Compositing a Feature Film

Since the beginning of September I have been working for Rabbix VFX. The Feature Film I work on is Top Secret, so I can´t tell you anymore for now.

House Shot 2 (Nuke)

3D-Compositing in Nuke – „UV-Projection (SplatMap)“.

This shot will be very similar to my old „House Shot“ (Digital Fusion). But i will use a new technique: UV-Projection.

I will use the following image for the shot. The upper glass fassade of the building (MM) will be designed „differently“.

Stuttgart_House_Shot_Image

What has been done so far ?

• image improvements (clean up) in Photoshop
• import image into Maya (as image-plane for reference)
• Modeling FBX-Meshes from buildings of that image (with precise perspective)
• creating UV-Sets (8 Meshes) in Maya for that buildings
• Export of FBX-Data out of Maya
• Import of FBX-Data in Nuke
• UV-Projection from reference-image on every FBX-Mesh (with focal length of the real camera) – 8 UV-Projections
• Creation of „SplatMaps“ (Maya –> UV Snapshot, Photoshop –> „clean up“ SplatMaps

„awesomeful“ Keying and Rotoscoping

Only Keying and Rotoscoping in Nuke.

I used various Keyer (Primatte, IBK, Keyer) and Rotoshapes in Nuke for this “simple“ bluescreen-shot.

Resolution: PAL (720×576 Pixel)

awesome Bluescreen (footage: fxphd)

What has been done so far ?

• railing left: 2 Primatte (one for the darks and one for the lights)
• railing right: 3 Primatte (lights, mids and darks)
• lamp: 2 Primatte (lights and darks), Keyer (luminance)
• man: 3 Primatte (lights, mids and darks)
• woman: IBK and 2 Primatte (lights and darks)
• 37 Rotoshapes (for alpha channel, spill-suppression und garbage-mask)
• “Marker-Removal”
• “Edge-Treatment” (Spill)
• Background (Elbufer Dresden): colorcorrection and some grain
• No Lightwrap and Edgeblend ! only Keying and Roto

The final shot:

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done

HD-Resolution available!

It is possible to add Lightwrap / Edgeblend to this shot. So far, it has not been added .

Sky Shot

PFTrack, Maya and Nuke

In this shot, I will insert 3D-Objects into the clouds. First things to do: create a 3D-Track in PFTrack, generate some objects in Maya (FBX), and composite everything in Nuke (3D).

Image:

footage FXPHD - Artbeats

What has been done so far ?

PFTrack

• 3D-Tracking of the shot
• Mask (as Garbage Mask)
• several User-Features (15) for improving the solution
• Footage Manipulation (Sharpness, De-noise, Contrast, Brightness)
• Auto-Features (500)
• several options for improving the solution (Tracking-Threshold, Improve Solution, Constraints)
• Export: Nuke, Maya

Maya

• 3D-Object (with Translate, Scale and Rotation)
• Export: FBX

Nuke

• Import FBX
• Import PFTrack-Data (Camera, PointCloud)
• Setting up 5 Projections and apply material to 3D-Objects
• Rotoscoping
• Colorcorrection
• Grain
• „Chroma Shifting“ (Blue- and Green-Channel)

The final shot:

done

HD-Resolution available !

FMX09

Unfortunately, this year’s FMX 09 in Stuttgart is already over. I had a great week there and I’m looking forward to next year’s FMX in Stuttgart.

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NUKE and FUSION

It was quite obvious that foundry NUKE is used by almost all companies and Digital Fusion has been left standing. Therefore, it is inevitable for me to gain new experience in NUKE (especially in 3D-compositing).

I already took some pictures in Stuttgart for a breath-taking new NUKE-shot. This shot will be in 3D completely and will be quite similar to my previous „House Shot“.

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Showreel

done

HD-Resolution available !

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explanations for every shot

Erklärungen für jeden Shot

House Shot 1 (Fusion)

3D-Compositing in Fusion (3D-Projections, 3D-Rotoscoping, Particles)

This shot will be created within the next few days to be completed by the beginning of FMX 09 in Stuttgart.

A single picture is used as a basis which is then projected on a mesh in Fusion. This mesh was previously created in Maya (FBX). Tracking of the created tracking-shot in Fusion will be done in PFTrack. Furthermore, various Particle-Systems (debris, smoke, sparks) will be integrated in the shot to create the image of an explosion that has just taken place.

Update: Lightning inside the room (FBX-Mesh 2 and 3) has been improved.

one single image for this shot

What has been done so far ?

• Photoshop: image improvement and extension
• Creating of FBX-Mesh in Maya for projection in Fusion (house)
• Import of FBX-Data and Camera-Data (from Maya) in Fusion
• Projection from image on FBX-Mesh (with focal length of the real camera)
• Creating Camera-Movement in 3D (CAM_ANIM)
• 2D-Compositing of the image (Roto, Keying, CC, …)
• Creating of FBX-Mesh in Maya for projection in Fusion (room)
• Import and integration of FBX-Data in Fusion (3D-Projection, Matchmoving, Alpha-Channel)
• Particles: smoke out of the room
• Particles: sparks out of the room
• Fire (stock footage) with lightning
• Falling debris (Particles)
• Steel girder (3D-ImagePlane)
• Pillar (3D-ImagePlane)
• Particles: different debris on the ground
• several 3D-ImagePlanes with debris on the ground
• Particles: smoke for general view
• Particles: sparks for general view
• Color corrections (”chroma shifting”)

The final shot:

Nodetree Overview for this shot

done

HD-Resolution available !

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Head Up Display

This is a motion-grahics shot.

A head up display will completely be created in Fusion for this shot. Nearly all elements will be created in 2D and will then be transferred into the 3D system of Fusion.

footage: FXPHD

What has been done so far ?

• Tracking of the image-sequence in PFTrack (to get PointCloud-Data) – automatic tracking and solving
• Target, main display, and compass are 3D-Objects created in Fusion
• Use of the PointCloud-Data for Target-Movement
• Animation of all elements of the HUD
• Color correction of the elements and the BackgroundPlate (”chroma shifting”)
• All elements were created in Fusion (no use of Photoshop)

The final shot:

Nodetree Overview for this shot

done

HD-Resolution available !

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Helicopter Crash

In this shot, a helicopter crashes into the ground (length: 60 frames). The footage was part of a competition.

Update:

• improved Movement of the rotor blades
• Particle-Colorcorrection: smoke out of the trail of the helicopter (2 Particle-Systems)
• Particle: debris and sparks at the first impact of the rotor blades in the ground (3 Particle-Systems)

Helicopter Crash (footage: Challenge 23 FXPHD)

What has been done so far ?

• Wire-Removal
• Exemption of the helicopter
• Skyreplacement (Keying and Roto – no green- or bluescreen available) – with color correction for explosion
• Creating of rotor blades (main- and tail rotor) for helicopter in Fusion (3D-Objects) and Matchmoving of them
• Rotor blades were destroyed at the impact on the ground
• Improvements on textures in Photoshop
• Fusion-Particle: dust, smoke, and sparks out of the trail of the helicopter
• Fusion-Particle: debris and sparks at the moment of impact of the helicopter
• Fusion-Particle: debris at the moment of impact of the rotor blades in the ground
• Camerashake
• Distortion at explosion
• Overall color correction
• Bullet holes on the helicopter (and Matchmoving)
• Smashed windshield on the helicopter (and Matchmoving)
• Expressions for animations

The final shot:

Nodetree Overview for this shot

done

HD-Resolution available !

Lexus Shot

Update:

• removing the old 3D-Environment
• new 3D-Environment (1 image as projection on 5 imageplanes) created in Fusion – with focal length of the real camera
• camera movement (CAM_ANIM) in this 3D-Environment
• Greenscreen Keying (3 Ultrakeyer)
• reflections in the windows (Warper / Dent)
• colorcorrection

Frame 150 of the Plate (footage: FXPHD)

What has been done so far ?

• Greenscreen Keying
• Rotoscoping of the side window
• 3D-Rotoscoping for seats (left and right), ceiling, mirror und navigation system
• Tracking of TrackingPads for navigation system
• navigation system completly created in Fusion (3D and 2D-elements) and matchmoving with the Plate
• LightWrap and EdgeBlend for windows and hair
• Contact Lighting for seats (left and right), ceiling, mirror und navigation system (3D-Projections from the „real“ environment)
• Creating a full 3D-Environment in Fusion as BG (9 imageplanes)
• Colorcorrection of all elements

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The final shot:

Nodetree Overview for this shot

done

HD-Resolution available !