TECH & TOOLS
EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY MAKES INVISIBLE EFFECTS VISIBLY MORE EFFICIENT By TREVOR HOGG
Images courtesy of Adobe, Autodesk, Foundry, SideFX, Cinefade and Epic Games. TOP: The physically-based renderer produced by Arnold. OPPOSITE TOP: Unreal Engine by Epic Games is allowing for more in-camera effects to occur on set in real-time, such as with The Mandalorian. OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Cinefade was frequently used by cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt while shooting Mank.
Despite the ability to create fantastical worlds and creatures digitally, the majority of the work for the visual effects industry is focused on making unnoticeable alterations, whether it be painting out rigging, extending sets and locations, or doing face replacements for stunt doubles. Leading the way in creating the tools and technology to create and execute these invisible effects are software companies Autodesk, Adobe, Foundry and SideFX, as well as Epic Games and Cinefade. “It’s incremental advancements in the tools up and down the line with periodic leaps sprinkled in there,” believes Ben Fischler, Industry Strategy Manager at Autodesk. “I spent years doing lighting and rendering in compositing. If you look to the move to path tracers like Arnold and physically-based shading, lighters can think the same way that a DP would on set. The integration of Arnold with Maya and 3ds Max is one of the biggest pieces that we now have. Arnold has both a CPU and GPU mode, and for doing look development and lighting work on a desktop it is incredibly fast, and you can be rendering in the Maya viewport.” Where the technology has evolved most recently is with in-camera visual effects. “It’s a process that is changing the future
74 • VFXVOICE.COM SUMMER 2021
PG 74-79 TECH TOOLS.indd 74
5/3/21 5:06 PM
