3D World UK - Issue 282, 2021

Incredible 3D artists take us behind their artwork Arahmsiamn9u9l6H.aarqtusteaRtiaomn.cimom
Ahsanul Haque Ramim is a
TEXTURING The main character in this project is the tree frog. hobbyist artist and has been
After sculpting and retopology, I transferred the models into doing character modelling and
Substance Painter and baked the maps as usual. In order to get texturing for two years now.
similar results to my reference, I built up a non-destructive layer
system with a primary colour (green) and its neighbouring saturated
and desaturated colours to achieve a general frog-like skin. After
that procedural process, I manually painted all the unique colours
and spots according to my reference. Overall, I think traditional
painting knowledge is super helpful and important when doing
realistic and semi-real textures. It’s a relaxing process but a bit
time-consuming.

3D WORLD 51

Create a large collaborative art project

CAC3DSMRORAX|EATDLOBAELILPLUASTTRRATEOBROOAJRELACATTRIVGEE
CG veteran and industry trainer Donovan Douglas explains
how to organise and implement a large communal art project

Iteach Graphic & Animation approached me and I responded worked from home for much of AUTHOR
Design at Longwood University immediately with what I thought the time. Donovan B.
in the state of Virginia, USA. would look nice in that spot. I Douglas, MFA
Dean Brent Roberts of Longwood envisioned multiple panels fitted Fortunately, the result was Donovan teaches
University’s Greenwood Library together to form a completed an exceptional endeavour that modelling and
asked what I might propose for puzzle and executed by many brought together the creative animation classes at
a large, empty wall at the back artists. I could easily see it in my power of the university’s Art, Longwood University
of the library. He told me as long mind’s eye, even as I stared at the Theatre, and Graphic & Animation in Virginia. He has
as he had been there, the large blank wall. I set about organising Design faculty and students. worked in 3D since
wall space between the first and what needed to be done in order 2002. 3ds Max,
second floors had called out to to accomplish this goal. We were DOWNLOAD YOUR RESOURCES ZBrush, Mudbox,
him, begging to be adorned with soon beset by the COVID-19 For all the assets you need go to Maya, and Blender
some type of art. After speaking pandemic, which added a year https://bit.ly/3D-world-nomad are his favourite
with several artists about this goal to the process because we could 3D programs.
and getting no response, he then not freely assemble, and so we www.donoman.com

52 3D WORLD

Create a large collaborative art project

01

0103 Establish rules 02 walk through a local grocery store
DEVELOP THE BIG IDEA revealed examples of the Golden
If you decide to embark on Explain clearly There were seven other faculty Ratio in the vegetable section. Even
what the artist can members in our department who the galaxies in the night sky reveal
a project like this, I would suggest and cannot do. For were interested in participating, Fibonacci relationships. Pine cones
having it revolve around a theme example, bolting items so with one swirl left available, I and many flowers also exhibit this
of your choosing. You are not to the back of the also took part in the panel creation pattern. This explains why my final
limited to using a design like mine. boards could easily process. I decided to call the design ended up looking vaguely
I have always been fascinated by interfere with the completed piece with all the panels floral. This old conch shell from my
the Fibonacci sequence and the hanging system. Sectio Aurea, which is Latin for bookshelf is also a prime example
Golden Ratio, which is also often Golden Section. I picked that name
referred to as Golden Mean or 04 because it so closely reflected the 04of the Golden Ratio.
the Golden Section. Some years finished works of art. LAY OUT THE DESIGN
ago, I created a transparent plastic I used Autodesk 3ds Max
card imprinted with the Golden At the very beginning of the
Ratio that I carry with me to look design process, I approached our for my creation process. However,
at various works of art. It helps in-house student design agency, this will work in any 3D program
me understand and see how Design Lab. Their initial prompting that allows you to create spline
different artists make use of this led me to create the final design shapes. I used the spline tool to
that incorporates the eight sections create a single curve in the front
02mathematical ratio. that swirl together to complete the orthographic view. The curve
PLAN AHEAD form. The students in Design Lab corresponded to the reference
In the very early planning also designed an informational images I had found that showcase
the Golden Ratio. In order to
stages, I thought about using up 03brochure about the project. maintain a perfect curvature, I used
to 50 artists, all using only one of GROESLDEAENRCRHATTIHOE only two Bezier vertices per curve,
the smaller sections in each of the one on each end, and adjusted
eight panel pieces. I soon realised I researched many examples of the
that would be a logistical nightmare Golden Ratio found in nature. A 3D WORLD 53
and possibly impossible to execute.
I ultimately decided to focus on
the eight complete swirls and limit
the participation number to eight
artists or artist groups per panel.

Create a large collaborative art project 05 me to modify each one to fit the 09 FINALISE THE DESIGN
the Bezier Handles accordingly to curved irregular shapes of the swirl. I selected each of the panel
get the perfect curvature needed. I 06 For the triangular pointed panel shapes and in spline sub-object
set the Interpolation value to 100 to Anticipate shapes that meet in the centre, I mode, I used the Outline feature to
pprlaonblaecmcsoradnindgly deleted one vertex from each of the inset each shape to allow for a slight
05ensure the smoothest line possible. rectangles that met in the centre so gap between all the panel pieces. I
IDNU3PDLISCMATAEXAND ROTATE I encountered many that only three remained. I carefully did this to make sure all the pieces
problems on this adjusted all the Bezier handles until would fit nicely together with a little
I selected one shaped spline and project, everything I had the perfect shape for each breathing room and to allow for
went to Tools>Array to rotate and from missed deadlines any variance that might occur in the
duplicate the spline shape, first in to physical problems 08panel section. hanging operation.
one direction and then in the other with both the boards AIM FOR ACCURACY
direction after I flipped the curve. and the wall. You need I zoomed in as far as I There were many variables that
I changed the pivot points to the to persevere and work could affect how they fit together in
beginning of the curve to allow the through the issues. could in order to micro adjust the the end. How the panel pieces were
splines to rotate correctly. When overlapping Bezier curves, to get to be cut and what the artists might
using the Array tool, I always click them to align to each other. After do with each panel were a concern
on the Preview button first to avoid making a minor adjustment on one of mine. I desperately did not want
making adjustments I cannot see in end, I invariably had to change the to make a mistake on the gap
curvature on the other end, so it amount. I ultimately created a 5mm
06real time. required several back-and-forth overall gap between panels which
ADD THICKNESS adjustments to finally get it turned out to be ideal. I labelled
At times the splines were correct. I also made sure that each piece using a letter for the
each edge from adjoining panels swirl and a number for the different
difficult to see on my screen as overlapped perfectly. parts of the swirl.
I zoomed in and out, so I added
some thickness. In the Modify panel
under the Rendering dropdown,
I selected the Enable in Viewport
checkbox to add a small amount
of thickness to the lines. I typically
would leave Enable in Renderer
unchecked, but in this case I
wanted the splines with thickness
to render. I set the thickness to a
small amount in order to make the
line more visible. As I worked back
and forth on the different shapes, I
could turn this on and off with ease.
The extra thickness allowed me to
imagine the space between each of
the panel shapes that I would add

07in later.
PCARNEAETLESTHHAEPES

Once the overall design was
complete I created a small,
rectangular spline shape in each
space in the design. I converted
the rectangles to Editable Splines.
I confirmed each corner had a
Bezier corner vertex which allowed

07

54 3D WORLD

Create a large collaborative art project

08

1010
INVITE THE ARTISTS
I created a form for the
participants to fill out. I had them
pick a particular swirl that they
thought would best allow them
to showcase their particular type
of art. Part of the risk in doing a
project like this is not knowing how
the final assembled piece will look.
I didn’t hesitate to provide certain
09 guidelines for the artists. In this
project, the art needed to relate to
11the library in some fashion.
RMEASTEEARRIACLHSTNHEEEDED
I needed to find a particular
substrate board that would hold
up after the artists had applied the
various materials to it. I knew some
of the pieces would be very heavy.
I settled on a 3/4-inch (19mm)
marine-quality, Medium Density
Overlay double-sided plywood.
The board needed to be resistant
to moisture and strong enough to
support a lot of weight. To help
prevent warping, I painted the
12edges white to seal the boards.
IMPORT/EXPORT
I exported the final spline
shape from 3ds Max directly as an
Adobe Illustrator file. In Illustrator, I
created an artboard that was to the
Thisprojectinvolvedcarefulplanning and real-world scale of the final size. If
preparation,takingintoaccountmaterial you are working in the UK, create
quality,logisticalconcerns,andhowthefinal 2,440mm x 1,220mm artboards in
artpieceswouldlookwhenassembledtogether Illustrator. I was working in the USA
11 so I created eight foot x four foot

3D WORLD 55

Create a large collaborative art project 12 The artists wall. Some artists needed a little
artboards. My available wall space more urging than others when
was approximately three metres by to be painted the same colour as This collaborative art they came up against a deadline
eight metres. The finished art piece the wall. Since I was working in feet project features the I had established. The deadlines
was a little less than three metres and inches, the grooves were cut work of Donovan B. for various stages of the process
high by six metres wide. I laid out exactly four, or a multiple of four, Douglas, Christopher ensured it ran smoothly.
the various shapes to minimise M. Register, Angela
wastage and to use the least 14inches apart (10.16cm). Bubash, Leslie The first part of the process
number of boards possible, which CHECK PROGRESS Cook-Day, Jay Simple, was getting all the artwork back
I checked on the artists’ Alex Grabiec, Kerri from each artist. The second half of
13turned out to be five in total. Cushman, Kelly the process was getting the work
COMPUTERISED CUTTING progress regularly. I had to allow Nelson, Adam Paulek, hung, insured, and then creating
In Illustrator I laid out the for a reasonable amount of time for Rachel Ivers, Bev a brochure. Once all the artists
all the artwork to be completed. Roberts, Lucy Carson, returned all the panels, I could plan
hanging system. I needed a I originally thought it would Matt Keener, Emily accordingly and set a date for the
computerised CNC machine take from three to six months. Grabiec, Mack Lenhart, hanging of all the pieces. I printed
in order to cut out the pieces It turned out to be significantly Stephen Marion, out a scale version of all the pieces
accurately using my Illustrator files. longer because of the pandemic, Laura Oertel and Riley together, along with where the
Fortunately, I found one within which affected all the initial Winkles hanging bars were attached on the
one hour of the university. If I had deadlines. The project took two back as a template to know where
attempted to cut all the pieces years to complete, from the start to hang each piece.
by hand, it would have invariably of the initial idea to seeing the
ended in frustration. Once I finished pieces hanging on the
received all the cut pieces back, I
laid them out on a theatre floor to
confirm that they all fit together
nicely. I also added the hanging
bars before distributing them to
the artists. The CNC machine cut
small grooves into the back of
each board, which enabled me to
properly align the hanging bars.

I used an aluminium Z clip bar
system to hang all the pieces. I
made sure the bars were long
enough to provide ample support
for each piece, but short enough
not to be seen when looking at the
art from the side. The aluminium
hanging bars on the wall needed

13

56 3D WORLD

Create a large collaborative art project

14 15

1516 Unfortunately, I mis-measured two 16FINAL ADJUSTMENTS Wait patiently
THE HANGING PROCESS of the hangers that were at the very We soon discovered that
I worked with Andy Campbell, bottom, which caused the hanging lifting panels and locking them onto Be prepared to be
system to be seen from behind mounted wall hangers needed to pleasantly surprised.
a professional carpenter from the the artwork. So Andy removed be done slowly and deliberately. If The entire premise
Theatre department, to hang all the the pieces and remeasured and we had accidentally dropped even this concept is built
artwork. I had my measurements recut some of the hanging bars one piece, it might have impaired on is that you will
written down on paper and I read to accommodate for the errors. our progress for months as the art not know what the
the numbers to him as he stood The mistake areas on the wall was repaired. We confirmed that final assembled
on the ladder and proceeded from were easily repaired and patched. each piece was sitting firmly on the artwork will look
the bottom to the top, hanging the Andy also discovered that the wall hanging bars. The entire piece of like until each artist
aluminium Z clips. was not perfectly flat, so he had art was like a giant puzzle, shifting has returned their
to adjust some of the hanging pieces to the left or right to make completed panels.
Andy properly secured the hardware to alleviate that problem. them fit snugly.
hanging system to the wall to
support and account for the
different weights of each art piece.

3D WORLD 57

KAALNEMIIMDAOKAESTCIAOONPICHOUDINI | REDSHIFT | SUBSTANCE PAINTER | NUKE | DAVINCI RESOLVE
Carmelo Barberá shows us an overview of his process for
creating procedural shapes and animations in Houdini

I t is very difficult for a client to knock on your My goal was to represent the path of
door and give you total freedom to carry out life within the lushness of the Ritz Garden. I
any commission. But it is even more difficult achieved this through the representation of the
for the Mandarin Oriental Ritz hotel in Madrid to circle of life, the fertilisation and exuberance
design five totally different pieces for five new beside the chaotic birth of a garden.
culinary spaces created under the name of the
renowned chef Quique Dacosta. I wanted it clear from the very beginning that
whatever the concept was, it should be clearly
This is my most personal commercial work, based on a 100 per cent procedural design,
where I have left aside everything that a with a strong basis in mathematics and with the
designer should do when tackling a project and least use of keyframes in the animation. That’s
have been guided only by intuition and what why I chose Houdini to tackle the project – my
each piece makes me feel. software of choice since a few years ago.

BUTTERFLY POLLINATING
The butterfly pollinates the flower
and causes the birth represented
through a kaleidoscope

WTHAETVCIHDEO Make a kaleidoscopic animation
AUTHOR
https://bit.ly/3D-world-nomad Carmelo Barberá
Carmelo Barberá is a director
and visual artist currently based
in Madrid. In his career, he has
explored different fields of visual
creation including directing,
cinematography, screenwriting,
and post-production.
www.carmelobarbera.com

DOWNLOAD YOUR RESOURCES
For all the assets you need go to
https://bit.ly/3D-world-nomad

3D WORLD 59

Make a kaleidoscopic animation 01

01STHKEETBCUHTTAENRDFMLYODEL

We took the studio's initial idea
and modified it to work as an
animated 3D object. When you
design procedurally, it is essential
to know beforehand how you are
going to set everything up.

To model the wings, we use the
curve tool to create the perimeter
of the wing and then apply a

02remesh and normals.
UDIMS
Once we have all the wings

modelled we take out the UDIMS
through a foreach loop, separating
the different wings to make sure
that the details will have enough

03quality in the texture.
PPARIENPTATREEXTTHUERRESIGAND

We paint in Substance Painter
the textures that were previously
prepared in Photoshop.

For the wing rig we will use the
bend tool and the rotation of the
transform tool. All this is controlled
through a controller driven by
sine and cosine functions and
multiplied by a speed controller.

03a

02 03b

60 3D WORLD

Make a kaleidoscopic animation

0404 ATHNEIMBAUTTETEHRAFLLFYOF
After having rigged a symmetrical
part of the butterfly, we animate it
with offset controls that we have
prepared in the rig, and minimum
and maximum rotation values for
05each of the wings and blocks.
SYMMETRY
As the two parts of the
butterfly move symmetrically, we
only apply this process to one side.
When we have everything textured,
rigged and animated we apply the

05 symmetry with the mirror tool.

06 FTLHOEWPOERLLINATING

As everything in this project is
procedurally generated, we will
model the pollinating flower in the
same way.

With an opacity map of petals
I extract the geometry with a
trace and, thanks to a foreach
loop connected piece, I separate
the geometry and place it in the

06 different frames to select which

3D WORLD 61

Make a kaleidoscopic animation

07

08a 08b
09
one I like more. In this case I

07select four petals.
CREATE THE FLOWER
To avoid repetition and look

for variation, we will use foreach
loops so that each iteration is
different and not all of them are
animated at the same time, as well
as having a different appearance
in terms of colour tone and petal
arrangement.

The animation process is very
similar to that of the butterfly
wings, only this time we will use
copy to points within a foreach
loop per point to generate the
repetitions and variations, thanks

08to the different iterations.
CONTROLLER
To control the flower we

will create a series of parameters
in a null, not only to modify parts
of the flower but also to be able
to animate them, and to have the
parameters visible to enable us to
62 3D WORLD

Make a kaleidoscopic animation

10a

10b

make the variations later when the

09different flowers are on the branch.
MAKE A BRANCH
For the generation of the

branch we will use the curve tool,
in which we will apply a noise to
the pscale attribute so that the
thickness has variation. From this
curve we will make a scatter, for
which we will control the density
and the location, thanks to a ramp.
From this scatter will be born each
one of the flowers that we have

10created previously.
BANRIAMNACTHEETSHE

For the final kaleidoscope, we
will do the same process as with
the previous branch, but adding
different types of plants. Then
rendering all that separately, to
compose it later in Nuke.

This image is formed by four
quadrants – first of all we will
compose only one and then we will

10c apply double symmetry.•

3D WORLD 63

HALLOWEEN MEDUSA
3D modelled by Seung
Yon Lee, 2021. Inspired
by Jessica Madorran’s art
64 3D WORLD

Create a stylised 3D character with Arnold Renderer

CA3ZBRUDRSRH|MENAYCA|ASOUHBSTTANLCAEEPADINRTEAR ARSCETNTYEDLREISWREEDITRH

Discover how Seung Yon Lee produced this stylised sculpt with her
step-by-step guide and tips on texturing, lighting and rendering

Seung Yon Lee 01BLOCK OUT THE BODY
I was born in South Start blocking out the
Korea, and am currently character in ZBrush. Be careful
working as a 3D artist about matching the proportion
in California. and size. After making a body,
AUTHOR www.yonleeart.com use the MaskLasso tool in ZBrush.
Mask the section where you want
In this step-by-step I will to make clothes, and go to the 01
demonstrate how to Tool>Masking section. Click the 02
make a stylised character SharpenMask button to get rid of
in 3D, sculpting in ZBrush, 03
retopologizing in Maya and 02blurry edges.
texturing in Substance Painter. EXTRACT
Starting from a Tpose in ZBrush, Go to SubTool>Extract and
you will learn how to create a
3D character, highlighting the set the thickness as desired. For
character’s facial expressions and clothes, thickness 0.02 is usually
silhouette as much as possible, too thick. Set between 0.006-
then render it with Arnold 0.015. When extracting clothes,
Renderer in Maya. click the Accept button under
Extract. Then you can see the
A good understanding of extracted clothes under the body
anatomy is vital for characters. in SubTool. To get clean topology,
Even more caricatured models go to Geometry>Remesh. Make
like this need that foundation, as sure you turn on the Keep Groups
the stylised nature will still refer to button. If it’s too high, turn on Half
a more natural proportion. ZBrush and remesh again. Repeat this until
is great for this because you could
start with a normal model and 03you’ve reached a nice topology.
add the style later. WORK ON THE HAIR
For the hair, sculpt the big
You don’t need to worry about
the topology at first either, as we base hair, then add more details.
can retopologize the model later, After adding hairs, export as OBJ
meaning you can experiment and import these in Maya.
easily at first.
Tip: When exporting objects, go
Let’s get started! to the Export setting and turn off
GRP to export each object as one
DOWNLOAD YOUR RESOURCES
For all the assets you need go to 04whole polygon.
https://bit.ly/3D-world-nomad RETOPOLOGIZE
After making a body, start

retopology in Maya. Start from
the face; be careful about making
a quad in a star shape, as star

3D WORLD 65

Create a stylised 3D character with Arnold Renderer

05

04 06a

shapes in retopology may cause on, which you want to divide the Clothing seams various scales, so to fix this, go to
a pointy vertex after you smooth UV section. It’s helpful to divide in Transform>Tools>Texel Density.
it. Try to keep loops on eyelids, head, arms, hands, body, legs, and For clothes, make a Grab one UV that you want to
eyebrow to nose, lip, and nose to seam by adding two make, set the scale size, and click
mouth. It is easier if you start by 06feet sections. more edges on each Get. It shows the scale of the UV.
CUT AND SEW side of the UV seam Then, select other UVs and click
05making big loops. Click the edge of the mesh, edge. Then, move the Set. Now you will get the same UV
UVs UV seam edge inside,
When you are done with the then in the Cut and Sew tab select to make it like a real 07scales for your UVs.
Cut. This tool makes UV cuts. After clothing seam. This TEXTURES
retopology, bring elements like cutting edges, it’s then available helps to hide the sharp After setting UVs, the next
clothes and shoes into Maya. It is to select each UV. Now, it’s time to UV edge.
time to work on the UVs. You can split the UV delicately. Cut edges, step is working on textures. Put
use UVTile if you want a body. Click and click Unfold>Unfold. This tool different colours on each mesh. For
on the UV tab and open the UV helps to flatten the UV, for easy and example, choose a red colour for
editor. Click the mesh you want for clean textures. the body mesh, blue for the shirt,
UV mapping. and yellow for bottoms. To make
After flattening the UVs, you it easy for texturing, rename each
Select the mesh and click then have to rotate or scale the material as a mesh name; if red
Create>Planar in the UV editor. UVs in the right direction. Use Lambert material is Lambert 02,
Starting from this, turn on Object the checkbox in the UV editor to rename it as the body. The reason
X in Symmetry. Click the edge loop check UV scales. Those might have to do this is to clarify which mesh’s

06b 06c 08textures we are working on.
BAKE MAPS
66 3D WORLD The next step is working

in Substance Painter. If you use
UDIM, check the UVTile section. It’s
always good to bake maps. Use the
high-poly mesh or the smoothed
low-poly mesh for baking the maps.
After doing so, put textures on

09each object.
POSE YOUR SCULPT
When the textures are

finished, it is time to move onto
the posing. If you do not know how
to rig, using Transpose Master in

Create a stylised 3D character with Arnold Renderer

ZBrush is really helpful. When you
start posing, work from the big
parts like the spline, legs, arms, and
neck before moving onto the small
parts. Posing is a tricky yet highly
essential step, and it’s important to
make sure the character looks great
from all angles. Hit TPose | SubT
which is next to the TPoseMesh. For
posing the smaller parts, it is easier
10to pose them in a separate subtool.
LIGHTING
It is time to move on to
lighting, for which I am using Arnold
Renderer. We’ll start with the basic
light such as directional or skydome
light. Directional light is under the
Create>Lighting section, and the
07 skydome light is inside the Arnold

tab. You can use both lights or just
use one of these. Using HDRI for
the skydome light is handy to add
mood in the final rendered image.
When completing the light
settings, go to Arnold and check
how it looks in the render view.
If you want to change any of the
lighting, go to Window>Rendering
Editors>Light Editor to fix lights
easily. This is much better than
adjusting each light by clicking in
11the viewport.
DETAILS
If you are done with overall
lighting, it is now time to focus on
08a 08b lighting the details. Click the light

10a

09

3D WORLD 67

Create a stylised 3D character with Arnold Renderer

10b 11a

11b Skin textures 1212 the File, and in the image name, put
ADD ARNOLD MATERIAL the diffuse texture. If you want to
and look at the Attribute Editor. For detailed texture When you have finished go back to the aiStandardSurface
If you scroll down, you can see the in skin, use several tab, click the box icon with the
light filter section. It is currently layers with base texturing in Substance Painter arrow on the right side. This icon is
blank, but you can add some filters textures like cloud and setting the light, you need next to the Focus, Presets, Show/
to the light. and black & white to put these exported textures Hide icons. Now you are back in the
spots. Then, change in Maya. To add new Arnold
For example, if you want to the colour by using material to the object, right-click 14aiStandardSurface section.
make some parts not affected the gradient filter. it and select Assign New Material. SPECULAR
by a specific light, use a Light This is helpful to get a Here, go to Arnold and click Specular is the reflection
Blocker filter. It is a cube shape, detailed skin variation. Shader>aiStandardSurface.
and you want to place this cube in Paint yellow in the of light. If you have exported
the part where you wish to block forehead part and This is the standard material a roughness texture, put it in
the light. Light Blocker is in the scale it down to 5; use in Arnold, and there are several Specular>Roughness. Change the
Outliner called Transform. Click a red colour for the sections which I will go through in weight of the specular if it is too
the transform, and play with the nose and ears, set to high. The IOR parameter (Index of
density, shader colour, height 20 -30; and use blue 13the next few steps. Refraction) defines the material’s
edge, width edge and roundness. for the mouth and jaw BASE Fresnel reflectivity and is by default
It is necessary to adjust these part, set to 3 -5. Blue Base is for the diffuse colour. the angular function used. You can
settings, because usually the Light and yellow can mess easily change it by clicking IOR.
Blocker makes a hard edge block. up the texture, so set Set the weight as 1, and put the There are several options here, so it
For smooth and natural lighting, these at a low level. exported diffuse texture in colour. is helpful to set any IOR depending
increase the height edge, width Click the checkbox next to the
edge, and roundness values. Color bar, and you can see the
Create Render Node window. Click
68 3D WORLD

13 Create a stylised 3D character with Arnold Renderer
14& 15 16 on what your object is. If it is a
17
15body, set IOR as skin.
SUBSURFACE
Transmission is for transparent

objects such as glass or water.
Subsurface is simulating the effect
of light entering an object and
scattering beneath its surface
such as skin. Turn on and increase
Subsurface for the skin texture.
Reduce the scale from 1 to around
0.5, and choose the mid-red colour
for radius. This gives a redness
effect on the skin.

Tip: When you need to use
Transmission, make sure you
uncheck Opaque under Attribute

16Editor>Arnold.
RENDER SETTINGS
If you look at the status

line toolbar in Maya, you can
see small screen icons on the
right. The icon with a gear is
the render settings icon. If you
want to find it through the menu,
go to Windows>Rendering
Editors>Render Settings.

The first shown tab is Common.
Here, you can set the final image
output format, renderable cameras,
image size, etc. Regarding the file
output, you have to set it if you are
going to render scenes. However,
if you are going to render just one
picture, you don’t have to touch
this. What you need to change is
a renderable camera. Change the
renderable camera from persp
to the camera you created. Then,
change the image size.

When setting presets, consider
the width and height size – the
higher these are, the higher the
resolution and render size. Also,
you can set the resolution in the

17Image Size section too.
RENDER
Next, move on to the adjacent

tab, called Arnold Renderer. In the
Sampling section, you can tweak
the settings to control the sampling
quality of the rendered images.
Increasing the sampling rates
reduces the amount of noise in
the images, but it will also increase
the rendering time. Common
settings are Camera 3, and others
at 2. However, I find this setting to
be too low, so aim for 4 or 5 for a
better quality render. •

3D WORLD 69

PractpicraolaytoriptuissrtaCsnGtdostkiumitllopsrrioavlse from

Glen Southern SOFTWARE: NOMAD SCULPT 1.64
Glen runs SouthernGFX, a
small Cheshire-based studio OCANNAWNEIPUANDWNROAWP?UVS
specialising in character and creature
design. He has been using and training Dan Boyle, Liverpool
ZBrush in the UK for over 20 years.
youtube.com/c/SouthernGFX/videos Glen Southern replies
Mike Griggs
Mike Griggs is a digital UV unwrapping is one of those onto models to use them in programs
content creator with over things that you either love like Procreate 5.2. Anyone with an iPad
two decades of experience creating VFX or hate. It has been around for decades, will know that Procreate is a 2D painting
and CGI for a wide range of clients. and for years we have been told that program and it has features very similar to
www.creativebloke.com new technology and improved software Photoshop. It recently got an update and
Antony Ward will mean that we won’t require UV added the ability to paint 3D models onto
Be it game development, coordinates. I’m still waiting and I’m still texture maps and then export them for
rigging or recording in-depth unwrapping models every week. use in games, AR and rendering packages.
courses for his YouTube channel, Antony Essentially UV mapping is the industry- The big issue is that it can’t use models
boasts experience in most areas of 3D. standard way to use the points on a model that don’t have UV coordinates applied.
www.antcgi.com to define where a texture is located. The The only way to get that done until very
Pietro Chiovaro model is unfolded and laid flat, usually recently was with a program called Forger,
Pietro is a freelance 3D in pieces so that you can paint onto it which is part of the Maxon family (Cinema
artist and YouTuber. An in programs like Photoshop, Substance 4D developers). The other big player in
expert in the creation of game assets Painter, ZBrush, Blender, Maya, Cinema that space is Nomad Sculpt, and that just
and environments, he shares many of 4D, and so on – but these are all desktop- updated to 1.64 and got UV tools!
his creations on his channel. based solutions.
www.pietrochiovaro.com With the rise of mobile sculpting, Nomad Sculpt has vertex painting
there is now a need to get good UV maps features, meaning that each point on
GET IN TOUCH the model is assigned a colour and with

EMAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO

[email protected]
70 3D WORLD

Your CG problems solved

EXPERT TIP
CHANGE LIGHTING IN PROCREATE TO IMPROVE THE LOOK
Under Actions in Procreate you will see a 3D button. To improve the look of your image
you can play with the environment and the lighting and even add more lights if needed.
The lighting can really improve how dramatic or flat your painting will look.

STEP BY STEP UV UNWRAP ON AN IPAD WITH NOMAD SCULPT

01 02

Being able to sculpt on an 0103 04
iPad was a huge change for OPEN THE MODEL TO UNWRAP controls. You simply click the Atlas unwrap
the industry, but the addition Either import or sculpt a model button in that same panel and it unfolds
in Nomad Sculpt. It doesn’t need to be the model and shows you an example
of texturing and even UV painted as the painting will all be done of the result in the viewport. Make sure
unwrapping tools shows how in Procreate onto the final texture maps. you change your background to black or
If you have separate parts you will need you may not see it very well. The model
far we have come to name each layer and we will create a is textured with a sample image using
high polygon counts you get high vertex map for each one. An example might be a different coloured blocks to help you
counts, which means higher-resolution 02head with separate eyes and glasses. see the mapping and the breaks in the
surface colours. But that isn’t a ‘texture DECIMATE THE MODEL
map’ and to use it you need to leave Decimation remakes a model’s 04unwrap. Do this to all models in the scene.
the iPad. If you UV unwrap a model in EXPORT TO PROCREATE
Nomad Sculpt and send it to Procreate, geometry at a lower polygon count. UV Export it as an OBJ and save it
you can generate your own texture unwrapping is best done on models somewhere that you can access from
maps right there on the iPad. Procreate lower than 100k polygons according to Procreate. Open Procreate and use import
even generates maps for roughness and the Nomad interface, so ideally we need and navigate to the model. If the UVs
metalness, which are maps to help in a to bring the polycount down using the are applied you will see the model in the
PBR workflow (physically based rendering) Decimate slider in the Topology menu. document window. Now you can use all
and again, they need good UVs to work. Specify the target triangle count, then hit the different Procreate brushes and paint
03Decimate and check the polygon count. on the 3D model as simply as if it were 2D.
This walkthrough will get you up and ATLAS UNWRAP Remember each model that you exported
UV unwrapping in a few clicks without ever The Nomad unwrap tool is called is a different map, so you need to click on
having to leave the comfort of your iPad. the one you want to paint on (it highlights
These tools are very new and are evolving ‘Atlas Unwrap’ and there aren’t many blue for a second).
at a rapid pace; we don’t have something
as powerful as Substance Painter on the
iPad just yet, but it can’t be far off.

3D WORLD 71

Your CG problems solved

SOFTWARE: CINEMA 4D | REDSHIFT | AFTER EFFECTS

FHROOWMDAO3IDCRREENATDEERA?N 8-BIT ANIMATION

Tom Dennis, Los Angeles

Mike Griggs replies can be achieved in today’s 3D models is animation needed to show a character
3D artists are usually striving to hard to convey, as is the colour. Therefore, walking, having a sophisticated walk cycle
make their models and scenes ensuring that a model is clear to read at running at 30 frames per second will look
as realistic as they possibly can. What lower resolutions can be an interesting incorrect. This is because the technology
happens, though, when the brief demands creative challenge. Thankfully the at the time was unable to run graphics
some nostalgia? For example, making techniques that I will show in this tutorial with such fidelity. Most 3D software can
an 8-bit style graphic reminiscent of the allow a degree of control when creating render animation at slower frame rates.
early days of video games in the 1980s the 8-bit imagery, which will help ‘dial-in’ Alternatively, they can apply a filter to
and 1990s. This is a reasonably simple the right look. the animation to make it look like the
effect to achieve, using a combination of animation is happening on every other
a 3D package to create the 3D render and When animating for 8-bit, always frame (or even slower).
Adobe After Effects for the 8-bit effect. remember that simple is best. In this
It’s important to remember a couple of tutorial, we are showing a car, so a simple After Effects is used to apply the block
things. First of all, the level of detail that spin is required. If, for example, the effect to the render. By applying a couple
72 3D WORLD

EXPERT TIP Your CG problems solved

ADDING A TEXTURE TO THE BACKGROUND
The solid layer that was added to the After
Effects composition can have effects applied to
it as if it were a footage layer. Using the same
Posterize effect combined with a Gradient Ramp
can create a bespoke 8-bit background.

STEP BY STEP PRODUCE AN 8-BIT EFFECT FROM A 3D RENDER

01 02

03 04
01ACRNEIMATAETITOHNE ROTATING
The stylised ‘CC Block Load’ with the beauty render and a Cryptomatte
effect can add a nifty retro layer used as an Alpha Trackmat.
03a simple car scene has been made that
look to your renders This tutorial uses Cinema 4D R25, Redshift SIMPLIFY THE COLOURS
of filters that ship with the software, a and Adobe After Effects. In Cinema 4D, The render layers are nested or
convincing 8-bit effect can be achieved
no matter where the source imagery rotates the sports car 360 degrees. The ‘pre-composed’ into a new composition to
comes from. This is an excellent method car is being lit with a single dome light apply two effects to the render. The first is
of integrating elements from a range of to give an even light, highlighting the the ‘Posterize’ effect which helps regulate
sources. Imagery can also be directly contours of the car body. A range of AOV the colours into basic components.
created within After Effects itself using the layers has been created to ensure that Setting the level to 4 is a good starting
wide range of creative tools available. there is enough to work with when the point. A new Solid layer is created and
placed behind the car layer so that the car
For many 3D artists, Adobe After 02 04animation is rendered. can be clearly seen.
Effects is a core part of their pipeline AIMDPOOBRETATFHTEERFIELFEFSEICNTTSO
for visual effects work, but it can also be The car render’s AOVs are imported using MAKE THE BLOCKS
utilised to create graphic styles such as To add the block effect of 8-bit
this 8-bit example. File>Import>Multiple Files into After graphics, apply the ‘CC Block Load’ effect
Effects, making sure that the checkbox to a new Adjustment Layer and adjust the
for importing sequences is selected two sliders until the correct blockiness is
when choosing a single file. The render dialled in. Make sure to always preview
was not set up with an alpha channel. the animation to ensure that there are no
Cryptomattes were created to make unwanted pops or colour shifts. To add an
sure that mattes could be made in After outline, use Layer>Layer Styles>Stroke on
Effects. A new composition is created the Car layer to add a stroke outline.

3D WORLD 73

Jumping headfirst into a
freelance career can seem
like the dream role, but there
is a lot to be said for gaining
studio experience first

SOFTWARE: N/A

FWRHEEENLAINFCINEISOHRUWNOIVREKRSINITAY,SSTHUODUIOLD? I GO

Nelson Marcher, Newcastle

Antony Ward replies

With most creative industries, an understanding of the way they work, line. So, as you’re developing your skills,
working freelance is often seen how they structure their teams and the you are also networking too, preparing
as the holy grail. You get to set your own pipelines they’ve developed. You will also yourself for a freelance future.
hours, pick and choose your projects and find that your employers will train you in When you do eventually decide to
you get to work from home, something a different areas, so over time, you gain bite the bullet and leave the safety of a
lot of us have sampled in recent times. more essential skills. studio role, you will find that you have the
The truth is that this is rarely the case, It’s not only the experiences you will knowledge and connections to make a
not in the early days anyway. When you gain, you will also meet a lot of new success of going it alone. You will also feel
first start out, you will find yourself taking people, and these could potentially better prepared because, trust me, not
on anything and working more hours just turn into future clients, or introduce you having that regular monthly income is a
to pay the bills. It’s scary, but it can also be to more work opportunities down the scary position to be in.
very rewarding.
I speak to a lot of students who are EXPERT TIP
about to leave university and have their
sights set on a freelance career, however,
jumping right into it with no industry GENERALIST OR SPECIALIST?
experience isn’t always the best idea. It’s tempting to specialise in a single role once you’re settled in a studio, but if you
When asked my opinion I always plan on going freelance in the future make sure you also dabble in other areas.

suggest they instead go and work in a
studio for a few years first, or even better, Being flexible with your skills will open so many more contract opportunities,
take the time to experience life with a few and make you more valuable to potential clients.
different developers. This way you gain

74 3D WORLD

Your CG problems solved

SOFTWARE: SUBSTANCE DESIGNER

HMOATWERCIAANL UI SCIRNEGATSEUBASSTIAMNPCLEE DCEERSIAGMNIECR?

Laura Stan, New York

Pietro Chiovaro replies of macro damage, common on ceramic Now we can start to set the parameters
Here I will show you my materials. Once linked together, we can of the nodes. The most important ones
creative process for a simple connect the Warp filter to the Gradient are related to the Levels filter, where we
ceramic material using Substance Map and consequentially link it to the can define the intensity of the roughness,
Designer. For this type of material, I Base Colour output of the substance. colours and Height map. By increasing
selected the Physically Based (Metallic/ The same Warp filter will be connected to the contrast of the Levels filter linked to
Roughness) Graph Template and the Normal filter, which will translate the the Roughness output, we can increase
deleted the Metallic output since it is not greyscale information of the texture to the variation of the ceramic’s roughness,
necessary for this substance. normal’s information. This filter can then while decreasing the contrast of the Levels
From the Substance Designer library be connected to the Normal output. filter linked to the Height output, we will
we need: the Clouds 1 and Cells 3 noises Last but not least we can connect the decrease the intensity of the Height map.
(these are the base elements of this Warp filter to the other two Levels filters – As for the Gradient Map, I created a
material), the Height to Normal World one will be connected to the Roughness shade of yellow. Now your first ceramic
Units filter (you can also use the Normal output and the other to the Height output. material is ready!
filter, since it has the same effect), three
Levels filters, a Warp filter, and the EXPERT TIP
Gradient Map filter that will give colour to JUST A LITTLE VARIATION…
the ceramic. You can create a floor tile material including just one tile generator at the beginning
Now it’s time to link all of these of the nodes (located inside the Substance library). Just make sure to create a base
elements together. First of all, we need to mask and fix the scale of the substance.
link the Clouds 1 noise to the first Levels
filter and consequentially link it to the
Warp filter. Here we can also connect
the Cells 3 noise; the mix of these two
textures will enable us to create a sort

TWHAETVCIHDEO

https://bit.ly/3D-world-nomad

The cool thing about
Substance Designer and
procedural creation is that
you can create a totally
different material by just
adding a few more nodes

3D WORLD 75

Real-time rendering
AFEURTRUAMRNIDSRF9IV0ESITNRTAHDEALE
Software 3dsMax,tyFlow,
Unreal Engine, Quixel Megascans
Yearmade 2021

76 3D WORLD

Real-time rendering

Incredible 3D artists take us behind their artwork dDaavviiddbBayalyislidsesign.com
David Baylis specialises in
REAL-TIME RENDERING I really wanted to get emotion out of this automotive rendering, and
image, the feeling that the Ferrari is driving past you with the leaves freelances for Epic Games
flowing. For that effect, I used tyFlow particles inside 3ds Max to and Rivian producing
simulate the leaf particles reacting to the car’s movement. I used Quixel renders showcasing real-
Megascans to cut out the leaf atlases on a simple plane mesh and time technology.
applied them to the particle system. I then exported the animations
(pre-baked) with Alembic inside Unreal Engine. I scattered a few
animated leaves in the scene, and then placed them inside Sequencer
with different timings on each to add some randomness to the animation.

I then added some simple rotation animation to the car wheels, a
camera with a 55mm lens with a target linked to the car, and rendered a
few frames of the animation using Movie Render Queue, giving me a
higher-quality render and great motion blur.

3D WORLD 77

NeiwntsearnnadtivoinewalsCfGrocmomarmouunnditythe

A ChristmasPROJECTINSIGHT corker Above: Lidl’s 2021
Christmas campaign,
VFX studio Absolute discuss their work on Lidl’s Always, is a collaboration
CG-heavy festive advertising campaign between Karmarama, Gary
Freedman and Absolute

F or many, there is something Devised by Karmarama, the spot is the spot’s 60-second edit. “Christmas ads
wonderfully predictable about directed by Gary Freedman through in the UK are a bit like Super Bowl ads,”
Christmas; the unchanging Independent films. The theme is, the more says Absolute’s creative director, Jonas
clichés, unfaltering things change, the more they stay the same. McQuiggin. “They’re competitive, awash
formalities, gaudy seasonal As the cast are propelled into their festive with spectacle and full of anticipation. So,
jumpers and, of course, Christmas future fantasies, the performance, script, when the opportunity to join in came down
dinner. Many of us revel in these festive and costume of each actor get overhauled. our chimney, we couldn’t say no – especially
rituals and wouldn’t have it any other Uncle Gary goes from living in Spain to the when the script was loaded with comedy,
way. Retail chain Lidl’s 2021 Christmas moon, then to infinity. The turkey is cut by VFX and, most importantly, of course,
campaign, entitled Always, taps into that knife, then laser, then hologram. Oggy the Christmas dinner.”
and transports its loveable cast members dog goes from begging for a pig in a blanket,
into future Christmases in a humorous to using a speech-generating device, to Working on a Christmas advert certainly
and visually exciting way, ending with a mentally manifesting a snack. isn’t a walk in the park. “First off, you start
perpetual promise from the retailer: they Absolute was tasked with bringing the to listen to Christmas music in August,”
will always be Lidl on price. gift of VFX to a whopping 30 shots for jokes McQuiggin, “but in all seriousness, it’s
a bit of a treat. The pressure is really on to

78 3D WORLD

A Christmas corker

“WCHAENMWETHEDEOCOOWPUPLNODRONTU’TURNSAICTYHYNITMOO”NJOEIYN,IN
Jonas McQuiggin ative director, Absolute

do the creative justice and in this case, the as too many ideas and it was really fun to distant future. We created a visual bible full
success of the campaign was dependent on be part of such a creative hive mind where of inspiration and insight.”
the execution of the visual effects.” everybody had their say.”
Absolute endeavoured to fill the frame
The fanfare that surrounds Christmas The spot is overflowing with references with clever and humorous VFX, under
advertising in the UK creates stiff and visual Easter eggs. “It was a bit of Freedman’s direction. The time-hopping
competition and spots need to stand out a back catalogue of my youth,” reflects nature of the spot meant a huge scope of
if they’re going to capture the public’s McQuiggin, “Gary Freedman, the director, CG elements for Absolute’s artists to work
attention. “It was just a non-stop ride of really wanted us to think of the future as on. “I think the most challenging thing
unbridled conceptual creativity,” explains what we thought it might be when we were was inventing multiple iterations of the
CG supervisor Matt Burn. “There was a lot back in the 80s or 90s. So, there were lots of space-age props involved. Each leap into
less reining in of ideas than usual – ‘less classic movies as early references, like Back the future needed its own VFX language
is more’ became the opposition, playing it To The Future II and Fifth Element. I also and assets, which meant we were creating
safe was not an option and the overall vibe found myself watching Beyond 2000 a lot. multiple versions,” says McQuiggin.
was very much ‘chuck everything and the As always, there were some random punts,
kitchen sink at it’. There was no such thing like a solarium-inspired oven in the distant, Burn continues: “It wasn’t so much that
any one, specific effect was difficult to

3D WORLD 79

A Christmas corker

Above: Viewers can spot
visual references to the
likes of Back To The
Future, The Fifth Element
and Beyond 2000
Right: From Pedro de la
Puente’s initial concept
art, to final in-shot
realisation, Absolute
created a series of
futuristic gadgets and
appliances for the spot
Below: Absolute worked
on a total of 30 VFX
shots for the spot, which
clocks in at just one
minute long

80 3D WORLD

D“IRT‘AS WESNSEINNTSIATLATNHTELVYIETWOETRH’SEGFAOZCEUISS POINT” COMEDIC EFFECTS

Matt Burn, CG supervisor, Absolute Jonas McQuiggin, creative
director at Absolute, discusses
achieve by itself, it was more about performances are also key and Gary did a creating VFX with comedic
finding a delicate balance within each shot wonderful job of directing subtle expression timing, and shares his advice
and not cramming too many disparate changes to achieve humorous deliveries. My background is in story, comedy
effects on screen at once. That said, we all Our job in CG was to try and seamlessly add and VFX, so hopefully I can shed
know that tracking and 3D rotoscoping to the shots, whilst not distracting from the some light on the dark art of
humans is always a fun challenge, and reactions of the talent.” comedic timing and VFX. Normally,
making CG assets stick perfectly to animals The team at Absolute dug deep into their comedy happens in three parts,
is no mean feat either, especially when stockings to pull out a visual feast of CG script, shoot, and edit or sound.
their skin deforms with each breath. The magic. “From our concept artist Pedro’s VFX changes that structure and
slightest nudge left or right makes your initial sketches to final in-shot realisation, draws it out to four parts, which is a
CG look like it slides over – rather than we worked up a series of futuristic gadgets challenge because if you don’t know
sticks to the backplate.” and appliances. Our team of talented CG what or how VFX is going to help
Absolute worked closely with Freedman artists were able to really explore and land the joke, then it’s impossible to
to ensure that the comedic timing of VFX experiment, resulting in some lovely judge or laugh. What we always try
elements landed perfectly. “In the fast- moments that we’re all really proud of,” to do is cut with the VFX. It could be
paced world of advertising, with constantly concludes Burn. temp playblasts, basic roto mattes
evolving edits, it can be tricky to nail that The end result is one of 2021’s most or even a quick bit of stock FX to
super quick 29-frame visual gag within fun festive advertising campaigns – in a get the timings right. This happens
the correct portion of the shot. This comes perennially competitive field – and a superb from pre-production, on set and is
down to a lot of back and forth between the execution of Freedman’s directorial vision. finalised in the edit. Once the edit
shot animators and the editors, as well as, “It was a major undertaking,” McQuiggin is locked, you want to be in a place
crucially, the sound house,” explains Burn. concludes. “But the collaboration between of refinement, not trying to solve
“When shots are so short, it is essential client, agency and production was nothing comedic timings in CG or comp.
that the viewer’s gaze is drawn instantly to short of epic. What made it even better was
the desired focus point, which comes down that immediate chuckle at the first WIP, The final bit of advice I’d give
to cinematography as much as anything that’s always a good sign that you’re doing is to try, make mistakes, and trust
else,” Burn continues. “Naturally, the actors’ something right.” your team. For me, one of the best
VFX gags in the piece is the empty
robot dog bowl. Not because of
its technical achievements, but
because we did it behind the
scenes and dropped it into the
edit only moments before the final
presentation. This meant that no
one knew it was coming, and it got a
smashing response.

3D WORLD 81

Andrew Sinagra

reTemnhvoritiPrveROoTiHwOnnUGHgmoTSrieknniant g C“LTSWAEORIATLAEHIWRBTAANTAAFPICYIONNPSKRGEGBAN…TAEN”HNDDIDNOGNS’T

Andrew Sinagra, co-founder of NIM Labs, reveals how
to succeed in an increasingly decentralised industry

N ot so long ago, working in TRY NOT TO HAVE TOO MANY MEETINGS
VFX would often require
travelling to wherever Always share your knowledge so people
your reel would take you. aren’t relying on finding you for the
Working remotely was rare: answers. When nobody is in an office
security concerns with IP stopped many together, it’s crucial to know where to look
studios from fully exploring the idea. for information… not who to ask.
For artists today, of course, things are
very different. Remote working is no longer RHEAFVEEREEANSCYEAINCCFOESRSMTAOTION
an experiment – it’s a new business model.
The industry is facing an unprecedented Always ensure managers put all reference
level of decentralisation, which means information required for remote artists into
artists can now carve out a successful one central resource. It should be easy to
career with their dream studio, no matter find anything you need to do your job.
where they are in the world.
“I honestly believe this is the start ALWAYS REACH OUT TO OTHER ARTISTS
of a new future for our industry,” says
Andrew Sinagra. As co-founder of VFX Be proactive in your communication. I’ve
software company NIM Labs, he’s seen seen self-starters thrive when working
first-hand how studios around the world remotely, as they reach out to other artists
have managed the move to remote. Here to work through concepts and ideas.
he provides his advice for artists on how Maintaining a creative review and critique
to work efficiently and progress in their process is a huge step towards regaining
career while working from home. that feeling that we are all working together.

CROEDMUMCUENYIOCUARTION CHANNELS KNOW YOUR LEGAL STATUS
The responsibility falls on the studio to be
I see a lot of studios that are trying to aware of local compliance regulations and
manage projects via Google Docs, Slack ensure they are meeting the requirements
channels, and emails all at once. As an for each region their employees are
artist, it’s important to try to push for one working in. However, artists should
central source of information that everyone educate themselves on local laws to truly
can use to communicate project details understand what can and can’t be asked of
with you. them, and if they are being paid accordingly.
Find out more about NIM Labs at
82 3D WORLD FYI nim-labs.com

Andrew Sinagra

CANODLLCARBEOARTAETE

Andrew Sinagra answers our
questions about his career
journey and advice for getting
started in the industry
What are your main
responsibilities as the
company’s co-founder?
My primary responsibility is
the direction and focus of the
product. I speak with clients
regularly to get their input
on new feature requests and
improvements and use this
feedback to help guide the
roadmap. That being said, I
like to wear a lot of hats. On
the front end, I handle client
interactions including new sales,
account management, and jump
into support tickets when I can.
On the back end, I still do some
development on the product,
but not as much these days.
What do you enjoy most about
your role?
What I enjoy most about not
just my role, but the VFX
industry as a whole is the
collaborative process. Whether
I was a creative director working
with clients to tell a story, or
now working with studios to
help solve their management
needs, it’s the back and forth
conversations and collaboration
that I enjoy the most.
What advice would you give
those looking to get started in
the VFX industry?
Always be learning and creating.
The most successful people I’ve
met in the industry have been
self-starters, so don’t sit back
and wait for things to happen.
Work on your reel and your
vision of what type of artist
you want to be. Research new
techniques, and observe the
world around you. I’m constantly
making notes for new ideas and
taking pictures of structures,
shapes, surfaces that interest
me. Sometimes I don’t even
know what they’re for, but I’ve
been building a library of ideas
and images for decades now.

3D WORLD 83

TSRHHEMIEFOT TE

How rough was
the advent of the
pandemic on the VFX
industry? According
to a report co-
published by Escape
Technology and HP,
some 48 per cent of
surveyed studios did
not have any kind of
work-from-home plan
or the technology in
place to facilitate such
demands. While many
studios were already
outsourcing work or
using hybrid models,
the report shows just
how rapid a transition
it’s been for much of
the industry.

The future of VFX workflows

VTFhXewfPRuOoJECtTrIuNSkIGrHTfleoowfs

Ben Stallard, managing director of media and entertainment at Hotspring, explains
how remote working and new technologies are transforming the industry

he VFX industry is a very

“NOT EVERY ARTIST WANTSdifferentplacethanitwas

just 18 months ago. While

T TO RELOCATE TO A BIG CITY ORsomeforward-thinking
studios have already

TRADITIONAL TALENT HUB”exploredthepossibilitiesofremote
collaboration, many were not prepared
to face the incredible challenge of their
teams suddenly being forced apart from become very clear that studios need to be I have spent more than 25 years in
each other, away from a central office. nimble. The traditional model of paying this industry, including more than a
In essence, the pandemic forced a shift for lavish offices full of high-powered decade each at MPC and The Mill, so
that had already begun, but not everyone machines and keeping a large team on I’ve seen firsthand the transition from
was on board with the idea of working with salary at all times isn’t sustainable for a traditional production model to a
remote VFX artists. There’s a common most. It also doesn’t provide the needed more global approach that embraces the
belief amongst some industry proponents flexibility and versatility required to world’s artistry and talent. At The Mill,
that outsourcing work to remote talent, as respond to unexpected circumstances, as I spearheaded the initiative to integrate
well as working with artists outside of the the pandemic made clear. the Bangalore, India studio into the global
major hubs, presents the risk of losing their Not every artist wants to relocate to a pipeline, which enabled the team to tackle
grip on the creative process. No doubt, big city or traditional talent hub, either. ever larger and more demanding projects
there are certainly some real challenges There are countless talented artists with remote support.
that come with remote collaboration, scattered throughout the world, some of If I were to start a new VFX studio
namely communication, technology, and whom don’t want to relocate. Some artists today, I would keep the core team as
security considerations. prefer to live elsewhere and support their lightweight as possible and rely on the
However, as many studios found out families in the location of their choosing, latest technological advances to bring the
after last year’s initial scramble, there are but they remain skilled, reliable workers world’s talent in as needed. I think it makes
also immense benefits to exploring remote who can help support a studio’s core sense to have a strong, senior team at the
working conditions and incorporating creative team and contribute to their core to manage the creative side of things,
a hybrid model. In fact, it may prove to shared success. win projects, and maintain all of the
be essential for VFX studios to remain
competitive by embracing a future in
which a leaner core team relies on a
trusted network of remote collaborators.
That allows them to scale up rapidly
to take on larger projects, rather than
maintain the enormous overhead of offices,
workstations, and static teams.
Although accelerated by COVID-19, the
transition to hybrid working models was
already well underway before last year.
Here’s a look at how technology is enabling
more remote work and outsourcing in
the VFX industry, and why a new breed
of forward-thinking studio could quickly
become the standard.

A TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSITION

As the VFX industry adapts to increasing
content needs from clients, along with
more demanding expectations, it has

3D WORLD 85

The future of VFX workflows

connections needed across the industry maximise a production pipeline that to better manage or even formalise that
to continue growing and vying for exciting includes external support, Hotspring can working relationship.
new opportunities. bring needed stability and resources to
studios of any size. If you’re just now exploring how
Remote technology has advanced across to integrate remote operations into
the board, however, and there’s no longer It can be tempting to stick with what your studio on an ongoing basis, then
an absolute need to pay for a large facility works. As the pandemic scattered teams Hotspring holds the key to unlocking
in a big city and fill it with workstations. to their homes, studios had to figure out the world’s talent. Whether it’s 3D asset
Some studios may still adhere to that how to adapt their existing tools and creation, rotoscoping, painting and
traditional model, but the fewer overheads processes to meet the evolving needs of cleanup, compositing, tracking, digital
you can burden your company with, the moment. Maybe manual spreadsheets matte painting, or other needs across the
the better off you’ll be when it comes and WhatsApp chats worked as a short- production pipeline, Hotspring’s pool of
to adapting to challenges and changing term solution amidst the chaos, but as VFX skilled artists can help your studio scale to
demands ahead. studios emerge from pandemic restrictions meet any need. The platform’s ease of use
and consider how to move forward can benefit industries outside of VFX, too,
Remote artists can now work from into the future, there’s a clear need for such as video games and architecture.
anywhere to support your internal team. tools designed specifically for remote
They can use virtual machines that are onboarding and management. Hotspring makes it easier and more
even more secure than sending content to affordable to onboard talent into your
their own local computers, plus you can Hotspring is building roads and bridges studio, and the platform serves as a one-
spin up cloud-based rendering as needed to to help connect the visual effects industry stop destination for securing competitive
complete jobs. to the world’s talent, no matter where bids, managing submissions, payments,
they’re based. If you already have artists and communication. Around-the-clock
People were pretty rubbish at and vendors that you like to use, you can production support ensures that any
communicating remotely before the work with them on Hotspring and use it hitches or problems are quickly resolved,
pandemic, but we’ve all quickly become too, and teams that have used the platform
Zoom, Slack and Microsoft Teams experts have reported outsourcing cost savings of
over the last year-plus. Meanwhile, remote up to 25-35% compared to other methods,
review tools like SyncSketch and cineSync and considerable time savings too.
help close the distance gap, and project
management tools like Shotgun and ftrack World-renowned VFX studios such
keep everyone in sync. The tools have as The Mill, Coffee and TV, Blacksmith,
grown and evolved, and they’ve rapidly Untold Studios, and Electric Theatre
become part of everyone’s pipeline. But Collective are using Hotspring to connect
there can still be a lot of moving parts to with remote artists and turn on the tap of
juggle with remote collaboration. talent as needed to scale for demanding
projects. It’s delivered more than 8,000
EMBRACING REMOTE WORKING shots since early 2020, and more and
more teams are reaching out to see how
Hotspring is the missing piece of the Hotspring can help them do the same.
puzzle in managing outsourcing needs
and maintaining your remote working However, it’s not just for large,
relationships with artists throughout the established studios: Steven Marolho,
world. Whether you’re a studio that is Hotspring’s business development lead
already thriving amidst a hybrid model for the Asia Pacific region, has seen
or one that is still figuring out how to how Hotspring can help crafty upstarts
compete against larger studios.
FRICTIONLESS VFX OUTSOURCING
Hotspring was launched as a global “In Australia, a lot of studios don’t
platform to service the increasing demand outsource because they don’t always have
for remote VFX talent and to improve on
the existing high-cost business model
86 3D WORLD

VTHFXE WNEOWRKMFOLDOEWLSFOR
Hotspring allows teams
to connect with the best
talent around the world
and manage all parts of
the outsourcing process
from start to finish

F“NTOUHUMREERWBOEAUNLSLESTFOAITRISGENOSOFRIMBER”PELAYKITNOGOOVUATSOTF AYONUDR UNTOLD BENEFITS

that connection. Hotspring changes that,” teams might have been forced to embrace How London’s Untold Studios
says Marolho. “All of a sudden, a small remote working due to the pandemic, but swthayrttehdeyu’sriengnoHtogtospinrginbga–ckand
studio in Sydney can get shots done on its that doesn’t mean that they have to revert Based in the heart of East London’s
latest commercial, with a team they would to tired methods as the world gradually Tech City, Untold Studios has
never have met, creating an economy that returns back to normal. established itself as a leading
works for everybody. Studios can say yes vendor across the fields of television
to even more work, the artists can rise to Remote working is viable now. It’s easier and advertising, contributing
fulfil that – this only encourages and fuels than ever to communicate with distant to the Netflix series The Crown
the industry.” teammates and collaborate at a level that’s and working with clients such as
nearly as good as being in the same room Google, Guinness, and Beats by Dre.
A NEW WAY FORWARD together. Thanks to virtual machine Untold Studios already relied on
setups, you don’t need to have a powerful outsourcing for projects and knew
Decentralised models are creating a new workstation at home, and it’s incredibly some vendors on Hotspring, and the
level of efficiency across many different secure and reliable. Remote review and onboarding process proved to be
industries, and the revolution is happening project management tools likewise help very smooth.
in the VFX world too. As mentioned, keep everyone on the same page, regardless
it can be tempting to stick to the old, of location. “Once you’ve used it once or
familiar models and workflows that feel twice, it becomes second nature,”
comfortable – but as the fallout from the And Hotspring is the last part of said Untold Studios executive
pandemic proved, VFX studios can no the remote working or outsourcing producer Tomek Zietkiewicz.
longer afford to be inflexible. equation, providing a single resource for Hotspring allows his team to
communicating with artists, managing efficiently request bids, outsource
Whether it’s embracing a remote-first submissions and data transfers, and work, and get it delivered. He says
approach, enabling work-from-home handling all onboarding and business that the team has seen time savings
capabilities for the core team, or opening aspects of the relationship. Whether you’re of up to 50 per cent compared to
up to talented artists around the globe, looking for fresh talent to help tackle larger previous outsourcing methods, and
the benefits of breaking out of your four projects or need a uniform way to work that Hotspring has allowed them to
walls are simply too vast and numerous with external talent, Hotspring can help rapidly scale to meet projects that
to ignore by this point in time. Some you scale to compete with anyone. grow larger than the original remit.

“Hotspring has proven to become
a reliable partner with the flexibility
of immense scalability on the most
complex projects,” said Zietkiewicz.
“The vast majority of our outsource
work is going through Hotspring and
I don’t think that’s going to change
anytime soon.”

3D WORLD 87

The evolution of live-action media

lTivhee-aecvPRtOoJiECoTlINuSnIGHtTmionedoifa

Devin Horsman, founder and CTO at Arcturus, discusses what we
can expect for the future of volumetric video technology, and what

exciting changes are in store for the industry

I n the next few years, the
nature of video content is
going to change significantly.
Audiences are increasingly
demanding augmented
reality and spatial media, pushing us
further and further towards a world
that was once only the realm of sci-fi
films like Blade Runner. But bringing
these technologies to consumers is not
just possible, it’s inevitable. And it will
happen thanks to volumetric video.
Content creators are progressively
bringing live, human performances into
spatial realms, which means they need
to capture every movement and nuance
so that it can be viewed from any angle.
Often referred to as holographic and free
viewpoint video, or simply holograms,
there are a few technologies that are filling
that need – one being volumetric video. Above: Volumetric data is usually delivered as a mesh sequence. A post process, called ‘stabilisation’, creates segments that
retain the same topology for an average of 10 to 40 frames. Mesh in a stabilised segment will have consistent topology and UVs
DEFINING HOLOGRAMS
First, we should define what a volumetric and environments. The completed videos components for both formats, making it
video is. In general, holographic videos are are then distributed to the viewer as a easier and more cost effective to shoot both
distinguished by the type of media data file, stream or hard copy, and the data ‘flat’ and spatial media. Virtual production
they store, and how a view is calculated is decoded and displayed on a specific will also help to fuel the rise of volumetric
from that stored data. In the case of hardware device. capture. Elements can be captured
volumetric video, the data is stored as a independently and added together prior
sequence of 3D surfaces with material data ESVPEARTIYAWL HCEORNET,EONNT EWVIELRLYBDEEVICE to filming, offering more flexibility for
like ‘albedo’ (or colour) recorded for each creators, and generating better results on a
point on the surface. Each of those surfaces Volumetric video will become pervasive smaller budget. Because of this, volumetric
is then stored as a dense point cloud with over the next decade, thanks in part to content has already seen a surge in use
colour points, or as a UV-mapped mesh the rise of wearables, like AR/VR glasses for previz and crowd work, along with a
with associated texture(s). and holographic displays. Most mobile handful of other cost-saving measures.
To create a volumetric video, you start devices already offer an AR viewing mode, The final step in the expansion of spatial
by determining the quality and viewing and viewing content in this fashion will media is distribution. Volumetric video is
angles you want, and performances can soon become an integrated standard for already being used by multiple industries,
be captured using anywhere from four to technologies like Microsoft Mesh and and the fidelity (and complexity) of the
120 sensors. From there, the data may also Google’s VPS. It’s only a matter of time content continues to grow. Viewers will
undergo an algorithmic reconstruction before phones and tablets begin to tout need to have some form of adaptive
process, which takes the sensor data partially holographic displays, like Leia’s streaming solution (like HoloSuite), to
and finds both 3D surfaces and material autostereoscopic technology available in ensure a high-quality display across
properties to best fit the data. the Lume Pad. devices, even when bandwidth fluctuates.
Once the capture is complete, post- Soon, content will be produced that’s
production is where creatives can then made to be viewed on both standard and IS IT READY FOR PRODUCTION TODAY?
refine, modify and compose data into six degrees of freedom (6DoF) devices. For most high-end VFX studios, artists
larger, more complex scenes, applications Creators will be able to use the same ‘stem’ frequently opt to create digital doubles

88 3D WORLD

“AITATSEWNCWVDDHAONIICLYGLUOOLIFMLSDOOTBEOGSRTEUYRCDMBIIEOMCALCMPCREKRAESEIPOAN”TTVSGHUEESRE, E

A single minute of volumetric footage can use up to 16GB of
space. Volumetric software – like HoloEdit – can compress
the footage down to 5-50 Mbps, which makes it possible to

transmit, and drastically improves storage requirements

The evolution of live-action media

Volumetric video captured at Crescent Studio, edited using HoloEdit,
readied for distribution in Unity for delivery on different devices

for effects-heavy scenes. It’s becoming a by the camera hardware, along with any a digital environment, but the downside is
common method for replacing characters additional equipment costs, but it is much that it isn’t flexible for use in augmented
in a scene, but it has several drawbacks more accessible. reality environments. Plus, trying to
and limitations, including costs and labour capture with flat lighting, and lighting
hours. Volumetric video can solve these As volumetric capture technology dynamically in the environment, results
problems and more. improves and costs decrease, it will in less-than-ideal shading under strong
become the way for making digidoubles. lighting conditions. The Relightables team
The difference between a hand-crafted The cost is lower, the quality will be just as at Google overcame this problem with
digidouble and a performer captured in high and more people can take advantage high-speed cameras and synchronised
volumetric video is somewhat analogous to of it. You really can’t ask for more. LED gradient lighting. Using the additional
the difference between painting a portrait data, they can generate shininess, ambient
of a subject, and taking a photo of them. RELIGHTING AND BEYOND occlusion and detailed maps, leading to
While both painted and photographic noticeably better relighting results – for
portraits require an artistic eye for One challenge with volumetric video is a price.
everything from lighting to composition, that most capture stages currently only
the quality of the painted portrait is labour support capturing a diffuse map and With volumetric video and machine
intensive and ultimately reliant on the skill per-vertex normals. That can make it learning, we don’t necessarily need a fully
of the artist. With a photographic portrait, difficult to support a dynamic lighting stocked stage – at least not once enough
the capture quality is mostly just impacted environment. One option for content training data has been shot. Using machine
creators is to tailor the lighting on-set for

Both MP4 were exported
with a 5,120 kbps
bitrate. The left track is
unstabilised data where
the UV positions change
for each frame; the right
is data that has been
stabilised. You will see
far better texture results
with low bitrates using
stabilised data

90 3D WORLD

The evolution of live-action media

solution, and Volograms has just released
its solution, Volu, to consumers. By
combining this capture data with training
data recorded on a high-quality stage, the
potential user base expands exponentially.
Once single-sensor capture systems are
firmly established, the next step is swarm
capture systems. Imagine reconstructing
a moment from a concert or world event
by aligning and reconstructing data from
several, individual sensors on networked
devices. It won’t be long until people with
cell phones and wearable AR (that opt in)
are themselves working together to create
high-quality volumetric video, offering
shared memories for others to experience.
Everyone has a part to play in the future
of this industry. Hardware companies like
Light Field Lab, Looking Glass Factory,

“IMAGINE RECONSTRUCTING A MOMENT FROM AppleandSnapenableconsumptionof
spatial content, while post-production tools

A CONCERT OR WORLD EVENT WITH DATA likeHoloEdit,SenseofSpaceand4DFX
open the door to increasingly creative

FROM SEVERAL, INDIVIDUAL SENSORS” content.Distributiontechnologieslike8th
Wall, Unreal, Unity and HoloStream open
the funnel for the delivery of content in
learning, a supervised learning algorithm that only needs to capture meshes and engaging, interactive environments, and
can learn to produce outputs for any given albedo data. Using machine learning we standards groups like the VFA and MPEG
input. It is shown the desired result, and it can also potentially reduce the number help define the containers, codecs and
learns to generalise what future input data of sensors needed to just a handful. In protocols that our industry delivers. It’s all
should look like. some cases, even a single sensor. The coming together.
Let’s assume that we have several learning algorithm does the rest, including As volumetric video hardware and
captures recorded on a stage like the one producing the relighting data we need. software technologies continuously
set up by the Relightables team. The data That changes everything. innovate, content creators are already
from this stage is entered into the learning taking these tools and applying this highly
model, and is known as the ‘supervised WHY SHOOT ON A STAGE AT ALL? versatile media to industries as varied as
data’. It consists of two categories – the In the last year or so, we’ve begun to entertainment, retail, sports, music video
training input is the source meshes, see the introduction of single-sensor, and advertising. It’s all helping to bring us
normals and albedo; the training output real-time volumetric capture solutions. closer and closer to the spatial realms that
is the shininess, ambient occlusion and At SIGGRAPH 2020, a team from the were dreamed of in Blade Runner.
photometric normals. University of Southern California Institute
With that learned model established, for Creative Technologies and the company *Disclosure: HoloStream and HoloEdit
we can shoot on a much simpler stage Pinscreen demonstrated a single-sensor are Arcturus products.

3D WORLD 91

Whearedwxwpolarotrrheeyttoohouelrsltaitmtoeessetoesroimffttowhnaeeryyeaarend

AUTHOR PROFILE soruofastaK sirtimiD yb detaerc ,stessa evitaN morf enecS
Mike Griggs
Mike Griggs is a digital Cinema 4D R25SOFTWAREREVIEW
content creator with PRICE From £55.10/mo | COMPANY Maxon | WEBSITE maxon.net
over two decades of
experience creating W ith the release With R25 however, the changes to bring up the most
VFX and CGI for a wide of Cinema 4D work has not been behind commonly used modelling
range of clients R25, Maxon has the scenes. R25 ships with a tools in the respective mode.
creativebloke.com implemented one of the brand-new UI, which may be
biggest changes in this confusing for legacy users but This means that old
PROS venerable content creation offers a wide range of usability workflows of switching
app’s history. enhancements, making this between tool layouts are no
New UI ‘superficial’ release one of longer required (even though
Asset management How can this be without the most exciting versions of they are still there), making
any significant new headline Cinema 4D to ship in years. general usability a much more
improvements features to speak of? Well, the intuitive process for artists
Native Adobe developers at Maxon have The new UI does not just jumping into Cinema 4D for
Illustrator import been working very hard for a look different; it behaves the first time.
few years behind the scenes differently, with toolbars
CONS on updating the core elements dynamically changing to the Another way the UI
of the Cinema 4D toolset to task at hand. For example, improves on the old is by
Nodal Scene system not make the most of the new when switching between collapsing panels. The
ready for full production generation of computer Object, Polygon, Edge and Timeline, Material list,
Redshift not available hardware. This is most evident Point mode (now accessed Coordinates and the Asset
through Team Render in work being done on the from the top of the main Browser all have icons in each
Nodal Scene system. window), the left-hand toolbar corner of the main viewer
SUMBASXCORNIPOTNIOEN window. When pressed, the

One cost-effective way
to get Cinema 4D is via a
Maxon One subscription.
Used with post tools
such as Adobe After
Effects, this provides an
artist with a practically
complete VFX suite.

92 3D WORLD

Cinema 4D R25
Below: Advanced Adobe Illustrator import Bottom: Asset creation is now standardised,
with layer/path offset and extrude options making it simpler for artists to save bespoke
now available via native Vector Import object presets for commonly used assets

IV“TIENSTEWFRAAACYNT,I’NSTTHHOEEEANVREETWN”UTHI QISUCICINKLEYMWAO4ND

respective palette appears and cineversity.com. Now an unfinished enough to make work to be done. Redshift still
can be hidden at the artists’ Illustrator file can be imported them hard to recommend yet. does not feel fully integrated
will. This is a huge productivity or dragged and dropped The improvements to the and is not available through
boon, especially on laptops. into the viewport. It appears Asset Manager are another the Team Render licence
In fact, the new UI quickly as a new ‘Vector Import’ story though, with the ability system for Maxon One
won its way into even this object with a wide range of to save user items as ‘Presets’ subscribers.
Cinema 4D veteran’s heart. It’s parameters such as extruding now standardised across all The more recent additions
quicker to use and ‘feels’ a lot and offsetting Illustrator items. For example, if the of Magic Bullet products feel
more snappy, and switching layers. In short, having this artist is constantly making a like they’re better integrated,
between workstations with a functionality as a first-party 5 by 5 by 5 cloner object of a and while it’s great to have a
large 4 or 5K screen to a small option makes Cinema 4D the sphere, once created this can release that concentrates on
13” laptop never felt like the 3D tool of choice for vector- be dragged into the Asset the user experience, the next
chore it had before. For new based artists. Manager, which automatically release needs to shape all of
3D artists, the Cinema 4D UI As mentioned, the Nodal categorises it as a new preset. the still-disparate elements,
is the gold standard for digital Scene tools are nearly there. As with the UI, simplifying such as the Nodal Scene
content artists. The Nodal paradigm has been this process makes life easier tools and Redshift, into a
So aside from the successful building in Cinema 4D for a for users. However, there is still streamlined whole.
lick of paint, what other new few versions, starting with
features come with R25? What materials and gradually going
is really big news for motion through the entire application. THE VERDICT
graphics artists is native There is a wide range of new
Adobe Illustrator file support. Scene nodes, and with the new 8.0 CINEMA 4D R25
Previously the best way to Asset Capsules, the potential Cinema 4D R25 gets a new look, and the new UI is an easy
import an Illustrator file was to to add particular node objects OUT OF 10 sell for artists eager to get into 3D. Existing users will
use the CV-Artsmart plugin, to the Object manager. In benefit from the new UI's thoughtful workflow improvements,
which came free as part of the practice, the Nodal Scene making this feature lite release still worthy of the upgrade.
Cinema 4D learning platform tools are frustratingly just

3D WORLD 93

Anycubic Wash & Cure Plus Below:
The angled top
AUTHOR PROFILE section of LEDs
Rob Redman gives superb
3D World’s editor Rob curing coverage
has a background in
VFX, animation and Wash & Cure PlusHARDWAREREVIEW
filmmaking. When not PRICE $249 | COMPANY Anycubic | WEBSITE anycubic.com
at his desk, he can
usually be found in One of the biggest consumables and often a great a large plastic container or a
the woods with his advantages of 3D deal more. rotating platform. At the back
dog, Biscuit. printing using the of the device is a tall arm full
pariahstudios.co.uk FDM method is cleanup. Anycubic has designed a of UV lights, with a hinge at
You remove the print from game-changing device for this the top to direct those lights
PROS the print bed and cut off part of the process, which is downward. The whole upper
any supports, a quick brush neat, simple to use, compact part comes with a UV resistant
L-shaped curing arm for up into the bin and you are and negates many of the plastic hood, much like the
maximum coverage done. Resin is an entirely downsides this messy part of
Powerful wash motor different beast. Once a print
for rinsing resin job has completed you need SC“AIHMNAYPNCLGUEIBNTIGOCDUHESAVESICADENEDWSICHGONICMEHDPIASACNGTA”EMATE,-
to remove it from the build
from models platform, which is upside the process can result in. The Mono X. This prevents UV
Compact form down and covered in liquid Wash & Cure machine looks spilling into the surrounding
resin, then find some way of similar to their resin printers, environment, potentially
CONS removing that residue, which so if you are the owner of a damaging or discolouring
means donning a pair of Mono X 3D printer you’ll have other items.
Can vibrate small, gloves to protect your skin. a matching pair. That said, this
light desks That’s before you even get machine will aid your workflow The process is very
to protecting your work area for any resin printer. simple. Lift off the lid, place
Yellow case wont fit from spills and splashes, or the plastic container on the
all tastes even reaching the point where The base is a solid metal platform, which locks in place
you can cure your model, for chassis with a simple button magnetically, then drop in the
ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL necessary hardness. and knob operation. Up top is metal basket. Remove your
a platform that either houses build platform and lower it
Most people use isopropyl Traditionally this has meant
alcohol to wash their having a fairly large dedicated
resin models and tools. area for resin printing, with
It is perfect for the task multiple containers for rinsing
but can dry and irritate and washing not just the
skin and could damage model but your scraping tools,
nearby items, so covering

a desk and wearing gloves
is wise. The Wash & Cure
keeps this neat and safe
and the wash container

has a latched lid,
preventing wastage.

94 3D WORLD

Anycubic Wash & Cure Plus

Left: The Wash & Cure machine is large enough for bigger prints but compact enough to sit on
the desktop next to your 3D printer

into the basket. You can opt lift off the lid, pop the build
to remove the model or, like platform back in the printer
me, wash the platform too, (after removing the model,
as the basket has rails for this of course) then just swap
to sit on (dependent on your the container for the curing
printer’s platform dimensions). platform. There’s also a mirror-
The basket helps remove the like sheet that sits underneath
model with minimum waste, to bounce UV light back up for
while also serving to protect even coverage of UV.
any delicate parts from the
spinning prop. Pour in your Once the model is dry,
cleaning solution, close the place it in the Wash & Cure
lid, hit the wash button and machine and, with the lid on,
set a time. The machine then set it to ‘cure’, set a time and
spins a small propeller in the off it goes. A simple display
base of the tub that agitates marks the time remaining and
the liquid, reversing along a beep will inform you when it
the way to ensure a thorough has finished.
wash. This part alone saves
time and waste and makes a That’s it. Remove the lid
huge difference to the printing and you now have a clean and
experience. No rags, brushes cured model, ready for its
and baths to contend with. intended purpose. No mess.
It was a bit of a revelation to No hassle. Just consistent
move to this workflow for the end results and not a single
first time, and it would be very headache. This means that
difficult to go back. gone are the days of splashing
and cleaning, leaving the
That’s before even curing model in the sun to cure, or
the model! Once washed, butchering a nail polish curing
machine with limited volume.

THE VERDICT
10
ANYCUBIC WASH & CURE PLUS
OUT OF 10 The Wash & Cure Plus machine takes what can be two
laborious tasks and streamlines them into a fast and
effective process that takes up little room and offers
consistently good results.

3D WORLD 95

BISASCUKES

FMiilslsthineggaanpsisisnuyeooufr3cDolWleocrtlido?n today!

ISSUE 281 JANUARY 2022
BLADE RUNNER MEETS CG ANIME
● Delve into the stunning CG animation of Black Lotus
● We interview female artists working at top studios, including

Aardman and Framestore, about their experiences
● Explore the rise and impact of 3D printing

● Behind the scenes of No Time To Die’s incredible VFX
● Downloads Free models and textures, files and more!

ISSUE 280 CHRISTMAS 2021 ISSUE 279 DECEMBER 2021 ISSUE 278 NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE 277 OCTOBER 2021
CREATE STUNNING FAN ART THE VFX OF FOUNDATION STYLISED SCENES LUCA
● This month’s cover artist breaks ● Get the lowdown on the Apple ● Work with toon shaders to ● We explore the gorgeous
down his workflow process TV+ sci-fi series Foundation underwater visuals of Pixar’s Luca
● We explore Unreal Engine with ● Inside Blue Zoo: Part 5, exploring produce an amazing stylised scene ● Inside Blue Zoo: Part 3, how
advice and tutorials from the pros the exciting future of real-time tech ● Inside Blue Zoo: Part 4, delving
●Discover the incredible VFX of sci-fi ●Stage and compose a shot with into lighting and comp workflows to overcome the challenges of
blockbuster Dune Pixar’s layout artist ●The secrets behind the VFX of storytelling on a budget
● Digital Domain talk creating ● Get started in VR: how to utilise Those Who Wish Me Dead ●Go behind the scenes of sci-fi
cinematic-quality TV series this immersive creative medium ● We test, rate and review a range of drama Intergalactic
● Downloads Free models and ● Downloads Free models and quality ultra-wide monitors ● How to sculpt fan art in Blender
textures, files and more! textures, files and more! ● Downloads Free models and ● Downloads Free models and
textures, files and more! textures, files and more!

CATCH UP TODAY!

Visit Apple Newsstand, Pocketmags and Zinio stores to download a back issue of 3D World to your tablet or computer.

96 3D WORLD

ISSUE 276 SEPTEMBER 2021 ISSUE 275 AUGUST 2021 ISSUE 274 JULY 2021 ISSUE 273 JUNE 2021
LOOK DEV LESSONS: NAIL YOUR STYLE MASTER YOUR CONCEPT ART ZBRUSH SCULPTING HEROES DUKES OF NUKE
● Inside Blue Zoo: Part 2, a special ● Use Gravity Sketch to create ● Experts from the world of toy and ● Discover how Nuke is used by

behind-the-scenes look at the incredible sci-fi concept art figure creation reveal their tips and pros working on blockbuster films
company’s unique animated projects ● Inside Blue Zoo: Part 1, our new tricks for succeeding in the industry and AAA games to take their work
● Take a deep dive into the world of series exploring the workings of the ● VFX powerhouse Absolute deliver to the next level
indie film production renowned animation company a character modelling tutorial ● Behind the scenes of the beautiful
● Discover how the fantasy universe ● Behind the scenes of horror ● Explore the action-packed VFX of VR experience Baba Yaga
of videogame Unbound: Worlds drama Lovecraft Country Godzilla vs. Kong ● How to build an animated in-
Apart is brought to life ●Model photorealistic humans ●Create amazing scenes in Unreal game asset from scratch
● Downloads Free models and ● Downloads Free models and ● Downloads Free models and ● Downloads Free models and
textures, files and more! textures, files and more! textures, files and more! textures, files and more!

ISSUE 272 MAY 2021 ISSUE 271 APRIL 2021 ISSUE 270 MARCH 2021 ISSUE 269 FEBRUARY 2021
MASTER YOUR BLENDER LIGHTING THE EXPANSE BECOME A PRO FANTASY ARTIST MASTER YOUR MATTES
● An expert guide to lighting your ● The secrets behind the scientifically ● Create a videogame-worthy ● Learn how to create amazing

character renders accurate VFX of The Expanse fantasy character outdoor scenes with tips and tutorials
● Delve into the fantasy world of ● We explore the rise of virtual ● Behind the scenes at Animal from the experts in world building
Raya And The Last Dragon production Logic, Part 5 ● Transform 2D calligraphy into a
● We explore how cutting-edge ● How to use lighting techniques to ● Dive into the fascinating world of stunning 3D neon sign
tools and software are revolutionising create your desired mood generative art ● Explore the incredible visuals of
the fashion industry ●Which 3D renderer is right for you? ●How to sculpt with dynamic cloth Cartoon Saloon’s Wolfwalkers
● Create a robot with Blender Find out in our buyer’s guide in ZBrush 2021 ●Design a high-tech drone
● Downloads Free models and ● Downloads Free models and ● Downloads Free models and ● Downloads Free models and
textures, files and more! textures, files and more! textures, files and more! textures, files and more!

APPLE NEWSSTAND bit.ly/3dworld-app
POCKETMAGS bit.ly/pocket3D ZINIO bit.ly/3dw_zinio

3D WORLD 97

FREEINTHEVAULT RESOURCES Future PLC
Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA
Follow the link to download your free files
Editorial
https://bit.ly/3D-world-nomad EVAENRDMYTOEDXMETLUOSRNESTH Editor Rob Redman

Dowtenxltouaordwestnhtpeorsouejsemecoitnsdeylosurand [email protected]

MODELS + TEXTURES and build your own asset library with these Designer Ryan Wells
in our monthly model and texture giveaway. Production Editor Rachel Terzian
FREE ASSET DOWNLOADS Staff Writer Brad Thorne

Download a set of fantastic textures from Contributors
incredible free ‘electronics’ models from Glen Southern, Mike Griggs, Pietro Chiovaro, Antony Ward, Tanya
Combrinck, James Clarke, Donovan Douglas, Carmelo Barberá,
HIGH-RES SCREEN GRABS + VIDEO HIGH-RES SCREEN GRABS + ALPHAS + VIDEO Seung Yon Lee, Andrew Sinagra, Ben Stallard, Devin Horsman
Creative Bloq
HOUDINI TRAINING NOMAD Editor Kerrie Hughes
Advertising
Master procedural animations with our Follow along with Glen Southern’s cover tutorial, Media packs are available on request
guide to designing in Houdini. using his free alpha download. Chief Revenue Officer Zack Sullivan
UK Commercial Sales Director Clare Dove
ISSUE 283 NEXT MONTH Advertising Sales Manager Mike Pyatt
Account Sales Director Matt Bailey
98 3D WORLD Learn to create stunning fantasy art in International Licensing and Syndication
our step-by-step training 3D World is available for licensing and syndication.
ON SALE 25TH JANUARY To find out more contact us at [email protected]
Subscribe today: www.bit.ly/3dworld-subs or view our available content at www.futurecontenthub.com
Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw
Subscriptions
New orders www.magazinesdirect.com / 0330 333 1113
Email enquiries [email protected]
Renewals www.mymagazine.co.uk / 0330 333 4333
Renewals enquiries [email protected]
Acquisitions Director Sharon Todd
Circulation
Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers
Production
Head of Production Mark Constance
Senior Production Manager Matt Eglinton
Senior Ad Production Manager Jo Crosby
Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson
Production Manager Nola Cokely
Ad Production Coordinator Peter Burton
Management
Group Art Director Warren Brown
Content Director Chris George
Brand Director Paul Newman
SVP Tech, Games & Ents Aaron Asadi
Commercial Finance Director Dan Jotcham
Printed by William Gibbons & Sons Ltd, 26 Planetary Road,
Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XB
Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf,
London, E14 5HU www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 0203 787 9001

ISSN 1470-4382
3D World (ISSN 1470-4382) February, Issue 282, is published monthly with an
extra issue in November by Future Publishing, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath,
BA1 1UA, UK
The US annual subscription price is $194.87 Airfreight and mailing in the USA by
agent named World Container Inc., c/o BBT 150-15 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA
Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Brooklyn NY 11256.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 3D World, World Container Inc., c/o BBT
150-15 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA
Subscription records are maintained at Future Publishing, c/o Air Business
Subscriptions, Rockwood House, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath,
West Sussex, RH16 3DH. UK
All contents © 2021 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All
rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or
reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England
and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All
information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as
we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any
responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to
contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/
services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this
publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents
or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent
and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or have
the necessary rights/permissions to supply the material and you automatically
grant Future and its licensees a licence to publish your submission in whole or
in part in any/all issues and/or editions of publications, in any format published
worldwide and on associated websites, social media channels and associated
products. Any material you submit is sent at your own risk and, although every
care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents, subcontractors or
licensees shall be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material
is for publication unless otherwise stated, and reserve the right to edit,
amend, adapt all submissions.

Future plc is a public Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne
company quoted on the Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford
London Stock Exchange
(symbol: FUTR) Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand
www.futureplc.com Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

We are committed to only using magazine paper
which is derived from responsibly managed, certified
forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. The paper
in this magazine was sourced and produced from
sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict
environmental and socioeconomic standards. The
manufacturing paper mill and printer hold full FSC
and PEFC certification and accreditation.