Aphics - World August.2007

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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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August 2007 Volume 30 Number 8
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
Also see www.cgw.com for computer graphics news,

special surveys and reports, and the online gallery.
The Bourne Ultimatums

director and editor discuss
their approach while making this movie.
The right way to bid a job.
Audio post techniques
for spot work.
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
CREATURE MODELING | ILM uses

simulation and other techniques to
conjure up two new creatures for
the latest Harry Potter movie.
By Barbara Robertson
ARTVPSs RenderPipe AV6

SGIs Altix Ice
Digging for Details
N-Sided Quidam 1.5
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
SCANNING | Realscan 3D employs a

new technique to acquire digital data
of the canine actors in Underdog.
Studies reveal the importance of digital prototyping as a means to efcient

manufacturing and production.
By Bruce Shutan
Portfolio 28
SIGGRAPH Animation Theaters, Part 2
@cgw.com...
_____________
Knowledge & Career 30

Classieds 31
Products 32
See the latest news and

announcements from
SIGGRAPH 2007 on the
CGW Web site.
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
Computer Graphics World | 1
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
______
karen@cgw.com
36 East Nashua Road
Windham, NH 03087
(603) 432-7568
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS:
Courtney Howard, Jenny Donelan,
Audrey Doyle, Evan Marc Hirsch,
George Maestri, Martin McEachern,
Stephen Porter, Barbara Robertson
W I L L I A M R . R I T T WA G E
Publisher
President and CEO, COP Communications
SALES
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
jeffvictor@comcast.net
_________
(847) 367-4073 fax: (847) 920-9206
L I S A Q U I N TA N I L L A: E a s t C o a s t S a l e s
Classieds Education Recruitment
________
lisaq@copcomm.com
(877) CGW-POST [249-7678] fax: (214) 260-1127
M A R I K O H N: S t r a t e g i c / C o r p o r a t e S a l e s
_________
mkohn@copcomm.com
(818) 291-1153 fax: (818) 547-4607
Editorial Ofce / LA Sales Ofce:
620 West Elk Avenue, Glendale, CA 91204
(800) 280-6446
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
Electric Research Laboratories is focused on creating sensing platforms and percep-
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
Technologies spacethe Microsoft Surface display.

The belle of e-Tech, Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive
surface on which users interact with digital content through touch and gesture. The
device, which soon will be rolled out in restaurants, hotels, and retail establishments,
allows patrons to place food orders, download music, play games, and morethink of
it as a large iPhone, only in a table form. For example, guests can place a smart card
on the tabletop, and up pops their favorite food and drink items from that particular
establishment. And Surfaces surface is durabledrinks and food can be placed on it
without fear of damage from an unfortunate spill.
Also intriguing was Texas Instruments DLP 3D TV, for displaying high-def 3D stereo
imagery for games and movies at home. Consumer 3D-ready HD TVs already exist, and,
according to Texas Instruments, over one million 3D-ready DLP televisions are expected
to be in homes by mid-2008, making stereo in the home closer than you may realize.
And while there were some novel display concepts this year, I found E Inks technology relevant in terms of the more recent green awareness in our society. The companys reective displays tout a thin, exible form with daylight readability albeit with
low power consumption. So the user still has the experience of reading from paper,
with the ability to update information, but without the negative environmental impact
Computer Graphics World Magazine

is published by Computer Graphics World,
a COP Communications company.
Computer Graphics World does not verify any claims or
other information appearing in any of the advertisements
contained in the publication, and cannot take any
responsibility for any losses or other damages incurred
by readers in reliance on such content.
Computer Graphics World cannot be held responsible for
the safekeeping or return of unsolicited articles,
manuscripts, photographs, illustrations or other materials.
Address all subscription correspondence to: Computer
Graphics World, P.O. Box 3296, Northbrook, IL 60065-3296.
Subscriptions are available free to qualied individuals
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Digital subscriptions are available for $27 per year.
Subscribers can also contact customer service by calling
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Change of address can be made online at http://www.
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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
Postmaster: Send Address Changes to

Computer Graphics World, P.O. Box 3296,
Northbrook, IL 60065-3296
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
| Computer Graphics World
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AUGUST 2007
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spotlight
Your resource for products, user applications, news, and market research
PRODUCTS
DISPLAY
FogScreen Launches New Projection Screen

FogScreen, creators of the rst walk-
projection screen. Both utilize patented
through projection screen, released the
technology to create the rst commer-
FogScreen One projection screen. The
cial walk-through projection screen
1-meter-wide (3-foot, 3-inch) screen
comprising microscopic fog droplets,
seamlessly links to an unlimited num-
enabling vibrant colors and images to
ber of FogScreen One projection units.
literally oat in the air. Furthermore,
The result is a screen of dry fog that is
they operate at room temperature.
customizable to any size for any venue,
The new screen weighs just over
with no gaps between the adjoining
130 pounds and consumes 1 to 2.5 gal-
screens. The screens are synchronized
lons of water per hour, depending on
by control units, enabling designers to
fog output.
The new 1-meter FogScreen is avail-
$1100 thereafter. The purchase price
projection
able now. Rental for both the 1-meter
for the Inia is $79,950. For a special,
screen is a follow-up to the companys
and 2-meter offerings is $3500 for the
limited-time promotional price on the
original 2-meter-wide FogScreen Inia
rst day, $1200 for the second day, and
1-meter product, contact FogScreen.
create effects.
The
FogScreen
One
PRODUCTS
RENDERING
ARTVPS Renders New Solution

Faster rendering times and 64-bit support are just two of the
new features available in the RenderPipe AV6 software release,
unveiled recently by ARTVPS.
In addition to enhancing existing elements of its RenderPipe
software, ARTVPS has introduced a number of new tools in
this version, including QuickTime object movie output, which
enables the exploration of 3D objects from multiple viewing
angles, as well as a preview of its hardware-accelerated global
illumination solution.
Optimized to accelerate data transfer between RenderPipe
(the companys raytracing software renderer) and RayBox, AV6
gives users even faster rendering through the new desktop system. This latest release also supports both 3ds Max 9 (64-bit) and
Maya 8.5 (32- and 64-bit) from Autodesk.
AV6 began shipping in June. Existing customers can download updates for free at www.artvps.com. Pricing for new customers is dependent on the users requirements.
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AUGUST 2007
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PRODUCTS
PROCESSING
SGI Unveils Ultra-Dense Altix Ice Blade

SGI has made available its new Altix Ice, a next-generation platform for high-performance computing. Designed to close the gap between performance and user productivity, the Altix Ice 8200 is the rst in a line of cool-running bladed servers built to
handle high-performance computing applications and large scale-out workloads.
According to SGI, the Altix Ice minimizes demands on a data centers space and
power. Its ultra-dense rack architecture is said to deliver up to 40 percent more compute performance per oor tile than competing blades. A single Altix 8200 rack can be
powered by as many as 512 Intel Xeon processor cores and deliver 6 teraops of performance. Moreover, the product comes pre-integrated for easy power-up and start.
The offering includes a version of the Atoka board, which SGI co-developed with
Intel specically for the high-performance computing market. With this, a single
Altix 8200 can be powered by two dual- or quad-core Intel Xeon processors for up to
32GB of memory. For optimal performance and scalability, the platform supports dual
high-speed, low-latency DDR InniBand backplanes, enabling fast communication
between nodes and racks, even across thousands of processors. This integrated blade
format also makes system service and maintenance easier. Last, the diskless blade
architecture offers off-blade centralization of storage resources.
The SGI Altix Ice 8200 is available now in congurations ranging from 8 to 512
processors per rack. Pricing is scalable, starting at $350,000.

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AUGUST 2007
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PRODUCTS
MODELING
N-Sided Rolls Out Quidam Version 1.5

The young French company N-Sided released a new version of
Quidam, its professional character modeling software. With
an intuitive interface, Quidam is unique in the way it merges
various anatomical elements into one seamless model.
A single Base (Model Pack) of Quidam allows users to generate billions of different characters. Moreover, the product
provides artists with a full set of advanced tools for sculpting and retouching their creations down to the last detail.
Furthermore, Quidam exports multi-resolution 3D characters,
entirely textured and ready to be animated, in all the usual 3D
software. Specically, Quidam 1.5 ships with a number of new
features, including a new tool for placing imported objects,
improvements for painting skinning weights, the addition of
Quidam 1.5 is shipping now for the Mac and PC, and is free
advanced editing and skeleton personalization, and more. The
for previous version holders. Otherwise, the product is priced
version also ships with two complete dynamic bases (Fantasy
at $267. The export plug-in for Maya, LightWave, Cinema 4D,
warrior and Manga man), two variants of the face bases with
Carrara, and 3ds Max costs $101, and the LPA plug-in exten-
articulations, and new textures and accessories.
sion is priced at $403.
RENDERING
Autodesk Goes Light

with Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk announced a technology preview release of
PRODUCTS
PRODUCTS
CAD
AutoDesSys recently introduced FormZ RenderZone

Plus Version 6.5, software that represents an evolutionary step toward global illumination, which is now sup-
Autodesk Inventor LT, a new member of its Inventor fam-
ported by different techniques, including nal gather,
ily of software products for 3D
ambient occlusion, and improved radiosity. These can
mechanical design. Inventor
be used separately or combined to complement one
LT, a streamlined version of
another.
Inventor, will help customers
FormZ RenderZone Plus is now the highest level of
enhance their communica-
built-in rendering that FormZ offers. RadioZity will be
tion with suppliers and man-
retired as a separate product, but its features are incor-
ufacturing partners by mak-
porated in the new rendering software.

The aim is to give designers a product that requires
ing it easy and affordable to
little effort to set up, is easy to control, and produces
create, share, and edit 3D part designs.

Inventor LT helps customers improve communica-
results in a short period of time. Unlike traditional radios-
tion within the supply chain by making editable 3D
ity, which is slow and cumbersome to use, RenderZone
part design data more accessible. Inventor LT enables:
Plus offers an uncomplicated approach to 3D for presen-
multi-CAD translation capabilities for leading native
tations, visualization, and animation.
and neutral 3D CAD le formats, 3D part model cre-
While primarily a rendering development, FormZ 6.5
ation and editing, automated mechanical drawings,
includes additional improvements and enhancements,
genuine DWG interoperability with DWG TrueConnect
such as new methods for correction and new shaders,
technology, photorealistic rendering of 3D part designs,
the majority of which are intended to support architec-
and more.
tural renderings (such as shingles, brick pavers, road
A free downloadable preview license is available

through Autodesk Labs (active through May 1, 2008) at
http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/inventor_lt.
FormZ gets in the Zone
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AUGUST 2007
and sidewalk paving, and frosted glass).

Pricing for the FormZ modeler is $1495; RenderZone
Plus, meanwhile, costs $500.
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spotlight
USER FOCUS
CG MODELING
Digital Animals Serve as Extras in Evan Almighty

Rhythm & Hues, calling on its previous experience with
ber of those animals matched in slightly varied pairs of
creating realistic CG animals, generated a cast of thou-
twomale and femaleas told in the biblical story and
sands of CG birds, mammals, and other members of the
as specied by the director. So we had to limit some of the
animal kingdom, for the modern-day Noahs Ark tale, Evan
randomness in the character placement in order to get ani-
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.
In Massive, character movements are controlled by
terms of the quantity of animals that are wrangled to board
agents or brains, which enable them to interpret and
the ark. These shots were captured with several real ani-
react autonomously to the world around them. R&H used a
mals on set, but not nearly as many as would be required in
team of two artists to complete the Massive shots in just over
the nal image sequences. Mark Welser, Massive Software
ve months. They built 24 agents and applied the agents
supervisor at R&H, oversaw the creation of thousands of
to groupings of anywhere from two to 53 different types
creatures, each milling about with behaviors appropriate to
of animals based on similarities in their overall geometry
its respective species.
and movement. Some shots featured up to 3800 animals
We were able to populate scenes both inside and out-
as individually driven Massive agents. These shots ranged
side the ark, and ll in terrain with animals that are indis-
from placement of a handful of creatures in the background
tinguishable from hero characters and live animals shot on
to shots that were entirely populated by Massive animals,
bluescreen. Massive Software has terrain adaptation and
with several of them appearing very close to the camera.
the ability to command navigation so that we could steer
In addition to the nearly 300 different types of animals,
the creatures where we needed them to go, and deliver the
R&H had to represent male and female versions of each,
diversity of actions for the various types of species we need-
which entailed scale offsets, texture variations, and other

physical differentiators, such as antlers. The scale offsets,
ed to create, explains Welser.

In all, 269 types of unique animals were built into the
texture variations, antlers, and so forth were also needed to
Massive library set up for this project. Everything ranging
distinguish the animal varieties within the 24 agent groups.
from rabbits, badgers, and skunks to elephants and giraffes
Because of this, the artists also added procedural animation
were animated in Massive. The tricky part of this assign-
on top of an agent to maximize the variations they could
ment was that we needed large numbers of animals to
achieve from each of the 24 agent performances.
move about randomly, coupled with having to place a num-
mals paired up with others that had similar geometry.
The movie features a number of shots that set the scale in
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AUGUST 2007
While the R&H team had ve months to complete these
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shots, it was accommodating test screenings early on. As a

result, the group had to put animals into shots quicklyso
that even before agents were completed, they had to be prepared to assemble shots. With Massive, the artists could
easily build a working locomotion agent and then come in
at a later date and replace it with a more polished, more
sophisticated version of the agent after the fact.
R&H has integrated Massive into its pipeline, and has
used it on a number of projects for everything from building
and populating crowds to adding snakes, soldiers, and more.
SCHOOL OF CG FISH
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
der. Some species of sh dont move much, and some are
him in the most unnerving ways and vie for his atten-
constantly moving their ns. What really makes sh look
tion wherever he goes. When Evan visits the ofce of
like sh is their movement, and its trickier to capture than
Congressman Long, played by actor John Goodman, the
you might expect.
sh in the legislators 100-gallon tank are no exception.
CafeFX wrote automation scripts to allow the anima-
Their response to Evans animal magnetism is a clever and
tors to set up the scenes where the sh hover, swim, meander, and school. The animators tapped all the shaders in
amusing sight gag.

To create the aquarium sequence, CafeFX modeled and
Mental Images Mental Ray to deal with sh scales and iri-
animated 60 CG saltwater tropical sh that exhibit some
descence. A lot of saltwater sh dont look like they have
extremely shy behavior in Evans presence.
scales, Goldman points out. Its almost like they have a
CafeFX ordered 10 different varieties of tropical sh
velvet texture, and we wanted to simulate that velvety look.
through a local shop, so that its digital artists and anima-
Translucency was also critical, as a lot of light is transmit-
tors could observe their appearance and behavior, which
ted through their ns.
they then captured with digital cameras and camcord-
CafeFX cloned bubbles from the actual tank of water and
ers. The reference material provided an aid for textures
added bits of CG debris and sh food suspended to the water.
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
Some of the wide shots with the tank in the background
scene plays out, the sh are a counterpoint to Steve Carells
are from the perspective of the sh looking out at Evan from
comedic timing.
inside the aquarium. The sh occupy 80 to 90 percent of
As Evan and the congressman enter the ofce, the sh
the screen, and we had to gure out how to deal with a real-
are meandering realistically around their tank. People
ly wide-angle lens, ironically a sh-eye lens, which warps
cant even tell they are CG sh, Goldman notes. But when
their world. To simulate that warp in 3D requires long ren-
they spot Evan, they move toward him in a ash as a xed
der times, so we ramped up our speed greatly by re-creat-
unit. He tries to get them to disperse, but much to his dis-
ing it in 2D using Krokodove plug-ins for Digital Fusion,
may, they are almost worshipful of him.
Goldman says.
The prop sh tank was photographed in locked-off shots,
CafeFX employed Autodesks Maya for the animation
lled with water and coral, and wrapped in greenscreen
and lighting of the sh, Maya and Pixologics ZBrush for
material. The artists then replaced the greenscreen area
modeling, Mental Ray for rendering, and Eyeons Digital
with the actors in live-action plates, and put the CG sh
Fusion for compositing.

Trying to sell the aquarium joke with all the subtleties
into the tank.

It was pretty straightforward to rig the sh, says
10
theyd look like they were oating in air, Goldman notes.
the actual behavior of the sh in our animation, but as the
of comedic acting, for sh, was a big challenge, concludes
Goldman. But sh dont really move the way you think
CafeFX visual effects producer David Van Dyke. But we
they do. Smaller sh dont use their tail to propel them-
had a great team with a great sense of humor, and they
selves; they use their lateral ns, and the tail acts as a rud-
understood what we were trying to achieve.
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AUGUST 2007
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Digital Prototyping
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Best-in-Class Production
Just as a top-end calcula-
A Digital Pipeline
tor doesnt make a top-notch
According to Aberdeen,
engineer, 3D solid-model-
best-in-class rms were
ing software does not guar-
more likely to use digital
antee best-in-class manufac-
instead of paper-based
turing. However, industry
communications between
research rm Aberdeen Group debunked
engineering and manufac-
that equation in The Digital Product
turing. In essence, these
Development Benchmark Report, a
manufacturers create
study, published in March, of top-per-
what I like to call a digi-
forming manufacturers.
tal pipeline. This digital
The report cites the ability of best-inclass manufacturers to meet revenue,
pipeline lets information
By Andrew Anagnost
A dynamic simulation of a helicopter using Inventor 2008.
ow freely in both direc-
cost, launch date, and quality targets
tions through all the major phases of design and production. When the design and
for 91 percent or more of their products.
manufacturing information and feedback can be accessed electronically, teams have
Furthermore, these companies were as
greater assurance that theyre working with the latest information and they can get it
much as 22 percent more likely to use
as quickly as its available.
a single digital proto-
That multidirectional ow of information also helps to create a closed-loop cycle
type at every phase of
of efciency. For example, Aberdeen points out that production insights help to
development. And by
assess the manufacturability of a design at its earliest stages.
building one less physi-
Yet, conventions in each of the three major phases of manufacturingideation,
cal prototype, these
engineering, and manufacturingcreate obstacles to the digital pipeline. Clearing
manufacturers gained
communications bottlenecks related to the way designs are conceived and communi-
as much as a 14-week
cated also clears the way for digital prototyping.
edge on time to mar-
Andrew
Anagnost is a vice
president at Autodesk.
ket, and saved any-
Ideation
where from $7600 to
Much of the work thats involved in design conception is done on whiteboards and
more than $1 million,
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,
Whats their secret?
By building one
The study reveals
as well.
Then comes the hard work of converting that analog information into data that
that 3D alone doesnt
can be used by others who will create the products structure and systems. When
less physical
account for the marked
styling and visualization is done digitally, the data may or may not be utilized by
difference between top
engineering applications in later phases of development. But through deliberate
prototype,
and average perform-
choices that ensure software interoperability or through some other means of inte-
ers. Rather, solid mod-
gration, manufacturers can unlock the ow of information between ideation and
eling is just one aspect
engineering.
manufacturers
of digital prototyping, a
gain a competitive edge.
This digital pipeline supports the best practices that Aberdeen found to be preva-
practice thats the key
lent among top-performing manufacturers. Specically, they tended to document
to more efcient engi-
engineering deliverables electronically and early on, making them portable across
neering and production
divisions. They also tended to gauge a products manufacturability prior to actual
of goods.
design, when modications dont require formal change orders.
12 | Computer Graphics World
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AUGUST 2007
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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-
Using 3D to show suspension stress loads.
tion process when information was available, complementing multidirectional communication and helping to streamline tasks in each phase, such as materials ordering and
ical prototyping in search of design-phase
change orders.
answers. And thats an equation that

adds up to the kind of efciency that
Manufacturing
Aberdeen says is best in class.
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,
Andrew Anagnost, PhD, is vice president of
and use physical prototypes for insight. Simply capturing more information digitally
CAD/CAE Products, Manufacturing Solutions
and making it more available upstream and downstream opens a digital pipeline that
at Autodesk.
is further enhanced by software tools for data management

in the manufacturing phase.
upstream and downstream from the design process.
%,0,,!")".8
Industrial engineers were able to take advantage of pro-
8 8
9

duction teams insight into manufacturability. Best-in-class
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Aberdeen found this was benecial for users both
manufacturers had a higher rate of design reuse, which,

in turn, helped them meet product deadlines. And the
advanced tools used by their mechanical and electrical
engineers for functional simulationin addition to 3D solid
modelsprovided additional resources for answering manufacturing teams questions.
So why is digital prototyping still the exception rather
than the norm? According to Chad Jackson, research and
1/"85,1.8 *".80,8!,8!8*,!")&+$88/ ++&+$

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service director for Aberdeens Product Innovation and

Engineering Practice, best-in-class manufacturers may not
even use 3D solid modeling in all aspects of their design process, but they are using digital simulation. Their practices
out conventional wisdom that 3D CAD software is the major
8 8 7

88
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obstacle to advanced product development techniques.

Adding to common misconceptions about design technology is that most solid-modeling software focuses on 3D
geometryjust one aspect of a digital prototype, and not necessarily the one product engineers need to solve functional
,++!"++!#+#+"++++#!+)+#+
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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
!+!+!#+%"#+&&&-%,0,*,!")".
ideation, engineering, and manufacturing; carrying insights
+"" #!++*++#+!+

from one stage to the next; and reducing dependence on phys-
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AUGUST 2007
2007 Warner Bros. Ent. CG imagery courtesy Industrial Light & Magic.
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any of the wizards creating
visor Steve Rawlins led a crew that cre-
ing with a small crew. We became very
Harry Potters magic have
ated Thestrals and Dementors, ew the
efcient, he says. All the supervisors sat
been doing so since Warner
Hogwarts students to London, and cre-
within earshot, so we could talk about
Bros. released Harry Potter
ated the only shots of Askaban prison.
shots right away without having a lot of
and the Sorcerers Stone in
Both had also worked on the fourth
meetings. We didnt have to do dailies.
2001. But, among all the studios that
lm, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
But that doesnt mean the shots were easy.
have created visual effects for Harry and
And this is the fourth lm for overall
To create the creatures, ILM had to develop
his friends at Hogwarts, Industrial Light
visual effects supervisor Tim Burke. It
new techniques and new technology.
& Magic is the only studio in the US to
was great to have the same team back,
participate in all ve lms.

For the latest, Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix, directed by David
he says. After four lms, the franchise
Dark Horse
operates like the proverbial well-oiled
In the earlier Harry Potter lms, we saw
machine.
Hogwarts students riding in carriages
Yates, both visual effects supervisor
Because ILM had a year to create its
driven by nothing. It turns out that they
Tim Alexander and animation super-
shots, Alexander had the luxury of work-
and we couldnt see the Thestrals, which
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AUGUST 2007
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Creature Modeling
....
To create the Thestrals, ILM started

with a full-scale maquette and concept
art. The model was the size of a horse,
Alexander says. They shipped it in a
gigantic box, with the full-scale wing
and tail as separate pieces. We scanned it,
so we had a point cloud from which we
built a model, and took lots of pictures,
and then we kept it in our conference
room until the end of production.
Ken Bryan led the modeling crew that
built the Thestrals and textured them.
Lana Lan, one of our modelers, built all
the shapes and took the Thestral all the
way through modeling, painting, and
lighting, says Alexander. Ken did the
same thing for a baby Thestralmodeled and textured it, but someone else lit
it. We had the luxury of having enough
time for them to do that.
The modelers used a variety of software packages. As long as we can
get subdivision surfaces into Zeno,
Alexander says, it doesnt matter where
we get them from.
Because the Thestrals are thin and
emaciated, the modelers created detailed
skeletons to expose all the bones beneath
the skin. We typically just build a shell
and then use shapes to simulate muscles and fat underneath, Alexander says.
But in this case, we built the outer shell
and also the inner pieces, the bones, and
ribs for the skin to slide against.
Skin Deep
Sliding the skin became the challenge for
are horse-like creatures, pulling the car-
the simulation team. The skin needed to
riages. Thestrals appear only to those who
sink into the crevices between the crea-
have witnessed a death, which Harry did
tures ribs, yet still slide. It was dif-
in the last lm. We introduce the crea-
cult, says Alexander. As soon as we got

the skin to suck in between the bones, it
tures in this lm, says Alexander.

The Thestrals resemble emaciated
horses with bat wings; hairless creatures,
For simulation, ILM uses the Phys-
just skin and bones. They have dark
Bam engine developed with Stanford
gray, elephant-like skin that looks eshy
University. PhysBam can simulate the
thanks to subsurface scattering.
movement of elements such as cloth and
When theyre pulling the carriages,
uids interacting and colliding with hard
they walk, Alexander says, but at the
surfaces. Thus, during four months of
end of the lm, the children get on their
preproduction, creature-rigging supervi-
backs and y to London.
sor Eric Wong devised ways to make the
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didnt want to slide any more.
AUGUST 2007
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....
Creature Modeling
skin work within that engine by balanc-
into something thats not believable,
ing how much suction to give the skin
says Burke. We want people to believe
without making the forces so strong that
in these creatures. If they see Thestrals
All told, Industrial Light & Magic built 11 digi-
the skin wouldnt move over the bones.
walking through the forest and think
tal doubles and used all of them, but only in a
theyre real, weve all done our job.
few shotsfor sequences of wizards ying on
With PhysBam, we have an open system that allows us to attempt things like
broomsticks and for the Thestral shots. We
this without rewriting the simulation
Flying to London
scanned all the actors and photographed them,
engine, Alexander says. In our case, we
To create a sequence during which the
says Tim Alexander, visual effects supervisor at
could use PhysBam to collide soft bod-
children y on the backs of the Thestrals
ILM. The doubles are very detailed, with full
ies [the skin] against hard bodies [the
to London, ILM rst created animat-
hair and cloth simulations, subsurface scatter-
bones]. Eric had to do a lot of work to
ics by matchmoving aerial plates and
ing, the whole shebang. But, the director ended
hook things up, but the base engine sup-
then inserting digital doubles and the
up with more close-ups, and for those he used
ported the types of collision and sliding
Thestrals. Rawlins spent four weeks cre-
the bluescreen elements.
we wanted to do.
ating the animatics on location. Then, to
Of all the effects work, creating the digital
The wings were less of a problem.
create the illusion that the actors ew on
doubles was the least painful. Our digital double
The Potter team leaned on the crew that
the backs of Thestrals, the crew lmed
pipeline is very mature, Alexander says. I dont
had recently animated a ying dragon
them riding a motion-control rig.
for Eragon for advice. More difcult was
The animatics told the crew what
making the scary-looking apparitions
angle to use to shoot the bluescreen, says
feel believable and benign.
Alexander. We exported motion-control
want to make it sound easy. A lot of people pour

time and effort into it. But the technology works;
there are no technical glitches. BR
In terms of animation, the main goal
data for the camera and the rig from the
was to make the Thestrals seem like
animatics. They had used the same pro-
Evil Dementors
peaceful creatures, Alexander explains.
cess for the Hippogriff, but since then, it
In addition to the Thestrals, ILM created
When Harry sees them hanging out

by the water, the director wanted it to
feel like a National Geographic episode.
has gotten more accurate and smoother.
soul-sucking Dementors. The studio had
For the nal shots, ILM combined the
rst developed these creatures for the
rendered Thestrals with the bluescreen
third lm, The Prisoner of Askaban, but

for this lm, Yates wanted the ends to
be more menacing and physical.
In the third movie, they were like
ghosts made from sheets, with wind blowing behind them, says Alexander. This
time, they wanted us to pull the sheets
back to see their skulls and their chests.
Also, at one point in the lm, a Dementor
picks up Harry, slams him against the wall,
and holds him by his neck.
The effects team started with an early
version of the Dementors and used that
skeleton, but redid the sheet so that it
could perform as if the arms of an octopus
reached out for Harry. That was the original concept, Alexander says. But ultimately [Yates and Burke] felt so many arms
ILM needed to mitigate the frightening appearance of the Thestrals with animation that
were too distracting, and they dropped
reminded people of bucolic animals in a nature lm.
back to something similar to the original.

In the nal design, a Dementor has
Using references of horses, animators
elements of the actors and the aerial
gave the Thestrals natural motions, like
plates using Apples Shake for compos-
the cloth, lead creature TD Michael Balog,
little muscle icks, as if they were getting
iting and ILMs own Comptime. Its a
who had rigged the original Dementors,
rid of ies.
drawn-out process that works well when
developed an attractor system that, again,
you stick to the animatic, Alexander
worked within the PhysBam engine. We
says. And they did.
cut the cloth into 12 strips, Alexander
When youre working on lms about

a fantasy world, it would be easy to stray
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AUGUST 2007
two arms and swirling cloth. To control
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Ice Plane image supplied by Saddington & Baynes CGI. Photography by Darran Rees.
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....
Creature Modeling
explains. Animators had 12 balls to
be difcult to lock in exact matches.
animate with; each piece of cloth was
Instead, they faked the neck deforma-
attracted toward one ball. Using this sys-
tions using occlusion passes.
tem, a Dementor could reach for some-
In the digital world, we had Harrys

[Radcliffes] neck, additional shapes
thing with his cloth.

To create the shot with the Dementor
to bulge his skin, and the Dementors

hand right up against that
neck,
says
Alexander.
The shapes made it look

like the hand was making
In addition to ILM, 10 other studios created visual
the neck bulge. So, they
effects for Order of the Phoenix. Among them,
rendered the occlusions
Double Negative created Death Eaters, the char-
on the neckthat is, the
acter Grawp, a veil room, the Hall of Prophecies,
shadows created by the
establishing shots of Hogwarts and Privet Drive,
hand and bulging skinin
and the Patronus effect; MPC created the atrium
grayscale, and used those
battle, a reworks sequence, and a marble stair-
rendering passes as mattes
case; and Framestore CFC worked on Centaurs,
The Dementors, which suck all the happiness out of their
to brighten and darken the
Kreacher, and a talking envelope. BR
victims, set the tone early in the lm. ILM created the crea-
live-action neck in compos-
tures using an innovative attractor system that directed
iting. The shadows created
the studios PhysBam simulation engine.
the illusion that Radcliffes
Dementor is with a Patronus, which
neck changed shape.
embodies such emotions as joy and
Its a shadow gag, says Alexander.
hopethe exact opposite of those of a
actor Daniel Radcliffe hanging from a rig, Without doing any morphing or render-
Dementor. A full-edged Patronus takes
attacking Harry, ILM started with lm of

and then matchimated his neck area. To
ing of textures in the neck, we made it
the form of an ethereal animala differ-
make it look like a Dementor was push-
look like the neck was deforming.
ent animal for each wizard.
ered warping rendered pieces of the neck
Liquid Light
like a stag formed from liquid light. We
and using these CG elements to replace
Ironically, ILM also used cloth to create a
rendered strips of cloth that we took
Radcliffes neck, but they knew it would
Patronus effect. The only way to repel a
into Saber, says Alexander, referring to
ing on his neck, the effects artists consid-
Harrys Patronus, for example, looks
ILMs Inferno-based system. As the stag

ran, the cloth strips trailed behind like
a meteor.
Having a small crew and long schedule allowed people to work on the projThe camera pulls back from the prison to a high, wide angle, and we see the island prison in the middle of
ect almost as if they were in a small stu-
the North Atlantic, with big waves crashing against the rocky shores. Its a great design by [production
dio, and Alexander sees benets in that.
designer] Stuart Craig that ILM created with full-CG architecture and seascapes, says Tim Burke, visual
Often, we overlap painting with mod-
effects supervisor. They did the only shots we see of the prison in these lms. To create the prison and its
eling to gain time, but we were able to
watery surrounds, Industrial Light & Magic used PhysBam, the same uid-simulation technology the studio
give people a linear schedule, he says.
had relied on for Poseidon and Pirates of the Caribbean. We ran a high-resolution water simulation around
We could have one person who knows
the Askaban area that allowed waves to crash up against it and interact with it, says Tim Alexander, visual
a creature and doesnt overdo modeling
effects supervisor at ILM, and a deformed surface for areas where we didnt need the interaction.
when paint would do. We can nd bet-
This is the second time Alexander has used the simulation engine. For Harry Potter and the Goblet of
ter balances. But, its a question of scale.
Fire, he supervised a shot of a boat rising from a lake with digital water pouring off its sails. And, that was
As soon as we start getting more shots,
the rst time ILM had used PhysBam to create a large uid-simulation shot in a lm.
it becomes difcult, and there arent
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
many people who can do all the jobs

equally well.
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.
Barbara Robertson is an award-winning
On this lm, we could see a render every other day. People have more experience working with the engine
writer and a contributing editor for Com-
now, and its faster and more stable. BR
puter Graphics World. She can be reached

at BarbaraRR@comcast.net.
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AUGUST 2007
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The nished reconstruction of the ruins, created using archeological data

from the researchers at the site, combined with photographs of the ruins,
establish how the site would have appeared when built.
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AUGUST 2007
www.cgw.com
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Architecture
Was the layout of ancient Maya cities meticulously planned, or

did it occur haphazardly? Did religious beliefs inuence the
Arranging all this disparate data

in Rhino was easy, says Valla. Once the data was
design? Helping to shed light on these and other questions is
in, I could reconstruct the ruins in 3D. Thats when
Clement Valla, an architectural designer by profession and a
the interesting aspects startedreconstructing the
3D freelance modeler by choice, whose 3D imagery painted the
buildings as they were 1000 years ago.
necessary picture that enabled archaeologists and others to
...
Using extremely detailed notes, the archaeological team and Valla extrapolated what each structure would
more accurately formulate their theories about the cities.

Valla was given the opportunity to record, reconstruct, and
have looked like long ago. The level of detail from the archae-
then create a documentary about a 1000-year-old Maya city.
ologists is amazing, he says. Even the most minute
After more than a year of planning, traveling, and working on
details, based on the tiniest of ndings like a roof
the project, he produced a series of video documentaries that
feature, gave these experts the clues to determine
show the reconstructed city and try to resolve a number of the-
what kind of roof structure was used, how high

the building was built, and so on. I would then
ories about city planning at the ancient site.

PAPAC, or Proyecto Arqueologico para la Planicacion de la
Antigua Copan, is based at the UNESCO World Heritage ruins
reconstruct that in the model.

The second part of the project occurred on a
in the Copan River Valley in western Honduras. Regarded as

one of the most important Maya ruins, the city was abandoned
in the early 10th century after many hundreds of years of habitation. In 2005, the Department of Anthropology and Sociology
at Colgate University (New York), in partnership with PAPAC
and sponsored by the Honduran Ministry of Culture, started a
project to determine if intentional city planning was a part of
the growth of Maya cities. The archaeological team also wanted
to investigate a hunch that the city planning was inuenced by
sociopolitical and religious ideas, especially those centered on
Maya kingship.
This meant the group would have to reconstruct parts of the
city and the valley landscape based on archaeological ndings.
And to achieve that, the project team needed 3D digital technology and expertise, which Valla provided.
On-site Surveys
While planning for the project started in 2005, Vallas work
really started when he visited the ruins in February 2006. For
This reconstruction of the discovered tomb under the ruins, in cross-
the rst part of the project, I was working with information
section, was created using photogrammetry and 3D modeling.
from a completed dig, says Valla. This meant the excavations

had already been covered back up for conservation purposes.
current dig within a different area of the ancient city, where
So I had to work with hand-drawn plans and maps, and was
Valla visited again in March 2006. The ability to survey and

record visible ruins brought up more options for
able to generate some GIS data on-site for referencing.

Valla then digitally scanned several hundred hand-drawn
Valla to create rapid and accurate 3D data for the
plans of the dig, and imported them into Rhinoceros, 3D NURBS
model; he opted to use photogrammetry soft-
modeling software from Robert McNeel & Associates. This
ware that would allow the fast creation of 3D data
enabled him to arrange the 2D scans into 3D layers, thereby
from photos. Valla selected PhotoModeler from
creating a set of working reference points for constructing a
Eos Software because the per-
3D model. The GIS data that Valla had recorded likewise was
formance was high and the cost
imported directly into the 3D software, allowing him to scale
suited our budget. Using a Nikon
the model and produce accurate topological models directly in
SLR camera, Valla took detailed
the software.
photos of the open trenches and
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AUGUST 2007
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....
Architecture
Valla, with a personal
government and public about the impor-
fear of spiders, faced his
tance of ruins located on private lands
own fears as he entered
and the need to protect the sites from
the tomb.
looting. In fact, the team is working on
I was apprehensive
securing government protection for ruins
about going into the
that they see as endangered by using the
vault, for all the rea-
3D models.
sons
abovenot
just
Finally, Clements work, based on
the fearsome spiders in
multiple sources of data, raised the team
Honduras, but the fact
members awareness of the importance
that we were only there
of the data they produce, Maca points
for a week and needed
out. Clements focus on detail helped
to record as much data
bring us together as a close-knit team,
as possible, Valla says.
whereby each of us realized the impor-
The
resulting
model
tance of every aspect of our work and
Above shows the original 3D wire-frame reconstruction of the
used about 60 photos of
ruins prior to being re-created in 3D solids for the video work.
the tomb and turned out
Maca described the painstaking level
to be highly accurate
of detail and research that Valla engaged
and a superb recording of the artifact.
ruins to record the details.
how it could be used by Clement later.
in. Clements work is both accurate and

provocative, but is the result of months
While we were there, an incredible

tomb was discovered, and taking pho-
The Past Comes to Life
of reading and research that Clement
tos allowed us to record exactly how it
After Valla turned all the data into 3D
himself did, as well as the close work

with myself and the rest of the team, to
looked when it was opened as well as
and performed the reconstruction work
gave us usable data for creating the 3D
in Rhino, he exported the model into
be able to understand the intricacies of
model, says Valla.
Autodesks 3ds Max, where it was ani-
Maya architecture. As a result, the 3D
mated and rendered. This past February,
reconstruction is accurate and allows us
of photos to determine a series of 3D
he again returned to the area to acquire
to develop our thinking in ways we never
reference points, which can then be
more digital information. The animations
thought possible. We hope this is an
imported into 3D CAD systems for a vari-
are the basis of the documentary work,
experience we will repeat with Clement
ety of applications, including reconstruc-
which will be nished this year.
as the project continues.
PhotoModeler works by using scans
tion of events or scenes. With the photo-
Professor Allan Maca, an archaeolo-
Having spent years working on archi-
grammetry, we could take away photos
gist from Colgate University and direc-
tectural 3D models, renderings for presen-
and come out with a very precise 3D data
tor of the PAPAC project, commented that
tations, and more, Valla found this project
model, says Valla. We then imported
the benets of the 3D reconstructions are
to be entirely consuming, validating, and
the information directly into Rhino,
multiple, and had high praise for Vallas
satisfying, he says. But I could not have
where we could work on the 3D model,
contribution. There are many ways that
done this project in just any software, he
render it, and animate it.
Clements work helpedtoo many to dis-
adds. Rhino was versatile in its 3D com-
The tomb apparently was in danger
cuss in detail. For instance, the recon-
mands and became the glue that tied all
of caving in when it was discovered, so
struction of the hypothetical city is
this disparate data together into a usable
the team recorded exactly how it looked
highly detailed and quite true to form.
model for the investigation.
before
construction
We can now see the city in ways that
work that would ensure the safety of the
performing
the
were otherwise impossible with 2D scale
The
PAPAC
project,
funded
by
National Geographic and Colgate, can be
archaeologists as they entered the tomb.
drawings, which heightens our under-
seen at www.papacweb.org. The subse-
The tomb was well below the ground
standing and knowledge, now allowing
quent documentary, titled Kuhul Copan
and about 3x2x2 meters in volume,
us to test other hypotheses on the ruins.
Ajaw, is expected to be used as a part of
which made photography quite chal-
Maca adds that the reconstructions
the archaeological program at Colgate as
lenging, but really the only option, says
go beyond science to an educational level,
well as a key part of negotiations with a
Valla. Moreover, the challenges of the
allowing him to teach students and col-
cable channel to air the series.
vault were numerousthe team could
leagues about the goals and results of
not risk touching the walls, as the plaster
the projects. Maca points out that Vallas
Rachael Taggart has been an industry writer
would fall off. In addition, lighting was
work on various projects has already
for more than 15 years in the CAD, AEC, and
poor, given a weak power source. Finally,
been used to directly teach the Honduran
PLM elds. She is based in Denver.
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AUGUST 2007
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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
Images 2007 Disney
....
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AUGUST 2007
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Scanning
howing at the local multiplex: a new method in the cre-
unprecedented levels of detail and color in the pack of dogs on
ation of digital animal doubles that not only makes the
which the digital doggie doubles were based. With the tech-
characters indistinguishable from their real-life coun-
nology, an animal stands on a table, just as it has been trained
terparts, but saves the studio considerable time and money.
....
to do in other camera shoots. The process also cut painstak-
This latest feat in photorealism can be seen in Underdog,
ing creative and approval processes from months to weeks and
Spyglass Entertainment and Walt Disney Pictures live-action
even days because the models are built using real, exact infor-
adaptation of the 2D cartoon of the same name that ran on
mation. The economical approach enabled Yeatman, who has
television from 1964 to 1973. In a throwback to the premise
worked on more than 100 motion-picture, television, and com-
of Superman, an unassuming beagle named Shoeshine Boy
mercial projects, and won an Oscar for The Abyss, to focus on
(voiced by actor-comedian Jason Lee) develops an extraordi-
more strategic issues rather than worry about perfecting the
nary ability to speak following an accident in the mysterious
animal likeness.
The difcult task at hand involved

translating a stylized 2D lead character into a live-action photoreal
action star. Yeatman was concerned
that the jerry-rigging associated
with previous automated attempts
at creating digital animal doubles
would prove too difcult for use at
the time of principal photography or
too time-consuming in postproduction. Such techniques included body
casts or laser scans of the talent,
which required lling in the undercuts with inexact data, or creating
all the geometry directly from refRealscan digitized a number of dogs for the lm Underdog. The companys mobile scanning
erence shots, resulting in an embel-
device captured high levels of detail and color, allowing animators to substitute the CG canines
lished rendition rather than exact
into scenes that would have been impossible for a real animal to handle, such as the one above.
replica of the subject.

Also, modelers often faced an
lab of maniacal scientist Dr. Simon Barsinister (Peter Dinklage).
approval process involving CG versions of the animal that was
He transforms into a rhyming canine superhero that goes by
lengthy, expensive, and prone to varying degrees of success.
the moniker Underdog and vows to protect the beleaguered citi-
Knowing that it can take up to half a year to build, fur, groom,
zens of Capitol City by proclaiming in doggone earnest bravado:
light, animate, and capture the persona of a CG canine model

before it is put into production, Yeatman sought to avoid a half-
Theres no need to fear. Underdog is here!

Hoyt Yeatman served as the lms visual effects supervisor; he teamed with Realscan 3D in Redondo Beach, California,
baked solution that could pose creative and logistical problems

as revisions were made.
a mobile 3D scanning house whose proprietary technology is
Digitally scanning live animals has always proven difcult
used to build exact digital doubles of talent and objects that
in the past. For example, some automated scanners required
can be matched quickly to live-action plates. The partnership
an animal to stand completely still for at least 30 to 60 seconds.
was born of necessity. Director Frederik Du Chaus vision for
Using laser scanners meant wetting the critters with water and
Underdog was to create a photoreal canine that could y, in
covering them with white chalk or baby powder, or both. So
hopes of wooing a younger audience for whom realism is criti-
studios often opted to hire sculptors or creature shops to build
cal. I think kids will love the way he looks, talks, and moves,
scale or life-size animal replicas. Not so on this project.

When the Realscan crew came aboard in December 2005,
Yeatman says.
To this end, the group used Realscans portable, suitcase-
Yeatman had the luxury of plugging Realscan into the VFX
sized RealCapture NexGen 3D scanning technology to capture
pipeline before the animal or human talent had been cast. In
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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
As a result, Yeatman was able to

spend more time on an HDRI lighting rig
he developed to speed the lighting and
allowed the group to achieve subtle motions for the digital dogs.
compositing. Yeatman recruited a for-
the initial scanning session at Boones
mer partner from Dream Quest Images

and his brother in Switzerland, whose
Animals for Hollywood (Castaic, CA),

full-body animal scans were done of
Realscans portability factor came in
specialty is programming computer sys-
Shoeshine (a cooperative beagle named
handy for scenes that introduced new
tems for equipment, to create a custom-
Leo), Sweet Polly Purebred (his love
dogs from Rhode Island. In general, scan-
ized solution. Together, they built a pro-
interest, voiced by Academy Award nom-
ning live animals is similar to scan-
totype unit to capture HDRI at the time of
inee Amy Adams), and one other prom-
ning human toddlers in that the process
photography, while the lms VFX facili-
inent canine (voiced by Brad Garrett).
involves indirect communication. So it
ties, Cinesite and Framestore CFC, came
Other work included a head scan of a
was imperative to establish a friendly
up with various postproduction pipelines
Rottweiler named Riff Raff. Shoeshine,
rapport to help the dogs relax, given
using the HDRI information.
the rst such model, was delivered in just
their sensitivity to industrial equipment.
This allowed David Eggby, the lms
a matter of days. The group returned to
In the end, the scanning sessions were
director of photography, to light scenes
Boones a few months later to shoot head
completed in a matter of minutes for both
not only in the physical world, but also to
scans of the entire Riff Raff Gang consist-
head and full-body scans.
a large extent in the CG realm. Color tem-
ing of an old basset hound, Shoeshines
CG techniques were used to augment
perature, exposure value, and other vari-
Mother, Riff Raff Dog No. 1, and Riff Raff
Leos image whenever Shoeshine Boy
ables lose their meaning in a CG environ-
spoke or ew through the air as his altar
ment because of the virtual technology
The next step came in April 2006,
ego, Underdog. To facilitate the construc-
used to replicate the live actionwhich
when a full-body people scan of Dinklage,
tion of his digital double, Leo had to be
means most, if not all, of the assessments
the lms villain, and a head scan of a
properly scanned. Quite a bit of attention
are done by the naked eye. That takes

a lot of time, and it doesnt always cap-
Dog No. 2.
Chinese crested crescent pooch known
was paid to the inside of the dogs mouth
as The Crazy Dog were done on loca-
and how his tongue, teeth, and throat
tion in Rhode Island between takes so
worked, for the speaking scenes. A
that they wouldnt interfere with princi-
digital mask featuring elaborate
pal photography. The scan team returned
face controls captured subtle-
in August 2006 to capture digital repli-
ties such as frowning. It was
cas of four 12-foot statues that were part
important to get an accurate
of the set in order to match certain live-
model, says Yeatman.
action footage. A nal trip was made to
with musculature and pivot points
scan a cat during additional shoots this
that mirrored a real pooch. Caught
past February.
between the worlds of physics and
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with global illumination,

observes
Yeatman,
The CG dog had to be designed
the Disney lot in Burbank, California, to
ture the subtleties, especially
AUGUST 2007
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Scanning
who is building eight more HDRI com-
various crashing, ghting, landing, and
NewTeks LightWave and Maya for all
posite units made of much lighter carbon
takeoff sequences.
of its modeling work. The studio also
ber material for future projects.
Since Du Chau wanted the canine
used Maya for animation and lighting,
mouths to be as exible as a 2D anima-
along with many proprietary plug-ins.
tors line while staying within the realm
Texturing was achieved with a combina-
of realism, Cinesites detailed anatomi-
tion of Photoshop and Maxons BodyPaint
what typically would have been a six-day
cal model dened and limited movement
3D, and compositing was done using
process to approximately three hours.
appropriately. A bespoke system was used
RenderMan and Shake.
For the lm, Cinesite handled the muz-
to blend animation between different mus-
zle-replacement shots, while Framestore
cle shapes and form phonemes. Animation
turned its attention to the 3D CGI full-
details in the dogs eyebrows, subtle move-
body double shots. Cinesite replaced the
ments, and 2D warps matched the dialog,
Once all the elements were brought
nose, lips, teeth, and lower jaw, as well
thereby enhancing and improving the
together, Leo and his digital double were
as patches above those features and eye-
dogs original performances.
indistinguishable as they ran around in
According to Yeatman, Cinesite reduced
....
brows, for each of the dogs. The studio
Cinesite also used photogramme-
completed 372 shots (a dozen of which
try to derive the 3D model from origi-
must for todays audiences, which are
were of the full-CG dog, and the rest CG
nal footage of each dog, which was inde-
growing more sophisticated and demand-
muzzles), created using a blend of the
pendently modeled using the naked eye.
ing more convincing digital doubles. The
original tracked plates with the match-
The modeling team studied anatomi-
aim for Underdog was to please not only
moved CG performancea process that
cal references to create highly realistic
kids who routinely expect to be dazzled
circles on a front lawn, for examplea
unfolded with the help of Pixel Farms

PFTrack software.
Framestore, which turned in more
than 300 fully CG shots (about 250
involving the dogs), received cyberscans
of Shoeshine, Polly, and SuperShep, from
which the facility created and animated
fully CG versions of Polly and the three
German super shepherds.
Given the digital stunt-double nature
of the shots, one popular effect Cinesite
worked on, known by the production
as a whoosh, captured Underdog ying through the air at breakneck speed
to a point where he appears as a blur
on the screen. Nevertheless, he needed
to be modeled accurately and animated
to match subsequent sequences that cut
To better integrate the digital dogs into the scenes, Realscan captured HDRI lighting that
back to the real dog.
could be used by Cinesite and Framestore CFC, two facilities that handled everything from
Framestore also created three action
muzzle replacements all the way through to all-CG dog replacements in the lm.
sequences in fully CG environments.

They involved ying German shep-
skeletal and muscle systems for the dogs,
by imagery, but also their nostalgic par-
herds chasing Underdog at the top of the
which were rigged and ready for ani-
ents who grew up watching the cartoon
Capitol, Underdog ying away from an
mating. In terms of tools, Cinesite used
on which this lm is based.
explosion after being buried in a tunnel
Autodesks Maya for animation and light-
Our technical and creative contribu-
deep inside the Earth, and Underdog
ing, while the programs particle system
tion to lms is so much more important
blasting into space by the force
handled a fur-explosion shot. Adobes
than it was ve or six years ago, says
of an explosion before falling
Photoshop and Right Hemispheres Deep
Yeatman. These characters coming out
back to Earth as part of a re-
Paint 3D were used for texture, Pixars
now are doing amazing things.
entry effect. Other shots
RenderMan for rendering, and Apples
that required a CG stunt

double for Leo involved
Shake for compositing.
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Bruce Shutan is a freelance writer based in
Framestore used a combination of
the Los Angeles area.
AUGUST 2007
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SIGGRAPH Animation Theaters, Part 2
Portfolio
Clockwise from top left:
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
Alter Ego This animated short, shown in the Storytelling

themed theater, was created by Kuba Gryglicki from Studio
Mansarda in Poland.
Jet Production from a Rotating Black Hole This still,
from an animation submitted by Donna Cox at the National
Center for Supercomputing Applications, debuted in the
Science theater.
28
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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,
AUGUST 2007
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Debevec notes, was due to SIGGRAPHs electronic submission system. Last year, electronic
Clockwise from top:
submission was a successful experiment; this year it was an established way of getting
Physics on GPUs Featured within the Science theater, this

animation is presented by Takahiro Harada, Seiichi Koshizuka, and
Yoichiro Kawaguchi from The University of Tokyo in Japan.
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.
Chaos Theory This presentation is from Barna Buza, Zoltan Szabo,

and Gergely Szelei from Conspiracy in Hungary. The animation
appeared as part of the Music theater.
LOdyssee de la Vie An animation from director Niels Tavernier
from Mac Guff in France, debuted in the Science theater.
In last months Portfolio, we featured a number of selections from the Animation

Theaters. This month we are once again devoting these pages to images from this grand
event. Karen Moltenbrey
AUGUST 2007
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Knowledge&Career
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Digital-Tutors Demysties
Maya Quadrupeds
Telestream Bundles Class

on Demand Title
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
classondemand.net) self-paced training title, Complete
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.
the fundamentals and advanced features of the Episode
Rigging is priced at $69.99 and includes details on con- products.

structing effective hierarchies, developing broken hierar-
According to Barbara DeHart, VP of Telestream
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
templates, and ne-tuning lters to ensure optimum out-
Sets, set-driven keys, and IK solvers for proper limb func- put quality.
tionality, among other highlights.
The Episode Series comprises desktop media encod-
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
Apples video-enabled iPod, Apple TV, Sonys PlayStation
of project-based training and is designed for both new and
Portable, and mobile phones.
experienced animators and riggers. Highlights include ref-
The video covers topics that include Episode windows
erencing footage and images, mechanics of quadruped
layout, compression settings, video and audio preprocess-
animation, quadruped anatomy for animators, ghosting,
ing, pre-processing strategies, telecine and reverse telecine,
character sets, adding follow-through, translating cycles
and output format for iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, QuickTime,
forward, proper timing and spacing using rhythm, and
H.264, Flash, and Windows Media.
achieving believable weight.
Existing Episode owners can purchase Complete Training

for Episode and Episode Pro ($99) at a discounted rate.
WIF & GM sponsoring

Latina Filmmakers Grant
Women In Film (WIF) and the General Motors Corporation
(GM) are teaming up to sponsor the second-annual WIF/GM
Luxology Intros New

Site License for Schools
2007 Opening Doors/Abriendo Puertas: The Acceleration
Luxology LLC (www.luxology.com), maker of 3D content cre-
Grant for Emerging Latina Filmmakers. The grant is a proj-
ation software, has introduced a new educational site license pro-
ect of the WIF/GM Alliance, the goal of which is to support
gram that allows schools and training institutions to implement
talented lmmakers from Latina/Hispanic communities
the companys Modo modeling, painting, and rendering software
and other under-represented groups.
throughout a learning facility.
The WIF/GM grant (www.nywift.org) will be presented
Available for an annual subscription fee of $4500, the exible
to ve up-and-coming Latina lmmakers. The grant will
site-license program guarantees that schools always have the lat-
provide recipients with a broad understanding of the busi-
est version of the application. The program also lets educational
ness of lmmaking through a six-day mentoring program,
institutions deploy an unlimited number of licenses across both
headed by members of NYWIFT.
Macs and PCs.
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.
30
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AUGUST 2007
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AUGUST 2007
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| 31
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products
For additional product news and information, visit
SOFTWARE
CAD
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ww.cgw.com
__________________________
AutoSolids features a constraint-free archi-
2007 incorporates new modeling functions for
tecture for increased exibility, access to the
power plants, pharmaceutical, and offshore
solids construction history, user-friendly cre-
projects. SmartPlant Enterprise 2007 features
ation and editing tools, and a QuickDraw util-
improved information mapping and schema
ity for instantly creating multiview 2D geom-
editing tools, enhanced modeling capabili-
Streamlining Solution
etry. AutoSolids supports AutoCAD Versions
ties, the ability to read Aveva PDMS mod-
Win Autodsys has released AcceliCAD2CAM,
2007 through 14.01, as well as all editions
els, increased productivity, a trimmed-down
a CAD platform that combines with Solustans
of Autodesks AutoCAD Mechanical and
SmartPlant Basic Integrator version, and more.
LinkMotion to provide direct-to-CAM output.
Architectural Desktop applications. AutoSolids
Intergraph; www.intergraph.com
Using the new solution, professionals no lon-
2007 and AutoSolids Express 2007 are priced
ger need to import CAD designs into CAM
at $495 and $295, respectively.
software before they are sent to a machine for
AutoSolids; www.autosolids.com
S O F T WA R E D R I V E R S
milling; rather, designers use the LinkMotion
DirectX Drivers
driver to send CAD drawings directly to a cutter.

AcceliCAD2CAM supports two- or three-axis
PLM
Win Nvidia has released WHQL-certied driv-
machines with step or servo motors and laser

machines with step, servo, or Galvanometric
ers for Microsoft DirectX 10, making the Nvidia
SmartPlant Update
GeForce 8-series the rst DirectX 10-capable
motors. AcceliCAD2CAM is priced at $499.
Win Intergraph, having rebranded its Marian
GPUs available. The ForceWare 100.65 drivers,
Autodsys; www.autodsys.com
materials management solutions for the plant
now available for download, support the com-
design industry to SmartPlant Materials, has
panys GeForce 6, 7, and 8 series cards. Nvidia
Solid System
released SmartPlant 3D 2007 and SmartPlant
GeForce 8-series GPUs provide the hardware
AutoSolids has unveiled AutoSolids
Enterprise 2007. SmartPlant 3D provides tools
functionality dened in the Microsoft Direct3D
2007 and AutoSolids Express 2007, designed
for 3D plant design, including initial modeling,
10 specications and offer support for the
Win
to add parametric 3D solid modeling, advanced
detail design, and design modication pro-
DirectX 10 unied shader instruction set and
visualization, and 3D-to-2D automation capa-
cesses. In addition to tight integration with the
Shader Model 4 capabilities.
bilities to AutoCAD 2007 from Autodesk.
SmartPlant Enterprise portfolio, SmartPlant 3D
Nvidia; www.nvidia.com
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32
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AUGUST 2007
____________
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CASE IN POINT: XEROX LIMITED

THE DIMENSION 3D PRINTER ARRIVED
Printers start at just*
$18,900
IN THE U.K. JUST IN TIME FOR THE CANADIANS TO GET SOME SLEEP.
Xerox uses a Dimension 3D printer to design prototype parts to

save a lot of time and money and get parts to the market much
faster. How? By having the Xerox Toronto office e-mail design files
to the U.K. office on a Friday, so they could print all the models over
night for meetings on Monday. Amazing! Get all the details, more
astonishing success stories, a free working sample and the location
of your nearest dealer at www.dimensionprinting.com/cg
*Manufacturers worldwide list price. Additional options, shipping, applicable taxes/duties not included. Printer cart is not
included. Xerox is a registered trademark of Xerox Corporation. 2007 Dimension.
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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.
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.
HOW UBISOFT GAVE

AN ASSASSIN HIS SOUL.
autodesk.com/Games
___________
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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August 2007 Volume 30 Number 8

Also see www.cgw.com for computer graphics news,

The Bourne Ultimatums

CREATURE MODELING | ILM uses

ARTVPSs RenderPipe AV6

Digging for Details

N-Sided Quidam 1.5

SCANNING | Realscan 3D employs a

Studies reveal the importance of digital prototyping as a means to efcient

Knowledge & Career 30

See the latest news and

Computer Graphics World | 1

Electric Research Laboratories is focused on creating sensing platforms and percep-

Technologies spacethe Microsoft Surface display.

Computer Graphics World Magazine

Postmaster: Send Address Changes to

| Computer Graphics World

When the moon becomes

with new global illumination rendering

check it out at formZ.com

FogScreen Launches New Projection Screen

projection screen. Both utilize patented

through projection screen, released the

technology to create the rst commer-

FogScreen One projection screen. The

cial walk-through projection screen

1-meter-wide (3-foot, 3-inch) screen

comprising microscopic fog droplets,

seamlessly links to an unlimited num-

enabling vibrant colors and images to

ber of FogScreen One projection units.

literally oat in the air. Furthermore,

The result is a screen of dry fog that is

they operate at room temperature.

customizable to any size for any venue,

The new screen weighs just over

with no gaps between the adjoining

130 pounds and consumes 1 to 2.5 gal-

screens. The screens are synchronized

lons of water per hour, depending on

by control units, enabling designers to

$1100 thereafter. The purchase price

able now. Rental for both the 1-meter

for the Inia is $79,950. For a special,

screen is a follow-up to the companys

and 2-meter offerings is $3500 for the

limited-time promotional price on the

original 2-meter-wide FogScreen Inia

rst day, $1200 for the second day, and

1-meter product, contact FogScreen.

ARTVPS Renders New Solution

| Computer Graphics World

SGI Unveils Ultra-Dense Altix Ice Blade

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Computer Graphics World | 5

N-Sided Rolls Out Quidam Version 1.5

advanced editing and skeleton personalization, and more. The

for previous version holders. Otherwise, the product is priced

version also ships with two complete dynamic bases (Fantasy

!$ +%& % $% "

% & %& ! &(