Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1234746
e d i t i o n i , 2 0 2 0 c g w 2 7 precise. So, early on, Cinesite's main work in regard to the creature involved look-dev for the people on set, in particular, understand- ing the speed and scale of the creature; creating motion tests; and thinking about how it would move through the swamp. "We created various motion passes for different types of insects as we developed a sense of the Kikimora's speed," says Pejic. "The production provided previs and story- boards based on concept work, but once the set had been built, changes were required, which basically meant we started over." As Pejic explains, the stunt choreography had plotted pre-planned moves, so the CG creature had to fit around those set pieces. Thus, the animators developed the Kikimora's movement to fit with the action, planning the interactions between Geralt and the creature, although the animation could not be planned too closely in advance, as the team needed to work with what had been filmed to get a real sense of connec- tion during the fight. "Keeping the legs looking tidy, not cov- ering Geralt, yet still functioning realistically in a fight scene was key," he explains. "Too much action and the viewer would just get lost in a frenzy of legs!" The scene was filmed in water on set, though it was fully replaced with CGI (using SideFX's Houdini) in most of the action shots, with the water surface covered densely with leaf litter and forest debris. To make the scene believable, animators had to maintain a realistic sense of movement and resistance on the Kikimora's legs while retaining the speed of the combat. "The animators also had to take into ac- count the Houdini water simulation. Moving a leg too quickly might cause an aestheti- cally unpleasing splash, so finding the right balance while still fully interacting with our hero was a complex task," says Pejic. Although the majority of the swamp envi- ronment was built on stage, set extensions helped create scale and depth, which was particularly important for some angles and views, says Pejic. "It's a mysterious place, with dark, skeletal trees and a foggy, dreamlike atmosphere," he points out. "The production provided HDRI and image references, and this, along with what had been shot on set, gave us plenty of information to drive explorations in Gaffer for our lighting rig setup." BATTLING CROWDS AND MORE CREATURES Another early battle sequence, filmed on a hillside outside Budapest, required the creation of 10,000 Nilfgaardian soldiers fighting the Cintrans. They were simulated using Toolchef's Atoms Crowd system, and integrated to work within Cinesite's pipeline. Between 15 and 20 extras were filmed as reference and captured with 360-degree photogrammetry and motion-capture cycles as infantry and on horses, with a range of armor and uniform. This provid- ed the artists with scale, lighting, texture, and movement reference. Later, they were replaced with Cinesite's crowd agents and CG horses. The 3D team also created the Striga creature and the golden dragon for the series. The horrifying Striga is featured in Episode 3, in another fight with Geralt, this time in an old Gothic castle. A thin, haggard, zombie-like creature, the Striga has leathery skin, long stringy hair, and an umbilical cord hanging from its stomach. Most of all, the creature sports deadly fighting skills. To build the monster, the artists researched a wide array of reference material from horror films. "Striga needed to have an otherworldly feel but not be supernatural. She had to conform to real-world physics, but at the same time, she had to be able to interact with the environment in some unusual and interesting ways," Pejic explains. The production built a prosthetic cos- tume, which was worn by the stunt crew for various action shots. However, that had its limitations, notes Pejic, as the elongated limbs were difficult for the stunt people to move in. As a result, the CG artists stepped in to augment and improve the prosthetics, as well to create the creature entirely in CG for some more physically demanding shots, which needed to intercut seamlessly with the prosthetic version. According to Pejic, the approach for the 2D shots was to get a full rotomation of Striga to use as a shape guide for more traditional 2D warping methods. The team created two versions of the model: one that matched the prosthetic, and one that was manipulated with a slimmer look. This allowed them to UV-project the plate onto the larger model in Foundry's Nuke, and then transfer these textures to the slimmer mod- el, giving a procedurally slimmed image. The artists were provided with a full cyberscan of the prosthetic, which was used to create the full-CG Striga for the shots that required more dynamic movement. "We made some adjustments to the prosthetic, which included extending the legs and arms, but needed to keep faithful to what was shot to ensure a seamless transi- tion with the full CG version," says Pejic. In all, 12 shots involving a fully-CG Striga were created, in addition to several shots where the artists augmented the prosthet- ic. The face of the prosthetic was in some in- stances enhanced using a 2D approach, and in other shots replaced with a fully CG face. During the fight, a blast forces Geralt and the Striga to fall through the floor of the Great Hall, down to the crypt below, where the battle continues. Houdini was used to create the destruction FX simulation, with dust and debris added. "Animation was the toughest challenge for the creatures. Also, we needed to deviate from what was shot in the plate, but not too much because the rest of the sequence still had the stunt guys in the prosthetic – the biggest challenge was in creating consistency between the CG and real, while retaining the style of the original choreography," says Pejic. "We had to make it better, more believable." Cinesite also created massive armies of Nilfgaardians and Cintrans.