[lukx]

I was looking at Hatch demo reel http://www.hatchfx.com/realistic_demo.php

and was wondering how for example they did this jungle shot (camera moving from top). It's matte or 3d? Are there any tools for making such nice looking woods or jungles. I know about www.gardenhose.com but it's for painter and paint shop pro. Is there anything for photoshop?

[DF]

Hi guys, Alp sent me the link to this forum. I will try to answer as many questions as I can from now on. Lukx, you were asking a question about the jungle shot. Were you reffering to the pull out shot from "The Rundown" or the fly over shot from "River Queen". Both use similar techniques in the projection, but they are very different in the way I put the images together.
First off, after nearly 13 years of doing Digital Paintings I came to the conclusion that the way the so called (painting) was put together did not matter. I spent a lot of time in the beginning to do everything with the painting tools, making sure I was not using any photos or other elements. A 2D painting would usually take me 2 weeks to complete. Now I don't give a f... how I do it as long as I can finish it fast and that the shot looks great. So I will use a lot of photos. I will do a layout by hand for composition and spend a long time sorting photos that I took from various locations. Fiding matching photos is a lot of work, if you are not use to it ,you will find yourself working for hours trying to blend several photos for nothing. For "The Rundown" I had around a 100 digital pics of the jungle that I took from an helicopter. I used them for that shot, and it worked because from any angles the trees were all matching (species).
For "River Queen" the shot required a low backlight morning sun. Try to find photos that matches the angle, the terrain and the light at the same time. Almost impossible. So I decided to build my forest. I bought 10 huge packs of lichen at the train store, built the hills , put the lichen on it, shaped it. It took us an afternoon to do it with Mark. Light it , put some smoke.
It worked really well. I photographed the same hills at different angles and rotated it. For the bg I used different photos that I had from Switzerland and added a lot of haze. At the end , nothing matters but one thing, it has to look good on film. How You get there nobody cares. Nobody is gonna say " well is sucks, but at least he painted the entire thing by hand."
I think that the process of making digital paintings can become quite boring when you spend all your time using the same technique. That is why I am using more and more miniatures. It gives me the chance to be in the workshop and have fun.
I use camera projo on almost every moving shots. Even if it's a slight move. It just gives me this impression of depth that the painting lacks.
It's more something that you can feel than see.

hope it helped.

Ciao

Deak

[lukx]

:D Thank you Deak for your time and your answers.
What you said about putting everything together is so true.
For client how you did the job doesn't matter at all he just want to see nice final product. I would like to ask one more question regarding camera projection just to make sure I get it right.
Example:
I want to create fly over shot like "River Qeen" one.
- create simple terrain geometry in 3d package
- create camera in this scene looking from top and making this camera projection one
- create another moving camera
- taking rendered terrain geometry from projection camera (texture) into photoshop
and start creating mattepainting over 3d geom.
- assigning created in photoshop texture to 3d terrain in 3d package

Again thank you for your answers :D

[doom]

hi lukx, I work with Deak at Hatch so I think I can help you on this one.

The steps your taking are not exacly what you need to do. Projecting with your camera from top will produce the same result as making a normal texture projection( let say XZ). What you need to do is:

-first create your painting, you will have to think about the move you want to put on it as your creating the painting so you can create the different layer you will need to feel the perspective. Ex: Foreground, middleground and background.

-once you have a rough painting, then you go in the 3D package and you create a simple geometry that follows your painting. Think about how the painting will look in 3D. That way you can setup your camera accordingly so it makes sense in the 3D world, horizon at same place, lens etc..

-when you have the geometry that fits your painting then you do the camera projection. If you render the 3d scene at the frame you projected you should have as a result a 3d render that looks exacly like your painting. At that point your 3D model has no effect on the painting. it is when you move the camera that you will see the 3D. Let's use a simple push-in as an exemple. So first frame is your projection, everything looks all right, then you start pushing-in(moving the camera foward) it should work for a number of frames as long as your move is not too exagerated. As you push in you will see the streching in your projected painting. This is where you render that frame(let's say frame 50) with the bad streching and you bring it in photoshop to corect it.

-Usualy in photoshop I make sure to create another layer on top of the rendered frame(50) and then do my correction. A transparent layer will give you an alpha of all your corrections and this is what you want to project, only the correction, not the whole image. Also make sure that you don't go all the way to the side of the image cause you will end up with a straight line in your painting(edge of the projection) once you go back to frame 1.

-Once the corrections are done on Frame 50. you go back the 3D scene and you project your corrections.

You just keep doing this until your shot looks like you want... look at it in 3D, find the problematic area, render that frame, correct it and project your corections.

I hope this helps you.

Dom.

[lukx]

wow, I'm thrilled another Hatch artist in my post. Thank you Dominic.
Now I understand better whole process. Just one thing isn't too clear for me. (Sorry if I sound really noob) Projecting corrected pieces. Let's say that I projected onto geometry my matte, I'm moving with camera forward and bum I got stretching. I'm not sure how it works in Maya but in max I from one camera I can project only one image and I have no idea how I can then change my first matte to corrected one. I understand that when I have in foreground rocks and they hiding background I can project on backgorund my matte and on foreground, and when moving forward when rocks in front will unhide backgorund I can paint missing part and project only fixed matte on this object. But what if I got this stretching on sides o rocks? Or maybe when I see that there is something worng with matte on one of the objects when moving forward I should project separately only on this object this fixed part? Am I correct? So I'm starting my by projecting matte on main things as background, midleground, foreground then animating and if in some part I see something wrong I create another object for this piece and project on it only fixed image.

[doom]

Ok, if you can only project 1 image per camera, then duplicate your camera at the frame you want to project and use this new camera for your second projection.

For the corrections situation, you have to understand that the corrections you make are patches( that's why I was talking about using the alpha from your new layer in photoshop). You always leave your first projection as is, this is kind of your base and then you layer the corretions(patches) on top. So you have projection of frame 1 and then on top of it you project the corrections(again lets say frame 50). the corretions will act like a patch on top of the original painting, a patch that is made to correct only a certain area. If you project a whole new texture overall you will end up with frame 50 that works and if you go back to frame 1, it won't work.

If the corrections happen to be only on one object, good for you, your lucky :), but often you will end up with a patch that goes over a number of different objects. You just need to make sure you project your patch on all the object that the patch "touches".

does that help?

[lukx]

Thank you Dominic :D . But I guess I need to learn more first of all about 3d package I'm using to figure out how to apply those patches because this part I still can't figure out. Time to paly with it.

[mdwsr]

Some pretty impressive stuff from hatch. I still have the "puffy little clouds" tune stuck in my head from an older demo reel I viewed one time.

[lukx]

okey I did it in max. But I required setting another projection camera for the angle where strething happens. I wonder how in Maya camera projection works that you can project more than one image per camera and how it knows how to apply patch if camera is still standing in fornt of the object and problematic area is on it's side.
If someone is interested how to make it in max here's how I did it:

create matte
import into max
create camera (it will be projo)
create geometry based on matte
create another camera (this one will be anim)
in material editor create standard material and in diffuse slot assign composite map
for first map choose camera map per pixel, there choose as camera your camera projo and as texture your matte
assign material to geometry
move your anim where you want and start seeing that something is wrong
duplicate anim cam at this problematic frame (projo cam 2)
render image
fix it in photoshop (all fixes as another layer)
create alpha for fixes.
in max for your geometry material in composite choose another map (2) and there assign camera per pixel (there select as camera your second camera projo and as texture take fixed matte and also tick MASK and there assign your alpha for this fixed matte)
render...

repeat those steps for every other frame with problems.
just create another cameras and another map per pixel in composit material.

[trufais]

Deak,

Greetings from Kandersteg!

I’ve been waiting a very long time for you to join all of us here in the forum.

What a relief, I was wondering if you were ever going to sign on!

As expected, your responses to the questions are right on target. You and Dom should really think about making a tutorial DVD so others can benefit from your experience. I watched the new demo reel on www.hatchfx.com and thought it was absolutely fantastic. Thanks to Dom as well for his comments, they were very insightful.

I will try to chat again after my vacation! I’m off of to England to relax for a few weeks where I hope to get a room that is not under new construction.

Ciao!

Trufais