In nuce: The user Xavier (Jack), developer, animator and programmer in one, has presented the current development status of his real-time hand tracking app via Twitter. On 23 January, Xavier posted a moving image on Twitter that demonstrates what his app currently looks like in use. See below:

Good news!

I got a small grant to experiment with the creative use of real-time hand tracking in the browser.

First step, get that hand rig working with mediapipe (@tensorflow) and @threejs pic.twitter.com/RwXocbxZqJ

— Xavier (Jack) (@KMkota0) January 23, 2023

In toto: The highlight: His app should work directly in the web browser. According to Xavier, his app should still achieve good results even if the fingers being recorded are obscured by objects in the foreground of the image, for example. During development, Xavier utilised both the open source library TensorFlow , which focuses on machine learning for research and production, and Three.js, a cross-browser JavaScript library and application programming interface that can be used to create animated 3D graphics in the web browser.

Click further: To the Twitter account of the user Xavier (Jack).

Source: 80.lv ( message from Theodore McKenzie)

The post The future of real-time hand tracking? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Blender’s node-based simulation framework was recently made available. This is according to a report from 28 November this year, published on cgchannel.com.

In toto: By means of these nodes themselves, it should be possible to create new tools and procedural content in Blender – by linking nodes together. Together with version 3.5 of Blender, which is due to be released in March next year, the node-based simulation framework should be part of the regular version of Blender.

We started working on basic simulation support for #geometrynodes. There still many limitations, but it's already fun to play with. #b3d #devfund pic.twitter.com/M05Hd25Miz

— Jacques Lucke (@JacquesLucke) November 24, 2022

Twitter posting by Jacques Lucke: As can be seen from the Twitter post by software developer Jacques Lucke from 24 November this year (see above), the planned support for geometry nodes is in progress; although this is currently still subject to – quote Jacques – “many restrictions”, it is already giving the developer a lot of pleasure.

Click further: The geometry nodes can be tested for simulation purposes via builder.blender.org .

Source: cgchannel.com ( message from Jim Thacker)

The post Node-based simulation framework for Blender? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Eugenio Pignataro, a freelance 3D modeller from Buenos Aires, has published a free, procedural skin shader for Blender – and will shortly explain how it works. This can be seen in a Twitter post by Eugenio. In another Twitter post, Eugenio explains what the associated node tree looks like.

Click further: Eugenio Pignataro, alias Oscurart, can be visited via his website – where his social media appearances are also linked.

Source: 80.lv ( report by Gloria Levine)

https://twitter.com/Oscurart/status/1584168478201679872

https://twitter.com/Oscurart/status/1584311107799642112

The post Creating realistic skin with Blender – but how? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

Storm in a glass of water: In this Twitter post, 2D effects animator Quentin Cordonnier demonstrates how gravity affects a glass of water – and where the centre of gravity is located at any given time (inside a standard Ikea drinking glass filled with moist, cheerful H20).

Who is it for? Animation artists who are interested in the flow behaviour of water should find Quentin’s clear explanatory video particularly inspiring. But Quentin’s Twitter post can also provide an excellent template for other animation projects beyond water.

Who is Quentin Cordonnier? Quentin is a 2D effects animator with many years of professional experience at studios such as TeamTO, The Magnificent Itch, Studio 100 Animation, The SPA Studios (Sergio Pablos Animation) and Method Studios. On Twitter, Instagram and Gumroad , Quentin is always posting fascinating effects that are worth more than one click. Take a look!

The post Water still wet (and refreshing)! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: CG artist and motion designer Maisam Hosaini recently demonstrated his procedurally created Blender project on Twitter and Instagram.

What can you see? In the short videos, Maisam quickly shows you how to create a tubular ground structure on which you can place trees. With the help of such a ground structure, it should be easy to bring your 3D environments to life.

How did the project come about? The project was created with Blender’s geometry nodes. Stylistically, Maisam was inspired by the creative work of motion graphic designer Clément Morin .

Click to continue: If you want to get to know Maisam and his fascinating CG experiments and beautiful designs, we recommend visiting him on Artstation, Twitter or Instagram .

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Maisam Hosaini Artworks (@maisam.hosaini)

The post Plant a jungle with Blender’s geometry node! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Ubisoft recently unveiled the so-called “ZooBuilder” via social networks. This is a tool that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to recreate the basic skeletal structure of animals. All of this works on the basis of moving images that the user feeds into the tool. “ZooBuilder” is designed to help animators create character rigs. However, artists still have to fine-tune the resulting rig afterwards so that the movement sequences of animated animal characters look believable.

How does this work? The three-minute video below, called “ZooBuilder – A Machine Learning Prototype”, takes a closer look at this fascinating new tool. In the video, Abassin Sourou Fangbemi, data scientist at Ubisoft La Forge, explains the advantages of the tool as follows: “Imagine you wanted to record the movements of a lion or a tiger – you would have to take these dangerous animals to a motion capture studio. That would be quite a challenge.” according to Abassin, “ZooBilder” will now dispense with MoCap and rely on machine learning and AI instead. This should make it easier to digitise the movement sequences of animals.

Who invented it? The “ZooBuilder” was developed by Ubisoft La Forge. This is a branch of Ubisoft based in Canada, which is dedicated to the development of new technologies – always with the help of the latest results from academic research organisations.

Click further: You can find out which technological developments Ubisoft LaForge continues to drive on the corresponding website.

The post Ubisoft tool makes creature rigging easier first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Every week, we present you with the best tutorials that will help you polish your workflows with the hottest digital content creation tools in the world! Today we’re treating ourselves to a tutorial that will delight anyone who works with Blender and is enthusiastic about Christopher Nolan’s film Interstellar.

What will you learn in this tutorial? In this tutorial, 3D sculptor and modeller Bbbn19 shows you how to create the effect of the endless bookshelves from Interstellar in Blender. The video lasts just seven minutes, so it’s perfect for your lunch break – while you munch on your astronaut food.

What else does Bbbn19 have to offer didactically? We last reported on the creative activities of Bbbn19 on 21.01.2022 , when he, together with 3D artist Leo Brasil, realised the Lighting Setup Generator for Blender 3.0.

Click further: If you want to keep up to date with Bbbn19’s work, follow him on Gumroad or Twitter .

Goodbye! Check back next week when it’s Tutorial Tuesday again!

How to make the Interstellar Infinite Bookshelf in Blender!

The post Infinity Bookshelf | Tutorial Tuesday first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: 3D generalist and character artist Hirokazu Yokohara shares his deep-fake demonstration on Twitter, in which Tom Cruise pulls a face, grimaces cheerfully and otherwise puts the corners of his mouth to the utmost.

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hirokazu Yokohara (@hirokazu_yokohara)

How does it work? According to Yokohara, DeepFace Live and Autodesk Maya were used for his demonstration. Yokohara was inspired by software developer (specialising in augmented & virtual reality) Brielle Garcia, who herself works with deepfakes.

What is DeepFace Live? The software allows you to replace your face with that of other people – for example Hollywood beau Cruise or other people from film history. This is a great way to get up to mischief at your next video conference, as DeepFace Live is explicitly designed for streaming and video conferencing.

Click on: If you want to keep an eye on Hirokazu Yokohara’s creative work, it may be worth following the 3D generalist and character artist on Twitter, Instagram, Artstation or 3Dtotal . Also pay a visit to AR/VR developer Brielle Garcia, on whose work Yokohara’s Deepfakes are based, on Twitter or tacolamp.com . Finally, if you want to make sure that the computing machine does the learning for you, then head over to github.com to try out DeepFace Live.

We hope you enjoy your next video call (with the AI-edited faces of your film and series stars)!

The post Deepfake with Autodesk Maya! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Indie game developer Sørb reveals how he created his stylish, comic-like crystals from the image above. We have linked the corresponding Twitter posts at the end of this news item.

What’s behind it all? Sørb recently shared a GIF with his Twitter community that shows beautiful-looking crystals with a stylised comic look. The game developer created the crystals in Unity, but soon many users wanted to know more. That’s why Sørb has now delivered, revealing the approach of his comic crystal project. Sørb created them with the help of High Level Shading Language, a programming language developed for DirectX. In a detailed “Crystal Shader Breakdown”, the indie developer goes through step by step how he managed to create the crystals – from the reflection to the glow and light effects, the alpha channel and the various passes, and everything else involved in the creation process.

Click further: If you want to keep up to date with Sørb’s high-quality graphics in the future, you should definitely follow him on Twitter – or click directly to his homepage .

The post Comic-like crystals grow in Unity! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

Mini-City

3D artist and animator Byron Slaybaugh shared his whimsical project. The colourful artwork, which resembles a Lego city, was created using Houdini and Redshift.

3D stuff with Lego

If you can’t get enough of 3D stuff with a Lego look, it’s also worth checking out Pascal Beeckman’s Procedural Legolizer in Houdini and Paul Hatton’s Blender tutorial Iron Man made from Lego. Happy creating!

The post Mini-City | Artwork first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.