Visual Effects Category

Combining odd and even frames in Shake

I've just finished helping a guy with a Shake issue via email and I think the solution would be useful to others. He had a situation where he had one movie clip with all the odd frames from a sequence and another clip with all the even frames, and he wanted to combine them into a single file.

At first glance, it would appear to be as simple as using the Select node to switch between them, however you would miss out half of the frames by doing this. Here's the solution that worked for him:

1. Import the two files into Shake via the FileIn node.

2. Add a TimeX node to the first clip and set it to 0.5*time (this doubles every frame) and do the same for the second clip.

3. Add a Select node and plug the output of the two TimeX nodes into it. So that it's not confusing later on, make sure the output of clip 1 goes to the first input and clip 2 goes to the second.

4. In the Branch parameter of the Select node, set a keyframe at frame 1 with a value of 1 (i.e. the first input), then step to frame 2 and keyframe the value to 2 (the second input).

5. Load the parameter into the Curve Editor by clicking the clock icon next to the Branch field so that a tick icon appears, and then click the Curve Editor tab.

6. In the Curve Editor, change the Cycle parameter to MirrorValue.

7. When you render the FileOut, make sure to double the frame range as the sequence is now twice as long.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Saturday November 7 2009 6:27 AM to Compositing, Software, Visual Effects
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Getting to Know the Terminal Part 2: More File Operations

In the previous article, I showed you how to launch the Terminal and perform basic tasks like navigating through folders and dealing with files. Today I will build on this with more advanced file operations, working with directories, and wildcards.

Working with Directories


To create a new directory, navigate to the relevant parent directory using the cd command and type the following:

mkdir MyNewFolder

Remember: as discussed last time, if you want a file name with spaces, you must do either of the following:

mkdir "My New Folder"

or:

mkdir My\ New\ Folder

What if you need to create several new directories? Simple:

mkdir Dir1 Dir2 Dir3

A little-known feature of the mkdir command is that you can create multiple directories with just one command. Just separate them with spaces.

If you want to create a long chain of directories (e.g. Renders/Video/TIFF) you can use the -p parameter like so:

mkdir -p Renders/Video/TIFF

Press Enter and it's all done, instantly. Imagine how long it would have taken to do that within the Finder GUI! This is why the command-line is still used in the 21st Century even though we have pretty GUIs to look at.

To remove a directory, use the rmdir command:

rmdir Renders/Video/TIFF

The above command assumes that all directories are empty. If they are not, an error will be returned. To remove a directory and all its subfiles and folders, use the following command:

rm -dR Renders

(the d parameter tells it to include directories, R tells it to be recursive)

Wildcards


Last time I mentioned file operations such as cp for copying and mv for moving files. But what if you need to perform an operation on a large number of files at once?

Wildcards can be used to substitute characters. So if you want to copy, say, 100 files that are named Image.001.jpg to Image.100.jpg, you would use wildcards to substitute for the numbers. This will allow you to copy all of the files with one command instead of a hundred like so:

cp Image.*.jpg Renders

Question mark (?) substitutes a single character. So for instance, if you had files called render_v1.iff, render_v2.iff and render_v10.iff and you typed ls render_v?.iff, it would return only renders 1 and 2 because they are a single digit whereas render 10 is two digits.

Asterisk (*) substitutes a potentially infinite length of characters (including no characters at all). Use this if you don't know the precise length of the substitution. In the example above, if you type ls render_v*.iff, it will return all three files because it matches both the 1- and 2-digit numbers. You can also type, for example, *. jpg to return all JPEG images or *.* to return all files in the directory.

So, going back to the 100-frame image sequence previously mentioned, you would type ls Image.*.jpg to return a list of all of the images. That's all well and good, but what if you don't want to return all of the images - what if you only want a specific range?

Braces ([ ]) can be used to be more specific. In the above example, type ls Image.[20-30].jpg to restrict the results to frames 20-30. You can also restrict characters in the same way, such as [b-f] (remember that everything is case-sensitive).

If your numbers or letters don't fall into a sequential range, you can pick a set of non-sequential numbers or letters such as [brz] or [179] to match any of these characters. You can also combine them with ranges like so: ls Image.[1-10,12,14,20-40].jpg. This will return frames 1-10, skip frame 11, return 12, skip 13, return 14 and display frames 20-40.

And if you don't want specific characters to be returned, use the following syntax: [^bgv].

Combining the examples above: if you want to match a file starting with the letters a-c or x-z, with three miscellaneous characters in the middle, ending with a three-digit number at the end, you would type ls [a-cx-z]???[0-9][0-9][0-9].*. As you can see, it gets complicated pretty quickly.

But imagine if you had to search through and move or copy those files manually. It would be time-consuming, tedious and prone to human error. The command line comes into its own when you want to perform operations on a large number of files at once.

Editors can get away with not knowing this (although it can be very useful for them to know) but it is required knowledge for anyone who wants to get into visual effects.

I had originally planned to cover permissions here but I'm going to move it to the next article because I went into a lot of detail and it's too large to add on the end of this one. I'd much rather delay it than miss out information.

So next time I will be covering file permissions, symbolic links and opening, viewing and saving text files.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Monday January 19 2009 10:26 AM to Apple, Software, Visual Effects
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Vue 7 xStream and Infinite shipping now

e-on Software today released Vue 7 xStream and Vue 7 Infinite. Vue is a 3D landscape generation product that has been used on many features including Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3. Infinite is the stand-alone version and xStream integrates fully into 3D modeling packages such as Maya and Cinema 4D.

The best feature in my opinion is the Ecosystem technology. This allows you to change a few parameters and automatically create a forest or some grassland or a desert, complete with random plants and rocks. Each object is varied slightly to give the impression that each rock and tree is completely unique. This makes it very realistic. It can also be used for other tasks, such as the vast robot army in the Vue 7 trailer.

Vue 7 takes this even further with Ecosystem III, which intelligently places objects according to the shape of the terrain. For example, it places fewer trees on a slope than on a flat area, as they would grow in reality. You can also create dynamic Ecosystems that stretch into the horizon without slowing your machine to a crawl. The Ecosystem Painter gives you precise control over your Ecosystem.

What's great about Vue is just how much you get "for free". If you add an Ecosystem to your terrain and then create some global wind, the plants will animate realistically with no input from you. Animating the sun and clouds creates realistic shadows on the terrain below.

There's also Solid Growth IV which minimizes flicker on far-off vegetation, the ability to render 360 degree panoramas (I love this), and something I've been waiting for - a water editor. Water was always pretty realistic but now you have a lot more control. You can now import camera tracking information from Boujou, MatchMover and SynthEyes (but not PFTrack it would seem) which is a big bonus.

Finally, it incorporates a new OpenGL engine that can render up to 4 times faster and the application has been optimized to take full advantage of multi-core systems.

e-on has released a cool trailer showing what Vue 7 can do. Well worth checking out.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Tuesday November 4 2008 1:30 PM to Software, Visual Effects
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Escape Studios delivers online CG learning tool

I just received this in my inbox. Escape Studios, a London-based visual effects facility well known for its excellent CG courses, are now offering a system to study various CG courses via the internet. Previously the barriers to their courses were that you had to take the course in London (and if you're not a citizen, visas complicate things) and that you had to commit a period of several months to the course. You can now learn from anywhere in the world, at any time and take as much time as you like to complete the course.

The courses take the form of HD video tutorials and they are currently offering Maya Core (an introductory course) and Renderman as course options. Maya Core is 1,999 GBP (around $3,500 at today's exchange rate) but each module is available separately for 400 GBP (~$700). Renderman Freelance (for individuals) is $995, Renderman Commercial (for companies) is $3,995 and Renderman Education (for schools) is $3,995. Renderman certification is also available for an additional $100.

With over 600 videos for the Maya Core course alone, it looks incredibly detailed. Should you run into problems, you can ask an instructor a question or seek help from Escape's online community. They are offering a demo area with 2.5 hours worth of footage for free (after registration) which is definitely worth a look.

And if you're looking for work in the visual effects industry, I fully recommend their job site. It's UK-centric but they are now starting to branch out into other countries.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Monday September 8 2008 3:28 PM to Industry, Visual Effects, Useful sites
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After Effects CS4 to drop PowerPC support

There's a post on the Keyframes blog (the official Adobe blog of the AE product manager, Michael Coleman) stating that due to limited time and resources, they have decided to drop PowerPC support in After Effects CS4 in favor of adding new features for Intel users.

By focusing on Intel Macs, we save a huge amount of engineering and testing time. This means that we will be able to complete more features for a larger group of customers and deliver the best release possible. Plus, some CS4 technology is so new that it never existed on PowerPC Macs.


So After Effects CS3 is the last Universal Binary version so if you still have a PPC Mac, you'll have to buy it before the new one goes on sale (which is a bit tricky because a release date hasn't been announced). It should be noted that this only applies to After Effects and not Photoshop or the other apps but it's obvious that they will all go that way eventually.

I don't see this as a major issue as the number of Intel users is currently very large and will get even larger by the time CS4 is released. It's a shame for people with old PPC machines still kicking around (me) though, and it's reducing the resale value of the older machines. Universal Binaries were such a great idea but to companies who also develop for Windows and have very large codebases, it unfortunately makes more sense to make Intel-only versions.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Sunday August 17 2008 2:10 AM to Hardware, Software, Visual Effects
1 comment Posted Permalink

"How the West Was Won" restoration

The BBC has an interesting article detailing the on-going process of restoring the Oscar-winning 1962 John Wayne epic How the West Was Won.

This movie posed particular challenges because it was printed for Cinerama release, which meant that there were three different film rolls playing through three different projectors at the same time. Then add to that the fact that each film roll had deteriorated differently (often with physical warping and buckling of the film) - there is a real challenge.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Saturday July 26 2008 3:04 PM to Color Grading, Industry, Visual Effects
0 comments Posted Permalink

Houdini coming to OS X

Houdini, the nodal 3D modeling application used on many movies today, is finally coming to OS X. Side Effects has released a beta compatible with OS X (64-bit Leopard), Windows and Linux.

Houdini is unique in that it combines a 3D modeling application with a nodal interface, giving you much greater flexibility and allowing you to use the industry-standard interface used for a large number of visual effects applications. I have not used it myself but I will definitely be checking it out.

Four editions available:
1. Free Apprentice edition with watermarked output
2. Non-watermarked Apprentice HD for $99
3. Houdini Escape for $1995
4. Houdini Master (Escape but with particles, dynamics, cloth, etc) $7995

There is also a Batch edition for render farms for $1495.

Right now, only Apprentice and Apprentice HD are available but the rest will be released on July 15th.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Tuesday June 17 2008 12:33 AM to Software, Visual Effects
0 comments Posted Permalink

Autodesk acquires Realviz

This is very interesting. Autodesk (Maya, 3ds Max, AutoCAD, flint, flame, Lustre.... the list goes on) has just acquired the assets of Realviz. Realviz Stitcher (for combining multiple images into panoramas) and ImageModeler (creating 3D models from still images) are very popular in the visual effects industry and have been used on several high-profile features such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

A quick visit to Realviz's site reveals that its products have already been Autodesk-branded. I see this acquisition as a good thing because it is clear that the purchase is not a defensive move and that Autodesk does genuinely want to develop the products further. I would particularly like to see Movimento, ImageModeler and MatchMover incorporated into Maya in one form or another.

Autodesk also announced today that it had completed the acquisition of Kynogon, makers of Kynapse artificial intelligence software.

Update: VFXWorld has an exclusive interview with Marc Petit, Autodesk's SVP about the acquisitions. He confirms that the products will be integrated into existing product offerings such as Maya but will also be available separately.

"We are seeing some fundamental changes in the way movies, television programs and games are produced. Being able to gather 3D data from 2D material can help at many stages of the production process. We see it in pre-visualization, where it's easy to build 3D environments or virtual sets by stitching pictures together or derive 3D models very quickly from set photos using image-based modeling. Games now require a lot of facial animation. Animators can rough out facial animations using a webcam and optical motion capture. Adding assist cameras on location to capture scenes from multiple points of view is a good insurance policy for post-production. Of course, you can extract camera moves to enrich the post-production process but you can also rebuild sets in 3D from these multiple points of view. Multiple cameras enable optical motion capture of actors in non-intrusive ways without the need for suits or dedicated stages. The performance of an actor can then be modified or augmented during the post-production process using regular 3D tools such as Maya or Flame. Moreover, combining all of these technologies with spatial image-based lighting allows for highly realistic integration of CG elements with live action. We believe that weaving these technologies and products more tightly into our existing portfolio should lead to some interesting new capabilities and will provide for a more efficient production environment."

Posted by Jon Chappell on Wednesday May 7 2008 2:49 PM to Industry, Software, Visual Effects
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2008 VES winners

These are the winners of the 2008 Visual Effects Society Awards.

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture
Transformers - Scott Farrar, Shari Hanson, Russel Earl, Scott Benza

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture
Ratatouille - Michael Fong, Apurva Shah, Christine Waggoner, Michael Fu

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or Special
Battlestar Galactica - Razor Mike Gibson, Gary Hutzel, Sean Jackson, Pierre Drolet

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series
Fight for Life (Episode 4) - Nicola Instone, Marco Iozzi, Matt Chandler

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
Rome (Series 2 Episode 6 "Philippi") - James Madigan, Barrie Hemsley, Duncan Kinnard, Gary Broznich

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
Smirnoff Sea - William Bartlett, Scott Griffin, Dan Seddon, David Mellor

Best Single Visual Effect of the Year
Transformers (Desert Highway Sequence) - Scott Farrar, Shari Hanson, Shawn Kelly, Michael Jamieson

Outstanding Real Time Visuals in a Video Game
Halo 3 - Marcus Lehto, Jonty Barnes, Stephen Scott, CJ Cowan

Outstanding Pre-Rendered Visuals in a Video Game
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Cinematic Intro) - Jeff Chamberlain, Scott Abeyta

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
Sea Monsters - Sean Phillips, Jack Geist, Robin Aristorenas, Mark Dubeau

Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture
Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End (Davy Jones) - Hal Hickel, Marc Chu, Jakub Pistecky, Maia Kayser

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture
Ratatouille (Colette) - Janeane Garofalo, Jaime Landes, Sonoko Konishi , Paul Aichele

Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program or Commercial
Chemical Brothers - Salmon Dance (Fatlip shots) - Nicklas Andersson, Mike Mellor, Sylvain Marc, Florent DeLa Taille

Outstanding Effects in an Animated Motion Picture
Ratatouille (Food) - Jon Reisch, Jason Johnston, Eric Froemling, Tolga Goktekin

Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Motion Picture
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (The Maelstrom) - Frank Losasso Petterson, Paul Sharpe, Joakim Arnesson, David Meny

Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Broadcast Program or Commercial
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (002_05) - Phi Tran, Matthew Lee, Martin Hilke, Andrew Roberts

Outstanding Models or Miniatures in a Motion Picture
Transformers - Dave Fogler , Ron Woodall , Alex Jaeger, Brian Gernand

Outstanding Compositing in a Motion Picture
Transformers - Pat Tubach , Beth D'Amato , Todd Vaziri , Mike Conte

Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Nike - Leave Nothing - James Allen, Rob Trent

Outstanding Special Effects in a Motion Picture
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - John Richardson, Stephen Hamilton, Richard Farns, Stephen Hutchinson

Outstanding Special Effects in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
Actively Safe - Lexus Hydrant - Dave Peterson, Anthony De La Cruz

[via fxguide]

Posted by Jon Chappell on Monday February 11 2008 12:10 PM to Visual Effects, Festivals and Awards
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Man creates feature film visual effects in his bedroom

I love stories like this. Similar to my previous post about the recreation of the Omaha Beach landings using only three actors, Gareth Edwards directed and single-handedly created 250 effects shots in his bedroom for the HD feature film "Atilla the Hun".

His toolkit was Adobe After Effects and Photoshop, and he averaged 2 shots a day over a period of 5 months. It shows that epic movies can be created on a budget with a limited cast and crew, and still hold up to their considerably more expensive brethren. Ok, this guy is a professional visual effects artist, but it shows that it is possible to create high-quality effects with relatively inexpensive software and hardware.

It will be broadcast on the BBC on February 13th. It will be broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the USA at a later date that has not been set yet. Here is a trailer to whet your appetite:


I found this on FXGuide, which has some nice before-and-after pics and an audio interview with Edwards.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Monday February 4 2008 4:48 PM to Visual Effects, Indie
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