3D TV

Happy New Year!  I haven’t had time to do any new posts on what’s going on in 3d.  When I get the time, I’ll try and throw up some tutorials, but that will most likely be a ways off.  Right now, I’m looking at buying a 3D tv.  I’ll have made my decision some time next week.  I’m looking at a number of deciding factors.  Number one being cost.  I’ll probably be going with a size 32 or 42 inch TV.  They aren’t bad for 3d, in fact, it’s probably quite good if you are going to be watching in close proximity.  The TV will have to be 1080p  I don’t want to go any lower than that, so no 720p bargain tv.  It makes sense that if you want to view the best 3d image possible on your television, that you have the highest resolution possible.  I’m not too impressed with these auto shutter glasses that have to be recharged either, so I’m going to check out my options there.  Do I have a particular brand in mind?  Yes I do.  I won’t reveal them yet though.  I still have a whole week to look at the other brands out there.  So you’ll be getting a review and pictures of the TV, if and when I decide to get one.

3D Updates & Movies

I have yet to talk about the movie Prometheus, but it looks absolutely awsome!  I bet its one of the top performing movies of the year and the 3d looks like it will be mind blowing.  Who wouldn’t want to see an Alien prequel in the 3rd dimension?  Big thanks to Ridley Scott for going back to the franchise, even if it is supposed to be a mostly stand alone movie.

So I just checked out the new Avengers trailer and there was a bunch of CGI, but not too much, atleast for the trailer.  I don’t expect to see any skinny Captain America effects.  I expect there to be more in the actual film.  It mostly showcased the interaction and personality clashing between the team of Avengers.  One thing you will notice at the end of the trailer is Mark Ruffalo as the new Hulk.  We don’t get to see too much of him, but we do get a close up of the face and from what I can tell, this looks to be the best CGI Hulk yet in a movie.  You can actually see skin pores and sweat and skin folds and wrinkles.  This stuff is to be expected in special effects nowadays, but they really do it well here.

Hulk's Closeup in the new Avengers Trailer

So, what does everyone else think.  The movie actually looks good and seems like it will be a character piece.  As for the new Hulk, I’ve heard that they modeled the face after Mark Ruffalo slightly and I think I can see it a little bit.  My guess is that they used a talented Zbrush artist for this.  You don’t want a giant green Ruffalo, but you also want to have some continuity between transformations.  So I’m sure we’ll see a good blend of the two in this Hulk when the final version is seen in the Avengers movie when it is released.

Spiderman has a new movie coming out.  It is basically a reboot after the third movie by Sam Raimi was poorly received.  You know, the one that starred Topher Grace as Venom?  They are calling this remake or reboot or whatever you want to call it, The Amazing Spiderman.  One thing I must say, is that the 3d graphics they have used for this movie are indeed amazing.  If you have checked out the trailer, you will see a sequence towards the end of a first person viewpoint of Spiderman himself that is very cool.  I have heard many people say that this reminds them of the game Mirror’s Edge and I couldn’t agree more.  If you haven’t played it I suggest you go buy it as it is probably cheap by now.  The first person view has a remarkably rendered 3d architecture of a city.  Not to mention Spiderman’s hands and feet running and crawling furiously up the sides of buildings and pipes.  I am not sure if they are releasing this movie in 3d cinemas, but I am pretty sure it would look awsome in Real D.  In any case, hats off to the 3d modelers in the effects studio responsible.  They have truly done outstanding work.

The Architectural Work Done On These Buildings Is Amazing.

Even the detail in Spiderman’s hands and feet were modeled well.  Here’s a very good look at the new webshooters:

3d Web Shooters CGI

Try and find some pictures of Mirrors’ Edge on the internet and you may find something very similar to this:

New Spiderman Bares A Resemblance To Mirror's Edge

Last, but definitely not least I’m going to comment on Spiderman’s new suit.  The old spiderman suit was obviously a cloth material and this one is more of a rubbery latex type material.  I think this may be a production design strategy as it is easier to make things look rubbery with CGI.  It also is probably less CPU intensive than to mimic the flow of natural cloth in the rendering process.  Anyone notice that Superman’s new suit is similar?

Back of the new Rebooted Spiderman Suit

Maybe that’s the reason for all these rubber outfits in superhero movies lately.  Atleast they didn’t go full on cgi as they did with the Green Lantern.  Regardless, this new Spiderman movie looks to be cgi intensive, but for the good.

The War Between Creator And Fan Continues On Blu Ray.

Word on the street is that the Blu-Ray release of the Star Wars movies have some slight changes to them.  Oh by changes, I mean CGI changes.  Apparently a computer generated version of Yoda was added in to the Stars Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace.  This looks like they are trying to insert somewhat of a fix considering that most fans hated the original changed puppet featured in the original version of that movie.  It seems this is an obsessive phase.   Now the prequels technology in special effects isn’t good enough and needs to be fixed, atleast that’s the impression I get.  I heard there were other changes and I’m only going to talk about the cgi changes.  Although, I have to say that these “other changes” would still probably piss off die hard fans or even movie fans in general.  The only other change I saw was up on youtube and it featured an Ewok that was blinking.  It almost looked like a serpent blink or something like a crocodile.   Anyway I’m not sure if that will add to the overall movie or detract.  Do you think you should have to pay for a different version of the movie that you liked?  Hopefully they will release unedited versions on to Blu Ray home video.  I’m not a huge Star Wars fan, but I have to say that if they(star wars fans) are pissed off I can understand.  I wouldn’t want to have to pay for an edited version of Terminator 2 with no original alternatives to buy.

In conclusion I would have to say that this is another black eye on cgi.  Computer animation for effects isn’t really a bad thing, in fact it breaks new ground probably every year.  Over saturation is the problem here.  When it starts getting tasked to alter classic movies that you love then it becomes very bothersome.  I mean bad cgi is bad cgi and it can make or break a movie, but is good CGI used to change an old film a good thing?  Not in my eyes.  I like movies to be the way I liked them.  What are your thoughts on this issue.  Should LucasFilms be able to alter the Star Wars movies further?  Do you think they’ll put out unedited versions for their fans?

Hey everyone, So I checked out the latest trailer for Apollo 18 and besides the digital doctoring of the movie to make it look like lost footage from a NASA space mission, I believe I’ve spotted some CGI creatures.  It was difficult to find, and might not be any thing other than rumbling rocks from a booster ignition scene.  I have to say it looks as though the rock in the top left corner sprouted legs and rose up out of the moon’s surface like a crab.  Will the villian of the movie end being that the moon is infested with CGI crab aliens?  I can’t say for sure, but take a look at this picture and go back and watch the trailer and step by step go through the scene I’m talking about.  I swear I see a crab alien rise out of the ground in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

How did they do that?  CGI of course.  What most people are talking about right now in terms of special effects at the movies, is the realistic ape Caesar from Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes.  Its no surprise that this stunning 3d character was created by Weta.  Nope, it’s not an actual chimp.  Most of you probably realized that by now.  It was most likely performance captured and driving a facial rig created by animators.  This is far better looking than the young Jeff Bridges from Tron Legacy.  At times in the trailer I do see certain aspects that make it look cgi.  The most being the baby chimp version of Caesar, but you can’t have everything perfect.

Caesar, a realistic looking ape showcasing the remarkable special effects of Weta Digital.

What do I think makes this monkey look so stunningly real?  While the body movement that was captured is great, I think that the realism to the eyes is what sells it.  You can get the feeling from the photo above that the ape is thinking.  That, in my opinion, is something that is crucial if you are going to have a 3d animated character be the center of a live action movie.   Here’s a couple of other shots of Caesar and Apes in the film.

Caesar, the animated monkey showing emotion, is more than a special effect.

Another realistic looking chimpanzee. Special Effects have come along way.

Green Lantern is a sure fire hit coming to the movies real soon.  For those of you who have seen the trailer, you may have noticed a certain special effect that may put you off slightly.  I’m talking about the 3d green lantern mo cap suit.  The artists seem to have chosen an odd 3d animated suit that is fixed on to the actor, Ryan Reynolds.  The motion capture for the suit is actually impressive.  The problem I have with it is that I think in some scenes, it appears to look too pasted on.

Close up of Ryan Reynolds with the CGI Green Lantern costume

Take a look at some notable shots from the film to see what I mean.  Does it look like he’s wearing a suit or does it look like something has been doctored over a photograph?  I think the modelers and 3d guys did a great job with the CGI, but what sticks out to me as a 3d artist is the appearance that the global illumination appears off.  If you don’t know what global illumination is, I’ll explain it a little bit.  GI is the real world effect of having light from the color of one object subtly give off the hue to another.  When You walk into a room there is light bouncing from every single object in there to the other objects.  This is what tells your eye that something looks real or more real than other things in 3d.  For some reason the GI in the Green Lantern CGI suit isn’t registering well with my eyes.  In some scenes it looks like there is no global illumination, in others it looks like they have global illumination from the skin onto the suit, but not the green glow from the suit shining onto the skin.  It tells me that there is something weird going on.  I don’t believe this will have any affect on the movie, because it looks to be really out there in fantasy land.  The CGI fish looking aliens from the beginning let you know what you are in for.

The other shot is the one of the Green Lantern holding a chaingun.  There is definitely something about the suit that looks pasted on in that shot.  There are a whole bunch of fairly good special effects movies out there that fall apart in certain scenes due to too much compositing going on.  Humans are very good at spotting a bunch of composited elements at once in one scene.  Just think of the movies that use real actors on blue screen or green screen sets.  Your eye will be able to tell that it is trying to be duped.

There is a tremendous glow coming from the suit, but none on Ryan Reynolds face.

With all that lighting talk aside, it looks as though they have made strides in motion capture and tracking. The way the suit matches his movements with his skin is impressive. It looks to be a skin tight outer muscular suit, so that would only make sense in order for it to move right. How they did this I’m not sure. Did they use a phosphorus paint.  They did this on other movies for 3d faces.

Anyways take a look at these shots and let me know what you think of the effects.  Do they look like bad photoshop concept or fan art?  In some scenes I would definitely say yes, but it’s because of the route they went for the effects not the design.

I made a post a few months back on the  skinny special effects used on Chris Evans from the new upcoming movie Captain America.  The story of Captain America requires that the lead actor appear to be scrawny before he undergoes a government experiment in World War 2.  After the process, the actor would need to appear to be muscular and tall.  In the past they might have cast two different actors, but today they can use the latest in CGI special effects.  Below are some screenshots that showcase the effects that transformed Chris Evans into a skinny wimp.  The effects house and artists responsible for this did a terrific job.

Chris Evans Is Skinny Steve Rodgers

Another screenshot of a very thin Chris Evans.

Captain America has just released a new tv spot on the super bowl.  I must say I was thoroughly impressed with the CGI.  I’m going to break down how I think it was done.  I say this alot with effects that change a character’s physical appearance, but I believe they are using something similar to Benjamin Button special effects techniques.  Obviously, they cast a really scrawny actor for the role of the body and matched Chris Evans head on it.  They did this in Benjamin Button, except they replaced the stand in’s head with  a cgi head.  Here, I believe the effects company used an actual blue screened Chris Evans head.  I’ll go through my theories on this and why in a minute.  This technique is nothing new, they do it to replace stunt mens heads all the time.  The difference there is that stunt men are matched to the actor as much as possible in height, weight and look.  In Captain America, Chris Evans is trying to be made to look scrawny for his before super hero look.

This is a good shot of Chris Evans before he's Captain America

It almost looks like they are warping his face slightly to match the other actor’s head or body.  What I can’t tell if that is all of Chris Evans head and it is warped, or if it is just face on another actor’s head.  If you want to go really out of the way, the head could be entirely CGI except for the facial area.  That way it would be easier to match move his actual face to it.  Again, I don’t know the actual techniques that were used, but I’m using my best 3d guessing game here.  Here’s a few more shots from the trailer.

His head looks slightly warped in this shot to appear more thin and skinny

They actually did a spectacular job with these effects and this is just the TV Spot.

Here is an example where I think the face looks really warped and may not be matched correctly.

I Have No Idea How they did this effects shot in the Captain America TV Spot.

Finally, I’ve saved the best for last.  The absolutely best screenshot of a scrawny, skinny, Chris Evans in the Captain America movie.  Him crawling under the barbed wire is pretty amazing.  Everything about it is very convincing and Evans sells the shot pretty good too.  Can’t wait for Captain America: The First Avenger to come out.

Hey everyone.  I’m sure that most of you probably know that Back To The Future was recently adapted into a sequel/game for the PC.  Well, we here at 3d Animation CGI have checked it out and we’re going to give our opinions on both the good and the bad.  First and foremost, this game is episodic content.  So, you don’t exactly get a beginning, middle and end.  You more or less get the end of a chapter.  Oh and yeah, there just might be a cliffhanger at the end to keep you waiting for more.  So, what did we think of it.  We loved it!  It does have some flaws, but the overall care put into this game triumphs some of the top tier game companies out there.  Telltale Games have done a terrific job in bringing the Back To The Future Universe back to life.  This game however, is not for everyone.  If you are in to the Call Of Duties and Counter-Strikes out there, you most likely will be bored with the type of gameplay, because it solely relies on story.  Your characters gets from point a to point B and the bulk of what you will be doing is solving puzzles and talking with characters.  Is that a bad thing?  No, because Back To The Future fans will love it.

The Delorean is back and looks just like it did in the movie.

 The Graphics are good.  Micheal J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd leant their likenesses to the game.  Even though the game takes on animated cartoonist design, you can tell who your favorite characters from BTTF are.  Everything including the 3d models and textures were created with great care.  Christopher Lloyd even reprises his role as Doc Brown by returning to do the voicework.  Sadly, Michael J. Fox was unable to do the voice for Marty McFly, but TellTale went out and got a guy who sounds just like him.  Its unbelievable.  His name is A.J. Locascio and there is footage of him behind the scenes on TellTale’s website.  I suggest you check it out.  So, the graphics are rich and colorful and detailed enough.  The sound design is superb and borrows many things from the films. What about everything else?

Marty and Doc recreate the famous parking lot scene from the first movie.

If there has to be one complaint I make about this game, it is in the animation department.  The animations are passable, but are at times a little stiff and robotic.  It almost looks like you can tell when the computer loads another animation in between the previous.  Its not the most fluid movement, but its also not too distracting.  The other animated problem has to do with the lip-synch.  At times, the voices don’t match the mouths of the characters and will fall out of synch.  Again, this does not take away the overall fun and coolness of the game.

Overall, the game is good.  Real good.  Its just not an action game, which will turn some people away.  If you want to see a sequel to Back To The Future, then the closest experience you will get is playing this game.  Its presentation is that good.  Telltale is also working on a Jurassic Park adventure game that should be coming out in a few months.  The dinosaurs already look amazing.  In the mean time, I can’t wait till February when Get Tannen,the next installment of the Back To The Future game, is available for download.