HDRI 3D

DMG Publishing has worked closely with 3D animators and digital artists to create this print magazine to satisfy the digital artists' expressed need for an enhanced publication of a calibre unseen before in the industry.

DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon Directors, Visual Effects Supervisor, Head of Effects, and Head of Character Animation reveal the technology and techniques used to draw the viewer in to make the story, the Vikings, and the Dragons so believable. Lighting techniques used by Naughty Dog on the groundbreaking UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves video game. VFX Supervisor Kevin Mack discusses his approach to creative problem solving when designing effects for feature films such as Fight Club, Ghost Rider, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. See how Monkeyhead was able to blow HBO's socks off with the photo-real imagery in their cinematic opening title for HBO’s 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert. Create a fire trail using Fume and a gradient map as a fuel source. Discover how the CGI team at Splashlight created the opening animation for the Seventh Annual Lucie Awards at Lincoln Center. Explore how essential 2D water ripple and heat distortion displacement FX can be. Use this simple Depth Merge technique to bring a simple, robust, and fully animatable solution into your arsenal of tools. And there's more!

One of Cameron's goals with Avatar was to cross what some have termed the “Uncanny Valley.” The artists who worked on Avatar reveal the tools and techniques that helped make this journey possible. Two technology developments instrumental in helping Cameron achieve his goal were WETA's new facial capture rig and Lightstorm's new virtual camera.

UV Unwrapping is an art unto itself, blending an artist's eye and a draftsman's precision to create as close to a 1:1 ratio of Texture and 3D spaces as possible. Many think it’s the most difficult part of modeling. You’ll wish you had known about such a tool years ago!

ZBrush can be frustrating when it comes to exporting your creations to a 3D package. Sergio shows you how to use the Retopology tool to redraw the geometry in the model, creating a totally new model complete with sculpted details, edge flow, and edge loops.

Plenty of tools let you track projects, but none of them cater to visual effects; they just add a layer of inconvenience for the artist. Enter Shotgun… WOW! See for yourself as Peter runs through what Shotgun can do for you.

MastersFX, founded in 1987, has been a preeminent creature house, creating practicals for film and television. Previsualization has become an important component of preproduction, and having the ability to view digital work along with practical work is now an important part of the services that MastersFX provides. This article demonstrates a variety of previs shots that combine digital and practical, creating a powerful tool for directors to work with. 

Wondering how to tackle a heavy effects shot with fluids and lots of particle simulations? Javier lets us in on a secret: Using Houdini’s unique workflows can save a lot of time and expense. 

A Toxik 2009 Tutorial : Come along on this detailed walkthrough of tackling a set extension shot using 3D tracking data and the 3D environment of Toxik. Explore how to generate a matte with “3D rotoscoping.”