Pointcloud9 Lidar scanning on fxguide

fxguide just featured us and our Pointcloud9 Lidar scanning service in a new article. Also the fxphd visual effects school is giving a camera tracking class by Victor Wolansky this semester using one of our Lidar scans to align the track and to achieve better tracking results in less time. The footage for the class was shot by VFX supervisor Frank Schlegel using his own RED camera. Head over to fxguide to read the whole article:

Thanks to Mike, Ian, Victor and Frank!

Houdini now simulating at RISE

We have added SideFX's Houdini 3D animation and simulation package to our feature film fx pipeline. Thanks to Houdini we are now capable of offering the highest standard of simulation work for natural phenomenons, particle simulations, smoke, fire, water and destruction of all kinds. Currently our 3D department is working heavily on integrating it into our pipeline and optimizing interoperability with all other software packages used at RISE.

If you are a talented Houdini TD and if you are interested in working with us - please check the jobs page for openings starting January 2012.

3000 shots in 180 days... That's 16.667 Shots a day!!!

When Rayk Schroeder signed on to supervise the VFX work for the second season of Ijon Tichy he was already aware that it wouldn't end up being a standard 100-600 shot project. But he didn't expect 3000 shots either. In the end Rayk and his small team managed to finish the 3000 shots within roughly 6 months by automating various tasks, beta testing our own high-speed shot management database and preparing as good as possible for when the storm would hit. The combination of scale models, CG elements that were supposed to look like scale models, puppets and actors shot on greenscreen ended up being more than 80 percent of the entire running length of the series. Great work, guys. And a HUGE "THANK YOU" for hanging in there. A refreshingly abstract yet very, very creative approach to visual effects. Starting this Friday on ZDF:

The Laconia is sinking... Tomorrow...

RISE proudly created about 75 percent of all visual effects shots, among them the sinking of the CG Laconia, CG submarines and CG B24 bombers. Especially for the sinking of the ship a combination of computer simulated ocean and water, fuel puddles on the ocean, fire, smoke and the CG ship itself proved to be quite a challenge for crew and hardware. The goal was to stay away from Titanic's style as far as possible. So instead of going for a romantically moonlit atmosphere RISE designed the torpedo hit fire to illuminate the scene, bouncing of the ocean surface to create a nice interaction with the ship's hull. One of the references used over the course of the design process were the burning oil drills in Kuwait in the early 90s as well as last years oil drilling rig disaster, the Deepwater Horizon.

Watch Laconia on ARD, 2nd November, 8:15pm
Read everything about the History of the Laconia and about the film HERE!

Pointcloud9 online!

Starting today our subsidiary Pointcloud9 offers Lidar scanning services for the visual effects, film and game industries. We figured it was about time for someone in Germany to make everyone's life in 3D computer graphics a lot easier. Check out the new Pointcloud9 website for details, give us a call if you need advice or a quote!

The Captain is back!

Just days before the release of the "Captain America: The First Avenger" DVD and Blue-ray in the US Marvel Studios posted a special treat on Youtube: One of the scenes we've been working on and that didn't quite make it into the final movie. Enjoy it in it's full resolution 1080p glory!

Lust, violence and intrigues at RISE!

In August RISE finished over 230 VFX shots for Europe's most expensive TV series of all times: "BORGIA". The story of one of the cruelest chapters of the Vatican will be aired in Germany on ZDF between 17th and 27th of October. RISE brought Rome of 1492 to life and created digital environments for a family that was ruled by nothing but lust, violence and intrigues. Over 40 years ago the stories and legends about the Borgia were already the inspiration for "The Godfather". RISE developed a 3D topography of the old Rome with detailed virtual main locations like the Colosseum. These 3D renderings were the foundation for historically accurate matte paintings and set extensions. For several shots with thousands of digital characters a proprietary crowd tool was developed that was tailored to precisely meet the series' demands for a fast turnaround. "Borgia" is a co-production between Atlantique, Etic Films and ZDF.