Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/110653
Environments•VFX All the trees grow with dynamics built in. "We scanned all the trees built on set to have a good base, and from there extended the branches by drawing lines in [Autodesk's] Maya," Revelant says. "And, we added branches. Then on top of that, we developed a procedural system based on Dr. P's [Dr. Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz] research to grow branches and leaves that compete for resources." The artists could define settings for an element, like an oak tree, and watch it grow based on parameters that might include age, amount of shade, and so forth. But, the procedural system is reality-based, and the artificial trees were an artist's version of reality. ■ ■ ■ ■ At left, CG stone giants separate from digital mountains amidst simulated atmosphere and toss digital rocks that break apart using simulated physics. At right, Weta Digital created a new tree-growing program to match and extend the artificial trees on sets and to grow forests and foliage in all-digital environments. "The trees on set might not grow like a real tree," Revelant says. "You might be modeling a tree and see the main branch crash into another tree. So, we spent time making sure the artists could use the curves to move a branch without destroying the secondary branches." For background and non-specific trees, the modelers used an iPad application called TreeSketch by Steven Longay, a PhD student at the University of Calgary who studies under Professor Prusinkiewicz. TreeSketch exports 3D models to FBX files. "The general idea is the same," Revelant says. "You draw a curve, define a radius of resources the plant has, and grow it procedurally." Radagast's forest had oddly shaped trees, which hint at the evil that will visit Greenwood Forest in the second and third films. The trees the dwarves and Bilbo climb during a sequence near the end to escape the Wargs and Orcs are more normal-looking pine trees. "We had done all this work on the trees and realized we hadn't done pine needles," Revelant says. "And we needed to have pine needles A SMALL SELECTION OF VFS ANIMATION & VISUAL EFFECTS ALUMNI CREDITS INCLUDE The Amazing Spider Man Amy Lu, Senior Animator | Cedric Lo, Senior Animator | Cobal Yu, Digital Artist | Laurie Powers, Compositor | Marco Leone, Stereo Compositor Matt Wheeler, Lighting TD | Mike Dhamey, Senior Animator | Argo Geoffrey Hancock, Visual Effects Supervisor | Jamie Bowers, Texture Artist | Jose Yapor, Visual Effects Artist Assassins Creed III Dan Vargas, Senior Artist | Magdalena Dadela, Senior Character Artist The Avengers Aaron Gilman, Animation Supervisor | Stephen King, Lead Animator | Cedric Lo, Lead Animator | Scott Jones, Creature TD | Daphne de Jesus, Senior Digital Paint Artist | Nicholas Markel, Previsualization Supervisor The Bourne Legacy Emanuele Bignone, Generalist TD | Jose Julian Karam Lopez, Compositor | Saptarshi Chakraborty, Compositor | Gia Sadhwani, Visual Effects Artist | Pietro Ponti, CG Sequence Lead Brave Bill Watral, Effects Artist | Justine Codron, Lighting TD Cars 2 Stephen King, Animator | Sherrie Law, Digital Painter Cloud Atlas Kyeyong Peck, Senior Modeler/Texture Artist | Geoffrey Hancock, Visual Effects Supervisor Jamie Bowers, Texture Artist | Jose Yapor, Visual Effects Artist | Ian Sorensen, Lead Modeler | Alberto Landeros, Digital Compositor Lisa Nolan, Visual Effects Artist Conan the Barbarian Giancarlo Derchie, Lead Compositor | Tim Chou, Stereoscopic Conversion Compositor | Giacomo Cavalletti, Environment Modeler The Dark Knight Rises Dean Mangion, Matchmove Artist Frederik Lillelund, Lighting TD Dead Rising 2 Fredrick Fassé, Animator Dead Space 2 Wayne Gonsalves, Environment Art Lead Deus Ex: Human Revolution Ryan Nickell, Senior Animator Diablo III John Miller, Environment Artist | Alvaro Buendia, Cinematic Artist Steven Chen, Cinematic Artist District 9 Neill Blomkamp, Director/Co-Writer | Shawn Walsh, Visual Effects Executive Producer Robert Bourgeault, Lighting Lead | Paul Copeland, Character TD | James Stewart, Creature Supervisor Dragon Age II Nathan Zufelt, Senior Cinematic Animator Family Guy Michael Loya, Storyboard Artist Fast Five Rommel Shamoun, Compositor | Anthony Di Ninno, Animator FIFA 13 Jason McNamar, Associate Modeler Futurama Claudia Keene, Prop Designer Halo 4 Steve Dyck, Lead Animator | Mark Tanner, Senior Animator | Kolby Jukes, Senior Character Artist | Andrew Bosold, 3D Environment Artist Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Henry South, CG Modeler | Joshua Herrig, Lead Lighting Artist | Jozef van Eenbergen, Pipeline Developer | Nuno Nisa Pereira, Visual Effects TD The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Adam Bradley, Senior Digital Paint Artist | Louis Cox, Camera TD | Michael Cozens, Senior Animator | Aaron Gilman, Senior Animator | Tamir Diab, Lighting TD | Cesar Rodriguez Bautista, Senior Paint Artist Hotel Transylvania Chad Ellis, Senior Animator | Eva Fan, Animator | Will McCrate, Digital Artist Hugo Geeta Basantani, Lead Compositor Ice Age: Continental Drift Borae Cho, Pipeline TD | Graham Silva, Animator Scott Lemmer, Animator | Thom Roberts, Animator Life of Pi Alex Berson, Roto/Paint Artist | Andrew Juano, Roto/Prep Artist | Diego Piccinato, Digital Compositor | Jason McKeeman, Lead Creature FX TD | Kirk Chantraine, Pipeline Software Engineer | Oded Granot, Compositing TD | Richard Sur, Lighting TD | Ryan B. Clarke, Senior Compositor | Teh-wei Yeh, Lighting TD Mass Effect 3 Nathan Zufelt, Cinematic Animator | Bartek Kujbida, Cinematic Animator Men in Black 3 Juan Carlos Mendoza, Digital Compositor | John Iskandar, Lighting and Compositing TD | Raphael Santos, Roto Artist | Ricardo Gomez, CG Artist My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Jayson Thiessen, Supervising Director | James Wootton, Director Prometheus Gerard Van Ommen Kloeke, Character Rigging Supervisor | Chrystia Siolkowsky, Roto Artist | Giancarlo D'erchie, Digital Compositor | Louis Cox, Camera TD Resident Evil: Retribution Corey Coates, Compositor | Juan Carlos Mendoza, Digital Compositor | Diego Piccinato, Digital Compositor | Ricardo Gomez, CG Artist | Arthur Logo, Digital Compositor | Karan Awasthi, Digital Compositor Rise of the Planet of the Apes Carolyn Wong, Creature TD | Richard Sur, Lighting TD | Chrystia Siolkowsky, Motion Editor Sleeping Dogs Andrew Poon, Cinematics Animator | Corey Kleim, Lead World Artist | Hani Abu-Ghazaleh, Art Director | Rob Starr, Lighting Artist | Sota Yuyama, Gameplay Animator | Terence Wong, Character Artist Smurfs Jeff Struthers, Character Animator Michael Dharney, Senior Animator SpongeBob SquarePants Andrew Overtoom, Animation Director Supernatural Christopher Richardson, Compositor/Lead Artist | Sebastian Fernandez Hyde, Digital Compositor | Werner ten Hoeve, Compositor Thor Daphne De Jesus, Roto/Paint Artist | Eric Petey, Animation Supervisor | Rex Fang, Animator Toy Story 3 Daniel Holland, Sets Artist Tristan Ikuta, Simulation & Effects Artist Transformers: Dark of the Moon Serguei Kalentchouk, Lead Character TD | Jooyong Lee, Digital Artist The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Abel Vargas, Paint/Roto Artist | Arthur Lobo, Digital Compositor Corey Coates, Compositor | Frank Akrong, Digital Compositor | Giorgio Bertolone, Senior Rigger | Karan Awasthi, Digital Compositor Marcela A. Silva, Paint/Roto Artist Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Mike Yosh, Lead Gameplay Animator | Jason Richmond, Game Director Wreck-It Ralph Andrew Lawson, Animator | Justin Hammond, Senior Lighting Artist | John Wong, Animator Zero Dark Thirty Shivas Thilak Anthikkat, Paint/Roto Artist | Jessica Wan, Compositor | Chun-Ping Chao, Digital Compositor TO NAME A FEW VFS STUDENT WORK BY CHASE WALLER January/February 2013 CGW0113-Hobbit1pfin.indd 11 11 1/31/13 5:02 PM