For those who don’t know the event (Even if that seems strange, after the many many times we reported on it): FMX is a spring conference in Stuttgart for animation, altime, games and VFX, built around talks, panels, workshops, and an expo, tied to Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

A 30th birthday, and a hand on the baton

Behind the FMX..

This just in: After the 2026 edition of FMX, Mario Müller will hand over leadership to Agon Ushaku. Müller announced a year ago that the current edition would be his last, and the 30th edition now becomes a guided transition, with Ushaku accompanying him during the event.

The move keeps the tradition intact while still giving the community time to say a proper thank you to Müller after 15 years of building, shaping and evolving the event’s exceptional international scope.

A familiar face steps into the spotlight

Agon Ushaku (LinkedIn) has spent more than 25 years working across CGI and VFX in production, management, and education. He currently serves as Global Director of Nomination Events at the Visual Effects Society (and as VES Germany Chair Emeritus) and curates the international Megabrain Masterclass series, has been an animago Juror, and is one of those faces everybody knows.

Ushaku calls FMX his most important place for networking for almost three decades, and says he has attended pretty much every edition as visitor and speaker. If you have been around FMX for any amount of time, chances are you have already bumped into him, talked shop, or traded recommendations on whom to talk to and where to get the best coffee.

Keeping the spirit, and raising the bar

Agons’s career includes almost 16 years leading CAD and 3D visualisation plus product and data management at Unexpected GmbH. He most recently worked as Senior CG and 3D consultant and CAD manager at POLYGRAIL GmbH.

He is taking over the FMX project manager role as a personal mission, and has plans around building on the event’s foundation while maintaining high standards for quality and innovation, in a moment when AI and realtime workflows reshape production in an even more turbulent industry.

On stage at FMX 2026

During FMX 2026, Ushaku will appear on the panel Ethics in AI with Matt Buehler from vrbn, Reka Kaloczy, and Ben Lock from Moonvalley.

The post FMX gehts a new head for the 30th Birthday first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

The legendary FMX conference will celebrate its 30th edition from May 5 to 8, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. Founded in 1994 by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, FMX has evolved from a student event into one of (or even THE) the world’s leading gatherings for professionals in animation, visual effects, realtime graphics, and digital media.

The 2026 edition runs under the theme “The Road Ahead”, a nod to both the conference’s anniversary and the industry’s perpetual motion. According to FMX organisers, the event will explore transformation in creative production, from AI-driven workflows to new collaborative models, all while honouring three decades of digital artistry and technical ingenuity.

From “Jurassic Park” to Generative Pixels

The first FMX took place in the wake of Jurassic Park’s CG revolution and just before Toy Story hit theatres. Thirty years later, the creative toolbox has shifted from Silicon Graphics workstations to neural networks, but the mission remains: connect artists, engineers, and educators in a space where future workflows are debated and occasionally demystified.

FMX’s organisers call this anniversary “an opportunity to honour the past, survey the present, and discuss the future of digital media creation.” The quote of choice for 2026 comes from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “Our task is not to predict the future, but to make it possible.” In other words: no crystal balls—just solid pipeline design.

On Site, Online, and Still in Stuttgart

FMX 2026 continues the hybrid format introduced in recent years: three days on site in Stuttgart’s Haus der Wirtschaft, followed by one exclusive online day for remote sessions. The organisers promise “brand-new and first-hand tech and innovation” as well as discussions around AI, global production pipelines, and sustainability in digital media—though detailed programme announcements are still pending at press time.

If past editions are any indication, attendees can expect a mix of production breakdowns, realtime showcases, and a steady supply of caffeine-fuelled networking. Also, if you plan to attend: book your hotel early. By the time the keynote titles are announced, Stuttgart tends to run out of beds.

A History in Motion

From Jurassic Park to Avatar, from Toy Story to Fortnite, FMX has mirrored the evolution of film and interactive media. It has hosted artists and technologists from across the world, reflecting how postproduction and visual storytelling have adapted to every new wave of technology.

The 2026 key visual, titled “Bus Buddy”, comes from the FMX trailer produced by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, another annual tradition that gives the event its visual identity. The trailer itself will be unveiled on FMX’s online channels soon.

Save the Date, Seriously

FMX is a calendar fixture for many in postproduction, VFX, and realtime graphics. Hitting its 30th anniversary is both a reason to celebrate and a reminder that, yes, we’ve all been rendering frames for quite a while now.

So: mark your calendars, Stuttgart, May 5–8, 2026, and prepare for another round of technical talks, production insights, and the occasional philosophical debate over whether Pixels can actually “have a soul”, and if “color is real” while standing atthe Schlesinger or Maritim Bar. Just random examples.

And if the last three decades of FMX have taught us anything, it’s this: the tools will keep changing, but the coffee machine will always be there.

The post FMX Turns 30 in 2026 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

A genuine Hollywood star honoured FMX this year: performance capture pioneer and actor Andy Serkis spoke in the conference programme about the second part of the reboot series “Planet of the Apes – Revolution”. DP met Serkis in Stuttgart for an interview.

The security effort for Serkis’ presentation “Early Look at Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” was enormous: all the windows of the König-Karl-Halle were taped off so that no one from outside could catch a glimpse of the film’s exclusive scenes or film them. Visitors had to register in advance for the keynote and hand in all their belongings before entering the hall. On the floor, everyone who didn’t make it into the hall stood in front of closed loo doors for the duration of the keynote. But the first glimpse of the scenes, in which some shots were still in the pre-vis phase, was worthwhile. When you saw what was still missing in terms of CG shots at the end of April, the scope and tight time frame of Weta for this part became clear and their work all the more remarkable.

Andy Serkis will be very busy in the near future. There is talk of roles for him in the new “Star Wars” part as well as in “The Avengers 2”, of course always accompanied by speculation: will he appear as a CG character or will he get to play a “real” role this time? He is primarily famous for his CG characters: Gollum elevated him to Hollywood Olympus and made him a performance capture icon. Since then, he has already played King Kong, the chimpanzee Caesar and Captain Haddock. According to Serkis, it makes no difference to him whether he is playing a live action or performance capture role; the process of acting is the same in both formats. Basically, the only difference would be what you wear on set.

For Serkis, however, it didn’t stop at acting in this area: with The Imaginarium(www.theimaginariumstudios.com) in London, he has founded a thriving performance capture studio together with Jonathan Cavendish, where, for example, “Ryse: Son of Rome” (see also DP issue 02/14, PDF in DP web content) was realised and the film adaptation of the novel “Animal Farm” is currently being produced under Serkis’ direction. The actor has already made his first forays into directing alongside Peter Jackson on the second unit for “The Hobbit”.

DP: How has performance capturing changed since you first started?

Andy Serkis: From a technical point of view, immensely: on “Lord of the Rings” we were filming on 35 mm, I was filmed as an actor with the other actors on set and then had to repeat all the scenes separately in the motion capture studio. There was no facial capture back then, the animators just copied my facial expressions. We started using facial markers for “King Kong”, but we still didn’t have head-mounted cameras. “Avatar” was a big leap because several actors could be recorded in the studio at the same time. “Planet of the Apes – Prevolution” was the first project where we were able to use performance capturing on the set itself with head-mounted cameras without having to redo it in the studio. In addition, the perception of the topic in the industry and among viewers has changed significantly in the meantime and it is more widely accepted.

DP: Where is performance capture technology currently heading?

Andy Serkis: In the post-production process, rendering capabilities are getting better and better, so the original performance of the actor on set is becoming more and more important. Very soon we will no longer need head-mounted cameras, but will be able to use the acting alone. The future practical application of performance capture is an exciting topic: for example, real-time avatars could soon be projected live onto a screen at television, theatre events or concerts. At the Imaginarium, we are currently trying to find out what creative possibilities lie in performance capturing.

DP: You have played so many CG characters, which is your favourite role?

Andy Serkis: I have a strong connection to Gollum, of course, because my whole performance capture journey started with him. Finding Gollum as a character was difficult at first, but once the concept was in place, his role wasn’t too complicated. He’s not about what he thinks or feels, he talks all the time instead – his psychology is simple. Caesar, on the other hand, is more subtle, and making him seem real was much more complicated. That’s why I’ve grown very fond of this character.

DP: How were you able to put yourself in the shoes of an ape – without a mask or other aids?

Andy Serkis: We prepared for a long time before filming: We had a kind of ape camp where all the actors analysed the way apes communicate and interact. As most of the ape characters were already in the first part, we knew how Caesar would behave towards them.

DP: Do you think a performance capture actor needs more imagination than a traditional one?

Andy Serkis: We’re no longer playing with balls, we can act with each other. Of course I have to use my imagination for a role like this, but it makes no difference whether I’m wearing a performance capture suit or a monkey costume. In fact, it’s more likely that a mask or elaborate make-up would restrict my performance. Performance capturing allows me to move freely and the team can capture my every movement.

DP: When you look at the CG character on the screen later, do you see yourself or a normal monkey?

Andy Serkis: Myself. Even though it’s a CG ape, it shows my expressions, emotions, facial expressions and decisions. When you spend some time with real monkeys, you realise – just like with your own pet – what an individual personality each one has. During the time I was working on “King Kong”, I spent a lot of time at London Zoo. I studied the rhythm of the monkeys’ movements and observed how they reflect human behaviour. When apes are surrounded by humans, it affects the way they communicate or gesticulate; they behave in a more human way. Chimpanzees tend to imitate human behaviour more than gorillas, for example.

DP: Don’t you sometimes think it’s going too far that only your facial expressions and gestures are used to bring a CG character to life and that nothing more is seen of you as a person?

Andy Serkis: You know in advance what job you’re going to do and under what conditions. One of the greatest performances of recent times is that of Scarlett Johansson in “Her”. You never see her on screen, you just hear her voice. The important thing is not whether someone is physically on screen, but how much the audience is moved by a performance.

DP: Scarlett Johansson’s voice acting has once again sparked the debate as to whether such a performance should be awarded an Oscar. What do you think?

Andy Serkis: I don’t think there should be any difference in that respect. Since the process of acting is always the same, all performances should be judged equally. John Hurt played the “Elephant Man”(bit.ly/1w4Ep6J) completely covered by a special effects mask and still received an Oscar nomination. I don’t understand why a distinction is made with regard to digital characters. It’s probably a problem of perception. For me, the digital character is a kind of digital make-up that the artists apply to the actors (see also the interview with Weta VFX supervisor Dan Lemmon).

DP: Why did you set up The Imaginarium in London and not in Los Angeles or Canada?

Andy Serkis: First and foremost because London is my home. in 2005, I took over the direction of the performance capturing for the game “Heavenly Sword”(bit.ly/U5c6sH). We had already started rehearsals, drafted a script and cast the roles, but then realised that we had no opportunities for performance capture filming in Europe. So I had to travel with the team to the other side of the world, to New Zealand, for the shoot. Which I found bizarre, because the company Vicon Motion Systems is from Oxford, the motion capture software is from Cambridge and all the game actors were from London. In Europe, especially in England, there is a great lack of understanding for the topic of performance capturing – and therefore the technology is also underrepresented. With the studio, I want to combine my previous experience from the film industry in this area with new techniques and realise my own projects there.

The post Star for Stuttgart | Retro article first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Mirja Fürst.

In nuce: For the first time in its history, FMX (Film & Media Exchange), which is scheduled for 2023, will be certified as a climate-friendly event (by the Baden-Württemberg Climate Protection Foundation). In keeping with this, the trailer for FMX 2023 (The Beauty) deals with the topic of sustainability (see below). This is according to a recent press release. Accordingly, according to the same press release, FMX 2023 will focus on the topic of sustainability in film and media production – and on how the film industry can become more climate-friendly.

THE BEAUTY | Official Trailer | FMX 2023

In toto: The first programme items for FMX 2023 have also been made public – these include Founder Yannis Konstantinidis with his production company Nomint respectively the stop-motion film We Can’t Negotiate With The Melting Point Of Ice: We Can’t Negotiate With The Melting Point Of Ice) from WWF (World Wildlife Fund); co-founder Pete Williams and executive producer Andrew Milner from motion design studio Alchemy, will present their work on the streaming docutainment series The World According to Jeff Goldblum ; and founder Sam Hodge will be present with his software company Kognat, which will focus on AI-supported rotoscoping processes.

Readers of Digital Production will already be familiar with the short film The Beauty , which won an Animago Award and a VES Award ( both in 2019). The film deals with the pollution of the world’s oceans by plastic waste. The Beauty dives into an underwater world where man-made plastic waste and the natural deep sea collide.

Click to continue: The corresponding announcement of the published programme items can be found at fmx.de . Further information on the extent to which FMX 2023 will be more climate-friendly can be found at fmx.de/en/sustainability . Digital Production last reported on FMX 2023 on 14 November this year , when the event motto Evolving was announced and filmmaker Jinko Gotoh (e.g. The Lego Movie 2, Finding Nemo, The Little Prince) was introduced as Programme Chair.

The post First event highlights of FMX 2023 published! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: According to a recent press release from 10 November this year, the FMX (Film & Media Exchange) conference will also take place as a hybrid event in 2023. As part of the announcement, the motto of FMX 2023 was revealed – it is called Evolving. The press release states: “The Evolving theme will highlight projects and processes that address the challenges facing humanity and the planet” – always with a focus on the creative industries.

Filmmaker Jinko Gotoh as Programme Chair: Bafta winner and Oscar-nominated producer Jinko Gotoh has also been announced as Programme Chair of the conference. Jinko Gotoh is known for her work on films such as Klaus, The Lego Movie 2, The Little Prince, The Illusionist, 9 and Finding Nemo. The press release continues: “Jinko is committed to the advancement of women and all underrepresented people in the industry. She is Vice President of Women in Animation and a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, representing diversity and inclusion on various committees.”

When & where will FMX 2023 take place? FMX 2023 will take place from 25 to 27 April 2023 on site at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart, followed by an online event day on 28 April 2023. As every year, FMX attracts creative professionals who are passionate about animation, effects, interactive and immersive media.

Click further: To the announcement on fmx.de.

The post Filmmaker Jinko Gotoh as Programme Chair of FMX 2023! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: The 26th edition of FMX celebrated its final day on Friday. The event took place from 3rd to 6th May 2022 in Stuttgart’s Haus der Wirtschaft and online.

Pandemic circumstances: Due to the ongoing pandemic, FMX had already decided at the end of April to limit the sale of on-site tickets. FMX has achieved its self-imposed target of 3,300 participants.

Speeches: The FMX Project Manager, Mario Müller, is very positive: “We are overjoyed at how well the first hybrid edition of FMX was received and that so many people attended both on site and online. Our thanks go to all the participants, speakers and partners who made FMX 2022 such a positive experience. It couldn’t have gone any better.” Programme Chair HaZ Dulull is also delighted: “FMX was […] inspiring and emotional for me.”

International hybrid event: Under the motto Changing the Game, more than 300 international speakers gave insights into the latest projects and developments in film and media production in more than 180 presentations and 60 live Q&As on site and online. Highlights included: the Oscar-winning sci-fi film “Dune”, the stop-motion anthology “The House”, the animation series “Arcane” and presentations by industry legends such as Chris Corbould and Paul Debevec. The festival audience was international, coming from more than 60 countries.

Video-on-demand: The videos from FMX 2022 will remain available to visitors until 31 May.

An outlook: The organisers are already looking forward to hosting the 27th edition of FMX from 25 to 28 April 2023. This can be seen in the corresponding press release.

Further information: fmx.de

The post FMX 2022 – a review first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Under the title “Greater commitment and new funding initiatives for German animated film for adults and artistic talent!”, the managing directors of the Film and Media Festival and the managing directors and chairwomen of the AG Animationsfilm have issued a press release which – in the form of a commentary – takes a critical look at the status of animated film in Germany and argues in favour of funding for animated short films. The four signatories are Prof Ulrich Wegenast (Artistic Director of the Film and Media Festival), Dieter Krauß (Commercial Director of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film), Annegret Richter (Managing Director of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film) and Fabian Driehorst (Chairman of the Board of AG Animationsfilm e. V.). Below is the text in full length. For better readability, we have added subtitles to the text.

The unabridged press release follows.

So why are there no feature-length films in the adult section from Germany? The way the Best Animated Film category was announced at the Academy Awards this year showed that animation for adults is still not taken seriously. And this despite the fact that “Flee”, a film explicitly aimed at an adult audience, was nominated at the 2022 Oscars! It is true that most animated films are made in the children’s film and family entertainment sector and are very successful. German animated films also regularly achieve box office success abroad, both in the cinema and on VOD platforms. But animation can do so much more. It enables innovative, artistic and creative design, different perspectives and forms of presentation that cannot be realised in real film. We believe that Germany has the potential for exciting stories in the adult sector. This is demonstrated by the international success of German short films, which are generally not children’s films. AG Animationsfilm and ITFS ask themselves: So why are there no feature-length films in the adult sector from Germany?

Animated films with adult themes – also from Germany? Animated films for adults have been celebrating great success with audiences and critics abroad for years. Films such as “Waltz with Bashir”, “Persepolis”, “Isle of Dogs”, “The Breadwinner” or “Flee”, which was recently nominated for three Oscars, show that animation can also tackle more serious themes and tell complex stories for an adult audience. Above all, the hybrid form of animated documentary film is gaining more and more audiences, as it allows socially relevant and political topics, such as war, persecution, flight or homosexuality in a homophobic environment, to be presented in an abstract, anonymised and yet captivating way. Unfortunately, German production companies only play a minor role in these productions – if at all! However, this is not due to a lack of interest or a lack of material from German production companies, as the annual submissions to the German Animation Screenplay Award of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) and the Animation Production Days show.

Film funding for Germany as a centre for animation? What is needed is a much greater willingness on the part of television broadcasters and film funding organisations to support animated material for an adult audience. For example, not placing animation exclusively in the children’s sector, but rather in the entertainment sector of public broadcasters, would open up other budgets, themes and opportunities. And German distributors would also have to show more courage for ambitious animated films. These changes would also sustainably enrich the production landscape for animation in Germany, as the portfolio of many production companies, which is usually limited to children’s series and cinema films, would be significantly diversified by other themes. This form of diversification would not only be an economic one, but of course also a cultural one in terms of content, as the variety of themes of the films mentioned above makes clear. Greater support for animated films for adults would strengthen the important social relevance of animation and would therefore also be a stabilising factor for democracy, as animated films, unlike documentaries, often reach a new audience through their unique narrative style, aesthetics and visual language and can often be used over a longer period of time. Series such as the Amazon production “Undone” by Dutch animator Hisko Hülsing – an animation artist who is a regular guest at the ITFS with his short films – show that animation for adults does not have to be a niche product, even in series. The second season of “Undone” was released on Amazon Prime in 240 countries and territories on 29 April 2022.

Is German animated film (for adults a niche existence)? Overall, it is striking that it is not only on the major platforms such as Amazon Video or Netflix, e.g. with the stop motion project “The House”, which will be presented at this year’s ITFS, that European but not German animated film for adults is very successful! At this year’s ITFS, not only the above-mentioned Danish production “Flee” will be shown in the feature film competition, but also the Czech-Slovak-French production “My Sunny Maad”. The film “The Odyssey” can also be seen at this year’s ITFS. Although there is German production involvement here, the wonderfully picturesque story about flight and displacement bears the clear signature of French director and animator Florence Miaihle in terms of content and aesthetics.

The European Film Awards – A summary: The strong presence of adult material and themes in European animated film is also reflected in the European Film Awards, which have been presented since 2009: of the 13 awards presented to date, ten prizes have gone to animated films for adults – including “L’Illusioniste”, “Chico & Rita”, “Alois Nebel”, “The Congress”, “Loving Vincent” and most recently “Josep” (2020) and “Flee” (2021). None of these were explicitly German animation productions, but only in the case of “Alois Nebel” productions with a small co-production share from Germany! How can that be?

Funding tools, initiatives & promotion of young talent – is it enough? It would be too easy to blame this disastrous result solely on the German TV stations and film funding organisations. Changes need to be made to the overall structure of the German animation production landscape and new funding tools and initiatives need to be developed. This absolutely starts with the promotion of young talent! For example, the AG Animationsfilm has been calling for years for the creation of newcomer formats on German television with adapted conditions for animated films in terms of budget and length. This also includes, for example, the establishment of medium-length formats, specials or mini-series. However, funding and broadcasters need to break new ground for this. Although festivals such as the ITFS support up-and-coming animators with the Lotte Reiniger Award – endowed with 10,000 euros – this is not nearly enough. Initiatives such as Ani:Dox from Denmark, which was involved in the development of the material for “Flee”, show that promoting young talent through prize money and programmes can certainly be successful.

German short film funding – a model for the future: This once again clearly shows that the promotion of animated films for adults begins with support for short films. For example, 90% of the animated short films produced at German film schools are aimed at an adult audience. However, this ratio is completely reversed after graduation, as – in contrast to France and other European countries – there is simply no comprehensive funding programme for (animated) short films. Such short film funding would be cost-effective and sustainable! If every German regional film funding programme were to provide an amount of one million euros per year for around ten short films, the animation landscape in Germany, as far as animated films for adults are concerned, could flourish and grow permanently in a short space of time. A significant increase in short film funding from the federal government, which currently provides a maximum of 30,000 euros per film, would also have an effect on the German animation landscape.

Artists in residence – funding for artists: In addition to quick and easy short film funding in the field of animation, “animators in residence” programmes, as we know them from the visual arts, would also be particularly helpful. Such programmes exist in France at the production company Folimage or at the Animation Workshop Viborg in Denmark and are extremely successful! Such programmes would also be a great opportunity to create stronger links between art foundations and film funding organisations, which usually operate completely separately, and to create new synergies.

An outlook: These examples alone show that, with just a few changes, it would be possible to establish an internationally relevant animation scene that grows sustainably. The talent and the material for a new animation awakening are available, as the programme of this year’s ITFS impressively demonstrates.

Click further: We last reported on the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) on 8 April 2022, when it was advertised with film and workshop offers for the little ones (and their adult followers) – including film premieres, open-air cinema and other offers at the “Tricks for Kids”.

The post ITFS decision-makers comment on Germany as a centre for animation first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: The line-up for Autodesk’s “Virtual Vision” series has been announced. The event will take place on Friday 6 May. The various event offerings will extend over the entire day. It is an online event that will be broadcast live, but will also be available for trade fair visitors to stream afterwards.

What is Autodesk’s “Virtual Vision”? At the “Vision Series”, Autodesk will present top achievements from the visual effects industry and provide insights into the work-in-progress of artists. Experts from renowned brands such as EA Games, Rising Sun Pictures, Axis Studios, Inner-Freak and Lucid Games will be on hand to inspire visitors with in-depth discussions about industry trends, high-calibre VFX work and valuable workflow breakdowns. There will also be tips and tutorials on how to work with Maya, 3ds Max, Bifrost, Arnold and ShotGrid.

These five programme items await you at this year’s “Virtual Vision”. All programme items will take place on Friday, 6 May:

Trends in Media and Entertainment: what students need to know: Sophie Robinson from EA Games, Anna Hodge from Rising Sun Pictures and Alwyn Hunt from The Rookies will talk about: Networking during the pandemic, dealing with work-related stress and how students can prepare for the future of the media and entertainment industry. Time: 14:30

Bringing the characters of Magic: The Gathering to life: Axis Studios has worked on the cinematic trailers for Magic: The Gathering, including Innistrad: Crimson Vow and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. Amy Ash, Head of Character Design, explains how the team brought the characters to life – with the help of Maya, Arnold and ShotGrid, among others. Time: 15:45

Maya Show & Tell: How do you create a fancy mech character? Artists Jonathan Reilly from Inner-Freak, Mike Waterworth from Lucid Games – and independent artist Aaron Humphreys – along with Jon Capleton from Autodesk, will be looking into valuable mech assets. Time: 17:00

Modelling Madness: Exprimente with 3ds Max: Technical artist Sergio Santos shows how artists are taking advantage of the latest 3ds Max update to optimise their creative projects. Time: 20:00

Rocking out with Bifrost: A workshop on modular crystal growth: Bifrost developer Jason Brown shows how to scatter crystals using Bifrost’s procedural tools. Time: 21:15

Clicked to continue: For more information on Autodesk’s “Virtual Vision” at FMX 2022, visit newpossible.autodesk.com.

The post The “Vision Series” rocks the FMX 2022! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: FMX – Film & Media Exchange starts next week at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart, but also online. This year’s FMX is a hybrid event. Further programme highlights have now been announced: There will be presentations on absolute entertainment highlights, including “The Batman”, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “The Witcher”. The programme will also focus on gaming, mental health and climate change in the context of entertainment.

VFX for Features: Below are some of the programme highlights of this track.

Wētā FX presents “The Batman”: Visual Effects Supervisor Anders Langlands and Compositing Supervisor Beck Veitch will take a look at the VFXs of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman”. In addition, Batman fans will have the opportunity to attend the presentation “Halon Entertainment Presents Visualising The Batman” by Jess Marley and Keith Fallon on location in Stuttgart.

A look behind the scenes of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”: Charles Abou Aad (Sony Pictures Imageworks), Eric Noel (Framestore) and David Cunningham (Digital Domain) take a look behind the scenes of the latest Spider-Man film. The presentation will focus on artistic and technological challenges in equal measure.

VFX for Episodic: The following is perhaps the most exciting item on the programme for this track.

How the creatures for season 2 of “The Witcher” were created: Madeleine Spencer will talk about what elements of the pipeline developed by Cinesite were crucial to bringing the Basilisk and Chernobog to life in this presentation.

Social Impact: Below are some of the programme highlights from this track.

Let’s Talk: Mental Health in the Creative Industry: In this panel Hugo Guerra (Hugo’s Desk), Jahirul Amin (CAVE Academy), Laurie Balvin (Scanline VFX) and Karin Larsson (Lecturer) will discuss: Working conditions in the creative industry, ‘crunch time’, corporate culture and personal wellbeing.

Let’s Talk: Climate change and sustainability in the creative industry: Hugo Guerra (Hugo’s Desk), Imke Fehrmann (Akkord Film Produktion GmbH), Elena Pfändler (SERU Animation), Volker Helzle (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg) and Chris Ebeling (Virtually Human Studio) will discuss: the latest IPCC climate report from the United Nations, the right to recycle, the dark side of cloud computing, NFTs, and virtual production.

Games & Beyond: Below are some of the programme highlights from this track.

A Look at Art Direction with Riot Games: In this session, Almu Redondo (Axis Studios) will dive into the art of art directing for short films and game cinematics and show how Riot Games and Axis Studios work together.

The making of the “Sniper Elite 5” cinematic trailer by Rebellion Film Studios: Director Hugo Guerra and VFX Supervisor He Sun will talk about the making of the trailer, covering topics such as: MoCap, stunt performance, animation, modelling, lighting, rendering, compositing, USD pipeline and grading.

Changing The Game: This is perhaps the most exciting programme item on this track.

The Omniverse – a new way to collaborate in real-time and non-linear: Featuring Jeff Kember (NVIDIA), Jon Peddie (Jon Peddie Research), Gary Redburn (DELL) and Chris Vienneau (Jon Peddie Research) who will be lecturing on how Omniverse connects DCC programmes – and makes collaboration on creative projects more sustainable for the future.

Click to continue: All further information on the newly published programme items can be found in the corresponding press release on fmx.de.

The post Bats, spiders and witches: FMX 2022! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: FMX 2022 kicks off in the first week of May and the majority of this year’s event programme has now been finalised. Some of the highlights: Presentations on the Oscar-winning films “Encanto” and “Dune”, as well as special events such as a sound masterclass or the screening of “Ron’s Gone Wrong”.

The technology behind Encantos Casita: The creative minds of “Walt Disney Animation Studios” will present technical innovations that were used to create the remarkable animated film “Encanto”. The speakers will be: Scott Kersavage (Visual Effects Supervisor), Tad Miller (Technical Supervisor), Nadim Sinno (Associate Technical Supervisor) and the Technical Directors Justin Kern, Nellie Robinson and Annamarie Fuchs.

Ron’s Gone Right: How to realise a debut film with two start-up studios: Director JP Vine will take a look behind the scenes of the animated film “Ron’s Gone Wrong”. By the way: FMX visitors will have the opportunity to attend a screening of the film on 5 May. Further information can be found at fmx.de.

llumination – “Sing 2”: CG supervisors Boris Jacq and Richard Adenot will provide exciting insights. The two supervisors will talk about: how the film was created, but also about topics such as character animation, environments, texturing and lighting.

Browse through the conference programme of the “Feature Animation” track! You can find the corresponding event information on fmx.de.

Theo Green on sound design and music composition: Theo Green will talk about the fluid boundaries between sound design and music composition. He will also take a look at his work with Hans Zimmer on “Dune”. Theo Green is an Oscar-winning sound designer, supervising sound editor (e.g. “Dune”, “Blade Runner 2049”) and composer (“The Gambler”).

Special offer for sound enthusiasts: Theo Green will be holding an exclusive sound masterclass on Friday 6 May on the campus of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. The number of participants is limited. To register, please send an email to program@fmx.de.

Skywalker Sound presents:The Soundscape of “The Book of Boba Fett”: Bonnie Wild and David Acord will talk about how the team got the sound right for the creatures, characters, ships and locations from a galaxy far, far away.

Casting and Audio Production at Nickelodeon Animation: Justin Brinsfield (Director of Production Technology) and Roxanne Escatel (Director of Animation Casting) will show you how Nickelodeon Animation Studios ensures that outstanding voice recordings are created – even under remote conditions.

Browse through the conference programme of the “Sound Design” track! You can find the corresponding event information on fmx.de.

Sustainability & B-Corp certification: Blue Zoo Animation Studio and Dupe VFX are two studios that have undergone the rigorous process of B-Corp certification. Why? To check their ecological fingerprint. Tom Box (Blue Zoo) and Jonathan Harris (Dupe VFX) explain how it all works.

Browse through the conference programme of the “Social Impact” track! You can find the related event information on fmx.de.

The key dates: FMX 2022 will take place from 3rd to 5th May 2022 in Stuttgart. The last day of the event will be held online on Friday 6 May. Many of the presentations will remain available online until 31 May.

Click further: The corresponding press release on the newly announced programme items can also be found on fmx.de.

The post Animation fun “Ron’s Gone Wrong” at the FMX 2022! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: In less than six weeks, FMX 2022 will inspire its visitors with international speakers from the VFX industry. This year, the event will take place in hybrid form, both on site in Stuttgart and online.

Learning from the best, Tekkie Talk and “The Mitchells versus the machines”: this year, several masterclasses will take place on site in Stuttgart, including on the topics of “Story Development” and “Story Structure”. Storytelling: tailored to the needs of animators.

In addition, the latest research results from the technology sector will be presented as part of the “Tech Talks” track. For example, it will be about how it is possible to combine face-to-face events with mixed reality. Incidentally, one of the feature-length entertainment highlights will be the Annie Award-winning, Oscar-nominated animated film “The Mitchells versus the Machines”.

Other highly sought-after animated films that will cross your path at FMX 2022 include “The Bad Guys” by Dreamworks Animation, “Sing – The Show of Your Life” by Illumination Entertainment and “Encanto” by Walt Disney Animation Studios.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines: Physically Based Rendering: Kurt Judson (Sony Pictures Imageworks) and Christos Obretenov (Lollipop Shaders) will provide insights into the concept art and show how they adapted the final look of the film exactly to the concept designs. The Sony Pictures Imageworks team used their in-house Physically Based Renderer and combined it with specially developed look development and animation tools, as well as the Open Shading Language.

Masterclass with Victor Perez: Mind mapping for the conceptualisation of light: A core component of VFX work is the harmonious use of light. This should always harmonise with the other image components so that afterwards – to use a well-worn expression – everything “looks like it was cast from a single mould”. Visual Effects Supervisor Victor Perez uses an analysis structure based on mind mapping to achieve this. He uses photography to translate light and optics into mathematical formulae. It sounds complicated, but is highly interesting for VFXers.

Storytelling for animators: Storytelling is a much-maligned buzzword, even beyond the creative industry – but it’s still as relevant as ever. This year, Craig Caldwell, professor at the University of Utah, will once again be represented – with two of his masterclasses. The first masterclass, called Story Structure, will cover the basic story elements and various plot structures. The second masterclass is called Story Development. In it, participants will learn how the development of a story evokes emotions in the audience and enables them to identify not only with the protagonist, but also with the antagonist.

Technology location FMX: The Techtalks are curated by Prof Volker Helzle from the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy. Perhaps the two most interesting programme items are those entitled “How to create real presence in mixed reality” and “Machine learning in the VFX industry”.

How to Create Real Presence in Mixed Reality looks at the challenge of creating compelling interactive experiences and the expertise required to deliver the necessary graphics, AI and technology. Darren Cosker from Microsoft will be lecturing on this topic.

On the other hand, the Machine Learning in the VFX Industry session will focus on machine learning in the visual effects industry and how this technology could enable more efficient ways of working. Mairéad Grogan, research engineer at Foundry, will talk about how she researches artificial intelligence and what CopyCat Nodes are all about.

Click further: For the complete list of animated films to be found at FMX 2022, click over to fmx.de . You can also find an overview of the masterclasses on offer at fmx.de.

The post The Oscar-nominated Netflix film is coming to FMX 2022! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: The 29th edition of the International Festival of Animated Film Stuttgart (ITFS) will take place this year from 3 to 8 May in (of course) Stuttgart. The ITFS, as the event is called for short, will take place partly online and partly on location. The motto of this year’s ITFS is “Black is Back”. The motto will be reflected in the event programme. Many of the offers that visitors to the ITFS can take advantage of are orientated towards simplifying, shortening and clarifying the work of animators.

Competition between young animators: The International Competition is the centrepiece of the ITFS. Young animators from around the world are honoured for their high-quality animation contributions. A distinction is made between the following categories:

• Best films by students from international media, film and art schools
• “Tricks for Kids” for the best animated short film for children
• “AniMovie” for the best animated feature film
• “Trickstar Nature Award” for the best animated short film on the topics of climate protection, biodiversity, environmental protection and sustainability
• “Trickstar Business Award” for the best business model for a project or company in the field of animation
• “Animated Games Award Germany” for the best animation-based computer game from Germany
• “German Animation Screenplay Award” for the best German screenplay for a feature-length animated film. The international market potential of the screenplay is the decisive criterion.

Small Germany and female power: one of the focal points of this year’s ITFS is Austria. Tricky Women/Tricky Realities and Ars Electronica are acting as partner festivals. As part of the themed series “Wonderwomen – Women in Games & Animation”, curated by Waltraud Grausgruber, the ITFS will shed light on how the situation for women in animated film has developed.

Up close and personal with artists: As part of the “In Persona” programme, artists will provide insights into their creative work and the development process. Other creatives worth buying an event ticket for are listed below:

• Nick Park: Oscar-winning creator of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep
• Filmmakers Michelle and Uri Kranot (“Nothing Happens”, “Hollow Land”)
• Film producer and Academy member Ron Diamond
• Jürgen Hagler, professor at the FH Hagenberg and curator at Ars Electronica

Where does the IFTS take place? The festival will take place at several locations in Stuttgart, with additional programme items being offered online at itfs.de/events/ at the same time.

Make sure you get your tickets: According to the ITFS website, early bird tickets with a price advantage are still available up to and including today (10 March). Tickets are available for the on-site events in Stuttgart as well as tickets for the online part of the event. For both ticket offers, the early-bird price applies up to and including today, 10 March.

Click further: You can find all further information at itfs.de.

The post Discover the International Festival of Animated Film! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: According to a recent press release, the programme of events for this year’s FMX can now be viewed on the conference homepage. Discover many new events!

What FMX highlights can you expect? Some of the absolute highlights of this year’s FMX include the stop-motion anthology “The House”, Marvel’s “What if…?”, “Eternals: AR Story Experience (AR stands for Augmented Reality, of course) and a brand new event track about NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). If you hear rumours at this year’s after-show party that NFTs are “horoscopes for men”, we would like to disclaim all responsibility.

The House (from the track “Feature Animation”): The Netflix film is an eccentric comedy about a house, telling three surreal stories about its inhabitants* in the process. Directors Paloma Baeza, Marc James Roels and Niki Lindroth von Bahr and production manager Joost Zoetebier provide a look behind the scenes of the stop-motion anthology produced by Nexus Studios. For a first impression, click on the trailer below.

The House | Official Trailer | Netflix

What if…? (from the track “Animated Series”): VFX Supervisors Anders Thönell and Greg O’Connor talk about the Marvel series, taking you to where 2D and 3D animation meet. Anders and Greg will use some shots to illustrate solutions and methods for complex camera work, line work, environments and general workflows for integrating 2D and 3D techniques.

NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens): The buzzwords Metaverse, Web3 and NFTs are everywhere – but how are these new technology trends impacting the creative industry? The new NFTs track at FMX will explore this question using various case studies. Rouslan Ovtcharoff, founder of the Blockchain Global Entertainment Alliance, will explain what NFTs are and how they can be applied together with blockchain – for example for entertainment platforms.

Eternals: AR Story Experience (from the track on augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality): Marvel Studios takes a look into the future of the entertainment industry with its augmented reality story experience. In the game for the Eternals film, Marvel fans can get up close and personal with superheroes as well as experience the story from the film immersively. Volumetric captures are perhaps the most exciting technology here, as they make it possible to create cinema-quality VFX assets. Dane Coffey, Technology Innovation Research Lead at Disney Studios Technology, and Daniel Baker, Senior Producer and Manager, will shed light on how the lifelike characters from the game were created. We have linked the trailer for the game below.

Eternals: AR Story Experience | Official Trailer

Further programme highlights: But that’s not all: visitors to FMX 2022 will also discover how director Robin McNicholas and artist Joaquina Salgado have brought virtual narrative worlds to life using modern virtual production techniques in their project Dream.

In addition, Sol Rogers (Magnopus/Rewind) will discuss why cross-reality spaces are important and what this has to do with the metaverse as part of the Expo 2020 Dubai programme item.

In addition, Chris Ebeling, co-founder and creative director of Virtually Human, will tell you everything you always wanted to know about blockchain gaming but didn’t dare type into your Google search.

Take advantage of the early bird discount: For all those who were still unsure whether their budget would cover an FMX ticket: The organisers are extending the sale of early bird tickets until 20 March 2022 and you can secure your tickets at xing-events.com .

Click further: You can find out about the FMX 2022 event programme in its entirety at fmx.de. New programme items are added here on an ongoing basis. So it’s worth checking back from time to time.

The post Programme highlights for FMX 2022 published! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: So now it’s out: the official trailer for this year’s FMX conference!

What is the FMX 2022 trailer about? The trailer called “Burned” takes us into the wilderness: a wooden fox discovers a seed in the branches and is soon rushing through a forest haunted by fire, heat and smoke.

Who realised Burned? “Burned” is a project by students of the Film Academy’s Animation Institute, including Justin Braun (Director), Isabella Braun (Creative Producer), Josephine Ross (Producer), Lukas Löffler (Compositing Supervisor), Mariia Prokopenko (Animation Lead) and Leonard Frederic Caspari (Director of Photography).

Click further: We have linked the foxy trailer right here below. If you want to find out more about the upcoming FMX, click on 31.01.2022, when many more conference highlights were announced. On 17.12.2021 we reported on the first announced programme items for FMX 2022.

FMX 2022: BURNED | Official Trailer

The post Official trailer for FMX 2022 released first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

• FMX 2022 starts with ticket sales. If you order your ticket before 7 March, you can take advantage of the early bird discount
• FMX announces the additional programme items you can look forward to: The Witcher: Innovative Virtual Production On Netflix’s Hit Series, “Reminiscence” – what was “Rise” sinking?, The VFX of “Lost in Space” and “Stowaway”: A Cinematic Spacewalk

In nuce: FMX 2022 starts with ticket sales. If you order your ticket before 7 March, you can take advantage of the early bird discount.

Click further: We last reported on the FMX on 17 December 2021 . At that time, Haz Dulull (the director of such genre gems as “The Beyond” or “Origin Unknown”) was announced as Programme Chair, and the productions “Foundation”, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, “Igraine Ohnefurcht” and “Dragman” were also revealed.

FMX is now presenting further programme items that you can look forward to in May:

The Witcher: Innovative Virtual Production On Netflix’s Hit Series: Virtual Production Manager Brad Blackbourn (The Third Floor) will talk about how virtual production was used in the 2nd season of the Netflix series. Blackbourn’s presentation will be a real deep dive into how real-time visualisation tools helped bring the ambitious second season to life.

DP 03 : 2020: In DP 03 : 2020 we sat down with Visual Effects Supervisor Mateusz Tokarz, Comp Artist and Art Director Rafal Sadowy and VFX Producer Krzysztof Krok to discuss the visuals of the first Witcher season. Read the full article for free in our retro article from 29.09.2021 .

“Reminiscence” – what was “Rise” sinking? Florian Gellinger, co-founder and executive VFX producer at RISE (and VFX supervisor of “Reminiscence”), will show the extensive CG environments and spectacular water simulations of this sci-fi gem. Reminiscence” was not a forest-and-meadows production from the sci-fi genre. What started out as a relatively easy job for the VFX artists proved to be more difficult from day to day. The reasons for this are not just to do with Covid and working remotely.

DP 06 : 2021: Back in DP 06 : 2021 , we sat down with Florian Gellinger to discuss the film’s eye-catching opening sequence in the article “Going for a swim with Rise FX”. “Reminiscence” begins with a low-level flight over the sunken Miami, which was created entirely on the computer by Rise in Stuttgart and Berlin. If you want to see the first ten minutes of the film, click back to 22 October 2021 , when we showed you what Miami could look like after a global climate crisis.

The VFX of “Lost in Space”: Prof. Juri Stanossek from Mackevision will take on the 3rd season of “Lost in Space”. Mackevision was one of the main suppliers, led by Overall VFX Supervisor Jabbar Raisani and VFX Producer Terron Pratt. The Mackevision team was responsible for full CG procedural environments in the first episode of the third season, among other things, but was also responsible for many robot sequences from the eighth episode. Virtual production was used as a central element in this.

“Stowaway”: A Cinematic Spacewalk: The sci-fi thriller “Stowaway” takes you on a mission to Mars, accompanying the space crew as they fight for survival in space. Virtual cinematographer Jannicke Mikkelsen will explain how virtual cinematography fits into real cinematography. In other words, real camera work combined with virtual camera work.

Tickets: You can read the official announcement of the new programme items on the FMX website – where you can also get your tickets. FMX 2022 will take place three days online (3rd to 5th May) and one day online (6th May). The so-called Conference Pass includes both the in-person and online days and is priced at 300 euros in the early bird offer (regularly 320 euros). The online ticket costs only 80 euros. Discounted prices apply for students (see illustration). You can buy your tickets online now. The early bird discounts are valid until 7 March.

The post News about the FMX 2022 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

This time there’s a dose of“RiseFX” in the FMX Highlights programme! As two professionals in the industry, Florian Gellinger, owner and producer at RISE, and Jeff Wagner from SideFX discuss exciting current trends as well as insights into their previous experiences. Starting with the early beginnings of his 25-year career, Jeff also talks about his role as top guru for Houdini. In the talk, the two will also discuss trends such as GPU acceleration, real-time ray tracing, SideFX’s plans for Gamedev and more. You can find out more about the two speakers here: Florian Gellinger | Jeff Wagner.

Next session: 22 June with John Canemaker

And make a note in your diary: The next round continues in just under two weeks. In the upcoming FMX Highlights video you will meet John Canemaker to present the beginnings and development of Chracter Animation.

Further information: Visit the FMX Highlights website

The post FMX Highlights: Jeff Wagner & Florian Gellinger first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

This article by Bela Beier originally appeared in DP 06 : 2012.Luis Alonso, Senior Technical Artist at BioWare, spoke at FMX about the game “Mass Effect 3” – DP was there and grabbed Luis Alonso after the presentation to ask him a few questions.

The game “Mass Effect 3” is the furious finale of the game saga about Commander Shepard. The third instalment of the series, which began in 2007, concludes the storyline that began there and relies on legacy storytelling like almost no other game: team members and NPCs from all the instalments appear again and again and have a strong influence on the plot. “Mass Effect 3” was first presented with a trailer at the Spike Video Game Awards on 11 December 2010. The multiplayer was developed by BioWare’s subsidiary in Montreal, while Digic Pictures from Budapest was responsible for the cinematic trailer. DP spoke to Luis Alonso, Lead Technical Artist at BioWare Montreal for “Mass Effect 3”, about the game and its challenges. He began his career eleven years ago and has since worked as a modeller, in special effects, animation and rigging. On “Mass Effect” he was responsible for the setup of the pipelines and the development of various tools.

DP: What were the challenges with “Mass Effect 3”?

Luis Alonso: Firstly, the legacy management. Since practically everyone who plays “Mass Effect 3” has also played “Mass Effect 2”, we had to be very careful here, both with the code and with the pipelines and setups. One example where we had to develop a lot was character customisation. There was a veritable cornucopia of problems here. For example, during testing it was possible in some areas to make the cheekbones protrude so far that they penetrated the helmet. We then had to try out all the variants to avoid this. Because there’s always someone who just pulls all the sliders to the maximum to create the ugliest character. In addition, we generated a code for the adjustments to the face that practically describes the deviation from the starting position and with which you can share your “face” with others – and there are now sites on the net, for example http://www.masseffect2faces.com. The codes for the faces were exchanged here – so if you wanted to play the game as “Kate Beckinsale” Shepard or as “Obama” Shepard or something similar.

So we asked ourselves at the beginning how we should deal with this: Do we add more customisation options or do we limit them to make it easier to program the characters, or because it’s just out of date. Because if the fans have already created databases with faces, as a developer you naturally want them to be able to continue using them. So if we no longer support these codes, the players are disappointed because they can no longer use them. If we don’t change anything, others who were hoping for something new will be disappointed. In the end, we went with an interim solution – even if that means that we still have to “Realism depends on the details” in the update after the release Luis Alonso Senior Technical Artist, Bioware had to make some improvements because the hair colour or eye colour could not be changed in some setups. And this is where Legacy becomes an important point in development.

DP: And what was the challenge for you personally with “Mass Effect 3”?

Luis Alonso: For me, the armour was the biggest challenge, because parts were constantly pushing into each other. The Reckoning armour with the spikes in particular cost us a lot of effort. The armour plays a major role in the story – especially the battles. The different classes and species have as many different armours in the third part as the first and second parts combined.

DP: And how are these classes structured?

Luis Alonso: On the one hand, we have the flexible armour – that is, armour for characters that can assume many different poses – and on the other, characters with relatively little armour. The biotic class (which is found in almost all species), for example, has powers like the Force from Star Wars, which it uses in contortions, but hardly any armour. In contrast, the soldier class is heavily armoured. And here’s the problem: How does it move? How much of the armour is flexible, and how much can be flexible at all and remain “armour”?

DP: Can you show us an example of this?

Luis Alonso: No problem. For example, the Geth (see the Geth character model at the bottom left of the first page of the article) have cables protruding from the neck. When I saw the concept, my first question was of course: Do I have an extra bone or do I have to think of something special for the deformation? Of course there was no extra bone in the model. But we are creating a character that has an overall structure. The bones result in the movements and deformation of the model, and we can’t just add bones at will. If things go wrong, this can affect missions or even the entire game.

DP: Do you think we will be able to work with 300 or more bones in the next generation of consoles? And where is the limit where it still makes sense to use them?

Luis Alonso: At the moment, we have more than enough with 140 bones – perhaps even too many. I think it’s much more important to develop twisting further. For example, if you take a twisting forearm, you currently only need two or three bones to get a twist with acceptable volume – including the twisting. To expand that from “acceptable” to “good”, we’re adding more bones that aren’t actually necessary to avoid the “candy wrapper” look. And I think in the future we will make such adjustments more via progress in skinning.

DP: How do you design at the moment?

Luis Alonso: My workflow is – in stark contrast – to create systems that prevent exactly that, minimising interpenetration and managing flexible elements. This is also the big “creative” decision period in my job – to decide which parts are flexible, also taking into account that it is “space technology”, and which parts are not allowed to be flexible at all as “armour”. In “Mass Effect 3”, for example, we included various non-flexible plates in the main character’s belly armour, which then overlap and overlap in places.

This creates the impression of a solid material that can still be flexible within certain parameters. If you overdo it with something like this, the armour will eventually look like a swimming costume. The realism of a character depends very much on the consistency of the details.

DP: So when is the Mass Effect Swimsuit Edition coming?

Luis Alonso (laughs): Fans have already designed it.

DP: How are these ideas being received by the players?

Luis Alonso: They naturally ask – especially in the test phase – why some pieces of armour look so flexible, and then we know that we have to improve the design. For example, making the individual parts inflexible – which of course means that the parts penetrate each other when the character moves. The classes already existed in the first part. Depending on this, we defined the animation and how the individual types and classes move, and then developed the armour from this.

However, this doesn’t always work, because users can not only select the class, but can also buy armour or take it from other games such as “Dragon Age”. And combine this with the character, which has also been customised. And suddenly we have huge spikes on the shoulder piece that protrude into the head, which of course quickly becomes a bug.

DP: Would it be possible to include a “misdevelopment” in the game that affects the player?

Luis Alonso: That would definitely be interesting – it could also be incorporated into the game design, and these restrictions would not be so difficult to implement. You then have to see whether the players recognise such errors and enjoy adapting them or whether this becomes a disruptive factor beyond personalisation.

DP: In “Mass Effect 2” there was also a reset from “Dragon Age”. Would it be possible for the studio to standardise all assets and prepare crossover events?

Luis Alonso: The “Dragon Age” armour in “Mass Effect” is based on the design, but was created and implemented by the “Mass Effect” artists. Even though we would like to do this, I don’t see it happening at the moment.

Most of our games use different engines. So it’s not just about a Maya or 3ds Max-based workflow, but the fundamentals of the games are completely different. “Mass Effect” uses the Unreal Engine, and “Dragon Age” uses an in-house engine called Eclipse, which the team worked on – with all the assets – for seven years.

“Mass Effect was only built on the Unreal Engine from the beginning, so we can share some assets between the projects, but unfortunately not everything. During the “Mass Effect” series, we used Aurora, Eclipse and Infintiy, among others, in parallel with Unreal. We are trying to harmonise this in the near future, but it will take some time. And if we include “Star Wars: The Old Republic”, for example, it will be difficult – because it uses a completely different engine that is designed for MMOGs.

DP: And what about the aliens or other species? For example, the various Husk variants?

Luis Alonso: It’s always the case that the closer you are to humans (as opposed to aliens), the more critical and attentive the users become – the “Uncanny Valley” is not only relevant for faces.

And with aliens, you’re a bit “freer”..

DP: And human-like figures, for example the Banshees?

Luis Alonso: The Banshee rig was made by Ray and Kevin in Edmonton – but what I’ve seen of it is very similar to the usual “female rig”. The difference with these characters – apart from the obvious different proportions – is not in the rig, but in the animations we created especially for them.

DP: Do you make sure that the rigs will still be usable in five years’ time?

Luis Alonso: Definitely. I would say that you can still work with the existing rigs in a few years’ time, or at least use them as a basis for further developments. Of course, Legacy has been a big point now, and that certainly creates exciting problems – but I generally think it’s better to tie a “franchise” to a character and then not dilute everything further here – as other stories have done. But technically, we could definitely continue working on it straight away.

DP: How many revision runs did you need for the more technically complex parts, for example the hair?

Luis Alonso: As with every major project, we organised this in stages and also formalised it very well. At the end of the first design/drafting stage, we can say whether the character – to stay with the example – has any hair at all. It would be completely out of place to consider the dynamics of the hair and its technical realisation at this stage.

With simulations and physical contexts in particular, it is important to ensure that development runs in parallel and that the various departments do not overtake each other. Otherwise corrections will be extremely time-consuming. To stay with the example: We tried procedural hair in the second phase of implementation. We were able to do quite a lot there, for example side characters. But once we had passed it on to the animators, we realised that this wasn’t the case. After that, we first did the setup for the simulation, because it could have been that the procedural solution was sufficient.

DP: What is it like to work at BioWare and how can we imagine the daily routine and the employees?

Luis Alonso: Working for us is something special. On the one hand, there is a pleasant atmosphere in the company. What I also find very good is that we hardly have any freelancers. Those who are with us are with us and stay with us. This means that it takes us longer to find new employees, but they are better integrated into the workflow and the team. I don’t think much of these two-weekly colleagues. And the few who are really freelancers have been with us for a long time and are all from the region. After all, working together also involves physically meeting up, discussing things and sometimes going out partying together.

DP: Canada is slowly becoming one of the focal points of game development. How strong is the community, and can you still throw stones without hitting VFX artists?

Luis Alonso: In Montreal, it’s often the case that you meet up in some clubs or pubs. In an industry that is so mixed, everyone knows everyone, so it’s normal to meet people from other companies. But realistically, it’s still a relatively small society within Montreal, where practically everyone knows each other. And then there’s the fact that Montreal isn’t that big.

DP: And what is it like to work as a studio for EA or Microsoft?

Luis Alonso: Since I used to work directly for EA, it’s quite easy. And especially with the second and third parts of “Mass Effect”, we were able to work very independently. We proved that we were good at it, and now we could do it the way we liked it.

DP: Can you describe what the relevant qualifications are for your job?

Luis Alonso: There are many terms for it – but in the end you are the interface between animation, technology and design. This means that you are always involved in how the visuals are implemented and realised, and how the programmers and animators deal with them. In addition, there is the transfer of data and communication – and that’s why you ideally need to have worked in this area yourself – as a programmer or animator, so that you understand what the people who build the assets are talking about. Because you are always a kind of support for this step, you have to be able to make the leap between the different programmes and therefore know and understand the work of both the artists and the animators.

Normally, this is the career path of an artist or animator who at some point wonders how everything works in the background and how it can be linked and used efficiently. Before you know it, you’re working on the things that nobody wants to do – implementing the assets in the game.

And little by little, you become the artists’ best friend – because you are the one who brings their content into the game and programmes the tools they need to work well.

On the other hand, the programmers are happy to see you because the assets you deliver usually work. So if you do it well, you’re their best friend at every point in the workflow – and that’s nice.

DP: How do you feel about the decision to offer “Mass Effect” on Origin, EA’s Steam competitor?

Luis Alonso: I believe that competition brings something – a monopoly always becomes sluggish quite quickly, doesn’t bring any new features and rests on its laurels. And we as gamers are left staring down the tube – while two providers try to outdo each other.

DP: “Mass Effect 3” was one of the few games where gamers physically protested in front of the development studio for a different ending – and 300 people is not exactly a small number…

Luis Alonso: Yes, that was interesting. Personally, I would never have believed that anyone would actually leave the forum discussion or the customer service/feedback forms. That’s why we reacted to it and explained the ending in more detail with the extended cut. It has to be said, of course, that our fans are generally relaxed, civilised people – so it was a protest, but neither stressful nor aggressive. And there were also student demonstrations in Montreal at the same time, and the contrast couldn’t be greater.

DP: How do you see the ending? Is there ever a perfect ending for a game?

Luis Alonso: Of course you always wish for a fourth, fifth or sixth instalment. You’ve already spent an enormous amount of time with the character at this point, and you’ve grown fond of both his environment and his “personality” – otherwise you wouldn’t play it for so long – and then it becomes extremely difficult to let go.

But I think there were two problems with our ending in particular: Many people didn’t realise that there were not two, but three choices. However, these only became accessible if you had expanded your “readiness”, i.e. the number of allies, accordingly in the game.

In addition, “Mass Effect” is simply a different kind of game. Solving the entire conflict alone in a Rambo-like manner contradicts the basic idea. Even a science fiction universe can stick to the basic premises of consistent stories.

And then to have an ending that comes as a finale after such a story, and the hero simply walks off whistling into the sunset? That would be inappropriate.

The post Happy endings are inappropriate | Retro article first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.