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I N N O VAT I O N S I N V I S U A L C O M P U T I N G F O R T H E G L O B A L D C C C O M M U N I T Y
Computer
August 2007 www.cgw.com
WORLD
Magically
Made
ILM applies digital
sources to conjure up
Harry Potters latest
creative creatures
$6.00 USA
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$8.25 Canada
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I N N O VAT I O N S I N V I S U A L C O M P U T I N G F O R T H E G L O B A L D C C C O M M U N I T Y
Computer
See it in Post
____________
www.postmagazine.com
WORLD
WORLD
Departments
Editors Note 2
Face Tomorrow
The theme of SIGGRAPH 2007 was
Face Tomorrow, and there was no
better place than Emerging Technologies for this concept to come to life.
Spotlight 4
Products
FogScreens projection screen
14
Cover story
Dark Magic
14
ARCHITECTURE | An architectural
designer uses digital tools to help
archaeologists solve mysteries of
ancient Maya cities.
Autodesks Inventor LT
AutoDesSyss RenderZone Plus 6.5
User Focus
Evan Almightys digital cast
20
F e a t u re s
20
By Rachael Taggart
Viewpoint 12
Doggie Doubles 24
Best-in-Class Production
By Bruce Shutan
Portfolio 28
SIGGRAPH Animation Theaters, Part 2
@cgw.com...
_____________
24
On the cover:
There was little horsing around when
ILM artists created Thestrals, horselike creatures for Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix, pg. 14.
28
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AUGUST 2007
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editorsnote
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Karen
Moltenbrey
Chief Editor
Face Tomorrow
SIGGRAPH 2007, held early this month in San Diego, marked the 34th year
for this international conference and expo on computer graphics and interactive techniques. Much has changed since the early days of the show, but one
thing that remains constant is SIGGRAPHs focus on the future. This year,
that concept remained in the forefront, as the conferences, papers, sessions,
Art Gallery, Computer Animation Festival, exhibits, and more featured content that
adhered to the theme Face Tomorrow.
As you might imagine, to summarize the entire event would require far more space
than I have available on this page. Yet, there is one segment of the conference that I
would like to highlight: Emerging Technologies. I have been to a number of SIGGRAPHs,
and in my opinion, this years Emerging Technologies program contained far more
installations with potential for real-world applications than ever before. Indeed, the
focus of this show segment is, and has always has been, on experimental technologies
that offer a look at future capabilities of computer graphics. Yet in the past, Emerging
Technologies has been a showcase of interesting, but not very practical, installations.
K A R E N M O LT E N B R E Y: Chief Editor
______
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(603) 432-7568
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS:
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George Maestri, Martin McEachern,
Stephen Porter, Barbara Robertson
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J E F F V I C T O R: We s t C o a s t S a l e s M a n a g e r
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Not so this year, as the program contained a record amount of curated content.
As show-goers stepped inside the e-Tech area, the rst installation they saw was
PRODUCTION
ment of groups at trade shows. This Ambient Intelligence project at the Mitsubishi
K AT H C U N N I N G H A M : Production Director
kcunningham@cgw.com
__________
(818) 291-1113
M I C H A E L V I G G I A N O : Art Director
Buzz, which measured and visualized conference crowds for understanding the move-
tual software that will relay information to the building systems of the future. During
mviggiano@copcomm.com
___________
my visit, Buzz visually displayed an extremely active area within the Emerging
C H R I S S A L C I D O : Account Representative
_________
csalcido@copprints.com
(818) 291-1144
associated with paper. The technology has many uses, such as in electronic readers,
cell phones, signage, electronic books, and more.
In my opinion, the most important goal of Emerging Technologies is to inspire
those in our industry to continue to seek innovative technologies so we can better face
tomorrow. And what better theme could there have been for SIGGRAPH 2007?
2
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Explore
Design
Deliver
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spotlight
Your resource for products, user applications, news, and market research
PRODUCTS
DISPLAY
fog output.
The new 1-meter FogScreen is avail-
projection
create effects.
The
FogScreen
One
PRODUCTS
RENDERING
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PRODUCTS
PROCESSING
"!+"($ (!
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PRODUCTS
MODELING
Quidam 1.5 is shipping now for the Mac and PC, and is free
warrior and Manga man), two variants of the face bases with
Carrara, and 3ds Max costs $101, and the LPA plug-in exten-
RENDERING
PRODUCTS
PRODUCTS
CAD
another.
and more.
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www.aja.com
800.251.4224
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spotlight
USER FOCUS
CG MODELING
Almighty. Meanwhile, CafeFX created some amusing CG sh for a comedic scene in the movie.
The visual effects facility tapped Massive, an
articial intelligence-driven animation system, to
build large establishing shots of hundreds of lifelike
computer-generated animals paired two-by-two as
described in the biblical story of Noahs Ark.
Evan Almighty stars Steve Carell in a reprise of
his role as newscaster Evan Baxter from the 2003
release Bruce Almighty. In Evan Almighty, Baxter is
a newly elected congressman who moves his family from New York to suburban northern Virginia.
His life gets thrown into a tailspin when he meets
God, played by Morgan Freeman, who instructs
him to build an ark. Mayhem ensues when this
new venture takes over his life, career, and family.
the ark. These shots were captured with several real ani-
side the ark, and ll in terrain with animals that are indis-
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Intensity
US$249
Learn more today at www.blackmagic-design.com
*The On-Air software is currently included for Mac OS X with Windows coming soon.
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Meanwhile, CafeFX created a scene-stealing school of computer-generated tropical sh for Universal Pictures Evan
Almighty.
In the lm, Evan discovers it isnt easy being the new
Noah, as animals, sensing the impending ood, ock to
him in the most unnerving ways and vie for his atten-
tors to set up the scenes where the sh hover, swim, meander, and school. The animators tapped all the shaders in
and lighting purposes, says CafeFX visual effects super- Those minute particles help to ground the sh, otherwise
visor Jeff Goldman. Early in the sequence, we mimicked
comedic timing.
the screen, and we had to gure out how to deal with a real-
cant even tell they are CG sh, Goldman notes. But when
Goldman says.
10
selves; they use their lateral ns, and the tail acts as a rud-
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DeckLink HD Extreme
US$995
Learn more today at www.blackmagic-design.com
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viewpoint
Digital Prototyping
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Best-in-Class Production
A Digital Pipeline
According to Aberdeen,
engineer, 3D solid-model-
instead of paper-based
communications between
manufacturers create
forming manufacturers.
By Andrew Anagnost
tions through all the major phases of design and production. When the design and
greater assurance that theyre working with the latest information and they can get it
of efciency. For example, Aberdeen points out that production insights help to
development. And by
manufacturers gained
communications bottlenecks related to the way designs are conceived and communi-
as much as a 14-week
Andrew
Anagnost is a vice
president at Autodesk.
Ideation
Much of the work thats involved in design conception is done on whiteboards and
on paperformats that arent exactly compatible with the spreadsheet, word pro-
depending on product
cessing, or other applications that capture the information that precedes form and
complexity.
substance. Industrial designers often turn to clay models to experience their ideas,
By building one
as well.
Then comes the hard work of converting that analog information into data that
can be used by others who will create the products structure and systems. When
less physical
styling and visualization is done digitally, the data may or may not be utilized by
prototype,
choices that ensure software interoperability or through some other means of inte-
engineering.
manufacturers
of digital prototyping, a
This digital pipeline supports the best practices that Aberdeen found to be preva-
engineering deliverables electronically and early on, making them portable across
of goods.
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Engineering
For product engineers, the conventional path from concept to design for production
is paved with obstacles. In addition to the compatibility issues typical in the ideation
stage, design engineers for years have been asked to address functional problems
with applications that represent geometry. Often, they solve these problems with one
set of tools and then work with specialists in computer-aided design (CAD) software
to translate their functional solutions into geometry.
Aberdeens research suggests that best-in-class manufacturers equip their engineers with applications that dont require them to adapt their problem solving to
suit their tools. Rather, they use software that automates the creation of models, and
then test designs throughout development. In fact, top performers were four times as
likely to use design models for manufacturing documentation, and also more likely
to forego creation of engineering drawings entirely.
They also used electronic notication to alert multiple stakeholders in the produc-
tion process when information was available, complementing multidirectional communication and helping to streamline tasks in each phase, such as materials ordering and
change orders.
Manufacturing
Once design drawings make it to the manufacturing phase, production teams often
rely on e-mail or paper-based communications to clarify questions with design teams,
and use physical prototypes for insight. Simply capturing more information digitally
and making it more available upstream and downstream opens a digital pipeline that
at Autodesk.
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problems. In contrast, cutting-edge applications that simulate functional 3D designs can complement and contribute to
a digital pipeline, helping to bridge the disconnects among
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2007 Warner Bros. Ent. CG imagery courtesy Industrial Light & Magic.
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Dark Horse
machine.
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Creature Modeling
....
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Creature Modeling
With PhysBam, we have an open system that allows us to attempt things like
Flying to London
we wanted to do.
Evil Dementors
ILM needed to mitigate the frightening appearance of the Thestrals with animation that
rid of ies.
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Ice Plane image supplied by Saddington & Baynes CGI. Photography by Darran Rees.
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Creature Modeling
says
Alexander.
victims, set the tone early in the lm. ILM created the crea-
actor Daniel Radcliffe hanging from a rig, Without doing any morphing or render-
Liquid Light
the North Atlantic, with big waves crashing against the rocky shores. Its a great design by [production
designer] Stuart Craig that ILM created with full-CG architecture and seascapes, says Tim Burke, visual
effects supervisor. They did the only shots we see of the prison in these lms. To create the prison and its
watery surrounds, Industrial Light & Magic used PhysBam, the same uid-simulation technology the studio
had relied on for Poseidon and Pirates of the Caribbean. We ran a high-resolution water simulation around
the Askaban area that allowed waves to crash up against it and interact with it, says Tim Alexander, visual
effects supervisor at ILM, and a deformed surface for areas where we didnt need the interaction.
This is the second time Alexander has used the simulation engine. For Harry Potter and the Goblet of
Fire, he supervised a shot of a boat rising from a lake with digital water pouring off its sails. And, that was
the rst time ILM had used PhysBam to create a large uid-simulation shot in a lm.
It took forever to do that shot, Alexander says. We were working from command lines. Now, weve
integrated the engine into Zeno [ILMs proprietary software]. Its still tough to do water simulations, but we
were able to concentrate more on the look and art of the shot, and not on technical issues. In [Goblet of
Fire], if we thought a splash was too bright and glowy and grainy, we would have had one chance to x it.
On this lm, we could see a render every other day. People have more experience working with the engine
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Architecture
...
Using extremely detailed notes, the archaeological team and Valla extrapolated what each structure would
have looked like long ago. The level of detail from the archae-
3D model. The GIS data that Valla had recorded likewise was
the software.
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Architecture
the tomb.
I was apprehensive
3D models.
sons
abovenot
just
The
resulting
model
to be highly accurate
before
construction
performing
the
The
PAPAC
project,
funded
by
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A n y o n e o f t h e 1 2 m a j o r s ava i l a b l e f r o m t h e A c a d e my o f A r t U n ive r s i t y,
San Francisco will give you more than a degree. Theyll give you the skill, the vision
and the experience necessary to build your portfolio. So, whether you study online or
on campus, youll be ready to pursue the career youre passionate about.
www.academyart.edu
______________________________
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1.800.544.2787
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Scanning
....
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Scanning
which the digital doggie doubles were based. With the tech-
....
even days because the models are built using real, exact infor-
animal likeness.
device captured high levels of detail and color, allowing animators to substitute the CG canines
into scenes that would have been impossible for a real animal to handle, such as the one above.
Using laser scanners meant wetting the critters with water and
cal. I think kids will love the way he looks, talks, and moves,
Yeatman says.
To this end, the group used Realscans portable, suitcase-
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Scanning
imagination, the chief creative challenge for Yeatman and his VFX crew
was to visually bring the scripts action
to life with regard to crashing through
walls or scaling impossibly large objects
so that it would be both believable and
breathtaking.
Realscans use of multiple customcamera calibrations to more accurately
capture the details of each animal won
over Yeatman when he put the VFX services out to bid. Tests showed the realism that could be acquired for hybrid
lmmaking involving CG and live action,
making this technology well worth the
investment in his eyes.
Artists paid close attention to the details of the dogs mouth, especially how his teeth,
tongue, and throat worked, particularly during speaking scenes. Elaborate face controls
allowed the group to achieve subtle motions for the digital dogs.
Dog No. 2.
past February.
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Yeatman,
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Scanning
takeoff sequences.
....
To better integrate the digital dogs into the scenes, Realscan captured HDRI lighting that
could be used by Cinesite and Framestore CFC, two facilities that handled everything from
muzzle replacements all the way through to all-CG dog replacements in the lm.
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Portfolio
There is often a misconception that the SIGGRAPH Animation Theaters are looked upon as a
Flight to the Center of the Milky Way This visualization, produced by Donna Cox at the National Center for
Supercomputing Applications, was featured in the 4K
Animation Theater.
truth, says Computer Animation Festival chair Paul Debevec of the USC Institute for Creative
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second-place prize for those not selected for the Electronic Theater, but that is far from the
Technologies. This year, even if every single piece in the Electronic Theater were to disappear and we had to build a new one, we could do it [from the Animation Theaters], and it
would still be great.
The Animation Theaters featured amazing reels that were organized by theme. One highlight was an entire reel of scientic visualization, including space imagery, among them SolarTerrestrial Interaction from Cosmic Collisions by the American Museum of Natural History.
In all, 905 pieces were submitted to the festival. One reason for this record number,
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Debevec notes, was due to SIGGRAPHs electronic submission system. Last year, electronic
submission was a successful experiment; this year it was an established way of getting
movies to the jury, which was magnied by an enormous international outreach effort, he
says. As a result, the nal content of the show reects that larger pool of content to draw
from; the jury could be more choosy about what it put into the show. This years content
is the strongest I have seen going into the show, and I hope we have put it together and in
front of people in a way that is worthy of the submissions, says Debevec.
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Knowledge&Career
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Digital-Tutors Demysties
Maya Quadrupeds
Digital-Tutors (www.digitaltutors.com), a provider of video- Telestream is now bundling Class on Demands (www.
___
based training solutions, has released two new titles for
those looking to expand their knowledge of Autodesk Maya. Training for Episode and Episode Pro with its Macintosh
Rigging Quadrupeds in Maya provides six hours of proj- encoding Episode Pro product. The video is hosted by
ect-based training and guides artists through rigging tech- Class on Demand instructor Nate Caplin and covers both
niques and the principles of building solution-based rigs.
chy systems, building rigs from reference skeletons, build- Flip4Mac Products, the training tool offers an in-depth
ing an FK spline system, incorporating MEL for speed, look at Episodes extensive compression settings, preset
custom shelves for tools, Characters Sets, Sub-Character
Sets, set-driven keys, and IK solvers for proper limb func- put quality.
tionality, among other highlights.
Animating Quadrupeds in Maya teaches artists time- ing applications for the Mac. The tool is designed for consaving animation techniques, the mechanics of quadrupeds, tent repurposing and distribution to new media channels,
and principles for creating convincing quadruped anima- including the Web, DVD, and portable devices such as
tions. The training solution ($69.99) provides three hours
Selected participants will receive round-trip transportation to New York City and will be hosted by NYWIFT this
October. The grant will begin with two days of meetings
and seminars with leaders and executives in the lm and
television industries.
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classi f ieds
Contact
Lisa Quintanilla
Advertising Manager
lisaq@copcomm.com
___________
ph: 877-CGW-POST
+
a winning combination!
EMPLOYMENT
CONFIDENTIAL FIRM
Senior Editor / Avid DS Artist
Northern Virginia
Broadcast post-production firm based in
suburban Washington, DC has an immediate
need for a creative Avid DS Nitris editor.
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Responsibilities include editing TV and radio
commercials, long format media, and new
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post-production facility, coordinate freelancers and post-production workflow a plus.
Qualified candidates must be proficient in
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To apply, please send resume, salary
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products
For additional product news and information, visit
SOFTWARE
CAD
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Streamlining Solution
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DirectX Drivers
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Solid System
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Nvidia; www.nvidia.com
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$18,900
IN THE U.K. JUST IN TIME FOR THE CANADIANS TO GET SOME SLEEP.
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#1 IN 3D PRINTERS
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In Assassins Creed,
Ubisoft used
Autodesk 3ds Max
software to create
a hero character so
real you can almost
feel the coarseness
of his tunic.
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Autodesk
MotionBuilder
software enabled
the assassin to
uidly jump
from rooftops to
cobblestone
streets with ease.
Using Autodesk
HumanIK middleware, Ubisoft
grounded the
assassin in his
12th century boots
and his run-time
environment.
Autodesk, MotionBuilder, HumanIK and 3ds Max are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries.
All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. 2007 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
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