Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1527843
2 CGW J U LY • A U G U S T • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 4 THE ART OF INVISIBILITY s computer graphics reach extraordinary new heights, the art of craing invisi- ble eects has progressed tremendously. The line between reality and fantasy continues to blur as ground-breaking tools allow artists to apply digital manip- ulations more imperceptibly than ever before—from massive set extensions to microscopic minutia. When eects are invisible, we can more fully immerse ourselves in the story being told on screen. Digital doubles have navigated beyond the dreaded "uncanny valley," while his- toric and geographic augmentations enhance a sense of time and place. Advancements in technology have moved in lockstep with advancements in creativity. Not long ago, the di- vide between computer-generated imagery and reality could be a bit of a distraction. Now, visual eects are impeccably layered and seamlessly stitched into the fabric of the worlds around them, allowing storytelling to ‚ourish. In our cover story, we dive into the spectacular visuals of Deadpool & Wolverine—from subtle enhancements to over-the-top action. Marvel's †rst foray into R-rated territo- ry—and its unique ‚avor of stylized violence and fourth wall-busting humor—was made possible by Framestore's VFX mastery. The award-winning studio delivered over 420 †nal eects shots and 900+ pre, tech, and postviz shots—including a massive troupe of Dead- pool variants. "A huge amount of preparation went into that, and the whole sequence is well over 200 shots—some very complicated visual eects which are eectively invisible on screen," recalled VFX supervisor Matthew Twyford. Post editor-in-chief Marc Lous takes us behind the scenes of Transformers One, a fully CG-animated feature with epic visuals craed by VFX powerhouse ILM. Directed by Os- car-winner Josh Cooley, the †lm reveals the untold origins of future archnemeses Optimus Prime and Megatron—while setting itself apart from the franchise's previous installments. "The one thing that's connective is that a lot of our animators also animated the visual eects for the live-action ones, so they're familiar with the scale and weight of these char- acters," Cooley explained. Also in this issue, we explore the dazzling VFX and post-production pipeline for Net‚ix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series. During the grading process, Company 3 senior colorist Siggy Ferstl applied diusion, halation, and soening tools to develop a more or- ganic aesthetic: "We came up with ways to sort of 'dirty up' the image to take it away from a clean 'studio' vibe to make it more cinematic." We step into Disguise's immersive virtual production work‚ow for the Toronto and Tribe- ca †lm festival feature Daddio, which utilized an LED volume, media servers, and half of an authentic New York City taxi cab. We also dive into a short †lm that takes aim at the current state of VFX from an artist's perspective, explore advancements in expedited camera-to- cloud work‚ows, and recap the leading innovations showcased at the 51st annual SIG- GRAPH conference—from ethical generative AI to the next frontier of humanoid robotics. We may champion invisible VFX here at CGW, but invisible robots...? No, thank you! :) ¢ A R E C E N T A W A R D S E D I T O R I A L CGW MANAGING EDITOR Kendra Ruczak kruczak@cgw.com t: 818.291.1168ª POST EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Marc Loftus mloftus@postmagazine.com t: 516.376.1087 PUBLISHER/PRESIDENT/CEO William R. Rittwage COP Communications A D V E R T I S I N G DIRECTOR OF SALES: PRINT, DIGITAL, AND AWARDS Mari Kohn mkohn@postmagazine.com t: 818.291.1153 c: 818.472.1491 EDITORIAL OFFICE / LA SALES OFFICE 620 West Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 t: 818-291-1168 D E S I G N SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Michelle Villas michelle@moontidemedia.com ISSUE DESIGNER Kendra Ruczak kruczak@cgw.com C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E / C I R C U L A T I O N Junior Lopez jlopez@copcomm.com t: 818.291.1117 D I G I T A L M A R K E T I N G / S O C I A L M E D I A Tommy Rittwage tommy@copcomm.com t: 818.291.1166 COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD, A COP COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY. Computer Graphics World does not verify any claims or other information appearing in any of the advertisements contained in the publication, and cannot take any responsibility for any losses or other damages incurred by readers in reliance on such content. Computer Graphics World cannot be held responsible for the safe- keeping or return of unsolicited articles, manuscripts, photographs, illustrations or other materials. Address all subscription correspon- dence to: Computer Graphics World, 620 West Elk Ave, Glendale, CA 91204. Subscriptions are available free to qualified individuals within the United States. Non-qualified subscription rates: USA—$68 for 1 year, $98 for 2 years; Canadian subscriptions —$98 for 1 year and $136 for 2 years; all other countries—$150 for 1 year and $208 for 2 years. Digital subscriptions are available for $27 per year. Subscribers can also contact customer service by calling 818-291-1158, or sending an email to csr@cgw.com. Postmaster: Send Address Changes to Computer Graphics World, 620 W. Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 Please send customer service inquiries to 620 W. Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 Kendra Ruczak Managing Editor, CGW