Universal just released a groovy interactive trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman. The film that our friends Rhythm and Hues just completed work on will be out in theaters June 1st here in the US.
Rhythm & Hues - more than just talking animals
Nice to see our friends at Rhythm & Hues getting such great coverage in this Animation Magazine article.
New Free Tutorial: Sculpting Smoke in Maya Fluids
This month's free tutorial was JUST posted and we can't wait to tell you about it! In this month's tutorial, you'll learn how vfx pros achieve a realistic smoke simulation. We’re talking about the heavy, ‘bubbling’, dry ice type smoke that covers the floor, creating another level of atmosphere within a shot. You’ve probably seen what we’re talking about in movies like ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’, a film where all the smoke effects were digitally generated.
How The Third Floor helped to shape "The Avengers"
Ever wonder what the difference is between previs, techvis, and postvis? This article goes through each step in the process as put together by our friends at The Third Floor, who were involved even at the storyboard level on the blockbuster "The Avengers". The team there were able to work closely with Director Joss Whedon and VFX Supervisor Janek Sirrs on all aspects of the film.
Free Tutorial: Scarab Beetles!
This month's intermediate level tutorial shows you how to create a mass of scurrying scarab beetles similar to those you’ve seen in "The Mummy" films. Our VFX instructor Dan Shutt will demonstrate how to animate hundreds of scarab beetles using a combination of goal objects and particle instancing. It's a more advanced tutorial, but once you learn it you'll be able to apply the technique to other objects. And, once you show this mastery on your reel, your work will surely stand out from the rest.
Gweek of the week!
VFX Supervisor and all around wonderful guy Kevin Mack is Gweek of the week for Boing Boing.
Free Webinar: Explore the New ZBrush4R3 Features
As many VFX artists know, ZBrush is an incredible digital sculpting tool that allows you to model, texture and paint in both 3D and 2.5D. To introduce the latest tools now available in the newest version of this software - ZBrush4R3 - we'll be hosting a webinar on May 10th, 2012 with Pixologic's 3D Application Engineer, Paul Gaboury. He'll be presenting all the cool new features including updates to FiberMesh. Plus, he'll demonstrate how to highlight using the MicroMesh at BPR render time to add an even more detail to your digital images. Then, he'll finish the session with a basic overview of how to apply the BPR render system with FiberMesh and MicroMesh (a great toool to give your images even more detail).
Hot Smokin' Deal on VFX Bootcamps
Summer is almost here, so what will YOU be doing during summer vacation? Watching TV? Surfing the internet? Hanging out all day at Starbuck's?
Summer blockbusters mean work for VFX
It's summertime, and that means loads of new movies in the theaters. This LA Times article outlines what we all know - great movies contain great visual effects! And they cost money to make.
Fun "Pirate's" Spoof
A fun spoof on Pirates "Band of Misfits" & "Hunger Games"
Enjoy the Mashup...savvy?
Prometheus, and progress!
It's been an exciting and challenging term for my new students.
Hollywood abandoning 35mm film?
I read this article in the LA weekly with great interest - as a visual effects artist confined to digital I can see the perceived cost savings of going all-digital. But as I've learned in my own photo collection, the momentos that last the longest are the negatives and the prints - firstly, they're readily visible (once you unarchive) without the use of specialized technology that may or may not become obsolete in a few years; and secondly there's no chance of accidentally deleting these analog artifacts, unless you should throw them away, have a home flood or fire.
A Sense of Scale
A big head's up to our friends in the UK office - You have to go see this movie! It premieres at the Sci-Fi London Festival on May 6th and according to the website, 50% of tickets are sold!
Pictoplasma 2012
Check out this cool intro for Pictoplasma this year.
A celebration of all things wacky in the world of character design.
Tupac Performs at Coachella Courtesy of Digital Domain
During their sold-out set at the Coachella Valley Music Festival, headliners Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg wowed fans when they were joined onstage by Tupac Shakur via a holographic projection. This incredibly realistic likeness of 2Pac was created by Hollywood vfx studio Digital Domain and reunited the legends in an exclusive, original performance of “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.”
Sorry Lucasfilm - Marin will not let you in
Who doesn't care about George Lucas and Lucasfilm? Aside from the people of Marin county who have been trying for over 20 years to keep his Grady Ranch project out of their neighborhood.
Rear Window Timelapse
How do you take an old chestnet and make it new again? You put together a timelapse based on actual footage and stitch it together in After Effects to tell the story of "Rear Window" in a single pane. Welcome to Jeff Desom's world - this appears to be the only thing like this he's done. Part Editorial, part Compositing, part Projection, this 2 minute piece tells the story from the window's POV very nicely.
How Cool Is This USB Typewriter?!
I spotted this typewriter-turned-computer-keyboard on Etsy today. An antique typewriter has been modified to work as a USB Keyboard for PC, Mac, or even iPad. It's a beautiful, unique and fully functional computer keyboard!
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