H2 - Productions

Rendering Methods

2008-09-17T15:35:00.001-07:00

2k Resolution, Depth-Map Shadows, Maya Software - "Production Quality"

2k Resolution, Ray-traced Shadows, Maya Software - "Production Quality"

2k Resolution, Raytracing, Ray-traced Shadows, Mental Ray

HD 1080, Raytracing, Ray-traced Shadows, Global Illumination, Mental Ray

HD 1080, Raytracing, Ray-traced Shadows, Final Gather, Mental Ray

HD 1080, Mental Ray, Angular IBL Eucalyptus Grove

HD 1080, Mental Ray, Angular IBL St. Peter's Basilica

...in progress

H2 Image View (Standard Image Viewer)

2008-09-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the code:

import pygtk
pygtk.require('2.0')
import gtk
import Image

class ImageViewer:
global image
global button

def close_application(self, widget, event, data=None):
gtk.main_quit()
return False

def button_clicked(self, widget, data=None):
print "You are now viewing %s" % data

window1 = gtk.Window(gtk.WINDOW_TOPLEVEL)
window1.set_title(data)
window1.set_border_width(10)
window1.show()
image = gtk.Image()
image.set_from_file(data)
image.show()
window1.add(image)

def __init__(self):

window = gtk.Window(gtk.WINDOW_TOPLEVEL)
window.connect("delete_event", self.close_application)
window.set_title("H2 Image View 1.0")
window.set_border_width(10)
window.show()
hbox = gtk.HBox()
hbox.show()
window.add(hbox)

button = gtk.Button("Image 1")
button.show()
button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "BioDome.jpg")
hbox.pack_start(button)

button = gtk.Button("Image 2")
button.show()
button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "Cosmos.jpg")
hbox.pack_start(button)

button = gtk.Button("Image 3")
button.show()
button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "Crucible.jpg")
hbox.pack_start(button)

button = gtk.Button("Image 4")
button.show()
button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "EndlessBlue.jpg")
hbox.pack_start(button)

button = gtk.Button("Image 5")
button.show()
button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "ForestLord.jpg")
hbox.pack_start(button)

button = gtk.Button("Image 6")
button.show()
button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "HiddenFalls.tif")
hbox.pack_start(button)

button = gtk.Button("Image 7")
button.show()
button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "OverSeer.tif")
hbox.pack_start(button)

button = gtk.Button("Image 8")
button.show()
button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "Planitia.tif")
hbox.pack_start(button)

button = gtk.Button("Image 9")
button.show()
button.connect("clicked", self.button_clicked, "ThetisMoon.tif")
hbox.pack_start(button)

def main():
gtk.main()
return 0

if __name__ == "__main__":
ImageViewer()
main()

The Host, Jurassic Park, and More.

2008-08-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

Green and slimy, the kind of monster everyone loves. The film The Host has some really impressive and clean special effects. The animatronics in the film were very interesting, watching the producers/animators match the camera moves seemed complex. This film was one of the first to actually reveal the "monster" in many scenes, instead of keeping that mysterious procrastination that is exhausted in horror films. Due to the fact that the "monster" was being displayed so frequently required precision in all aspects of CG. In regards to precision, Jurassic Park captures the spotlight and sets the stage for modern films. The “Dinosaur Input Device” (or DID) is a small mechanical replica that can be used to record movements of the joints and other physical actions. After the DID is used they get the recorded information from the computer and edit/alter. “The action of a model figure is no longer limited, camera movement is no longer restricted; computers can graft one image onto another without any problems of registration, focus or matching positions or speed within a frame.” It is amazing to look back in history at pieces like “The Execution of Mary” and “A Trip to the Moon” in comparison with what we have accomplished today.

Fight Club Special Effects

2008-08-27T16:33:00.000-07:00

Fight Club, a great movie and personal favorite of mine. Many individuals would probably think this movie is not as artistic or appropriate as other feature films in the box office today but, I think otherwise. The principle behind the special effects in this movie is to give an accurate portrayal of how the narrator views the world around him. Pixel Liberation Front was contacted early on for previsualization purposes. Director David Fincher (previously employed at ILM as a cameraman) wanted to use pre-visualization to handle all problem-solving before hitting the stage. The production team decided to split the work up between different companies with different specialties instead of using different companies with the same specialty. Basically they used one company to do all the CG modeling, one for animation and another for compositing. Kevin Tod Haug was the man supervising visual effects for this film, as well as Robin L. D'Arcy as visual effects producer. It was Haug's decision to split the work among companies in order to "never play a facility's weakness." The footage that was "destined" for enhancement was turned over to a company known as Toy Box which dealt mainly with photochemical processing and handling. Fincher wanted to portray a poetic yet senile feel for this movie, he was heard giving instructions to an effects specialist saying "this one's like dropping ten tons of butterflies," in regards to the dramatic glass-ceiling crash in the movie. A second complex and climactic scene of the movie involves an apartment getting blasted to bits by a gas stove being left on. This scene required a "frozen time" effect used today in films such as The Matrix. BUF Incorporated, a company known for pioneering many CG image-based modeling and rendering techniques took command over this complex scene. BUF used a series of choreographed still photographs to reconstruct camera subjects as 3D geometry, then dress the digital models by mapping the original camera stills over them. "To create more detail than was present in the still photographs, BUF rebuilt the linoleum floor, kitchen table and chairs as 3D models, then devised a depth-of-field tool to simulate the shallow focus inherent with macro views." There are many scenes in this film that are very technical in terms of succeeding in displaying an indubitably realistic feel and look. I really love this movie for its special effects and theme. In my opinion watching a film like this one really makes me appreciate advancing technology and the concept of controlled chaos in film.