HDRI 3D

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.

When you decide to take on the big studios alone, you have to really be on point. The Ether has become a force to be reckoned with this past year. We look into a few select projects that have been created by shop owner Greg Kupiec.

ElektraShock specializes in mocap services for the broadcast, film, and game industries. Join us as they share the methods they have perfected for creating real-time previs, allowing clients to preview projects before time and money are spent on the final production.

Become a CG Puppeteer using the Puppet Tools in Adobe After Effects CS4: The Puppet tools in Adobe After Effects CS4 just may save you on your next motion graphics production. This article will introduce you to this amazing tool set and have you up and running with it in no time. Get started now!

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.

Discover the Amazing Power of the Boolean Command: Learn tips and tricks that make working with Booleans easier than ever as we explore one of the most useful tools in Modeler. Get ready to find out why you may want to give this underrated powerhouse another shot.

Instead of altering imagery that needed to be placed onto walls with the skew, distort, or scale features in Photoshop, take advantage of the powerful Vanishing Point tool. Bob takes you through the process as he throws some graffiti onto a local building’s walls.

Explore the new possibilities that Filter Node Editors provide for Multipass Rendering, Compositing, FX, and Color Grading.

Had… Taken for Granted… Gone… and Missed

Superstitions, Saints, and Wizards