Vertex 19 Visit

Today, myself and a few others from second year, visited the Vertex 2019 VFX conference in London. This was an incredible opportunity and very very informative. I got a lot out of the event, making lots of notes and getting some ideas for new pathways. Below are the notes I took in the sessions. I am definitely going again next year, and need to go to more events like these.

Matte Painting Talk

Composition

• Use focal points to your advantage
• Different sized shapes 

Perspective

• 1,2&3 point perspective is fundamental
• Getting perspectives right will make every drawing work
• Texture and assets also need to be in perspective

Values

• Composition values
• Depth & scale
• Match black and white values to placement in scene
• Keep a black layer on top - blending mode colour - value checker - VERY IMPORTANT - match curves
• Use values to guide eye through the image
• Adding a large, out of focus in the foreground can make the design much more effective
• Use histogram & keep checking values - check for curve clipping.

Shape & Form

• Big shapes in first, smaller ones after
• Basic fundamentals of how shapes interact with each other
• Composition - shapes and forms

Tools

• How much time do you have?
• Photobash images with photoshop
• 3D projection with Maya & Nuke
• High res 3D assets and rendering, or just low res 3D cube bashing?
• Do you have a week or two for the DMP or a day?
• Modelling assets can save time in the long run - changes to time of day etc become very fast
• OSM DATA - STREET MAP DATA

Photobashing

• Scale
• Match colour or grade
• Build a resource of images

Story, geography & history

• Reference 
• Research
• Accuracy
• Attention to details
• Make your world believable
• List references by type, time of day etc...

Key tips

• Use the brief, storyboard and directors notes as much as possible
• Use as much reference as possible
• Keep initial sketches really rough
• Photobash 
• Autodesk flame - resolution & colour space
• Getty images - can be licensed

Email: adv@mpc.jobs

Web: adv.mpc.jobs

Twitter: MPC_Adv

Insta: @hellompc 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Building a city in a day 

Adam Dewhirst - DNEG London

Why?

• For concept
• To save time and resources in design
• Rough layout
• For client approval
• As a bid for a sequel
• To map out proposed updates/changes
• To test pipeline
• As an exercise in efficiency

How

• Work outside pipeline
• Use new & innovative resources
• Use alternative methods/software
• Thinking creatively
• Utilising library assets
• Utilising pre made set ups
• Procedural texturing
• KITBASH!!! - can buy libraries of assets - colour code to make organisation easy
• Mark van Haitsma
• Nick Goracko - kit bash & art station
• Cubebrush.co
• Gumtree
• OLeg Ushenok

Programmes

• Moi3D - very fast CAD modelling
• Blender
• Modo - mesh fashion
• ZBrush
• Shapr3D - free on iPad (see below)
• Houdini - procedural sculpting etc

Shapr3D

• Can create to CAD measurements (eg. 10mm)
• View - top, side, bottom
• Can cut up shapes
• Bevel and shamfer by pulling in and out
• Supports STEP, IGES, STL, OBJ
• Make as many slots I’m 14-day trial as possible

Maya structures

• Procedural  building generator
• Phytonutrients script
• Can be used on own ,order
• Works with and custom mesh
• Use tags to randomise - slum kitbash
• Front facades have to be facing down positive X
• Turbo quid

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bluzoo 

• Look at Mamoon video & making of,.
• Reference files into maya documents: file, reference - will stop rigs getting broken and killing everyone. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Creative development

• Andrew White - creative director - background is compositing & VFX supervisor
• Saddington Baynes - CGI stills & Animation. VFX & post production for all media. *beautiful and engaging*

Tools

• Production
• Houdini - Complex VFX, lighting & rendering
• Maya
• Cinema 4D - v. Fast design workflow & motion design user base.
• Sculpt and texture
• Z brush
• Substance
• Mari
• Render
• VRay
• Clarisse - rendering & scene assembly - high bulk object numbers
• Arnold
• Compositing and finishing
• Nuke
• After effects
• DaVimci resolve 15 - edit & grade all in one
•  (has replaced premier)
• Manage
• Deadline - render requirements
• FTrack - client feedback & communication
• ProofHQ - client review tool

Pipeline

• Conversations
• Client likes concept, but it needs to be ‘realised’ better
• Client loves agency visuals, agency wants to develop it further
• Client loves the visuals, just want it higher resolution
• Houdini = procedural simulation & Li ve action
• Reference
• Photobashing reference together - CG to fill in gaps and foreground real, background CG
• Building systems as flexible as possible to deal with changes in client needs
• Jaegermeister project
• Maya to animate flowers opening, Houdini to animate splines and growth
• Set = photoshop; taken into nuke and then Houdini 
• Resolution can exceed 15K
• 3D scanning, much like photoshop, each has scan will mismatch slightly
• Houdini for renders & time remapping
• Create different passes and layer and mask in nuke
• 3D scans welded together (LIDAR scans) w/ ZBrush 
• Gaggenau project
• High end kitchen company
• 3D scanned products recreated in CG
• Motivation
• Background work is incredibly important
• In order to grow, you need to practice 
• Direction is less important than going anywhere
• Learn
• Explore technical problems
• Copy something you like
• Value something new
• Learn from mistakes and failure
• R&D
• Smart pipeline 
• Tighter workflow
• New tech
• New techniques
• More time to be creative
• Keep track
• Google +
• Enhance
• Vimeo
• Workplace by Facebook
• Best practices policy


• Drives internal culture
• Share new knowledge
• Promote self-direction
• Competition briefs

Pipeline overview

1. Planning
2. Testing
3. Inspiration/references
4. Motivation
5. Practice
6. Learn from experience
7. Communication
8. Flexibility
9. WATCH OUT - DON'T GO DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY - THE VES HANDBOOK OF VISUAL EFFECTS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Useful links

www.twitch.tv/torfric - Modo sessions (maya alternative)

www.lovedesignjobs.com

www.artstation.com/jama

Escape technology - hard and software

3DSK - kitbash resource

KITBASH 3D - buy kits - free samples.