Misplaced Pages

#894105

54-407: VFX involves the integration of live-action footage (which may include in-camera special effects) and generated-imagery (digital or optics, animals or creatures) which look realistic, but would be dangerous, expensive, impractical, time-consuming or impossible to capture on film. Visual effects using computer-generated imagery (CGI) have more recently become accessible to the independent filmmaker with

108-418: A "data pipeline" in which the raw data is managed and filtered to a form that makes it suitable for rendering. This is often called the "visualization data" . The visualization data is then mapped to a "visualization representation" that can be fed to a rendering system. This is usually called a "renderable representation" . This representation is then rendered as a displayable image. As the user interacts with

162-427: A common virtual geospatial model, these animated visualizations constitute the first true application of CGI to TV. CGI has become common in sports telecasting. Sports and entertainment venues are provided with see-through and overlay content through tracked camera feeds for enhanced viewing by the audience. Examples include the yellow " first down " line seen in television broadcasts of American football games showing

216-695: A computer-generated reconstruction of the monastery at Georgenthal in Germany was derived from the ruins of the monastery, yet provides the viewer with a "look and feel" of what the building would have looked like in its day. Computer generated models used in skeletal animation are not always anatomically correct. However, organizations such as the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute have developed anatomically correct computer-based models. Computer generated anatomical models can be used both for instructional and operational purposes. To date,

270-543: A large body of artist produced medical images continue to be used by medical students, such as images by Frank H. Netter , e.g. Cardiac images . However, a number of online anatomical models are becoming available. A single patient X-ray is not a computer generated image, even if digitized. However, in applications which involve CT scans a three-dimensional model is automatically produced from many single-slice x-rays, producing "computer generated image". Applications involving magnetic resonance imaging also bring together

324-462: A largely singlepass, global illumination system incorporating modern ray-tracing and physically based shading techniques. They have achieved that with Arnold Renderer , an unbiased stochastic ray tracer . Arnold, started in 1997 by Marcos Fajardo, was co-developed between 2004 and 2009 with SPI, where Marcos was employed, and a commercial branch is being developed by Marcos' Madrid based company Solid Angle SL (now owned by Autodesk ). Arnold

378-479: A more profitable animation business. Its first independent animated effort was the 5-minute short The ChubbChubbs! directed by Eric Armstrong. In 2002, it won the Oscar for Best Animated Short . Early Bloomer , released in 2003, was the division's second short film and originally made as a storyboarding exercise. SPI completed its first feature animation project in 2006 with the release of Open Season , which

432-470: A movie's story and appeal. Although most visual effects work is completed during post-production , it usually must be carefully planned and choreographed in pre-production and production . While special effects such as explosions and car chases are made on set , visual effects are primarily executed in post-production with the use of multiple tools and technologies such as graphic design, modeling, animation and similar software. A visual effects supervisor

486-478: A new 74,000-square feet headquarters in Vancouver. On October 6, 2023, Cartoon Brew reported that DreamWorks Animation was moving away from producing films in-house at their Glendale campus to rely more heavily on outside studios after 2024, as part of a layoff by chief operating officer Randy Lake in a series of meetings the previous month. According to the report, SPI was named as the animation service for

540-426: A number of "snapshots" (in this case via magnetic pulses) to produce a composite, internal image. In modern medical applications, patient-specific models are constructed in 'computer assisted surgery'. For instance, in total knee replacement , the construction of a detailed patient-specific model can be used to carefully plan the surgery. These three-dimensional models are usually extracted from multiple CT scans of

594-407: A race proceeds to allow viewers to compare the current race to the best performance. Other examples include hockey puck tracking and annotations of racing car performance and snooker ball trajectories. Sometimes CGI on TV with correct alignment to the real world has been referred to as augmented reality . Computer-generated imagery is often used in conjunction with motion capture to better cover

SECTION 10

#1732776660895

648-457: A rate of 24 or 30 frames/second). This technique is identical to how the illusion of movement is achieved with television and motion pictures . A text-to-image model is a machine learning model which takes an input natural language description and produces an image matching that description. Text-to-image models began to be developed in the mid-2010s during the beginnings of the AI boom , as

702-455: A reenactment of the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots , Clark instructed an actor to step up to the block in Mary's costume. As the executioner brought the axe above his head, Clark stopped the camera, had all the actors freeze, and had the person playing Mary step off the set. He placed a Mary dummy in the actor's place, restarted filming, and allowed the executioner to bring the axe down, severing

756-631: A representation of one potential sequence of events. Weather visualizations were the first application of CGI in television. One of the first companies to offer computer systems for generating weather graphics was ColorGraphics Weather Systems in 1979 with the "LiveLine", based around an Apple II computer, with later models from ColorGraphics using Cromemco computers fitted with their Dazzler video graphics card. It has now become common in weather casting to display full motion video of images captured in real-time from multiple cameras and other imaging devices. Coupled with 3D graphics symbols and mapped to

810-500: A result of advances in deep neural networks . In 2022, the output of state-of-the-art text-to-image models—such as OpenAI's DALL-E 2 , Google Brain 's Imagen , Stability AI's Stable Diffusion , and Midjourney —began to be considered to approach the quality of real photographs and human-drawn art . A virtual world is an agent-based and simulated environment allowing users to interact with artificially animated characters (e.g software agent ) or with other physical users, through

864-667: A street scene in Paris. When he screened the film, he found that the "stop trick" had caused a truck to turn into a hearse, pedestrians to change direction, and men to turn into women. Méliès, the director of the Théâtre Robert-Houdin , was inspired to develop a series of more than 500 short films, between 1896 and 1913, in the process developing or inventing such techniques as multiple exposures , time-lapse photography , dissolves , and hand-painted color. Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform reality with

918-444: A then-unannounced DreamWorks sequel ( The Bad Guys 2 ) scheduled for 2025. The film will use a "mixed production model", in which pre-production would be done in-house at DreamWorks along with approximately 50% of the asset build and one hour of production, while SPI will handle the other 50% of asset builds and 20 minutes of shot production. During 2009-2010, SPI made transition from traditional biased, multi-pass rendering system to

972-531: Is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in art , printed media , simulators , videos and video games. These images are either static (i.e. still images ) or dynamic (i.e. moving images). CGI both refers to 2D computer graphics and (more frequently) 3D computer graphics with the purpose of designing characters, virtual worlds , or scenes and special effects (in films , television programs, commercials, etc.). The application of CGI for creating/improving animations

1026-747: Is a unit of Sony Pictures Entertainment 's Motion Picture Group . The company has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with Oscars for their work on Spider-Man 2 and the animated short film The ChubbChubbs! , and received many other nominations for their work. SPI has provided visual effects for many films; most recent include The Meg , Men in Black: International , and Spider-Man: Far From Home . They also provided services for several of director Robert Zemeckis ' films, including Contact , Cast Away , The Polar Express , and Beowulf . Since

1080-777: Is called computer animation , or CGI animation . The first feature film to use CGI as well as the composition of live-action film with CGI was Vertigo , which used abstract computer graphics by John Whitney in the opening credits of the film. The first feature film to make use of CGI with live action in the storyline of the film was the 1973 film Westworld . Other early films that incorporated CGI include Star Wars: Episode IV (1977), Tron (1982), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Golgo 13: The Professional (1983), The Last Starfighter (1984), Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), The Abyss (1989), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), Jurassic Park (1993) and Toy Story (1995). The first music video to use CGI

1134-528: Is to use an extension of the triangular mesh method, relying on the construction of some special case of a de Rham curve , e.g., midpoint displacement . For instance, the algorithm may start with a large triangle, then recursively zoom in by dividing it into four smaller Sierpinski triangles , then interpolate the height of each point from its nearest neighbors. The creation of a Brownian surface may be achieved not only by adding noise as new nodes are created but by adding additional noise at multiple levels of

SECTION 20

#1732776660895

1188-529: Is usually involved with the production from an early stage to work closely with production and the film's director to design, guide and lead the teams required to achieve the desired effects. Many studios specialize in visual effects; among them are Digital Domain , DreamWorks , DNEG , Framestore , Weta Digital , Industrial Light & Magic , Pixomondo , Moving Picture Company and Sony Pictures Imageworks & Jellyfish Pictures . Computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery ( CGI )

1242-653: The cinematograph , the prolific Méliès is sometimes referred to as the "Cinemagician." His most famous film, Le Voyage dans la lune (1902), a whimsical parody of Jules Verne 's From the Earth to the Moon , featured a combination of live action and animation , and also incorporated extensive miniature and matte painting work. thumb VFX today is heavily used in almost all movies produced. Other than films, television series and web series are also known to utilize VFX. àÁ' Bold text' Visual effects are often integral to

1296-549: The B-52. Link's Digital Image Generator had architecture to provide a visual system that realistically corresponded with the view of the pilot. The basic archictecture of the DIG and subsequent improvements contained a scene manager followed by geometric processor, video processor and into the display with the end goal of a visual system that processed realistic texture, shading, translucency capabilties, and free of aliasing. Combined with

1350-419: The Moon for Netflix and Pearl Studio , and The Sea Beast for Netflix Animation . Sony Pictures Imageworks was formed in 1992 with five employees to use computers to help plan complicated scenes for live-action films. Located in the former TriStar building, their first work was a previsualization for the 1993 film Striking Distance . To fill the gaps between VFX jobs, SPI decided to partake in

1404-730: The ability to superimpose texture over the surfaces as well as transition imagery from one level of detail to the next one in a smooth manner. The evolution of CGI led to the emergence of virtual cinematography in the 1990s, where the vision of the simulated camera is not constrained by the laws of physics. Availability of CGI software and increased computer speeds have allowed individual artists and small companies to produce professional-grade films, games, and fine art from their home computers. Not only do animated images form part of computer-generated imagery; natural looking landscapes (such as fractal landscapes ) are also generated via computer algorithms . A simple way to generate fractal surfaces

1458-426: The appropriate parts of the patient's own anatomy. Such models can also be used for planning aortic valve implantations, one of the common procedures for treating heart disease . Given that the shape, diameter, and position of the coronary openings can vary greatly from patient to patient, the extraction (from CT scans ) of a model that closely resembles a patient's valve anatomy can be highly beneficial in planning

1512-541: The beginning of 2014, as part of Sony's cost-cutting move, SPI transferred a portion of its technology team from its headquarters in Culver City to Vancouver. By May 2014, entire headquarters and production had been moved to Vancouver, with only a small office remaining in Culver City. At the same time, SPI closed down its Indian studio, laying off around 100 employees. A year later, over 700 artists moved into

1566-450: The chemical weathering of stones to model erosion and produce an "aged appearance" for a given stone-based surface. Modern architects use services from computer graphic firms to create 3-dimensional models for both customers and builders. These computer generated models can be more accurate than traditional drawings. Architectural animation (which provides animated movies of buildings, rather than interactive images) can also be used to see

1620-440: The complex anatomy of the human body, can often fail to replicate it perfectly. Artists can use motion capture to get footage of a human performing an action and then replicate it perfectly with computer-generated imagery so that it looks normal. The lack of anatomically correct digital models contributes to the necessity of motion capture as it is used with computer-generated imagery. Because computer-generated imagery reflects only

1674-419: The creation of images that would not be feasible using any other technology. It can also allow a single graphic artist to produce such content without the use of actors, expensive set pieces, or props. To create the illusion of movement, an image is displayed on the computer screen and repeatedly replaced by a new image which is similar to the previous image, but advanced slightly in the time domain (usually at

Visual effects - Misplaced Pages Continue

1728-446: The dummy's head. Techniques like these would dominate the production of special effects for a century. It was not only the first use of trickery in cinema, it was also the first type of photographic trickery that was only possible in a motion picture, and referred to as the " stop trick ". Georges Méliès , an early motion picture pioneer, accidentally discovered the same "stop trick." According to Méliès, his camera jammed while filming

1782-417: The early 2000s. However, some experts have argued that it is prejudicial. They are used to help judges or the jury to better visualize the sequence of events, evidence or hypothesis. However, a 1997 study showed that people are poor intuitive physicists and easily influenced by computer generated images. Thus it is important that jurors and other legal decision-makers be made aware that such exhibits are merely

1836-432: The faults that come with CGI and animation. Computer-generated imagery is limited in its practical application by how realistic it can look. Unrealistic, or badly managed computer-generated imagery can result in the uncanny valley effect. This effect refers to the human ability to recognize things that look eerily like humans, but are slightly off. Such ability is a fault with normal computer-generated imagery which, due to

1890-749: The foundation of its sister company Sony Pictures Animation in 2002, SPI would go on to animate nearly all of SPA's films, including Open Season , Surf's Up , Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , and films in the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs , Smurfs and Hotel Transylvania franchises, in addition to animating films for other studios such as Arthur Christmas for Aardman Animations (co-produced by SPA), Storks and Smallfoot for Warner Animation Group (now known as Warner Bros. Pictures Animation ), The Angry Birds Movie for Rovio Animation and its sequel (co-produced by SPA), Over

1944-407: The introduction of affordable and relatively easy-to-use animation and compositing software. In 1857, Oscar Rejlander created the world's first "special effects" image by combining different sections of 32 negatives into a single image, making a montaged combination print . In 1895, Alfred Clark created what is commonly accepted as the first-ever motion picture special effect. While filming

1998-403: The line the offensive team must cross to receive a first down. CGI is also used in association with football and other sporting events to show commercial advertisements overlaid onto the view of the playing area. Sections of rugby fields and cricket pitches also display sponsored images. Swimming telecasts often add a line across the lanes to indicate the position of the current record holder as

2052-463: The mesh. Thus a topographical map with varying levels of height can be created using relatively straightforward fractal algorithms. Some typical, easy-to-program fractals used in CGI are the plasma fractal and the more dramatic fault fractal . Many specific techniques have been researched and developed to produce highly focused computer-generated effects — e.g., the use of specific models to represent

2106-474: The need to pair virtual synthesis with military level training requirements, CGI technologies applied in flight simulation were often years ahead of what would have been available in commercial computing or even in high budget film. Early CGI systems could depict only objects consisting of planar polygons. Advances in algorithms and electronics in flight simulator visual systems and CGI in the 1970s and 1980s influenced many technologies still used in modern CGI adding

2160-511: The object of flight simulation was to reproduce on the ground the behavior of an aircraft in flight. Much of this reproduction had to do with believable visual synthesis that mimicked reality. The Link Digital Image Generator (DIG) by the Singer Company (Singer-Link), was considered one of the worlds first generation CGI systems. It was a real-time, 3D capable, day/dusk/night system that was used by NASA shuttles, for F-111s, Black Hawk and

2214-401: The outside, or skin, of the object being rendered, it fails to capture the infinitesimally small interactions between interlocking muscle groups used in fine motor skills like speaking. The constant motion of the face as it makes sounds with shaped lips and tongue movement, along with the facial expressions that go along with speaking are difficult to replicate by hand. Motion capture can catch

Visual effects - Misplaced Pages Continue

2268-464: The possible relationship a building will have in relation to the environment and its surrounding buildings. The processing of architectural spaces without the use of paper and pencil tools is now a widely accepted practice with a number of computer-assisted architectural design systems. Architectural modeling tools allow an architect to visualize a space and perform "walk-throughs" in an interactive manner, thus providing "interactive environments" both at

2322-532: The procedure. Models of cloth generally fall into three groups: To date, making the clothing of a digital character automatically fold in a natural way remains a challenge for many animators. In addition to their use in film, advertising and other modes of public display, computer generated images of clothing are now routinely used by top fashion design firms. The challenge in rendering human skin images involves three levels of realism: The finest visible features such as fine wrinkles and skin pores are

2376-435: The size of about 100 μm or 0.1 millimetres . Skin can be modeled as a 7- dimensional bidirectional texture function (BTF) or a collection of bidirectional scattering distribution function (BSDF) over the target's surfaces. Interactive visualization is the rendering of data that may vary dynamically and allowing a user to view the data from multiple perspectives. The applications areas may vary significantly, ranging from

2430-519: The state. In 2010, SPI opened a production studio in Vancouver , British Columbia , in order to take advantage of the local talent pool and government film production incentives. Two years later, the studio doubled its Vancouver facilities. At the same time, the Albuquerque studio was closed down due to declining New Mexico's subsidies and difficulty with attracting artists to move there. In

2484-420: The system (e.g. by using joystick controls to change their position within the virtual world) the raw data is fed through the pipeline to create a new rendered image, often making real-time computational efficiency a key consideration in such applications. While computer-generated images of landscapes may be static, computer animation only applies to dynamic images that resemble a movie. However, in general,

2538-532: The term computer animation refers to dynamic images that do not allow user interaction, and the term virtual world is used for the interactive animated environments. Computer animation is essentially a digital successor to the art of stop motion animation of 3D models and frame-by-frame animation of 2D illustrations. Computer generated animations are more controllable than other more physically based processes, such as constructing miniatures for effects shots or hiring extras for crowd scenes, and because it allows

2592-473: The underlying movement of facial muscles and better replicate the visual that goes along with the audio. Sony Pictures Imageworks Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. is a visual effects and computer animation studio headquartered in Vancouver , British Columbia and Montreal , Quebec , with an additional office on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, California . SPI

2646-578: The urban and building levels. Specific applications in architecture not only include the specification of building structures (such as walls and windows) and walk-throughs but the effects of light and how sunlight will affect a specific design at different times of the day. Architectural modeling tools have now become increasingly internet-based. However, the quality of internet-based systems still lags behind sophisticated in-house modeling systems. In some applications, computer-generated images are used to "reverse engineer" historical buildings. For instance,

2700-585: The use of avatars . Virtual worlds are intended for its users to inhabit and interact, and the term today has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of avatars visible to others graphically. These avatars are usually depicted as textual, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional graphical representations, although other forms are possible (auditory and touch sensations for example). Some, but not all, virtual worlds allow for multiple users. Computer-generated imagery has been used in courtrooms, primarily since

2754-403: The visualization of the flow patterns in fluid dynamics to specific computer aided design applications. The data rendered may correspond to specific visual scenes that change as the user interacts with the system — e.g. simulators, such as flight simulators , make extensive use of CGI techniques for representing the world. At the abstract level, an interactive visualization process involves

SECTION 50

#1732776660895

2808-500: Was Will Powers ' Adventures in Success (1983). Prior to CGI being prevalent in film, virtual reality, personal computing and gaming, one of the early practical applications of CGI was for aviation and military training, namely the flight simulator . Visual systems developed in flight simulators were also an important precursor to three dimensional computer graphics and Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) systems today. Namely because

2862-536: Was produced by sister company Sony Pictures Animation . In 2007, SPI acquired Indian visual effects studio FrameFlow to take advantage of lower labor costs. Renamed to Imageworks India, a modern facility was opened in Chennai a year later. To leverage New Mexico's tax rebates and talent base, a satellite production facility was opened in 2007 in Albuquerque , becoming the largest post-production operation in

2916-518: Was used on projects such as Monster House , Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs , 2012 , Alice in Wonderland , The Smurfs , Arthur Christmas and is being used on all upcoming SPI's films. Sony Pictures Imageworks has provided visual effects and digital animation for the following films: In an article published by Vulture in June 2023, several animators quit Spider-Man: Across

#894105