Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art

 

 Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: Main Render delivered with all layers.

 

 

  Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: With the hidden photography layer used for alignment for the client to see in.

 

  Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: The background 3D render group set behind the photo-shoot grab.

 

 

 Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: The Foreground 3D Color render set in front of the above render to comlete the comp.

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: The full 3D render together with Foreground and Background.

 

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: A Z-Depth distance based mask used for all post effects.

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: I almost always provide a second render pass shaded as an Ambient Occlusion/ Dirt pass using Cebas Final Render GI plug-in. It gives both ambient realism, and a dirt procedural shader that fills in cracks in the geometry at all intersections adding realism as well. A must have in any 3D render. This is for the Foreground layer.

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: a second  Ambient Occlusion/ Dirt pass. This is for the background scaffolding group render layer.

 

 Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: This is the original sketch as well as a screen grab of sketch, the photography and a set extension I did for the viewport background to render to.

 

 

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: A Screen Grab Clay shader showing surface-This is the Camera view with the refection dome behind the scaffolding.

 

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: A Screen Wire-frame grab from the Camera.

 

 

 Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: A Screen Wire-frame camera viewport showing alignment to the sketch and city photography

 

 

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art :A Screen Grab Clay shader showing surface- A close up on the mesh railing and details in the build with the bolts and clamps, floor boards and props.

 

 

 

  

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: A Screen Wire-frame- of the above Clay shot. Color coded meshes by object type is seen here.

 

 

 

 

 Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: A Screen Grab Clay shader showing surface- A birds eye view with both foreground and background groups in the shot

 

 

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: A Screen Grab Clay shader showing surface- The same birds eye view with just the Background group in the shot

 

 

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: A Screen Grab Clay shader showing surface- The same birds eye view with just the Foreground group in the shot

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art; A Screen Grab Clay shader showing surface- a severe birds eye view looking into the Gap where the main Actor Pete Holmes is place virtually.

 

Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: A Screen Grab Clay shader showing surface- super close on the knotty pine box I repurposed from another gig.

 

 Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019- 3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art: A Screen Grab Clay shader showing surface- A medium shot from camera showing better detail a bit closer.

 

 Project Review: Crashing HBO 2017-2019

3D Concept Design Illustration for Key Art 

September 2017 

 

Client:  HBO via Cold Open
Creative Direction: Gardner DeFranceaux
Project Date:  September 2017.

     I was brought onto this HBO project in the Fall of 2017 for a new HBO series Crashing to do some Concept Design and 3D Illustration for a concept the client wanted to see. This was proof of Concept work, that was presented, but did not finish.

    Another great project I got from Cold Open agency. This was a Concept Art 3D Illustration piece to make a giant scaffolding structure surround the main talent Pete Holmes both front and back in a city where he is  a giant at 30 stories tall. I did some research as well as getting a reference sketch and some photos of the level of detail wanted, so I was off to work.

 

     I built out the individual parts "Lego Style" so I can have repeating parts to use, and I put a naming convention in the file to easily texture and grab the parts by object when I build all base parts. These were also all built at as quad subdivision models so I could have a low-rez base mesh and add subdivision at render time since there were a lot of parts in the file a 100+ Mb scene file so you need to be able to light it easier that way. Also when I build stuff like this I want to sure the parts in the future and at some point if it is to be animated, as they need the low poly for that to be efficient. I also color code the geometry to grab by color for quick workflow. Even a mini pipeline for a single image is helpful.

 

    This is a Behind the Art post showcasing the actual geometry in a build. I also split the scaffolding into foreground and background sections to easily place the photo-shoot Pete Holmes inside the scaffolding structure cage so to speak. I delivered the layered Photoshop file to the agency this way so they could work quickly and mask as needed.

     Many thanks go out to Gardner there at Cold Open. A fun design to execute even if t did not make it to the finish. I love the building  and lighting rendering no matter how far a project goes, the process is  what I love. Click the link to see the impressive work they do! 

     I am currently full time doing freelance as I hunt for a full-time place to work at, so if you need a bid for a 3D Illustration or 3D Logo, or a 3D Model feel free to contact me for a quote. I am open to Hourly gig's, Work Retainers, Part-time, and of course a Full Time opportunity [ Open to relocation ] would be best. I have worked remote since 2009, so I am ready to go now.

                                 Cheers, THOM

Project Review:Red Dawn 2012: F4 Phantom- Style Frame Matte Painting-PART I

 A night version in Camo was used to start off the process for the F4 color design for Red Dawn.

 A lighter version with grey paint is what we went with for the next pass.

 Here is the final delivered Concept painting I did for the graphics and aged look to the F4's from Red Dawn.

 A Daylight converted shot done from the above painting.

 A final here shot from underneath the plane at night with the afterburners full bore.

Project Review

Red Dawn 2012

F4 Phantom- Style Frame Matte Painting

Client: Film District via Rhythm and Hues.
Project Date: April-May 2010

My very first job out of Art Center in 1992 was indirectly connected to Rhythm and Hues studios for the Mazda MX-6 here, and to return many years later to work on another fun project was a pure joy. 

This was a short in-house temporary gig for a few weeks back in 2010, so I worked out of their great facility, as well as was there during the move to the new place. 

I was brought in to help create the look for a few items used in the film and the main one I worked on was an old F-4 Phantom from the Vietnam era.

The job was to create the look of an old worn out jet that was used for the national guard in Spokane WA., so my first task was to do some research on the area to find some graphics that were used by the local National Guardsman out there to add the realism to the 'fictitious' plane.

I grabbed a few badges and icons and created a few myself as well and proceded to paint over a stock shot of a plane to completely repaint the exterior. I aged the plane paint and metals to show that it sat a lot and had rust, wear, and aging.

As is done with Style frame Matte paintings like these is you do a day/night shot , which is simply to convert a daylight photo to a night one since the planes were used in scenes in both environments.

A fun quick gig, glad the film finally came out this week WOLVERINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: X-Men 2 [ 2002]

 Thumbnail view of 2 day logo design phase

Logo transformation 3D and 2D

3D "X Door" Opens for pay Off Concepts

BIG Metal Logo,... "Check!"

Client: 20th Century Fox Via BLT and Associates.
Art Director: Zack Ris
Date: Spring 2001

Super hero movies all need that famous giant metal logo right? Well in Theatrical Advertising this sometimes is all they think 3D is for, but in this case they are right.

What is the process to create a logo for a film like this I am asked often, well here is how this one went down.

X Men 1 was done before I started at BLT, and was done in 2D as a 3D fake. We started the process from there, and simply added a 2 in various forms to have perfect continuity.

My first open assignment was to go for it and design a bunch of concepts for X-Men 2 for a group of Art Directors at BLT. The above attachment shows that within 16 Hrs[ 2 Days] I had over 200 ideas. You will also notice the RED square at the top of the thumbnail pic shows that we picked an early concept, which is usually the case. The first round usually wins.

The very talented Art Director, now a Creative Director, Zack Ris took my render and modified it in Photoshop to create the beautiful design that finished. If you look closely at the final you will notice the seam[ crack] in the door is a 2D fake added in. I later remodeled the doors to animate and matched camera and model to the 2D adjustment.

I did a few rounds for the next level, for the "Pay-off Poster" that was fun to design, namely we wanted to show the doors open with the X-Men walking towards camera. Lasers, jet engines, giant Cogs, and locks were fun to play around with, but the exercise did not pay off with a finish.

Once I left BLT and joined The Cimarron Group, ironically I was put on X- Men 3, and I won that finish as well. Look for a follow up post on x Men 3.


Cheers, THOM

How to use a Z-Depth Channel from a 3D Image

Daily Planet 3D Render Color Pass

Daily Planet 3D Render Z-Depth [ Distance based] Pass Original

Daily Planet 3D Render Z-Depth [ Distance based] Pass Leveled A

 Night at the Museum Color Pass Key Art for One Sheet

  Night at the Museum Color Pass Key Art for One Sheet

 Z-Depth Render Pass

Distance based masking

In the world of 3D, X,Y and Z represent the three dimensions. Z_Depth is the third dimension that is represented as a distance going into a 3D image or 3D Animation from your camera viewpoint. X and Y represent what every 2D Designer uses on a daily basis in any Vector or Bitmap program of Height and Width, and with 3D, Depth is added via a Z_Depth going into the Depth of an image.
One great advantage to a 3D Illustration is that the Z_Depth is a pixel for pixel representation of where the object falls in the scene based on 256 levels of a gray scale. So staging your image based on distance, like adding fog only in the background can be achieved in 1/10th the time.
Another advantage to the Z_Depth image, is that you can adjust the levels in Photoshop and virtually move the distance plane through a scene and get even more custom depth selections. The finished still for One Sheet comps was built for Superman Returns in 2005.
Just one more advantage to a SMART 3D image.


Cheers, THOM