Thank You to all my 2011 3D Conceptual Designer clients

 Thank You to all the 2011 clients for 3D Conceptual Designer!

It has been a great year for 3DCD, I have established some nice new clients in Theatrical Print, and other areas, and was brought back in with a very old familiar client, Walt Disney Imagineering. Thank you too all those who have continued to use my services throughout the year.

Cheers to you all as we approach n the new year FAST!!!!


Thom Schillinger 3D Conceptual Designer.

Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: The Phantom 2040- PARTLXXXX [90th]-Various Props

A post form Cyberville during construction they would fly down to the site.

A Virtual Reality Head-Rig used by Maxwell in the VR ball here.

A Hand-held scanner with a bright scan light.

A Digital Stoplight and street sign typical from Metropia the world of The Phantom 2040.

Here is the prop as used in a typical storyboard frame.

Phantom 2040-PART LXXXX [90th]

Various Props

Client: Hearst Animation Productions.
Art Director: Myself.
Project Date Spring 1993.

This is my 90th posting here on my design blog for my contributions to The Phantom 2040, and here I have posted four different props that I designed for the various episodes.

Cyberville was a city being built by B.I.O.T.'s for Maximum Inc and this is one of the "claw" columns that surround the city being flown into scene. I also found the scanned VR head-gear for the VR sphere for Maxwell today so I've posted that today as well. A hand-held scanner that Guran, and The Phantom 2040 both use regularly. And finally a typical Streetlight found in all street scenes.

If you are a FAN of The Phantom 2040, and on FACEBOOK, there is a group dedicated to the show here.

There is a TAG on the list to the RIGHT for other Phantom 2o4o entry's, but you can click this as well.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review:Key Art and Promo work for The Italian Job 2003-PART-I

 

 I took the mini badge logo from the car, reproduced this 3D "virtual badge", and replaced the mini type with TIJ-[ The Italian Job].

 I really LOVE this alt we ended up with. Great call by AD[ Art Director] Ronnie to up it to the Italian flag and warm up the scene.

 Here you can see how I built the logo parts including the crowned back piece inside the glass cover.

 

 A wall of gold bars stacked used as an edge to edge back-drop for some various One Sheet ideas pitched for the Film remake in 02'.[ See the film!]

 I moved the bars around so the pattern would not be too symmetrical, I color coded the moved bricks as I worked.

Project Review

The Italian Job 2003

Key Art 3D Illustrations

PART I

Client: Paramount Pictures via BLT and Associates.
Art Direction: Ronnie Blummenberg.
Project Date: Summer 2002 - Spring 2003

Last night, after two twelve hour work days I relaxed and saw again, the remake for, The Italian Job. A fun film , and I LOVE the old mini that Charlize Theron Drives....If you are a fan of the OG minis',  GO HERE!

It reminded me that I worked on some Promotional artwork, as well as some Key Art 3D Illustrations, back in 02' while at BLT and Associates. So today I have posted PART I to the work that I did for thhis liitle job.

FIrst I did a wall of gold bars for a One Sheet comp and rendered them out wit alpha channels and a depth map for the Srt Directors to comp into the various designs. 

I also did a Mini Logo converted  with a TIJ inside to replace "mini" to cross promote the new mini in the films. We printed up booklets and shipped tham out including the faux Carbon FIber backgeound.

A fun little gig.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: The Bleeding-3D Logo designs for Key Art and Motion Graphics Advertising 2008

 For this 3D Logo I designed for the film, The Bleeding, I did a curved front face with red painted extrusion with a bit of back lighting.

 We did the blood on red so it would be a second read[ squint and see].

 A bit of green tint in the metal along with a warmed up light rig made this angled shot fun to layout for the Key Art.

 A brighter version on Green with the blood drips using the wax material which is a Sub-Surface-Scattering material so the light comes thru the this spots like real blood.

 A very bright version of the 3D Logo over a metal wall.

 My fave! Red extrusion curved dark face with highlighted edge lit blood drops in the 3D design.

Project Review: The Bleeding

3D Logo Design Exploration

Key Art and MGFX Design

Client Anchor Bay Entertainment via The Cimarron Group.
Art Director(s): Calvin Sumler and Joseph Stamper.
Project Date: April 2008.

I am often given a quick one day or half day gig to do a logo in 3D. Some clients get the capabilities in 3D and give me some room to explore, and others just want a boiler plate metal extrusion in some sort of chrome.

For this project, they wanted to try a few things to a metal logo that was "blood" oriented, so I gave it a STAB!

The main idea was to have some subtle dripping blood coming off the lower edge of the logo. You will see in one comp we did the dripping blood on red so it was NOT a first read, but the motion of the drops is what would "catch your eye' to the action on the lower edge.

I also cut the extruded logo horizontally with about 100 slices so I could bend the face to a curve. Flat faced logos are not good in chrome, they are too flat for a nice reflection, so I add a bit of crown to the surface which forces the horizon to the high point in the design. This is an old car designer trick to fix a surface, just add crown!

All in all though it did not finish, a fun experiment in design. I especially like the one with the red extrusion in the metal with a bright face and drips.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review:The Fog-2005 Key Art 3D Illustration

 A re-post of the final 3D illustration that I gave over to Calvin to finish out for The Fog.

 An overhead view of the virtual set I built for the shot. the non seen walls are just boxes to block out the light[ I hid the back wall and ceiling see wires]

 A close up of the details in the panel door made from routered parts, as well as the bead board interlocking design set. I always model as much as possible vs. using texture maps, it helps a whole bunch with lighting and the final look of your scenes.

 A camera view w/o textures and lighting[ grey-scale]

 An up-shot of the door was an alternate idea we were going to have the kid block out the foreground lower on the floor.

 Here in quad view we can see the scene from outside showing the volumetric lights and the blocks in place[ an old trick I learned doing set design Live action] 

Project Review

The Fog-2005

Key Art 3D Illustration

Client: Columbia Pictures via The Cimarron Group.
Art Director[s]: Myself and Calvin Sumler.
Project Date: February 2005.

Back in 2005 while in-house at The Cimarron Group I worked on the remake of the 80's horror film, The Fog, for both the Motion Graphics department ran by Roland Mesa, as well as for the Priont Advertising division as well for Key Art posters. 

Today I post a comp idea that I had. My role at Cimarron was that of a Sub-Contractor providing specific 3D assets, so I usually was not given this type of opportunity, but when I was given the chance to pitch an idea, I enrolled the help of the very talented Calvin Sumler to build the comp, and he happily accepted.

A simple idea from the script, at one point the child of the main character was trying to keep the FOG out of the house, as the ghost pirate would rap on the door, so you would let them in. In one scene, the kid tapes the door frame so the fog cannot seep in and for the comp we had a backshot on a head with a kid huddled looking at the above door with the light coming in the cracks he missed.

I added lighting blocks outside to make it feel that someione was standing on the other side, and we added a green tint to the "Evil Fog" as well.

A bunch of items in here Cimarron sells on TurboSquid, so I used the door window, basketball, and the bear from my stock catalog.

Cheers, THOM

Behind the Art: Napkin Sketching PART XIII

 A Sketch for a fish with fangs, a bit shark mixed with whale and a vampire!

 A Cartoon styled old prop plane[ WWII-ish ]

 Yet another GumboMan Swamp house on stilts, the concept comes back alot in my doodles...

A tall thin character with a very loooooog chin.

Napkin Sketching Part XIII

 

 In this thirteenth installment of the Napkin Sketches, Drawings, and Doodles I do when I have a pen in hand, I have put up a variety of Characters, vehicles, and a background design for todays late 2D posting.

I sketch to stretch. It keep me limber as a designer, and using digital tools all day long it is very helpful to break out of that mold and use you skills elsewhere. 

I also do woodworking, coppersmithing, and various building projects to keep me sane along with these sketches. Keep a good variety of what you draw, and what creative activities you do, and never pass up a real challenge.

You can view the other parts as follows:

PART I

PART II

PART III

PART IV

PART V

PART VI

PART VII

PART VIII

PART IX 

PART X

PART XI 

PART XII

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Lost Skull[ IV] PART II: DC-3

 The DC-3 I built for some Motion Graphics pitches done at The Cimarron Group in 2008.

 A side shot showing the modeled panels, rivets, metal warps, and gaps[ no texture mapped fakes]

  A shot showing the engine pod detailing on the DC-3 from Indy 4.

 A Grey scale render showing the surfaces smoothed near the nose.

  A Grey scale render showing the underside of the plane, seen in bank shots.

  A Grey scale overhead render of the plane I made for Indiana Jones 4.

  A Grey scale render Showing the wing details with a back-light catching metal buckling on the wing skin etc.

 A Quad view of the model with sub-division OFF.

 Indian Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
PART II: DC-3 Model

Client: Paramount Pictures
Art Director[s]: Calvin Sumler, Joseph Stamper, and Chris A. Hawkins
Date: Spring 2007

This is second post for Indiana Jones four, The Kingdom of the Lost Skull, showing the work I did for the advertising key art, and especially for Motion Graphics work.

Today, we look closer to the DC-3 plane I built for trailers we pitched for Indy. We went with the red line animated on a map look from the films interstitials, but updated it to the plane POV done in full 3D. The animator Ehren Addis, a pilot himself, rigged and finished the work out for them.

The MGFX team bought a model online but it lacked the details, and the level of finish needed to sell the idea, so I was tasked at re-doing the entire outer skin of the plane. 

You can view PART I here.

Cheers, THOM

3D Conceptual designer posts pass the 3000 mark.

3D Conceptual Designer Passes 3000 mark for Portfolio Images

I started this blog to create an online record of my Entertainment Design work and to provide a resouce for aspiring artists to review actual production work in the conceptual design fields of, theme park, theatrical advertising, product design, and general entertainment design.

Late last week I passed the 3000 mark for images that I have posted here on my design blog since I began in October of 2009. You can search this blog easily via the Google toolbar, up top on the left,[white box] using standard keywords, or you can search via the tags on the right based on topics like, 3D-Logos, or sketches etc.

I plan to fully archive my work online here over the years with 2D, and 3D related design posts, along with stories of interest, tips and techniques via tutorials as well. I have about 1/3 of my work up so far.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Blood and Chocolate : Motion Graphics Style Frames 2006

 Verdigre aged Brass Type over concrete for this style frame for Blood and Chocolate.

 A Procedural layered Concrete with cross hatched lower layers with a dirt shader on this look.

 A brighter Golden look over Purple material[ satin-ish]

 This was fun in motion, as the background is a cracked glass in red so it is reflecting the type and skewing the reflections to create the shattered red effects behind the test, and when I moved the light it really read as a thickness.

 We had one tag line I modeled in 3D and animated as well, here was what we sent over.

An alternate early look with a blocked font over a cave wall [ prior to going back to Trajen]

Inside a Gothic cathedral I developed this look where the type did a slow drift forward.

Project Review

Blood and Chocolate

Motion Graphics Style Frames 2006

Client: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer[ M.G.M.] via The Cimarron Group.
Art Director: n/a.
Project Date:Fall 2006

After 6 years running a 3D department of one, at The Cimarron Group, I got the chance to work on over one hundred film Theatrical Trailers, with 80+ finishes, so it was a regular occurrence to create what are called "Style Frames".

These illustrate the intended look for the moving type, to be used to sell the looks for buy off before the labor to move it around is approved by the internal client first. I was asked to develop a few looks and so I did.

Though none of these were used in the finals, they all were shown. And as always I built the type as a Single Pointed Bevel with the Trajan font[ used every week in Advert's] and did a series of looks using the procedural textures I build in Dark Tree.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review:DVD Menu Design for The Cimarron Group Home Entertainment Reel 2008

 The first concept 3D design I did was this large single monitor CRT design, here it is rendered in ambient material with a dirt pass to exaggerate the cracks and design elements.

 Here is the textured color pass on the above first draft scene. A bunch of the 3D models they sell on TurboSquid are found in here[ Mic,Generator, etc.]

Here I clumped a bunch of various monitors together that would animate to create this menu. All types of video screens are found here.

Here is the above scene with a few monitors removed for the Blue RAY Menu.

 The final design, though not used was rendered at a full 1080p HD size for the final menus and intro aniamtions.

Project Review

DVD Menu Design for The Cimarron Group

Home Entertainment Division Reel 2008

Client: The Home Entertainment Division of The Cimarron Group.
Creative and Art Direction: George Anderson, and Brian Larson.
Project Date: June 2007- March 2008

While in-house as a 'One Man Army', running my little 3D department, I did a few projects for them, so they tasked me with the DVD Menus for the yearly reels we would send out to solicit business, and to highlight the accomplishments of the various teams.

I had in the past done quite a few DVD menu assets, animated and stills, for the Home Entertainment department, and an occasional 3D logo, so they had me design out theis menu screen with a Stempunk flair to it with a set of animated video monitors, and old TV's that would show off the companys work.

The project dragged out over they next year, and the assets as far as I know were never used, but as all design work is subject to the cutting room floor, that in no way discounts the great learning curve, and quite frankly the FUN I have doing the work.

I love steampunk, I did a lot of Jules Verne inspired designs since I was a kid as I grew up with Disney s 20,000 leagues Under the Sea, and that was the hot item growing up in the 70's for what is now called, "steampunk". Old TV's and all the hardware is fun to assemble along with the cast iron Victorian era-eaque' frames and wheels.

I learned early on, NOT to care if it finishes, enjoy the process the creation you made, as I know that the decision process in almost NEVER based on a good idea or art execution, but the temperment of the cilent that particular hour of the day, or even minute by minute[ just wait a minute they will change their mind again!].

Advertising is all about the clients EGO's, so for the young designers with wild eyes out there it is a wake up call, as to what they say in Design School, and as with all of life, some can deal with this sad truth, and some not.


Cheers, THOM

Project Review: The Phantom 2040- PARTLXXXIX [89th]-Various Video Displays

 In Sparks apartment, there was an Old 90's cathode ray tube TV[ CRT] needed in the script so BAM!

 A beat up dirty wall mounted display screen[ Like an intercom/pay phone]

 A Holographic Display box.

A heads up display from The Phantom 2o4o.

Phantom 2040-PART LXXXIX [89th]

Various Video Displays

Client: Hearst Animation Productions.
Art Director: Myself.
Project Date Spring 1993.

This is my 89th posting here on my design blog for my contributions to The Phantom 2040, and here I have posted four different technology displays that were used in the scripts for The Phantom 2040.

I Had to design lots of circa 2040[ current time for The Phantom] products, but I also had much  older props like 1990's displays as well. And bear in mind that I did the show in the 90's pre-flat screen era we enjoy now.

The variety I show today is a sampling of what I did on a regular basis as Art Director and Conceptual Designer for the series. A holographic cube display, that was a 360 display box. The World of The Phantom 2040 was filled with flat screen with touch based tech everywhere in the 90's, and this is where the great writing for the series really set it apart.

If you are a FAN of The Phantom 2040, and on FACEBOOK, there is a group dedicated to the show here.

There is a TAG on the list to the RIGHT for other Phantom 2o4o entry's, but you can click this as well.

Cheers, THOM