Making of the Abandon Factory
Click through here for the breakdown on how Romi Volentino, from Indonesia, created the Abandon(ed) Factory for this challenge.
ILM – New Book
360 pages of 35 years of Industrial Light & Magic’s work – wow! Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Innovation covers the early days (1975 to 1994) as well as the last 16 years of their ‘magic’. It includes explanations and challenges the studio had to face.
Link to Amazon.com
Xoio – Free 2D people
You’ll remember the last free people pack from Xoio, well here is the next one. Yay! Link through here to their post or from this direct link.
Interview with Gary Yost
Gary Yost directed the Team that developed the original 3D Studio Dos and later the first releases of 3ds Max. In this video he talks a bit about how it all started and how it feels looking back 20 years later.
Depth Of Field in 3DMax and After Effects
Depth Of Field is essential to add believability and realism to any 3d render. In this tutorial Chandan Kumar will explain how to achieve in camera DOF in 3d studio max, and how to improve quality and control focus using the camera’s target distance. – CGtuts
Click through here for video
F*ck you; Pay me! Contracts For Designers
Don’t let the title put you off (maybe it won’t?). Mike Monteiro, design director at Mule Design Studio, gave the following speech at a seminar. In summary, he covers how to protect your work and payment. Take the 40 minutes odd to watch it. It’s really worth it!
2011/03 Mike Monteiro | F*ck You. Pay Me. [...]
Villa Flåttarna by Tenjin
These are renders. I had to look twice.
This project, Villa Flattarna, was done for Swedish firm, Wingårdh Arkitektontor, by Tenjin. Watch the short video on their site.
Archetype by Aaron Sims
Archetype: RL7 is an eight-foot tall combat robot that goes on the run after malfunctioning with vivid memories of once being human. As its creators and the military close in, RL7 battles its way to uncovering the shocking truth behind its mysterious visions and past.
Directed by Aaron Sims
starring Robert Joy (Land of the Dead, CSI:NY) [...]
Motion Blur – Tutorial
Blur Matters(s) is a tutorial by Vyonyx on how they blur people in 3D renders. Read the full tutorial here.
Trailer: The Chase
Here is the trailer for The Chase, a short movie directed by Philippe Gamer at Space Patrol (VFX and 3D animation studio). Pretty insane looking!
The Chase – Trailer from Philippe Gamer on Vimeo.
Teaser – Kingdom Tower
The proposed Kingdom Tower will be the world’s tallest building. Visual House, a UK-based archviz studio, produced this teaser animation for what will be a 1km high building, for Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture.
As Visualhouse has told 3Dworld, they’ve used 3DMax and V-ray, as well as After Effects to composite the separate rendered elements. [...]
7 Simple, Practical Tips to Becoming a Better Artist
Do you perhaps set special resolutions at the beginning of each new year? Even if you don’t, read this post for tips on becoming a better artist. Something might stick? Although Andrew uses Blender, there are definitely valid points that apply to any 3D user.
7 Simple, Practical Tips to Becoming a Better Artist
by Andrew Price [...]
Free 2D people
Thanks to Immediate Entourage for the free people. These images are supplied as PNGs and there are quite a few of them! Please be sure to read the disclaimer but they can be used commercially. Click through here.
Vyonyx Image Breakdown
Vyonyx gives a video breakdown of the above image – using only Photoshop. Click through here to watch it!
Top 10 Lies Told to Naive Artists & Designers
Top 10 Lies Told to Naive Artists & Designers
by Mark W. Lewis
1 “Do this one cheap (or free) and we’ll make it up on the next one.”
No reputable business person would first give away their work and time or merchandise on the hope of making it up later. Can you imagine what a plumber would [...]
30 Story hotel built in 15 days – video
According to Huffington Post, this hotel was built in just 15 days (360 hours). Yes, 15 days. That’s roughly how long I was on holiday and I didn’t achieve anything near that
This building popped up in the Hunan Province in China and is a total of 170 000 sq feet (~15,793 m², if [...]
WETA interview – The Adventures of Tintin
PLEASE tell me that you got to see The Adventures of Titin? Didn’t that bring back memories from childhood?
Apart from The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, it was my favourite movie of the year. And I thought that the 3D was sensational! *Patiently waits for the DVD release*
As usual, Art of VFX has [...]
Happy New Year
Most of South Africa came to halt for the better part of our Summer. And what a beautiful season it is!
I can happily say that we’re all back at work today with much to look forward to a new year (and if you believe in it, 2012 brings the end of the world).
To start off [...]
Game of Thrones S2 – new trailer
If you haven’t read the books by now, I’m very sorry – this could give you more info than you care to watch! The new Season 2 trailer below. Stannis lays his claim to the Iron Throne.
45 powerful images from 2011
We’re heading to the end of 2011 (didn’t that arrive quickly?) and it’s often a time of reflection. Buzzfeed posted up their 45 Most Powerful Images of 2011.
View more here.
John Carter (no longer from Mars)
Watch the John Carter trailer below
io9 list of things you need to know about Disney’s John Carter.
Annie Awards – Nominees
Here is the list of nominees for the Annie Awards, being held in February next year. Definitely something to keep track of! (Have I ever mentioned how much I love animated films?)
Silly animation for the day
Love the style and simplicity of the these animations. Watch the video below.
History of Internet English
Vyonyx animation
This animation, on Vyonyx’s site, was produced for a proposal for the London River Park.
Obsessed about backups?
It’s a heart-sinking feeling when you can’t find that important file. We’re obsessed about backups because 1) you can’t always trust your hardware and 2) we don’t want to waste time doing it all over again. Try backing up your files online.
Dropbox seems to be quite popular – with up to 2GB free storage. Adrive has [...]
The Thing
I guess that I was just too disturbed by the thing(s) in The Thing, to think about the visual effects sooner. Yes, it was gross but the much needed update from the 80s.
Image Engine, who has done some great work on District 9, etc. have this feature on their site, regarding their part in the VFX. Read [...]
Which side of the road do they drive on?
Yes, this is a question we have all the time in the studio when doing international work. Now you too can have the answers – visit this smart little site: http://whatsideoftheroad.com/
Get your artwork featured in 2012 calendar
It’s an idea – and if you already have an image you’d like to submit, why not? Submit your image (one only) before 24 December. Entry is free. Click through to CGarena here for the details.
View this year’s calendar here.
Tori-Tori Restaurant
Apparently a very popular sushi restaurant in Mexico City, Tori-Tori sure makes an impact. Now, the chances of me ever making it there to eat the sushi is pretty slim so I’ll enjoy the design instead. Architect, Michel Rojkind and Esrawe Design Studio are the designers behind it.
The noticeable exterior facade is made of 2 steel layers [...]
Pythagasaurus – short
Pythagasaurus – two cavemen and a dinosaur… you have to watch it!
The short is a self-funded Aardman film.
- Link from 3D World
Thank you Susan Kare
We’ve come so far. Fine artist, Susan Kare was brought onto the Apple team back in the day to basically make things pretty. You know the Steve Jobs/calligraphy link by now and this is how Susan Kare made her contribution to the icons and interfaces we know today. She designed the first proportionately spaced digital [...]
Making of House on the Coast
I’m sure you’ve seen this image around?
And now, found out the details behind it.
This image has an amazing feel to it and Ronen Bekerman’s site features 3Dnotos’ breakdown of House on the Coast. They touch on the modelling, lighting and texturing.
View more of their work here.
Work on the go…
Well, model trees at least. TreeSketch for iPad allows you to model 3D trees. Watch the videos here – it looks easy, doesn’t it? Use it to add to your model library while you’re waiting in line
Get it here.
The Architecture of Star Wars
Does this ever get old? Since the late 70s Star Wars has been watched, treasured, criticised and more. (Off on a tangent - Lately, I discovered that my nephew is also a fan. He’s 13. That makes him 1 year old, when Episode 1 came out right?)
Have a look at these awesome Star Wars blueprints:
If you’ve built Star Wars scale [...]
The Pirates – Band of Misfits
Watch the trailer below for Aardman Animations‘ new stop motion film – The Pirates! Band of Misfits. Featuring voices from Hugh Grant and Selma Hayek, this is directed by Peter Lord.
Even if this type of animation isn’t your favourite, you can’t not acknowledge the work that goes into it.
Review: Viz-people Casual Pack 3
Viz-People has released their latest people pack – Casual People V3 (and yes, we have it!) – This casual people pack does not fail to deliver on Viz Peoples track record. If the PDF catalogue isn’t enough to get you drooling, view the samples here.
There are 14 different people (men and woman, no children) each [...]
Free 3D Model: Eileen Gray Table
Download this Eileen Gray table for free from Flying Architecture. LINK.
Stereoscopic 3D with Max 2012
This tutorial by Arnab Bhadra, will go through making 3D stereoscopic renders using Max 2012. This, by using a free script by Andrew Dour. Link through here to watch the video.
Relinking missing files
Have a look at this script that relinks missing files in Max. Apparently it’s easy, fast and reliable. And it’s free – so why not try it out? Watch the demo video below and visit their site to download.
Relink Missing Files Demonstration Video from Nick Moutafis on Vimeo.
Making of Taliesin Mod.Fab
Visit Ronen Bekerman’s site for the Making of Taliesin Mod.Fab, by Matt Guetta. Matt is a 3D artist based in France. LINK TO MAKING OF.
2 Trailers for a Monday
The trailer for the new Need for Speed – directed by Michael Bay
Snow White and Huntsman (cool looking VFX)
100 3DMax Quicktips
Today’s post it short to make room for the 100 quicktips!
Click through to read Jamie Gwilliam’s 100 3Dmax quicktips here.
Latvian Hotel
This music-themed hotel concept in Latvia looks very creative, don’t you think? Made up of wooden posts and glass, the wavy look of the building is a rather unique combination. Architects Jevgenijs Busins and Liva Banka.
Autodesk Design Competition Winners
I’m sure you’ll recall the competition to make it on the cover of the next cover of 3Dmax? Winners announced today on CGarchitect. View them here.
21 Arch-vis animations
Yes! 21 of them! Say thanks to CGdigest that took the time to put these together. Some you may have seen and some not, but take the time to go through them. Especially if you’re needing some inspiration today.
Link through here.
Texture Pilot
After seeing this link on CGArchitect yesterday, I visited Texture Pilot. Not the usual textures, so worth having a look at. Hopefully they will keep adding to the existing collect they have. Sign up for the free account where you can download 20MB a day.
X-MEN: First Class VFX breakdown
Have a look at MPC’s VFX breakdown of the work they did on X-Men: First Class.
Thanks to CGrecord for the link.
Sharp shard-like buildings
It seems all the rage now to have a ‘cutting edge’ building. Yes, yes, excuse the pun but I’m noticing these types more and more! That doesn’t mean that they don’t look really great. There are many design interpretations and variations in finishes and angles – some even shaped for specific sites.
Below are a few [...]
Oh wow – A sister’s eulogy for Steve Jobs
We’re only human after all and I found this very touching. Not only did he affect the way the world is today, but it’s great to see a closer side to a great mind.
A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs
By MONA SIMPSON
Published: October 30, 2011 – New York Times.com
I grew up as an only child, with [...]
Making of Final Stand
This ‘making of’ by Brandon Martynowicz as featured on 3Dtotal. Brandon uses 3ds Max, Photoshop, Maya, V-Ray to create this image. Read here to find out how.
Also – CGtuts has there next quiz up – General CG
DBOX interview
About two months back we posted up DBOX’s trailer for Rebuilding Ground Zero (did anyone catch that on TV? I saw a piece.)
CGArchitect’s Jeff, posted up his Q&A with Keith Bomely from DBOX. There are lots of questions
Read it here.
Glass Canvas demo reel
Glass Canvas is a studio based in London, who have been around since 2001. Watch their showreel below.
Glass Canvas Showreel from Glass Canvas on Vimeo.
Realistically add object to photos
Researcher, Kevin Karsch and his team at the University of Illinois have created a new software system that allows you to realistically add objects to photographs. Watch their video below.
Rendering Synthetic Objects into Legacy Photographs from Kevin Karsch on Vimeo.
Louis Vuitton, Singapore
Louis Vuitton, Singapore looks like a giant, but very cool, display case. It’s located on it’s own ’shopping island’ and was designed by architect, Peter Marino. This architect has worked on big fashion brands like Chanel, Dior, Donna Karan and Fendi.
Have a look at the video flyaround here below. Would love to see inside.
Reflections
Where is the perfect medium when it comes to a reflection in render? In search for realism, reflections often become overpowering. Somewhere between what the artist and client is happy with, is my most diplomatic answer. Below is a comparison between buildings and renderings.
Strong real life reflections:
Rendering reflections:
Largest Mosque in Southern Hemisphere
…and it’s in Midrand, SA. I did notice it while in Midrand a while back – difficult to miss, in fact. It’s dome risies 32m into the air, with 55m tall minarets. It has been modelled off an existing mosque in Turkey that was built in 1574.
Read more here.
View more images here.
Line Weights
Illustrator and concept artist, Matt Kohr was featured on 3Dtotal to discuss the Power of Line Weight. Watch the video below.
The Power of Line Weight from 3DTotal.com on Vimeo.
Mad about mosaic
Mosaic can make a major statement, in my opinion. They aren’t just for swimming pools anymore
Food, glorious food…
Can you tell it’s about lunch for me?
Since watching Alex Roman’s animation a while back, I’ve had an eye out on food in renders. Below are some still renders I’ve come across with food items as a focus.
2-in-1
2 things caught my eye today, so here they are…
1) The week before last I posted The Art of VFX’s Q&A with Ed Bruce who worked on Game of Thrones. They now have another post up relating to the beautiful title sequence. Read their interview with Kirk Shintani from a52/elastic. The opening took 4 months to [...]
New look for 3Dtotal
3dtotal has redone their website – more graphic orientated and clearer, in my opinion. Have a look here and review their site to be entered into a competition.
Kuwait International – new design
Foster + Partners have just released their design for the new Kuwait International Airport. This proposed airport will be able to handle 13 million travellers a year. The design gets its inspiration from Kuwait’s traditional Dhow sailboats.
PS. Love the mood of the renders.
How to get more design work done in less time
Read this post by Preston on Youthedesigner.com.
“I’ve been freelance designing for a few years now and there’s one thing I never seem to have enough of:
Time.
And since I know for a fact that there are only 24 hours in the day no matter where you live on the planet, I bet you’ve run into the [...]
Evolution of Apple
In the spirit of saying good bye to Steve, here is the evolution of Apple products or link here.
The New World Trade Centre by Piranha
PIRANHA was commissioned by Silverstein Properties to create a short film depicting the completion of The New World Trade Center site. Piranha wrote, produced, art directed, filmed, and finished all VFX.
A few stills above from their site, but watch the video. Visit this link for more info.
Transparent Church
This work, Reading between the Lines is a project by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, a collaboration between Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh.It’s made up of 30 tons steel and metal blocks and looks beautiful at sunset. Read more…
Then and now
Buildings seem to creep up slowly as we pass them day by day but when you make a comparison, it’s great to marvel at urban development.
I *heart* Game of Thrones…
Whether you’re talking about the enthralling book series or series masterpiece – I lurve Game of Thrones! Even the title sequence is a masterpiece. Focusing on the effects of the actual footage though, The Art of VFX has a Q&A posted on their site with Ed Bruce (read it here), VFX supervisor at Screen Scene.
Video posted via Ed [...]
3 3DMax plugins for archviz
Perhaps these 3 plugins from 3Dworld will make your workflow more efficient? Have a look at them below:
“If a common task seems long-winded or complicated, it’s worth spending time finding a script or plug-in to help.
Anything that can speed up regular tasks in a production environment is worth its weight in gold; a well-thought-out plug-in can [...]
Art gallery concept
Could this be the concept that takes it’s place in France? Interesting isn’t it?
Sosno, a French sculptor and architect, Rytis Daukantas have proposed this 22m high building.
CG Arena magazine
You ever read CG Arena’s free magazine? The latest issue and backissues available to download. Here is the link
Building Butler
Now this could work out to be a very useful tool for our industry.
You search by various building criteria, and photo references come up from your search. Great for referencing building materials or specifics for renders. And for ‘mood boards’ too, I guess, as the images are free to use in presenations.
Building Butler - check it [...]
This is the Batcave (maybe)
We’ve seen Anne Hathaway in her skintight outfit, Bane and shots of the Batmobile lately – all in anticipation. We wait. We wait for Chistopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.
The latest are the (apparent) set images of the Batcave.
View more here.
Adventures of a Stickman
Now this is pretty pointless, but cute nonetheless.
Visit Draw a Stickman and see what adventures he/she gets up to.
Igloos in Finland
Now, this is way more appealing that the ordinary icy igloo. This Igloo Village in Finland is made up of these glass igloos, where you can cuddle up warm inside while looking at the Northern Lights through thermal glass.
Visit Hotel Kakslauttanen’s site.
Top 10 Traits of Highly Successful People
While they sound pretty obvious – hard work, etc. – sometimes you just need a reminder and perhaps some motivation. Read Philip Humbert’s Top 10 Traits of Highly Successful People. Here’s to the week!
Competition update
If you recall 3DWorld magazine had their voting open a while back for their own 3D awards. Winners announced, and you can view them here.
They’ve named Vyonyx’s image as Best Arch-Vis Image of the Year:
While that one has come to a close, Ronen Bekerman has announced his new one – City Life challenge. Get all [...]
Sleep Box
This idea by Arch Group is so simple and, I’m sure, will be successful too. Introducing the Sleep Box.
Includes plug points, TV, Wi-Fi router, alarm, safety deposit box and built in pay station. Not to mentioned place for luggage and the ever-important bed (Yes, I have been that desperate to lay down flat on a [...]
So you want to be…
…a rock superstar and live large? A big house, five cars? (Giving away my age there )
3D Max is asking if you’d like to be their next hero though. A 3D hero. By submitting a 3D scene using Max 2012 it could make the cover box of the next 3D Max version. Awesome!
An you [...]
Test your PS knowledge
If you recall, CGtuts recently had a quiz on testing your CG knowledge, the lastest on PSDtuts- Test your Photoshop knowledge
See how well you do.
50 Amazing Arch Renders – CGtuts
Here is CGtut’s roundup of 50 amazing architectural renders – LINK. Would you believe that I’d already started compiling this as today’s post, when I saw image 6?
Burn’s very own interior (Yay for us!). I’m proud that we’re amongst such amazing renders.
Transformers 3 Photos
If Transformers 3 was WAY too much for your eyes to handle, then perhaps Robert Zuckerman’s behind-the-scenes photos will do. Visit Michael Bay’s website for more… there are quite a few.
Louvre Love
Now we’ve done our fair share of louvres! Mostly they make a building more interesting (apart from the practical use). Today’s post is just a collection of images from my side
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VIEW Conference
Graphic artist in Italy? Heading there? You might want to head to the VIEW Conference in Turin, Italy from 25 – 28 October 2011.
Covering topics that include animation, gaming and VFX it might just be worthwhile. As all of these events have, there will be workshops and talks by big names in the general industry.
Opening [...]
Archvis tips from Uniform
Mark Lee from Uniform gives 11 archvis tips to 3dworld.
“Architectural visualisation is a fast-growing industry.
Just by looking at sites such as cgarchitect.com, it’s clear there are many companies and individuals offering their services.
As with all industries, there are some excellent companies out there, producing outstanding visualisations; but there’s an even greater amount of mediocre work doing the [...]
The Sandcrawler – LucasFilm new HQ
The Sandcrawler is LucasFilm’s new Singapore headquarters. Designed by Aedas, this building will include a 100 seat theatre, LucasFilm offices, a public podium along with other spaces. Should be there for all to see sometime next year.
As for the rendering below – awesome glass! See more here.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Now, I’ve seen a orangutan and gorilla up close (safely from behind glass though) and I can say that the CG in the Rise of the Planet of the Apes was amazing. Have a look at the featurette below.
Communicating your design
Read Robert Herrick’s (founder and MD of Visualhouse) article on how to communicate your design differently. Robert has worked for Eric Kuhne & Associates and Hayes Davidson (one of my favourites so thumbs up from me).
“They all look the same to me….?
The design visualisation industry has changed quite dramatically over the past 8 years; studios have come [...]
Retro Petrol Station
What? This is a filling station? A stylish one at that.
Italian architects, Damilano Studio Architects are the minds behind it. More images here.