Industry pros at VFX powerhouse MPC share their approaches to modelling, rigging, grooming and lookdev secrets from some of the studios latest films.
With films such as The Jungle Book, Alien: Covenant and Blade Runner 2049, MPC has established itself as one of the leading studios for delivering photoreal characters. Helping the studio achieve that status is a specialised group inside MPC called The Character Lab that’s behind so many of those photoreal assets.
3D World asked several members of The Character Lab for their expert takes on modelling, rigging, grooming and lookdev from specific assets made for those recent films. Here they talk about the tools and techniques behind their work, and provide their practical tips for delivering the most photoreal creatures and characters possible.
RE-IMAGINING AN ICONIC SPECIES
MPC senior modeller Damien Guimoneau was responsible for the high-resolution sculpt of the terrifying CG Xenomorph that appeared in Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant. It was a re-imagining of the character as it had appeared in the previous Alien films, although with the addition of many new features, some of which came from the practical on-set puppet.
“We started with scans of the maquettes to create a concept model,” explains Guimoneau.
“These were used to create the first pass of rigs for animation tests. These helped us to realise the proportion of the final Xenomorph anatomy for my friends Federico Scarbini and Henning Sanden, who did the biggest part of the topology. I then started the sculpt of the full creature, part by part, using tons of references such as ecorchés, anatomy, animals, fibres and bones.”
ZBrush was the main tool used to sculpt and extract maps. An incredible level of detail was required for the creature, so MPC split the assets into multiple sections. For texturing, Guimoneau says modelling lead Sean Mills established a workflow for creating tileable textures with Houdini and ZBrush.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2018 من 3D World UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2018 من 3D World UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
RenderMan 26
Knowing that the journey for Pixar’s RenderMan software began 37 years ago feels mind-boggling – but it’s still at the top of its game.
Visualising Einstein's past for Netflix
Lux Aeterna honed its expertise in CG to bring the famous physicist's memories back to life for Einstein and the Bomb
BRANCHING OUT
Whiskytree founder and CEO Jonathan Harb lifts the lid on the studio's story and its phenomenal success in turbulent times
CAN I CREATE SMOKE OR FOG EFFECTS ON A MOBILE DEVICE?
Liquids, fur, hair, steam, smoke, fog, fire, magical effects and so much more are all daily requirements in most 3D packages, but are almost always created with a particle system of some type.
Fusion Studio 19
Now in its 10th year under the wings of Blackmagic Design, Fusion Studio is stronger than ever.
DaVinci Resolve 19
There are more choices on the market than ever when it comes to picking your favourite video editing software.
Tribute to a sensei
The team at French visual development and game studio Umeshu Lovers walk us through creating their Akira Toriyama-inspired April Fools' demo
DEVELOP ELECTRIC ATMOSPHERE WITH LIGHTNING EFFECTS
Rob Redman delivers a bolt of brilliance with a quick guide to giving your scenes a high-voltage feeling
BUILD A SELL-OUT STADIUM CROWD
Mario Leone takes to the stage with a step-by-step guide to creating an arena full of cheering people in Houdini
DESIGN AND RENDER A SPELLBINDING CHARACTER
Ivan Mironenko shares his process for creating a captivating figure in a bewitching scene