Estudo 3D

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 APRIL 2007

CGArena
Get Attention in Computer Graphics Community

GALLERY INTERVIEW
Showcase of latest 3d inspiring art Pete Draper
PHOTOSHOP 3DSMAX
Removing flash highlights from textures Making of Bobby Bubble
AFTER EFFECTS NIGHTMARE
Driving Effect Through Audio 3D Challenge

contents

05 Interview 12 3d Challenge
Pete Draper Nightmare

19 Photoshop 23 After Effects
Removing Flash high- Driving effects through
lights from textures audio

26 3ds Max 32 Gallery
Making of Bobby Bubble Showcase of latest 3d art

Magazine Designed & Edited: Ashish Rastogi
Magazine Cover Image: Patrick Beaulieu
Challenge Sponsors: Corel, Realviz, Pixologic, Skymatter, The Best 3D, Kurv Studio, Daz3D,
3d.sk, Environment-textures.com, Zoo Publishing, Strata, Vertus, ambientLight, Hyperfocal De-
sign, female-anatomy-for-artist.com, human-anatomy-for-artist.com and Its Art Magazine

Page Issue 3 Apr 2007

industry news

Gromit animators sign Sony deal Malaysia to set up Animation Centre

The Bristol-based com- SCIENCE, Technology and Innova-
pany had been looking tion Ministry will set up an animation
for a new Hollywood centre in Cyberjaya by year-end to help
partner after its asso- young graduates participate in the ani-
ciation with US studio mation industry, said its Minister, Da-
Dreamworks came to an tuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis.
end in January.
“At the moment, they do not get many opportunities to
Wallace and Gromit get into the animation industry. The Government is still
creator Aardman Animations has agreed a three-year working on the cost to set up the facility,” Jamaluddin
deal with Sony Pictures. told reporters after launching the Malaysian Indian ICT
conference organised by Multimedia Development Corp
“We couldn’t be more excited about working with the and MIC business bureau in Kuala Lumpur.
entire Aardman team,” said Sony co-chairman Amy Pas-
cal. Jamaluddin said the government was also considering
giving start-up grants to the young graduates depending
Aardman co-founder David Sproxton said: “We are de- on their project proposals. “The grants aim to encourage
lighted to find a partner in Sony that shares our vision.” their (young graduates) participation in the field and to
develop the local animation industry,”

source: www.bbc.co.uk
source: www.bttimes.com.my

Buzzword of the Month
Anaglyphic Process - The anaglyphic process is a method by which the eye perceives
two-dimensional film images as being three-dimensional, havind depth as well as width
and height. To create this illusion, an image is superimposed on top of its own likeness,
but one is printed in red and the other in blue green. If the viewer wears glasses with a
red filter in one lens and a blue-green one in another, the image appears to be three-di-
mensional; without the glasses the audience sees no 3-D effect.

Spy Kids 3D was commercially successful in theaters using anaglyph paper glasses in
2003. The DVD did not sell or rent well, due to video retailers not wanting to deal with
the paper glasses. Polar Express, in 2004, used the superior IMAX polarized method for 3D.

In recent years computer technology and professional skills have made it practical to convert still images, movies
video to 3D.


interview

AN INTERVIEW WITH
Pete Draper
Q. Hi could you tell us a bit about yourself and how long have you been in CG
and what is your current job?

Hello, I’ve been in CG since the late 1980’s to early 1990’s so roughly about 17
years or so… that really does sound like a long time when you think about it!!
(What have I done with my life?! Hahaha!) My current title is “Director of Vi-
sual Effects” which covers the full gamut of CG production from concept, on-set
supervision through to managing the animation team, animation and technical
direction, and final delivery.

Q. Were you trained in 3D or self taught and what software program(s) do you
use for your CG and why?

I’m 100% self-taught, the main reason for that there were very little CG courses
around at the time I started getting into animation. I literally stumbled upon it
when I was at university doing another (unrelated) course, and managed to bag my
way into the animation lab and use their facilities. I think the only book I ever bought was one of the early New Riders’
“Inside” series for the DOS version of 3D Studio, which I still have to this day. I do envy the students going into higher
education these days because of the amount of facilities available to them, yet I very much doubt I would get a job these
days with the reel I produced off my own back in the ‘90s as the bar has been raised so high now, even for junior posi-
tions. You now really need to stand out from the rest as they’re churning out thousands of animation students each year
and there simply isn’t the work for everyone as the industry reached maturity in early 2000.

Software-wise, my weapon of choice is 3ds max,
mainly due to the amount of exposure I’ve had with
it. However I use other packages as and when nec-
essary; once you’ve learned one, you’ve pretty much
got it covered once you get to grips with the (unfa-
miliar) interface and workflow as they’re almost the
same with regards to feature set… it all just depends
on what pipeline the facility you’re working at is
based on. Apart from animation tools, I tend to use
Combustion, Photoshop, Painter ZBrush… plus
other animation plugins for 3ds max that boost its
feature set beyond the core program, such as After-
burn, the excellent Particle Flow boxes and some in-
house custom tools I’ve developed over the years.


interview

AN INTERVIEW WITH
Pete Draper
Q. Tell us about your book “Deconstructing the Elements”, do you planning any other book?

It burns really well on a fire :-) Hahahaha! Yeah, it came about purely by chance after I was approached by Focal Press
(my publisher). I was freelancing at the time, so the original idea was a book on just that – Freelancing with 3ds max,
though after submitting the initial proposal and having it approved I had a change of heart and decided a different ap-
proach was needed. The way I tend to work is to grab reference material and inspiration “on the fly” by working out in
my head how I’d create something in CG when I’m out and about, for example a nice cloud formation, an interesting
texture or object, how certain things move or deform and so on, and then break it down into its core components in my
head, what procedurals I could use, what modifiers and other features, and if I could simplify or automate the process.
So from the get-go, the book became one about teaching people to become more observant and to be more critical of
their reference material and more intuitive about the construction process; in fact I intended it to be less of just another
tutorial book and more about the reference analysis which I feel very strongly about. I’m currently considering writing
a third edition after being approached by the publisher to update it for the final time before a new volume is written. I
haven’t made any official decision yet due to my schedule, but it’s definitely on the cards. I’ve also got ideas and initial
conceptual scenes for some heavy video tutorials along the same lines, so that may become a set later on if I decide to
develop things further…


interview

AN INTERVIEW WITH
Pete Draper

Q. How much it is difficult to achieve natural effects in comparison to other effects and give some important tips
to the readers on how to achieve realistic looking effects in 3ds max and which things to remember?

They’re one, if not the most difficult type of effects to produce as virtually everyone is a critic when they see something
like this on the screen. The reason behind this is that we see these types of effects every day in our daily lives, from
the flame that heats your breakfast, to the cup of tea before bed, so were are used to how they appear. Anything to the
contrary stands out as being fake. The key to getting the effect right is to be observant, studying tons of reference mate-
rial and breaking down the effect into its core components. Ensure your visual scale sizes are correct, especially when
it comes down to texturing and lighting as these dictate scale and can immediately make or break a scene. Take care
when compositing; even the basics such as matching your black and white levels can make a ton of difference. I could
go on and on (and on) but there are only so many hours in the day…!! I think someone wrote a book about it once…
hahaha!


interview

AN INTERVIEW WITH
Pete Draper
Q. Do you find that people in the industry said…Max is for games and Maya is for movies? How much you think
this is true.

I don’t really find that it’s true to be honest; it all depends on which company you work for and what you feel most
comfortable with. Personally, I prefer 3ds max as it’s the software I used when I first started out in the industry, that’s
pretty much it. The majority of 3D software apps out there nowadays are so similar they are all pretty much generic
apart from a few separate tools, so it could be said that Maya is for games and Max for movies as both are making good
headway into “each other’s” territory…

Q. What qualities or education required becoming a Visual Effects Director / Lead Visual Effects Artist?

Experience mainly, knowing exactly what you and your artists will need when it comes to wrangling with the assets
in post, ensuring you’ve got everything noted down with respect to camera settings, position, on-set lighting, tracking
lighting helpers etc, clean plate passes, advising how vfx shots should be filmed so it makes life easier for everyone
back at the facility, and advising of how a stage should be lit to complement an effect that isn’t (currently) there, which


interview

AN INTERVIEW WITH
Pete Draper
can be the most challenging to explain! Oh yeah, and trying not to get in everyone’s way on set! Away from set as the
lead effects artist I’m designing tools and visual styles for key / hero shots, ensuring that the style and quality of work
is maintained throughout and liaising with other key HoD’s. Again, experience really comes into play with this mainly
having a good eye for detail, especially when replicating natural phenomenon, knowing the tools you are using inside
out and spotting any problems early on so you can advise a solution; again, it’s simply about experience…


interview

AN INTERVIEW WITH
Pete Draper
Q. Which area of 3d do your really enjoy doing?

I tend to do a lot of particle fluid work more than anything these days, yet I do find material shader develop-
ment enjoyable to be honest. But then there are days where I find that modeling is my thing and I am perfectly happy
building stuff. I guess that’s the way I’ve developed my skills over the years as I’ve always been a bit of a generalist as I
worked for small companies and did the occasional bit of freelancing when I started out which I think, for me anyway,
is a good thing as I’ve been able to cover the majority of the software so can mix and match features from all corners
to get the result I need. Saying that, I’m also starting to get back into 2D work and find that thanks to an old friend’s
new site (www.happytoast.co.uk) he’s given me the inspiration to put pen to paper once again for fun for the first time
in years and develop a new style which I may take further as a personal project. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet
some key 2D designers including JAKe and trusty friend Curtis Jobling who have added to the inspiration.

Page 10 Issue 3 Apr 2007

interview

AN INTERVIEW WITH
Pete Draper
Q. What are your hobbies and where you see yourself after 5 years?

I’m starting to get back into running after several years sat on my apse in front of a computer and am looking forward
to getting back onto a bike. Apart from that, the usual… socializing, meeting new people and boring them to death
with CG speak, traveling to far-flung climes and boring them to death too. You know the usual...! I like my movies
– the more abstract, thought provoking and challenging the better, plus those which are shot differently with good
composition and editing; Children of Men immediately springs to mind – have a look at the cinematography, grad-
ing, composition and length of shots and try to envision the amount of prep and planning that some of the shots took,
especially towards the end of the film. I must admit though going to the movies can be more of a critical experience
than an enjoyable one as I tend to still be in VFX mode where I tend to look for matte lines, bad keying and tracking
problems which is wrist-slappingly wrong and it ruins the experience. I really need to stop doing that, but it’s a force of
habit that a lot of effects artists I know suffer from too…!

Q. On which projects you are working these days, and which project you enjoying the most.

At the moment I’m working on nu-
merous (undisclosed, sorry!) projects
including a clean-up VFX job on a
feature, documentary, titles com-
mercial work and we are ramping
up for production on a vampire hor-
ror-comedy feature slated to be shot
in April which I’m looking forward
to as the script calls for some really
interesting and challenging shots of
various people being taken out in
various gory ways! Should be a fun
shoot to work on!

Thanks a lot Pete for taking out
sometime for us from your busy
schedule.

No problem :-) it makes a change
from working through my lunch
break…!


challenge
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photoshop

Removing
flash high-
lights from
textures

Using digital cameras to grab textures from real life introduces a whole new set of problems. Let’s say you find a won-
derfully filthy concrete wall in a dark parking garage, which would work perfectly in the gritty urban setting of your
game, and want to take a picture. The problem is, that due to the lack of light (and a tripod), you need to use the flash.
Knowing that the flash may cause bright flaring reflections if you take the picture facing the wall straight, you shoot at
a slightly odd angle. While the results are now bright and crisp, there is still a very visible gradient-like highlight in the
middle of the picture, reducing the usable area of the texture.

What many people would think to do in this situation, would be to:

* Create a selection with a gradient tool, and adjust the luminosity of the selected area, or

* Painstakingly Dodge the edges of the picture, until the overall luminosity of the texture is evened out

However, both these approaches mean a lot of work, and do not always provide perfect results unless you’re willing to
spend hours.

This is where the High Pass filter comes in handy. Which is underrated by many 3d artits and today we will remove the
flash highlights from our textures or digital photos using Filter Other High-Pass


photoshop
Step 1: Open an effected image/texture, duplicate the image and apply a High Pass filter with a large radius on dupli-
cate image. The rule of thumb is that the radius of the filter should be larger than any detail you want to preserve. Since
in this case the detail to be removed (the highlight) is almost the size of the whole picture, feel free to use a radius well
above 70. Note that the larger the radius, the longer it takes to process - just as with Gaussian Blur.

Step 2: As you can see, the High Pass filter not only reduces brightness differences, it also reduces the contrast of the
image, paling the colors. Please choose Edit Fade High Pass and select Luminosity in the mode. If you find the effect
of the high pass filter too drastic, you can reduce its Opacity.


photoshop

Step 3: Since a lot of contrast was lost in the process, finalize the picture by increasing the contrast (or adjusting the
Levels, depending on the case) until it looks good, then Fade the contrast effect once more with Luminosity to retain
the coloring of the original image. See the difference? Feel the difference of not having had to do extra work?

The same rules apply for so called detail textures (a fine example of them can be found in games that use the Unreal
engine.) Since the very purpose of detail textures is to add small, sharp details to textures up close, they are obviously
ideal targets for the High Pass filter. Because the details needed are indeed very small, feel free to use High Pass quite
harshly with small radius values.

- Andy Halls
andyhalls123@yahoo.com


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after effects

Driving Effect through
audio

If you are trying to get the effect to blink on and off or increase or down repeatedly. Doing this repeatedly gets rather
boring after a couple of minutes and trying to get the blinks to correspond to instruments from theaudio track can be
very difficult. It can be done, but you have to drop a ton of Markers and make sure you’ve got rhythm. But you can do
this very easily through After Effects Convert Audio to Keyframes feature.

Convert Audio to Keyframes does generate keyframes based on an audio layer, and while those keyframes can be tied
to other layer. Using the audio levels from a specific layer, you can link and control various parameters from effects
within After Effects.

Step 1: In After Effects import your video file and add it to your Timeline.

Step 2: Right click on your video footage and select Keyframe Assistant Convert Audio to Keyframes.

A Null Object with the name ‘Audio Amplitude’ will appear. Select the Null Object layer and press ‘U’ on your key-
board to show the changed parameters of that layer.


after effects

Step 3: Now you can apply any effect to your video footage layer. Like I applied a Trapcode Starglow effect on the
video. Choose the settings you are looking for... outside the scope of this tutorial.

Step 4: We can now decide which parameter we want to link to our audio. I chose to let the Streak Length react on
the audio. To do this we need to set an expression for the Streak Length.


after effects
Step 5: To set an expression for the Streak Length or whatever parameter you want to use, just ALT + Click on the
stopwatch icon in the timeline which is located at the left of the parameters name.

Step 6: Now the way to link this parameter to the audio is click on the ‘Pickwhip’ icon (the icon which looks like a
Twirl) and hold it and drag it to ‘Both Channels’ slider parameter. The screenshot below will explain it better.

You just linked the Streak Length parameter to the audio of your video footage. So if the volume of your video footage
increases, so will the Streak Length. Of course you could also apply this same technique to the Boost Light parameter
and so on.

- Suzane Smith
suz.smith@hotmail.com


3ds max

Making of
Bobby Bubble
By- Patrick Beaulieu, Canada
Email: squeezestudio@hotmail.com


3ds max

Introduction

Hi everyone, my name is Patrick Beaulieu, (AKA squeezestudio) here my making off Bobby Bubble. You will find below
several details on the creation of this small a little insane character. Without waiting more, here’s the making off!!!

Concept

My idea principal for the creation of Bobby Bubbles was to make a clam in an oyster. After several test and small fast
sketch, I finally decided to make a small beast in the place. The sketch being a pretty very important of creation... I have
to try to determine the majority of the elements in my sketch. My principal interest was the silhouette of the person.
Bobby being very simplistic like character, the silhouette is very important to arrive as a beautiful result. Thus I have
to try to find an installation interesting, to stress the large mouth and his facial expression. Its merry look was also an
element which I wanted to integrate in my image. Just like the majority of my other characters, I tests always to make
pass an expression in my character. For most of the time of the funny expression or `’ crackpot’’. I have also work on my
sketch in only one catch of sight, that is to say the catch of sight of my final image. I have to create this character to
make still image and not an animation thus the creation of all the sight, the model sheet and all was not at all necessary
for me for the realization of this character.

The modeling was a very fast phase, my small sketch was
just enough precise to indicate all the elements to me to
create for my character. I have to model the whole start-
ing from an eye, like has the practice. I work for most of
the time in symmetry or with one to mirror in authority.
I have to start with the body, thereafter the teeth, the
tongue and I have to finish the whole with the bubbles.


3ds max

For the bubbles, I have to use spheres with which I made Booleans to withdraw the interior when the bubbles were
penetrated. As regards the tongue, I did it enough low poly, and in second headlight, I have to bring it in Zbrush to
make displacement. I have to use those quads for my modeling, question of making a modeling cleaner. I have also to
model the dribble which runs top of its mouth.

My technique to model is very simple, I quite simply extrude the edges of cage of polygon. The edges that I selected to
make my cage of polygon are the lines principal of the character. (The turn of the eyes, it tower of the mouth, profile
and the silhouette of face). Once all my extruded polygons made for the character, I can easily adjust the proportions
of the personage very easily with a minimum of vertex has to manage.


3ds max

Once the shape of the character was adjust perfectly, I close again my modeling quite simply, finally having a clean
mesh. For certain areas like the dimensions of the mouth, and the edge of the lip I have to place several edge to bring
more closer to give an effect more sharp in my modeling.

As regards the installation, after having to close again my modeling and having made the complete character, I then
made the final improvement to make it more symmetrical.

Lighting

The lighting was one of the fun phases; my intension was to create a beautiful environment to light and alive. For my
lighting, I have to use the render passes. First of all with Vray, I made a passes of GI, therefore a very simple passes of
lighting giving tone of shade here and it all depend on the modeling. Thereafter I made a passes with a spot (Vray)
place behind of the character to make an edge light all the back of Bobby. The option to use the passes is very simple,
I often lost too much time parameterize my lighting and the intensity of my lighting whereas with the render passes, I
do not have to find ideal place or to place my spot, just adjust the whole in compositing. Really faster and gives a perfect
control on lighting.

Texturing, Rendering, Post Production

The largest stage of production for the creation of Bobby Bubbles was the compositing. I have to use the render pass to
their maximum; I have to use several layers to get the final result. All the process was done in Photoshop.


3ds max


3ds max
I have to create alpha for each part of my character, (body, interior of mouth, tooth, tongue, dribbles, bubble). Once in
Photoshop, I have to use each one of these alpha to make my selections in Photoshop to adjust each one of the part to
select separately.

To texture the character, I have to use that procedural texture coming from 3Ds max. (falloff, noise, etc). I render each
one of his passes with an ambient shader, therefore no light affected texture was intact. Once in first, I have to compos-
ite all these passes from beginning by the passes of GI, thereafter the passes of texture procedural in multiply, software
light and screen. Then with the wire I have to use shag fur to make a light layer of hair on the character. I put some hairs
to dirty the character and to add a little detail.

For the majority of all render pass, I render in Scanline. Only the pass which required one render in Vray are the GI
and my principal light. All the others passes, specular, bump, color, etc… Scanline! (As regard the question of speed).
I render the tongue through the skin shader of mental ray, with some adjustment here and…)

I always make my render of large quality when I make a personage, the whole in order to take part has review or books,
therefore render at 5000 pixel by 7000 pixel. For this reason I tests to optimize my times of renders for the passes which
does not require a more simplistic lighting.

I have to work on the colors in Photoshop much on my principal passes of colors, I also used brightness contrast to get
the desired result. As regards the colors, I wanted to have colors for my background very different from my character
for seeing the silhouette. The background was entirely created in Photoshop.

Conclusion

I hope that you will appreciate the making of bobby Bubble. If you have question concerning the making of or any other
question, do not hesitate to mail me on the following address: squeezestudio@hotmail.com.

To see my other work, go on www.squeezestudio.com

By- Patrick Beaulieu, Canada
Email: squeezestudio@hotmail.com


gallery

Warrior
Vaclav Krivanek, Czech Republic
vkrivanek@gmail.com
3ds Max 9, Mudbox, Photoshop


gallery

Fury
Robin Benes, Czech Republic
tes@tes3d.com
3ds Max, Vray, Zbrush


gallery

Locke
Eduardo Oliden Hermida, UK
eduardo@3dmind.org
3ds Max 9, Vray, Photoshop


gallery

Another Warrior
Akira Hanzo, Romania
akira_hanzo@yahoo.com
3ds Max


gallery

Blue Dream
Ali Jalali, Iran
alicgworld@gmail.com
3ds Max, Vray


gallery
Hagakure
Ales Zvolanek, Czech Replblic
ales_zvolanek@yahoo.com
3ds max, Vray, Photoshop


gallery

Damned Flesh
JAKC, Spain
jakcdesign@gmail.com
3ds Max, Brazil, Photoshop


gallery

Leon
Lautaro Gonzlez, Argentina
tarolp@gmail.com
3ds max, Vray, Photoshop


gallery

Pelican
Karen Abramyanc, Israel
orion_7st@yahoo.com
Modo, 3ds max, Vray


gallery

Kakashi
Fabio M. Silva, Portugal
snake.silva@gmail.com
3ds max


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