Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 110 i 3D Artist

When Pixologic released ZBrush 4R7 at the beginning of 2015, we were treated to new tools including ZModeler, which quickly became the mainstay of any ZBrush artist. The surprise announcement of 4R8 over a year later sent a lot of us into a frenzy – if Pixologic couldn’t wait to show off new features in version five, then what did we have in store with 4R8? Could these new features change how we model in the software forever? We finally have the answers to these questions with the release of 4R8, and we’re very much excited by what’s been added. We spoke to some of the incredible beta users for ZBrush 4R8 to find out what they think will be a game-changer and how they used the new tools to…

What would you say is your number-one favourite new feature in ZBrush 4R8? My favourite feature is definitely the Live Boolean feature. Although there is a bunch of other cool features, it’s really the one that I will have the most use for in the future. And how has this helped you create better work than before? The Live Boolean feature has made it so much easier to create hard-surface models. It’s fantastic to be able to create complex shapes in a non-destructive workflow. It is also very easy to iterate changes on the model and replace Boolean objects, which gives the user more room for being creative. By creating geometry with the CurveTubeSnap brush and using the resulting geometry as a subtractive Boolean, you can now create cuts and…

“One of the first drawings that [co-director and production designer] Eric Guillon had done of Dru and Gru together looks close to what we have now in the movie,“ reveals director Kyle Balda. “But we did do an exploration which was a departure from that. Spy vs Spy in Mad magazine is a big touchstone for us – that kind of graphic, black-against-white strong silhouettes. As we were exploring Dru’s character we weren’t thinking of him as a supervillain or superhero. We wanted to figure out his relationship with Gru.“ “We knew that he had to be different than Gru,“ states animation director Julien Soret. “So, it became obvious to give him the opposite characteristics as Gru; Dru is optimistic, extroverted and playful. After this milestone, Steve Carell gave us…

One of the ways Wargaming has been able to find and maintain such a success in the market is not only down to its incredible free-to-play model – incentivising smart and constant purchasing from players – but because of the huge variety of machines its games can be played on. From World Of Tanks to World Of Warplanes and World Of Warships, the company is eager to bring historically accurate vehicles across land, air and sea no matter what type of computer a player has. In fact, we’re told, it was only recently that Warships left devices running Windows XP behind. This, while impressive in its commitment to servicing players, offers a set of challenges for the art team, particularly when it comes to texturing and rendering ships for live…

VINCENT CHAI Halo Wars 2 Frontend Background Videos, 2016 Software 3ds Max, Substance Designer, V-Ray, After Effects Learn how to • Export Substance Designer material to 3ds Max/V-Ray • Light in V-Ray • Render game assets for offline rendering Concept The idea was to create a series of background videos for the front-end menu and showcase units from the game. One of my tasks on the Halo Wars 2 game was to create a series of background videos for the front-end menu. 3ds Max was used because it’s the main tool for our art team and V-Ray was chosen as the renderer due to its quality and simplicity. The character team had created dozens of in-game units, but they weren’t designed for offline rendering. This tutorial shows my process from…

Website dudokdewit.co.uk Location France/Japan Project The Red Turtle Project description Produced in collaboration with Studio Ghibli, this dialogue-less animated feature tells the life story of a castaway on a deserted tropical island populated by turtles, crabs and birds. Studio N/A Director bio After being passionate about drawing since childhood, Dudok de Wit studied animation in the UK before working as a freelancer in the advertising industry for a decade. He began making his own animated films in his free time, and in 2000 won an Academy Award for short Father and Daughter. The Red Turtle is his first feature film. Contributors • Michael Dudok de Wit, director • Jean-Pierre Bouchet, VFX and compositing supervisor When we first sit down with animator-turned-director Michael Dudok de Wit, it’s in a…

PRECISE POSITIONING Every topology, from hard to organic surfaces, were created inside ZBrush using the ZModeler, the Gizmo and the deformers. COMBINING FEATURES Multiple ZBrush features were used to test everything as much as possible side by side. In this piece we can see Array Mesh, Boolean and Surface Noise all working together. ADDING DETAILS An IMM Brush was used in conjunction with the new Boolean system to create small details. At the end, the different polygroups inside the subtracted Booleans were used to apply different KeyShot materials. COMBINING SCULPTS A lot of the secondary pieces were built using Array Mesh as radial instances simultaneously with the Boolean system.…

“In the next ZBrush, I’d love to see an addition of real-world units consistent with Maya so that there is a more seamless transition moving from ZBrush to other 3D applications. ” Stephen Anderson “I would really like to see a folder-like system for all SubTools, where the user could hide or move multiple SubTools at once. ” Daniel Bystedt “It might not be the sexiest feature, but what I am really looking for is better SubTool management. The ability to create Boolean stacks within the SubTool palette in 4R8 is a good start, but especially with all the extra Boolean parts we’ll all be creating now, we need an actual folder structure to organise and sort our SubTools. ” Matt Flesher “ZBrush is one of the most unique 3D…

Along with using bubble gum as his weapon of choice, Balthazar Bratt is adorned with the wardrobe and attitude of Michael Jackson and Prince. “We were trying to avoid a straightforward bad guy who twists his moustache and does bad things,“ states Despicable Me 3 director Kyle Balda when discussing the former child television star seeking revenge for his show being cancelled. “[Instead we gave] true motivation as to what is making him do these things, but also with a little bit of ridiculousness to it. Balthazar Bratt is such an icon of the Eighties and has a lot of these cheesy Eighties references. He’s stuck in the past and has this mullet haircut. “Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon and I are children from the Eighties so these were nostalgic references…

Has the pipeline changed or evolved in the last two years? We’ve had some changes in the pipeline from the initial stages in development to the way that it exists today. For example, we used to first create the hull, then the objects on the deck and then the textures themselves. Now it’s more complicated: we are aligning all of the blueprints in a 3D modelling program first, for example. We are working on more artistic effects and extra flourishes. The pipeline has only gotten longer! Why stick with Maya for World Of Warships ? When Wargaming formed around 2003, we chose Maya for all our tasks and animations. We have scripts that we have built up over time; it would be difficult to replace them. Are…

TONY CAMEHL The flying monkey – head designs, 2017 Software ZBrush, KeyShot, Photoshop Learn how to • Render in KeyShot • Photobash • Design the face of a creature • Paint fur • Create custom Photoshop brushes Concept The idea is based on a fictitious client who wants to create a movie about flying monkeys, and the assignment is to create an evil-looking flying monkey. This tutorial is all about designing the head of a creature based on the description from a fictional client. We are going to give thought to the silhouette of the head of a flying monkey and discuss how to garner various ideas. You will also learn tips and tricks on how to quickly and easily create the head with the help of references. Most of…

Our experts The best artists from around the world reveal specific CG techniques Substance Designer Joshua Lynch  joshlynch.artstation.com Joshua Lynch is a senior environment/ texture artist and has contributed to multiple triple-A projects 3ds Max, Forest Pack Pro Paul Roberts  itoosoft.com Paul is an experienced 3D environment artist and educator working as training manager at iToo Software For this tutorial we will be taking a look at the workflows and techniques used for creating this grimy window. Keep in mind that a lot these workflows and techniques can also be applied to a wide variety of materials and surface types. In fact, whether I am creating a tile floor, rocky ground or brick wall, the workflows and nodes discussed in this tutorial are what I turn to for those types…

FaceBuilder is a new node in the KeenTools plugins suite for fast and simple head creation from 2D images. CEO Roman Belov explains: ”In five minutes, given five photos, you can build a perfectly fitted model of a face, with proper topology and UVs. You just set and drag points on the model to the corresponding points on the face, and the algorithm automatically deforms the model to fit the footage. To improve the accuracy you may repeat the process from other angles of view.”…

Job title CEO of Allegorithmic Location Paris, France Website allegorithmic.com Biography Dr. Sébastien Deguy is the founder and CEO of Allegorithmic: creator of Substance, the leading texturing tools for artists and designers. Now the same concepts developed in his doctoral thesis are used throughout the world of 3D creation, from 85 per cent of triple-A game studios to markets like VFX and animation, industrial design and architecture. Portfolio highlights • Substance Designer 2017.1, 2017 • Substance Painter 2017.1, 2017 • Substance Source, 2016 • Substance Painter, 2014 • BitMap2Material, 2011 • Substance Designer, 2010 • MaPZone, 2005 • ProFX, 2005 We all know the name of Substance by now, right? This suite of tools has reinvigorated the games industry and is used by the biggest game studios, but that…

“Michael was a complete perfectionist,“ remembers Jean-Pierre Bouchet. “We did film actors for the difficult scenes, but only to study their movements and things like the folds in their clothing. Rotoscoping was never allowed because Michael wanted everyone to truly be creative and explore without being restricted to what rotoscoping was telling them. He thought it made animated work look too dead. We started production by spending several months drawing test shots on paper and scanning it all in. We then waited about a year to ensure the story was polished before switching to doing most things digitally using Photoshop, TVPaint, 3ds Max and Fusion.“…

“Have an absolutely kickass showreel, put everything you can into it and make sure it reflects your current ability. A lot of people who want to enter this industry put together a showreel and pad it with three years of university work – stuff you do in your first year and final year are quite different in terms of quality. And if you’re just interested in modelling, you don’t need to worry about shading or anything about that. Concentrate on the aspects you’re interested in.“…

SPEED MODELLING I sculpt using ZBrush and when it comes to speed modelling, I try to approach it with a clear mind and not think of anything specific. A good eye will always catch good forms and flows. A simple tip I can give is make a mess: be as rough and fast with large brush strokes to create forms, and once you have that everything else is a piece of cake. James Lin artstation.com/artist/jam3s James is a passionate CG artist who has just completed his studies and looking to leave his mark by creating memorable works of art Software ZBrush, Substance Painter Sci Fi Speedster, 2016…

Artist Stephen Anderson’s favourite feature of the new release is – perhaps unsurprisingly – Live Booleans, thanks to the flexibility it offers artists. Anderson used Live Booleans to great effect in this ‘FishBot’ illustration – along with a combination of polygroups, ZRemesher and ZModeler for the topology. ADDING MATERIALS By controlling the polygroups, Anderson was able to quickly apply materials inside of ZBrush for clean and efficient application in KeyShot. TOP TOPOLOGY Using a combination of polygroups, ZRemesher and ZModeler, Anderson was able to quickly obtain clean topology for the overall shape. From there, he created bevels to refine the edge shape on the base forms. GIZMO CONTROL Anderson created the base forms using DynaMesh and the Clip/Trim brush. Basic move and Transpose/Gizmo manipulation techniques gave him the basic form…

JOSH RIFE The Surgeon, 2017 Software Maya, ZBrush, KeyShot, Photoshop Learn how to • Create compelling renders • Speed up your high-poly workflow • Tell a story using mood and colour • Achieve more believable render results • Light scenes using multiple HDRIs in KeyShot • Composite renders in Photoshop • Create and strengthen visual focal points Concept I chose this beautiful concept by Aaron Beck because it immediately stood out as strange – full of this odd, alien allure that felt fresh and interesting. It was also sure to provide ample opportunity to learn pipelines and new approaches through varied software, as well as a chance to explore workflows outside of the normal constraints of my standard day-to-day as an environment artist. In this tutorial, we’ll cover a variety…

MARK MASTERS Steampunk Weapon, 2017 Software Blender, Substance Painter Learn how to • Model a weapon • Texture with Substance Painter • Light and render with Cycles Concept I wanted to create a steampunk-style weapon that felt unique, but also felt like it fit within that world and aesthetic. The vast world of steampunk is a fun and exciting style to explore, full of gears, pipes and of course, steam. In this tutorial, we will be creating a steampunk-style gun in Blender and Substance Painter. There is a sense of freedom and challenge that comes with creating a weapon in this style. You have the freedom to either create a truly out-of-this-world weapon, or maybe one that is a little more grounded, with a steampunk flare. The choice is up…

A new partnership will bring the Multiverse Studio toolset to the CG production industry, providing an expedited pipeline for moving files between Katana and Maya. Customers will gain a commercially supported set of MaterialX, Alembic and USD tools unified in every Katana and Maya version and available for all platforms. Foundry will resell Multiverse Studio as interactive and batch licences that activate both Katana and Maya plugins and offer Alembic and USD support. Berj Bannayan, partner and VFX supervisor at Soho VFX, says, “We’ve been using Multiverse here at Soho VFX for over a year, for our Alembic pipeline that incorporates Maya, Houdini and 3Delight. It’s been transformative for us, being used in everything from The Shallows to Ben Hur and Logan. The integration into our existing pipeline has been…

Modo 11.1 The new bi-directional live bridge connects Modo 11.1 and UE4, enabling games artists to seamlessly update entire scenes or elements including geometry, UVs, Materials and Lights using one computer or multiple networked together. Modo’s modelling, UV mapping and baking toolsets have also received enhancements. V-Ray 3.6 for 3ds Max Hybrid rendering is introduced to circumvent GPU RAM limitations. V-Ray scenes can be rendered with GPUs, CPUs or both, and Nvidia NVLink supports sharing GPU memory across compatible GPUs. CryptoMatte automatically generates ID Mattes and VRayLightSelect gains GI, reflection/ refraction render element outputs. RenderMan 21.5 Highlights include new artistic controls for creating phenomenal hair and fur, and innovations in path-traced subsurface scattering to produce amazing photorealistic skin and other soft materials. Pixar’s next film, Coco, drove many 21.5 features…

“12 blockbuster films will use Substance this summer,“ Dr. Sébastien Deguy reveals when we met him at FMX 2017. One of the reasons behind the slow uptake of Substance in film prior to this, though, is the lack of UDIM support – indeed, Double Negative had to do its own workaround on Assassin’s Creed. “From the start we knew it was something we needed to tackle and we’re doing it right now, it’s a lot of work and that’s the value of Mari as well,“ he admits. “It’s why it’s so popular in movies because it’s capable of handling that amount of information and we know it’s complicated. We are adding that now to Substance Painter. I would say in Q3 or Q4, we should have something that’s very capable…

 Job title Lead 3D artist “It’s fun to do the promo work because it’s where you get to try new things, you can be experimental” Sid Harrington-Odedra, Lead 3D artist Location The Mill London Website themill.com Education BA in 3D Animation at Swansea Metropolitan University (2001-2005), plus a five month course trialled at Escape Studios in London. Biography Sid Harrington-Odedra joined The Mill in 2006, and is a highly experienced CG lead based in the London studio. Recently he led the multi-award-winning promo, Chemical Brothers ‘Wide Open’ as shoot supervisor and LG’s ‘World of Play’ featuring Jason Statham. Portfolio highlights • Three ‘Go Binge’, 2017 • Chemical Brothers ‘Wide Open’, 2016 • Sky ‘Q’, 2016 • Call of Duty ‘Ghosts’, 2014 • BBC ‘God Only Knows’, 2014 Staying at one company for 11 years…

01 Blood and Fire by Rico Cilliers 3DA username Rico Cilliers  Rico Cilliers says: “I made this render in ZBrush, Blender and Substance Painter in order to test out some techniques for creating crystal material. I also wanted to sculpt a cool monster.“ We say: There’s so much aggression to Rico’s dragon, and we love the creature design of his head and how the scales were modelled. 02 American Eagle by Dmytro Teslenko 3DA username Dmytro Teslenko Dmytro Teslenko says: “This eagle is my first experience in bird modelling and I’m very proud of my job. I hope you like it too.“ We say: What a captivating photoreal render from Dmytro! There are some great damage textures on the eagle’s beak, plus some detailed feathers around the eye area.…