HDRI 3D

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.” 

Unlock the true power of your alpha channels by using valuable tools and techniques that will allow you to craft detailed alpha channels. Shave hours off post production with these simple, yet powerful, options that you can start using on your current project. 

This tutorial is designed to show artists how to build a RIB exporter from scratch. Brent’s script will export a scene containing lights, polygonal geometry, and a camera to a RIB file. Brent offers considerations that will enable users to write exporter programs from any modeler program so that they will be able to use the high-quality rendering available through RenderMan. 

What makes the difference between a good animation and great animation? Luke outlines some tips and workflow techniques regarding polishing your animations to give them the extra 10 percent that makes all the difference.