Computer Graphics World

March 2009 40 Also, the ISD group used the sky present in Cinema 4D to show accurate lighting and shadows for the day of the event, which came in handy, especially for the elevated outdoors set. "It was close," says Mitchell of how well the virtual results matched up to the real deal. As a result of this detailed vir- tual picture, NBC could do all its preplan- ning—a big advantage, particularly during a hectic, crowded event such as this. e designers also integrated Smith Micro's Poser characters into the digital sets, to test comfort levels of the would-be announcers as they sat at the desk on the pirate ship. "We made them all six-foot- five and 240 to 300 pounds (to match the bulk of these former football players- turned-commentators), so we could deter- mine how many would ideally fit," explains Mitchell. "We showed them how close the seating would be if they had five at the desk, and then six. And what kind of shots they would get. And where the monitors would hang. ings like that," explains Mitchell. Animated camera moves and sweeps, including some 360-degree shots of the desk with the virtual models, painted ac- curate pictures of what to expect on game day. "Some companies provide sketches, and the client sort of gets the idea. But when you show them the moving lights, the video rolling, the colors changing, the camera moving, there are no unanswered questions," Mitchell adds. Built for Perfection ISD began the preplanning for the event back in April 2008. However, after the first design was completed, the project was put on temporary hold while NBC focused on the Olympics. In all, the designers did four revisions of the design in four months. Af- ter the virtual construction came the actual construction, provided by Mecca Produc- tions. ISD worked closely with Mecca to ensure all the fabrication was realized. "It makes things a lot easier. We design it, and we know how it will be built and lit. It's all wrapped into one, so what you see is what you get," Mitchell adds. Approximately a week prior to game day, the ISD crew headed the short distance from their facility in Lake Mary, Florida, over to Tampa, to begin the setup. ey completed the set on January 29, just three days prior to kickoff. Despite the meticulous planning, did things go off without a hitch? Pretty much, says Mitchell. "We had been planning for this since April, and we knew just about everything that was going to happen and how everything would be done. We have been doing things like this for a while, and we have an idea of what can go wrong, and we plan for those things," contends Mitch- ell. "We hope for the best but we plan for the worst." While the Cardinals may disagree con- sidering the outcome of the game, for the NBC commentators at least, Super Bowl XLIII did not produce any big surprises, progressing as expected. n Karen Moltenbrey is the chief editor for Computer Graphics World. The lighting plot for the sets are integrated into the virtual design. w w w . f o c a l p r e s s . c o m focal press b o o k s F O R C R E A T I V E S , B Y C R E A T I V E S Game Art Complete Editor: Andrew Gahan ISBN: 9780240811475 $69.95 The Complete Guide to Game Audio, 2e By Aaron Marks ISBN: 9780240810744 $39.95 Digital Character Development By Rob O'Neill ISBN: 9780123725615 $69.95 Directing the Story By Francis Glebas ISBN: 9780240810768 $39.95 Visit www.focalpress.com! View video tutorials, chapter samples, podcasts and more. Sign up for specialized e-newsletters with tips and specials throughout the year. aZVg cbV hiZgXg ZViZ Focal Press helps youmaintain your competitive edge. Buy online or in your favorite bookstore today! Y I Y T A E R C Y R B R I T A E R C R o O F o k o o b c r p c p l ca c o f E S E V , S E S E s V s I k ss s e r t t u o gh u o pecials thr d s s an tip s w er tt wsle e ed e-n z peciali s p gn u . Si e r o d m ts an s podca er s t p a h , c ials r o t eo tu w vid ie V m .co s s e r ocalp .f www isit V m o c . s s e r . e year h with r o p f , s le p am s ! m e r o to ks boo ur f o r in yo o n uy o B v titi pe mp co a ta ain um o yo s e l Pre Foca Z gX g i h V cb ZVg a y! p l a c o f . w w w ay oda e to e ite ri o av fa e nlin . e. ge e edg ve ur o ain yo s s help Z i Z V g CGW_THIRD_vert:CGW_THIRD_vert 12/23/08

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