3D Artist 001 2009

LAUNCHISSUE DAZCARRARAPRO6.2WORTH£384FREEONTHECD 40www.3DArtistonline.com Pages of expert creative guides 01 CINEMA 4DLookPractical inspiration for the 3D community behind a steampunk image 3ds MaxConstruct and texture an elegant interior MayaWork with ZBrush to model a manga cybergirl Softimage|XSI Jack Zhang's Two Mighty KingsLearn to use•VideotutorialZBrush todayFree crash course in digital sculptingParixtwaro-srktyle• Step-by-step tutorial insideRender a toy car scene in Maya FORNEYEOCUDRS• 3cdsiM-fiax mcahstearcrlaassctersRig & render Plus: Free model on the CDC•Inudutsttriynintger-vieewdge 3DBlutsbrueder on its vision of the future PDlaunsn: yKiBeoroylneHanedlsdVoFnXoonntlhoecafitlimonindustry, RInefivnieitwe s•:ADuAtoZdCeaskrrIamraag7e•Me-oodneVleure 7 INSPIRATIONAL GUIDES FRMOMOMNA3EKDYEMAASRTTEORF 3DTHE Dedicated section World-leading artists reveal the secrets for students and pros behind their work – step by step WOFRRTEHE£D4I5S4C•BFEeaHtuIrNe DBLENDER Free 3D softwareISSUE 0I1SSN 1759-9636 £6.00 3D models worth £70 0 1 Monster models to enjoy Cwaorrrtahra£36.824ProThe story of free 3D software 9 7 7 1N7 5o9 u9n6 3a0©u0t7hImoraisgeindeP1c6ePorsfpueeycbatilnfmiosgrhlsecoisenrsngedssLkiksityetdbrsiobxuestion

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Artist info Soa Lee Username soanala wPewrwso.snoaalnpaolrat.fcoolmio site Country Korea PShoofttwosahroepu,sVe-dR3ayds Max, Cover artist © Imagine Publishing Ltd afigifidtTmnonhrehdsoiialsneitdggohgcqehnc–ooutohavefwamaendbledirdetptyscoaioottouosnahautfir!altyll.Sidv,oW–oeangeanheo,y’dsfleetoahrwwncwoaooeasulrnenwgkotsdhaeuisstcrroetatnv,heisryNo unauthorised copying or distribution

to the first issue of a new magazine for 3D artists Imagine Publishing Ltd Richmond House, 33 Richmond HillEycooveuurncytaionsnsu…e Welcome to the world of 3D Artist. Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 6EZ Each issue we’ll feature jaw-dropping1cre1a1t6ivpeaignespsioraf tion artwork and explain how it was made, ☎ +44 (0) 1202 5862002simceaBngeeehssingadun-iddtheaesr-ttwoork we’ll go behind the scenes with3of cAreCaDtivpeagckoeoddnfuelsls industry professionals, interview Web: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk4inspInirtaetrivoineawlsarwtiisthts experts in their field and give you the lowdown on53inDtThoierpgisnefdotutrisnstgrtyuwdoyrikng exciting developments in the world of 3D. We aim www.3dartistonline.com6youTrhaertcihnatnhceemtoasge! e to inspire and inform in equal measure, so if you want to know which course to go on, what Magazine team university to attend or what software to master, you’ll find it all here. At the heart of 3D Artist, Editor Duncan Evans though, is the community spirit that runs so strongly through the 3D universe. So don’t forget [email protected] to sign up to the website and we’ll see you again ☎ 01202 586282 next month. DEudnictaonrEvans, Editor in Chief Jo Cole Senior Sub Editor Colleen JohnsonThis issue’s team of expert artists… Sub Editor Sam Robson Group Art Editor Lora BarnesMark Bremmer Plamen Iliev Jack Zhang Lance Hitchings Head of Design Ross Andrews Whether it’s probing I don’t know what Jack is a character Lance runs a design the Dutch open they feed 3D artists in modeller for EA in studio stateside, and Contributors source gang or Bulgaria, but Plamen Canada, and this is also the man explaining the has more talent than expertise comes behind this issue’s Mark Bremmer, Lee Davies, Jon Denton, Julie Easton, intricacies of Carrara, we have hot pies, and through in his Mighty epic Tot Rod step-by- Carlos Fueyo, Thomas Hans-Christensen, John Haynes, Mark is your man we have a lot of pies! Two Kings tutorial step guide Lance Hitchings, Plamen Iliev, Natalie Johnson, April Madden, Brajan Martinovic, Yuriy Mazurchuk, Adam Smith,Yuriy Mazurchuk Lee Davies April Madden Julie Easton Rosie Tanner, Mike Wilson and Jack Zhang We call it the Table Lee is employed as a April is technical Foraging through the and Chairs tutorial. character modeller editor on Corel dustbins of the Advertising You can call it the for a Dublin-based Painter Magazine industry in search of most incredible piece agency. He is also the and a graphic artist. news, it’s Julie, Digital or printed media packs are available on request. of interior artwork fastest 3D artist we’ve We gave her a pile of deputy editor of you’ve ever seen ever met books to review Advanced Photoshop Commercial Director Ross WebsterRosie Tanner Carlos Fueyo Mike Wilson Thomas Haas-Christensen ☎ 01202 586418 Editor of Photoshop Giving the lowdown Mike is a graphics A fan of Maya and Creative, Rosie has on the 1930s Miami designer working in Mudbox, Thomas [email protected] put together our waterfront, Carlos Utah, USA. When explains how he got education course runs architectural he’s not creating an elephant to stand Head of Sales James Hanslip feature and gallery visualisation large-scale prints, on a ball and look this issue company Insomnia he’s busy rendering sad. No, really! ☎ 01202 586423Swignwup,wsha.3redyoaurratrtiasntdochnat ltoiontheer.acrotismts at [email protected] Advertising Manager Michaela Cotty ☎ 01202 586441 [email protected] Account Manager Cassie Gilbert ☎ 01202 586421 [email protected] Account Manager Hannah Bradshaw ☎ 01202 586436 [email protected] Cover disc Interactive Media Manager Lee Groombridge Head of Digital Projects Stuart Dixon Multimedia Editor Tom Rudderham [email protected] International 3D Artist is available for licensing. Contact the International department to discuss partnership opportunities. International Manager Cathy Blackman ☎ +44 (0) 1202 586401 [email protected] Subscriptions Subscriptions Manager Lucy Nash ☎ 01202 586443 [email protected] To order a subscription to 3D Artist: ☎ UK 0844 249 0472 ☎ Overseas +44 (0) 1795 592951 Email: [email protected] 6-issue subscription (UK) - £21.60 13-issue subscription (UK) – £62.40 13-issue subscription (Europe) – £70 13-issue subscription (ROW) – £80 Circulation Circulation & Export Manager Darren Pearce ☎ 01202 586200 Production Production Director Jane Hawkins ☎ 01202 586200 Founders Managing Director Damian Butt Finance Director Steven Boyd Creative Director Mark Kendrick Printing & Distribution Printed by St Ives Andover, West Portway, Andover, SP10 3SF Distributed by Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, ☎EC1A 9PT 020 7429 4000 Disclaimer The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. © Imagine Publishing Ltd 2009 ISSN 1748-72774 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

It’sSawjiunnggtlheroouutgthheitre.iPad Kindle Printed full colour large format bookDirectoryTMThe definitive review listings for iPad, iPhone and Android appsAlso in this series Bookazines eBooks • Apps HIGH Kindle Store ImagineShop.co.uk App Store www.imaginebookshop.co.uk ST. BUY IN STORE High street

INSIDE ISSUE ONE 01Discover how these images were created… ev3eDrGyAemrttoisntthsave 40ddeoloivrTeuasrruennbddtsocdrpiiabrgeeecto1t0dtaoayn!ydou%r44 sCcrie-afitcehaaracterin 3dsMax &ZBrush The scene was rendered in mental ray, with the use of a few unlocked features that I consider the hidden gems of this fantastic rendering engine. Six-page guide behind the scenes of the creation of this image Plus: Object file on the disc6 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

GUIDES & TECHNIQUES The Studio Professional 3D advice, techniques and tutorials 58 44 Behind the Scenes: Modelling detail and glamorous lighting Although I didn’t keep track of mytime, I estimate it took between 300 Six-page guide to creating a sexyand 350 hours over almost a year assassin from the futureLance Hitchings gives an insight into the dedication behind Tot Rod. Page 58 50 I made this: Carlos Fueyo, The Miami River 1930 Video tutorial: Sculpting in ZBrush Design agency boss details the work in this amazing render Direct from the video lab at Gnomon, there’s a crash course in ZBrush sculpting on the CD 52 Step by step: Go wild with monkey fighting action Plus software, models and resources Jack Zhang explains how he worth over £450 created The Two Mighty Kings Turn to page 110 for the complete disc contents 56 I made this: Thomas Free: Carrara Pro 6 Haas-Christensen, Sad Elephant 52 Wpaogreth11£03f8o4r!mTourrenitnofo Check out the details in this poignant yet entertaining image 58 Step by step: Create a Pixar-style garage scene in Maya Lance spent a year making the charming TotRod image 68 Behind the scenes: Create an elegant room in 3ds Max Learn how this incredible finely detailed interior was created 74 I made this: Michael Wilson, 68 Theseus and the Minotaur See what Mike had in mind with this classic story retelling 76 Step by step: Creating a cute cartoon style cybergirl How to create a saucy character from modelling to texturing CTmohnoteinrrueeed’isnoveseivrdleeeanf… Turn the page to discover the76 interviews, reviews, industry advice and more that we’ve packed into this issue… © Imagine Publishing Ltd 3DArtist ● 7 No unauthorised copying or distribution

INSIDE ISSUE ONE CreaartetwSaeogaerlklyerhoyeutrored…ay at 01Inspiration • Interviews • Reviews and more Sharoenyooiutmhreaargrtae,rsctiosmts’ment 11 The Gallery Amazing images from around the 3D world, all for your delectation22 Community News, contests, artwork and showreels from the 3D community26 Interview: Blutsbrueder The future will be shiny and feature robots. Franz Steiner explains all34 Feature: Inside Blender HQ Discover the world domination plans of the Dutch open sourcers40 Interview: Kieron Helsdon You’ll want this man’s job as we go on location with the Lighting TD44 The Studio A world of tutorials and insights into frankly incredible images80 Questions and answers Got questions about 3D software and practices? Come hither84 Review: Vue 7 We love to create scenes that take place in the near future. For me, it’s a great way to Hollywood studios use it, Duncan live my passion for product design Evans reviews the new version Franz Steiner reveals the motivation behind Blutsbrueder. Page 2686 Review: Carrara 7 Easy-to-use 3D package gets upgraded. Mark Bremmer calls it88 Review: DAZ Studio 2.3 The easiest way to get yourself some rendering action is also free!89 Review: Autodesk Inside guide to industry news, studios, expert opinion & education ImageModeler 96 Studio access: SPLine Games Make building architecture a breeze by converting photos A team of Russian artists spill the beans on their latest game89 Review: 3Dconnexion SpaceExplorer 100 Interview: Leo Santos Navigate your way through 3D Animation supervisor at Blur software with a 3D mouse Studio comes clean90 Reviews: Books A selection of the best releases 108 Subscribe today! 103 College course: Hertfordshire University You don’t want to miss an issue We check out the three-year 3D and it will save you lots of cash Animation course 94 News 110 On the disc Industry events, awards, courses 104 Gallery: Student showcase and news you need to read Course students show their work There’s good stuff on there – © Imagine Publishing Ltd Carrara 6.2 Pro for a start No unauthorised copying or distribution8 ● 3DArtist

Ndoutmjumstiefosr TMA clear, comprehensive series for people who want to start learning about iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and PhotoshopAlso in this series Bookazines eBooks • Apps HIGH Kindle Store ImagineShop.co.uk App Store www.imaginebookshop.co.uk ST. BUY IN STORE High street

PaossffoausrykonuorwolwedngeiPad Kindle Printed full colour large format book TMKnow more with world-leading features and tutorials on everything from Mac OS X to War Of The WorldsAlso in this series Bookazines eBooks • Apps HIGH Kindle Store ImagineShop.co.uk App Store www.imaginebookshop.co.uk ST. BUY IN STORE High street

THE GALLERY WELCOME TOTHE GALLERY Ten pages of the greatest artwork from the 3D community I have always thought of this car as a creature and not a structure of Artist info Jose M Lazaro metal, therefore I decided to design it as such for use in TV promotion. I Jose’s rendition of used Maya, mental ray and Photoshop for composite and colour correction Featured artists actor Morgan to produce this final image Freeman dropped our jaws when we Haider T. Najeeb F1, 2008 first saw it… Haider T. Najeeb Ertug Yenidemir An incredible rSChPaootyenfurat.sncwnogtdarnsyroPaeclhUpuioenosttioetryetsd.ofdhoMroAglipa/oryagsabait,lElememrheytin/rtaptat:e/l/s cityscape from Ertug with anGet your artwork featured in these pages HDR-style lighting finish as wellSimply send it to the 3D Artist Gallery. Here’s how… Stephen Molyneaux Check out the distressed sofa and the superb character detail in the figure Soa Lee An amazingly detailed image from Soa, who also provides this issue’s cover Eugene Dranov Down in the canyon, strange life forms hurry here and there – superbly realised Max Wahyudi Max’s homage to tragic Heath Ledger in his final, and compelling, role as the Joker John Hayes It’s a sexy witch sat on a pumpkin. What more could you ask for in a rendered image? Radoslav Zilinsky Get your spyglass out and enjoy al lthe intricate detail in this fantasy sceneComment on Enter online Hang your art in our online gallery Email or post You’ll be missing out on a thriving 3D more great and get selected for the magazine community, but if you’d rather submit your 3D art… work by email or post, here’s how. Make 1. Register with us sure your image is at least 3,000 pixels on Head straight over to the longest side, save it as a maximum www.3dartistonline.com, Check out the website below and click on Register. Choose a quality JPEG or zip it up as a TIFF and email register and you can leave username and password and you’re ready to go. it to the address below. Please include yourcomments for other artists. contact details! If you’ve created a Pixar- www.3dartistonline.com beating animation and want to see that Some of the people featured on the cover CD, then save it onto afeatured here already have 2. Upload your images CD and post it to us. You can also send yourtheir galleries, so get online images on CD. The addresses are: Once registered, you can upload images to your gallery – and join our club! there’s no limits on numbers but check the size criteria. [email protected] 3. Tell us about them! The Gallery, 3D Artist, Imagine Publishing, Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill, Have an image you feel passionate about? Drop editorial an Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 6EZ email at [email protected] Create your gallery today: www.3dartistonline.com © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution 3DArtist ● 11

THE GALLERY There’s so much that makes this piece jaw-dropping;it’s the textures, the film grain, the depth of field and, aboveall, the perfect capture of Freeman’s expression and presence. It would be an incredible photograph – it’s an astounding render Ross Head of Design © Imagine Publishing Ltd12 ● 3DArtist No unauthorised copying or distribution

THE GALLERY Artist info This is my Morgan Freeman project. I’m very happy with the result. Jose M LazaroI’ve been trying to make a film noir tribute with this fantastic actor CwPoewurwsnot.jrnoyaslSeppmoalriantzfaorlioo.csoitmeJose M Lazaro The Last Move, 2007 PMShouofdttowbsoahxro,epZu,Bsmreuedsnh3t,adBlsroMadyyaPxa, int 3D, Work in progress… © Imagine Publishing Ltd 3DArtist ● 13No unauthorised copying or distribution

Artist infoTHE GALLERY This piece took two weeks with scene design, sketch and 3D. The old houses are the Safranbolu Evleri from Turkey Ertug Yenidemir Captivity, 2008 Ertug Yenidemir Personal portfolio site http:// ertug.cgsociety.org/gallery Country Turkey Software used 3ds Max, Photoshop, V-Ray, Color Efex Pro filter Work in progress…14 ● 3DArtist For what could have been a clinical and sterile architectural piece, it’s the warmth of the light, detailing, slightly grimy textures and the juxtaposition of almost Art Deco futuristic buildings and soft, natural elements that makes this image stand out from the crowd Lora Group Art Editor © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

Bernadette was a personal Artist infoTHE GALLERYproject made over a couple of months.I had developed my skills over the MStoeplyhneenauxpast three years and wanted toproduce a high-quality piece of Username old-boyartwork of the highest standard. The ZSCwPBooewrfurutwsnwsot.haorn,yrlamdelU-uepbnnsooiettryaetd.cfldo3orKald.iuyoisnk, MsPgidhtaeooxmt,oshopproject also gave me the opportunity Work in progress…to use new tools and develop myskills in new softwareStephen MolyneauxBernadette, 2008 What Stephen has managed to do here isnothing short of creating a digital masterpiece.The use of reference photographs and thecareful attention to detail for deforming theleather sofa elevate this way above the usual renders of a pretty girl in 3D. The skin textures are superbJo Editor in Chief © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution 3DArtist ● 15

THE GALLERY When I was asked by Legend Footwear to create a poster, I envisaged the angel who is ready to go down to Earth, expecting some casual meeting in the party of mankind. She looks like a pure girl with joyous anticipation Soa Lee Angel’s Time, 2008 This is a beautiful image full of lightness andArtist infotexture, from the folds in the dress to the flutteringdoves to the side. Superb styling and lighting make it all the more surprising this was a project for a shoe company Jo Editor in Chief Soa Lee Username soanala Personal portfolio site www.soanala.com Country Korea Software used 3ds Max, Photoshop, V-Ray Work in progress…16 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

THE GALLERYArtist info The main task was the creation of this strange world;this one is attractive but does not like our world. I found itvery pleasing to create this made-up world, but I had sometrouble with the fog (effect) and with the focal distance. Isolved this with the Z-Depth render element Eugene Dranov Microworld, 2008 Eugene Dranov VSCeP-ooueRfugrtaenswyont,arndPyrarheaUlounptksooorevsra.dhticnfog3oepsdlioosCcMSsiei3tateyx.ho9tr,tgp:// Work in progress… There’s something very charming about 3DArtist ● 17Eugene’s microworld. The characters areengaging, the colours really pop out and the semitransparent water looks fantastic. It’s a work of real imagination Duncan Editor © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

THE GALLERYArtist info Fabulous tribute to the tragic Heath Ledger MPsCSetouoraudsfotenxwnntrataWy.lvrpeCfsoaua.rcnshtoeafmoddyla/iMou~3asddiyt6aei,8hZmtBtaprux://s/h who turned in a show-stealing performance in The Dark Knight. The brooding intensity of the18 ● 3DArtist character is captured perfectly here, while the hair – created using Hair and Fur in Maya – is astonishingly similar to that of the character in the film. Definitely one of our favourite images from the launch issue Lora Group Art Editor © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

THE GALLERY This image is a tribute to Heath Ledger’s 3DArtist ● 19Joker character. I created this image to fit with adual-screen wallpaper, although it will still workif the image is cut in half for a single screen. Isculpted the mesh in ZBrush and rendered inMaya with mental ray. The hair was createdusing Hair and Fur in MayaMax Wahyudi The Magic Trick, 2009 © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

Artist infoTHE GALLERY John Hayes Pzuegrsookn.caglspoocriteftoyl.ioorgsi/tgeahlltetpry:// CSPoohufotntwotrsayhreoUpuS,sAVe-dR3adys Max, Work in progress… I made this illustration with Modo’s modelling, sculpting, UV layout, 3D texture painting and rendering features. I then used Photoshop to clean up the renders, adjust the colour values and add highlights to the hair. I normally use several 3D software packages, however, since Modo offers all the tools I needed, this 3D illustration was made to test it John Hayes Witch and Pumpkin, 2009 Come on, what’s not to like here with ourbusty witch sat astride the glowing pumpkin. The colours are fantastic, as is the detail on the witch’s outfit. Just look at those boots! Duncan Editor © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution20 ● 3DArtist

THE GALLERYArtist info Although the overall image is beautiful, you have to get up close to really appreciate it. Look at the rainbow haze over the water – it’s crazy good! Jo Editor in Chief Radoslav Zilinsky Username: radoxist wPewrwso.rnaadlopxoisrtt.fcoolimo site Country Slovakia PShoofttwosahroepu,sVeRda3yd, Zs BMruasxh, Work in progress… I created this image primarily to be viewed close-up sothe viewer can discover all the little detailsRadoslav ZilinskyWorth Enough?, 2007 © Imagine Publishing Ltd 3DArtist ● 21No unauthorised copying or distribution

01The latest news, tools and resources for the 3D artist WALL-E and The Dark Knight trump Iron Man in the 7th Annual VisualaSwtaarr-dstsuddedEffects Society Awards The Dark Knight won an award for its fast-paced scenes in Gotham CityThe team behind animated hit of The Visual Effects Society (VES) dished out gongs Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Feature Motionthe year, WALL-E, receiving their galore during its 7th Annual Awards at the end of Picture for its garbage truck crash models, Outstandingawards at the VES Awards February. Held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Created Environment in a Feature Motion for the GothamPrevious winners Los Angeles, the awards were attended by the industry’s City sequences and Outstanding Special Effects in a Motion hottest special effects teams and A-list animators and Picture overall.Outstanding Animation in an celebrated the brightest talent in the business.Animated Motion Picture In addition to the 25 hotly contested awards, two specialRatatouille (2008) The biggest surprise of the night was how the favourite, honours were also dispatched: a VES Lifetime AchievementCars (2007) Iron Man, backed with five nominations, walked away empty- prize was presented to Kathleen Kennedy and FrankWallace & Gromit: The Curse handed. Instead it was the teams behind WALL-E and The Marshall, whose previous work on The Curious Caseof the Were-Rabbit (2006) Dark Knight who had the biggest cause for celebration. of Benjamin Button has been widely acclaimed, whileThe Incredibles (2005) Phil Tippett was gifted the George Melies AwardFinding Nemo (2004) Disney Pixar hit WALL-E claimed Outstanding Animation for Pioneering.Stuart Little 2 (2003) in an Animated Motion Picture, along with two other awards, while the latest Batman flick scooped the award for The Visual Effects Society represents visual effects practitioners in the entertainment industry. To find out This year’s recipients exemplify true more about the awards and see who collected the rest of theexcellence in the field of visual and special prizes, head over to www.visualeffectssociety.com.effects. I congratulate all of the nominees Got an opinion on who should haveEric Roth VES executive director won at the VES Awards? Discuss it with other 3D artists at www.3dartistonline.com © Imagine Publishing Ltd22 ● 3DArtist No unauthorised copying or distribution

CommunityNews, tools and resources ● New sites and changes to your Collector’s edition of favourites – it’s all here! Ballistics’ Oddworld Mudbox Limited run of specially produced Folio gets a forum To celebrate the reprinting of one of BallisticWayne Robson, author of many Publishing’s most popular titles, Art of Oddworlddigital sculpting tutorial books and Inhabitants: The First Ten Years, the brand has producedDVDs for ZBrush and Mudbox, as a limited run of specially produced Folio copies. Thewell as the brains behind coffee-table book, which achieved cult status upon itsMudboxHub.com, has announced first release, is filled with original and pioneering artworkthe addition of a brand new forum as well as production design sketches, colour roughs,to the popular site in a bid to make storyboards, game screens, CG/FMV stills and featuresit more community-focused. The exclusive artwork from Oddworld inhabitants.forum offers a Digital Sculptingsection as well as a General The 256-page encyclopaedic-style book is available inCategory for more community- three editions: hard cover, leather-bound Limited Editionbased discussion as well as and now the Folio Edition for collectors, which is expectedMudbox news and events. Like to retail at $290. For further information, visit www.other forums of this nature, the new ballisticpublishing.com/books/oddworld/folioedition.addition to the site lists forum statsin addition the posts, such as latest Lunchtime Animation Insiderspost and total number of topics. Tocheck it out for yourself, head over We shine the spotlight on one artist Learn animation skills from the prosto www.mudboxhub.com/forum. who has an uncanny knack for capturing animal characters Some of the biggest names in New edition of animation are collaborating CGArena online Massimo Righi www.massimorighi.com on a new project aimed at passing on their invaluableCGArena, the computer graphics Italian CG artist, Massimo Righi, is currently working as knowledge. Animationcommunity website famous for Insiders is a planned series ofoffering news, job vacancies, a freelancer with his soul mate Silvia Puliè. The two share books that bring together theforums and galleries for the 3D experience of variousand 2D world, has announced that their lives and passion for 3D, currently working in the animators. Each book willthe fourth volume of its popular concentrate on a theme,eZine series is now available for game and movie industries. helping to expand your skills.download. The February to Marchedition of the online magazine Massimo’s work has a strong Some of the participantsfeatures articles on After Effects, include Jason Ryan,Photoshop and 3ds Max, as well as animal flavour, with quirky and supervising animator atan array of reviews, news and DreamWorks Animation SKG,gallery submissions. The pre-spring engaging takes on the animal Shahar Levavi from Wetaissue also reveals an inspiring Digital and Anthea Kerou frominterview offering an insight into the kingdom. He explains how it is Sony Animation. The firstprolific career of Jason Edwards. To launch is planned for June anddownload the feature-packed the “weird expressions, a funny you can get updates fromcommunity-orientated eZine, users www.squeezestudio.com/will require Acrobat 6 (as a behaviour or a common action” SStudiopress.minimum) and you need to register.To download the magazine, travel that catches his eye. This isto www.cgarena.com/freestuff/ezine/feb09_issue.html. Above: Little Green is another perfectly demonstrated in his example of Massimo’s Lunchtime image, featuring the photoreal renders hungry giraffe. Fantasy Art Design http://fantasyartdesign.com/ Free models, software, Establishing itself as a hedonistic paradise for the digital wallpapers, artwork and more art community, with a penchant for all things mythical, magical and fantastical, the Fantasy Artist Design website offers an online haven for creative art fans. Inviting artists of every level, the website serves to connect, inform and celebrate the achievement and excellence of its members in all aspects of the genre and its community. Once registered, members have access to an extensive gallery as well as its unique catalogue of wallpapers, free art software, 3D models, animated desktops and more. © Imagine Publishing Ltd 3DArtist ● 23 No unauthorised copying or distribution

01The latest news, tools and resources for the 3D artist Bonzai3d beta AutoDesSys invites 3D community to help shape its modelling software for realising conceptual designsFree models online A beta version of Bonzai3d is now available and geometrically robust application based online for modelling fanatics. The 3D on the needs and requests of designTake advantage of high-quality models that modeller is being pitched as an easy-to-use professionals. The producers hope the 3Dcost nothing more than a few mouse clicks community will help thrash out any glitches Bonzai3d allows its users to take concept sketches and or design issues before the programNASA 3D Models turn them into detailed models launches in April, when the 3D app is set to sell at an introductory rate of $500.Over 30 detailed replicas of NASA shuttles, satellites,equipment and more To coincide with the beta release,Web: www.nasa.gov/multimedia/3d_resources/ AutoDesSys is offering form.Z RenderZone3d-models-index.html Plus at a 25 per cent discounted price of all new licences until 30 April. The app provides If you are a stargazer, then what photorealistic rendering with global better resource of models than illumination based on Final Gather, Ambient NASA? Visit the site to download a Occlusion and Radiosity for simulation of good range of shuttles and other lighting effects and rendering techniques. space-exploration equipment, all available in the 3DS format. You To help shape the future of Bonzai3d, can also pick up images and texture head over to www.bonzai3d.com. while you’re there.Archive 3D Ayanna: Fighter PilotA phenomenal depository of 3D models targeted We caught up with Grant, a self-taught 3D artist currentlyat fans of interior scenes working in Australia, to discover a bit more about his AyannaWeb: http://archive3d.net/ image and how he specialises in hard-surface models The Archive 3D site is bursting at Grant Warwick http://grantwarwick.com/ the seams with furniture models. The search system allows you to Grant began working with 3D models browse by category, which includes back in 2004, starting out with Bryce furnishings, doors, windows, 3D. He now works with 3ds Max, which lamps, fireplaces, gardens and has become his program of choice. more. You don’t have to register – Here, we present a quick glimpse of a just click and download. work-in-progress.Wirecase Ayanna: Fighter Pilot is a project that involves not only the main figure, butLuxuriate in premium 3D models to buy, or even also the Aura Speeder vehicle. Thebetter, download from the Free area models are close to completion, with aWeb: www.wirecase.com possible option of changing some decals/shaders. Get in touch with us There is plenty of 3D candy at the and let us know how you would Wirecase website. In addition to progress with the images. collections that can be purchased, visitors also benefit from a sparkling array of free models. You do need to register, but after that you can access cityscapes, cars, interiors and other model delights.24 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

CommunityNews, tools and resources ● 02 What’s in next issue www.3DArtistonline.com Practical inspiration for the 3D community Classic Interior Ready to go Meet Viktor – an architect from Wen Lin « Budapest with a keen eye for Personal portfolio site stunning interior and exterior scenes http://coolen007.cgsociety.org/Viktor Fretyán http://radicjoe.cgsociety.org/gallery/ Learn how this incredible image was createdViktor has an impressive grounding in 3ds Max – he has Issue two: on sale 23 April vFiosritmwowrewi.s3sduaert2isintofonrlimnea.tcioonm,been using the program for over ten years. It’s only in thepast few years, though, that he has been focusing onarchitectural visualisations. Take a look at his portfolio andyou will be blown away by intricate interiors and stunningexteriors. All of his work has an exceptional quality of light,thanks to his other tool of choice, Photoshop. Viktor explainsthat “post-processing is at least as important as therendering part to me.” Classic Interior is a departure fromViktor’s usual choice of minimal scenes, causing him to “payextra attention to every little detail in the scene.” WACOM INTUOS4 New tablet delivers customisable control to everyone Leading graphics tablet manufacturer Wacom has toggles between functions such as zoom, layer unveiled its latest product, the Intuos4. The new selection and canvas rotation, and an informative tablet features improved pen performance, offering LED highlights the current action. The Precision 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity. It can be Mode is great for 3D users, as it will temporarily customised for specific tools, as well as shortcuts slow down your cursor, making it perfect for and modifier keys with OLED displays. The tablet is adjusting wireframes.See www. the first from Wacom that can be used wacom.com for a full ambidextrously. All the user has to do is rotate the price list. tablet 180 degrees and change the illuminated icons with the driver software. The Intuos4 also features Extra sensitivity in the the Touch Ring, which can control up to stylus means improved four functions in any program. responsiveness The central button Software shorts The Precision Mode slows down your cursor, giving aGet the lowdown on updates and launches ‘bullet-time’ effectNew tools for e-on softwareCINEMA 4D makes Vue 7 freeCraft Animations has extended its e-on software has made the The Touch Ring The Intuos4 comesCraft Director Tools for users of Personal Learning Edition of its lets you access in different sizesMaxon CINEMA 4D. Tools provide flagship products Vue 7 xStream shortcuts for and prices so youreal-time camera control for and Vue 7 Infinite available for certain software orcinematic results. Vehicles allow free. The Vue 7 PLE is a fully creative workflow can find the best fitartists to create realistic and functional version of the flagshipaccurate simulation for in-motion products, which are largelyvehicles. The Accessories set lets considered leading solutions for theyou add finishing touches to action- creation, animation, rendering andpacked movies, while Craft integration of natural 3DFreeware is a toolbox intended for environments for movie, broadcastreal-time recording. Find out more and architecture. It is free toabout each product from www. download now from www.vue7.craftanimations.com. com/ple. Create your gallery, browse the artwork, chat with experts and artists and get tips and techniques at www.3dartistonline.com © Imagine Publishing Ltd 3DArtist ● 25 No unauthorised copying or distribution

Interview● Franz Steiner Virtual models or characters have a great future in my opinion. We are currently working on our vision of a female robot26 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

InterviewDesigning the future ●Franz Steiner on the inspirations behind his work… © Imagine Publishing Ltd 3DArtist ● 27No unauthorised copying or distribution

Interview● Franz Steiner Duncan Evans talks to Franz Steiner about the futuristic visualisation work of this New York and Berlin-based design agency. Blutsbrueder Design specialises in retouching, CGI and photography for the advertising and commercial industriesCompany Blutsbrueder Design At Blutsbrueder Design, we combine the Founded 2004 Company website aesthetics and themes from the movie,www.blutsbrueder-design.com Personal portfolio site fashion and photography industries. My fatherhttp://franz.cgsociety.org/ is a photographer so I grew up with a sense for gallery/ Country USASoftware used 3ds Max, V-Ray, beauty and design Adobe Photoshop Expertise Art direction, CGI, retouching Franz Steiner art director, Blutsbrueder Design on the inspirations behind his workClient list Microsoft, Mercedes Benz, Renault, DuPont, Braun, Franz Steiner, a painter and Verizon, McCann Erickson certificated digital artist, and his Specialising in art and advertising print father Gerhard Steiner, an productions with a focus on visual effects,Software used Maya, mental ray Blutsbrueder Design provides both the and Photoshop established advertisement and fashion creative direction and the final photographer, founded Blutsbrueder implementation of the image. This service Design in January 2004 when they opened includes 3D work from its accomplished their first office in Düsseldorf in Germany. team of digital artists, retouching, post- From there, they quickly started working production and, available as a special for clients such as Mercedes Benz, Renault service, matte painting. and a host of other car companies, as well as What marks Blutsbrueder apart from big names like the software giant Microsoft normal design agencies is the complete a and the worldwide advertising agency understanding and willingness to use McCann Erickson. advanced 3D imagery with its inherently In the winter of 2004, they opened their technical nature with the creative elements next office in Berlin and at that time Lane of art and advertising. Since 2004, the Tesanovic, a certificated lawyer, joined the company has drafted concepts, created Blutsbrueder team, heading the designs and provided art direction for management, administration and the prestigious advertising agencies, design/ organisation of all productions. At the fashion magazines and PR companies. beginning of 2007, Blutsbrueder opened an 3DArtist: What is it that makes office in New York with a view to establishing itself in the US market. Blutsbrueder Design different from other Blutsbrueder Design is now an acclaimed design studios? design studio with a roster of international Franz Steiner: At Blutsbrueder Design, we clients covering a number of different fields. combine the aesthetics and themes from the a Franz and his father b A male model was used to c The face paint on the Gerhard worked on the pose in the position that the male model served two photography concept for robot would take up so that purposes. First, it ensured this shot together. Franz the pose and muscle a similarly high level of himself came up with the tightness of the model was reflection back onto the glossy, Eighties-esque completely accurate. model’s face. Second, it decadent outfit to signify Without something physical gave her a direct image to impractical and over-the- to hold it, the pose would interact with that would top luxurious excess have been difficult be similar to the robot28 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

InterviewDesigning the future ●c © Imagine Publishing Ltd 3DArtist ● 29 b No unauthorised copying or distribution

Interview● Franz Steinerd e h movie, fashion and photography industries. with sketched elements that will be My father is a photographer so I grew up replaced by the CGI. We then move on to with a sense for beauty and design. I then photographing any elements that are going studied at a film school with a focus on to be present in the final shot. Then we start visual effects. I guess all these influences modelling the subjects or objects in 3ds Max make Blutsbrueder a bit different than a until we have a final wireframe model. The usual CGI or retouching studio. key part then is unwrapping the meshes 3DA: Who are your main clients? and creating or painting the textures and FS: So far, we are working with new clients setting the high levels of reflectivity that you see in most of the pictures. When the CGI a lot. Our clients come from Europe, USA and photography are combined, there is and the Middle East. We have worked with always a measure of cleaning up and fitting the automotive industry through Mercedes together in Photoshop afterwards.f Benz and Renault, with Microsoft and 3DA: You’ve garnered a great deal of Braun, with advertising agencies like McCann Erickson, as well as photographers attention for your fantastic series of such as Terry Gates. futuristic images. Were the interiors, the car Modelling the future shots and the robots all part of the same brief, or seperate? These projects all start with a basic idea of FS: Most of these images are our own the concept that we then develop into what productions. We produce them entirely we want to present, whether this is for a from concept to final retouching. You can client or ourselves. It’s usually a buy those images though our partner,g combination of sketches or photographs Corbis.com. d This image was for a e The model was posed in f One of the early rough g The detail in this shot is in h The full-modelled series on how we will use exactly the right position sketches for the concept of the background. It’s part wireframe for the futuristic devices and technology in for the subsequent the personal robot. Steiner of the concept series New York taxi service was the future. It suggests the addition of the 3D glasses wanted to get over the detailing replaceable created in 3ds Max with a belief that design in Photoshop. Particular concept of the robot being human parts with off-the- friend of Steiner’s whose technology will become care had to be taken over a capable hand around the shelf robotic parts. Look passion was cars. The more personal and refraction of light through home, while life for the at the shelves in the concept for this project orientated towards the edges of the glasses humans becomes easier background – they’re all was for a super- accessing knowledge and also the reflections and more glamorous robotic components aerodynamic vehicle30 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

InterviewDesigning the future ●i I worked on this image with a friend whosepassion is to design cars. I loved his design andstarted creating a world around it3DA: There are lots of shots of people with world around it. We used 3ds Max and j Photoshop. We shot the model in our studiolegs and feet being replaced. What was in Germany and, as you said, we faked the special and new, but we also wanted to usethat all about? reflections of the model in Photoshop. a certain aesthetic that was not too new to the viewer. So we gathered material andFS: This is another in-house production. We 3DA: For the series of images on personal designed a personal robot how we thought people would like them to look. I waslove to create scenes that take place in the robots, please explain the creative process always amazed by the robots in Björk’snear future. For me, it’s a great way to live that you went through to create them. music video for All Is Full Of Love. We didn’tmy passion for product design. Creating all There’s a guy with white face make-up want to go too crazy with new materials andthese futuristic gadgets is just a blast! featured in the non-CGI shots – why did you technologies. If you only have a still image, use him? you have to be very clear and it has to be3DA: There’s a scene featuring a futuristic understandable at first sight. FS: First of all, we had a male model on theNew York taxi. What was the design Making it all happenthinking for the car, and what software did set to make it easier for our female model toyou then use to model and construct it? interact with someone. Since we knew that The initial concepts concerned make use ofHow was the model added – we assume the robot would be white, we tried to have advanced technology, from utilisingshe’s a real person? – and how were the our real model the same to get some of the artificial parts, to gadgets andreflections generated? bouncing white light. In the end, we copied transportation to the ultimate expression of the male model’s eyes into the final images advanced technology – the personal robot.FS: I worked on this image with a friend of to bring our robot to life. The white colour To create the images, the humans were shot made it easier to paste real parts into themine whose passion is to design cars. I CGI face. 3DArtist ● 31loved his design and started creating ai The model was shot in the j This is part of the futuristic 3DA: Where did you get the idea for the studio and the other leisure series of images elements were all added in and features a model that design of the robots? There’s a certain Photoshop once the main was shot in the studio. The similarity with the robots from the Will picture was rendered. The background is a simple Smith film, I, Robot. Was that intentional or model was composited construct of panels in 3ds a coincidence? into the scene and the Max with a white reflective reflections were mocked decoration. The model FS: We wanted the robot to be something up in Photoshop was then composited © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

Interview● Franz Steiner l l In the future, when your leg starts to show wear and tear, or if there’s a newer model that looks better, you’ll simply drop by the spare parts shop and pick up a new one. The concepts of the future meet retro Eighties chic in this image32 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

InterviewDesigning the future ●m o The creation of the robot ntook about one and a halfmonths. The finishing of allthe images took anotherone and a half monthsin the studio, sometimes with another American Red Cross. It wanted to publicise pmodel mocked up as the robot for reference the danger of earthquakes in theirand posing. The background scenes were region through the use of a series of car we design a CGI background according tomodelled in 3ds Max to be clean and white, bumper stickers. his needs.while the various parts for humanaccessories, gadgets and the robot were 3DA: You produced some images under the 3DA: What’s next in the world of 3D graphicmodelled individually. theme ‘Supercrack’ for the American Red design for Blutsbrueder?3DA: What software did you use to model Cross’s Bay Area Chapter. What was that all about? Did it present any unforeseen FS: Virtual models or characters have aand render these scenes? technical challenges? great future in my opinion. We are currentlyFS: We used 3ds Max and V-Ray. FS: This image was created completely in working on our vision of a female robot.3DA: How many people worked on this Photoshop. The task was to create an image Finishing up that can be used as a oversized sticker onseries of images, and how long did they the Union Square in San Francisco. It should One of the interesting impressions thattake to execute? make people more aware of the dangers of comes out of talking to Steiner about his earthquakes in that area. We were limited work with Blutsbrueder is his passion forFS: There were two artists. The creation of to the size of the sticker, which was very future technology and the implications of long but very thin, so everything had to be technology on human leisure activity.the robot took about one and a half months. very narrow. It wasn’t too easy to show the Steiner takes almost a complete oppositeThe finishing of all the images took another crack and the cars underneath. We used perspective from grungy, cyberpunk-styleone and a half months. photo patches of rocks and parked cars to futures, with the clean lines and white get everything finished. colour scheme redolent of the Sixties vision3DA: Have you had any negative feedback of a happy future. The use of 3D software in 3DA: You worked in conjunction with implementing these schemes is essential toon the concept of the robot really being a realising the design concepts, though. Withvery personal robot? photographer Terry Gates on some projects. an expanding client list and the merging of How did that come about and can you say the disciplines of advertising and 3DFS: Not so far, I think the fact that it’s a man what it was for? artistry, the future looks bright and shiny for Blutsbrueder.who works for a woman in all of these FS: Terry Gates is a talented New York-basedimages makes everybody like it. If it was a 3DArtist ● 33female robot, we would have to be a bit fashion photographer. He likes our style andmore careful. we love his. So sometimes we just do the usual retouching (cleaning skin, working onTearing up San Francisco values and contrast, etc) and, if necessary,One of the more unusual client requestscame from the Bay Area Chapter of them This is the final n This is just our two o The setup shot with the p The ultimate expression of composited shot showing subjects laughing and actor with white face paint the personal robot our subject enjoying a joking between shots. By meant that the muscles in concept. Steiner was friendly game of arm using a real person to the model’s arm were careful to use a real wrestling. The eye contact composite the 3D over, the properly defined. It also woman and place her in worked so well between model was able to relax meant that the model was charge of the make robot the pair that the actor’s and relate to the subject, looking in exactly the right to avoid charges of sexism. eyes were successfully giving more natural poses place to make eye contact Still, next up is a female composited into the robot in front of camera with her robot partner robot series of images © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

Feature● Inside the Blender Foundation Only thdeegMvreealograpkrinBiogrue3smDamnsdeorflathwiedaabrdeascatknodDAutmhtceshntecgrodivuaelmditstapoweinnayvdef2so1trigyfreaeateers.34 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

I’ve come across images thatdemonstrate exactly what I’m tryingto accomplish in my own work.So I’ll dash off an email witha question and, most of thetime, a very helpful answeris sent back my way within aday or so. This seems to be acommon theme among users, andone of the reasons for such anallegiance to the software David Kaplan, a Blender enthusiast, explains why the community ethos makes the free 3D package unique Sky Lake City nlike any software that you’ve » Martin Lubich used before, the 3D solution www.loramel.net called Blender is not developed and managed by a commercial © Imagine Publishing Ltd corporation. Astonishingly, this free andNo unauthorised copying or distribution incredibly robust 3D package is maintained and grown by the Blender Foundation (www.blender.org), which is an independent, non-profit, public benefit corporation. Located in Amsterdam in the aptly named Amsterdam Blender Institute, a small team led by Blender patron saint Ton Roosendaal both develop and promote Blender to the world at large. In addition to the core development of the program itself, the Blender Foundation hosts its own SourceForge-style project space at http://projects.blender.org/. Here, not only is there a starting point to become involved or create projects utilising Blender, but also a space where developers can create experimental 3DArtist ● 35

Feature● Inside the Blender Foundation Blender v2.0… was released in the summer of 2000 and the user base swelled to 250,000 Big Buck Bunny Blender trees and even complete forks if The Blender timeline www.bigbuckbunny.org they’re so inclined. Additionally, huge 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 © Blender Foundation connecting points for both learning and The open source developing Blender can be found at www. NeoGeo studio and software created NeoGeo software rewritten for open source software Blender has blender.org/community/get-involved. come a long way since its early days as NeoGeo Developing Blender36 ● 3DArtist Blender is not new. In fact, in the world of NeoGeo software from scratch. So in developers working from points around the world. Blender v2.0, including a game computers, the starting point for Blender 1995 the rewrite began, marking the engine, was released in the summer of 2000 and the user base swelled to a is practically prehistory. Beginning in genesis of Blender. healthy 250,000. 1988, Ton Roosendaal co-founded a To better address the development and But you can’t sail without occasionally encountering bad weather. A tough world Dutch animation studio called NeoGeo. marketing needs of Blender, in 1998 economy coupled with less-than- forecasted sales spurred investors to shut Simultaneously winning awards for its Roosendaal founded a new company down NaN and terminate Blender. work and churning out copious amounts called Not a Number (NaN). However, a passionate developer and large user base has a way of making of work, NeoGeo quickly became the Outrageously, the mission of NaN was to things happen. So in 2002 Roosendaal started the nonprofit Blender Foundation, largest 3D animation studio in the distribute a compact, cross-platform 3D with its hallmark being open source code. Roosendaal courted the former NaN Netherlands, while Roosendaal himself tool for free. And not just a basic 3D investors and was able to get them to agree with the open source vision and a was responsible for internal software solution but a professional-level modelling unique campaign was begun called Free Blender. This campaign sought to raise development as well as art direction. But and animation toolset that the general 100,000 euros as a one-time fee so that the NaN investors would agree on open- a developer’s work is never done, and in public and pros alike would find useful and sourcing Blender. Astoundingly, the goal was reached in seven short weeks. On 13 1995 the decision was made to rewrite the capable. ? In a feat of extreme foresight, October 2002, Blender was released to the world under the terms of the GNU Roosendaal’s method was what later General Public Licence. became the norm for internet businesses Open source is a double-edged sword, cutting both ways. While day-to-day everywhere – to provide commercial products and services around Blender’s core functionality. At Blender’s debut in 1999 at SIGGRAPH, the attendee response confirmed that some wise decisions had been made. Of course, Roosendaal had to eat and developing software is neither fast nor easy. Following the favourable reception at SIGGRAPH and Roosendaal’s reputation, NaN was able to attract financing of 4.5 million euros. The NaN staff grew to 50, with a virtual office of © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

FeatureInside the Blender Foundation ● Ton Roosendaal, lead developer of Blender and chairman of the Blender Foundation Dolomites 4 Bertrand Benoit » www.bertrand-benoit.comNot a Number (NaN) Blender launched Blender 2.0 released. Blender 13 October: Blender Foundation raisescompany founded to at SIGGRAPH User base swells to Foundation 100,000 euros to buy out Blender and Blender Institute founded to house non-profit- distribute free open 250,000 formed release into open source community making, open source Blender Foundation source 3D software1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009NaN attracts 4.5 million euros in funding Investors pull out, NaN closes down Elephant’s Dream released. First ever movie made with open source tools Good foundations In this day of gigantic corporate amalgamations, the Blender Foundation simply sounds too good to be true. But it’s not. The goals of the Foundation are brief and succinct, as you can see here: To establish services for active users and developers of Blender Starry Night To maintain and improve the Mathias Pedersen « current Blender product via a www.mathiaspedersen.comfeedback from users and developers was open source tools and assets, the results public-accessible source codeoutstanding, it was also tough to organise were published under an open licence, the system under the GNU GPL licenceand manage. A central focus was requiredto help channel the development. Creative Commons Attribute. To establish funding orConsequently, the Blender Foundation Seeing the success of Project Orange, revenue mechanisms that servedecided to start a project bringingtogether outstanding artists in the Blender Roosendaal established the Blendercommunity and challenge them to makean exciting 3D animation movie short. Institute in 2007. Now the permanent the Foundation’s goals and cover office and studio, this made it easier to the Foundation’s expenses ‘Project Orange’ was the result of this in achieve the Blender Foundation’s goals2005, leading to the world’s first andwidely recognised Open Movie entitled while co-ordinating and facilitating open To give the worldwide internetElephant’s Dream. Created entirely with projects related to 3D movies, games and visual effects. community access to 3D technology In April 2008, the Peach Project Open in general, with Blender as a core Movie entitled Big Buck Bunny was © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution 3DArtist ● 37

Feature● Inside the Blender Foundation City » Bertrand Benoit www.bertrand-benoit.com © Bertrand Benoit Dolomites 2 documentation pages to both static and Bertrand Benoit « video tutorials reveal common themes www.bertrand-benoit.com and questions users have. Chances are, if a new user has a question, its answer has Altruism been provided by another user. » Mathias Pedersen www.mathiaspedersen.com A common theme among Blender users is the ‘give-back’ mentality that completed in the Blender Institute. for this article have been created by permeates the community. Many of the Currently, the open source game Apricot is Blender faithful as young as 18, as well as links provided on the Blender site will take being developed. professional studios that have integrated visitors to users’ websites and galleries. Blender into their daily workflow pipeline. User David Kaplan cites: “In visiting other The Blender community Truly, desire and ability are the only users’ galleries, I’ve come across images limiting factors for any user of Blender. that demonstrate exactly what I’m trying For those willing to learn a professional- to accomplish in my own work. So I’ll dash level 3D solution, Blender is the great Learning a software as versatile as off an email with a question and, most of equaliser. The only investment needed is Blender is not a fast process, even if you the time, a very helpful answer is sent time. Consequently, Blender has a rich are fluent in another 3D package. While back my way within a day or so.” This and varied international user base and many skills are transferrable between seems to be a common theme among community. A full listing of language- softwares, documentation is the key. users and one of the reasons for such an specific communities can be found at While the Blender Foundation maintains allegiance to the software. www.blender.org/community/user- the online documentation, the user community. The accompanying images tutorials are the heroes. Links from the Another tier of communities are the ones that are set up as forums where Evil Frank © Imagine Publishing Ltd fellow users can post questions, show www.bigbuckbunny.org No unauthorised copying or distribution work and help others. While there are many forums for 3D in general of which © Blender Foundation Blender might be a small part, the amount of forums dedicated solely to Blender is a38 ● 3DArtist testimony to the supportive and encouraging environment that has sprung up. There are far too many Blender user communities to list them all. Highlighted in the boxout on the following page are just a few to show the diversity of opportunities provided through the community environment.

FeatureInside the Blender Foundation ● Tree Frog Jason Pierce «www.jasonpierce.animadillo.com Links to the community The Silent Killer » Mathias Pedersen There are many Blender user www.mathiaspedersen.com communities, including… www.blendernation.com www.blender-fi.org www.steam-train.de www.blender.it www.blenderartists.org www.blendermasters.com http://blender.doc.fr.free.fr/ http://blender.guanajuato.net Herein lies the strength of the opensource community and the methodologyBlender Institute has established A typical question in many of the GameEngine), there are ampleBlender user forums is, ‘Why aren’t there opportunities for developers as well. Andmore user-driven projects like movies?’ here lies the strength of the open sourceThe answer is the reason that Roosendaal community and the methodology Blendercreated the Blender Institute – logistics. Institute has established – create aMovies and game projects are beguiling in project, get demands from artists andtheir finished form but are monumentally producers, relay items to developers thencomplex in their creation. It is rare for create or refine solution sets accordingly.enough people with the requisite skill sets,time and dedication to be found outside of A look into the Apricot projectsa centrally located command post. Wishlist and GameLogic development reveal how features are conceived, The Blender community isn’t just for qualified and then developed for Blender.artists, however. As evidenced by the Not for the faint of heart, these listsPeach and Apricot projects (http://wiki. exhibit the larger picture and goals toblender.org/index.php/Dev:Source/ which Blender is dedicated. © Imagine Publishing Ltd 3DArtist ● 39 No unauthorised copying or distribution

Interview● Kieron Helsdon ©DNA Films and Fox Searchlight A Name Kieron Helsdon I really enjoyed the variety doing 3D from Job title Lighting modelling, texturing and lighting and I wanted to do some more… I got into the film Technical Director side by putting in long hours and building up Company Double Negative a showreel Location London, UK Work credits Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Troy, Kingdom ofHeaven, The Da Vinci Code, Captain Scarlet, Sunshine, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Black Hawk Down40 ● 3DArtist Kieron Helsdon Lighting Technical Director, Double Negative © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

Kieron Helsdon ●InterviewKieron Helsdon takes time out from working on the latest Harry Potterfilm to talk to Duncan Evans about his progression from disc interfacedesigner to lighting technical director on major Hollywood filmsSo how do you go from developing Courtesy of Universal Pictures International Home Entertainment interfaces for front cover discs to working on big budget Hollywood B 3DA: In 2005, Gerry Anderson broughtfilms? One step at a time with a lot of hardwork is the answer. In 1994, Kieron was game. Unfortunately, after around three back the classic Sixties marionette series,pretty much just using Photoshop. The months of working on the sequel, Eidos Captain Scarlet. What kind of work did youcompany he worked for had a demo copy of decided to get rid of all internal undertake for the Captain Scarlet TV pilot?an application called Simply 3D and he did development to concentrate on being ado a few logos with that. He also had an publisher. In hindsight, though, this KH: I was creating textures for characterAmiga at home and was using Imagine 3D to became a blessing in disguise, as withexperiment with modelling and rendering. redundancy I took a chance on a three- heads and vehicles. The main highlight ofThe only prior experience Kieron had with month freelance job at Pepper’s Ghost doing that job for me was working directly with3D was at university where he used the DOS FX animation. Gerry Anderson. I used to watchversion of 3D Studio while doing a Fine Art Thunderbirds all the time as a kid, anddegree. After the graphics job, he took the 3DA: You then worked as a 3D VFX artist there I was discussing Captain Scarlet’ssprite work he had done, as well as a series eyebrows with him!of sketchbooks, and applied for a job in for a number of TV projects on a freelanceLondon at a games company called Domark. basis. Was this just a case of applying for 3DA: How did you then make theThey liked the sketchbooks and he started the jobs as they were advertised, or did youas a 3D artist there in 1995. He worked find that people recommended you from breakthrough into the film industry?extremely long hours and weekends to one job to another?develop his 3D skills, which is where we KH: I got into the film side of things bypick the story up. KH: My first break came from a VFX putting in many long hours to build up a3D Artist: What kind of work did you do for supervisor called Alan Marques. I sent a showreel. I had been doing TV work as an VHS showreel of the particle work I’d been effects animator and 3D generalist for twoEidos Interactive? doing at Eidos to Pepper’s Ghost years, and I worked out at Pinewood Studios Productions, got an interview there and on a Hallmark TV production. Seeing theKieron Helsdon: Eidos bought Domark took the job. I began working on particle shooting going on there motivated me to try animation for a TV pilot for an in-house and work in film.around 1996 and we continued the game we project. After that I continued to work as awere working on as part of its internal freelancer, and in my first year of doing that In 2000, I applied for a post at a companydevelopment team. By the time our game I only had a few weeks off. At the time, called Magic Camera (later to become Millwas published, I had worked on the title for pretty much every job led into another job Film) at Shepperton Studios near London. Iabout three years. During my time there, I from recommendations. spoke to the head of 3D there, Gary Coulter,worked on numerous areas from in-game and I ended up doing a test shot for them forcameras, creating fonts, setting up levels to my interview. Basically, as I had no filmdesigning special effects. I later ended updoing front-end graphics for the game,which involved modelling, lighting andrendering different backgrounds in 3dsMax. I really enjoyed the variety doing 3Dfrom modelling, texturing and lighting, andI wanted to do more. I remember finding a website of a visualeffects artist called Brandon Davies, who atthe time was doing film work with 3ds Maxin the US. At the time, I thought it wasimpossible to get into that field withoutexperience of using Silicon Graphicsmachines and PowerAnimator. I starteddoing particle animations for spells whenwe started working on the sequel to theA Sunshine was filmed B Jolene McCaffrey, Brian SUNSHINE Genre: Adventure,on relatively small Kranz and Anders Beer Director: Danny Boyle Thriller, Sci-fibudget. Many small were the 2D, 3D and Starring: Cliff Curtis, Synopsis: Some 50 yearssets had to be extended animation supervisors Michelle Yeoh, Cillian in the future the sun isto show the size of the respectively for the Murphy, Rose Byrne, dying, so a mission is sentship. Only the centre of Toothfairy sequence, Chris Evans, Troy Garity, to explode a weapon tothe airlock was built which used a proprietary Benedict Wong, create a supernova withinfor real Swarm system Hiroyuki Sanada it. That mission fails, so a Release date: 5/04/07 second team is sent © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution 3DArtist ● 41

Interview● Kieron Helsdon © Warner Bros Picturesexperience, I needed to prove I could dosomething to the quality they were after. Iworked the whole weekend and puttogether a test shot; they liked it and I endedup working on a film called Pluto Nash.3DA: What kind of work were you doing for D Jerusalem. It turned out that Ridley Scott had very firm ideas in mind for the city and IMill Film, and what films did you work on? department and sending in a showreel to was impressed with his vision for the look of the company. By this point in 2003 I had two the film. Jensen Toms and I worked out inKH: After a year working at Shepperton on years of film experience as well as the TV Ouarzazate, Morocco for two months, work I had done. They were looking for sending and presenting material back andfour or five films with 3ds Max, I wanted to modelling and texturing experience so I forth to MPC. We also spent around three orcarry on doing film work but there was only was a right fit for the position. four weeks taking survey data for locationsone place in the whole of the UK using 3ds and sets. This involved walking the desertMax, so I had to switch software and needed 3DA: On Kingdom of Heaven, you worked armed with a Theodolite to taketo learn Maya. After spending a month measurements to use back in London. Thislearning Maya and armed with a new as a previsualisation artist with the Visual was quite important, as we needed toshowreel, I got a job interview at Mill Film Effects department on location in Morocco. generate an uneven ground surface for thein London. During the interview I thought What did this entail and what did you then armies to sit on. After returning to London, I‘there’s no way I’ll get this job’, but a phone do for the CGI in the film? joined Dan Neal as co-technical lead for thecall a few days later and I was working on creation of Jerusalem. I worked on theBlack Hawk Down before I knew it. It was a KH: Kingdom of Heaven was one of the best pipeline setup, as well as modelling,frustrating start as I knew what I wanted to texturing and lighting several shots.do but wasn’t always sure how to do it in projects I’ve worked on. I got asked to go outMaya. They brought the deadline forward to Morocco in 2004 by MPC who were set toon the project so we ended up working do the majority of the visual effects. Theyaround 33 days in a row with long hours to wanted to be able to previs vast armies ascomplete the shots. I also worked on Harry well as to help visualise the city ofPotter and did some previsualisation workon the film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: TheCradle of Life.3DA: After a period of freelance on projectslike the Jimmy Neutron Shockwave 3Dgame, you got a job with the Moving PictureCompany. How did that come about?KH: Basically, just applying to the HRCourtesy of and copyright Universal Pictures International Home Entertainment 3DA: Next up was a teaser trailer for Poseidon using Maya again. Why use Maya in preference to other 3D apps? KH: A few reasons. Maya is used in all the visual effects houses in London, mainly because it’s flexible enough to allow companies to build their software pipelines around it. This, and also because a large number of freelancers are available worldwide with Maya experience. VFX companies also make great use of Houdini and XSI, as well as other applications. 3DA: You did some sequences for The Da Vinci Code. Did you need to read the book first? What kind of preparation work do you do in previsualisation jobs? KH: It depends. Hopefully you get a script toC Selma Blair, Luke Goss, world is on a mission to C Hellboy II: The Golden Army D MPC created digital extensions for the city of Doug Jones, Anna release The Golden Army, was mainly shot in Troy. Different city layouts were done for Walton, John Hurt a deadly group of fighting Budapest, which involved different shots; the key landmark was the raised Release date: 20/8/08 machines that can Kieron travelling to the city palace in the middle of the city. There were several (UK) destroy the human race. first with the previs team to versions of Troy on the actual archaeological site HELLBOY 2 Genre: Action, It’s down to Hellboy and work out locations, lighting that grew out so we took this idea to help how we Director: Guillermo Adventure, Fantasy his usual friends with a few and arrangements for did the street layouts. Damien Dagnou at MPC del Toro Synopsis: An exiled prince new faces to thwart the setting up the main set wrote custom ‘city builder’ tools to allow us to Starring: Ron Perlman, from the mythological plan and save the day pieces in the film build the city with different set dressing42 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

Kieron Helsdon ●InterviewCourtesy of Universal Pictures International Home Entertainment GEF Kingdom of Heaven was one of the bestprojects I’ve worked on. We spent three to fourweeks taking survey data for locationsread, while at other times there are only a and we got to contribute lots creatively to breakdowns to help show up any problemscouple of shots you are working on so you the film. I worked for a year and a half on the for VFX supervisor Mike Wassel. Andon’t need to know all the background project, starting as the lighting lead in 2005 example would be testing a crane shot outinformation. Previs jobs can work out to be and becoming CG supervisor for the last six with different lenses etc. We did a bigquite different as well, depending on the months. In the latter part of the project, creature police line-up to help show all thefilm and at what stage you join the project. we’d see Danny Boyle every day as he was relative sizes of creatures, as well asSometimes you end up doing technical editing just down the road. It was great to building models for sets so that we couldbreakdowns to help the visual effects work with him and the VFX Supervisor Tom show exactly how something might looksupervisor work out technical issues, while Wood to get the feedback as quickly as before it was built with different camerasat other times you are doing camera possible. The key objectives we had were to angles, etc. There was also an animationanimation that will go directly to final shots. serve the story through the visual effects, team based back in London at Double and to try and create something that was as Negative doing major previs for the I was only working on a couple of shots on believable as we could make it for Toothfairies, Elemental and the GoldenThe Da Vinci Code for the Westminster something so fantastical. We concentrated Army sequences. We had a VPN connectionAbbey sequence. Most of the time you’ll get on trying to make it feel like it was shot for back to London with our machines instoryboards to work from, but at other times real in terms of exposure and camera Budapest that did a nightly sync-up of datayou’ll join before they are drawn and the movement. so we could open their scenes to tweakclient isn’t quite sure what they want yet. them directly with Mike. Previs ended upThen you can be fast and loose in order to 3DA: Hellboy II: The Golden Army being very helpful to show other teams howshow ideas quickly. the sequences were likely to be shot so they involved four months in Budapest on could see what needed to be done.3DA: On Sunshine, you had a more previsualisation. How did this work out in practice, and what were you looking for After I got back to London, I worked backsupervisory role, overseeing CG and given that it’s an effects-heavy film? Your at Double Negative as a lighting technicallighting. How did this work out in practice? role on this film was as lighting technical director on the Toothfairy and the GoldenDid you work directly with the director, director – what did that involve? Army sequences in Hellboy II. DoubleDanny Boyle, and implement a look and Negative was using Maya and RenderManfeel on the lighting, which was central to KH: I worked for a month of pre-production for lighting, as well as implementingthe overall impact for this film? Houdini for FX work. Personally, I really and three months during shooting out at enjoy lighting shots, and my favourite wasKH: Sunshine was another project that I Korda Studios in Budapest with the Visual working on the sequence when the Effects department for Double Negative. The audiences first sees the Toothfairyreally enjoyed, mostly because of an work was very varied and I also helped to close-up and munching on a molar.interest in space flight and science fiction gather and pass on information that we www.groundzerofx.comfilms as well as working with a great, needed to get back to the teams in London. I www.helsdon.co.uktalented team. Also though, because we was doing camera animation and technicalwere doing nearly all of the visual effects 3DArtist ● 43E The city was a mixture of F This is the shot from the G This is the actual camera 3D city buildings and film where the actors walk shot showing a bright blue projections. A huge set was through a gateway and sky and the limited walls built with two different look up at the towers in that were still standing. A designs next to each other. Kingdom of Heaven. combination of reused This allowed the scenes Although there were some sets with different with the Kerak Castle and walled areas there, most of dressings and CGI gave the Jerusalem courtyards the city and even the sky the illusion of a complete to be shot together was reconstructed digitally Middle Ages city © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

The studio● Create a sci-fi character in 3ds Max and ZBrushCreate a sci-fi Model,rig and rendercharacter in 3ds Max and ZBrusht3hDteeiacrrhatnimsitqasuzeeixnspgblaaerihntiwnthoderk The Assassin 2009 I wanted to create a glamorous female character that boreArtist info the traits of a classic comic-style heroine with a kinky twist Plamen Iliev is a 3D artist with five years professional experience, working in Sofia, BulgariaPlamen Iliev The latest advancements in computer graphics have personal project that helped me learn more about the enabled us to easily create all sorts of images, different aspects and stages of character creation, and I hopePersonal portfolio site depicting characters, pieces of machinery and the tutorial will help you as well.www.piliev.com environments. As long as you have an idea, the time and aCountry Bulgaria computer, creating a visually pleasing still frame or animation 01 Modelling the body and faceSoftware used 3ds Max, is possible.ZBrush, Photoshop, We will begin modelling the face in 3ds Max. Create a singleBodyPaint 3D In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the steps of creating polygon, then turn it into an Editable Poly object and extrudeErixgpgeinrgtiasnedMsocrdiepltliinngg, texturing, one of my characters, Assassin. She started out as a simple extra polygons from the existing edges. Cut into the mesh in comic-style drawing, which I decided to further develop and order to add more resolution where needed a. Soft transfer into the world of 3D computer graphics. The core Selection comes in handy when adjusting the proportions. application I used during the entire process was 3ds Max, but I also did some sculpting in ZBrush and texture painting Next, create a base mesh for the body in 3ds Max and in BodyPaint and Photoshop. One of the most difficult tasks I export it as an OBJ file. Then bring it into ZBrush and add faced was making her hair, however, I took a procedural several levels of subdivision. Now that there is enough approach (you’ll find out more about this in the step-by-step resolution to work with, sculpt out the major muscles B. For guide). The scene was rendered in mental ray, with the use of this, use the standard brush with the lazy option turned on. The sculpt is complete, but it contains so much geometry a few unlocked features that I that it’s practically unusable back in Max, so start bringing consider the hidden gems of the number of polygons down. Create a ZSphere rig and start this fantastic rendering engine. drawing new edges over the underlying sculpt C. This step Finally, I did some basic can reduce the poly count by a factor of ten! compositing and touch-ups in Photoshop. This image was a 02 Clothes and hair The boot consists of several pieces of geometry, just like in reality. Make the sole and heel look hard by adding extra edges, then follow the form of the ankle and model the softer parts of the boot. You may want to a Once your polygon has been turned into an Editable Poly object, you can extrude extra polygons. Cut into the mesh in order to add extra resolution when needed Concept b Bring the model into ZBrush and add several levels of The concept began as a naked subdivision to ensure there’s figure in a rose or fabric covering. I enough resolution had the notion of contrasting the44 ● 3DArtist pinks with the green hair. The pointy ears suggested an alien character but I dropped that idea. © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

The studioBehind the scenes: Plamen Iliev ● assassin_untextured.obj 3DArtist ● 45 Save yourself some modelling time by using the raw model created hereSoftware used in this piece 3ds Max 8 V-Ray 1.43 Photoshop The scene wasrendered in mental ray, with theuse of a few unlocked featuresthat I consider the hiddengems of this fantasticrendering enginec At this point the polygon count istoo high, so create a ZSphere rig andstart drawing new edges over theunderlying sculpt © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

The studio● Create a sci-fi character in 3ds Max and ZBrush D Now the ZSphere rig e Although it takes can be used to overlay time, adding the details new polygons for the to the dress, like buckles party dress and rings, will enhance itextract the geometry from the leg itself, which saves time. Once you’ve got the partyLoad up the body in ZBrush and use the ZSphere rig to dress and the boots done,overlay new polygons for the party dress D. We already you can move on toknow that it will consist of several pieces stitched together, spicing them up withso make sure you have edge loops. You’ll be cutting along some detailsthese later. add edgings E. All of these add contrast and diversity. Now Once you’ve got the party dress and the boots done, you detach a piece of geometry from her head and apply Haircan move on to spicing them up with some details. Model and Fur. Use combing and growing to give the hair form andstraps with buckles and place them across the chest and flow F. When you’re happy with the shape, extract the hairback. Then model the rings that will be holding the laces and splines. Use scripting to use them as paths for mesh hair.F Now it’s time to be a 03 It’s the eyeshairdresser, so detachgeometry from the head The eye consists of two spheres. The inner sphere has twoand add some hair submaterials: one for the white of the eye, and one for the iris and the pupil G. Apply a mat material with some self- illumination or try using sub-surface scattering. The outer sphere is transparent and reflective. 04 Rig the character Use Biped and Skin to rig the character, then paint the weights to get a working rig fast H. Select and adjust any individual vertices that don’t follow the bones properly. Since rTeensdtering iaZtntymghrmrhMBoyeo3oeouroidwatmundpodskssgeroeptichoMnlhalroo,lpngeeintwnraoerdtflwaxgeerehu.twdcsdhheiiottsdiorehsenri,llfiacteepsotrtxens,herpipiydnetpprdaoheogaritrrueerc.ontesrWveocccoiwisayelntfsshlwnhytienihislnee46 ● 3DArtist Models When the model is complete, run a few test renders from various angles and with different lights to check the polygon wireframe for any mistakes. Correct these and smooth out any flaws. © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

The studioBehind the scenes: Plamen Iliev ● Scripting Although scripting requires a certain amount of programming knowledge, it can’t be any simpler in 3ds Max. You may not be a coder yourself, but there’s the MaxScript Reference full oftutorials and examples. When you’re in a situation that requires a lot of repetitive actions (challenging your sanity), it’s a sign you need a script. Once we got the hair splines from Hair and Fur as asingle object, we used a bunch of scripts to extract the individual splines and applied a mesh hair along each of them using PathDeform. Scripting saves time and is reusable.G There are two spheres thatmake up the eye – one for theouter, and one for the iris H Use Biped and Skin in J Don’t waste time modelling the entire order to quickly rig the model gun – just do half of it from primitives and for movement then apply Symmetry in order to copy onto the other half I When unwrapping the mesh, watch out for UV points K By going to the going astray effort of rigging the character, you canher party dress is skintight, you could simply make an easily make anyinstance copy of the Skin modifier that’s applied to her body. adjustments to the pose or, in fact, pose her in05 Adjust the UV sets different environments to her current oneThis is a routine step and you have to get it right, especiallywhen there are several applications in the pipeline. Unwrap 3DArtist ● 47the different parts of the body separately using the Pelt tool,and manually adjusting UV points that go astray I. A UVset fits into a single unit (0,1) UV space. The dress is a UVset. Working with UV sets allows you to paint several smallermaps instead of one huge map for the whole model. Thebody is divided into eight sets. Also, use a custom patternwith letters as a test map, to see if the UVs are flipped06 Give the girl a gunPresumably, laser pistols should look intricate so try to createthat illusion. Model the handle from a box, using Poly Extrudeand Edge Connect. The rest of the building elements are alsomodelled from simple primitives. Then use Symmetry andmodel just one half of the gun J.07 Pick the perfect poseWe could have posed the character from the beginning andskipped the rigging step, but having a working skeleton givesyou the freedom to tweak the pose as much as you want andwhenever you feel you need to change it. Use Skin Wrap tomake the details follow the mesh underneath K.08 Get the light rightHere, use standard three-point lighting. Place an MR spot © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

The studio● Create a sci-fi character in 3ds Max and ZBrushArtSisthowcase Opt for procedural texturing of the hair. It consists of individual strands to which you need to randomlyPlamenIliev assign three slightly different shadersA programmer by education and a 3D artist by L Add key, spot, fill and rimprofession, I love designing and creating characters. lights to fully define the figure and produce lots of reflections off the shiny dress Lighting setup The lighting setup is a standard three-light spot arrangement. There’s the key light, a spot for fill and a regular spot with high intensity above the character that illuminates the edges. A couple of additional lights will create more highlights on the dress. It is worth studying classic Hollywood studio glamour photography from the Thirties and Forties in order to get ideas for stunning lighting arrangements. Smile 3ds Max (2008) This scantily clad character M Take the dress back into light with an area shadow that works as your key light, was a personal project I did for anatomical study. I tried ZBrush and start carving another MR spot for a fill and a regular spot light with high to explore the muscle and bone structure of the human wrinkles into the seam to give it intensity and decay above the character as a rim l. A couple body and experiment with skin shading and lighting life and detail of kicker lights will give the image a glam look, too. 09 Wrinkles and shading Load the dress in ZBrush and store a morph target before subdividing the mesh a few times. Then start carving in wrinkles at the seams and stress points m. Go back to the lowest level, switch back to the original mesh and extract a normal map with ZMapper. Shade most of the surfaces with MR Arch and Design. This shader is capable of simulating all sorts of materials. Layer several copies of it with the shellac material and experiment with different settings for reflection. The skin uses a regular MR SSS shader with no textures at this point. 10 Good hair day Opt for procedural texturing of the hair. It consists ofCountess 3ds Max (2009) Roger 3ds Max (2008)A self-confident character, This is the famous singer-inspired by classical literature songwriter Roger McGuinn,featuring contrasts member of the The Byrds48 ● 3DArtist © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

The studioBehind the scenes: Plamen Iliev ● Textures There are two ways of approaching this. The hair texture is created with the procedural technique, whereas the skin and facetextures are painted directly to give a natural, slightly uneven finish, showing pores, etc.n The hair texture is createdprocedurally. Create a gradientramp with various shades ofgreen and store it Render mental ray is a very robust rendering engine because it’s shader-based. Lots of its features are contained in chunks of code called shaders that come in many flavours. They control cameras, lights, materials and so on. For different reasons, some shaders are locked when you install 3ds Max, yet they are working and useful. Photographic is one such lens shader. Go to your Max installation folder and browse mentalray\ shaders_standard\include. Make a backup copy of the M I files in case anything goes wrong. Open the files in Notepad and explore the shaders marked as ‘hidden’. If you delete the tag, they become unlocked.individual strands to which you need to randomly assign 8.5hoursthree slightly different shaders. Make a gradient ramp withvarious shades of green and store it in the Diffuse channel N. Render timeThe hair draws its transparency from an opacity map, whichis a blend of gradient and fall-off maps. Resolution: 4,096 x 3,07211 Paint the diffuse maps o The body and face skin contain specular maps to break up reflections and a map to limit the effect 3DArtist ● 49Paint 4,000 x 4,000 diffuse maps for the body and face,then make specular maps to break up the reflection on theskin and a map for the back scatter parameter to limit theeffect. A normal map is used for the face, adding finerwrinkles to her lips as well as pores o.12 Render and processThe scene is rendered with Final Gather set to Low. Use Boxfiltering for preview renders here, but you may find thatswitching to Mitchell or Lanczos makes the image sharper.Use the Glare shader and the hidden Photographic lensshader to set the f-stop, film ISO and shutter speed.Save the render as a 16-bit TIFF, then open it up inPhotoshop and apply some dodging and burning where youneed more contrast. Adjust the Levels and use a photo filterto slightly colourise the image. Experiment with differentblending modes and filters, paint a vignette and thendeclare it complete. © Imagine Publishing Ltd No unauthorised copying or distribution

Artist info Carlos Fueyo Username: insomnia3dIncredible t3hDeairrtairsttws toarkke Pwewrswo.ninaslopmorntifao3ldio.csoitmeus behind Country USA Software used 3ds Max, Fryrender adlspesoltsaoarktcmeihoelepsnereemwihdliepcpnroopeeassattutronanotwtomeilsitnhmdsoglbhh‘slagoecGrnveieatebt.fabe“haaevo,neIoApconllennetediuvahbehiwtsttessdaynse.,jiiesshtgucroseUwrothwcooeatioirmtssrnhaetlmnohhyRlsetiliypudnptlaehloeeoahdoacetmleoshmmnfereohtdtlthedyatthkd.eideoda”oickieosdneieLufieulCnvsgttulnraaauacGidtesdarieipoll.wwltstyasIha’ie.aswtgerrFiyduaMone,rites Comment © Imagine Publishing Ltd on this piece No unauthorised copying or distribution Register with us today at www.3dartistonline.com to view the art and chat to the artist Software used in this piece 3ds Max Fryrender50 ● 3DArtist