Archive notice: This article was originally published on February 26, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
For the 14th consecutive year, every film nominated for the Oscar for Best Visual Effects was created with the help of digital filmmaking tools from Autodesk, Inc. Autodesk therefore congratulates Matte World Digital on its Oscar for Best Visual Effects in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
“All the effects artists nominated for this year’s Academy Awards created new high points in digital imagery—from detailed and complex computer-generated characters to feats of pyrotechnics and invisible effects that appear completely real,” said Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “We warmly congratulate all the artists and technical teams who succeeded in thrilling audiences with their spectacular visual effects. We are honored that filmmakers rely on Autodesk digital technology from planning and previsualization through to the final film.”
Autodesk technology was used in the production of the following Oscar-nominated films and Oscar winners in their respective categories:
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Oscar winner)
- Matte World Digital faced the task of bringing the early 20th century through the era of Hurricane Katrina back to life. Using Autodesk 3ds Max as its primary tool, the studio created 3D environments, crowd simulations and matte paintings. Autodesk Maya was additionally used for 3D models, animation and rendering.
-
Asylum VFX relied primarily on Maya, as well as Autodesk Smoke for finishing effects, Autodesk Inferno for visual effects and Autodesk Lustre for digital color grading, to create 189 shots of the photorealistic tugboat adventure, including extensive water simulations, digital environments and a computer-generated submarine.
-
Lola VFX used a combination of tools, including Inferno and Autodesk Flame, to create 100 shots depicting the rejuvenation process and 200 shots enhancing makeup effects.
-
Evil Eye Pictures used Maya and Autodesk Combustion desktop compositing software to integrate matte paintings and environmental effects at locations in and around New Orleans.
$$$$
“Iron Man” (Oscar nominee)
- Industrial Light & Magic brought the superhero and his adversary to life with Maya, which was used to animate and model the computer-generated armor. Inferno visual-effects software was used as part of the SABRE system to composite more than 400 shots.
Pixel Liberation Front worked on the film for 19 months; Maya was used to create numerous reference models for the extensive previsualization phase.
The Orphanage used 3ds Max to develop the look of the miniature reactor and an exploding mountainside. Maya was used for the “Gulmira,” “missile test” and “Stark jet” sequences.
“The Dark Knight” (Oscar nominee)
- Double Negative created a large proportion of the film’s visual effects. Various proprietary tools and Maya were used for most of the 2D and 3D work. Maya’s fluid dynamics aided postproduction on a helicopter-crash sequence. The Maya nCloth and Syflex Maya plug-ins were used to simulate the Batman suit.
Framestore used internal proprietary tools and a range of Autodesk software applications, including Maya, Autodesk Mudbox, Autodesk MatchMover, Autodesk Movimento and Autodesk Softimage for 3D modeling, animation and rendering, to create computer-generated environments and doubles as well as digital prosthetic makeup.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“Kung Fu Panda” (Oscar nominee)
- DreamWorks Animation SKG developed new tools and workflows for this stereoscopic 3D film, using Maya to set up and build stereoscopic cameras, create virtual film sets and render the film.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
“This Way Up” (Oscar nominee)
- Nexus used a combination of 3ds Max for modeling and animation and Combustion for compositing on this high-resolution digitally animated short.
“Oktapodi” (Oscar nominee)
- Gobelins, l’école de l’image, a team of six students from the Paris animation school, used Maya to create the animation for this short film.
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
“Waltz with Bashir” (Oscar nominee)
- CinePostProduction, one of Europe’s largest postproduction companies, used Smoke for conform and online, Flame for visual effects and Lustre for digital color grading.
