VFX Production: Black Holes and Wormholes
As much as we wish it were true, there aren’t many good visual effects that are quick and easy “One-Push-Magic-Button-ish” procedures. Good matte extractions are rarely “one-click,” rotos rarely “one-spline,” and composites rarely “one-node.” But every once in a while, an idea pops to mind that allows a seemingly daunting task to be accomplished at light speed. In this article you’ll learn a “Procedural Modeling” workflow that will help you achieve stunning VFX in a fraction of the time.
Wiring Up Your 3D Model
Learn how to render out a wireframe using Vector Render to draw outlines of every polygon facing. This is a much faster, easier alternative to the UV texture technique.
No Thanks ... I’ll Pass! Exploring the Non-Destructive Power of Multi-Pass Rendering
Learn how to cut your rendering time down considerably without sacrificing the quality of the output by rendering in passes. Explore multi-pass rendering and find out why you would want to use it, when to use it, and of course, how to generate the passes.
Instanced Animation
Implement Softimage and its new ICE technology to create complex animation fast. This tutorial will help you create instanced geometry on particles, then trigger the particle animations to create much more complex animations.
Going Back to Our Roots
Houdini and LightWave work together to recreate a shot for the upcoming feature film Estigmas. The use of L-systems and pipeline issues are discussed in this article, as well as the how’s and why’s of creating the needed custom FX tool.
Animated Short Film Production: Getting It Done!
Creating a personal animated short film is a dream harbored by almost all CG artists, but completed by few. Luke outlines a step-by-step production process that will take you through from concept to completion, helping you to stay the course long after the initial inspiration has dwindled and the real work has begun.
The Rings of Saturn
Bob shows us a quick way to recreate the fantastic rings of Saturn using hypervoxel particles and Photoshop.
Hands-On Pipeline and Color Planning
A look at a major independent feature film pipeline from the inside out.
Do-It-Yourself Softimage, Part 4: Modeling
Follow along as David continues to show how LightWave artists can use Softimage tools in a character modeling workflow.
You WILL Read This Article: The Power of Positive Thinking and Problem Solving
Discover the most powerful tool you can add to your skill set and how to accomplish any task that is thrown your way.
What’s New in CS4 for 3D and Concept Artists, Part 3
Stephen continues to share with us photography and painting techniques to create dynamic backgrounds for 3D object interaction.
Readers’ Art Gallery
Featuring the fabulous art submitted by Ryan Drue.
Kooshlings
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Final Render
Wasting Away Again in Gamingville
Softimage Corner
Where Are We Heading?
Gidgets and Gadgets
Point, Shoot, and Show: Introducing the Sony Cyber-shot Camera. (Editor's note: See the Cyber-shot T900 here .)
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