Prism Pipeline, the second
The technical requirements of animation and VFX productions are increasing every year - I don't have to tell you that. In most projects, a variety of tools are used to achieve the desired quality. In order to complete these increasingly complex projects within the specified deadlines, more powerful pipeline tools are also required.
Renderman 26 is here!
Highlights of RenderMan 26: XPU receives extensive updates that improve lighting support, camera control and adaptive sampling capabilities. Plus an interactive version of the Denoiser with ML and a stylised looks toolset. And the free, non-commercial version of RenderMan 26 is already available.
What if Virtual PCs were easy…
What is the cloud? Besides the marketeering blurb, it is just someone else's computer - and if you need something to work on quick, a virtual machine on some cloud infrastructure, it is usually quicker and in some cases cheaper then setting up a workstation. If it were only easier..
FMX 2024: The Marvels, Doctor Who and an early bird that will soon fly away
Time travel has always been an important theme at FMX - and it will be again this year. The already confirmed glimpses into the timeline chaos of LOKI 2 will now be joined by one of the special episodes of the series DOCTOR WHO, which the BBC has produced to mark the 60th birthday of the time-travelling alien.
The icing on the cake
We're almost finished with the big "Ideal workstation" series - but due to multiple trapped fingers, dropped hardware and an "accident" worthy of a bandage, we have to add a little more: Microphone arms. So we asked around and actually only got one answer: Take Yellowtec, it's good. Aha, but what is that?
Trailer! Artificial intelligence meets media production
Trailer here, trailer there, bang-boom here, bang-boom there. It's always the same - "produce the coolest, never-before-seen trailer" to get people excited, encourage them to go to the cinema, watch a film on TV or on the streaming portal of their choice. And then came AI...
The next generation of water simulation
There are some things that get more complicated, the more
you look at them - simulation of physical phenomena is one of them. And as we saw at this year's Siggraph Conference,
there are people who are looking very closely!
Two decades of the Bison?
It’s very nice to have two years on a project – but there are some that run way longer. For example Platige
Image’s involvement in the commercials for „Żubr“, a polish beer brand. These have been made since 2004 – so it’s time to open a bottle and ask how the bison evolved!
Mech vs. Giant Slugfest mit iClone & Character Creator
Below is an interview with Cesar Turturro, a successful film director who was honoured with the coveted Epic MegaGrant 2022 for his outstanding work on "Invasion 2040".
WorldVFXDay 2023 im Livestream!
Because Munich is the secret capital of everything, there is of course the WorldVFXDay here - streaming during the day and in the evening at the HFF Munich!
Your breakthrough in the media industry!
Apply now for the 2024 scholarship from the Mediengründerzentrum NRW.
C&R.me – post-production in the cloud
It's been a few years now since the term "cloud" has gone from buzzword to hype to working reality - but so far there are
very few tools that can do everything in the cloud. Sure, some tools have access or even their "own clouds", but wouldn't an "everything in the cloud" solution be better?
A new element is here!
Element, our favourite 3D asset manager, is entering its second version - now with infinite scroll, duplicate detector and the long-awaited assignment of textures and maps to geometry within the manager!
Fallout becomes cinematic.
Paul Hatton catches up with Nikita Travnikov, an executive producer for Huuuge Games and 3D tinkerer - and we chat about the whole Fusion/Resolve pipeline!
Shortcuts for more connection
If you work with several laptops, you need help. Otherwise you will
the USB mouse at some point. The MX Keys S Combo from Logitech with mouse and keyboard could be the solution. Views of a n00b who just wants to work efficiently.
Building your own Super 8 film scanner
Nowadays, you don’t have to be an engineer or electrician to make your own tools. Thanks to the…
Beyer your ears!
After testing the rather unusual Beyerdynamic "Space" in the last issue, this time
beyerdynamic "Space" in the last issue, this time we tested a microphone/headphone
"final furioso" of the ideal workstation is a microphone/headphone package - the Beyerdynamic Fox and the DT990 80 Ohm to be precise. So we're poaching deep in the audio segment.
Adobe-Autumn-Update
Premiere, AE and Firefly get the IBC polish with new features and tools - 3D rooms, new tone mapping, auto-rotoscoping and Firefly is now commercially available!
Working in a team with Unreal Engine 5
Games, VR/AR applications or animations are produced in a team
produced in teams. A typical tool for exchanging files is
them in a Dropbox or on a network drive. This
works wonderfully with 3D and 2D tools such as Photoshop or Blender,
but not really with the Unreal Engine. Here you have to resort to
Version control.
Loupedeck Live S
After our colleague Can Erduman tested the "big" Loupedeck in DP 2022:04, it's now time to take a closer look at its little brother - so today we're taking a look at the Loupedeck Live S.
The easy Cloudrendering?
There are many, many companies offering cloudrendering services – and most tell you how you can tweak everything, you have all the control –
and therefor you also need a TD and DEEP pockets, because the first time the bill from the cloud infrastructure arrives, it’s going to be massive.
Our Universe of… Houdini?
Who would have thought that one of our favourite documentaries seen this year would come from Bristol?
Beyerdynamic gets spacey
Just between us: sometimes we don't understand our readers - after testing the Poly 20 in the last issue, we were asked if we knew of any alternatives that might be a little more music orientated. And that in a VFX magazine? Well, now that we know the enquirer, it's clear: the reader needs more bass! (Don't worry, Christof, Olaf and Arianna - I won't mention your names!) - and a company from Heilbronn has something like this in its range.
Creating a K-Pop Avatar with Character Creator
Seoul character artist Yunji Jung explains a K-pop-inspired workflow using Character Creator, ZBrush, Marvelous Designer, Substance 3D Painter and Photoshop.
Here comes OpenUSD
USD seems to be catching on - Pixar, Adobe, Apple, Autodesk and Nvidia have launched the "Alliance for Open USD" together with a branch of the Linux Foundation
Cincraft Scenario is coming!
Shortly after the merger with Ncam, Zeiss launches a camera tracker that combines lens data, image content, trackers and much more.
Zeiss takes over NCam
Ncam joins Zeiss - the lens manufacturer takes over the camera tracker!
All the teeth!
Sometimes there are fantastical productions, where you get a
monster that feels fresh and new – and once we had seen Season 2 of “Carnival Row” (Release on Amazon Prime), we needed to talk about
the toothy skinned bat: Sparas!
Castle In The Sky Hommage
We all think Studio Ghibli is great - and if you want to learn what makes it so charming and appealing, a homage is always a good way to go. And I had the opportunity at Ostfalia University,
to really immerse myself - a
an experience report.
Elementary!
You’ve surely seen the posters: There’s a new Pixar movie, this time asking “What if the Aristotelian elements have feelings?” The story plays out in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together.
New in the toolbox
Standing around the DP stand at FMX and (as so often) looking stupid, various people came by and wanted to know something special. "Do you know anything for..." - and we were able to answer almost everything, and one of them (Hello Ralf!) said we should put the list in the magazine. Okay, here you go - the best tools we've recommended to people directly. You might find them helpful too!
Off to Blender School! In Mannheim from 28.7 to 30.7!
Have you always wanted to learn Blender but haven't made the leap yet? Then we've got something for you: The Blender 3D School in Mannheim is coming in two months!
Keyshot World in Stuttgart!
In the mood for Keyshot? Then come along to KeyshotWorld in Stuttgart on 28 June!
Eyecandy von ZBrush
Wow, finally something to look at - the new showreeel for the 2023 Zbrush version.
Adobe at the NAB
At NAB, Adobe presented innovations for the entire platform - here are the parts relevant for VFX and editing!
Behind the FMX..
... are Mario Müller and his team. And we wanted to ask what they see as trends.
We need to talk..
... is the phrase that makes some people break out in a cold sweat. Not because it's about the subject, but because laptops in particular have notoriously poor microphones and speakers. Of course, integrating audio alongside the hardware only works to a limited extent. Wouldn't it be great if there was a device that could turn mumbling into an intelligible conversation?
Countdown to the FMX! 2 weeks!
Only 2 weeks to go until FMX! Now confirmed: Avatar 2r and Ant-Man and the Wasp, as well as expert panels on virtual production and AI-based voice and image generators.
The Puppet Groove
The animated film "The Puppet Groove", which looks like a music video, shows a rocking puppet band on stage. In the background, the singer narrates their success story in an animated film sequence. But whether the musicians really have everything under control is only revealed at the end.
Ballerina: CGI-Fantasie mit C4D, Character Creator und iClone
Behind every ballet performance are ... Character Creator, iClone and Cinema 4D?
Autodesk releases Maya 2024
Autodesk has released Maya 2024. The updates include enhancements to the Retopology toolset, a new USD-based material autthoring and new brush-based workflows for sculpting animation curves. Also new: native Apple Silicon support, the Bifrost multiphysics plugin and the MtoA plugin for the Arnold renderer, which run on M1 and M2 processors.
Here comes Modo 16.1!
Give your 3D model a new coat of paint - without having to paint! Modo 16.1 offers more decal options than you'll ever need!
Cinema 4D and more from Maxon One!
Update time at Maxon too: The entire suite gets updates - perhaps also things that you can use well?
FMX: Sustainability, The Last of Us, Thor and much more
So, are you excited about FMX yet? If not, do you really want to miss Endling, The Last of Us, Thor, Entergalactic, and the masterclasses by Ed Hooks and Craig Caldwell?
Unreal Engine 5.2 Preview is now available!
Hey you, have you heard? Epic Games gave the first look at Unreal Engine 5.2 during the GDC 2023 keynote session.
The FMX programme is online
With 50 days to go until FMX, there's just enough time to go through the programme and see what you want to see on site - She-Hulk, 1899 or even Dave McKean? (Yes, that's the one!). Early Bird tickets are still available until tomorrow!
Lightworks 2023
In line with the story in the new issue (LWKS QScan), Lightworks is releasing a new version of the NLE.
Digital Production 2023, the second!
And here is the spring edition of DP! On board this time: Emil / MaxR at the Filmakademie, Nuke 14 (including part three of the best little helpers) and a big workshop on BMD Cloud. For those who prefer to read about projects: Trixter's work on Shehulk, a dialect comedy in HFR and two award-winning student projects from HFF Munich.
The Sandman, Early Bird FMX Tickets und mehr
If you're still wondering whether it's worth travelling to Stuttgart: definitely for Sandman fans! Plus: Pinocchio, Glassworker and more!
After Effects! Substance! Oscars!
And once again news from Adobe: After Effects now supports every variant of OCIO and ACES, Substance Designer has received a bugfix, and there's also a Tech Oscar for the Substance team!
FMX tickets now!
Ticket sales for FMX 2023 started today. This means that preparations for the Stuttgart trade fair, which will once again take place in hybrid form, are entering the hot phase. Ready?
Between HFF and VHS | Retro article
Looking back: A special film school opened in Mannheim in DP 06 : 2014. The non-profit organisation Flimmermenschen views film as a holistic cultural phenomenon. An educational programme for students, hobbyists and newcomers to the industry.
Maxon releases Redshift 3.5.12!
The GPU renderer now also supports Intel's Open Image Denoiser. This should shorten rendering times. Realistic fire is simulated with volume multi-scattering.
Reallusion releases Cartoon Animator 5
Optimise your 2D animation with feather physics, FFD overdrawing and vector graphics
Maljaʼ tayʼ Avid
Review: In DP 05 : 2013 we learnt Klingon: "Cut with Avid" is called "Maljaʼ tayʼ Avid". J. J. Abrams made the sequel to the reboot - could Starship Enterprise nostalgics and blockbuster fans be satisfied at the same time?
News in After Effects?
The fun thing about IBC is that you meet interesting people - and as we were walking through Hall 7, we met Victoria Nece from Adobe!
Club culture, techno music and character animation combined with iClone & Character Creator
Music video par excellence: Relative.berlin makes DJ Taube dance and utilises all the new features of iClone!
Colourful balls
Review: In DP 01 : 2013, a world-famous manufacturer of sugar water commissioned a commercial from Bent Image Lab. Grading artist Jalal Jemison was responsible for the bright red colour typical of the beverage brand. An interview.
A new journey begins
Review: In DP 01 : 2013, Weta Digital went back to Middle-earth with Peter Jackson. For the prequel trilogy "The Hobbit", the New Zealanders transferred fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien's prequel to the big screen.
The best fan film of the year!
Something to laugh about at the weekend: "E11 Standard Issues". Anyone who knows DP author Robert Hranitzky knows about his love of the Star Wars universe - now even as a fan film.
New CG villains for Spider-Man 3 |
Review: In DP 04 : 2007, Spidey made his third appearance on the big screen and had to fight three villains at the same time. Imageworks created characters made of air, sand and black mass.
Germany in Baselight
A look back: In DP 01:2019, we took a look at high-end grading with Baselight. We also spoke to Rotor Film about HDR material and the Amazon series "Deutschland 86".
Bigger & Better
Review: In DP 04 : 2009, effects company ILM realised gigantic robots for Michael Bay's second part of the tin-and-bending brothers from Transformers. "Mindbending" or "sand in the gears"?
Thousands of parts
Looking back: In DP 05 : 2007, the ILM team was looking for new ways to bring the Transformers to the big screen - and came up with a solution that had a decisive impact on the industry.
Framestore kills Tom Cruise
Review: In DP 06:2014, we looked to London - and to the effects of sci-fi gem "Edge of Tomorrow", in which Tom Cruise dies a thousand deaths.
glTF – the new standard for products | Retro articles
Looking back: In DP 01:2022 we presented a new standard for assets - that can do real-time? It can! That masters PBR? It masters it! That is open source and prominently supported? Yes, and again: Yes! Is glTF the file format prodigy?
Reallusion releases iClone Connector for NVIDIA Omniverse
With the new Reallusion iClone Connector, the revolutionary character animation workflow is now available for NVIDIA Omniverse.
Adventures in the alien ghetto
Review: In DP 06 : 2009, the sci-fi surprise hit "District 9" flashed us - with big green aliens that look like a cross between a shrimp and a grasshopper.
Magical effects
Review: In DP 05:07, Harry Potter 5, to which eleven studios contributed effects, was enchanting. These included heavyweights such as DNEG, ILM, Framestore and MPC.
Bloody ice magic
Review: In DP 06:2012, we visited the Polish studio Platige Image. Could the Poles, who are spoilt for success, manage the major project "The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings"?
The Matrix Reloaded
Looking back: In DP 03 : 2003 we hacked into the source code of "Matrix Reloaded". Ready to go back to the Matrix?
Enrage plug-ins cheaper for DP readers!
Author Nils takes a look at the Enrage plugins from BoomLibrary in the current issue. And they have created a 20% discount!
Digital Production Camera Comparison and Test Files
Uli Plank compared cameras from Canon, Nikon, GoPro, Blackmagic Design and Sony, with archived articles and downloadable test files.
Winners of Reallusion’s 2021 iClone Lip Sync Contest
Reallusion's 2021 iClone Lip Sync Animation Contest drew 468 entries from 60 countries and awarded character animation, design and special-prize winners.
Night falls with the Ursa Mini Pro 12K!
As announced in the issue, here are the scenes from the BMD UMP 12K - at night. So if you want to know how good you are as a documentary filmmaker, you can download 5GB of video data free of charge here.
Marvelous Designer 11 released
Just released: the latest version of the 3D garment creation and simulation software with improved retopology and more.
Premiere listens – and types!
New functions and tools are added with every Creative Cloud update. In the last major update for Premiere, there was an entire subsection - transcribing. But how exactly does it work? (Including self-test and prize draw)
ZDF Digital Uses Real-Time Animation Tools for Television Production
ZDF Digital explains how Character Creator, iClone and motion capture helped its teams produce animated television, documentary and augmented-reality projects efficiently.
ITFS 2021 Streams Animation Programme and Awards Live
The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film streamed family and adult animation programmes, interviews and an awards presentation from 4–9 May 2021.
Digital Production Live Talk Discusses the New Issue
Digital Production hosted a live discussion with Nils Calles about the latest magazine issue and current production topics on Facebook and YouTube.
New functions in Marvelous Designer 10
Wrinkle tool, auto-fitting and substance integration extend the range of functions of the cloth specialist
BlackMagic Livesessions
If you are already on holiday this week or urgently want to learn Resolve: Blackmagic is hosting free webinars on the individual parts Edit, Color, Fusion and Fairlight!
Cinema 4D: Project Neutron announced
Redshift 3.0, Trapcode and Project Neutron: Proceduralism is coming to Cinema 4D, Redshift Realtime and much more!
3ds Max and Maya Indie soon available worldwide!
Let's continue with the good news: After Nuke, Max and Maya are now apparently at the start with "worldwide" indie versions.
The Nuke Indie version is here!
The time has come - together with Nuke 12.2, Foundry is releasing an affordable "indie" version of the compositing package - with (almost) everything you need.
Foundry Live: Summer Edition startet bald
Foundry Live - the big online event: Between 16 and 23 July there will be exciting talks about the new Nuke 12.2 release, Lookdev and much more!
100.000 IES files: New large library
If you want to make your lighting more realistic, IES data is a very good choice: Fortunately, there's now a great new free library for this!
FMX Highlights: Jeff Wagner & Florian Gellinger
SideFX meets RISE VFX - with Florian Gellinger and Jeff "Old School" Wagner they discuss current and past trends!
Blender 2.83 with long-term support
It's time for the next round: The new Blender version 2.83 comes for the first time with long-term support (LTS) labelling and exciting new features.
Houdini Hive Worldwide: Available online
The Houdini Hive Worlwide presentations are online: Everything about Houdini - from Solaris Workshops to Motion Graphics.
White Square Festival 2020 – Deadline
Take your chance and submit your projects to the White Square Festival 2020!
Blackmagic Design with new ATEM Mini Pro
Blackmagic Design has once again presented a lot in the livestream: With new ATEM Mini Pro, Camera Software Update and more.
Blackmagic Design: New announcements in the livestream
And for those who have nothing else to do tomorrow, 03 April: Blackmagic Design will be presenting new camera and live production innovations at around 7pm.
C4DLive: Maxon with virtual NAB Show
Due to the ongoing coronavirus situation, Maxon is preparing for NAB 2020 with a virtual programme.
FMX 2020 mit Early Birds, Trailer und Programm
FMX 2020 is less than 100 days away: New announcement of speakers, FMX 2020 tracks, early birds and the first trailer.
Camera update for BMPCC 4K and 6K
Blackmagic Software Update for the BMCP 4K and 6K: For improved startup times of the cameras and some bug fixes!
Cavalry Beta: Das neue Motion Design Tool?
More competition for the motion design software landscape? Cavalry is a promising tool - now in open beta.
DaVinci Resolve Training | Europe Tour 2020
Want to learn DaVinci Resolve? Then take the free Europe Tour from Blackmagic Design!