HDRI 3D

Learn an artist-friendly technique for rendering your high-res images with the Advanced Camera. This trigonometry-free technique will do it in just seven steps.

Depth of Field in Post: Adjusting focal lengths and depth of field can be time-consuming and difficult. Find out how to quickly and easily adjust depth of field and even set up rack focus effects with Lens Blur, a plugin that comes with After Effects. 

Capturing the natural subtleties of lighting can be challenging. This article details how to do just that, using a minimum number of lights and a few simple surfacing techniques. No radiosity, and fast render times—what more could you ask for? 

Lighting Real Time... As game lighting approaches the complexity of film, more and more AAA game companies are employing specialized Lighting Artists. Learn some lighting techniques used by Naughty Dog on the groundbreaking UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves video game and hear why these artists are becoming so important for the gaming industry.

In a short period of time, Josh Sahley has created and taken his studio, Monkeyhead, to new heights. See how this studio 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.

For Andy, Fume FX delivers the fastest results at the highest resolutions, whether it be cigarette smoke or nuclear explosions. See how to create a fire trail that is ignited at one end and burns all the way to the other end, using Fume and a gradient map as a fuel source.

Displacement Effects play an almost imperceptible role in recreating phenomena we humans are accustomed to seeing in everyday life. Explore how essential 2D water ripple and heat distortion displacement FX can be. Overlooking them can make the difference between an effect that appears believable and one that does not. 

This Depth Merge technique brings a simple, robust, and fully animatable solution into your arsenal of tools. See the thought process behind the solution, and try it on your own.

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.