Hasta La Motion!

cmiVFX Releases New Autodesk Flame 2012 Jump Start Video
High Definition Training Videos for the Visual Effects Industry

Princeton, NJ (April 15th, 2011) – cmiVFX launches its latest full feature training video for Autodesk’s Flame Premium 2012 Comositing Package. This video is an electrified, fast paced JUMP START for anyone trying to learn Autodesk Flame. This content is geared for those who have seen Visual Effects applications before, and have a general idea of how to use a lower end compositing application, such as Adobe After FX, Nuke or Fusion. Flame Jump Start covers everything you need to know in order to navigate the extremely deep, user interface of Autodesk Flame that has been accumulating tools since the begging of the Digital Visual Effects Software generation. At cmiVFX, we realize that user manuals, online videos snippets, and potentially misleading information that exists on the web, can be a major waste of time. The vastness of this software is mind boggling to anyone that sits in front of it for the first time, UNTIL NOW! Count on knowing nearly all of the user interface controls in 3 short hours! This video can be followed by our current advanced training on the cmiVFX.com website. We will be rebuilding detailed sub sections of future training for Batch, Action, Keying, Color Grading, and Editing. Jump Start is the first video in this series. All videos will be released a few weeks apart to help lower the cost to the consumer. This video which equals thousands of dollars of live training, is available for only $59.95 USD!

Short Description
The one video that will JUMP START you into FLAME. (Pun Intended) This is the best way to learn how to use the Flame environment. Bar None.

Here at cmiVFX we maintain a current training library for the latest versions of popular software titles. When it comes to high end CG and VFX training, there is only once choice… cmiVFX!

Don’t forget about the cmiSubscription plan! Get one today. cmiVFX launched the most affordable subscription plan in Visual FX Training History for only $299 USD, and if you were a subscriber, this New Training Release would already be in your account. This video is also available a-la-cart in our brand new HTML5 player system.

Autodesk Flame 2012 Jump Start
http://store.cmivfx.com/tutorials/vi…ame+Jump+Start

Introduction
Curious about our experience? Curious about your experience? Just plain curious? No worries, we will ease you into this video with some light chat, quick Flame environment setup, talk about directory structures and more.

Preferences
It’s not like cmiVFX to create a video in which you cover preferences of a software application to great extent, but with such a BEAST of a software package, we focus right down into those preferences so that you can follow along and be most efficient when working on the desktop and volume management issues. (Disk Space and Storage). It wont take too long, don’t worry… but you really need to glimpse at this before moving on.

Library
It’s not your local public library, but after a while it can look like one! Learn how ingest media, manage organization, control versioning, visualize wasted space, reach 3rd party networks, link, import and revise data to disk. (SAY THAT 5 TIMES FAST!) This is the heart of your data structure… albeit, a visual way of controlling media. (Chats about XML, EDL, OMF are spoken of)

Desktop
Considered to be the most powerful part of the software, Flame Desktop rivals no other in visual, gestural editing workflows. Manage clips, make edits, version control, organize libraries, gain access to an enormous amount of tools for pre-processing clips and perform long format editing for dailies. Believe us when we say, this description doesn’t due Flame Desktop justice. Its really feature rich.

Batch Basics
We put this high up on the list for several reasons. Autodesk has been moving flame to a more procedural workflow in version 2012, than ever before. If you use, Nuke, Toxik, Fusion, or maybe a compositing application not available to the public, you will start to feel at home after this chapter. We demonstrate how to navigate, build, manage, and script a Batch Tree. We also make comparisons to 3rd party compositors to help correlate similar ideologies in the Visual Effects game. This knowledge will plug directly into our more advanced videos as well.

Action, the new Batch?
Action has completely come full circle as a node based 3d compositor in its own right. It has been updated with a ton of tools and effects options in the 2012 release, that we felt a Action Update chapter was crucial to help you navigate the new changes. its impossible to cover action in one chapter, so we focus on functionality exclusively. This chapter will plug right into our more advanced videos as well. We also show you integration of Action within batch, which we feel is the best way to start off these days.

About The Artist
Chris Maynard has been nominated for 10 New Media Awards for Computer Based Training, and the recipient of 8 New Media Award wins. He has worked as an illustrator, sculptor, Visual Effects Compositor, LIDAR processor and 3D MatchMover for Films and Television. A large portion of his career was spent assisting Software Companies future tool development, and is thought to have more Software Non Disclosure Agreements signed to his name then anyone else in the business. As the owner of cmiVFX, he keeps in touch with hundreds of artists around the world at any given time, finding out the latest technology and techniques for Visual Effects and Computer Graphics.

This video is available today at the cmiVFX Store: http://store.cmivfx.com/

About cmiVFX
cmiVFX is the leader in High Definition Video Training for the Visual Effects Community. Register for FREE and receive hours of FREE content at the cmiVFX Video-on-Demand Player. ( http://store.cmivfx.com/login ) For additional information about cmiVFX, visit http://www.cmivfx.com. © 2010 cmiVFX | cmiStudios. All rights reserved.

Hi all.
Im helping on a pitch where we need to have an actor lose a leg, and spend quite a lot of the show with the lower half of his leg missing. I know most of this will just be paint-out shots, but it would be good to see examples of how other vfx companies have tackled this.
This is a good example:
http://engineroomhollywood.com/news/soul-surfer/

I vaguely recall seeing a behind the scenes for a war film where and actor lost his lower leg and they did things like cut holes in the side of a boat that he had to swing his leg stump over, allowing the supposedly missing part of his real leg to move freely through the gap, then painted the boat back in. Its those mind of subtle considerations that will allow the best acting performance that Im trying to
find.

Thanks

cmiVFX Releases New Autodesk 3DS Max Matte Painting Extraction Video
High Definition Training Videos for the Visual Effects Industry

Princeton, NJ (April 15th, 2011) – cmiVFX launches its latest full feature training video for Autodesk’s 3DS Max Computer Graphics Animation Package. This video is geared towards delivering impossible shots from angles that are extremely difficult to get a camera rig set up. Originally, this technique was used for just complex shots, but in the last few years, this technique is becoming common place for a lot more then just complex camera shots. Wether you are doing 2D to 3D stereoscopic shot conversions, or projecting high rez stills on LIDAR scan data, the techniques in this video will assist you through the long river of problematic scenarios that is the post production process.

Short Description
This video shows you how to begin Camera Mapping, then become and Expert in Matte Painting extraction for Autodesk 3DS Max! The information about Z-Channel generation is worth the watch for artists using ANY application.

Here at cmiVFX we maintain a current training library for the latest versions of popular software titles. When it comes to high end CG and VFX training, there is only once choice… cmiVFX!

Don’t forget about the cmiSubscription plan! Get one today. cmiVFX launched the most affordable subscription plan in Visual FX Training History for only $299 USD, and if you were a subscriber, this New Training Release would already be in your account. This video is also available a-la-cart in our brand new HTML5 player system.

Autodesk 3DS Max Matte Painting Extraction
http://store.cmivfx.com/tutorials/vi…ng+Extractions

Introduction
Have you ever wanted to know how to convert a still image to an animation and be able to "fly through" it in 3d? Learn how to set up beautiful camera projections inside of Autodesk 3DS Max. Practice the techniques and theory about camera mapping and you will understand how to solve complex 2d to 3d conversions for a wide variety of shots. With this training video you will get the solid foundation you are looking for, from beginning to advanced knowledge about how to utilize Matte Painting Extraction techniques. The use of this video will translate skills to almost any CG Animation package.

Basics
Camera mapping is a topic that you can create as little or as much detail that you want based on the distance from the camera you are required to use. As you learn from this video you will be able to make increasingly complex projections, but as with everything else, you have to start with the basics. We walk you through the basic steps involved and create a simple projection, so you can get the hang of it. This part is for getting you started and to show you the most useful tools in 3DS Max.

Texture Extraction
Now it’s time to start on the advanced project which has a much more complex projection. We will go through every step from having just a still image frame to a complete animation. In photoshop we are going to extract different parts of the photograph and you will learn the theory behind texture extraction. (This is very important)

Modeling
Aligning the camera and creating geometry for objects in the image is key to creating a successful projection. Start with simple splines and primitives to build your scene from scratch using the image as reference. Learn some helpful tips and tricks for modeling that will both speed up your workflow and improve the final result.

Texturing
The very heart of this tutorial is the mapping process itself. Learn the methods of projecting textures and how to set them up for the optimal result. We will go through the process of aligning how the textures are projected. Troubleshooting is one of the most important skills needed for creating stunning projections, since problems that need
to be solved always come up one way or another. When the projection is completed we add a camera and animate it.

Rendering
The last step in 3DS Max is of course rendering everything out to disk for later compositing. Learn how to deal with complications when rendering the z-depth pass. We will work our way around a difficult problem plaguing all CG application with the z-depth pass and show you how to deal with it. Set up custom falloff materials and use them in combination with the automatic z-depth pass to get the optimal result.

Compositing
Put together a working z-depth pass using a few tricks and effects in Adobe After Effects and use it as a map for depth of field. Learn some different uses for the z-depth pass and how to use it for different effects such as fog or simulating night.

About The Artist
Marcus Lundberg is a young Swedish 3D-artist and modeler who recently has begun working as a freelancer. He main areas are creating matte painting environments, high-poly modeling and fluid simulations. He has a big interest in visual effects and discovered it in his late teens, and it has been his big passion ever since. Making tutorials and sharing his knowledge is another one of his passions. Marcus, who considers tutorials one of the best ways to learn a program or method, enjoys teaching and passing his skills on.

This video is available today at the cmiVFX Store: http://store.cmivfx.com/

About cmiVFX
cmiVFX is the leader in High Definition Video Training for the Visual Effects Community. Register for FREE and receive hours of FREE content at the cmiVFX Video-on-Demand Player. ( http://store.cmivfx.com/login ) For additional information about cmiVFX, visit http://www.cmivfx.com. © 2010 cmiVFX | cmiStudios. All rights reserved.

Hello everyone!

Does anyone have a link(s) to some free 3d stock footage that I can practice on? It can be anything from a multipass composite to some matchmoving exercises.
I found this site, which is exactly what Im looking for. In particular the t-rex chase.
http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.us/trackingplates.html

Cheers!

hi,
is it me or something else? for a couple of months,every time i come upon vfxtalk there have been no new case studies or any interesting works in the gallery sections.earlier there would been an update every fortnight and it was fun and interesting to see all tht work.are the moderators really busy or is it something else??:confused::confused: