NOVEDGE blog

The Edge: Ilan Gabai's Epic Animation

Novedge: Tell us about yourself and what you do.

Ilan Gabai: Hello! My name is Ilan Gabai, and I am an effects animator (technical director) located in NYC. I earned my BFA in digital arts in 2007, and have since worked in the entertainment industry. I began my career working on TV shows and live action film, but over time shifted towards feature animation. Today I work as a full time effects artist at Blue Sky Studios/20th Century Fox. I have previously worked on projects such as Ice Age 4, Rio, Fast & Furious, Lost, Fringe, Rescue Me and more. I like to teach in my spare time, I have lectured and taught courses at Gnomon, SVA & Pratt. I gave my first SIGGRAPH presentation last year in L.A.

As an effects artist I am responsible for developing techniques and creating appealing visuals to support the story. My favorite part of the job is that I am involved with both development and animation of my effects work. Some examples of effects work include Oceans, water splashes, smoke, fire, dust, magic, explosions, destruction, etc.

Ilan Gabai - 2012 FX Reel from Ilan Gabai on Vimeo.

Novedge: You have worked on TV projects, films and animated features. How similar and how different is to work in these different fields?

Ilan Gabai: Short answer: The amount of time you have to deliver your work.

More elaborate answer: While the goals and type of work may be similar, there are quite a number of differences between the project types. They are all pretty demanding in their own unique way. Working in episodic television can definitely take a few years off of your life span. Other than pilot shows and season premieres, you have on average 2 weeks to complete all of the visual effects for an episode. Your studio is generally hired as a visual effects vendor for a larger production company. There really is no room for screwing up. So you look for the least time consuming, most aesthetically pleasing solution. Because you have very little (if any) time to develop ideas, it is best that you rely on prior experiences that have proven results. In episodic television, your development time is during the pilots and premiers which generally have longer deadlines.

I find live action films to be closer in nature to episodic television pilots, with higher aesthetic demands. So you generally have more time to work on a shot, but you are expected to create a visual effect at the highest level of realism. You are still hired as a vendor to work on a larger production. Visual effects for films usually get distributed over a number of studios simultaneously. So there are a number of vfx vendors completing work on different sequences for a larger production studio. Also, as many of the readers are probably familiar with this, the vfx industry is going through a serious struggle right now. The flat rate bids definitely add pressure to the work environment when your employer is trying to stay within budget. Artists are frequently forced to relocate in order to stay employed. These pressures create a more challenging work environment, which made my decision to shift towards feature animation an easier one.

Working at Blue Sky Studios has been a great experience for me. It has been a breath of fresh air. The studio is family oriented, and a pretty fun place to work. Like all work places, we have deadlines and crunch times; but somehow they feel much easier to meet here. Most likely because we have a good recipe for making film production work. Unlike in live action, here at Blue Sky we make our own films. Everybody gets credited for their work here, including babies that were born to artists during production. I think that the fact that our movies are made in house also makes us feel more attached to them. We take the success or failure (but mostly success) of our work very personally. Another big difference between working in feature animation vs live action is our ability to create more stylized visuals. While we do have art direction, artists are given plenty of opportunities to share their ideas and creativity. We usually have time dedicated to developing new ideas and techniques between films or at the beginning of a new production.

Novedge: What is a recent project that you worked on? 

Ilan Gabai: I just completed my work for the upcoming film Epic, and am currently working on Rio 2.

I can only share what has already been publicly announced about Epic. The film is based off the children's book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs by William Joyce. and is directed by Chris Wedge (Ice Age, Robots). The story is described on Wikipedia as a "battle deep in the forest between the forces of good and evil, and tells a story of a teenage girl who finds herself in a secret world, where she must help a team of fun and whimsical characters to save their world, which also saves the real world."

Back to my opinion: visually, the movie is amazing! Everyone here at the studio really pushed themselves artistically and technically to the next level. You can get a bit of a taste of that by viewing our trailer, but most of the exciting work won't be seen until the film is released. And we are all very excited to share this with the the world this coming May.

 

Novedge: What software do you use? 

Ilan Gabai: I work with a variety of software packages. My main software for effects work is Houdini. I use Houdini for its procedural and non-destructive workflow. While other software packages are slowly catching up, Houdini has been the first to go fully procedural, and is designed from the ground up to work in that way. We maintain a close relationship with the developers at Side Effects Software, and work closely with them to figure out ways to tackle new challenges. The level of support that sidefx has shown us during our productions has been second to none in my experience.

For liquid simulations I sometimes use RealFlow. RealFlow is a great stand alone liquid simulation package. It does actually offer more than just that, but liquids are what they have become known for. After creating your simulation in RealFlow, you can easily export your results to any major 3D package. The company that created RealFlow, Next Limit, is a small and friendly company located in Spain. They are very personable, and work closely with their clientele. For me it is always a huge plus to see that a company goes out of its way to make user experience a high priority.

For general 3D usage, I work with Maya. Maya is the 3D package that I was taught to use in college. It also seemed to be the most wide spread package of choice amongst the US based studios that I have worked for in the past. So until I arrived at Blue Sky, Maya was the main software package at the studios I worked for. It is a strong general package for all contexts of the 3D pipeline such as modeling, texturing, animation, effects and lighting ( with the help of external plugins).

Novedge: What would you say to young people who want to work in the visual effects field? What skills, both technical and personal, are in demand in the industry?

Ilan Gabai: This is a very competitive field of work, which requires an artistic eye and a certain degree of technical know how (it varies depending on the area of specialty).

With technology rapidly improving, it is important that you stay on top of things. I personally read, and practice a lot in my spare time. The industry is filled with extremely passionate people, so it is hard to compete against them if you are less dedicated than they are. For those of you currently earning a degree in the field, just holding a degree isn't enough. You really need to go the extra mile on your own and gain a professional level of knowledge these days. For effects work specifically, it's important to have an eye for detail, a creative thought process and a technical mind set. Finding an artist that excels in all of those areas is sometimes a challenging task.

With all that aside, it really is a rewarding field of work. It doesn't feel like a job when you enjoy what you are doing. I still get excited every time I start a new film, or even a sequence of a film. Also, for me, my work environment is a big plus. We enjoy lots of little perks, game room, film screenings, guest speakers, studio parties, etc. It definitely beats a 9-5 office job!

 

Would you like to see more of Ilan's work? Check out his Vimeo channel.

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And don't forget that Epic opens in US theaters on May 24th!

The Edge: Chris Waner's Principle Creative

Novedge: Tell us about yourself and what you do.
Chris Waner: First, I wanted to say thank you for putting the time and energy into creating a forum for showcasing and inspiring students and professionals. I know how much work goes into that.

It wasn't so long ago that I would have said that I was a 3D visual effects artist. But over the last couple of years I've been forced to abandon that description because if I honestly assess what I do, I have to admit that the term 3D visual effects is too narrow. Nowadays I find that I'm called upon to design--design for anything and everything; design for print, web, interactive, packaging, do style frames for commercials, write copy, even compose music or do a costume design. Of course I still do visual effects; I still love visual effects, but quite honestly it has simply become another tool for enhancing a broader creative endeavor. Because I work for agencies, studios, and direct-to-client, I'm forced to view what I'm creating in light of the client's larger and more generalized brand trajectory. I call this kind of work principle creative, and quite honestly it took me a while to figure out that this is the kind of work I wanted.

Ballerina - Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Grand Opening from claudia chagüi on Vimeo.

I've always been in the arts in some way, but somewhere along the road I decided to follow after other goals; I received a degree in English Literature and Secondary Education, taught for a while, and left because the politics of education were more than I wanted to deal with. And after a five year hiatus I came back to design. I started doing personal projects to get a small portfolio together, did some free work for people I knew, and used that work to become a junior graphic designer at a print house in Tulsa, OK. I then leveraged that work into a freelance children's book illustration job. Then took that portfolio to NYC, received my MFA in digital media, and became a visual effects artist.

Now I help people move their businesses forward in beautiful ways, and I love it.

Demo Reel - 2013 from Chris Waner on Vimeo.

Novedge: How do you find inspiration to stay ahead of the curve?
Chris Waner: As cliche' as it might sound, inspiration is everywhere. I was inspired by a kiwi fruit at lunch today; I had some fun looking at a shadow on the wall that resembled Kermit the Frog. On a more pragmatic level I've always considered staying up-to-date in design, color, technology, and cultural trends a part of my job. I unapologetically spend at least an hour a day looking at others' work, new technology, industry news, design blogs, etc. Ultimately, I'd have to say that what inspires me to stay ahead of the curve is the desire to create great work more efficiently. From a technological point of view, I want tools that are fast, efficient, and flexible; from the art/design side I see the work of others as iron sharpening iron, taking unrefined edges off my own sensibility. There's an efficiency that comes with refinement.

Novedge: What is a recent project that you worked on? Feel free to talk about more than one project!
Chris Waner: Certainly one of the most interesting and unusual projects that I've done was for Stark Collective, a start-up agency in Kansas City. On the surface the project was pretty straightforward, a launch video that spoke to the agency's intellectual ideals. However, the project was novel for a couple of reasons. In the first place the typical internal brand identity for agencies is white, graphic, and minimal. Stark, whom I would find as time went on to be breakthrough in a number of areas, had chosen a look that was black, raster, and active. In the second place, and perhaps even more astonishing, Stark did not want anything even remotely didactic but, rather, something abstract, even esoteric.

Stark Collective - Launch Video (Director's Cut) from Chris Waner on Vimeo.

Unlike many launch videos where the plain communication of core values is sufficient, Stark wanted a visual piece that spoke symbolically and even emotionally to those values; and especially visually they wanted to avoid a concrete or literal exposition. This, I think, is a powerful way to work, a resonant method of communicating ideas, and a very modern, forward-thinking approach to design. As it would happen one of the reasons I was asked to work on the Stark launch video was because of a piece that I co-directed and executed with Claudia Chagui, a brilliant creative located in Chicago. The piece was for a Kansas City organization called CinemaKC, who is dedicated to providing a forum for local film makers. In that piece we told the story of an idea that grows, blooms, takes flight, and finally finds an audience in the land of CinemaKC.

CinemaKC Show Open from claudia chagüi on Vimeo.

This symbolic storytelling caught Stark's attention, and I was brought on to design and execute a piece that encapsulated their creative philosophy. I did a few style frames, and to my amazement they just said, "Okay, go crazy."






That level of trust is utterly uncharacteristic of, well, really any client I've ever had, and that this client was an agency really kind of blew my mind. The one challenge thrown into the mix was that the piece needed to be a minute and a half long, and after the boards were complete I only had a little over four weeks to create it. Thanks to Bazillion Pictures in Kansas City who provide some much needed support in production, manpower, and infrastructure, we completed on time and on budget. The response to the launch video has been great, and Stark, mostly due to its own talent and perspective, is thriving with a host of new clients, in spite of the fact that as of the writing of this, they are only a little over a month old.

CinemaKC Show Package from claudia chagüi on Vimeo.

Novedge: What software do you use? Why?
Chris Waner: I've found that different software applications approach the same problem from different points of view. I recommend downloading free trials of everything, and see what feels right. Adobe has really cornered the market for suite based workflow and is an industry standard. For me the folks at Alias|Wavefront just spoke my language back in 2002-2003 when I started on Maya 4.5. Maya is still my app of choice because it strikes a nice balance between a procedural and artist-driven workflow (yes, artists drive procedural processes too). In the near future I see Houdini making a real in-road in the middle range commercial market; it's procedural tools are second to none, and I can see real possibilities because it has all the pieces in place to solve one of the major hurdles in commercial work, rapid iterations--turning versions on a theme around quickly for approval. I'm hoping to dive into Houdini in the near future. Finally, I can't leave out RealFlow. Although very few of my projects start out needing fluids, I find that I often end up there; I'll be in Maya thinking, "Hmm...how should I make this effect," and I'll realize that RealFlow has a tool to get me there.

Novedge: What are the rewards and challenges of working freelance?
Chris Waner: I think anyone considering going down the freelance road should remember that freelancing is not one job but ten. As a freelancer it is challenging enough just completing projects, keeping track of hours, billing, keeping and organizing receipts, dealing with clients, etc., but people who are successful at it must also keep pounding the pavement, so to speak, looking for new work, meeting new people, making new connections, keeping up with existing clients, promoting recently released work, and many other things. I think in many ways freelancing is much more similar to running a small business than being a visual effects artist, illustrator, designer, or whatever; you are CEO, CFO, CMO, and the grunt labor in many cases.

Apple Tree - McDonalds from Kompost on Vimeo.

The market makes a big difference too. The market in NY or LA is very different than it is in KC, for example. One market might let you specialize where another market might demand that you generalize. In my market in Kansas City, I will go from being an Art Director or a Creative Director, to a motion graphics artist or visual effects TD, to an interface designer or print designer within a month or two. Freelancers need to know their market in order maximize their offerings.

That might seem like a whole lot of trouble, but freelancing has it's perks too. Quite often it carries with it a lot of creative freedom. If you work from home, your commute is shorter. Many costs are reduced like transportation, food, and there are many tax benefits if you are organized and researched on how to take advantage of that. Quite often freelancing carries with it a higher money-to-time-spent-ratio than a traditional staff position. You rarely have to deal with the same difficult personalities for very long; often I can work when I want to in the day, I sometimes get to work when I want to in the week (i.e. a day off now and again), and on rare occasions I can just turn down a job that seems, well, torturous. You can't tell your boss at work that you're not going to do that job because it looks boring...unless you're wanting to become a freelancer really soon.

MLB 2012 All-Star Game Graphics from Chris Waner on Vimeo.

Novedge: What would you say to young people who want to work in the visual effects field?
Chris Waner: After graduating with an MFA from Pratt in NYC, I went on to teach courses in visual effects to undergraduate and graduate students. I have a real heart for those who are learning and a desire to help them make the jump from academia to the workforce. I say that because it's true and because I'm about to dodge this question. This industry is changing so much and so fast that it is almost impossible to answer this question without feeling that I might have led someone astray. The only comments I can really give young people starting out in this industry is to first, be self-reflective about what you want and why you want it. The design/visual effects industry needs people who are serious about their art and/or science, are willing to work hard, and are also level-headed enough to know when they are being abused. And second, I might get some emails about this one, don't feel like you have to do the NY or LA thing to have a happy and rewarding career. I started in NY, worked on some big jobs with big clients and agencies on their terms, but I left after six years because there's more to life than that. Now three years later I'm starting to work with bigger clients and agencies from NY and LA again, but this time I work my own way. Some of my favorite projects, and the best projects, were for clients that most people would call "small." There are some local business people out there with great vision and also some brave people who will follow you in your great vision for them. The world is a big place, don't settle for a small box.

 

See more of Cris Waner's work on his website and Vimeo channel.

Interested in Maya and RealFlow? Check them out on our website. And don't forget to connect on Twitter and Facebook.

Autodesk Smoke 2013: Q&A with Marc-Andre Ferguson

Autodesk recently released Smoke 2013, the video editing software for Mac that combines editing and effects. I asked Smoke expert Marc-Andre Ferguson to answer a few questions.

Novedge: Tell us about yourself and what you do 

Marc-Andre Ferguson: I am the Smoke Product Evangelist at Autodesk. My role is to spread the word to the editing community about the new Smoke, how it can revolutionize their editing and effects workflow, save them time and money, and enhance the quality of their productions.

My job involves staying current with industry changes and trends, playing an active role in Social Media circuits, giving product demonstrations and talks at industry events and trade shows, such as Final Cut User Groups, NAB and the like, as well as creating compelling content for users getting acquainted with Smoke.

 

Novedge: How did you become a fan of Autodesk Smoke? 

Marc-Andre Ferguson: When I finished my film studies in 1995, I opened an editorial boutique with my brother, Productions Imagène. We had an Avid, a ProTools and a beefy Mac for multimedia and print work. The local Discreet Logic reseller heard about us and came to "check on us" periodically, showing us how we could upgrade our production value by moving our effects and finishing pipeline to Smoke. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford one back then.

Then I had the chance to work with then-designer and trainer Patrice Cormier on Smoke 3.0, and I was hooked. For the next ten years, I longed to get back to it while I did most of my editing and finishing with a combination of After Effects and Final Cut Pro, with a bit of Shake thrown in there.

In 2008, I was approached by Autodesk to join the Smoke Product Design team, for my expertise in FCP editorial workflows, and I eventually led the design effort for porting Smoke to the Mac platform. Ever since I have been proud and thrilled to help put Smoke's powerful effects tools in the hands of editors who previously did not have access to it.  

Novedge: What set-up would you recommend to best take advantage of Smoke? 

Marc-Andre Ferguson: When we went to the drawing board to design Smoke 2013, we wanted to make sure people could use it on a variety of configurations, from laptops to iMacs or MacPro workstations.  So there's no big list of hardware requirements.  That said, I'd recommend some kind of dedicated, high-performance storage with a good, fast connection.  In Smoke you can work with native HD and even 2K/4K media, so while you could work off of a FireWire drive or other attached storage, the bandwidth you get over something like Thunderbolt is a real benefit.  Smoke is also a 64-bit application, so it will take as much RAM as you can throw at it.  In our demo configurations we like to have 16GB of RAM installed to provide a good, fluid workflow. 

Most compositors wouldn't be caught dead without their tablet, and Smoke's user interface was originally designed to maximize the use of a tablet. For color grading, we support the Avid Artist Series panel.

Novedge: What file formats are supported by Smoke? Can timelines and files be imported to Smoke from other programs? 

Marc-Andre Ferguson: Smoke supports most professional video and file formats, such as camera originals from Sony, Panasonic, RED, ARRI, GoPro and Canon. We also support virtually all QuickTime formats , like ProRes, and Avid DNxHD files.  If you're working with another NLE such as Apple's Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer, you can bring entire timelines into Smoke including multiple layers, effects references and native media.  A lot of Smoke users like this workflow, as they can edit in one application and dedicate Smoke to post production.  It really just depends on the requirements of the project. 

Novedge: How does Smoke support collaborations between editors? Can multiple editors work on the same clip in the same project?

Marc-Andre Ferguson: Absolutely.  Collaboration in creative workflows is vital.  In Smoke, we've built-in networking and project sharing tools that let editors work across multiple workstations on projects or quickly move project assets between workstations.  Projects can be shared by using a "remote login" feature - where one editor will attach to another computer running Smoke over a network connection.  All clips and renders happen over the network, so the faster the network, the better the performance.  Or editors can move folders, data sets or individual clips between workstations if they need the performance of working off local storage.

And if projects need to move between multiple computers or multiple facilities running Smoke, there's a unique archiving feature in Smoke that allows you to snapshot a timeline, set of clips or entire project including original media files and intermediate renders and versions.  This snapshot can be restored on another Mac running Smoke and the project can continue exactly where the previous editor left off.  By the way, archiving is also a fantastic way to save a project and all its assets after a job is delivered.  If a client ever comes back for changes or to update, you can pick up exactly where you left off with the same original media, metadata and render files.  It's really pretty cool.

Novedge: What are your favorite editing tools? 

Marc-Andre Ferguson: In Smoke, my favorite editing tools are the FX Ribbon and Gap effects.

When you apply an effect to a clip in the timeline, it shows up in the FX Ribbon, right above the top-most track. This way, you can quickly apply changes to a selected clip's effect, without the need to move to another panel or open a window.

Effects can also be applied to a group of clips by using a Gap effect, which users might call an Adjustment layer. Not only can you apply color correction and masks (for example to create a vignette effect), but also more elaborate ConnectFX setups, saving you a lot of time.

Novedge: How does Smoke work in true 3D space?

Marc-Andre Ferguson: 3D is something that Autodesk knows a lot about.  From our 3D design and visualization products to 3D content creation tools like Maya and 3dsMax.  What makes us unique in professional video is that a lot of the 3D knowledge and capabilities extend into what Smoke does.

Even if you are just compositing flat layers - like a greenscreen shot over a background image - in Smoke you can build the composite in X, Y and Z space.  So you can create simple parallax effects between flat layers in 3D space by simply moving them in relation to the 3D camera inside of Smoke.  Or if a client wants to add a 3D title to their video, using Smoke, an editor can simply create, extrude and texture 3D text right inside the compositing tools of Smoke.  And in both cases, editors can add multiple lights with 3D lens flares and effects, cast shadows, you name it - and the beauty of Smoke is that it's as fast and interactive as simple 2D text in other tools. 

If you really want to go deep in 3D space, Smoke even allows you to bring in 3D models and geometry using the FBX interchange format.  So imagine you've got a 3D character or animated title designed by someone working in Maya.  Instead of rendering out flat passes to reassemble in 2D space, editors have the option of bringing in the actual geometry right inside Smoke.  In most cases, you'll want to use a combination of 2D layer passes and 3D effects, but with the flexibility to add true lighting and texturing effects, the results you can achieve with Smoke are dramatically  better than what you get in a traditional layer-based compositor.  

Novedge: What are Smoke's audio editing capabilities?

Marc-Andre Ferguson: Smoke has all the tools you need to create a broadcast-quality stereo mix. With clip-based rubber band editing to EQ, filtering and compression, Smoke can tackle a basic mix easily.

 

Novedge: What other software or plugins do you like to use with Smoke? 

Marc-Andre Ferguson: The only plugins package available for Smoke is GenArts' Sapphire, which brings over 70 effects to the Smoke editor's palette. Smoke is also compatible with a variety of third-party packages.

For example, you an import 3D and planar tracking data into Smoke's compositor, from Mocha Pro, Syntheyes or PFTrack.

With PluralEyes 3, you can sync video and double-system sound easily and export an XML file that can be brought into Smoke.

Telestream's Episode Pro now lets you access Smoke's Media Database in order to export clips and sequences from Episode to a plethora of formats.

 

Find out more about Marc-Andre Ferguson on his blog and keep an eye on our webinar series as we are preparing a webinar on Smoke on Wednesday May 15th.

Interview with Important Looking Pirates (ILP), VFX for Academy Awards Nominated Film Kon-Tiki

We are excited to feature our interview with ILP today on our blog, a vfx firm from Sweden who has worked on many projects, from commercials to video games, and is now expanding to movies. Niklas Jacobson, the co founder of the company, answered our questions.

 

Novedge: Tell us about yourself and Important Looking Pirates

 

ILP: We are a visual effects / post production company based in Stockholm, Sweden. ILP was founded by me (Niklas Jacobson) and Yafei Wu in October 2007 with the vision of one day be able to compete with the best international studios. Since we come from an artist background, our focus has always been about the quality of our work, together with an inspiring and creative work environment to accomplish it.

Today we are 20 full time employees which we believe are among the most passionate artists, producers and support personnel in the industry. 

 

 

Our core business has always been visual effects for commercials, but in the last couple of years the way we consume media has changed quite a bit, with the internet and other technologies. So now we see ourselves more as content providers for all kinds of platforms like television, web, game industry. We recently finished the visual effects work on our first feature film Kon-Tiki which was a fantastic project to work on. And we are definitely looking forward to more film work as well!

 

Novedge: What or who inspires you? 

 

ILP: We take inspiration in lots of things. There are plenty of "nerds" in the office so there is obviously a lot of discussion around art, movies and games. But what drives us the most is the passion for what we do, the competition in seeing what other people and companies manage to achieve. I think it is very important to take pride in what you do, while remaining humble. There is so much we are constantly learning from each other, and from others outside of ILP, we all feel equal within our team.  There is a never ending journey of self improvement. This is a very fast paced and evolving industry and so you need to keep looking forward and not get stuck on old merits. 

 

Novedge: What is a recent project that you worked on?

 

ILP: We have recently finished about 60 very visual effects intensive shots for the upcoming Norwegian feature film Kon-Tiki directed by Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg. The film is about the legendary explorer Thor Heyerdal’s epic journey crossing the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947.

The movie has been very well received and has just received a nomination to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

 

 
This was an extremely fun and challenging project to work on. We worked on a sequence featuring digital white sharks and a digital parrot.

 

 

One exciting thing with this kind of work is that you often get to do some pretty in depth studies on very random subjects. For this project we spent a lot of time watching documentaries like "Life" and "Planet Earth" We studied the movement of sharks and the look of underwater footage. 

 

One of the greatest challenges with our work was that it had to look 100% believable. We are cutting between live action scenes and completely digitally created scenes which puts incredible high demands on everything, from models, textures, lighting and animation to compositing and integration of the computer generated elements. 

 

Kon-Tiki Making of from Important Looking Pirates on Vimeo.

Novedge: What software do you use? Tell us why.

ILP: Before we founded ILP, Yafei and I spent a few years working abroad in London and Los Angeles. We were very inspired by how well developed the industry was at that time compared to Sweden. A lot of the companies were developing proprietary tools and pipeline workflows which in a lot of cases gave them an edge in creating really stunning visual effects or in their workflow. We have embraced that at ILP and are not afraid of putting a lot of resources into research and development and pipeline work. Among our tools we have developed a proprietary volumetric render to meet our needs for speed while rendering effects like smoke and fire. 

Among the "off the shelves" software that we use, Maya is our main 3D software. Maya feels like industry standard in our field and is a powerful tool that many 3D artists know and like. We use The Foundry's Nuke for compositing for more or less the same reason. We sometimes use Adobe After Effects for more motion graphics work. We use both ZBrush and Mudbox for sculpting when you need that extra detail in your models. In case we have to finishing work directly with the client we have Smoke for quick playback and last minute tweaks but more often we work remotely and review work over the internet especially with international clients. For FX work and heavy simulations we use Houdini and Naiad. We render our images using V-Ray. We switched to V-Ray about 1.5 years ago and are really happy about that. It makes the look development process extremely efficient and V-Ray has a lot of ways to get very fast feedback while still keeping all the fancy features like GI. You can get a quick read on how your lighting will look and when satisfied you can increase the settings with very predictable results. Two other good reasons to use V-Ray is the pricing and the excellent support.

 

Novedge: What innovations do you see in your field, now or in the future?

ILP: There are lots of great things already happening on the software side of things. Things are becoming more accessible and new features are being implemented to make our work easier. However, the expectations are increasing as well. Higher resolution, frame rates and stereo production have been  introduced and make for a continuous struggle to keep your head above the water. The thing I personally look forward the most for ILP is the fact that we just started using Shotgun in our pipeline as a production management tool. I think the key to survive in a business with continuously increasing demands is making sure the work you do is made as efficiently as possible. And a huge part of that is production management. 

 

To see more of ILP's work, check out their website.

To learn more about specific software, take a look at Novedge Best of the Best Webinar Series.