3ds Max at FaberCourtial

Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 25, 2012. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.

The FaberCourtial studio from Darmstadt has made a name for itself with 3D visualizations in film and television, exhibitions, as well as product design and architecture. FaberCourtial is now one of the leading providers of digital image manipulation in the Rhine-Main region and was founded in 1998 by Maria and Jörg Courtial. The team has used Autodesk 3ds Max for years.

Set extension of Cologne Cathedral construction site, Superbauten – ZDF 2010

FaberCourtial gained national significance through, among other things, the visual effects for the ZDF TV series “Die Deutschen” (2008), as well as for “Terra X” and historical documentaries. “Here we make full use of the scope of Autodesk 3ds Max,” says Jörg Courtial. He himself has been a 3ds Max user from the very beginning and came to know and appreciate 3ds Max during his studies as an industrial designer in Darmstadt. “I started with 3D Studio for DOS and have remained loyal to Autodesk 3ds Max through all its versions over the years. “We like using 3ds Max because, for example, there are huge numbers of plug-ins.” Customers demand different vegetation, especially when modeling landscapes. “The flora of different landscapes can be created easily with 3ds Max, and it looks convincing.”

FaberCourtial reconstructed ancient Babylon in the time of Alexander the Great. The image is part of the special exhibition “Alexander the Great and the Opening of the World”  at the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums, Mannheim 2009

Flexibility Is a Priority

The 3D studio is currently working on a multipart TV production, “In the Name of God”, which will be broadcast at the end of the year. “We have to build various battles, depict Mecca in three time periods, and also visualize Vienna during the upheaval of the 16th century. Here, 3ds Max and various plug-ins run at full speed.” Another advantage of Autodesk 3ds Max is the various render connections. FaberCourtial mainly works with 3ds Max’s own renderer, Mental Ray. For more and more projects, however, the team also uses the power of VRay – high quality with shorter render time. “It all depends on the project. Here, 3ds Max proves extremely flexible. For landscapes and cities for architecture and TV sets, we use Mental Ray; for brand visualizations, we use VRay.” The quality of the results speaks for itself. Naturally, as a leading service provider, FaberCourtial uses various software products from different manufacturers. However, Autodesk 3ds Max is the company’s central software when it comes to modeling, for example – both in television and architecture. Here, data from the architecture software are transferred and modeled in 3ds Max.

Elaborate digital reconstruction of old Berlin in the 19th century from Die Deutschen II – ZDF 2010

3ds Max 2012 and Stereo 3D

Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 is currently in the testing phase. “We started various productions with 3ds Max 2011 and will also finish them with it. Never change the system while production is running,” Jörg Courtial also knows. But the internal tests of 3ds Max 2012 are convincing. “It is absolutely crucial that we can also save the files in an old version – that had long been necessary. And the viewport is also significantly more performant – we loaded various elaborate scenes and are very happy with the results. FaberCourtial also has wishes for future versions. “Slim down, flexible, and stable. We need lean software.” Nor is the company afraid of unifying 3ds Max, Maya, and Softimage. “The best from the systems in one product – now that would be something,” says Jörg Courtial.

FaberCourtial provided the 3D animation in the production Dinosaurs 2011

The Future Belongs to 3D

“The future belongs to 3D. Everything is covered by 3D – the entire diversity of life, whether a look into the past or a vision of the future” 3D software has now become an integral part of different productions. Film or TV can no longer do without 3D, and architecture and design likewise cannot be sold without 3D, while the learning curve for 3D software is becoming ever  flatter. Whereas half a physics degree was once necessary for operation,  today practically all that is needed is vision and creativity.

The team – front right Maria Courtial, front left Jörg Courtial (with beard).