The VES Handbook of Visual Effects

"Coming Soon … Chapter 1: Introduction First, Some Ground Rules Now, the Introduction Why Use Visual Effects Chapter 2: Pre-Production /Preparation Overview Breaking Down a Script – Budgeting Ballpark Budget More Detailed Budgets Bidding Plate Photography Temp Screenings Reviewing Bids Contracts Rebidding during Shooting Rebidding in Post Monitoring the Budget and Schedule Keeping the Budget Down Working with the Director and Producer Demo Reel The Meeting Moving Forward Production Departments Production Design Camera Working with the Cinematographer Special Effects Stunts Wardrobe Makeup Production Visual Effects Editorial Locations Production Meeting Designing Visual Effects Shots Guidelines for Directors Storyboards Previs Objective of the Shot Concept Art Continuity Photorealism Original Concepts Budget Reality and Magic Camera Angles Framing Scale Detail Speed Scaled Images Depth of Field Sequence of Shots Camera Motion Less Is More Action Pacing CG Characters Creatures and Character Design Powers of 10 Shots Visual Effects Techniques Technique Considerations Additional Suggestions for Determining Techniques Development of Previs Techniques History and Background What is Previs and Other Forms of Visualization? What is Previs? Different Types of Visualization and When to Use Them Visualization: The New Essential The Application of Previs: Who Benefits and How? The Benefits of Previs Project Types Post-Visualization What is Post-Visualization? Why Use Postvis? Who Does Postvis? Cautions and Suggestions for Good Practice The Perils of Previs! Passing the Work On The Role of the VFX Supervisor in Previs Previs: Advanced Techniques Visualization Usefulness VR as a Tool Visualization in Engine Render in Engine Visualization in Real Time AR as a Tool Camera Angle Projection Introduction Drawing What the Lens Sees Techvis What Is Techvis? Who is Techvis for? Virtual Production What is Virtual Production? How is Virtual Production Used? Chapter 3: Acquisition / Shooting Working on Set Common Types of Special Effects What are Special Effects? A Brief History of Special Effects The Special Effects Coordinator Working with the Visual Effects Visual Effects in Service to SFX Special Effects Design and Planning Storyboards and Previs The Elements: Rain, Wind, and Snow and Ice Smoke, Fire, and Pyrotechnics Mechanical Effects Flying Wire Rigs and Stunts Safety Greenscreen and Bluescreen Photograph Best Practices and Otherwise Overview Function of the Backing Negative Scanning and Digital Conversion Backing Uniformity and Screen Correction The Alpha Channel The Processed Foreground The Composite Recommended Specifications and Practices How to Expose a Green Screen Shot, and Why Setting Screen Brightness Choosing the Backing Color Floor Shots, Virtual Sets Foreground Lighting Controlling Spill Light Lighting Virtual Sets Tracking Markers On-Set Preview Cameras for Blue Screen or Green Screen Photography Underwater Photography On-Set Data Acquisition Camera Report Tracking Markers Props for the Actors Cyberscanning Digital Photos Lidar/Laser Scanning Lens Distortion Charts HDRI and Chrome Balls Lidar Scanning and Acquisition On-Set 3D Scanning Systems Types of Technology Lidar Photogrammetry Prop Scanners Lighting Data Gathering Lighting Data Beware of False Savings! Using Conventional Still Cameras Reference Shooting Considerations Clean Plates Shooting the Clean Plate Locked-Off Camera Moving Camera Other Issues Post-Process Alternates without Clean Plates Other Uses for Clean Plates Monster Sticks On-Set Animation Capture: Witness Cam (IBMC) Wireless Non-Video Motion Capture Factors Affecting Witness Cameras Dealing with the Data in Post-Production Camera Tracking for Real-Time Visualization Camera Tracking Pre-Production The Camera Department Prior to Shooting Current Tracking Systems in Use Triangulation As a Method of Recording Camera Data Camera/Subject Positional Information Basics: The Toolkit Basics: Nodal Point Photographic Reference How to Proceed Shooting Video as a Reference Rules, Setup, and Testing Do a Complete Test Shot! Why Run Through Example or Test Shots? Digital Cinematography Digital Definitions High Dynamic Range (HDR) Lens Metadata Look Management The Recording System Lens Mapping for VFX VFX Photography The Camera Array Designing an Array Shot Technicians Shoot Day Special Techniques Post The Future Filming Live-Action Plates to be Used in VFX Camera Position (Station Point) Angle of View Lighting Considerations Camera Tilt Background Quality Moving Plates Scouting the Camera Positions A Case Study Camera Cars Camera Car Safety Issues Purpose-Built Crane Cars Vibration and Camera Stabilization Road Speed Precautions Panoramic Rigs On the Water Air to Air Cable Systems Shooting Elements for Compositing What Is an Element? Stock Footage Types of Elements Generic versus Shot-Specific Elements Determining Element Needs Cheating Backgrounds Black Backgrounds Line-Up Camera Format Considerations Assorted Methods for Shooting Elements High-Speed Photography and Filming Elements Cameras Technicians Director of Photography Lighting Application Locking Down the Camera Video Assist Post Supervising Motion Control What is Motion Control? Performance Choreography Multiple-Pass Photography Scaling Import and Export of Camera Move Data The Data Types of Motion Control Systems Motion Control Software Camera Types Sync and Phase Dealing with Production Acquisition of Motion / Still Photographic Textures for Mapping onto CG Panoramic Backgrounds Tiled Stills Motion Tiling and Synchronous Plates Practical Considerations Stills for Textures and Lighting Stop-Motion Evolution of Stop-Motion Photography The Time Required to Shoot in Stop-Motion Preparation before Shooting Setting up a Shooting Space for Stop-Motion Use of Motion Control in Stop-Motion Useful Caveats Evolution of a Shot Use of Stop-Motion in Visual Effects Chapter 4: Performance and Motion Capture What is Motion Capture? Is Motion Capture Right for a Project? The Mocap Look Technical Specifications Entry Point Budget Which Technology is Right for a Project? Gauging a Project’s Needs and Constraints Passive Retroreflective Optical Active Optical Inertial Structured Light Dense Stereo Reconstruction Bend Sensors Preparing for Motion Capture Actors Motion Capture Suits Marker Placement – Body Marker Placement – Face Rigging for Motion Capture Shot List Technology Considerations Hardware The Strobe Markers Lenses Filter Image Sensor Onboard Processor Inputs/Outputs Setup Software Acquisition Calibration Post-Processing Reconstruction Labeling Gap Filling Cleaning Solving Motion Capture Facial Motion Capture Facial Actor Survey Actor Survey – Hardware Reference Data Statistical Data Facial Rigging Facial Acquisition Audio Facial Motion Capture Solving Real-Time Motion Capture Real-Time Uses Real-Time Limitations Alternate Technologies Motion Capture Resources Virtual Production World Building Previsualization On-Set Visualization Virtual Cinematography Chapter 5: Stereoscopic 3D How 3D Works Accommodation and Convergence Interaxial Separation Toe-in Versus Horizontal Image Translation Parallax or Depth Budget Positive and Negative Parallax Floating Windows Fix It in Post Stereoscopic Design The Emerging Grammar of 3D Creative Use of Depth Previsualization Avoiding Painful 3D The Aesthetic of Scale Cutting for 3D Designing for Multiple Release Formats Immersion-Based versus Convergence-Based Stereo Native Stereo Pre-Production On-Set Stereography in the Visual Effects Process Stereography for Finishing HFR as a Solution for Better 3D Movies VFX Elements and Stereo Introduction – How VFX Elements are Used Native Stereo Content Mono Capture – Packaged Script and Element Deliveries Mono Capture – Hybrid Approach for Stereo Delivery Mono Capture – Full CG Approach for Stereo Delivery Creating Depth – Layout and Stereography Stereo Camera – Depth Wedges Stereo Compositing Requesting a Full CG Stereo Render Mid-Production VFX Production Tasks 2D to 3D Conversion Depth Creation Preparation Visual Analysis of 2D Depth Cues Pre-Production and Previs for Conversion Source and Target Perspective Shared Shots/Shared Workflows Main Stages of 2D-to-3D Conversion Major 2D-to-3D Conversion Workflows Special Cases Re-projection Mapping Workflow Pixel Displacement or Pixel Shifting Other 2D-to-3D Conversion Workflows Is ""Real"" Always Right? 2D-to-3D Conversion Management Stereoscopic Visual Effects Prepping for the Third Dimension Shooting the Third Dimension Visual Effects in the Third Dimension Photographed Elements Accuracy and Attention to Detail Artistic Skill Level Data Management Stereoscopic Digital Intermediate Workflow Stereoscopic 3D Process Milestone Viewing 3D Dailies Projection Screens for Stereoscopic Viewing 3D Editorial Processes Data Workflow Applying the 3D Grade 3D Stereo Deliverables 3D Home Video Deliverables Stereoscopic Window The Stereoscopic Window Placement of the Window in Relation to the 3D Scene Window Violations Window Placement Logic How to Create a Stereoscopic Window Producing Movies in Three Dimensions Development – Getting the Green Light Production – What to Look Out For Chapter 6: Post-Production / Image Manipulation Resolution and Image Format Considerations Formats Transport Resolution Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) ACES Components ACES Benefits ACES Color Space Encoding Viewing ACES Preparations for Using ACES Image Compression/File Formats for Post Production Image Encoding Still Image Compression Other Lossless Compression Methods File Formats Color Management The Three Guidelines Digital Color Image Encodings and Digital Cameras Color Management at the Desktop Bringing Color Management to Film Workflows Digital Intermediate Shot Element Pulls and Delivery to VFX Introduction The Lab ""Production"" Is to ""Lab"" as … The Merge The Handoff VFX Editorial The Select The Pull VFX Editorial Editing within a Shot: The Art of Precompositing (Precomp) How It Came to Be Modern Day Tracking and Disseminating of Information As the Shot Changes Wrapping It Up Editorial Workflow in Feature Animation Introduction Editorial Crew Staffing and Structure Editorial Involvement with Feature Animation Production Stages Communication with Artists Starting Working with Teams Working Globally Reference and Perspective Shot Production Communicating with Artists in Other Departments Completion Compositing of Live-Action Elements Modern Digital Compositing Scene Tracking Rotoscoping and Paint Rotoscoping Digital Painting and Plate Reconstruction Matte Paintings/Creative Environments Matte Paintings: Art of the Digital Realm What Is a Matte Painting? Matte Painting Pioneers and History Visualizing the Matte Painting Shot in Pre-Production On-Set Supervision for Matte Painting Shots Basic Skills and Tricks of the Trade Miniatures and Computer-Generated Sets Finding the Best Frame Re-Projected Photo Survey The Need for Creative Compositing 3D Matte Painting Chapter 7: Digital Element Creation Digital Modeling Overview: The Importance of Modeling Types of Modeling Model Data Types Development of Models Modeling for a Production Pipeline Engineering Aspects for Polygons Engineering Aspects for NURBS Rigging and Animation Rigging Rigging: What is It? Animation Rigging Deformation Rigging Texturing And Surfacing The Importance of Texture Painting Hard Surface Models Creature Models Types of Geometry: Their Problems and Benefits Prepping the Model to Be Painted Texture Creation Various Other Map-Driven Effects Texture Painting in Production Model Editing Digital Hair / Fur Hair Generation Process General Issues and Solutions Digital Feathers Morphology of Real Feathers Modeling Digital Feathers Similarities between Hair and Feathers Differences between Hair and Feathers General Geometry Instancing Asset Creation World Building Shot Considerations Dynamics and Simulation How is a Simulation Created? When is Simulation Appropriate? Tricks and Cheats Important Considerations Planning and Preparation Software Solutions: A Broad Overview of Current Options Particles What are Particle Systems? The Next Step The Birth of Particles Creating Effects Rigid-Body Dynamics How Rigid-Body Dynamics are Created Potential Problems Other Issues Tricks for Getting It Done Digital Lighting Light in Reality and in Computer Graphics Case Study of Reality Compared with Simple CG Simulation Visual Sophistication through Texture Mapping Physically Derived Shading Models Beneath the Surface Goals of Lighting in Visual Effects Work Flow for Successful Creative Digital Lighting The Technologies of Lights in Computer Graphics Direct Lighting: Source to Surface to Camera Reflections Photographed Reflections Shadows Image-Based Lighting Rendering Occlusion Ambient Occlusion Reflection Occlusion Creating Light Sources from Environment Maps Physically Based Rendering Physically Plausible Rendering Volumetric Lighting Effects Shader Basics What are Shaders? Shading Models Bump and Displacement Map-Based Shaders Procedural Shaders Shader Design Anti-aliasing Considerations 2D Compositing 2D File Formats Image Quality: Color Bit Depth and Concatenation Log vs. Linear Low Dynamic Range and High Dynamic Range Images Mattes and Pre-Multiplied Alpha Working with Rendered CG Elements Integration Techniques 2D Compositing Z-Depth Compositing Adding Depth of Field Adding Motion Blur Relighting 3D Compositing Working with 3D Data in a Compositor Pan and Tile Camera Projections Set Extensions Coverage Mapping 3D Mattes 3D Retouch and Cleanup Adjusting Camera Moves Particles Deep Compositing Crowd Generation and Simulation Techniques Live-Action Replication Sprites Computer-Generated Crowds Modeling for Replication Variation Mesh Density Animation Cycles for Replication Motion Capture Keyframe Animation Dynamic Motion Synthesis Behaviors and Crowd Control CG Prosthetics and Actor Enhancements On-Set Tracking and Capture Considerations Eye Enhancements 3D Techniques 2D Techniques 2D Techniques Silhouette Changes Re-Projection 3D Products, Systems, and Software Digital Element Creation Process 3D Graphics Software 3D Tracking Special Effects Rendering Texturing Chapter 8: Interactive Games Overview How the Gaming Industry and Film/TV Industries are different Game Engines and Real-Time Rendering Runtime Component Disciplines and Job Titles Game Design Engineering Production Test Art The Art Director Concept Art Environment Artists Texture Artist Characters Hard Modeling Props Lighting Baked vs. Dynamic Lighting Shadows Effects System Effects Environmental FX Breakables Destruction Tech Artist Animation UI Real Time Shaders and Materials Pre-Rendered Cinematics vs. Real Time Visuals Optimization and Runtime Budgets Performance Analysis and Profiling CPU vs. GPU bound Technical Terminology User Calibration Latency ""Game Mode"" on Televisions HDR10 PBR – Physically Based Rendering FBX Mip Mapping Filtering Texel Screen Space Ambient Occlusion Level of Detail Vertex Shaders and Fragment Shaders AR/VR Future of Gaming On-Demand Rendering, Cloud Distribution and Ray Tracing Chapter 9: Complete Animation What Is An Animation Project? Full Animation versus Visual Effects Difference Between Visual Effects and Animation Production Pipelines Production A Survey and History of Animation Techniques Traditional Animation Stop-Motion Computer Graphic Technology Considerations for a Full CG-Animated Feature Pipeline CG Feature Animation Pipeline Managing an Animated Film Film Management and Personal Style Building Brain Trusts Building the Core Creative Team Writing and Visual Development Working with a Studio Facilities and Environment Managing the Event The Production Process: An Animator’s Perspective Working on CG-Animated Content in Live-Action Features Planning the Process Production Character and Environment Interaction Chapter 10: General Workflow Considerations Virtual Studio Technology Analysis of A Production Workflow From Workflow to Pipeline Service Bureau versus In-House Requirements Design of a Production Workflow From Analysis to Design Deploying a Production Workflow From Design to Implementation Infrastructure Tracking Assets What is Task and Asset Tracking? Commercial Task and Asset Tracking Systems Building Task and Asset Tracking Systems Scene Assembly 3D Scene Assembly 2D Scene Assembly (Compositing) Working Across Multiple Facilities Images Models Texturing Animation Compositing R&D Chapter 11: VR / AR (Virtual / Augmented Reality) A Note from the Editors Prelude to Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality Pre-Production for VR/AR Production for VR/AR Post-Production for VR/AR Editorial Post-Production for VR/AR How to Direct the Viewer? The Post-Process Nonlinear Editorial, Timelines and Edits World Lock and Forced Perspective Types of Head-Mounted and Handheld Displays What are the HMD and the ""VR Presence""? Electronical Designs of HMDs and their Respective Performances Optical Designs of HMDs and their Respective Usages Image Quality Factors in VR HMD Displays Hemispheres and Domes Game Mechanics Are What it is All About Overcoming Doubt and Preconceived Notions Dome Projections The Future of Domes VR/AR Tracking Displays Uses of VR Enterprise Narrative Storytelling Future of VR and AR This is Just the Beginning Acknowledgments Appendix A: Charts and Formulas Appendix B: Credits / Titles to Be Submitted in Accordance with VES Guidelines Appendix C: Glossary Index"