tion, they determine the style and parameter of adaptive behaviors.
They, therefore, work at a higher level, akin to a director.
The upshot of all of this is that animation will become the pre-
dominant quality determinant of next-gen game visuals and expe-
riences. The role of the animator will grow signifi cantly, from key-
framing to controlling in-game blends, to directing motion synthesis.
There’s never been a better time to be in this industry.
Torsten Reil graduated with a degree in biology from Oxford University and holds a master’s
degree in evolutionary and adaptive systems from Sussex University. Prior to founding Natu-
ralMotion, he was researching for a PhD in complex systems at Oxford University, and in 2003,
was named as one of the world’s top 100 innovators by MIT’s Technology Review. Along with
CTO and co-founder Colm Massey, he developed NaturalMotion’s core technoIogy. Based on
Oxford University research on the control of body movements, NaturalMotion’s Euphoria
synthesizes 3D character animation in real
time on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, creat-
ing unique game moments and previously
unachievable interactivity. NaturalMotion’s
other DMS product, Endorphin, creates off-
line animation an order of magnitude faster
than with traditional techniques, and is used
in the fi lm and gaming industry.
The rendering quality in the new generation of console games,
particularly racing titles such as Project Gotham Racing 3, is
close to photorealism, but game animation hasn’t kept pace.
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. . . .Motion Capture
16 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
After you’ve seen Davy Jones’ beard
writhe like a sea creature. After you
learn that Industrial Light & Magic dis-
covered a way to motion-capture the per-
formances of multiple actors during prin-
cipal photography without using one
piece of motion-capture equipment. After
all that sinks in, it’s the details in Walt
Disney Pictures’ Pirates of the Caribbean:
Dead Man’s Chest that will amaze you.
Gore Verbinski returned to direct this
sequel to the popular action/adventure/
comedy Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse
of the Black Pearl, as did actors Johnny
Depp, Keira Knightley, and Orlando Bloom,
visual effects supervisor John Knoll, and
ILM. The sequel has 1100 visual effects
shots, of which 600 are animation shots.
Digital pirate Davy Jones stars in 200 shots;
he’s on screen for 15 minutes of the fi lm.
“It was a lot to push through this facil-
ity in a short period of time,” says Knoll,
who rolled onto the show immediately
after fi nishing last summer’s Star Wars:
Episode III—Revenge of the Sith. ILM han-
dled all the shots except approximately
60 composites that the facility farmed
out, under Roger Guyett’s supervision, to
Tippett Studio and Evil Eye Pictures.
Knoll divides the work into three cat-
egories: Davy Jones and his crew, Kraken,
and shots that establish time and place.
Davy Jones and all but one of his crew are
CG creatures played by actors whose per-
formances were captured on location: ILM
recorded motion data during principal
photography in a variety of lighting con-
ditions and environments without restric-
tion. Kraken is a giant sea monster per-
formed by animators using a sophisticated
new rigging system. The “time and place”
shots included turning Dominica, a lush
island in the Caribbean, into Cannibal
Island with fully CG environments. To
do these shots, Steve Sullivan, director of
R&D at ILM, cites three areas in which the
fi lm pushed technology at ILM: simula-
tion, rendering, and motion capture.
“This was a very simulation-heavy show,”
Sullivan says. “You’ll see that in Davy Jones
and other characters. The rendering moved
forward, not just in the aspects of the look,
but also in making the characters tractable
to render. And, the new motion-capture
system made a big difference.”
Cod Is in the Details
Thirteen modelers led by creature super-
visor Geoff Campbell sculpted the fi shy
characters. Gentle Giant’s body scans and
face scans from ILM’s own Clonecam sys-
tem—a photographic technique that pro-
vides 3D geometry and textures—gave
modelers the actors’ proportions, but they
built the CG characters entirely from con-
cept art. Art director Aaron McBride drew
many of the cursed, crustacean-encrusted
sea phantoms based on sketches by Mark
“Crash” McCreery, and added three of his
own mutants—Angler, Wheelback, and
Ratlin. “We have 18 hero characters that
hold up close to the camera and 32 vari-
By Barbara Robertson
Yo Ho Ho!
ILM creates a sea monster and
15 lead characters in Pirates of the
Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest using
innovative mocap and simulation
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w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 17
Motion Capture. . . .
ations,” says McBride, who followed the
artistic development of the characters
through production. “The only non-digi-
tal character is Bootstrap Bill.”
Working in Autodesk’s Maya, the
modelers spent close to 10 months of pre-
production time building polygonal mod-
els of the characters’ bodies and, work-
ing in ILM’s proprietary software Zeno,
creating the face shapes. Then, many of
them carried on for the next eight months
sculpting face shapes during production,
as animators needed them. “We moved
in a whole new direction,” says Campbell.
“We went from B-spline models, which
we’ve been using since Terminator, to sub-
division surfaces. And, we used Z-brush
for displacements. We couldn’t have cre-
ated these characters in any other way
because of their complexity.” Pixologic’s
Z-brush helped the modelers cover the
surfaces with barnacles, mussels, coral,
and other briny details.
“Pat Meyers, one of our TDs, created
a sea-life picker,” says David Meny, digi-
tal production supervisor. “We could pick
one creature and instance it on the sur-
face and adjust the scale. The Z-brushed
components added organic variety to the
whole. And then we also had painted tex-
tures—the painters got the Z-brush maps.”
The creatures had so much detail that
sometimes there were more vertices, more
geometry to render, than there were pixels
available. “It meant that anything that was
raytraced, occlusion passes, or even subsur-
face scattering, was much slower because
the raytracer ran for all the geometry, all the
CVs inside a pixel,” says Christophe Hery,
lead R&D engineer. “It summed everything
up for one pixel at the end, but we were
wasting a lot of time for not a lot of result.”
Because ILM decided to use Render-
Man for the entire fi lm, Hery contacted
Pixar. An exchange of ideas resulted in
©2006 D
isney En
terprises, In
c. and Jerry B
ruckh
eimer, In
c. All rig
hts reserved
. Pho
to credits: ILM
.
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18 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Motion Capture
Pixar adding a solution derived from a game technique docu-
mented in Nvidia’s GPU Gems 2 to RenderMan. The technique,
which approximates raytracing, cut the render times by around
75 percent—from 12 to 13 hours to three or four.
Imocap
Meanwhile, ILM crewmembers working on set with Verbinski
began acquiring data. They built digital representations of the
environment so that later they could easily lock the digital charac-
ters to scans of the live-action plates. And, they captured the per-
formances of the 15 actors playing the hero characters. Later, this
motion-captured data would drive the character animation for the
creatures that would replace the actors in the live-action plates.
Jason Snell, layout supervisor for the show and matchmove
supervisor, built the digital representation of the set and loca-
tion environments using photographs. “My job was to collect
data for where the creatures were in the environment,” he says.
“Most data collectors make diagrams and take measurements.
At ILM, we build the environments on a laptop, while we’re
on location.” To do this, Snell took photographs with a digital
still camera of the entire environment from multiple angles and
matchmoved each frame. Then, he looked for common points in
several pictures. “If I have three pictures of a house and fi nd one
point in common, the system can triangulate those points and
fi nd a point in space,” he explains. By using multiple points in
multiple images and Zeno’s tracking system, Snell could build a
CG environment from the triangulated views. Then, later, once
he had plate photography, he could lay those images on the 3D
world that he built to create a photorealistic environment.
John Knoll supervised the motion capture on location.
On the fi rst Pirates, the skeletal CG pirates also appeared as
real people who were fi lmed in costume. To substitute the
skeletal people, the crew used “matchimation”: Artists lined
up a CG model with an actor’s image on the scanned fi lm
plate and copied the actor’s motions onto the 3D model. The
same technique helped ILM blend a CG terminator into half
of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s body in Terminator 3. But for the
second Pirates fi lm, animation director Hal Hickel, who had
also supervised animation for Black Pearl, asked for a way
to make the matchimation artists’ lives easier.
“He asked if we could put some kind of tracking
lights on the actors,” Knoll says.
Knoll never considered setting up a tradi-
tional motion-capture system on location in the
Caribbean—not with 15 actors to capture, some-
times working in 2 feet of water, and not with-
out completely disrupting principal photography,
which could not happen. And yet, he wanted to
gather the same high-quality data produced on a
motion-capture stage. “That was the challenge we threw down
to R&D, and they came up with a technique we call Imocap,” he
says. The “I” stands for “image.”
On set, actors playing Davy’s crew wore gray suits provided
by the costume department with tracking balls and bands from
ILM. ILM had printed the bands with black and white dots in
black and white squares, and positioned them at the joints—knees,
ankles, wrists, waist, and so forth. “The dots help us see how the
suit moves,” says Kevin Wooley, motion-capture engineer. “We’re
not tracking dots in space.”
Because ILM’s character animation pipeline works with
joints organized into skeletal animation rigs, Imocap puts the
captured data onto skeletons. To an animator, the result looks
ILM captured data from actors in gray costumes
during principal photography (at left, below),
applied the data to “manikins” (middle, below), and
then fi tted the manikins to specifi ed creatures (at
right, below) to create a fi nal performance (at left).
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MAKING THE GRADEIn the world of digital content creation—andperhaps more so than in any other industry—many of us define ourselves by our work. Howmany times have you described yourself by citing
the work you’ve done on a particular film, game, or novel design? And why shouldn’t you? You infuse projects with yourideas, creativity, imagination, and personality. You often put your heart and soul into your work—and they shine through.Your work is, in many ways, tied to your identity; and through your hard work and talent, you’ve made a name for yourself.As a result, you cannot entrust your reputation, your legacy, and your future to sub-par equipment. You need your graphicsworkstation to work as hard, as reliably, and as well as you do.
HP WORKSTATIONS WITH ATI FIREGL GRAPHICSSERVE UP HIGH-END POWER, PERFORMANCE,AND GRAPHICS AT ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF ART.
Above: HP xw8400 Workstation Left: ATI FireGL V3300
A S
UP
PL
EM
EN
T T
O C
OM
PU
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PH
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WO
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It all begins in school, as you train intently to hone yourcraft and, in doing so, master the latest technologies andskills related to the career you seek. Students on path toa career in digital content creation are unique. Just as theypush the bounds of their imagination and creativity, theytoo push the limits of their software and hardware.
“The students are always looking to achieve more,” admitsJim Aubry, director of technology at the Illinois Institute ofArt in Chicago. As a result, they daily test the workstations’ability to handle really complex compositions.
The Illinois Institute of Art, part of The Art Institutes,offers a graphics-rich curriculum with programs in media
arts and animation, visual effects and motion graphics,and game art and design, among other applied arts.And, with roughly 2500 students working on more than600 workstations, the Institute is a perfect environmentfor testing the performance and reliability of myriadsolutions, including leading-edge technologies employedin workstations for graphics-intensive work.
As the director of technology for the school and its manyprograms, Aubry makes certain the school’s hardwareand software offer a host of core competencies, suchas high-end graphics performance, to meet the demandsand objectives of the education department.
“Because we’re so heavily focused on the applied arts,we require computer systems that can run a variety ofgraphics programs,” notes Aubry. “The systems have tobe able to handle a good collection of design software,not be focused on just one product. We require systemsthat not only are reliable, but also have the speed andability to handle high-end graphics programs.”
For this and other reasons, the Institute standardized sixyears ago on Hewlett-Packard workstations, the majority
of which are driven by ATI FireGL graphics accelerators.Before doing so, Aubry and his colleagues regularlytested computer systems from various manufacturers,considering the availability, reliability, and compatibilityof each.
Design decision“On the graphics side, HP can’t be touched,” saysAubry. “That’s why we’ve gone with HP and ATI. Theirproducts give us the best performance for the suite ofsoftware products that we need to provide our students.
We have a very creative student body; the tougher onesare the 3D animators. The 3D and animation programsrequire significantly more powerful systems than, say,the fashion programs.”
Power isn’t an issue for the HP workstations with ATIFireGL graphics. In fact, the memory offered by the next-generation FireGL cards enable users to work interactivelywith extremely large datasets—an important and recentinnovation for digital artists and animators. At the sametime, the cards’ expanded bit depth extends the colorpalette to include more than 1 billion colors, helpingfoster further creativity and artistic expression, whereasits support of ultra-high-resolution and widescreendisplays enable a larger workspace, contributing toincreased productivity.
The Institute configures the HP Workstations with ATIgraphics with Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Officeas a base, upon which various solutions are loaded, includingAutodesk’s 3ds Max, MotionBuilder, Maya, and AutoCAD.Whereas an average desktop PC would likely buckle underthe strain of supporting these complex, graphicallydemanding software programs, the HP workstation and
MA
KIN
G T
HE
GR
AD
E
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ATI FireGL deliver high performance, rapid response rates,and the ability to multitask with several applications andcomplex data sets running simultaneously.
“We know that the graphics programs are going to workon them,” offers Aubry. “We have a vast assortment ofprograms, and we’re very comfortable that HPworkstations with ATI FireGL are tested for theseprograms, so we know that they are going to work forour environment. The students are finding that thesesystems work reliability. It provides them the opportunity,the power they need to create their designs.”
In the trenchesA senior in the Design track at the Illinois Institute of Art,Randy Johnson knows well the value of a reliable, high-performance workstation with a high-end graphics card.He is intricately involved with the school’s technology,
as he works with incoming students, showing them howto use the computers and software programs.
“When it comes to the PC, I am picky,” notes Johnson.“It has to keep up with me.”
Johnson considers HP workstations to be the bestWindows-based computer systems on which he has everworked. Many systems could not keep pace with the speedat which he worked. For this and many other reasons, it iscritical to choose a workstation designed specifically foryour work, opposed to an average desktop PC.
“I would have to wait for the system to catch up withme, or it would just freeze and I would lose my work,”Johnson recalls. “A slow system is such a pain. I haven’thad any problems with HP workstations. It has beenable to keep up with the speed that I work and how
quickly I outline things and modify designs. It helps mecreate the things I want to create.”
Johnson, a self-proclaimed Macintosh user, admits, “I trustHP workstations because I haven’t had problems withthem—they don’t freeze on me and I haven’t had one crashor slow down so that I can’t work on it. HP workstationswith ATI FireGL graphics keep up with me. I’m able to paintand change things, and I don’t have to spend all my timewaiting for it to do something. I rely on the HP workstationsat school.”
Innovation, reliability, and supportFrom a business standpoint, Aubry and others at theInstitute have never regretted standardizing on HPworkstations with ATI FireGL. The HP workstations oncampus are configured with some of the latesttechnological innovations in processing power, such as
Intel’s new CPU. At the same time, the HP workstationsat the school that take advantage of ATI FireGL graphicscards provide users powerful graphics processing,memory, and functionality. In fact, the high-performanceHP workstation configurations have required littlemaintenance.
“HP workstations last,” notes Aubry. “They have givenus good performance over time, so the total cost ofownership is lower. The workstations also have beenvery reliable over time, and we have not spent a lot oftime or had the need to upgrade them.”
Aubry admits that the one component he has had causeto upgrade on the HP workstations is main systemmemory. The process was a smooth one, given that HP’sinnovative tool-less chassis enables technicians at theschool to make any necessary internal changes quickly,
“Because we’re so heavily focused on theapplied arts, we require computer systemsthat can run a variety of graphics programs.The systems have to be able to handle agood collection of design software, not befocused on just one product.”—Jim Aubry, Illinois Institute of Art
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easily, and without the need for tools. Yet, this is not tosay that Aubry doesn’t encounter situations that call fortechnical support, such as when a student succeeds infully tapping a system’s resources.
“With 600 machines, you’re always going to have one ortwo challenges,” recognizes Aubry. “HP has given us avery strong support network. We deal directly with HPsupport, and the company is very good in terms ofsupporting the product—if we need parts, getting us theparts; if we need technical support, giving us tech support.”
Users such as Aubry and the Illinois Institute of Art likewiseappreciate that HP partners with leading technologycompanies, such as Intel, ATI, and various independentsoftware vendors. These relationships ensure not only that
HP workstations feature and benefit from the latest andgreatest in processing and graphics technologies, but alsothat all of the components have been adequately testedand assured to work together seamlessly and without fail.
“It adds another level of reliability to our systems,” saysAubry. “It is very important that we have a degree ofknowledge that they have been certified to work with thesesoftware applications—that they have been tested, andthey work with the configuration.”
HP and its partners further aid the school not only incompeting for incoming students, but also in deliveringstudents precisely what they need to succeed.
“Many high-school students looking at our school are verysavvy,” admits Aubry. “They know technology. They generallyhave an idea of the field that they want to get into, andthey know the software programs that are being used outthere. So they appreciate that we have the most currentsystems and we can support their goals and careerobjectives. Technology is one of the top things that theylook for in a school of our nature.”
At the same time, the Institute’s technology—including itshundreds of HP workstations with ATI graphics and Intelprocessors—is a critical component of its mission.
“We’re very much geared toward the students knowingtheir profession, and meeting their career goals,” saysAubry. “all the tools associated with the software and the
hardware are critical to the students achieving the successthey are setting out for. Those items are very important forthe success of the students, and they realize that.”
Selecting a workstation for your education and your careeris a personal decision. It, like your graphics education,should meet your needs, help you realize your creativevisions, and support the goals you have set for yourself,your art, and your business. It’s a purchase decision thatcannot be made lightly or on an impersonal website oronline storefront. Contact people who know how you workand who understand your specific needs. Contact Hewlett-Packard Company and ATI, and tell them about you andthe fantastic places your imagination, education, and career—as well as the latest technologies—are going to take you.
“That’s why we’ve gone with HPand ATI. Their products give us thebest performance for the suite ofsoftware products that we need toprovide our students.”—Jim Aubry
MA
KIN
G T
HE
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AD
E
HP xw4400 Workstation
If you are attending Siggraph in Boston August 1—3, please stop by the HP booth #1203 to experience the latestHP workstations and the ATI booth #1513 to experience the newewst FireGL workstation graphics accelerators.
Find more information about HP workstations designed for the DCC market at: www.hp.com/go/dccFind more information about ATI workstation graphics accelerators at: www.ati.com/FireGL
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w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 23
Motion Capture. . . .
the same as if a motion-capture crew
had acquired the performance using a
traditional system.
“We calibrated an animation rig
(skeleton),” says Michael Sanders, digi-
tal supervisor in charge of data acquisi-
tion. Then, to calculate the motion for the
skeleton, the Imocap system inferred the
skeleton’s movement from the image of
the body. “The skeleton and the images
lock together,” he says, “and we get a per-
frame motion solution from a sequence of
images. It’s like the inverse of a motion-
capture system, but with the same fi del-
ity. Normal mocap is constrained by
hardware, controlled lighting, and a cali-
brated environment. The inverse is no hardware constraints, no cal-
ibrated equipment, and full freedom to shoot in any location, under
any lighting conditions, and in any environment.”
To help capture those images, while Verbinsky directed and
his camera operators fi lmed the dot-banded, gray-suited actors,
Knoll and the ILM crew also shot the action using prosumer HD
camcorders for reference. The extra coverage helped verify the
3D performance for Imocap; however, the technique worked even
when all they had was the fi lm image. “The technique, by design,
had to be very forgiving,” says Knoll.
Once ILM had the footage, Snell oversaw a group of 16 people
who matched the camera from the principal photography to the
digital environment he had created from photos on set. Then, using
the Imocap solver, they retargeted the performance of each actor
onto his corresponding CG creature. It sounds a little like matchi-
mation, but it’s leaps and bounds beyond. “I think of Imocap as a
blend between match animation and motion capture that produces
motion-capture data, a hybrid of techniques,” says Snell. “It sets a
new bar for visual effects. Wait ’til you see these guys.”
Sneering Tentacles
It may be revolutionary, but, like traditional motion capture, it
wasn’t perfect—an actor might cover another’s face, for exam-
ple. Animators cleaned up the Imocap movement, animated
special appendages like crab claws sticking out of a character’s
back, and gave the faces expressions. “We gave all the charac-
Hadras, performed by Ho Kwan Tse, loses his head in a chase scene. Modelers sculpted the
creatures in Maya, created face shapes in Zeno, and added such detail as barnacles in Z-brush.
Davy Jones’ performance by Bill Nighy wearing a gray suit with tracking markers and bands at
left, top, was captured using ILM’s proprietary Imocap system and then applied to the cursed
creature at left, bottom. Keyframe animators and simulation artists performed the tentacles.
A new articulating rigid-body system controlled internal motors that bent the organist’s 46
tentacles forward and backward in different dimensions and at various speeds.
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24 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Motion Capture
ters facial shapes, even Ogilvey, whose head is made of coral
and looks like he doesn’t have a mouth, and Crash, who is so
eaten away he has sea anemones for a mouth,” says Campbell.
“The tricky thing was translating Bill Nighy’s emotion to Davy
Jones’ character. He’s a lip-synched main character.”
A custom analysis tool called Compare helped animators
with that process. “Animators can quickly bounce back and
forth between Bill Nighy’s performance and the CG character,”
says Knoll. “They could look at the timing of an eye blink, how
high the corner of his mouth goes on a sneer. It was our job to
copy Nighy, not interpret what he was doing.”
Because Davy has no nose, the modelers had to fi nd ways
for the animators to reproduce Nighy’s contemptuous sneers
through his facial tentacles. Although animators created the
sneers, usually Davy Jones’ 46 tentacles moved procedurally
thanks to an evolution of ILM’s rigid-body dynamics system.
Each tentacle was made of cylinders connected with joints—
imagine soup cans one below the next. ILM’s previous rigid-body
dynamics could spin the soup cans relative to one another and
rotate them in various directions, which
was fi ne for battle droids in Star Wars that
crashed to the fl oor and landed like rag dolls.
But Davy’s tentacles needed to bend, curl,
sway, and writhe. To make that possible,
the simulation team put motors between the
joints and created an articulating rigid-body
dynamics system.
“We can feed the motors mathemati-
cal expressions or keyframe motion, and
they’ll try to move on their own,” says
James Tooley, senior technical director
(TD) and animation supervisor. “They
seek out and try to perform, and we can
change that performance. You’ll notice that
in some shots, they swish back and forth,
but when Davy Jones gets angry, the ten-
tacles get angry.” They also added some-
thing they called “sticktion,” which caused
the tentacles to stick a bit to Davy as they
swished—like wet spaghetti on a leather
jacket, as Knoll puts it—rather than slide.
Each of the 46 tentacles could have as
many as 40 moving parts. Karin Derlich,
lead creature TD, developed a “super con-
troller” system to manage the complex-
ity. With the super controller, TDs could
adjust parameters to specify the speed
that the motors moved the joints. To cre-
ate the sine waves that caused a tenta-
cle to curl like an octopus tentacle as it
moved up, down, sideways, and twisted
in three dimensions, they selected which
motors would go forward and which would go backward.
Monster Effects
Kraken, the sea monster that Davy invokes, has enormously larger
tentacles. We fi rst see the squid-like creature’s giant tentacles ris-
ing from the sea to overtake the trading ship Edinburgh. “Most
of the time the tentacles are fl ailing around causing destruction,
picking up sailors, and smashing things,” says Hickel. Animators
worked with main controllers spaced along the length of the ten-
tacle, and with smaller subsets of controllers, to add wobbles and
shocks without disturbing the larger animation. In some shots,
they used shape animation for individual suckers on the under-
side of the tentacles to bring the suckers alive.
“We had 16 base suckers that animation TDs could instance
with random variations,” says Meny. “They could change the
look on a per-shot basis.”
Creature modeler Frank Gravatt built the Kraken tentacles in
three sizes: a small, noodly arm for snatching people, a medium-
sized tentacle for wrapping the mast, and a crusher that smashed
The complex detail in such all-CG characters as Davy Jones caused ILM’s R&D department to
derive a new rendering solution based on a game technique to save time.
The hardest compositing shots in the fi lm were during Kraken destruction scenes, which
included CG water, real water and mist, real smoke, live-action actors, and the CG Kraken.
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Our world just got bigger!
Computer Graphics WorldTim MattesonSales Director(310) [email protected]
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26 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Motion Capture
the ship. In addition, a full-body Kraken, with its gruesome maw,
appears in a few shots. To animate the beast, ILM developed a
new system. “Tentacles, snakes, ropes, things like that are, by their
nature, very diffi cult to animate,” says Tooley, “especially when
you need to pull on one end and have the whole thing follow.”
To solve that problem, Tooley’s team of 36 TDs developed
a non-ballistic posing system on top of an inverse-kinematics
control system. The result allowed animators to move the ten-
tacles around as if they were pieces of rope. “We also added
extra control systems to the underlying inverse-kinematics
control structure,” Tooley says. “Animators could move any
part of the tentacle where they wanted at any time. They could
grow it, make it stretch, shrink it, or make it fatter, and, as it
changed length, it also changed volume.”
On top of that, they sometimes added a fl esh simulator,
which also ran on Davy Jones’ tentacles and a few other faces,
to add jiggle and to preserve the volume. “There’s a really cool
shot I like of a tentacle moving past a cannon port,” Tooley says.
“We used the fl esh system, this tetrahedral volumetric system,
so as the suction cups on the tentacle pass the cannon and the
cannon port, you can see that they really get pushed around by
this collision object and vibrate a little bit.”
Mayhem and Magic
Kraken’s attack causes some of the most diffi cult composites in
a fi lm fi lled with diffi cult composites. Compositing supervisor
Eddie Pasquarello led a team that averaged around 65 composi-
tors and peaked at 80. The compositors used ILM’s Comptime,
Apple’s Shake, and ILM’s Sabre system, which is based on
Autodesk Discreet’s Inferno.
“We had to integrate CG characters with live characters wear-
ing makeup,” he says, referring to Davy and his crew, which
includes Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), the only non-CG char-
acter. “And we had water integration. Ship rigging. Backgrounds
behind. Bluescreen people. There were no easy shots.”
Kraken picks up sailors with one tentacle while using another
to smash onto the deck, and a third to wrap around a mast
and rip it out. The ships are sometimes CG, sometimes models,
and sometimes combinations of the two. There’s smoke, fl ying
debris, and water spray—all photographed on set because Knoll
believes in having the environmental effects shot in-camera.
“It just looks more real,” Knoll says. “But it makes these shots
the most horrible compositing nightmare you could imagine.”
Rather than trying to extract smoke and water splashes from
the plates, compositors laid the tentacles on top of the plate
atmosphere and then layered smoke or water elements on the
tentacles. A 100-layer shot, of a tentacle crashing through the
middle of a ship, took two and a half months to composite.
Compositors also handled Turkish prison digimattes, a
bone cage fi lled with Black Pearl crewmembers that dangled
from simulated CG ropes across a canyon, backgrounds that
turned Dominica into Cannibal Island, and many other shots.
Given the technical challenges, technical fi rsts, and sophis-
ticated artistry, the work on this fi lm should easily put the
crew in the running for a visual effects Oscar. “As much as I
know people like to mention technical things, what I was most
pleased about was the quality of artistic talent on this show,”
says Campbell.
The fi rst Pirates captured a box-offi ce treasure chest of
$653 million as it sailed into the top 25 all-time box-offi ce hits
domestically and internationally. With Johnny Depp, several
totally gross characters, and the same outrageous humor as in
the original, the sequel is likely to capture enthusiastic audi-
ences as well.
“It’s pretty neat and kind of disgusting, but not so much you
can’t enjoy the fun of it,” says Hickel.
Barbara Robertson is an award-winning writer and a contributing
editor for Computer Graphics World. She can be reached at
Animators could stretch or shrink the tentacle and move any part using a
non-ballistic procedural posing system on an inverse-kinematics control system.
Technical directors added detail in some shots to other-
wise instanced tentacle suckers with random variations.
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. . . .Character Animation
28 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
Imag
es ©2006 So
ny Pictu
res Imag
ewo
rks.
Imageworks uses performance capture and hand animation
to create ‘dollhouse’ realism
This Old House
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FA
w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 29
Character Animation. . . .
ny animator who has spent
months sculpting blendshapes
or posing IK handles will tell you that the
phrase “computer animation” is not only a
misnomer for the person’s art, but a border-
line insult. Computers don’t animate any-
thing; people do. One of the reasons for
the misconception is that digital charac-
ters usually lack the hands-on tangibility
that makes stop-motion puppets feel hand-
crafted and unique. It’s this handmade
charm and tactile reality of stop motion
that fi rst-time director Gil Kenan, backed
by executive producers Steven Spielberg
and Robert Zemeckis, wanted to intro-
duce to the CG medium in Sony Pictures
Imageworks’ latest feature, Monster House.
Kenan wanted the digital characters to
feel as though human hands had labored
on them, even if it meant preserving the
fi ngerprints the sculptor left in the clay
maquettes from which they were scanned.
“I wanted the audience to feel like it could
relate to every character in every environ-
ment by reaching out and touching them,
so that meant devising an entirely new
approach to putting together a computer-
generated movie,” says the 29-year-old
director, who has spent the last four years
living every aspiring fi lmmaker’s dream
(see “Building a Career, pg. 46).
Kenan was fresh out of fi lm school at
UCLA when his short movie “The Lark”
was noticed by Zemeckis; along with
Spielberg, Zemeckis had opted against
developing Monster House as a live-action
fi lm because the anthropomorphizing
Monster House in question could only be
brought to life through animation. And
they needed a director who could handle
the challenges of animation and direct-
ing the partially motion-captured per-
formances of the CG characters. Kenan’s
“The Lark,” which featured a stop-motion
bird and rotoscoped live actors performing
against 2D animated backgrounds made in
Adobe’s After Effects, earned him the job.
Not bad for a fi lm shot on DV and edited in
Apple’s Final Cut for a mere $400.
Monster House utilizes the same per-
formance-capture system pioneered for
2004’s The Polar Express (see “Locomotion,”
December 2004, pg. 16), which lent itself
perfectly to capturing the weight and phys-
icality of the characters. Unlike The Polar
Express, however, Monster House’s world is
far more stylized, blending the childlike
elements of Rankin/Bass with the stop-
motion work of Ray Harryhausen (Clash
of the Titans) to forge a kind of “dollhouse”
realism in which characters feel more doll-
like than CG creations.
The story follows a boy named DJ
(played by Mitchel Musso) who is obsessed
with a mysterious house across the street
that is owned by the meanest old man in
the neighborhood, Horace Nebbercracker
(Steve Buscemi). When DJ and his friend
Chowder (Sam Lerner) try to recover their
basketball from Nebbercracker’s lawn, the
old man goes berserk, lifting DJ off the
ground before collapsing dead on top of
him. That’s when the house comes alive,
devouring anyone and anything that
comes its way. DJ and Chowder do their
best to alert those living nearby, but their
warnings fall on deaf ears, namely those of
Zee (Maggie Gyllenhaal), the world’s worst
baby-sitter, her apathetic headbanger boy-
friend Bones (Jason Lee), and two witless
police offi cers. It’s up to DJ, Chowder, and
a prep-schooler named Jenny (Spencer
Locke) to save the neighborhood.
Stop-Motion CGI
In an era when CG characters can boast
millions of volumetric hairs and scenes
can be rendered with hundreds of lights,
Kenan’s plan to never let the comput-
er’s “inhuman” ability to process data
defeat the human connection to the fi lm
was bold and audacious, and had reper-
cussions throughout the production. “In
my fi rst conversation with my visual
effects supervisor, Jay Redd, we decided
to remove motion blur from the entire
movie,” says Kenan. “Motion blur has
been used as a crutch in CG animation for
so long, and what you lose is that amazing
Harryhausen staccato effect, where things
have a real connection to the ground, and
a real weight and gravity to them. I want
everything to feel planted and tangible
and connected to the world.”
In fact, the choice to turn off motion
blur was a direct nod to stop motion,
notes Redd. “When you’re seeing every
frame sharp, when your brain is regis-
tering every pose, every eye shape, every
dart of an eye or fi nger movement, it
makes the fi lm feel handmade.”
By Martin McEachern
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LEFT BRAIN
ARCHITECTURE GRAPHIC DESIGNILLUSTRATION COMPUTER ARTS–NEW MEDIA INDUSTRIAL DESIGN ANIMATION & VISUAL EFFECTS
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RIGHT BRAIN
FINE ART MOTION PICTURES & TELEVISION FASHION ADVERTISING INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY
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continued on page 37
32 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Character Animation
Forging the fi lm’s hand-labored look began during the model-
ing phase, where sculptor Leo Rijin fashioned clay maquettes of
each character, ranging in size from 12 to 16 inches. Under normal
circumstances, a modeler would then work from scans to build
one half of the character, duplicate it to the other side, and stitch
the halves together. Not here. “That drove me crazy when I fi rst
found out that’s how they did it,” says Kenan. “I insisted that both
halves of the original clay maquettes be modeled. It was really cru-
cial that all the characters had distinct features and weren’t per-
fectly symmetrical. If you look closely at DJ, you’ll see that one of
his nostrils is a little wonky, and that’s just because [Rijin] had a
little accident in sculpting his nose, but it constitutes what we iden-
tify as a particular characteristic, and it makes a big difference.”
Modeled with polygons, subdivision surfaces, and bits of
NURBS, the asymmetrical character geometry also demanded
asymmetrical rigging. “We couldn’t just rig one side and fl op
it over to the other side because the model was different on the
other side,” says animation supervisor Troy Saliba. “Each side
had to be rigged independently.”
To ensure that the character models manifested the slight-
est nuances of an actor’s facial performance during the motion-
capture process, modelers infused the models with the unique
facial structure of each actor. For instance, artists gave Mr.
Nebbercracker big, walnut shell eyelids, and tailored the eye-
brows to match those of Steve Buscemi. They also accentuated
the nasolabial furrow so Buscemi’s frequent sneering translated
perfectly during motion capture.
Continuing with this stripped-down aesthetic, the fi lmmak-
ers also avoided hyper-realistic cloth and hair simulation, rely-
ing instead on simple geometry for hair and tubular geometry for
clothes. “[Redd] and his team came up with simplifi ed hair. It
doesn’t move, and you don’t think about it; you shouldn’t think
about it. You don’t think about an actor’s hair in a feature; if you
are, you aren’t watching the movie,” says Kenan. In the same vein,
the team kept the eyes simple and graphic. Adds Redd: “When the
eyes become complex, you tend to want more, and then you start
to get into shiny skin, subsurface scattering shaders, and all these
photoreal qualities we weren’t interested in doing.”
Actors and Animators United
The biggest revision to the performance-capture pro-
cess used for The Polar Express occurred with facial
animation. Unlike The Polar Express, where the char-
acter rigs were geared almost exclusively for motion
capture, Saliba made sure Monster House’s rigs were
equally capable of responding to motion capture and
hand animation. As a result, the animation is always
a blend between actor and animator.
In The Polar Express, the motion-captured data from
the 150-plus markers on each
Carrying fl ashlights and armed with Super Soakers, DJ, fl anked by
his friends Jenny and Chowder, explore the strange happenings
inside the Monster House. The characters and everything else in the
fi lm look handmade rather than CG-perfect.
Modelers gave characters the unique facial structures of
the actors voicing them, so the artists could more easily
incorporate nuanced facial expressions.
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Software vendors, such as Autodesk, Softimageand NewTek, continue to infuse applicationswith greater functionality to enable creatives todo more at a faster pace. With the increasedneeds of users and expanded softwarecapabilities comes the necessity for hardwaresolutions capable of supporting more complexprojects and applications.
The workstation market has responded,delivering such leading technologies as multi-core processing and 64-bit architectures. Multi-core technology involves having more than oneprocessor core packaged in a single chip, therebyboosting performance and enabling applicationthreads (instructions) to run in parallel. Theresult is increased system performance and userproductivity. The newer workstations now offerup to two dual-core processors designed tosimultaneously handle eight softwareinstructions at the same time—four physical and
As a graphics professional in the entertainmentindustry, you don’t compromise when it comesto your work—always striving for the highestquality, greatest realism, or most eye-catchingeffect. You push your creativity, imagination,talents, and even your time to the limit. Youshould expect no less from the solutions youuse to get the job done.
Industry projects—whether involving characteranimation, a novel visual effect, or aphotorealistic gaming environment—arebecoming increasingly complex. Because ofthe nature of what you are trying toaccomplish, you continuously push theenvelope and, in turn, drive greaterperformance. Answering the call for morerobust tools, software and hardware vendorsare refining applications, workstations, andcomponents to put more powerful, high-performance, and reliable solutions in thehands of graphic design customers.
Successis in the CardsMaking the right workstation and graphicschoices can help you achieve greatness
A S
UP
PL
EM
EN
T T
O C
OM
PU
TE
R G
RA
PH
ICS
WO
RL
D
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four virtual. This technology, known as hyper-threading, is becoming more and more prevalentin the industry, as leading software developers,such as Adobe, Autodesk, Softimage and NewTekunveil applications capable of running on morethan one processor, or core, simultaneously.
Another industry trend driving greater graphicsperformance is 64-bit computing, which isparticularly beneficial to digital content creatorsgiven the necessity to work with large, complexfiles. 64-bit technology answers the need for largeraddressable physical and virtual memory,scalability, and faster processing and responsetimes. Desktop-class systems do not, as a generalrule, offer 64-bit computing; rather, it is typicallyfound only on enterprise-level servers andworkstations, which support both 32- and 64-bitapplications. Newer graphics workstations offerup to 64GB of physical memory—incredible.
Workstation class vs. desktop classYour workstation is an integral part of your job,and your success. If you’ve ever worked with anunresponsive computer system—one that takesconsiderable time to complete a task or respondto a command, one that crashes without warning,or one that refuses to multitask—you have a keenunderstanding of this fact.
It might be tempting to save money on an initialhardware purchase by opting for a more affordable,run-of-the-mill desktop PC or building your ownsystem. Yet, the hardware and software tools youselect to do your job are an investment in yourcareer, and your future. You want a systemdesigned for your work, with your needs in mind.Your needs are unique, so your system should bein sync with you.
It is tremendously important, then, to understandthe latest hardware technology to configure theoptimal system to meet your exacting needs.
Workstation technologies might be complex, butthe selection process needn’t be.
Computer considerationsThree components should be considered whenselecting a workstation for graphics-intensiveapplications. Of significant importance are aworkstation’s memory, processor, and graphicscard.
As the complexity of graphics projects increases,so too do corresponding file sizes. The moreimpressive an animation or effect, the morememory and processing power required.Workstation-class systems generally providegreater main system memory, often at fasterspeeds, when compared to desktop PCs.
From a processing perspective, workstation-classsystems employ the latest technologies fromleading vendors. Dell’s Precision™ workstations,for example, take advantage of the latest Intel®Xeon® dual-core processors, whereas its consumer
product lines use Intel® P4processing. Workstations are designed and
built to provide a higher capacity for calculationand processing because the applicationsdemand it.
Memory capacity and processing power contributeto the overall performance of a workstation, butno component is as critical to your workflow asthe graphics card. A system tailored to meet theneeds of digital content creators employs a high-end OpenGL graphics card, such as ATI’s FireGLline, designed to support today’s advancedapplications and their expanding feature sets.
Graphics power and memoryThe graphics card is a powerful part of theworkstation, thanks in large part to the graphicsprocessing unit, or GPU. The GPU is similar to acomputer processing unit, or CPU, but is focusedon displaying pixels on the screen. Whereas theCPU is responsible for running the softwareapplication and performing some calculationsrequired by that program, anything involved in
Success is in the cards
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Integrated outputsBy selecting a card with the latest outputtechnologies, such as digital video interface (DVI),as well as support for dual link and 10- and 16-bitdisplays, you are ensuring the viability of yourworkstation in the future, or future-proofing. Cardssuch as the ATI FireGL series provide two DVIconnectors, expanding the digital content creator’sworkspace by driving two displays off a singlecard. Users can start with one display and addanother as their needs grow.
Another desirable technology, dual link usesmore of the pins on a DVI connector toessentially double the bandwidth and drive moredata throughput. Dual link aids users in takingadvantage of ultra-wide, high-resolution displays,such as Dell’s 30-inch 3007WFP with 2560x1600resolution. Those seeking an ultra-wide visualworkspace need the right graphics card to drivedisplays at full resolution. In fact, a single ATIFireGL V7200 sports two dual-link DVI outputs,suitable for driving two widescreen monitorsside-by-side for a workspace measuring morethan 5000 pixels wide.
With more pixels on the screen, artists anddesigners gain greater flexibility, accuracy, andproductivity. Visual professionals benefit from alarge workspace and the ability to run multipleprograms, boosting productivity and improvingoverall workflow. At the same time, it’s importantto choose technology that affords you growth,for your work today and in the future, as peripheralsquickly become more capable.
Added valueWorkstations, as compared to desktop PCs, offera newer system bus architecture. The bus, thebandwidth that data travels between the processoror the hard drive and the memory, should use thelatest technology and offer adequate bandwidth.Today’s best graphics cards provide 16 lanes ofPCI Express native.
Look for algorithms and technologies in the GPUthat enhance the visual experience, like Avivo (ATIvideo in video out). Avivo extends the traditional8-bit color space, with 16.7 million total colors, to10-bit color with more than 1 billion colors in all.The expanded color spectrum lends to morecompelling, realistic, and crisp visuals, as well as
rendering graphics to a display is handled by theGPU. GPUs, such as those from ATI, take advantageof more than 350 million transistors, far more thanCPUs, and are roughly 10 times more powerful interms of raw computational power.
With all that processing power behind you, youneed sufficient memory to store the impressivegraphics on your monitor. Memory on the graphicscard is used, in part, for the frame buffer, whichstores information displayed on the screen.Graphics cards today offer up to one gigabyte ofmemory on board, and ATI offers a range ofsolutions with different amounts of memory andprocessing power to meet the needs of a widerange of customers.
Graphics memory requirements continue toincrease, with the growing popularity of double,triple, and quad buffering. Double bufferinginvolves the use of a front buffer and a back buffer,translating to a need for twice the memory. Asyou animate, for example, the computer displaysone buffer while the graphics card renders to thesecond buffer; then, in a sixtieth of a second or
less, the buffers are swapped to prevent screensfrom flickering. Double buffering enables smoothanimation, which is further expanded with tripleand quad buffering.
High-end graphics cards enable stereo 3D, a uniquecapability involving left and right views that areeach double-buffered, using four buffers. The ATIFireGL V7200, for example, offers a stereoscopic3D connector through which alternating left andright 3D representations are displayed andsynchronized with 3D glasses. Demand for thisstereoscopic view is growing, as it provides greaterdetail when working with very intricate models.
Those using sophisticated rendering and shadingtechniques require adequate memory. Texturemapping is improved by the ability to load texturesin the graphics card’s memory. Today’s popularpixel-shader programs also can be loaded intographics memory to aid users in simulating water,metal, and myriad other effects.
These latest industry and software innovationsput an emphasis on the GPU and graphics memory,but the graphics card’s outputs also should notbe overlooked.
"From automotive to aerospace, visual effectsproduction to oil & gas exploration, today's industriesrely on powerful workstations from Dell with ATI FireGLgraphics inside." — Joe Chien, General Manager,Workstation Products, ATI Technologies
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brings about an increase in image detail, especiallyin highlights and shadows.
Ten-bit color is significant for digital contentcreation markets, like Hollywood, that require thebest possible image with the best color quality.ATI’s FireGL cards offer 10-bit color throughoutthe graphics pipeline, enabling users to takeadvantage of high dynamic range imaging (HDRI).ATI cards also output 16-bit color, lending to morethan 1 trillion color combinations and significantlymore detail.
Behind the scenesYou work nights and weekends, whatever isnecessary to get the job done well and on time.The last thing you need is an unreliable,unresponsive computer system thwarting yourefforts, and contributing to lost time, money,and clientele. For this reason, it is importantto ensure that your system is certified towork in tandem with your software andperipherals, and that a support structureis in place should you need it.
ATI, as an example, works directly with leadingsoftware vendors to ensure that its graphics cardsand drivers are optimized and validated for usewith character animation software. Dell Precisiontakes it a step further, subjecting the entireworkstation—the graphics card, system bus, BIOS,memory, hard drive, and more—to a thorough testingand certification process, so users can be confidentthe configuration will work in their environment.
Forced downtime can be both infuriating andcostly. When was the last time you experienceda system that didn’t work in some way? Chancesare you remember, considering it may have costyou time, money, and patience. Certification affordsyou peace of mind, stability, and if a problem shouldarise, accountability.
The quality of technical support is as importantas certification. When you are calling about yourDell Precision, for example, you have a directline to workstation-class tech support andtechnicians familiar with running high-endapplications. And a Dell Precision with an ATIFireGL graphics card provides access to anotherresource, ATI tech support.
Don't forget that the cost of owning a computerdoesn't end with the initial purchase, rather itextends over its lifetime and may be affected bymaintenance, downtime, and more. For this reason,
it is crucial to factor a system’s reputation,certification, and support into the selection process.
Now, and in the futureThe design industry is changing and innovating,just as you are always perfecting your craft andexpanding your knowledge. You need a systemthat will serve you well into the future, as yourwork increases in quality, complexity, and quantity.
In a studio or workgroup environment, invest inworkstations with a scalable architecture that cansupport users in the organization now, and growwith them in the future. A junior animator workingon a character’s hand may not need the highest-
performing graphics configuration, but the senioranimator who is animating the hands, feet, body,and head wants the best solution available.
Selecting the optimal workstation for your digitalcontent creation career is an important decision.Consider a system’s memory capacity, processingpower, and, above all else, its graphics card, beforecommitting to a purchase, and ensure that themanufacturer stands behind its products, offeringthe appropriate certifications, assurances, andsupport. For more information about Dell Precisionworkstations and ATI FireGL graphics cards, visitwww.dell.com/workstations and www.ati.com/firegl.Once you are armed with your optimal workstation,go have fun, be imaginative, and create some ofthe greatest art the world will ever see.
Success is in the cards
For more information visitwww.dell.com/workstations
or contact your Dell sales person
For more information visitwww.ati.com/FireGL
or contact your ATI sales person
Dell cannot be responsible for errors in typography or photography. Dell, the Dell logo, and Dell Precision are trademarks of Dell Inc. Other trademarks and trade namesmay be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and namesof others. © 2006 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell is strictly forbidden.
“Aside from the speed and
performance benefits
brought about by Dell
Precision technologies,
our 24/7 support
really works for us.”
— Marc Bourbonnais
3D Technical Director,
Hybride Technologies
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continued from page 32
Character Animation. . . .
actor’s face was applied directly to the
corresponding patches of facial geometry on the character, actu-
ally shifting the mesh around without any intermediary enhance-
ment. For Monster House, however, the team processed the same
motion-captured data from the facial markers through a new pro-
prietary Facial Action Coding System (FACS) muscle system, also
used in Superman (see “Leaps Tall Orders,” pg. 52). Developed by
Mark Sagar, now with Weta Digital, the system uses Paul Ekman
and WV Friesen’s cataloging of facial expressions based on muscle
movements to solve motion-captured face data.
“Imagine it is a library of over 100 facial poses, such as ‘inner
eyebrow up’ or ‘outer eyebrow up.’ It harnesses the complete
facial range of a person and divides it into individually num-
bered poses, so that it can choose any number of them, such as
4, 36, 37, and 94, and combine them in different percentages to
create a complete facial shape,” explains Saliba.
To set up the system, the team videotaped each person act-
ing out the 100-plus FACS poses, and then hand-keyed a blend-
shape for each pose to create a FACS library for each actor. Using
the motion-captured data, the FACS solver then selects the cor-
rect poses and combines them in various percentages to create
an expression on a frame-by-frame basis. Once the FACS solver
has created these expressions, animators use Imageworks’ pro-
prietary Character Facial System (CFS) to fi ne-tune them with
blendshape controls.
“Simplicity was my mandate going in because I knew we
were doing a lot of editing and animation to the motion cap-
ture. I wanted to have rigs that were geared toward animation
and not set up so that they would only work with motion cap-
ture,” says Saliba. “That was one of the problems they ran into
on The Polar Express, and I didn’t want to be in that position
because I knew our fi lm was more stylized, meaning the anima-
tion department was going to be leaving an indelible fi ngerprint
on top of the motion capture.”
As the FACS solver accessed the various poses and set val-
ues on them, it didn’t touch the CFS rig, giving artists two layers
of control over the motion-captured performances. (They could
also keyframe the FACS poses manually if a performance failed
to capture properly or the director wanted something different.)
“We can use these FACS poses as a foundation to build our anima-
tion on. For instance, instead of trying to combine 11 or 12 differ-
ent muscle blendshapes to create a smile [with our CFS], we can
go into the FACS poses and fi nd the smile shape and start with
that, using the CFS to make it more organic,” explains Saliba.
While the animators were aiming for a puppet-like feel in the
animation, they utilized proprietary sculpt deformers, known as
Tweak Clusters, to give the body animation a touch of squash and
stretch, and a more graphic look. In all, animators had 11 types of
tweak clusters in their arsenal: Some of them would incorporate
lattice deformers, others would add or subtract volume, giving
the portly offi cer Landers, for example, a wobbling belly.
Motion Capture
Using 200 Vicon mocap cameras, Imageworks captured the faces
and bodies of the actors as they performed on a 20x20x16-foot
stage—nearly double the stage volume used for The Polar Express.
“We had only one stage this time [as opposed to the three used for
The Polar Express], and one of our goals was to capture within a
larger space both face and body data simultaneously for a longer
amount of time, so we didn’t have to break up the motion. To do
that, we needed a larger stage, because characters are always run-
ning across the street or climbing stairs in our fi lm,” says Redd.
The body performances were analyzed and mapped to the
character skeletons using Autodesk’s MotionBuilder, and output as
an Autodesk Maya fi le for animation. Kenan also used six video
cameras to record the scenes, which he edited together to create
Breaking with standard practice, artists sculpted both sides of
the maquette, rather than only half and replicating the image for
the other side. This gave the characters distinctive features, but
required separate rigging for each side of the character, as well.
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38 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Character Animation
a live-action previz to make sure the
story was working on a purely charac-
ter level. Animators also used the video
footage as reference as they shaped
and sculpted the motion-captured data.
Unlike The Polar Express, Kenan says
the fi nished performances for Monster
House were a completely organic collab-
oration between actor and animator. “It
became such a stew between keyframed
and motion-captured animation that it’s
almost impossible to discern between the
two while watching the fi lm,” he says.
On the mocap stage, wire mesh and
foam-core props, which were invisible
to the infrared camera, represented the
various sets, including the exteriors and
interiors of DJ’s home and the Monster House. Of course, the
greatest challenge with the motion-capture process itself lies in
correcting eyeline problems and other proportional discrepancies
between the actors and their digital characters. “We were very
conscious at the beginning about casting actors with similar pro-
portions as their digital characters,” says Redd. “So we cast kids
as the kids. Maggie Gyllenhaal is very similar in height to Zee,
Jason Lee is the same size as Bones, and so a lot of our eyelines
usually worked very well.”
According to Redd, the kids running across the street tended
to be the hardest animations to capture because it was diffi cult
endowing their stride with a believable sense of weighting. “We
would capture fi ve or six volumes at a time of the kids running
across the 20x20-foot volume, and then
edit them together. Capturing scenes
involving four or fi ve characters in the
volume was also challenging. When the
cops show up and the kids crowd around
the car, those are the hardest to deal with
because the actors are all in close prox-
imity, and the cameras can’t see through
them because they’re optical-based. Most
times we’d employ [keyframe] animation
to solve it.”
Once possessed, Nebbercracker’s
house becomes a character in itself,
and had to be every bit as emotive and
expressive as the humans. The crew
videotaped Kathleen Turner, who plays
the house, rampaging through foam-
core props on the stage. While the animators took cues from her
performance, the entire house was keyframed. Artists rigged
the house with more than 40,000 controls (mostly IK), including
base controls that could torque the overall shape of the house,
and fi ner controls for moving, rotating, stretching, and break-
ing every plank, shingle, stairway, railing, siding, brick, fl oor-
board, and even the trees on the front lawn. The house has four
specifi cally rigged states: calm, slightly broken down, articulate,
The set of images at the top of the page depict a model of the
Monster House (fi rst) in its pristine condition and (second) during a
stage of disruption. The image to the right shows the hundreds of
controls on the house that allowed the animators access to every
little detail. Below is that same model that appeared in the fi lm.
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____________
Autodesk and Alias are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries.All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. ©2006 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Image created by: Morph Studios (Maya), Caroline Delen (3ds Max).
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Idea: Greater creative freedom.
Realized:Join us in celebrating the beautifulnew relationship between Autodesk and Alias. Whether you’re looking for robust out-of-the-box power, a highlycustomizable solution or premier character-animation tools, this pairis ready to help you push creativeboundaries for years to come. Tolearn more about this power couple,visit autodesk.com/animation
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42 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Character Animation
and uprooted with tree arms. “We had to plan out how the house
would perform, the faces it could make, the emotions it needed
to convey,” says Redd. “This resulted in many meetings and story
sessions, determining exactly which boards had to break, which
could bend, where the joints were, how the windows would twist,
how the gutters, steps, and bricks would react, and so forth.”
Autumn in the Air
After the animations were completed and the camera move-
ments were blocked out in Maya, Kenan, director of photography
Xavier Perez Grobet, and camera operator Paul Babin then shot
the scenes virtually using Wheels, a virtual camera system devel-
oped at Imageworks for The Polar Express. Standing on the mocap
stage, the fi lmmakers shot the scenes as if they were fi lming live
action, using a camera head as an input device to control the vir-
tual camera in MotionBuilder. Turning the wheel on the camera
head, they could control the pitch, roll, and tilt just like they could
with a real camera.
Because so much of the fi lm involves children running
across streets and through houses, Imageworks also developed
a shoulder-mounted steadicam for Monster House. This allowed
the fi lmmakers to add a more human, handheld feel to the cam-
era movements, better capturing the urgency and emotional
charge of a scene. “Monster House has tons of action, in addi-
tion to being a very scary fi lm, so we needed a handheld camera
to add tension to its movement,” says Redd. “It all goes back to
our mandate of making the fi lm feel handmade. We wanted the
camera to have the little quirks and pops that humans give it.”
The autumnal atmosphere of Halloween was also a cru-
cial character in the fi lm, with the pale sky of day, the blazing
orange sun at dusk, the deep blue shadows of night, the naked,
skeletal trees that grasp like talons for the kids, and the fl urry of
leaves swirling across the ground. “From a dramatic storytell-
ing point of view, we look for what creates the best mood. The
sky is very blue in the fall, the sun never gets very high, and the
shadows are always very long, so those are the cues people will
pick up on,” says Redd. “The fi lm unfolds over a day and a half,
jumping from 2 pm to 7 pm in successive scenes. Using angle of
light and color of shadow, we could tell the audience what time
it was without throwing up subtitles.”
To make sure the characters and environments refl ected this
atmospheric lighting, Imageworks developed new global illumi-
nation, radiosity, and raytracing software to light the movie as if it
were shot on a practical, live-action stage. The software combines
refraction, refl ection, indirect diffusion schemes, fl ags, and com-
plex bounce lighting to produce the kind of photorealism a doll-
house might have, even without being completely “real.”
“Bounce light is perhaps the single most important visual
component, next to control of shadow color and length,”
explains Redd. “After all, we are making a scary movie. It
was the key to super-blue shadows, and making this fi lm feel
handmade. It’s important to show how the color of the carpet
or the wall in DJ’s room affects his skin color in order to get
that tangible feeling.”
Artists also strategically placed lights in Maya so they would
only cast shadows from certain objects. For instance, really long
Autumn is more than just a season in the movie; it played a crucial
role in setting a mood, with its subdued sunlight and the nearly bare
trees that look as if they could reach out and grab someone.
For the characters in Monster House, Imageworks used its proprietary
FACS muscle system that utilizes a category of facial expressions
based on muscle movements to solve mocap face data.
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THOMSONCOURSE TECHNOLOGY&CHARLES RIVER MEDIA
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Animating Facial Features& Expressions,Second Edition
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ShaderX 4: AdvancedRendering Techniques
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___________________
New York University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. ©2006 New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies
NYU’s Programs in Design, Digital Arts, and Film
NYU’s Programs in Design, Digital Arts, and Film are hands on – you learn from working professionals who bring a wealth of the highest-level, real-world experience to every class. We offer unique courses and programs in animation, television, and film; digital design; graphic design; and much more. Discover why so many of our students and graduates find places at top studios and are on the leading edge of new opportunities in the field.Visit our website to view a gallery of student work.
Graduate Programs:Digital Imaging and DesignGraphic Communications Management and Technology
Professional Certificates include:Animation, ModelingDirecting, CinematographyPrint, Motion, and Interactive DesignVideo Game Design
Noncredit Courses include:3-D Modeling and AnimationWeb DesignDigital Video ProductionFlash: Advanced Intensive
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44 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Character Animation
shadows are cast by the trees
but not by the kids, so that
they loom ominously over the
children as if they’re about to
attack. Astonishingly, the team
used only one light in most
scenes—the sun—and then
arranged bounce cards around
the characters, mimicking
the way a live-action movie is
shot. “I took my lighters down
to a small stage, brought in a
couple of grips and a camera
operator, and through lights
on miniature sets, fogged the
scene, and got them thinking
about how to transcend a cliché night or day look,” says Redd. “I
wanted them to tell the story with color, time of day, angles of sun
and shadow, atmosphere, and bounce cards.”
Once the kids infi ltrate the house, the children wield volumetric
fl ashlights to illuminate the structure’s interior. Because the story
demanded tight control over what was revealed to the audience,
the artists used dust clouds, cuculoris, and barn doors to block
parts of the set from view. For the plumes of dust cast up by their
footfalls that thickened the light inside the creaky old house, the
artists used Imageworks’ proprietary sprite renderer, called SPLAT
(Sony Pictures Layered Art Technology). As the kids proceed inside
armed with Super Soakers, SPLAT also generated the fl uid effects.
All the particle simulations were fi rst done in Side Effects
Software’s Houdini or Maya, and then rendered by SPLAT using
specifi c sprites. Because the fi lm is teeming with destruction
effects, the fi lmmakers needed a way to generate massive dust
When the kids make their way inside the Monster House, they use volumetric fl ashlights to illuminate
their way. The fi lmmakers, however, took care not to allow the lights to reveal too much so as to not
give away any “secrets.”
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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORK AND WORK OF ART
© 2006 AJA Video Systems
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE OUR DESKTOP VIDEO SOLUTIONS CAN MAKE,
VISIT US AT WWW.AJA.COM.
AS PASSIONATE AS YOU ARE
VIDEO SYSTEMS
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx46 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Character Animation
clouds and volumetric effects, yet maintain fi ne control over their
scale and detail. “SPLAT allows us to dial in looks and styles
quickly and see the results rapidly, without having to calculate
tons of volumetric information,” says Redd. “We can create ‘vol-
umes’ with the types and number of sprites that we use. There
are many variables that
we can tweak to get a
specifi c ‘look’ for Monster
House’s dust clouds, fi re,
and so forth.”
As ide f rom the
destruct ion clouds,
another big effects chal-
lenge was the ubiquitous
‘Pigpen’ dust that set-
tles around the Monster
House. Each cloud had
to be individually sculpted for every shot in order to hide or
reveal the particular action of the house. “I worked with our
effects team to plot out the location, speed, height, and width
of the dust clouds from shot to shot,” says Redd. Continuity
was very important.”
Strategically
placed lights
inside Maya cast
shadows from
specifi c objects—
the tall, leafl ess
trees extend long
shadows while the
children do not
cause shadows—
providing an
ominous feel.
In an interview with contributing editor
Martin McEachern, Monster House director
Gil Kenan shares his fairy-tale journey from
a $400 student fi lm to a multimillion-dollar
feature fi lm with two of the industry’s
biggest names: Robert Zemeckis and
Steven Spielberg.
How did you become the director of Monster House? I won an award at UCLA with my student fi lm “The
Lark,” so it was screened at the Director’s Guild
of America. It was my fi rst screening outside of
my apartment! One fateful day, my movie made it
onto the desk of Robert Zemeckis. He saw it, liked
it, and told me about Monster House, which he’d
been developing with Steven Spielberg for about
eight years.
Were you aiming for a stop-motion aesthetic from the outset?That’s defi nitely something I was going for, mostly
because traditional CG work is not really appealing to
me as a fi lmmaker. I’ve had a really diffi cult time with
CG. That’s why for my student fi lms, I avoided Maya
like the plague, because you can fancy things up all
you want, but at the end of the day, it all ends up
feeling similar. It doesn’t have a tangible feel.
How did you imbue the characters with that tangible feel?In my fi rst conversation with effects supervisor Jay
Redd (who’s a master at texturing), we talked about
wanting to feel the fi ngerprints of the sculptor on all
our characters’ faces. And that’s all there, sometimes
preserved right from the source scans. Individually,
you wouldn’t notice all those human ‘touches,’ but
the point is when you add them all together, it makes
a human connection between the fi lm and the audi-
ence, and that for me is what’s been lacking in CG
fi lms. It’s the idea that it’s not all computer-pro-
cessed; it took humans to make every model, every
environment, and every character. And because the
movie stars humans, I wanted that sense of humanity
to exude out of every frame.
How did you anthropomorphize the house? I started out by casting the house just like I cast the
kids. I went to my production designer, Ed Verreaux
(who was Spielberg’s storyboard artist at the begin-
ning of his career, and the fi rst person to draw ET
and design Elliot’s bedroom), and together we drove
around Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Glendale, tak-
ing pictures of houses that would fi t the charac-
ter of our house. Then, we reassembled them on a
desk, and took one window from one house, a door
from another, a porch from the next, and kind of
built the face, an ideal facade for this house. The fi rst
night I read the script, I just drew like crazy, making a
bunch of drawings to show Zemeckis what I wanted
the house to look like, and those original drawings
remained very similar to the fi nished look of the house.
The houses seem to have the arti-fi ciality of a studio backlot. Is that something you were aiming for?Yeah. I really wanted this movie to take place in an
idealized movie suburban reality. I was always a
big fan of the studio backlot suburbs. For me, that
always defi ned a certain feeling and emotion. In
fact, on my second house hunt with Ed, we com-
mandeered a golf cart and let loose on the Universal
backlot. We drove down that street from every awe-
some suburban movie ever made, taking pictures and
just getting the feeling of it.
Is that where The ‘Burbs was shot?Absolutely! It’s also Wisteria Lane on Desperate
Housewives. I think there’s something magical about
it. We also ended up at the Psycho house. I jumped out
of the golf cart, took a chance at trying the door, and
found it miraculously unlocked. I went inside, started
goofi ng about and rolling around on the fl oors. I
couldn’t believe I was actually in the Psycho house!
The funniest part is when I came out: There was a
tour group driving by in a tram, and they freaked out
Building a Career
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxw w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 47
Character Animation. . . .
Landscaping
The fi lm climaxes with the emergence of the “Constance
Ghost,” an elegant and graceful apparition—encircled dra-
matically in a 360-degree camera move—that had to be
recognizable as a person. To this end, the artists created
keyframed animations as a guide for the simulations, pro-
ducing dozens of wisps, tendrils, and ringlets of spectral
smoke that were rendered and lit, and ultimately coalesce,
into the fi nished apparition via Imageworks’ proprietary
compositing software, Bonzai.
In addition to Bonzai, the artists also used Adobe’s
Photoshop and Maxon Computer’s Cinema 4D to create the
many digital matte paintings that furnish the shots with back-
ground trees, the sky, and deep vistas. Nevertheless, there are
almost no static backgrounds in Monster House. The envi-
ronment is perpetually alive with gently blowing leaves, moving
bushes, and scattering leaves. For leaves, grass, rocks, and bricks,
Imageworks used Houdini and exported the surfaces into the stu-
dio’s internal geometry format for dynamic simulation or effects.
The house, once it is possessed, transforms from a structure to a main character,
and is every bit as emotive and expressive as DJ and the other CG actors.
because just as they were passing by, there was this
weirdo with big eyebrows jumping out of the door.
Did Wheels, Imageworks’ virtual camera system, help you capture the emotion of a scene better than you could by animating the camera in Maya?Well, there’s one huge fl aw with traditional CG anima-
tion, and it has driven me crazy since the early days, and
that’s the weightlessness of the camera. As a fi lmmaker,
it has always been the most frustrating thing, because I
feel like the weight of the camera is not just an aesthetic
thing, it has an emotional thing; there’s a gravity to it
and a connection to the actors and the scene and the
story. It was really important that I shoot this fi lm with
the philosophy of a live-action fi lm, which is the philoso-
phy of narrative fi lmmaking as it’s been learned during
the last 100 years—but still not forgetting that when
it’s absolutely necessary for the story, I can go nuts and
break all those laws of narrative fi lmmaking.
How did you give the camera this connection to the actors?The fi rst thing I did was hire the least technical, the
least computer-knowledgeable cinematographer I
could fi nd, someone who made fi lms purely emo-
tionally without any artifi ce, and that was Xavier
Perez Grobet, who shot Before Nightfall. That fi lm
is purely emotional fi lmmaking and cinematography.
He came in without knowing anything about Wheels
or mocap; all he knew was traditional fi lmmaking. It
was a really good marriage between us because I felt
comfortable in 3D space, and so together we could
fulfi ll our goal of shooting the fi lm with a real sense
of weight and gravity. We had four camera operators
at Imageworks who worked with us for fi ve months
to place the cameras and get all the coverage. I then
went back to my cutting room and edited all that cov-
erage into the fi nished cut.
Are there differences between directing actors for live action than for motion-captured performances?You have to work harder to help them imagine the
world, but as soon as the actors were able to embrace
the theatrical nature of mocap performance, they were
able to imagine themselves purely in character. I fi nd
that when you strip away a lot of the stuff—take away
costumes, wigs, sets, and props—the fi rst couple of
days can be scary because you’ve taken away their
safety net, but shortly thereafter, a kind of transforma-
tion takes place where the actors become purely con-
centrated on character. And in many ways, you get a
really heightened sense of character.
Have you heard of a Danish director who made a fi lm called Dogville by doing that exact same thing—stripping his actors of sets and elaborate costumes?
Yeah, Lars Von Trier. And that’s the perfect anal-
ogy. It’s like black-box theater. Focusing on charac-
ter helped me a lot in bridging the gap between the
mocap performance and the fi nished animation. I
worked with all the actors to get a sense of height-
ened physicality in the performances and mannerisms,
making sure they were a bit broader than normal
because I knew it would take that extra 5 to 10 per-
cent to translate to the digital characters.
What advancements would you like to see in the motion-captured fi lmmaking process?As these movies become technologically advanced,
there’s this strange kind of show-off race that’s
been happening, and most of it is about how many
lights they can fi t into a scene, how many amazing
hair simulations they can stick on a character, and I
feel that’s wrong. Every movie should create its own
technology. For instance, global illumination was
extremely important to our fi lm, to give our [delib-
erately artifi cial world] a real sense of existence,
so we developed new technology for that. A fi lm
should defi ne its own technology and not vice versa.
That’s where you get into trouble. I feel like mocap
is a tool to serve the story on this fi lm and nothing
more. That’s where I want to see it go, to become
something that’s not talked about and just appreci-
ated by an audience for facilitating a great, commu-
nicating performance.
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For surfacing the characters and environments, texture lead
Dennis Bredow and his team used Maxon’s BodyPaint. “We used
it for almost everything on the movie, including the myriad lay-
ers of dirt, decay, color fade, scratches, dents, dings, scrapes, and
so forth,” says Redd. “We spent a lot of time on the character
makeup; we coordinated costumes with the color of each char-
acter’s face, the rosy qualities of their cheeks, freckles, marks,
bumps, and more. [The texturing process] even involved reveal-
ing fi ngerprints on the characters’ skin. It adds another layer of
doll-like realism to the whole world without trying to create real,
living fl esh. Our characters get beat up and dirty over time,
so we had to map out when, where, and how each character
would become dirtier and dirtier. Lots of tricks were used with
alpha channels and layered shaders to control the continuity.”
To give depth and realism to surfaces for extreme close-ups, the
artists added procedural bump and displacement maps to some of
the painted textures. Finally, to replace the perfections of CGI with
the living chemistry of fi lm stock, the team added fi lm grain to
every shot and created a diffusion fi lter to soften the highlights.
Monster House represents a signifi cant step forward in the
evolution of the motion-capture process pioneered on The Polar
Express, primarily by giving animators far greater control over
the actors’ performances. “It is turning into a new kind of hybrid
medium,” says Redd. “Motion capture is really an immaculate
reference for the animators. The analogy I use is to Disney’s use
of fi lmed reference for the dances in Snow White. No one would
say Snow White is a terribly animated fi lm. For us, the motion
capture is the DNA, the substance of a performance.”
In a summer fl ooded with CG features, each competing for
technical supremacy, Monster House also steps out of the beaten
digital path to assert, not hide, the authorship of the human
hands behind it. “I wanted to make a fi lm that didn’t have the
signatures of CG,” adds Redd. “No fi lm is computer-generated,
and we wanted our fi lm to show that.”
Martin McEachern is an award-winning journalist and contribut-
ing editor for Computer Graphics World. He can be reached at
The CG artists avoided giving the characters hyper-realistic hair
and clothing, and instead used simplistic geometry for the hair and
tubular geometry for the clothing. This worked well with the
movie’s stripped-down aesthetic.
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. . . .Digital Doubles
52 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
W hen Superman soared above Lois
Lane’s house in Warner Bros’
Superman Returns, he fl ew on the
wings of computer graphics technology and
visual effects expertise that has taken super-
heroes and digital humans to new heights.
Andy Jones, animation supervisor at
Sony Pictures Imageworks and Oscar
nominee for I, Robot, led the team that
created the digital stunt double’s perfor-
mance. Richard Hoover, Oscar nominee
for Armageddon, supervised Imageworks’
300 visual effects shots. Mark Stetson,
who won a visual effects Oscar for The
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the
Ring, supervised the work of 11 visual
effects studios that created the fi lm’s
1400 shots. And, Bryan Singer of X-Men
and X-Men 2 fame directed the fi lm.
Digital stunt doubles have accelerated
the actions of superheroes since Batman
took a 60-foot tumble in 1995’s Batman
Forever, and with each, the camera has
moved closer to the digital double’s face.
“We got much closer than we ever thought
we’d be,” says Jones of Superman. “In
one shot in particular, his head is about
a third, maybe half, the screen space.
There were only a few shots like that, but
they were extremely challenging.”
Jones should know. As animation
director for Final Fantasy: The Spirits
Within and I, Robot, digital stunt sequence
supervisor for Titanic, and director of The
Animatrix and Final Flight of the Osiris,
he’s spent much of his career leading
teams that have put photorealistic (and
stylized) digital humans on screen. “The
techniques for face shots have changed
quite a bit from Final Fantasy,” he says,
“and also what we can do with animation,
skin dynamics, and muscles.”
To reproduce the face of Brandon Routh,
who plays the role of the Man of Steel,
Imageworks used the same Light Stage 2
system developed by Paul Debevec and
his team at USC’s Institute for Creative
Technology that had captured Alfred
Molino’s face to create Doc Ock in Spider-
Man 2. With the Light Stage 2 system, an
actor sits unmoving in a chair while a
mechanical arm fastened with strobe lights
swings around the chair. The lights strobe,
the arm moves, and cameras positioned
around the chair photograph the actor’s
face to produce images in various lighting
conditions.
For Spider-Man 2, Imageworks used
four synchronized cameras, but later dis-
covered they had missed part of Molino’s
neck. For Superman Returns, they cap-
tured Routh’s face and the back of his
head using six ARRI Group Arrifl ex fi lm
cameras snapping images at the rate
of 60 frames per second. At the end of
the session, Imageworks had 480 sets
of six images. Each set of images, when
blended, could surround a 3D model of
Routh’s head with a seamless photo of his
face. Some image sets captured specifi c
expressions—eyes open, eyes closed, and
mouth open, mouth closed, for example;
others captured a neutral expression.
“We have several shots where the digital
Superman fl ies right by the lens, and we get
a really good look at his face,” says Hoover.
“We get close enough to see his expression.”
A technical crew led by John Monos
removed highlights from the images, used
custom algorithms to extract refl ective
data, and ended up with 480 refl ectance
maps that could wrap like a rubber sheet
around the 3D model of the actor’s head
Sony Pictures
Imageworks
creates a digital
Superman for
close encounters
By Barbara Robertson
In some shots, Superman is actor Brandon
Routh “fl ying” on wires against a green-
screen with puppeteers maneuvering his
cape, as shown in the photograph above.
Compositors then blended the greenscreen
footage into background plates and digital
environments. However, Superman is often
Routh’s digital double created at Sony
Pictures Imageworks, as in the image at right.
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Digital Doubles. . . .
TM
and on which technical directors could
aim CG lights. “Our TDs just position
lights, and based on that, the map comes
in,” explains Monos. A custom algorithm
helped the TDs dial in refl ectance data
as the face moved, and the image-based
rendering (IBR) system handled potential
problems with double shadows.
“With IBR, shadows are baked in,
like the shadows from the nose onto the
cheek,” Monos says. “We didn’t want a
double shadow if maybe an arm crossed
the faces, so we resolved that internally
as part of the program.” Although the
crew captured Routh’s hands with the
Light Stage 2 system, his hands moved so
much that it became easier to use painted
texture maps and traditional rendering
with subsurface scattering.
Faster than a Speeding Bullet
To create Superman’s performance, anima-
tors worked with motion-capture data and
greenscreen reference. They captured Routh
in basic fl ying poses and, because the crew
thought it would need to have the digital
Imag
es © 2006 W
arner Bro
s. Entertainm
ent Inc. A
ll rights reserved
.
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54 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Digital Doubles
double deliver dialog, it motion-captured
facial expressions based on Imageworks’
proprietary application of the Facial
Action Coding System, also used in
Monster House (see “This Old House,” pg.
28). “It was extremely challenging trying
to make a superhero look real and still
look like a superhero,” says Jones. “The
instinct is to go for comic book poses
and fun, big styles of motion. But Bryan
[Singer] wanted us to pull back and make
him look real, with a cool factor.”
The fl ying shots were a mixture of all digital double, all green-
screen images of Routh on wires, and Routh’s head on a digital
body. “We had close-up shots where they couldn’t use his face for
one reason or another, so we had to get the essence of Brandon
[Routh] in there,” says Jones. Some were especially demanding.
“In a few, we went from the CG human into a live-action green-
screen, which was complicated because we had to match lighting,
body pose, everything.”
In one shot, for example, the digital Superman fl ies through
a tunnel of fl ames, and right after he lands, as he
starts to stand, the camera pulls into a close-up and
Routh’s image replaces the double. “We had very
particular things worked out about how he fl ew,”
says Hoover. “We used his arms aerodynamically
and his knees to turn and create wind resistance
like a rudder on a plane.”
How fast does he fl y? Although it might not be
apparent in the shots, the animators could see in Autodesk’s Maya
that he fl ew over 1200 miles per hour. “That made it diffi cult for
the cloth simulation,” says Hoover. “The physics don’t work.”
Superman’s cape had to look like Superman was fl ying faster
than a speeding bullet, but it also needed to look pleasing. For cloth
simulation, the crew used Syfl ex software and devised techniques
to sculpt the shape using parameters and forces. To replicate the
patterns on the real cape, CG artists used Pixar RenderMan shad-
ers, which scattered light in specifi c ways.
“It was very complex to get the material to fold in one direc-
tion, ripple in another, look like it was going fast, but moving with
a certain amount of amplitude that was acceptable to us,” says
Hoover. Simulations based on physics do what they do, but the
end result wasn’t always what we liked, so we used sims to do
the physics and other controls to manipulate it. We had dozens of
shots where we replaced the real cape with the digital cape.”
Animators blocked out, roughly, how they wanted the
cape positioned, and then Jones worked with technical direc-
tor Takashi Kuribayashi to set wind direction, speed, and other
parameters. “We tried layering small, fast simu-
lations onto larger ones, but it felt like the cape
was fi ghting itself,” Jones says. “We ended up
simulating the cape at low resolution for fast
shots and higher resolution for slower shots to get
more wrinkles and folds.”
Kuribayashi also helped the animators
with hair simulation, for which the crew used
Imageworks’ in-house system to help preserve Superman’s
famous curl in the middle of his forehead. “If his hair blew back,
he looked less like Superman, but more like Brandon,” says
Jones. “But if that’s what it did on the greenscreen, that’s what
we did, too.”
In addition to its own shots, most particularly the sequence
early in the fi lm in which Superman stops a plane nose-div-
ing into a baseball stadium, Imageworks provided its digital
Superman to other studios for close-ups. “Our mandate was to
make him ready for anything,” Hoover says. “If Bryan [Singer]
needed him in any shot, we could come to his aid.” In doing so,
the studio pushed digital stunt doubles out of the background
and into the limelight.
“One thing I wanted to do was give the majestic fl ying
sequences to Imageworks,” says Stetson, “in particular, the ‘lis-
tening post’ sequence, where he sees Lois in her family situation
and realizes what he’s lost and fl ies to a point in space and hov-
ers. It’s beautiful. Also, Superman’s fl ight in the end sequence is
graceful and almost playful.”
Barbara Robertson is an award-winning writer and a contribut-
ing editor for Computer Graphics World. She can be reached at
Digital Superman fl ew 1200 mph in Autodesk’s Maya, using his arms aerodynamically and his
knees to turn and create wind resistance.
Imageworks used the Light Stage 2 system to capture photographic
textures of actor Brandon Routh’s face that they applied to a 3D
model for close-up shots of Superman fl ying.
To read a Q&A with
Superman Returns
director Bryan Singer,
see the story
in our sister
publication, Post.
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. . . .CAD / Art
56 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
When WorldsCollide
Image courtesy Cenveo Armstrong-White.
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w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 57
CAD / Art. . . .
he premise is an obvious
one: All the work that goes
into creating a design for a
product can be reused to create art for a
video, documentation, or a slick maga-
zine ad. But is the theory more attractive
than the actual application?
In the last three years, there has been
remarkable progress in hardware and soft-
ware technology to make the process of
creating art from computer-aided design
(CAD) much easier. For example, graphics
processing units (GPU), thanks to the evo-
lution of common APIs such as DirectX 9
and OpenGL 2, provide hardware acceler-
ation of shader programs. The new GPUs,
in turn, have given software vendors good
reason to support DirectX and OpenGL,
and to offer their own shader programs.
CAD vendors have long anticipated the
blending of art and CAD, and were way
ahead of the curve in this area. Much of the
early work in rendering software was done
to enable the rendering of CAD models.
Countless rendering products were devel-
oped to enable architectural walk-throughs,
and CAD products took on more and more
rendering capabilities. In fact, Autodesk
acquired 3D Studio Max, as 3ds Max was
once known, at least partially to enhance
its capabilities in CAD. More recently,
the company acquired Alias Technology,
which gives Autodesk both industrial
design tools and digital content creation
tools for the entertainment industry.
Likewise, Dassault has acquired Virtools,
a company actively involved in the game
development industry.
New 3D exchange formats—such
as U3D, DWF, 3DXML from Dassault,
and the Web3D consortium’s X3D—are
appearing, as well, and are designed to
improve the ability of artists and design-
ers to collaborate and output art for use
on the Web, in print, or in animation.
Also, companies such as Okino, Right
Hemisphere, Immersive Design, and
Lattice 3D have emerged to sit in the mid-
dle and mediate as fi les are
exchanged for creating art
and documentation. More
than simple fi le exchange,
these companies’ prod-
ucts facilitate collabora-
tion and documentation. In
fact, many of these compa-
nies were born of the chaos
that surrounded the early
CAD wars and the need to
exchange CAD data; oth-
ers came along to accom-
modate large companies
that are collaborating and
creating documentation.
The CAD revolution means that data
is digital and, thus, it can be reused,
repurposed, and mined…at least in the-
ory. In practice—even at this late stage of
the game—CAD and engineering depart-
ments often exist in their own isolated
worlds, and it is diffi cult to get models
and even images out of the design and
engineering departments for use by other
groups such as marketing, service, main-
tenance, and so forth.
Who Is the Artist?
The dirty little secret about art and CAD
is this: Artists called on to create artwork
for products frequently start from scratch
to create artwork, even when CAD mod-
els are available. Why? Artists will tell
you that the complexity of CAD models
and their data sometimes gets lost in the
fi le exchange, making it easier to just
start at the beginning. Also, of course,
the art department might be attached to
an outside marketing fi rm rather than
the designing company, so it’s not always
easy for the group to communicate with
the CAD and engineering group. Even
internal art departments might fi nd
themselves challenged by the need to
negotiate with engineering or to work
with CAD models in a variety of formats.
And often, the engineering department is
loath to relinquish precious CAD data.
Yet, the problem is not necessarily a
technical one. Rather, it’s more of a human
resources issue. Where does the process
begin? Who is in charge? What is the out-
put? The truth of the matter is there indeed
exists a gap between the CAD model and
the art output, and there is no well-defi ned
job description that covers it.
For example, Greg Smith, CEO of
Immersive Design, says that as CAD data
moves out of the engineering department
and into publishing, CAD professionals are
being asked to change the way they work.
Immersive Design is one of those compa-
nies that sit between the CAD model and
the output format—in this case, Acrobat
se
The ability to use CAD models in marketing materials means
that photographers may now just shoot backgrounds rather
than the entire ad using real cars or prototypes. On the
other hand, the whole shot can be created in the computer,
allowing for a wealth of options.
What really happens
when CAD models are
transformed into art?
By Kathleen Maher
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58 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .CAD / Art
3D. The company’s product, IPA, lets users employ 3D models
from solid modelers—such as SolidWorks’ SolidWorks, UGS’s
Solid Edge and I-deas, and PTC’s Pro/Engineer—add animation,
text, and so forth, and create an interactive Web page that can be
used for collaboration, documentation (for manuals, maintenance,
and such), supply chain management, and marketing purposes.
Smith notes that as people work with 3D CAD models for an
interactive document, they often fi nd themselves wishing that
the model had been created differently so that it would be eas-
ier to animate. The most common example is a model that will
be used to create an exploded view. And certainly, it helps if the
parts are created in the right sequence. The same can be said for
creating materials, adding lighting, and so on. Smith notes that
it’s more important than ever to think about how a model is going
to be used downstream before it is ever created in the fi rst place.
JaJa Ishibashi, director of business development at Works
Zebra, enthusiastically agrees that job descriptions are changing,
and his company is capitalizing on that situation. Works Zebra
collaborates with Toyota to create beautifully rendered images
for print and the Web. Also, Works Zebra has been working with
the Lexus division to create e-Catalogues, wide-screen, interac-
tive 3D presentations used as sales tools. The e-Catalogue is tai-
lored to Asian customers who expect a very high level of service
and designed to accommodate car dealerships with limited fl oor
space. Lexus offers customers luxurious rooms at dealerships in
Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore, where they can look at beautifully
rendered models of cars and specify colors and interiors. They
can also look at cars in different environments and times of day.
According to Ishibashi, the rooms have been big successes,
and Lexus is exploring the idea of bringing them to the US.
“People come back again and again,” he says, noting that cus-
tomers often visit their cars before they get delivered. When
customers fi nally make their choices, the e-Catalogue system
can print out a glossy brochure for them to take home.
The company uses Toyota’s CAD models and Initial Graphics
Exchange Specifi cation (IGES) as a neutral exchange format.
Next, the group brings them into Robert McNeel & Associates’
Rhino to clean up the IGES data, and then into 3ds Max. From
there, Works Zebra puts its own technology to the task, includ-
ing the company’s proprietary normal-mapping routing tool,
ZSurfacing. The fi rm built quite a few custom shaders for the
car, in addition to using its own high dynamic range (HDR)
environment mapping and dynamic cube mapping technology.
Works Zebra renders out the imagery in Splutterfi sh’s Brazil
and authors interactive videos in Adobe’s Macromedia Director.
Works Zebra has also developed its own engine, called Zeany,
based on Microsoft’s ActiveX for the interactive application.
The Designer as Artist
It could be said that the way that Works Zebra pulls in all avail-
able technologies and uses a variety of applications refl ects the
industry today—with no one way to do anything and a lot of
options. In contrast, Autodesk is building an entire ecosystem.
The company has long resisted opening up its formats, and
instead offers exchange formats that let users take drawings
and models into other programs. Most recently, the company
has offered its DWF format to let users collaborate, and the com-
pany is revamping its DWF Composer as Design Review.
The more signifi cant step along the way to realizing
Autodesk’s vision is the acquisition of Alias. Obviously Alias’s
Maya is an important tool in digital content creation, especially
in fi lm work. And thanks to Alias’s acquisition of Kaydara (and
its FilmBox product, now called MotionBuilder), Autodesk
has yet another exchange format to offer its users in FBX. FBX
is widely used by game developers and in fi lm and video to
exchange fi les. And, of course, Autodesk now has AliasStudio,
a product suite long favored by industrial designers. Autodesk
has not exactly put all the pieces together yet, and the former
StudioTools still seems like a bit of a stepchild (as it did when
Alias was a separate company). But, it’s clear the vendor wants
to offer companies ways to design and market all of its imagery
within one happy family.
As an example of how all this might work, Autodesk points
to Wild West Motor Company. Founded by mechanical engineer
Works Zebra creates visualizations of Lexus car models so that
customers can see the new cars in action —even before the vehicles
roll off the production line.
Imag
es cou
rtesy Wo
rks Zebra.
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CAD / Art. . . .
Paul Seiter in 1995, the company
crafts custom motorcycles—the
dream of many a mechanical
engineer slaving away on compar-
atively mundane product designs.
The company has its own in-house design
center and uses AliasStudio to design its motor-
cycles with the kind of fl uid lines that embody the
fantasies of every boy who ever doodled a motorcy-
cle in homeroom class. More important, AliasStudio
enables the company to design parts that are manufac-
turable. The company’s designers draw sketches of a new
design, bring it in to AliasStudio, and they are able to snap curves
to the orthographic views, giving them something they can surface.
Afterward, they use a CNC machine to create a physical model. The
team then goes back to AliasStudio to make any additional changes.
At the same time, the company is able to start developing its
marketing materials. The company’s industrial designers use
the same models in Studio to create photorealistic renderings,
even before the motorcycle is produced. The company’s Web
site (www.wildwestmc.com) features both models and photos
of the machines, and one would be hard-pressed to pick the real
from the digital.
Yet another example is Animation Dynamics, Inc. (ADi) of
Portland, Oregon, which creates ani-
mations for fi lm, video, and the Web.
Increasingly, says Jamie Elmer, ADi’s
creative director, “CG is quietly sup-
planting traditional photography and
video.” He notes that once a designer
creates a CAD fi le of a product, a CG art-
ist can create a photoreal image or video
for less than a photo or video shoot. ADi
created a segment for a Bowfl ex com-
mercial to demonstrate a new product,
the Bowfl ex SelecTech, before it had
been produced. The scene employed
match-cut cinematography to morph
from real footage to a photorealistic
animation. ADi uses Okino’s Polytrans
to translate CAD fi les to Alias Maya.
Adobe After Effects was used to achieve
the smooth transition to animation.
Revolutions Happen So Simply
Finally, as was envisioned long ago by
software developers and product design-
ers, the CAD model really is becoming
the repository of all information about
a product, and it is being mined for
that information. While photorealistic
renderings, beautiful Web pages, bro-
chures, and even videos made from CAD models
are the most glamorous side of creating marketing
materials from models, there is plenty of other work that
has to be done as a product goes to market and beyond.
Documentation may well be the least glamorous side of the
design, production, sales, and support cycle, but it is vital to the
long-term success. In the realm of documentation, the writing
is on the wall for the technical illustrator. Increasingly, what is
created digitally stays digital, and there isn’t the time or the will
to redraw images for manuals. And 3D models enable detailed
assembly views to be pulled directly from the models, embed-
ded in documents, and distributed—often digitally via PDF.
For example, the Federal Aviation Administration distributes
thousands of pages of manuals to safety experts. By doing it digitally,
the FAA can keep pace with changes and eliminate the dangerous
practice of sending pages that have to be replaced by employees.
Likewise, the automotive industry produces manuals for its
Animation Dynamics, Inc. created
a segment for exercise equipment
maker Bowfl ex that demonstrated
its new product, before it had
been produced. The scene
contained video that
morphed into CG.Image courtesy ADi.
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60 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .CAD / Art
cars and technical documentation for automotive repair. The
data for these products is already coming from the CAD informa-
tion, and the industry wants to better collaborate and create digi-
tal marketing materials from the CAD data. As a matter of fact,
even as CAD companies stonewalled on the development of open
exchange formats, their customers—especially those in the auto-
motive and aeronautic industries—have been demanding some
way to access models and put them to work. Dassault has offered
one solution in 3DXML, which has been accepted by IBM and, to
some degree, Microsoft. (Alternatively, Autodesk offers DWF.)
In an effort originally spearheaded by Intel, interested parties
such as Adobe, Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, Bentley Systems, and
Right Hemisphere came
together to form the 3D
Industry Forum (3DIF)
to develop an exchange
format. Eventually, after
more sturm und drang
than one expects from
the CAD community, a
new exchange format,
U3D, was born, and it has
opened the door to another
avenue of image creation.
Adobe has built upon the
U3D format to create Acrobat
3D PDF, and anyone with an
Acrobat reader can access a
3D model within Acrobat 3D;
as a PDF format, it can also
be output for print publica-
tion or for the Web.
Right Hemisphere worked
with the 3DIF group and
Adobe in the creation of
Acrobat 3D. The company,
founded in New Zealand, started out building tools for digi-
tal content creation, and it still does a lot of business with the
New Zealand fi lm industry. Interestingly, the right side and the
left side of Right Hemisphere’s corporate culture are coming
together in the evolution of Acrobat 3D. The company’s Deep
Server product line provides large enterprise companies an
organized way to move engineering data through the organiza-
tion. It offers fi rms the ability to exchange fi les and collaborate—
a lot of left-brain tasks—and with the introduction of Acrobat
3D, can also create interactive documentation.
Right Hemisphere offers tools that can automate the docu-
mentation process so that all the pages of a manual are format-
ted correctly and models placed consistently. In addition, com-
plex CAD models can be transformed into lightweight models for
downstream applications such as Web publication. Also, CAD
models can be optimized for output to just about any digital con-
tent creation software, including, of course, Autodesk 3ds Max
and Maya, or Softimage XSI. The company also offers tools for the
creation of photorealistic models for brochures and video —decid-
edly right-brain tasks.
Case in Point
Right Hemisphere points to all the complicated elements that go
into creating images for an automotive brochure: background
photography, lighting effects, refl ections, shading, materials, tex-
tures, and more. There is also the creation of leather interiors,
metallic exteriors, and rubber tires. All those elements have to be
created according to rigid parameters—after all, the whole point
is that they look exactly like the real thing.
Right Hemisphere claims that its software enables
designers to keep track of the proper materials and envi-
ronment components so the scene can be automatically
rendered and published in a PDF or 3D PDF for review.
At the same time, engineers don’t ever have to let their
valuable CAD data leave their
department unrestricted.
For instance, Cenveo
Armstrong-White works with
US car manufacturers to cre-
ate still images and anima-
tions. The company has been
able to work directly with
CAD models to create images
that would be impossible to do
in the real world. To accom-
plish this, the company uses
Right Hemisphere’s technol-
ogy to prepare models for ren-
dering and animation. And
once again, as discovered by
Wild West Motors and Works
Zebra, the ability to use the
CAD model eliminates the need for expensive prototypes and lets
the marketing campaign start earlier in the process of readying a
new car or truck for sale.
Interestingly, Acrobat 3D renders all the arguments about
what tools to use in the creation of CAD, animation, video, and
photorealistic rendering just about moot. Everyone has Acrobat
these days; everyone with the most recent version of Acrobat can
see and interact with a 3D PDF model. Immersion Design’s Smith
says that building Acrobat 3D into his proposals helps assure sign-
off from IT because Acrobat is a standard.
Yet, Acrobat 3D has yet to prove itself in a broad range of appli-
cations—it has just been introduced, and there is more work to
be done. Adobe, with its acquisition of Macromedia, has a big
meal to swallow, but it also has Flash to add to the equation. Now,
Adobe has in-house all the components to enable its partners and
customers to build interactive 3D applications for a wide range
The Gunfi re Motorcycle from Wild West Motors was created using a
combination of artistic and design tools. The company has its own in-house
design center that uses AliasStudio to achieve the fl uid lines of its bikes.
Photorealistic renders are output before production begins.
Imag
es cou
rtesy Wild W
est Mo
tors.
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CAD / Art. . . .
of platforms, including PCs, kiosks, and even handhelds. In fact,
depending on how Acrobat puts it all together, all the exam-
ples mentioned in this story could still be authored in the
same ways as discussed, but they could be output
to common formats like Flash and Acrobat.
Where Is the
Artist Now?
In this new era, the artist can be
anywhere in the equation.
Ironically, in some instances,
traditional marketing fi rms
have been slow to accept
digital models. Although
these companies use digital tech-
nology in the creation of videos, they are also the ones doing
photo shoots and producing videos. They are being challenged
by a new creation pipeline. And, to be fair, they are adapting.
According to Works Zebra’s Ishibashi, a prototype for a car
can cost upward of $500,000 to build because it’s a one-off with-
out the economies of scale that come with high-volume produc-
tion. What’s worse, the slick car brochure uses several prototypes
because to create the classic overhead shot of a car’s interior
means that unless it happens to be a convertible, you have to
have a prototype without a roof. And,
that’s not going to work for your shot of
a lovely car on top of a mountain in the
snow or at the seashore in the spray.
It’s estimated that US carmakers
can use up to 100 prototypes for photo
shoots a year. According to Right
Hemisphere, a Detroit design agency
reported that the creation of photo-
realistic automotive renderings for
customer brochures saved the com-
pany more than $10 million. Likewise,
Toyota has announced that it will cut
back on its prototype fl eet thanks to
the ability to do more work in CGI—
and US automotive companies are
using CGI to create digital models for
sales, marketing, technical publica-
tions, and training.
As a result, the work of photographers
is changing. Instead of shooting cars in
exotic locales, they may simply shoot the
backgrounds. And, as Ishibashi has dis-
covered, there is a new role emerging for
technical artists who may often work
between the industrial designer, the CAD
engineer, and the ad agency. Sometimes
that person might exist within the engi-
neering department, sometimes in marketing, and
sometimes that person may be an outside contrac-
tor; his or her job description requires a fair share of
technical ability as well as artistic ability.
The role of industrial designers and engineers
is changing, too, as they are being brought in to
play a more active role in the creation of materi-
als for marketing. Their job may be as simple as
building models in ways that enable the images to be
reused downstream with less optimization and remodel-
ing, or it may be as involved as adding textures, custom shaders,
and lighting to take the model halfway to the artists creating mar-
keting materials and advertising.
Artists and engineers have always known that they need to
work together, now they’re learning new ways to do it.
Kathleen Maher is a senior analyst at Jon Peddie Research, a Tiburon,
California-based consultancy specializing in graphics and multimedia,
and is also editor in chief of JPR’s “TechWatch.” She can be reached
Often, a company will use DCC software from various
vendors. Autodesk, however, has an extensive offering
with CAD, design, collaboration, and CG modeling,
animation, and visualization tools.
Image courte
syAuto
desk.
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OOO. . . .Scene Re-creation
62 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
The Church of Saint-Sulpice, it is said, has the most eccentric history of any building in Paris. Built over the ruins of
an ancient temple to the Egyptian goddess Isis, the church possesses an architectural footprint matching that of Notre
Dame to within inches. The sanctuary has played host to the baptisms of the Marquis de Sade and Baudelaire, as
well as the marriage of Victor Hugo. The attached seminary has a well-documented history of unorthodoxy and was once the clan-
destine meeting hall for numerous secret societies. ✦ Embedded in the gray granite fl oor, a thin polished strip of brass glistened in
the stone…a golden line slanting across the church’s fl oor. The line bore graduated markings, like a ruler. It was a gnomon, Silas
had been told, a pagan astronomical device like a sundial. Tourists, scientists, historians, and pagans from around the world came
to Saint-Sulpice to gaze upon this famous line. Slowly, Silas let his eyes trace the path of the brass strip as it made its way across the
fl oor from his right to left, slanting in front of him at an awkward angle, entirely at odds with the symmetry of the church…. The
strip fi nally arrived at the base of a most unexpected structure. A colossal Egyptian obelisk. —From The Da Vinci Code
On Holy Ground
By Karen Moltenbrey
Unearthing the mysteries of The Da Vinci Code’s
Saint-Sulpice Church
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es ©2006 So
ny Pictu
res.
Pho
tos
cou
rtes
y R
ain
mak
er.
w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 63
Scene Re-creation. . . .
In author Dan Brown’s popular novel The
Da Vinci Code, this ancient church was
the setting for a scene in which the albino
monk Silas believes he has located the
hiding place of the mysterious keystone
(Holy Grail); after all, the brothers, imme-
diately before their deaths at Silas’s hands,
all had given him this precise location for
the object he desired: beneath the brass
Rose Line that ran through Saint-Sulpice.
In this scene and throughout the book,
Brown uses an actual place, object, or per-
son on which to weave his tale, and adds an
element of mystery or mystique, or builds
on current lore, to infuse it with added
drama. For example, historical records
show that the actual Saint-Sulpice was
in fact built upon another structure—an
ancient Romanesque church constructed
during the 13th century, rather than an
ancient Egyptian temple, as the book
states. And, indeed, there exists a strange,
brass meridian line that runs through the
church fl oor to a gnomon of white marble,
both added in 1727 on orders by a Saint-
Sulpice priest to help determine the equi-
noxes (and, hence, Easter).
With such a thin line often separating
real-life fact and Brown’s fi ction, it’s no
wonder the two blend together so well in
The Da Vinci Code that it becomes diffi -
cult to separate one from the other. And
for many, that is what makes the book
so interesting—so much so that several
industrious individuals have started so-
called Da Vinci Code tours, taking fans to
many of the locales detailed in the book.
But, it’s one thing to write about these
actual locations and quite another to fi lm
there, as director Ron Howard soon discov-
ered when he set out to make a movie that
accurately depicted the events from the
book. “In re-creating Dan Brown’s book,
the director faced a lot of actual locations
that are integral to the plot. And while
many movie scripts start with something
like, ‘opens on a beach in Hawaii,’ due to
budget constraints, it will end up being
‘opens on a beach in Vancouver,’ or some
other cheaper solution,” says Rainmaker
VFX supervisor Mark Breakspear. “But
with this story, to tell it accurately, you
had to use the actual locations because
they are intertwined with historical facts
that appear in the book.”
Such was the case with Saint-Sulpice,
a church whose unique architectural style
sets it apart from ancient cathedrals, as
Brown accurately describes in the book
as Silas enters the building:
Unlike Notre Dame with its colorful fres-
coes, gilded altar-work, and warm wood,
Saint-Sulpice was stark and cold, convey-
ing an almost barren quality reminiscent
of the ascetic cathedrals of Spain. The lack
of décor made the interior look even more
expansive, and as Silas glanced up into the
soaring ribbed vault of the ceiling, he imag-
ined he was standing beneath the hull of an
enormous overturned ship. ✦ Kneeling in
the fi rst pew, Silas pretended to pray as he
scanned the layout of the sanctuary. Saint-
Sulpice, like most churches, had been built
in the shape of a giant Roman cross. Its long
central section—the nave—led directly to
the main altar, where it was transversely
intersected by a shorter section, known as
the transept. The intersection of nave and
transept occurred directly beneath the main
cupola and was considered the heart of the
church…her most sacred and mystical point.
“The director couldn’t swap this church
out for any other while fi lming the scene,”
says Breakspear. “So many churches look
similar, but this one in Paris is so specifi c,
with its 80-foot domed, vaulted ceiling;
it’s breathtaking. People who visited the
church would know if a substitute loca-
tion had been used in the movie.” But get-
ting the Vatican’s approval to fi lm inside
the church was out of the question, as it
had denounced the book and, therefore,
the movie. This presented Howard and,
eventually, his visual effects supervisor
on the fi lm, Angus Bickerton, with an
enormous obstacle, one that was eventu-
ally overcome using computer graphics.
CG Building Blocks
Months before, Bickerton had worked
with Breakspear and Rainmaker on
the 2006 action/thriller Firewall, using
projected textures to create a photore-
alistic digital backdrop of Seattle out-
side a high-rise offi ce window—as it
was fi lmed on location in Vancouver.
As Breakspear explains, Rainmaker
employed a technique whereby it used
textures pulled from thousands of
photographs and applied them to 3D
objects and geometry. With NewTek’s
LightWave, the team built accurate 3D
models based on maps, and calculated
correct lens angles using Google Earth,
free 3D landscape software. “We used
that information as a reference to deter-
mine how far some of the buildings
should be, especially if you were using
a 35mm lens and looking down from
this giant window,” he explains.
As Breakspear points out, this tech-
nique is not new—it has been used in CG
for years, mostly for a quick shot here or
there, “I think with Firewall, we saw that
this approach had way more possibilities
than had been previously thought.” After
the movie was completed, Bickerton moved
on to another project: The Da Vinci Code.
Because fi lming was
not permitted inside
the actual Saint-Sul-
pice Church, design-
ers constructed a par-
tial set for a scene at
Shepperton Studios in
the UK. Due to space
limitations at the
studio, the set was
built 15 percent
smaller than the space
in the actual church.
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. . . .Scene Re-creation
But when the issue with Saint-Sulpice surfaced, Bickerton asked
Breakspear if his solution from Firewall would work for this scene.
Subsequently, Breakspear and Rainmaker examined hundreds of
photos that Bickerton had taken at the church (photos are permit-
ted, fi lming is not). They did a test, mapping the photos onto a sim-
ple digital model they had created of the church based on the pho-
tographic references.
“We did the test at full 2K resolution so we could see if it would
hold up on fi lm, as though you had a fi lm camera and were walk-
ing down the church looking at the ceiling, which is the most
amazing part. I did it when I walked in; [Bickerton] did it when he
walked in. Everyone who goes to this church, the fi rst thing they
do is look up at the ceiling because it is so spectacular.” The group
sent the test with the 3D camera moves to Bickerton, who liked it
immediately. He, in turn, showed it to Ron Howard, who asked the
visual effects supervisor how he got the shot considering the no-
fi lming rule. “When [Bickerton] told him it was all-CG, that was it.
Suddenly, we were in the running to get the sequence.”
For four months, Rainmaker worked to bid on the sequence for
this highly anticipated movie, competing against a handful of other
visual effects companies—namely Moving Picture Co., Double
Negative, and The Senate, which were working on other segments
that encompassed the lion’s share of the movie’s VFX shots. “We
bid and re-bid, followed by some extra bidding and re-bidding, and
eventually we got the job,” says Breakspear. “Once we did, all the
niggling problems we tossed out during the bidding stage suddenly
had to be solved. And one of those was that in the story, Silas arrives
at the church at midnight, when the church is dark.”
Rainmaker’s plan was to take photos of the church during the
day—the only time when it is open. But a church during the day
is very different from a church at night, Breakspear points out.
“Like any environment, it is completely different with the refl ec-
tions, the way the light comes in,” he explains. “And here we
had candlelight instead of daylight. It presents a whole new chal-
lenge.” This became yet another major hurdle for the artists.
Beginning their quest, Rainmaker dispatched several of its art-
ists to Paris for a week to take photos inside the church. All told, the
group acquired more than 10,000 digital pictures using a Canon 16-
Megapixel camera. “It gave us insane quality,” says Breakspear. “We
bracketed all our shots, and we had complete exposure ranges, like
HDRIs basically.” Trying to blend in as tourists, which they techni-
cally were, the artists returned to the church every few hours to snap
another round of pictures, even once taking photos of a bride and
the wedding party. “I had a better camera than the wedding pho-
tographer, so it made sense to help them out!,” Breakspear says jok-
ingly. “We had asked if we could take pictures at the church, though.
We had a job to do, but we were trying to be respectful; it is a tourist
location, but many people still go to there to pray.”
After returning from the photo session, the
group examined the pictures. “We knew that
we’d have no problem creating the effects for a
daylight sequence,” Breakspear says. “But, how
were we going to take these pictures and make
them night? You really can’t do day to night
using this technique; it doesn’t work that way.”
Typically, effects artists accomplish this by a
Computer graphics, photographic textures, and a
physical set comprise this scene inside Saint-Sulpice.
Left is the fi nal shot that appeared in the movie.
Bottom left is a photographic image taken inside
the actual church, whose textures were used for the
fi nal shot. Bottom right shows the 3D wireframe
imagery used to augment the sparse set.
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Scene Re-creation. . . .
common technique of upping the blues, darkening the shot, and,
if appropriate, comping a moon and some stars into the back-
ground, he says. But, that was never going to work on a movie
of this scale; the quality would never suffi ce. “So, we had to
develop a whole new process,” he adds.
Lead compositor Mathew Krentz and lead CG artist Les
Quinn came up with a plan whereby they would create the envi-
ronment as if it were daytime but provide all kinds of alpha
channels, maps, and controls to selectively grade and rebuild
a nighttime version during compositing with Eyeon Software’s
Digital Fusion. Then, they would composite greenscreened
actors on top of the footage. “It looked fantastic, unbelievably
believable,” says Breakspear.
Building the Church
The scene was fi lmed on a set at Shepperton Studios in the UK dur-
ing a three-day period, one of which involved extensive previz and
calibration of the fi lm lenses to those of the CG cameras, and vice
versa. A crew constructed the physical set—complete with 10-foot
marble columns, wooden chairs, a replica fl oor made of shiny slabs
of stone that looked as though they had been walked on for thou-
sands of years, and more—that would then be augmented with CG
set extensions. The dimensions of the set were acquired using a
most unusual measure device: Bickerton’s foot.
“Angus [Bickerton] claims his feet are exactly 12 inches long.
And because we couldn’t go in there to take precise measure-
ments, he walked the space toe-to-heel as a tourist, to determine
the length and width of the environment,” explains Breakspear.
From those dimensions, the art department drew up a set plan,
from which a 15 percent smaller version was built (to accommo-
date the size of the Shepperton stage).
In one corner of the set, the crew made a wall with frescoes
and statues. It was here where Silas breaks the stone looking for
the hidden treasure. Because of the way this part of the set was
built, and the height of the columns, it was one scene where visual
effects would not be required…in theory. “Because of the angle
they chose, looking upward, we had to step in,” says Breakspear.
When fi lming began, the actors, director, producer, and DP
were all looking at a big, 360-degree greenscreen. “It is the lon-
gest running visual effects shot in the movie—at 40 shots span-
ning about 3 to 4 minutes—and it was crucial that the actors
understand their surroundings. Plus, there were no camera lock-
offs; they had to move that camera around,” says Breakspear.
“We brought up our digital model so they could see what they
were supposed to be looking at on set. There are so many little
things about the church where you just can’t say, ‘Look down
the center aisle toward the entrance.’ From the center of the
church back toward the entrance there is an enormous wooden
organ, and depending on which lens you use and the angle, you
are looking at only half of it or all of it in the shot; we needed to
be sure of what we were looking at.”
In all, the crew shot nearly 60 different angles, 40 of which
made the fi nal cut. In turn, the CG team returned to Paris to
make sure it had the proper photos to match. A few shots, how-
ever, such as those looking downward from the ceiling, were
unattainable and the artists had to paint those using Adobe’s
Photoshop. Later, the artists used Photoshop to import all the
photos into CG, where they cleaned up the shadows, refl ec-
tions, and so forth so they could be mapped onto the geometry
and virtual models. Then, when they began refi ning the digital
model of the church, they ran into problems.
“Our LightWave model is based on the pictures, and the pic-
tures are based on the real church, which is the true size. The
set, meanwhile, is 15 percent smaller, but not consistently so—16
percent smaller here, 14 percent smaller there,” says Breakspear.
“Nothing was quite lining up with the photos. It was a funny
moment where we would line up one end of the church and the
other end would come unstuck. And we were already deep into
postproduction when we discovered this.” In the end, Rainmaker
did not use the expanded physical set, but rather a sparse version
of it, with just the people, the chairs, and the fl oor. In one shot,
everything but the actors was digitally replaced.
Good Night
The artists used 2d3’s Boujou to track the scenes and LightWave
to map the photographic references onto the CG objects; next, they
rendered them in various passes. As Breakspear stresses, all this
was done with daylight textures. The group rendered out depth
maps, matte passes for the columns, moonbeam elements coming
in from the windows, smoke passes, a chandelier pass, and can-
dle pass. “Candlelight was crucial because candlelight was present
throughout the scene, fl ickering off people’s faces and the walls. It
had to be extremely accurate, and CG candlelight doesn’t look real;
it doesn’t react in the same way as the real thing,” he says.
To obtain footage of all the candlelight that would be needed
for the scene, Breakspear gathered candles and, aided by a bot-
tle of wine, positioned a DV camera looking at a candle, zooming
into the fl ame full frame as he continued to blow on it to make it
fl icker. The artists then mapped that footage onto cards, and placed
them in the shots. “Some of the shots with the candles, fl ames,
and smoke had major camera moves, and we needed proper paral-
Digital artists took tens of thousands of photographs of the church
from 60 different angles; 40 of those angles were incorporated into
the movie by the fi lmmakers for the Saint-Sulpice scenes.
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66 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Scene Re-creation
lax added to the elements,” says Krentz. For that, the group used
Fusion’s new 3D camera to import the Boujou track and apply the
camera move to the elements.
But the real challenge came when the group adapted its photo-
graphic mapping technique into something more powerful—to turn
day to night. According to Krentz, the group treated each individual
shot as a matte painting. Neutralizing the sunlit renders was the
fi rst priority; next it determined which direction the moon would
be coming from to create the beams fi ltering through the windows.
“For most of the shots, we created the
moonbeams in 2D, which were combined
with the smoke elements for a hazy atmo-
spheric look,” he says.
The most important part, Krentz
notes, was keeping the actors’ skin tones
warm from the fl ickering candles while
also keeping the albino monk from look-
ing “dead.” Rather than simply increas-
ing the blues and decreasing the satu-
ration, the artists actually converted
the textures to refl ect the evening light
so the skin would retain its warm tone
even in the darkly lit church. “When you
go out at night and look at your skin, it
doesn’t turn blue. You retain the same
skin tone, a little darker maybe, but not
blue,” says Breakspear. “It’s an obvious
thing to say, but to fi x it meant throwing
away the old technique and having to do it differently.”
Using what Breakspear calls a “pretty nifty” approach, the
compositors used a grade on the fi lm footage that made the tex-
tures look as if they were fi lmed at night, albeit in various “types”
of night. This grading was accomplished inside Fusion, which ran
on 3DBoxx workstations from Boxx Technologies. Working in
fl oating point, the group used logarithmic fi lm fi les from editorial,
scanned them, and brought them into Fusion, a process done at
Rainmaker’s London offi ce. Although the studio had planned to
open a location in London for some time, the decision was has-
tened by Sony Pictures’ encouragement to use UK facilities for the
visual effects work due to tax credits, which turned into a substan-
tial chunk of change given the number of effects in the fi lm.
“A lot of us, myself included, are English or have English
ties, so it was not problem,” says Breakspear. “And, Angus
[Bickerton] had set up his offi ce nearby, and could walk to any
of the nearby VFX facilities working on the fi lm, look at the
shots, and make comments. It was inspiring to see the great
work the other studios were doing.” Like Rainmaker, they were
chosen for their roles based on previous work.
A New Arc
As Breakspear notes, the Saint-Sulpice scene was not the biggest
overall visual effect in The Da Vinci Code, but it was certainly one
of the most desired because of its length. Adding further appeal
was the fact that it presented a great problem for CG and com-
positing. “It’s a real ‘visual effects’ visual effects sequence,” says
Breakspear. “These are the types of shots we love to do. They are
impossible to shoot, so the CG has to look real and blend in.”
In the end, a revolutionary process was born out of a per-
plexing issue. “It’s all about using new approaches to techniques
we have taken for granted, and thinking about how far they can
be pushed. We used a technique that companies know how to
do, but we attempted it on something
big, and along the way, had to solve
problems that arose,” says Breakspear.
Currently, Rainmaker is applying the
lessons learned from this process to
Dreamworks’ Blades of Glory, creating
virtual environments and photoreal CG
actors. “Had I attempted this before The
Da Vinci Code, I would have panicked
and hid under the desk!”
Not only has this novel process
opened new doors for Rainmaker, but
Breakspear also believes it will open the
doors for producers to feel more confi -
dent with CG and integrate it into produc-
tion more frequently. “Accomplishing
something like this strengthens the
relationship between what producers
think they can get away with and what
they can really get away with,” he says. “It allows CG to be taken
more seriously for the creation of larger environments.” In The
Da Vinci Code, the technique was used to virtually construct an
actual place, but it can also be used to re-construct places that no
longer exist, such as long-gone historical sites, Breakspear points
out. And, unlike the secrets in the movie, which have been hid-
den for centuries, Rainmaker has been extremely open about its
work on the fi lm, hoping to open the doors for others to push the
technique, or CG in general, even further.
As he stood and examined his fi nd, he realized he was hold-
ing a rough-hewn stone slab with engraved words. He felt for
an instant like a modern-day Moses. As Silas read the words
on the tablet, he felt surprise. He had expected the keystone
to be a map, or a complex series of directions, perhaps even
encoded. The keystone, however, bore the simplest of inscrip-
tions. Job 38:11. ✦ Finding verse number eleven, Silas read the
text. It was only seven words. Confused, he read it again, sens-
ing something had gone terribly wrong. The verse simply read:
Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.
Unlike the fi ctional character Silas, Rainmaker cracked the
code that enabled it to complete the mission at Saint-Sulpice.
Karen Moltenbrey is the chief editor for Computer Graphics
World.
All the photogaphs inside the church were taken
during the daylight. The digital artists turned the
scenes to night using a grading technique.
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_________________
. . . .Modeling / Animation
68 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
Artists create a 3D animation,
projected in 360 degrees, to
promote EA’s NBA Live 06
By Karen Moltenbrey
roundball
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w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 69
Modeling / Animation. . . .
electronic arts recently challenged
the digital artists at Brickyard VFX to a
game of roundball, only the court, the
players—and everything else involved—
were completely digital.
Electronic Arts wanted an animated
piece promoting its EA Sports game title
NBA Live 06 that would feature the video
game’s characters, realistic virtual ver-
sions of actual professional basketball
players from the NBA as they performed
amazing feats on the court in front of a
packed arena. And, the presentation had
to play out on a large 360-degree screen
in front of the gaming industry’s most
discriminating eyes.
For this project, the name of the game
was realism—NBA Live 06, released sev-
eral months ago, takes character modeling
and animation to a new level of realism.
Likewise, the promo had to do the same,
and more, since the animation had to play
out on a huge circular screen where every
digital detail (or potential fl aw) would
be clearly visible. In the end, Brickyard
achieved those goals, as viewers had to
look closely to determine whether the
action they were seeing was CG or video
footage from an actual game.
To achieve this, Brickyard passed the
project to its in-house 3D division, which
opened last fall. There, the artists used
game assets, motion-capture data, and
sophisticated lighting techniques to cre-
ate the fi nal animation, which included
a digital stadium fi lled with 25,000 fans.
Brickyard delivered the fi nal animation at
high resolution for 360-degree projection
on EA’s 2006 Video Wall during E3, the
world’s largest electronic gaming show.
“We were able to take game models and
assets and, through lighting and shading
techniques, show the kind of fi lmic qual-
ity and resolution that’s possible with 3D,”
says Brickyard artist Yafei Wu.
According to Jay Lichtman, executive
producer at Brickyard, the company estab-
lished its 3D studio to support the ever-
demanding and technical requests com-
ing from various sectors of the industry:
television commercials, gaming, and fi lm.
Previously, the company delivered high-
end visual effects scenes through its in-
house compositors but outsourced the CGI
portion. “It made more sense to create an
in-house 3D studio that worked directly
with our compositors and graphic art-
ists,” he says. “This enables a much more
effi cient internal pipeline and, inevitably,
raises the level of quality on any project
with the artists working side by side.”
Since its formation, the department
has completed nearly 15 projects before
getting tapped for the EA assist. Among
those were high-end commercials that
aired during the Super Bowl and the
Olympics, in addition to CG promos for
the gaming industry. Currently, Brickyard
is in discussions with several studios per-
taining to feature-fi lm work.
In the Game
NBA Live 06 features photorealistic mod-
els of basketball superstars that perform,
act, and actually look like their real-life
counterparts. For the promo project, EA
handed off those in-game assets, including
the player models, stadium, textures, and
even the motion-capture data used to ani-
mate the game’s digital basketball players.
(For an in-depth look at how the game was
created, see “The Art of the Deal,” October
2005, pg. 15). Because the artists did not
have to create the models from scratch,
they were fairly ahead in the game. On the
other hand, the data required a great deal
of work to make it usable for the promo
Brickyard was tapped to rework game assets
from EA’s NBA Live 06 for projection onto a
large 360-degree screen. To accomplish this,
Brickyard had to tweak many of the game
assets by creating new lighting setups and
advanced shaders.
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70 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
. . . .Modeling / Animation
animation, so the fi rst order of business whenever EA delivered
an asset was to clean it up. Sometimes this was accomplished
through the use of scripts that group had created, while the
remaining assets required basic manpower. Some of the tweaks
occurred to the mocap data, while others demanded the develop-
ment and application of advanced shaders and lighting setups so
the CG players would look realistic on the large screen.
As Lichtman points out, the biggest challenge was the amount
of assets and textures that were needed to create a full CG stadium
fi lled with a cheering crowd and on-court players. So it was vital to
the image quality and to make deadline that the group work with
those assets in an effi cient and manageable way. “Our R&D phase
allowed us to establish an effi cient pipeline, and the subsequent
render times were no longer such an issue,” he adds.
Yet, to work with this amount of data, the team had to write
a myriad of scripts to facilitate every process. As a result, the art-
ists were able to focus on the aesthetic aspect and let the pipeline
handle the rest. For example, the shaders Brickyard created picked
up the textures from the assets they were attached to, enabling the
group to handle subsequently fewer shaders.
EA originally built the NBA roster using image-based tech-
niques and, with its custom Vicon mocap setup and Autodesk’s
MotionBuilder software, applied the animation information and
cloth simulation to the 3D models. When remodeling tweaks
were necessary, Brickyard used Autodesk’s Julya, along with
Pixar’s PhotoRealistic RenderMan (PRMan) for all the shading
and rendering. Compositing for the project was done in Adobe’s
After Effects and Apple’s Shake, while image enhancements
were made in Adobe’s Photoshop.
When Brickyard received the EA mocap data, sometimes
it was presented as full Julya scene fi les from which the ani-
mation was extracted, and sometimes as animation fi les.
Whenever changes had to be made to the motion-captured
data, the revisions were minor, such as planting a player’s feet
on the fl oor, tweaking the way objects and cloth intersected,
and producing re-animations to accentuate the original data
and to accommodate the client’s requests. The artists also
received the cloth animation (simulated cloth simulations)
from EA that were used for the players’ uniforms.
“There were revisions to the animation even through the last
week of the schedule,” says Lichtman. “These changes, though,
were facilitated by the use of a nice control rig that EA had cre-
ated for the players.”
Faces in the Crowd
The game crowd, meanwhile, was driven by motion-capture ani-
mation recorded by EA using six performers. The team then applied
those actions to six digital characters, and turned the movements
into animation cycles. The Brickyard artists also received place-
ment locators along with a script to place objects where the locators
were. Next, they created RIB archives of each animated model so
they could use simple proxy boxes in their scenes; at render time,
the boxes were automatically switched to a random model with
random animation based on predetermined parameters. The art-
ists then replicated, shaded, textured, and rendered the crowd to
create a randomized effect. According to Wu, the crew used live-
action reference stills to add detail and effi ciently output all the
data, including a crowd of thousands, within PRMan.
“Of course, each character varied slightly in scale,” notes
Lichtman. “Finding the right amount of hue shift proved to be
the key factor in ultimately matching the reference images of
real crowds supplied by the client. Because we ended up with
more than 20,000 proxy boxes in the scene (the amount of peo-
ple rendered in the crowd), we actually made a RIB archive
that included the stadium, as well. So in the end, our fi nal
scene only consisted of 10 hero players and one polygon box
that, at render time, switched into a fully animated crowd pop-
ulating a fully lit stadium.”
For the stadium, Brickyard modeled the space in 3D, and
used HDR technology to light the interior building as well as the
players and fans. According to Lichtman, the group started by
lighting the stadium in the usual way, with spot, point, and area
lights, and ambient occlusion. Once the lighters were happy
with the results, they baked the lighting as a “brickmap,” which
is a Pixar RenderMan feature that allows artists to bake infor-
mation as a hierarchical 3D texture.
“In this case, we baked all the lighting information and
used that in conjunction with a custom shader that multiples
the lighting information with our textures,” Lichtman explains.
“This allowed us to change textures (primarily for logos and
such if and when the clients request it) without the overhead of
all the lighting calculations.”
With the stadium lighting complete, the group created an
HDRI map of the result and used that as its base lighting setup
for the crowd and players. For the players, the artists used an
average of six area lights, to beauty-light the players on top of
Brickyard created scripts that cleaned up the game assets, so the
team could work with the complex data more effi ciently.
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w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 71
the created HDRI image in order to put the rims and speculars
wherever they were needed. The HDRI was used for the main
diffuse and bounce lighting, while the rims and speculars were
more directed to create an artistically appealing look.
“The shaders we created were fashioned in such a way that
we could reuse as much as possible of what we had received
from EA,” says Lichtman. “This meant we had to create a cus-
tom normal map shader that relinked the Julya hypershade tex-
tures to our custom PRMan shaders. Our shaders for the players
consisted of one diffuse layer, three different specular/refl ective
layers, one rim layer, and a subsurface scattering layer.”
Because of the nature of the project, Brickyard tried to
restrict itself to just using the textures from the game. The only
textures created in-house were for the subsurface scattering
layer. Brickyard generated those by building a rough skeletal
structure inside every player, and using the distance between
that and the player to determine the strength of the subsurface
scattering. That was baked out, Lichtman explains, as a texture
to accentuate the subsurface scattering calculation.
“We were working with a lot of information, but the real trick
was lighting and rendering the piece for high resolution and a
high degree of realism,” says Lichtman.
For rendering, the group used 12 dual-core Boxx render nodes
with Pixar RenderMan. In the end, the stadium and crowd had an
average render time of six minutes per frame with baked lighting
and ambient occlusion, motion blur, and depth of fi eld. The play-
ers had an average render time of six minutes per frame, including
ambient occlusion, subsurface scattering, depth of fi eld, motion
blur, area lighting, and raytraced refl ections for the fl oor.
Theater in the Round
The fi nished fi le—three 120-degree fi lms—was joined together
using stitching and dewarping programs for projection in the
round. As Lichtman explains, the group was tasked with creat-
ing a 12-second, full-CG animated basketball game at 60 frames
per second in 3357x1117 resolution. This was then projected
onto a 360-degree screen to create a buzz at E3. (Brickyard was
given plug-ins and scripts for Shake and After Effects to warp
and stitch the images together.)
The novel animation was an ambitious project, especially for
a 3D rookie. But with the work, Brickyard’s 3D division scored a
winning shot for the facility, and a slam dunk for EA.
Karen Moltenbrey is the chief editor for Computer Graphics World.
Though the players are the main attraction in the animation, the
background crowds add some excitement of their own. The fans
were created with motion capture and then randomized.
To create the 360-degree animation, the artists broke the scenes
into three 120-degree fi lms, and then stitched them together and
dewarped them using Shake and After Effects plug-ins.
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72 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006
PortfolioSI
GG
RAPH
Ani
mat
ion
Thea
ter
Clockwise from top:
Flight Patterns This technical image was acquired from a project directed and animated by Aaron Koblin from UCLA Design Media Arts.
Fog (Niebla) This still is from an animated short directed by Emilio Ramos, and animated/designed by Ramos, along with Maria del Mar Hernandez and Jordi Codina, from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain.
Aal im Schädel This compelling student fi lm was directed by Martin Rahmlow and produced by Anne Hoever from the Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction in Germany.
>> “The setup, payoff, and comic timing make this one of the most humorous fi lms this year.”
>> “Another example of great design, animation, and gag all coming together in a superb,
technically tight edit. A hilariously funny piece.”
>> “A brilliant, behind-the-scenes demonstration of a mind-boggling and complex sequence.”
>> “The fresh look of this fi lm, the comic timing, and tight animation make it a very clear favorite.”
>> “ One of the best examples of character animation in the entire show. Absolutely tight timing
with wonderfully subtle eye movements, voice talent, staging, character design, lighting,
set dressing, and much more.”
These are but a few of the accolades and observations made by Digital Fauxtography’s Terrence
Masson, chair of the 2006 SIGGRAPH Animation Festival, about some of the projects that will
be shown at this year’s event later this month. “From across the globe, the word is out that the
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JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 73
Computer Animation Festival is one of the premier venues for showcasing artistic and techni-
cal talent in the fi lm world,” says Masson. “The competition among [submissions] was fi erce.”
Nearly 100 animation selections from more than 725 entries were chosen for the Animation
Festival: 34 appearing in the Electronic Theater (see the Portfolio section of the June issue for a
detailed look at that venue) and 63 featured in the Animation Theater. Among those are a mix-
ture of 2D and 3D animations from the worlds of feature fi lm, short fi lms, scientifi c visualizations,
game cinematics, television commercials and specials, and more. Some projects were created by
high-profi le special effects facilities such as Digital Domain, Framestore CFC, and Cinesite, while
others were crafted by boutique facilities like Psyop and Rhinofx. Others were generated by aca-
demia at universities such as the University of Alabama and the University of California, Berkeley,
while a good number of animated shorts and other projects were submitted by students at vari-
ous schools and animation colleges, including California Institute of the Arts, Savannah College
Clockwise from top left:
Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy This image contains digital imagery created by the effects facility Cinesite for the sci-fi feature fi lm. Production VFX supervisor for the movie was Angus Bickerton.
The MagicBox A visually unique production, the project’s 3D and video production was done by LotusArt and Alexander Beim from Germany.
Moongirl This animation was written and directed by Henry Selick and produced by Helen Kalafatic of Laika Entertainment in Portland, Oregon.
Delivery An unusual animation, this project was directed and produced by Till Nowak from Germany.
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© D
isney. C
ou
rtesy Walt D
isney Featu
re An
imatio
n.
74 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006
Portfolio
of Art and Design, and Ringling School of Art and Design. “This year’s crop of accepted pieces is
diverse, thought-provoking, and technically superb,” says Masson.
A number of selections appearing in the Animation Theater garnered special praise from
Masson and others on the jury. This includes “Fog (Niebla)” from director Emilio Ramos of the
Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain, about an old man who spins a nostalgic story of how the
village’s fl ying sheep brought the town a brief moment of prosperity. “An original and very per-
sonal work that is absolutely beautiful in so many ways,” says Masson of the animation. “The
combination of such originality with overall technical excellence makes the piece quite memora-
ble. The look, the storytelling, and the facial animation of the main character are all completely
brilliant. This is a fi lm truly meant to be watched multiple times.”
Another particularly exceptional project from the Animation Theater is “Delivery,” from
director Till Nowak of the Framebox in Germany. His piece tells the story of an old man who
Clockwise from top left:
Multi-Layered Cloth Simulation This technical animation was directed by Anthony LaMolinara and produced by Craig A. Sost for Walt Disney Animation.
Relighting Human Locomotion This technical image, taken from an animation exploring lighting techniques, was done by Paul Debevec from the University of Southern California.
Rama The vibrant imagery of this animation was modeled, textured, and lit by Eric Bruneton from France.
Musashino Plateau Directed and produced by Nobuo Takahashi, this project was completed as part of his education at Nagoya City University in Japan.
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JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 75
lives a lonely life under the dark shadows of industrial smog, until one day, the man receives a
mysterious package that gives him the ability to change his environment. Praises Masson: “A
perfect example of the power of storytelling. Using computer graphics to illustrate this simple
fantasy world is truly the fi lmmaker taking advantage of the medium.”
One animation, “Robin Hood Flour,” was so well received that the jury chose to put two
separate spots from the short into each theater: one appears in the Electronic Theater (“Robin
Hood Flour—Giving”) and the other in the Animation Theater (“Robin Hood Flour—Memories”).
“One of the best examples of character animation in the entire show,” says Masson. “Absolutely
tight timing with wonderfully subtle eye movements, voice talent, staging, character design,
lighting, set dressing, and much more.”
Some of those pieces, along with other selections from the Animation Theater, are
presented on these pages. —Karen Moltenbrey
Clockwise from top left:
Refl ect This technical image from an animation set to music was done by Dennis H. Miller from Northeastern University in Boston.
Snakes Inspired by a woodcut by MC Escher, this image is from an animation that was directed by Spain’s Cristobal Vila, who was also responsible for its production, 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, editing, and animation.
Robin Hood Flour—Giving Directed by Richard Rosenman, this animation was done by Red Rover Studios in Toronto.
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HARDWARE
76 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
For additional product news and information, visit w w w . c g w . c o m
products
P R O C E S S O R S
AMD’s New Road Map AMD recently unveiled a top-to-bottom
energy-effi cient AMD desktop processor road
map for smaller, more elegant PCs that com-
plement home and offi ce environments, yet
deliver the same performance as larger systems.
Energy-effi cient AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core,
AMD Athlon 64, and AMD Sempron proces-
sors, based on the upcoming socket AM2, are
designed to provide for new freedoms in PC
form-factor design by offering signifi cant per-
formance-per-watt advantages over standard
processors for commercial and consumer mar-
kets. The new line of energy-effi cient proces-
sors will complement AMD’s Cool’n’Quiet tech-
nology and advance system energy effi ciency.
The initial energy-effi cient desktop pro-
cessor model numbers include AMD Athlon
64 X2 dual core, AMD Athlon 64, and AMD
Sempron processors, available now. AMD also
announced pricing for the Energy Effi cient
Desktop Processors++: AMD Athlon 64 X2
dual-core processors 4800+ ($671), 4600+
($601), 4400+ ($514), 4200+ ($417), 4000+
($353), and 3800+ ($323); Energy Effi cient
Small Form Factor Desktop Processors+++:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor 3800+
($364), AMD Athlon 64 processors 3500+
($231), and AMD Sempron processors 3400+
($145), 3200+ ($119), and 3000+ ($101).
AMD; www.amd.com
S T O R A G E
Avid Unveils VideoRAID FamilyWin • Mac Avid Technology announced the
Avid VideoRAID family of storage systems that
deliver up to 5TB of high-effi ciency storage with
real-time access for multi-stream, high-band-
width, and SD and HD work fl ows. Unlike
other systems that suspend performance in the
event of a drive failure, the new Avid line deliv-
ers uninterrupted real-time performance, even
during a drive rebuild. The new systems—the
VideoRAID RTR320 and RTR320X—are the fi rst
in a series of low-cost parity RAID storage prod-
ucts that Avid plans to introduce as a result of
acquiring Medea this past January.
The VideoRAID product line leverages the
combined bandwidth of multiple drives—with
capacity of either 250GB or 500GB per drive—
in storage arrays that provide real-time access
to SD and HD media assets. The RTR320 and
RTR320X are built around 5- and 10-drive stor-
age arrays, respectively, with one of every fi ve
drives functioning as a parity drive to deliver
data protection.
The VideoRAID runs on the OS supported
by the particular editing system. Avid’s Liquid,
Symphony, and DS work run on PCs only;
Xpress Pro and Media Composer run on both
PCs and Macs. Pricing for the RTR320 begins
at $3929 for 1.25TB of total storage; pricing for
the RTR320X begins at $4839 for the same
amount of storage. Both are shipping now.
Avid Technology; www.avid.com
Vicom Delivers Xserve RAID Mac Vicom Systems announced Vmirror, a
new family of high-availability and data pro-
tection appliances for Apple’s Xserve RAID
storage systems. Vmirror Fibre Channel appli-
ances deliver continuous, high-availability
access and mirrored data protection for HD
video broadcast and postproduction environ-
ments. Vmirror routes and transparently mir-
rors data from any number of Apple hosts to
Xserve RAID storage systems at Fibre Channel
line speed. The architecture is highly scalable:
The Vmirror operates singularly for continuous
data protection and in multi-unit clusters with
instantaneous failover in the event of a stor-
age system outage, preventing interruption of
the host system.
Model VM-1 is a single appliance that pro-
vides continuous, mirrored data protection
and instantaneous failover. Model VM-2 is a
dual, clustered appliance that provides con-
tinuous, high-availability data access and mir-
rored data protection with twice the data
throughput of VM-1.
VM-1 is priced at $8950, and VM-2 at
$14,500. Both are available now.
Vicom Systems; www.vicom.com
Holographic HardwareInPhase Technologies, manufacturer of holo-
graphic data storage systems and media, has
introduced the fi rst holographic video recorder
and accompanying storage media. The new
solution is capable of recording up to 515Gb
(or a half a terabit) of data per square inch,
said to be the highest data density of any
commercial technology. Magnetic disk drives,
conversely, achieve roughly 300Gb per square
inch. Moreover, the InPhase drive will boast a
storage capacity of 300Gb and 20Mb/sec data
transfer rate. Both the drive and its associated
media are scheduled for delivery later this year.
Following the release of this fi rst half-terabit
device, InPhase Technologies plans to launch
a family of products, ranging in storage capac-
ity from 800Gb to 1.6Tb. The InPhase Tapestry
holographic drive for archival purposes cur-
rently is priced at $15,000. The company antic-
ipates selling media storage discs for use with
the system at a cost of roughly $120.
InPhase; www.inphase-tech.com
W O R K S T AT I O N
Xeon in the Boxx Boxx Technologies recently announced the new
3DBoxx 8300 Performance Series Workstation.
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w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 77
NEWS
The 3DBoxx 8300 is a high-performance per-
sonal workstation that leverages the power of
the new Dual-Core Intel Xeon 5100 Series pro-
cessors running in conjunction with the new Intel
5000X chipset. With new performance features
such as a 1333MHz front-side bus, 4MB of cache
shared between two cores, FB-DIMMs (a cutting-
edge memory technology), and powerful I/O,
the new 3DBoxx 8300 Series Workstation pro-
vides enhanced work fl ow for today’s VFX pro-
fessionals. The 3DBoxx 8300 Series Workstation
is the latest manifestation of Boxx’s intention to
help the VFX artist benefi t from trends toward
multi-core processing and multi-threaded appli-
cations. It will replace the 3DBoxx 8200 Series
Workstation, which has been a mainstay of the
Boxx workstation lineup. The 3DBoxx 8300
Series Workstation will be available soon. Base
pricing starts at $2995.
Boxx Technologies; www.boxxtech.com
P O S T P R O D U C T I O N
Quantel Increases its eQBoosting its eQ product range, Quantel intro-
duced eQ FX, a complete high-specifi cation HD
system that meets the HD and multi-resolution
postproduction needs of post and broadcast
users at a reasonable price. According to the
company, eQ FX will help ease a studio’s tran-
sition into HD by providing all the tools and
power necessary to speed HD work through
the suite. The system ships with 160 minutes
of HD work space, built-in TimeMagic no-wait
hardware, the QColor in-context color-grad-
ing package, the latest Eiger 3.5 software, and
a choice of plug-in packages—either GenArts
Sapphire or new SpeedSix Monsters. The sys-
tem is available now for $248.
Quantel also launched Newsbox HD, a cost-
effective news system in a box that now offers
a risk-free path to HD. The complete, self-con-
tained news production system arrives tested
and proven, and ready to ingest material, view
rushes, choose shots, edit stories, review fi n-
ished pieces, and play them out to air. Pricing
for the HD model starts at $250,000.
Other recent Quantel announcements
Panasonic, Sony Develop New Recording FormatPanasonic and Sony announced specifi cations for AVCHD, a new high-defi nition digital video
camera recorder format that the two companies jointly established. The AVCHD format allows
the recording and playback of high-res, digital HD images using 8cm DVD media. The AVCHD is
an HD digital video camera format for recording 1080i and 720p signals onto 8cm DVD media
using highly effi cient codec technologies. The format uses MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec for video
compression, making it possible to develop HD video camera recorders that achieve compact size
as well as high-quality video, in addition to audio. The MPEG-4/H.264 codec is a promising tech-
nology that is said to be two times more effi cient than MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 codec technologies.
Artists Get in the Zone ArtZone, a focused online destination that brings community to art, is now available and free to
artists worldwide at www.ArtZone.com. Backed by Daz Productions, a developer of 3D models
and software, ArtZone brings a new environment that enables the sharing and growth of each
member’s passion for art. ArtZone.com is a community in which artists of every medium can
join and share examples of their work, whether or not it is computer-generated. It was created
to be just as inviting to those who simply appreciate art or want to grow in their own skill levels.
Members can present a personal profi le and their own virtual galleries, which are open to mem-
ber comments. Through media such as groups, live chats, and message boards, artists may also
mingle with one another socially or professionally. ArtZone offers features, including virtual gal-
leries, spotlight images, multimedia links, searchable artist profi les, forums, events, and more.
Pay-As-You-Go PCsMicrosoft and AMD announced a pay-as-you-go PC program to drive personal computing in
emerging markets. The two companies will jointly support fl exible business models powered by
Microsoft FlexGo technology. The initiative refl ects both fi rms’ efforts to bring affordable access
to technology, with a pilot program that allows consumers to purchase PCs through a combina-
tion of innovative technology and a pay-as-you-go computing model. This represents a key stra-
tegic component of AMD’s 50x15 Initiative, which seeks to narrow the global digital divide.
It’s All a DreamActivision plans to open a studio facility on DreamWorks’ campus that will allow the game com-
pany and studio to collaborate on upcoming movie-licensed titles such as Bee Movie, Kung Fu
Panda, Rex Havoc, and How to Train Your Dragon. With this move, Activision will be able to
align its game production schedules with those of the fi lms, from preproduction onward.
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SOFTWARE
products
78 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
PARTNER NEWSinclude a new platform and TimeMagic support
for Paintbox and the rollout of the Pablo next-
gen real-time 4K color-correction system.
Quantel; www.quantel.com
M O B I L E P H O N E S
Digital Entertainment Goes Mobile Nvidia rolled out the Nvidia GoForce 5500
handheld graphics processing unit (GPU), the
fi rst handheld GPU to enable true, fl uid dig-
ital TV, high-fi delity surround sound, rapid
multi-shot photography, and console-class
3D graphics. For years, these capabilities have
been the domain of function-specifi c devices
such as the home entertainment system, digi-
tal still camera, or Sony PlayStation; today, this
new GPU brings all these features and more to
mobile phones, the company reports.
“High-quality multimedia services are a key
revenue growth for the world’s carriers and
content providers, and we believe we’ll see sig-
nifi cant update of these services this year,” says
Mario Morales, semiconductor analyst for IDC.
And, with the introduction of the GoForce 5500
handheld GPU, the functionality of 3G mobile
phones will be expanded signifi cantly. Phones
based on the GPU will be available from key
handset manufacturers at the end of the year.
Nvidia; www.nvidia.com
V I D E O C A R D S
Kona 3 2k SupportAJA Video recently unveiled 2K-resolution video
support with the V2 upgrade to Kona 3, the
company’s top-of-the-line uncompressed HD/
SD capture card. Kona 3 now provides cus-
tomers with editing and fi nishing on an Apple
Power Mac G5, with the capability to bring
in and play back material at 2K. Furthermore,
Kona 3 V2 supports hardware-based 1080-to-
720 or 720-to-1080 cross conversion. This fea-
ture further streamlines dailies and deliverables
creation at true broadcast picture quality in real
time. Kona 3 is available now for $2990; V2
software can be downloaded for free for exist-
ing users of Kona 3.
Meanwhile, the company also announced
two additions to its line of SD and HD convert-
ers: the HD10AVA, an HD/SD audio and video
A/D miniature converter, and the RD10MD, a
10-bit, broadcast-quality card for dual down-
conversion from HD to SD. The HD10AVA costs
$990, while the RD10MD retails at $2390.
S T O R Y B O A R D I N G
Toon Boom Sketches Stories Win • Mac • Linux Toon Boom Animation
announced the release of Toon Boom
Storyboard, a storyboarding system for visual
storytelling. Storyboard helps users take an
idea and translate it into a visual story that will
become a complete animation. Toon Boom
Storyboard provides a fl exible layer-based panel
display with motion-camera capabilities; a com-
plete set of drawing tools, including pressure-
sensitive brush tool when using a digital graphic
tablet and pen; customizable caption fi elds to
insert fully searchable textual content, such as
scene descriptions and comments; advanced
timeline to control timing and automatically
generate an animatic with sound tracks and
transitions between shots; real-time animatic
creation with dynamic camera moves; and
extensive export capabilities, including printing,
image sequences, and Harmony/Opus, EDL,
D E V P R O G R A M S
Autodesk Makes SparksAutodesk, announced the merger of its
two existing Media & Entertainment de-
veloper programs, Autodesk Sparks and
Alias Conductor Programs, under the
global Autodesk Developer Network
(ADN). New and existing members will be
joining a full service, worldwide developer
program that has more than 2600 mem-
bers worldwide. The program, titled ADN
Sparks, will align the developer programs
of the former Discreet and Alias organiza-
tions and better serve Autodesk’s media
and entertainment customers.
Autodesk acquired Alias in Janu-
ary 2006, and has integrated both Alias
and Discreet into its Media & Entertain-
ment Division. ADN Sparks offers a uni-
fi ed developer network for all Autodesk
partners, with increased benefi ts and a
streamlined process for Autodesk’s devel-
opment communities. The program gives
third-party developers the opportunity to
create tools that extend the functionality
of Autodesk’s media and entertainment
technology. Such tools are integrated into
Autodesk customers’ development pipe-
lines, optimizing workfl ow and increasing
their creative capabilities.
The pricing structure of the ADN
Sparks program aligns with the current
pricing and delivery practices of the Au-
todesk Developer Network. The ADN
Sparks program cost of membership var-
ies by the service level required by the
member and by the number of users:
ADN Standard, ADN Professional, and
ADN Premier Partner. The new pricing
structure will come into effect for exist-
ing Autodesk Sparks and Alias Conduc-
tor members on the date of their next
membership renewal. For complete pric-
ing details, contact your local Autodesk
Developer Network.
Autodesk; www.autodesk.com
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W O R L D
ComputerT H E M A G A Z I N E F O R D I G I TA L C O N T E N T C R E AT I O N A N D P R O D U C T I O N
$4.95 USA $6.50 Canada
Team Disney/Pixar shifts into high gear to create cars with character
The Wheel Deal
June 2006 www.cgw.com
On CG LocationSetting the virtual scene in prime-time showsYoung AgainDigital artists reverse the
aging process for X-Men
CSI: CGIUncovering the clues for an immersive game experience
Pave the road to your
success with a free
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See us at SIGGRAPHSpin by Booth #2219
w w w . c g w . c o m JULY 2006 Computer Graphics World | 79
SWF, and QuickTime fi le formatting.
Toon Boom Storyboard is now available as
an Early Access Program to all animation stu-
dios using Toon Boom Harmony and Opus. The
commercial release is scheduled for August 1,
and is priced at $900.
Toon Boom Animation; www.toonboom.com
V I D E O
Blackmagic Materializes Software Win Blackmagic Design announced the
immediate availability of Version 5.6 software
for all Multibridge and DeckLink products.
This release includes new support for Eyeon
Fusion 5, 720p/50 on DeckLink high-defi ni-
tion cards, and new HDV playback support
in Premiere Pro 2.0 on Windows XP and XP
x64 systems. Fusion 5 is a full-featured, node-
based compositing system used for digital fi lm
pipelines. When integrated with Blackmagic’s
Multibridge Extreme, compositors can take
full advantage of a true 10-bit uncompressed
4:4:4 RGB work fl ow.
Multibridge Extreme also features “true
2K” real-time preview for Fusion 5 at 23.98 and
24 fps. This gives broadcast paint and special
effects professionals the ability to monitor 2K
on Dual-Link DVI-D LCD displays. Also included
is 720p/50 support for older-model DeckLink
high-def cards, allowing customers running
discontinued models of DeckLink high-defi ni-
tion cards to add compatibility for the European
broadcast industry’s chosen HD standard.
Blackmagic’s latest software driver Version
5.6 is available free and can be downloaded
immediately from the Blackmagic Design
Web site at www.blackmagic-design.com/
support/software.
Blackmagic Design; www.blackmagic-design.com
E N V I R O N M E N T S
E-on Streams Vue 5 Win E-on software, a developer of natural
3D environment solutions, announced the pre-
release of two new versions of its xStream suite
of plug-ins: xStream for LightWave and xStream
for Cinema 4D. Vue 5 xStream is a suite of plug-
ins that enables the seamless integration of Vue
environments into 3D applications. Versions of
xStream were already available for Autodesk 3ds
Max and Maya. Versions of xStream for NewTek
LightWave and Maxon Cinema 4D are also avail-
able, while xStream for Softimage XSI is still
under development. The Vue 5 xStream suite
of plug-ins lets CG professionals fully integrate
their 3D projects into Vue environments. Vue 5
xStream for Cinema 4D and LightWave will ship
this summer; the product is priced at $495.
E-on Software; www.e-onsoftware.com
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80 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
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continued from page 82
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Compared to the other
cat you crafted recently,
Aslan, how does
Garfi eld’s fur differ?
Garfi eld’s fur is longer and
messier. It’s probably more like
Aslan’s mane than his body fur.
How many hairs
does Garfi eld have?
There are 3.3 million hairs on
him. The pelt hairs were grown
off of Garfi eld’s polygon sur-
face using hand-painted pelt
maps that determined the length, density,
clump, scruff, etc. The guide hairs were
also created using the same techniques,
but they controlled the direction, fl atness,
scruff, and other parameters to give the
overall fl ow and directionality to the fur.
How did you
animate the hairs?
The hairs are not animated by
hand except in special cases.
Most of the time they move
according to physical rules,
similar to a particle system. When other
objects touch Garfi eld, the guide hairs are
animated to move the fur appropriately.
What about the lighting?
The fur is lit the same way any
other CG object would be lit,
using a combination of environ-
mental lighting obtained from
HDRI taken on the set and hero
CG lights. The orange color is very sen-
sitive to different colored lights, so we
generally toned down the contribution
of the environmental lighting. Every shot
needed individual attention to maintain
the balance between realistic lighting and
keeping the orange color as bright and
saturated as the director wanted.
What did you
use for rendering?
We render using our in-house
renderer, Wren. The improved
light/comp pipeline enabled us to make
adjustments to color and
lighting without having to go
through a time-consuming re-
render each time. In addition, we created
2D motion blur that signifi cantly reduced
rendering time. In the past, motion blur
would have been applied prior to render-
ing, but using 2D motion blur allowed
the crew to apply it in the comp stage.
What was the biggest
fur challenge?
We had a number of shots
where substances had to get
stuck in the fur. CG lasagna
sauce in one scene, and mud
and dirt in another, all had to stick to and
fall out of the fur.
How did you
accomplish that?
First, special grooming and tex-
tures were created that made
the fur look wet and dirty.
Then, individually modeled
pieces of mud or sauce were attached
to the hairs. These were also controlled
with a rules-based system that allowed
them to interact with the fur, and react
to gravity and fall out where necessary.
Did the fact that you had
two cats in the fi lm this time
impact your process and
rendering times?
Not really, except that the shots
in which they were together
took twice as long to render.
Now, onto the compositing.
How did you naturally blend
a CG cartoon character into
the live action and make it
look rather seamless, as if
the characters belonged?
The HDRI and other data that
we collect on set is very impor-
tant for making sure that the
lighting blends seamlessly. Once the char-
acter is rendered, quite a bit of work goes
into the integration. Contrast levels, color,
and fi lm grain need to match the plate.
Contact shadows and refl ections are ren-
dered and need to be composited con-
vincingly. Pieces of the plate are roto’d
and comped back on top of the character.
What were the biggest
challenges you faced in
putting the CG characters
into the live action?
Both cats spend quite a bit
of time on soft surfaces, like
beds and couches. They needed to be
able to push into these surfaces so that
we believe that they have real weight.
Getting the shadows right in these situa-
tions is tough. We also had several shots
where people pick up and carry Garfi eld.
These are always challenging and require
quite a bit of frame-by-frame work for
both the trackers and the compositors.
To do this work, they used our in-house
compositing software called Icy.
Is there anything else you
want to point out about
the work in this fi lm?
The best part about working on
sequels is that you’re getting a
second chance. The work we
did on the fi rst Garfi eld was fantastic, but
there are always things you would do dif-
ferently if you had it to do over. A sequel
gives you that chance. All the work—ani-
mation, lighting, compositing—was some
of the best CG character work we’ve
done…’til the next one, of course!
For the second Garfi eld movie, thecat has 3.3 million hairs, which consist of guide hairs and pelt hairs.
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5 days of real-world, real-timegraphic, interactive twingularityThe only conference and exhibition in the world that twingles everybody in computer graphics and interactive techniques for one deeply intriguing and seriously rewarding week. In Boston, where thousands of interdisciplinary superstars find the products and concepts they need to create opportunities and solve problems. Interact with www.siggraph.org/s2006to discover a selection of registration options that deliver a very attractive return on investment.
The 33rd International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive TechniquesConference 30 July - 3 August 2006 Exhibition 1 - 3 August 2006 Boston Convention & Exhibition Center Boston, Massachusetts USA
John Knoll | BA University of Southern California | Visual Effects Supervisor, Industrial Light & Magic, San Francisco, California | Co-creator Photoshop | 20-year SIGGRAPH attendee
Tobi Saulnier | PhD Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |CEO, 1st Playable Productions, Troy, New York | 3-year SIGGRAPH attendee
IMAGE CREDITS: Diamond Age © 2004 Jeff Prentice; Khronos Projector © 2005 Alvaro Cassinelli, Monica Bressaglia, Ishikawa Masatoshi; Rogue IV © 2004 Eric Heller; John Knoll photo by Tina Mills
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dropbackInterview by
Chief editor Karen Moltenbrey
82 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
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continued on page 80
Betsy Paterson is Rhythm & Hues’
VFX supervisor for Garfi eld: A Tale of
Two Kitties, overseeing a crew of 300
digital artists to bring the feline back
to the big screen. Her supervisor credits
include The Ring 2, both Scooby-Doo
fi lms, and others.
What was the extent of the
work you did for Garfi eld 2?
Rhythm & Hues’ scope of work
for Garfi eld 2 consisted of 390
shots featuring a 3D animated
Garfi eld and/or his alter ego,
Prince. We created, animated, lit, and
composited Garfi eld and Prince, his
almost identical counterpart, and all the
things that they interact with.
During how
long of a period?
We had about four months of
development and about six
months to do the actual shots.
How many people
worked on it?
At our peak, we had more than
250 people on our crew from
the US and India.
Did other studios
work on the fi lm?
Rainmaker in Vancouver also
did a signifi cant amount of
work, particularly the ‘talking
animal’ portion. They are live-
action animals with CG faces.
You also did the hair
and compositing for the
original Garfi eld movie?
Yes. We did the animation, as
well, for the fi lm.
How did the work
this time differ?
Garfi eld got an upgrade to
take advantage of advances
in our software and pipeline.
He also got some slight mod-
eling tweaks. He’s actually fatter this
time around. Our animation rigging has
improved, so it was a bit easier to get
more iterations of animation, and to get
more believable fat, skeleton, and mus-
cle interaction. As with any fi lm that
depicts an animated character, that char-
acter is an actor; it must evoke emotion
and be totally believable. To that end,
we made improvements to the original
Garfi eld rig so that he moved more natu-
rally than in the fi rst movie.
Did you create any new
hair and fur technologies
or techniques for the fi lm?
We’re constantly tweaking our
software, so in a sense, we cre-
ate new technology on every
job. Most of the recent advances have
to do with better application of environ-
mental lighting to the fur itself, better
sheen, and better self-shadowing.
Would you describe
your fur process?
The fur is groomed and con-
trolled using various levels of
guide hairs. Maps are used for
color and opacity. Several dif-
ferent lighting layers are rendered so that
details like sheen and shadows can be
controlled in the composite.
Which tools did you
use for the hair/fur?
We use our own proprietary
software for just about every-
thing we do. Our main package
is called Voodoo.
Did any of this technology
evolve from the work you
did in Narnia?
Absolutely. Every show is built
on the things we learned from
previous shows.
Rhythm & Hues places an improved CG Garfi eld into
‘hairy’ situations in the fat cat’s live-action sequel
Fur Fun
Rhythm & Hues has a long history of character animation, going back to the early ’90s with
the Coca-Cola Polar Bears. In 1995, with the Academy Award for Achievement in Visual Ef-
fects awarded to R&H VFX supervisor and co-founder Charles Gibson for Babe, the studio
established itself as the leader in the talking-animal niche, with Stuart Little (cats), followed
by Cats & Dogs (felines and canines). Rhythm & Hues leveraged the talking-animal repu-
tation with its strong character animation pipeline, and started doing fully CG-animated
characters for live-action fi lms and commercials. Some of those included Mr. Tinkles in
Cats & Dogs, Scooby-Doo (1 and 2), Cat in the Hat (fi sh), and the fi rst Garfi eld release in
2004. That run culminated with the recent box-offi ce smash and Academy Award nomi-
nee The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which featured the
photoreal CG Aslan lion and 40 mythical character types, under the supervision of one of
R&H’s in-house VFX supes, Bill Westenhofer.
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isers
84 | Computer Graphics World JULY 2006 w w w . c g w . c o m
3Dconnexion www.3dx.com/gd 48
Academy of Art University www.academyart.edu 30,31
@Xi Computer www.xicomputer.com 67
ACM SIGGRAPH www.siggraph.org/s2006 49,50,81
AJA www.aja.com 45
Appro www.appro.com 39
ATI www.ati.com CV4
ATI/HP www.ati.com/fi regl/HP CV2
Autodesk www.autodesk.com 40,41
Blackmagic Design www.blackmagic-design.com 27
BOXX Technologies www.boxxtech.com/apexx4 9
Ciara-Tech www.ciara-tech.com 12,13
D2 www.d2software.com CV3
Dell www.dell.com/DCCsolutions 7,33,34,35,36
Dimension www.dimensionprinting.com/cg 3
Eyeon www.eyeonline.com 5
Eyetronics www.eyetronics.com 11
HP www.hp.com/go/dcc 19,20,21,22
Isilon Systems Inc. www.isilon.com 51
NewTek www.lightwave3d.com 25
NVIDIA www.nvidia.com 59,61
New York University – SCPS www.scps.nyu.edu/x94 44
Okino Computer Graphics, Inc. www.okino.com 55
Thomas Course Technologies www.amazon.com/siggraph06-Thomas 43
Vancouver Film School www.vfs.com/games 15
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