For those who don’t know the tool: Mansur Rig is a modular character rig builder for Autodesk Maya, developed by Assaf Ben Zur, former Lead Rigging TD at MPC. It helps technical directors and riggers assemble joint-based full-body and facial rigs in Maya without auto-skinning. It includes an animation picker UI and an LOD (Level of Detail) switch tool. The workflow is non-linear and supports rigging models that are not in a strict T-pose. Rigs built with Mansur Rig can be used in animation, visual effects, and game pipelines.

3.0 Release: Open Source Lite and Licence Removal

The most visible change of Mansur Rig 3.0 is the removal of all licence restrictions and the end of mandatory online activation. Distribution has shifted to a public GitHub repository, which effectively makes the tool free to install and use without registration.

The C++ nodes that power the rig builder remain private, which means the tool is only partially open source. The developer confirmed that the licence server used by earlier versions will be shut down on 1 March 2026. After that date, older releases depending on that server for activation will stop working unless updated to 3.0.

Compatibility and Breaking Changes

Mansur Rig 3.0 introduces compatibility with Autodesk Maya 2026 on Windows. Autodesk has replaced several math node attribute formats, including DoubleLinear types, in Maya 2026. Mansur Rig 3.0 adapts to these changes and includes a centralised utility to update existing rigs to the new format. If Autodesk removes the deprecated formats completely in future versions such as Maya 2027, rigs saved in older Mansur Rig releases may need to be updated in Maya 2026 to remain functional. Linux support has been temporarily discontinued. The developer cites increasing maintenance complexity and low adoption as reasons for pausing Linux builds.

Features, Workflow, and Tools

Mansur Rig remains a modular rig builder that assembles joint-based systems for body and facial rigs. It is not an auto-tool. Users must still perform skinning manually or via third-party workflows. The current feature set includes a modular build system with an extensible library of rig modules, an animation picker UI for streamlined control selection, and an LOD tool to manage playback complexity. The system also supports rigs that are not posed in standard T-poses. Rigs built with Mansur Rig can be used commercially and resold. The builder itself is completely free, with no ongoing licence or subscription constraints.

System Requirements and Practical Notes

At launch, Mansur Rig 3.0 supports Maya 2020 and later on Windows. Linux support is paused, with no confirmed timeline for its return. Users of older Mansur Rig versions should update before 1 March 2026 to avoid losing access when the legacy licence server shuts down. Due to Autodesk’s changes in Maya 2026, rigs built in previous versions should be migrated through the provided centralised update utility to ensure future compatibility. As always, users are advised to test new tools in a controlled environment before integrating them into production pipelines.

The post Mansur Rig 3.0 Goes Free and Open Source Lite first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

TL;DR: The Keychron K5 Max is an ultraslim, full-sized mechanical keyboard with an aluminium frame and low-profile Gateron 2.0 brown switches. It offers a crisp, tactile typing feel without excess noise and connects via Bluetooth 5.1, 2.4 GHz, or USB-C. Configuration runs directly in the browser through VIA, saving settings on the keyboard for true cross-platform reliability. No drivers, no software, just professional performance and reliability after a rocky start

The Typing

Key presses feel crisp and precise, with a satisfying level of resistance that avoids the “tinny” sensation found in some low-profile switches (and yes, we tested multiples). Also: The K5 has a layer of “acoustic foam”, which dampens the sound, but doesn’t interfere with the tactical sensation of the keys. The travel distance is reduced compared to standard mechanical keyboards, but the overall typing experience remains solid, striking a balance between comfort and responsiveness. But before I am waxing and mumbling about opinions, let’s look at some specs first!

Battery performance: the K5 Max holds up well. While 100 hours per charge is the manufacturer’s estimate, real-world usage depends on factors like RGB brightness and Bluetooth connectivity. In testing, it consistently lasted multiple weeks without needing a recharge, making it a reliable option for professionals. But, we had the RGB off mostly.

RGB comes with multiple modes, everything from “Off” to “Reasonable” to “A constant test for epileptic fits”. These can be programmed / configured to your heart’s desire. In practise: We had it off most of the time, and Imported a “shortcut helper” for a game, öhm, DCC software package. You can also go per Key, which is usefull if you have shortcuts programmed, and since the start of the test, you can change the lights on the indicator keys (Numpad), if you want or need that. Why point this out? Because we complained about it, and Keychron listend, and it came in the next update for the hardware. Perfect! It is a evolving product!

Connections

The connection: We used it with a 2,4Ghz included dongle in wireless mode most of the time, and that works… well, plug it in, set the switch to “Wireless signal”, and you are basically done. If you forget the switch, then you want to consider the nice and friendly setup guide which is included in the pack. Never had a drop in the connection. Bluetooth 5.1 allows for wireless operation with up to three devices, switchable via hotkeys. Wired mode is also available via USB-C. The K5 Max supports QMK/VIA firmware, a major advantage for power users. The keyboard supports both Windows and macOS with a dedicated switch to toggle between layouts.

The special stuff

But it has something that we rarely see in ordinary Keyboards, which is its software, or better: The lack of it. Let’s talk about the magic of the VIA web interface. Say goodbye to clunky software installations hogging your RAM. With VIA, you can customize your lighting, macros, and more directly through your browser. (Launcher) Any Chrome based browser works (and now you can guess that I’m on Firefox), and you just open the Launcher, connect, and can do all the lighting, the settings, the macros, the special keys and more.

It’s like having a magic wand for your keyboard settings, abracadabra, no background bloat! And then, there are the function keys, even F13 to F24 (on Windows). These are “legitimate” keys that are recognized by any software, and with VIA, you can plonk them down wherever you like, including the modifiers, and have a full extra row of addressable short-cut / key settings destinations. We did those with a Strg+Shift+F-key, and had literally a dozen functions without touching any menu. No settings software required!

By default, there are four layers (1&2 for Mac, 3&4 for Windows ) but you can add some, and have a special keyboard for however many software packages you want to use. How? With QMK/Via!

QMK and VIA: Custom Firmware for Mechanical Keyboards

QMK (Quantum Mechanical Keyboard) and VIA are two powerful firmware solutions that enable extensive customization of mechanical keyboards. They provide advanced remapping, macros, and per-key RGB control while ensuring flexible cross-platform functionality.

QMK (Quantum Mechanical Keyboard) is an open-source firmware that allows deep customization of keyboard functions, including remapping keys, setting up macros, and even programming advanced features like tap layers and custom lighting effects.

VIA is a GUI-based interface that simplifies QMK configuration, allowing users to make real-time changes without reflashing firmware. VIA interacts with QMK’s dynamic keymap storage So, the “easy”, browser based version, where everything is done by clicking, and you don’t need to type code. And also, where you can “manage” and look up the features you have available, or the ones you set and forgot. VIA is therefor a companion software that runs on top of QMK firmware, allowing real-time keyboard remapping without needing to flash new firmware. This is useful for users who want plug-and-play customization. Unlike QMK, which requires recompiling and flashing, VIA reads and writes keymap changes directly via USB,2,4 GHz or Bluetooth.

Advantages of QMK/VIA:

• Full key remapping for personalized layouts. As you see in the screenshots, Caps Lock has been remapped to an additional Shift, in under two seconds. No Registry-Editing necessary.
• JSON Im- and Export of those configurations, making it easy to share among the team for special tools (For example, pipeline-specific Macros)
• Macro support for repetitive tasks. This includes settings for Key-Pressing times, Pauses and so on.
• Open-source flexibility with community support. No more “Four versions of the software, running simultaneous, hogging Ram, and being black boxes that need online accounts and regular logins.
• Compatibility with multiple operating systems

Disadvantages of QMK/VIA

• Learning curve for advanced functions. And you can REALLY do some stupid things with the keyboard this way. But there is a way to flash the “original Firmware and settings”.
• Some features require manual firmware compilation
• Not all users will need or utilize advanced programmability

Variations

One of the standout aspects of the K5 Max is its balance between portability and functionality. Many full-sized mechanical keyboards are bulky, but the low-profile design makes it easy to use on any desk – if your’s is fuller with “stuff”, there are TKL, Alice and 60% version available. Also, besides the “standard” US Keys, there are German, UK, Nordic, and Swiss layouts. Each keyboard comes with a few replacement keycaps for Mac or Widows. Nice!

So, is this thing already old?

You might think so. The K5 Max has been on the market for over a year now, and at first glance you might think “Isn’t Digital Production a news magazine?” That is correct, and it is also exactly why we took our time with this test. Early firmware versions had a serious issue where, in some cases, a single key press could register 20 or even 30 times. This did not happen constantly, but often enough to be very noticeable.

At one point, we managed to get the Delete key effectively stuck, which resulted in an impressively and involuntary empty email inbox. If you are still waiting for a reply, apologies, those messages are gone and not coming back. Because of this, we paused the test and waited for a revised firmware version (Which arrive a few weeks ago, and the problem hasn’t shown up since then. Hence: Here is the article. ) That version is now out, and we have been using the keyboard again for almost a full year, with long-term, daily use. This is precisely why we feel confident calling it the new default.

Conclusion

Yes: From here on, this is the keyboard others will have to measure themselves against. The firmware and VIA-related tooling have been updated multiple times since then, and at this point the system runs reliably and predictably. After roughly a year of literal everyday use, charging every two to three weeks has become the norm, which is entirely unproblematic in practice.

For professionals, the Keychron K5 Max offers a combination of build quality, wireless functionality, configurability and mechanical precision at a very reasonable price usually well below the 100$-mark. While there are certainly other “more premium” and “higher tech” options on the market, the K5 Max positions itself as the default choice for those looking for a professional, reliable, modern mechanical keyboard. Anything less is just not good enough.

Check price and availability.

Specs

Switches: Gateron low-profile mechanical switches, compatible with Gateron/Keychron low-profile mechanical switches only (QMK does not support low-profile optical switches).

Switch Orientation: North-facing.

Polling Rate: 1000Hz in wired and 2.4GHz modes; 90Hz in Bluetooth mode.

N-Key Rollover (NKRO): Supported in both wired and wireless modes.

RGB Backlighting: The keyboard features over 22 types of RGB backlight settings, including a static white backlight option. Users can fine-tune the RGB hue, saturation, brightness, and effect speed.

Hot-Swappable Switches: Allows users to customize their typing experience by easily swapping out Gateron low-profile mechanical switches without soldering.

Connectivity and Power:

• Battery: 2000 mAh rechargeable li-polymer battery.
• Wireless Usage Time: Up to 110 hours with backlighting off; up to 70 hours with RGB lighting at the lowest brightness.
• Connection Options: 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, and Type-C wired.
• Bluetooth Device Name: Keychron K5 Max.
• Compatibility: Compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux systems.

Physical Dimensions:

• Dimensions: 424 mm x 119 mm (16.69 x 4.69 inches).
• Weight: 720g (1.59 lbs).
• Height without Keycaps: Front – 7.8 mm (0.3 inches); Rear – 14.7 mm (0.58 inches).
• Height with Keycaps: Front – 18.2 mm (0.72 inches); Rear – 23.5 mm (0.92 inches).
• Typing Angles: Adjustable at 3.37º, 4.36º, and 6.56º.
• Microcontroller Unit (MCU): ARM Cortex-M4 32-bit STM32F402 with 256KB Flash.
• Operating Environment: -10 to 50℃.

The post Keychron K5 Max: The New Default first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

We spoke with Tibor Meliš (VFX Supervisor) and Tomáš Srovnal (VFX and Post-production Producer) about recreating wartime Bratislava in pixels, managing crowds and chaos with procedural logic, lighting bus scenes with LED walls, and what happens when a cornfield refuses to catch fire at 5 AM. Spoiler: compositing wins.

DP: What was your initial reaction to being selected as Slovakia’s Oscar entry, and how did this impact your approach to the VFX work?
Tibor Meliš: I was very happy about it. This film was a very exciting journey, as the creative core of the production was in constant contact with us, which allowed us to fully express ourselves.

DP: Your team worked across multiple offices. How did you ensure consistency in visual quality and technical approach across such a distributed pipeline?
Tibor Meliš: Our main management tool is Ftrack, to which we have developed our own engine that drives the pace :) and brings logic and structure, while communicating with all the software we use in-house. Additionally, for leadership and supervision, we have our own internal software, which is a very important tool for daily reviews, giving feedback, and also for bidding – it’s really excellent. :)

(Comment: We are working with PFX on a seprate story for that tool – stay tuned!)

DP: How did you structure asset creation and shot tracking to maintain efficiency while meeting the film’s tight deadlines?
Tibor Meliš: Shot and asset production ran in parallel, organized by sequences. Compositors focused on the straightforward shots with no heavy dependencies while tracking and asset teams built the necessary elements in the background. We broke down environments into modular kits—facades, props, street elements—and versioned them heavily in Ftrack. Assets were linked directly to scenes, so when an updated version was dropped in, it automatically propagated. That saved us tons of time and enabled rapid iteration across sequences.
Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, we have our own software that allows us to track shot continuity with excellent quality and near-instant response. That means when an artist changes something for review, it appears on the timeline within a second, and we can immediately compare multiple shots or versions.

DP: PFX is known for supporting productions that utilize tax incentives. Did this play a role in The Hungarian Dressmaker?
Tomáš Srovnal: We generally support all projects regardless of size or method of financing. By providing services across six Central European countries, we help producers in situations where a project needs to be completed in a specific country due to local spend requirements. This was also the case for this film. However, since it was a Slovak production, finishing the project through our Slovak office was naturally the first preferred choice for multiple reasons.

DP: What lessons or innovations from this project will influence your future work at PFX?
Tibor Meliš: One of the most interesting challenges was working with LED walls for the bus sequence. The technology is amazing—it can create incredibly immersive lighting and reflections in-camera—but it also demands a shift in production thinking. Not every director or DOP is fully ready for that yet. It requires decisiveness, and often that’s at odds with the natural desire to leave options open for post.

We ran into that too, but we made the most of it. We used the LED walls to generate interactive reflections and flickering light across the actors’ faces. We built a forest scene in Unreal Engine and placed the LEDs at an angle, so they not only lit the scene but also complemented the greenscreens visible through the bus windows. That kind of real-time content and lighting interaction is something we’re definitely bringing forward into other projects, but we need to be weary of the potential issues. Sometimes a simple green screen is less costly and a better option, mostly when you are working with less experienced or prepared on-set teams.

Apart from that during this project, we really deepened our collaboration with the grading and mastering department. While we were finalizing VFX shots, the grading team was already progressing in parallel. We kept a tight feedback loop, sharing updates frequently to make sure the VFX work aligned with the DOP’s vision and the overall tone of the grade. To make the process smoother, we developed custom scripts for DaVinci Resolve that automatically synced in the latest VFX versions and allowed for batch uploading of EXRs directly to the Barrandov office. We also tested a color pipeline to synchronize our Resolve workflow with their Baselight environment, which helped maintain consistency across departments and avoid surprises in the final master.

DP: Recreating 1940s Bratislava required detailed architecture and period accuracy. How did your team approach building the digital environments, and what were the key steps in your pipeline?
Tibor Meliš: The first step was detailed research. The director already had a large collection of references from archives, covering buildings, houses, and streets. Biskupice was particularly specific because several nationalities lived there, something many Slovaks today can’t even imagine. It was a village near Bratislava (today it’s part of the city) right on the Hungarian border, so naturally there were strong Hungarian and German influences.

We created around ten types of house assets with porches (“gánok”) and carefully studied the environment, as the porches were built mainly to shade from the sun, depending on the sun’s trajectory. Since the porches were a key visual element we wanted to emphasize, we had to adapt the lighting conditions to place them correctly relative to the camera.

The material was shot after sunset, which gave a very soft light, so the cinematographer had to lower the aperture, creating a shallow depth of field. We simulated clouds to pass the sunlight intermittently, keeping the protagonist in the shade while illuminating the houses in the background as if during daytime.

In compositing, we animated the cloud movement using P_noise to make the transition between sunlit and shaded areas feel natural. This approach also helped us highlight the Church of St. Nicholas in the distance, a landmark important to Biskupice. When viewers watch the shot, their gaze naturally moves from the actress’s face toward the brightest point – the church.

DP: Crowd simulation was a significant part of the project. Which tools or techniques did you use for this, and how did you manage the interactions between digital extras and the environment?
Tibor Meliš: Crowds are one of our long-term trademarks. Thanks to previous projects, we already had a pretty extensive internal library of Houdini-based 3D agents from this exact historical period—and already animated. So for The Hungarian Dressmaker, we just adapted and extended them to fit the new sequences. That saved us a lot of time on both modeling and rigging.

DP: The fire sequence features a long, intricate shot. Could you walk us through the preparation process for this sequence, from previsualization to final compositing?
Tibor Meliš: I would start with the production plan: we intended to create a real, controlled fire that would cover a significant part of the frame. We also had the SFX team ready to create fire elements in the third plane to help us integrate everything later.

When working with fire in a realistic film, I always try to create an atmosphere on set with smoke and strong flickering light sources that we can later match in post-production. This scene was truly massive, and since it was meant to be filmed in a single take, it became even more challenging. Unfortunately, the plan to set the cornfield ablaze in the background failed. The sequence was shot around 5 AM as the sun was rising, so we had to capture what we could, and the rest was left for post-production.

DP: The fire sequence was one of the most challenging. How did your pipeline handle simulations for such long shots, and what solutions were critical for maintaining realism without compromising render times?
Tibor Meliš: We initially planned for a lot of FX team support for this shot.
When I got the first rough cut, I started developing a preliminary lookdev myself, focusing on the timing and creating the best reference for the FX team using ActionVFX footage. Since the scene’s dramaturgy involved the fire gradually growing while the camera interacted with it, this approach seemed the quickest.

After the first version, I was surprised at how well it worked. I requested an additional burning tree asset in the background from the FX team because many objects felt too static, and with so much heat buildup, there should have been turbulence affecting twigs and grass. In Nuke, I projected the cornfield and added multiple light sources parented to the light intensity of the VFX footage, integrating them into the scene. The beauty of the shot is that when you look at such a strong light source, you must also feel it in the camera — most objects were slightly desaturated and softened, and the added mist between the actors provided great integration. In the end, a significant part of the scene was built through compositing.

DP: Do you have any recommendations for VFX artists preparing similar large-scale fire scenes?
Tibor Meliš: Definitely create smoke on set and shine light through it to achieve that strong luminous component. This will make it easier for the camera to capture the atmosphere and will greatly assist in post-production, whether for masking or optical effects.

Always think ahead – you can easily blend the luminous layer later based on your CG or footage fire. Lighting on set is absolutely crucial. Nowadays, creating fire digitally isn’t difficult, but making it match real set lighting perfectly – that’s the real challenge.

DP: What role did procedural workflows play in creating wear, grime, and historical imperfections in the digital assets?
Tibor Meliš: Procedural workflows played a key role in depicting wear, dirt, and imperfections in digital assets, especially in shader creation. They enabled the automated generation of realistic effects such as chipped edges, scratches, dust, and patina, giving objects an aged and well-used appearance.

This approach significantly accelerated and streamlined the texturing process and the creation of variations, while ensuring consistency and a sufficient level of detail. The workflow involved the use of various types of noise patterns and the consideration of convex and concave shapes of the assets, which allowed for the combination and layering of materials to achieve the desired look.

DP: How did you balance “dirty realism” – the lived-in look of the city – with the polished historical aesthetics required by the story?
Tibor Meliš: On Ventúrska Street, there’s a moment when someone in a CG building gently opens a window, creating a glare into the camera. These are the little moments that bring a space to life. And if you noticed, I intentionally wrote “someone” to further enhance that feeling of life. In reality, it was just the animated window. :)

DP: The film integrates subtle details like flags, uniforms, and street decor. How were these assets designed and implemented into the final shots?
Tibor Meliš: These kinds of details—like flags, signs, posters, or other ambient decor—are crucial for immersion. We knew this period would require a lot of specific details, like the banners carried by groups of people on the street. We carefully selected what reflected the society at that time and used it as inspiration for asset creation. For example, in the opening scene on Ventúrska Street, the hustle and bustle are enhanced by a parade of children pushing baby carriages, which is also edited within the shot.

When looking down either end of the street, we had to work with the crowd to make sure it wasn’t too aggressive but complemented the parade atmosphere. Most of them were Houdini-based procedural elements that helped break the static feel of the scenes, creating natural motion and realism.

DP: Achieving historical authenticity often means working with incomplete or limited references. Do you have any tips for sourcing high-quality references for similar historical projects?
Tibor Meliš: Definitely consult the city library of the relevant city. We relied heavily on archival materials!

The Hungarian Dressmaker

Director: Iveta Grofova
Producer: Zuzana Mistríková, Ondřej Trojan
DOP: Martin Strba

PFX Team
VFX Supervisor: Tibor Meliš
VFX and Post-production Producer: Tomáš Srovnal
Grading: Tomáš Chudomel

About PFX
PFX is a full-service post-production studio operating across the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Germany. With over 250 talented artists, they provided services to film, TV, animation, and commercial creators for well over a decade.

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The post The Hungarian Dressmaker – by PFX first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

When Red One dropped last this year, audiences got get a holiday cocktail of Jumanji-style action (The director was the same – Jake Kasdan), Christmas mythology, and CG hellhounds. Behind the visual spectacle: RISE FX, tasked with bringing a gooey portal system, guard monsters, and an actual magic chicken to life. We caught up with VFX Supervisor Michael Wortmann at FMX2025, to talk creature design, feather grooming in Houdini, and what happens when Krampus goes full-screen. From Atlanta to EmberGen simulations—here’s how RISE tackled 280 shots for Amazon MGM’s festive actioner.

DP: What was RISE FX‘s scope on Red One, and when did you get involved in the project?

Michael Wortmann: RISE came aboard the production during the shoot in Atlanta, Georgia in March 2023. We were tasked with some sequences for the new, secret Amazon christmas movie alongside Sony Imageworks and Rodeo FX. We had already worked with VFX Producer Cari Thomas on Shazam but we never worked with Jerome Cheng, the overall VFX Supervisor of the show. We ended up delivering 280 vfx shots for Red One over the course of twelve months requiring a mix of CG creatures, digital set extensions and a lot of hardcore 2D augmentations.

DP: Red One walks a fine line between Christmas fairy tale and action film. How did that tone influence the visual style and your VFX approach?

Michael Wortmann: We knew that production vfx supervisor Jerome Cheng and director Jake Kasdan had already worked together on Jumanji: Welcome to the jungle so it was clear that they would expect topnotch photoreal vfx work and a colorful phantastical design at the same time. But overall this movie would be a comedy so everything needed to help that and action would not be considered the most important thing.

 
DP: So, how duo you get that “fairyle” style in a story like this? 

Michael Wortmann: For example: the Krampus castle was conceived as a matte painting for the shot when Cal and Jack enter the realm of Krampus. When the second wide shot was added later, we did another matte painting because we never built the whole asset. Iterating the matte painting was straightforward and didn’t require so many rounds, in contrast to the design of the portals. Portals are not a new idea, so we needed to come up with something that would be funny and cool looking at the same time. 

The key requirement was to create something that happens fast because if something is overly complex or too long-lasting it is a) NOT funny and b) hard to read and understand by the audience. We started with the membrane simulation and made it feel gooey, later we refined it by adding ice crystal structures and depth blur. The last step was to foreshadow a bit of what is behind the portal. Our compositor Cintia Coll went through all the steps and then distributed the setup to other artists.

DP: How do you plan and prepare when a sequence might end up being full-CG—even if that’s not the original plan?
Michael Wortmann: Creating a full set or shot in CG is very expensive and time-consuming. As soon as directors or producers know that something is fully digital, they suddenly feel different about it. So we always try to shoot anything and keep it in there, so we might just end up with a 99% digital shot – just out of pure psychology. 

The big difference is when something is planned as digital from scratch it’s a long but more controlled process because it will be designed and relevant data will be acquired. However, if a shot turns from footage to full digital, it’s more likely to not have all the reference we would need. If we are lucky, we can reference a lot from the shot that cannot be used but still might help us get it right. All this factors into the bidding, planning and execution of a given shot. However, I have to admit that this can happen, but it is very rare that a shot is going overboard, and we need to rescue it.

DP: What were the most iteration-heavy sequences in Red One, and how did you manage creative feedback?
Michael Wortmann: The most iterations on Red One happened in character animation, especially the hellhounds and the chicken were a big challenge. When you do character animation the pressure is up because the director will ask for a certain performance and that means your shot is suddenly focussed on in a very different way as if you are doing a wire removal. So both, internal and external review iterations are really high in comparison to other vfx shots because it really needs to be perfect because one shot of bad character animation and the illusion is ruined.

DP: Can you walk us through the guard monsters? What went into designing and animating them?
Michael Wortmann: We received a ZBrush sculpt from the production with a design that was relatively close to the final design. So the first thing was to retopologize the model to make it suitable for rigging. 

Our modeller Marius Pörsel took care of that and also refined muscles, facial details and the porcupine spikes that are growing from the neck like a lion’s mane. After that texture artist Timo Scheu started to build shaders and paint textures based on the hires displacement maps generated from the ZBrush model. 

The tricky bit was to combine subsurface shading for the skin with rhinoceros-like armoured skin parts. As we knew that the hellhounds would only be visible in night scenes we developed shaders for the eyes that would give us nice reflections and even catlike yellow reflections also called Tapetum Lucidum. 

Rigging was rather traditional, we tested Houdini’s skin simulation tools but eventually found that we would not see much at night and the camera distance to the hellhounds. So our rigger Thorsten Schulz took care of this and adjusted the rig based on feedback from our animation supervisor Thorsten Kesse.

DP: We’ve heard tales of “The Chicken”. You must explain.
Michael Wortmann: The chicken in Red One is one of the funniest characters. In the story, the chicken is a bewitched agent of the E.L.F. agency and can be turned from a rubber chicken key ring to an actual live chicken by Callum’s actualizer.

Because of the interaction with the CG hellhounds, it was clear we needed a digital chicken. The director Jake Kasdan even owns chickens himself and sent us video footage of his favourite chicken, which is called Ellen.

We used Ellen as reference but, as Ellen is of brown colour, we had to make her white eventually because the brown colour was cancelled out by the blue night colours. Our FX artist Luca Schippmann used Houdini’s new set of feather tools to groom Ellen. This required a lot of development time as the tools were new. Ultimately, we could simulate all feathers and render Ellen with feathers made from curves, which allowed for the closeup shots we needed.

DP: What was the most unexpected challenge during the show—something you couldn’t have planned for?
Michael Wortmann: I think the biggest challenge was Krampus. When we were confronted with the Krampus sequence and briefed on the work, everybody was a bit concerned if we could pull this off. The approach was to rotoscope the Krampus character including fur and hair from the plates, scale him up and digitally recreate the areas that were missing in the plates now. 

We decided that we could do this, and after we completed the first couple of shots we became more confident. The shots turned out beautiful because we had nearly no chroma keying going on and everything looked great from the beginning as in the provided plates. There were a lot of test screenings, but for the biggest part this didn’t affect our part of the work.

DP: What kind of tools or workflows did you use to prepare for test screenings?
Michael Wortmann: For the first test screening, we worked completely on Quicktime proxies. We made sure to set everything up in a way that we could refine match moves and roto we created for this. However, this doesn’t always work – so we had to redo some work later on the high-res plates.

DP: Any clever uses of real-time tools or GPU-based solutions—like EmberGen?
Michael Wortmann: We used GPUs for simulating the storm clouds in Embergen. It seemed like a good test case as we never used it before in production, and because our clouds needed a lot of detail but not a very complicated behaviour or interaction we gave it a shot.

When we had our voxel cache VDB files we found it was nearly impossible to render in Karma, our standard renderer in Houdini, so we tested rendering on GPUs as well using Karma GPU. This gave us the power we needed, but there were still some limitations at that time when it comes to AOVs, deep output and image resolution constraints of which I believe most are fixed by now.

DP: What’s your approach to making sure “annoying shots” don’t end up in the final cut?
Michael Wortmann: This is not really an option. If we face a shot or briefing that seems not doable, we start a discussion about it and offer options to satisfy our client’s needs. “No” is not really an option…

DP: How do you adapt when today’s final delivery deadline is also… for Netflix?
Michael Wortmann: This has hardly changed, we still deliver ACES Linear EXRs that contain enough range for HDR grades. It’s more likely to work in 4k now than some years ago, but this is not really a problem.

DP: What good resources or tools were essential in your workflow—and which would you recommend to others?
Michael Wortmann: We have a lot of custom tools for our pipeline which starts with our own database Risebase and continues through all departments with customizations for Nuke, Houdini and OpenRV. These help us get through these big shows and are tailored for our needs more than any software we could buy.

DP: Can you tell us what’s next for you or RISE FX—if it’s not under NDA?
Michael Wortmann: I recently wrapped work on Michael Ende’s Momo, a really cool project that I supervised completely including the shoot, coming to theatres later this year.

The post Rise FX saves christmas? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Wrap Gen is a procedural wrapping tool for Blender, created by Hodgson3D. It allows users to wrap custom geometry around objects using guide curves and geometry nodes. The tool supports both poly and bezier curves as guides, enabling users to define the path of the wrap. Users can choose to array objects along the wrap or wrap single objects along the curve. An internal shrinkwrap/convex hull system ensures that the wrap conforms to the contours of the target mesh, behaving like a tight rope or strap over concave and convex areas.

Key Features

• Custom Geometry Wrapping: Assign your own geometry to be wrapped around the target mesh.
• Wrap Count Control: Set the desired number of wraps. For individual control, set the wrap count to “1” and duplicate the guide curve in edit mode.
• Curve Radius Adjustment: Dial in where the wraps interact with the target mesh by adjusting the curve radius.
• Target Mesh or Collection: Choose to wrap around a single mesh or a collection of objects.
• Array Option: Decide whether to array the wrap mesh along the curve or wrap a single object.
• Randomization Settings: Add randomness to offset, rotation, and spin with exposed seed parameters for quick iterations.
• Scatter Meshes: Scatter objects along the wraps to add knots or imperfections, enhancing the organic look.
• Self-Collision Detection: Enable self-collision to generate more realistic layering of wraps.
• Convex Hull Normals: Convert the target mesh to a convex hull to sample normals from, aiding in wrap alignment.
• Alignment to Normals: Align wraps to the normals of the target mesh for non-uniform objects like straps.
• Merge Threshold: Adjust the merge threshold to control the merging of vertices after deformation.
• Default Wrap Settings: Use default settings for profile radius, resolution, and curve resolution when no custom wrap mesh is assigned.

Usage Steps

1. Draw out a guide curve (poly or bezier).
2. Set the desired number of wraps.
3. Adjust the curve radius to define interaction with the target
4. Assign your target mesh or collection and the wrap mesh.
5. Customize settings for randomness, alignment, and more.

Compatibility and Availability

Wrap Gen is compatible with Blender versions 4.1 through 4.4. It is available for purchase at Superhive Market for $10.99, currently discounted to $8.24.

Final Thoughts

Wrap Gen offers a procedural approach to wrapping geometry in Blender, streamlining the process and providing extensive customization options. As with any new tool, it’s advisable to test its integration within your specific pipeline before full-scale implementation.

モデルに複数のケーブルなどを巻き付けるのに便利なBlender用モディファイアのWrap Genが現在セール中です。https://t.co/sXobyzoxa4… pic.twitter.com/73DPdowVBL

— ModelingHappy (@happy_modeling) May 21, 2025

The post Wrap Gen: Because Your Mesh Deserves a Hug first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.