COVERING OUR TRACKS September 2004
by John Mantzefield
copyright 2004

Creating graphics with a 3D modeling program can be very satisfying due to the fact that anything you can imaging can be put on the screen in near photo-realistic quality. This is done routinely in movie and TV productions, making movies like the sci-fi epics "The Day After Tomorrow" and action adventure films like the Peter Jackson remake of "King Kong" look great.

When I was editing the two hundred plus video clips that were used in PMUG's promotional video (shown at a recent General Meeting and the DV-SIG) I originally had several animation sequences planned, but due to the time required to model and animate them I limited it to just one 3D project. The animated robot character that appears in the promo video (and on this months cover) was modeled in Cinema-4D XL v8 running on a G4/450.

C4D is available in versions ranging from a free demo through the full featured XL version. The first 3D program I used was Strata Studio Pro, which I used as a competitive upgrade path to Cinema4D. Strata's modeling tools (the functions used to create the outer shapes of 3D object) were very limited, but with programs like C4D there really aren't any modeling limitations at all. C4D has many settings the user can define like the colors used in the various wireframe modeling functions, custom toolbars, workspace layouts and dozens of Preference settings.

The USA distributor of C4D is Maxon Inc. which offers very good unlimited email support (phone support too but NOT 800) to help new users figure out the complexities of 3D modeling and animation. In addition to very good printed manuals that ship with the program (same manuals in C4D Help menu) they also offer a two CD set of MOV QuickTime tutorials and dozens of free downloadable project based PDF tutorials. There are also a couple of after market books about C4D available through amazon.com. The cost of a full version of C4D-XL is about $1900*, although the competitive upgrade from Strata reduced this cost. C4D has two companion modules that add great features to the entire package - BodyPaint: a Photoshop-like painting toolset that you apply directly to 3D object and Sketch & Toon: a rendering function that makes 3D scenes look like drawings or paintings. While the cost of C4D may seem high you get what you pay for. C4D is very stable (almost never fond any bugs) and it’s well engineered for ease of use.

Some 3D modeling, animation and effects programs cost a lot more than C4D. In the film, video and graphics magazines that I subscribe to there are articles about the 3D and compositing programs used in various movies and TV shows. The four 3D programs that are mentioned the most are Maya (used in "The Day After Tomorrow" and “King Kong”), Softimage XSI, Houdini and Lightwave. Because these complex programs must be very refined and have no limitations the development costs are high, and due to a relatively small user base (as compared to complex programs like Photoshop) the cost of this type of software is high.

Alias Inc. offers Maya Complete 6 (Windows, Irix - the Silicon Graphics OS, Linux, MacOS-X) at $1999*. Maya Unlimited (Windows, Irix, Linux) sells for $6999* and is composed of Maya Complete, plus Maya Hair, Fluid, Fur, Cloth and Live Effects modules. Softimage XSI v4 comes in three versions selling for $2K* to $9K*. Side Effects Software makes Houdini Master at $17K* (Windows & Linux only) which is a complete studio package that does 3D modeling, animation, rendering and unlimited image compositing, plus 3D paint, particle effects like dust, flame and smoke. Side Effects offers a free demo version of Houdini.

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ABOUT THE COVER
The modeling process (creating the shape of the robots head) began by moving groups of polygonal parts (shown in the image above at B) of a "Primitive" object (basic shapes like a cube or sphere). These molded and deformed basic shapes are worked and pulled on until the desired shape is created. This is a very time consuming process and so engineers have developed laser scanning techniques to plot the shape of clay models (like alien characters & props) so that this “shape data” can be used to automatically generate 3D models. To animate the models in a realistic manor an infrared motion capture systems (referred to as MOCAP) can be used to detect and record the motion of actors. Most of the high end 3D programs I mentioned above have file Import features that allow them to directly use the model scanning and MOCAP files.

In the image above at “A” you can see the white outline of the "Primitives" altered shape before a smoothing effect is applied. After extensive manipulation of the objects polygons the overall contour of the object is smoothed (rounded off) with one of C4D’s 3D function called Hyper NURBS. The fine black lines in the image show the smoothed Hyper NURBS shape.

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The effects of Hyper NURBS can be seen in the image to the right where the smooth contours of the head cam be seen in 3D. During the initial phase of modeling an object like a head (or any object that needs to have both sides appear to be the same) you only model a half of it as shown in the image to the right. When the model is completed you apply another C4D function called a "Symmetry" and the other half is automatically generated. This second half is a mirror image of the original which gives the robot identical right to left features.

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The image to the left shows what the entire 3D scene looked like in C4D. The roof parts have been removed and a red camera was added to give you an idea of how the cover image was setup. The red camera indicates where the actual virtual camera was placed to allow the rooms image to be rendered as a TIFF file. None of the objects in the room were scaled up or down just for this image, the cover image has more spacious appearance because a wide angle lens effect was used to create the final cover image. The robot’s surface “Materials” (coloring and texture) was replaced with an overall blue color just for this image. Notice how the walls in the foreground are paper thin, this is typical of all parts used in 3D modeling. Depth or thickness of objects is created by placing two or more of these thin surfaces a short distance apart like the columns in the room.

As more and more High Definition video is being used to shoot movies like "Collateral" (80% shot on HiDef video and the rest on 35mm film) there will be a greater need for skilled 3D animators. If your interested in working in this field it’s useful for you to know that many film production commentaries have indicated a trend as to which software they use the most, it's Maya, Softimage XSI and Lightwave.

* - These are 2004 prices.