Happy Thanksgiving 2013

Happy Thanksgiving 2013

Much to be thankful for, enjoy the Holiday!

Cheers, THOM

Project Review 2008 Honda pitch- 3D Shaders: Sketch and Graphic [Toon] PART IV

A sketch shader was used with an aged paper background for this 'Sketchbook" look I did in 3D using Cebas' Final Toon.

 The first pass was a bit dark and the lines were a darker value of the base color keeping the scene monochromatic.

 I adjusted the lines to a brighter color while still retaining the red in there for the next round.

 I went fully white for the lines in this Ink-n-Paint look. Note the reflections on the ground as I used a FR_Raytrace Map in the 'toon' reflection channel.

 A version with thinner black outlines for the last one.

 A small render test more realistic but styilized none the less. 

I learned better car lighting right after this stage of the project and can be seen here.

 The basic set up with the geometry from the Camera view. Harder shadows work best for toonz'.[IMAO]

 

 A Screen shot overhead showing the base scene set-up.

Project Review
2008 Honda pitch- 3D Shaders: Sketch and Graphic
[Toon]
PART IV

Client: Goutam Mitra
Art Director: Myself
Lighting Consultant: Jerry Garns.
Project Date: Fall 2008

In his fourth post for the work I did back at The Cimarron Group securing Honda as a client, today I have posted some shader experimentation work I did for the project to achieve a graphic 2D look using the 3D models.

During the project pitch I was asked to create these various looks for a Honda spot to pitch to the company and we went with a Graphic 2D look using 'Cartoon Shaders' in 3D to achieve this look. I had prior experience in 2D Animation, so I had a few things I addressed for the look including the line fill and shadow, as well as the the sketch styles.

These were eventually animated and cut into a few 30 and 15 second TV spots to sell them on the look. One big advantage is that the production time for this look is very reasonable in cost as the shader frames are one 50th the render time.

A fun shader project that though did not go to finish, I did gain valuable experience in setting up a 'toon' scene for production in a MGFX pipeline.

You can view PART I here,
You can view the 3D Logo work here.
You can view PART II just below in sequence to this post, or click here.
You can view PART III here.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review ICE AGE 2:The Meltdown Motion Graphics work Part I

A 3D Motion Graphics Card I rendered out in a custom made Ice-Shader for the TV spots for Ice Age 2 from back in 2006.

I also cut the type into these jagged blocks of ice as an alternate look that we went with on a few spots too.

I cut into the type and Boolean'ed out big areas of the type which helped to sell the Ice look they approved.

 Another Ice card from the Motion Graphics work from Ice Age 2 TV spots.

 I did a set of score cards that were 'lifted up into frame as wipe elements in the spots as well.

I hand built each card so the Ice shape and cuts were each unique.

A wider card that 'flipped' into frame[ with long renders per frame]

The final "Perfect 10" MGFX card I rendered out for the project Ice Age Two.

A shot of all the models I built out as polygon mesh models.

 A close up shot of the card models I made in 3DSmax.

Project Review
ICE AGE 2:The Meltdown
Motion Graphics work
Part I

Client: 20the Century FOX via The Cimarron Group.
Art Director: myself.
Project Date: Summer 2006.

Today I am posting the first in the Motion Graphics 3D work I did for the film Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, from back in January of 2006, while I was in-house running the 3D Design Department at The Cimarron Group.

For these 3D Cards, I was asked to create a block of Ice look to the type and various assets for the TV spots for the Theatrical Advertising campaign. Ice is not an easy look to make legible, so this was both a modeling and a texture and shader challenge.

I built out a few variations and they went with the blocks of Ice look for many of the cards as seen in the images above showing off various scores that were shown within the various TV spots.

I also applied that material directly to the text that was emulating the font in the title, though we went with the Ice rather than the familiar snow material as can be seen in my work from the third film here.

A fun job that lasted a few days, as we did quite a few TV spots with the various type cards rendered out in 3D.

If you wan to see my Ice Age 3 work you can go here.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Code Name: The Cleaner 2007-Home Entertainment Packaging

A flatter extrusion done early on for the 3D logo exploration I did for the DVD packaging for Code Name:The Cleaner.

 A fun glass deep extrusion version of the title in 3D.

 This version was an middle level extrusion with a black rubber holding device on the main title.

 For this version I added a brighter lower light to up-light the deep extrusion a bit more.

 A ruby glass version again and with this round I did all three plates on the main title in ruby glass and used green glass on the tagline.

 For this last round, I removed the holding device and rubber edge on the main title and did a hollow glass logo using the 3D Shell modifier in 3DSmax. You get good internal caustics with a hollow model.

 A version sans the tagline was done as well.

 The basic 3D Scene set-up for the 3D Logo. You can see the Rectangle Light[ box-light] up top of the frame.

 

A birds eye shot of the overall scene with the camera there in the lower right of the render.

Project Review

Code Name: The Cleaner 2007

Home Entertainment Packaging

Client: New Line Home Video via The Cimarron Group.
Art Direction: Emily Fernandez.
Project Date: January 2007.

Back in 2007 while in-house running the 3D Design Department at the Agency The Cimarron Group I did many 3D Logos for Both Theatrical Print, as well as for the Home Entertainment division which would do the follow up Key Art of the DVD and On Demand release for the properties.

Today I cover the quick 3D logo exploration I did for the film Code Name The Cleaner.

A fast half day project was tasked to me to take the font they had locked in for the project and to do some dimensional versions of the type treatment as a 3D Logo. I built out the various plates and created a set of differing red material as this was the basic direction given by Art Director Emily Fernadez.

A fast fun little gig, typical of my daily work. Sometime I get a full day build of an entire city or location,a d sometimes I am able to fine tune a 3D logo for a few hours as I was afforded here.

I enjoy both types of work as they are both design challenges, and this allowed me to do a bit of material experimentation with the ruby red glass. 

Cheers, THOM

Project Review Treasure Planet 2002 PART II

The main 3D posed shot I created for the Poster Idea presentations back in 2002 for Disneys Treasure Planet.

Here is the 3D wire-frame shot of the model I built in the pose from above.

An under the board shot[ It flys!] 

NOTE: The low rez texture I made, I learned to build much higher versions over the last dozen years.

The wire frame shows the details I made even underneath the prop.

A tail shot showing the Jet propulsion attachment.

The 3D wireframe render for the above.

A back view of the Treasure Planet prop with the engines off.

The wires.

The 3/4 front view of the engine.

I built this Pre-Quads, as I was still practicing the technique a dozen years back now.

I created all the wire clips and rivets with zip-tie knots and beveled edges for good highlights.

 

The Handrail bar details up front on the flying board from Treasure Planet from back in 2002.

Project Review
Treasure Planet 2002
PART II
 

Client: Walt Disney Feature Animation via BLT and Associates.
Art Director: Warren Nung.
Project Date: Spring 2002.

For my second posting here covering the 3D design and 3D Illustration work I performed for the Theatrical Print Advertising for the Disney film, Treasure Planet today I cover more in depth the main flying para sail space board from the film that I was asked to recreate for the comp ideas we presented.

Often I reverse engineer out a prop from a film or animation that is either not fully done and available or is just locked off to a our access, so I remake the item. Also I usually only get a single JPG that tends to be a low rez shot to make it from and in this case, that was what I had to build from.

I also get a day or less for these type of things, knowing full well the film prop was build by a team with much more time.

I jumped right in, and  recreated all the various parts and matched the pose to fit a character sketch we did in-house to sell the comp idea to the client. A fun project, and copying anothers designs in 3D always stretch your design capabilities, as you end up doing things outside your own form study.

You can review PART I here that is an overview of the various props I made.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Tomb Raider 2 The Cradle of Life Part II- 3D Main Title Logo Looks

Here is the first title I did for Tomb Raider 2, it was a replication in sorts of what was finished in the print for the first film.

I was using procedural textures from Darkling Simulations early on, so I used a shader from the software and adjusted it to create a cement natural stone like texture.

 Another cement procedural, only this one I wrote in Dark Tree so I could get flat spots on the texture with the aged incursions eating into the font.

This is actually the rusty paint shader that I adjusted and added in a reflection channel that I could drop in the ray trace from the various renderers I use for reflections and then used the bit mapped sanded steel.

This is actually the lunar moon texture shader adjusted to create a s natural stone to match the theme of the second film in the fining of the ancient city.

A heavy rusted steel texture version. The green bottom lighting found on many comps as to connect to the aquatic theme in the second film.

A combo of rusty metal and stone for this pass as I blended procedurals for this pass.

A glass logo in a mild purple.

Another glass Tomb Raider 3D Logo look I created back in 02' with a blue like glass with some glow FX.

 My glass I used on the PPK with some procedural surface cracking added in[ slight].

This is a electron Microscope X-ray texture, as the second film had a' virus' element that they wanted to exploit for the teasers.

A very heavy grained ice like texture for the Tomb Raider Logo.

Here is the basic camera view of the polygons. Two plates of text with a background reflection sphere object[ hidden]

In this birds eye view looking down at the scene we see the camera and the curve added to the double stacked logo plates.

Project Review
Tomb Raider 2 The Cradle of Life
Part II- 3D Main Title Logo Looks

Client: Paramount Pictures.
Art Director(s):Rick Lynch, Warren Nung, Zack Ris, Marcus Almaraz
Project Date: Summer 2002.

For my second posting on the 3D Illustration and 3D Design work that I performed back in 2002 for the Theatrical Advertising on Tomb Raider 2, I have posted a series of looks I did for the main title I built out and rendered in 3D.

The look of the 3D title was established in the first film with the iconic double stacked logo with two plates of metal with a gold holding device behind the font. First we recreated the vectors for the title and the Font Artist there, provided me with the 'ai" save-as file ready to go in 3D.

I built the 3D type out with a sharp bevel out front and a rounded one in the back to 'roll' the reflection over the edges. I then put a slight bend to the type to give a little more curve to the title. I built this prior to learning to Quad model better, and had I needed more of a bend it would have been problematic as if you bend the face too much the triangulation will produce "folds' as artifacts. I also hand rotated each letter but the lighting made them checkerboard in value so I went with the low angle, slight curve instead.

You can review my first post here, which covers a wide range of items I created for the poster comps.

Cheers, THOM