Week One

What do you think one of the current VFX trends are?

I think the extensive use of green / blue screens for the background of sets replacing physical matte paintings is a huge trend during the 2010’s for film and tv.

Simulation vs Simulacra

Simulation – The act of copying something, copying reality in a computer model

Simulacra – An image representation of something. An incomplete imitation.

Discussion – VFX artists are a slave to the lens

In my opinion, as long as film is made through a camera, VFX artists will always be a slave to the lens. Anything made digitally has to simulate the look of a lens so that it looks “correct” when placed into the recorded video. This means that VFX in film will always be less realistic unless it is a personal project specifically trying to be as real as possible.

Harold Edgerton’s effect on modern media

Edgerton’s bullet through an apple.

The classic Matrix bullet time.

Week One Homework

Dr James Fox is an art historian, author, and TV broadcaster. In this essay, I will attempt to consolidate my feelings on the first episode of Fox’s “Age of the Image.”
In this episode, Fox tries to explain his thoughts on the phrase “The age of the image.” Through watching this episode. I believe that what he means by this is that, once the camera was available to the masses, people came to realise how easy it is to “save” a memory by just snapping a picture. Through this, multiple advancements were made to streamline this process, and it has ultimately developed into the world of screens that we see today.

Due to how easy it is to relive and share your memories in this modern age, we have developed a sense of needing picture proof to believe someone’s statement. Something as simple as “I’ve seen the Mona Lisa” is now unbelievable until picture evidence is presented.

I believe that, because of this over-reliance on image proof, we have set into motion this dystopian-like present where memories are no longer lived through our eyes, but through cameras and screens.

Week Two

Where are images becoming more like reality, or reality more like images.

While I can’t think of any examples relating specifically to the prompt. I do think that an interesting relation to this prompt is a game called Viewfinder. The objective of the game is to take paintings and images of spaces and place them into your “reality” in order to navigate through the world.

Week Two Homework

The Photographic Truth-Claim is the idea that analogue images are inherently more trustworthy representations of reality compared to their digital counterparts. This belief stems from the notion that analogue images, by their very nature, are created through a physical process that captures light and matter directly, making them a “true” representation of the world as it appeared at the moment of capture.

 

The rise of digital imaging techniques has fuelled scepticism about the authenticity of photographs and videos, as photo and video editing software allows users to easily modify, enhance, or even fabricate content. This has lead to a growing concern that digital images, by virtue of their malleability, no longer provide an unaltered look at life and are thus unreliable.

 

However, advancements in digital forensics have emerged as a response to this challenge. Digital forensics is a specialised field within the forensic sciences, focussed on the analytics of digital data. Experts in digital forensics can use a variety of tools and techniques to detect alterations in digital media. This includes examining metadata, identifying inconsistencies in pixel patterns, and using software that can trace any edits made to an image. Through this, they have helped re-establish the belief in digital media, allowing investigators to uncover the original reality that was captured.

 

One notable context in which the photographic truth-claim is particularly relevant is in news media. News outlets, which are often considered trusted sources of information, can be affected by biases, whether intentional or not. In an era of digital media, news organisations are able to select, crop, and edit images to highlight certain aspects of reality that fit their editorial narrative or agenda. By framing images in a specific way, media outlets can subtly influence how a story is perceived by the public.

Week Three

Week Three Homework

Compositing is the act of compiling together multiple visual elements into one cohesive image. This skill is widely used in the film, video game, and television industries to blend all forms of media into an experience for the viewer. Elements that are used in compositing can be camera footage, 3D assets, matte paintings, and particle renders.
The process typically consists of keying, tracking, shot matching, and compiling resources such as 3D assets, camera shots, and -sometimes- stock footage.
Keying is the process of separating elements in an image or video by their colour, through practices such as removing a green or blue screen, editing the colours of an image to add or subtract warmth, or adding a specific hue to a scene.

Tracking is as stated. When an asset is digitally added to a specific space in a scene, it needs to be tracked onto the image. This is achieved by adding specific tracking points to a spot on an image using keyframes, using a tool to fill in the gaps, and having an asset follow those points across the screen to give the illusion of being in the scene.
Shot matching is a colour grading technique used in post-production that consists of adjusting colour, contrast, and exposure in order to have every shot of a scene look cohesive and consistent.

Week Four

CGI Photorealism

Snoke Supreme, ILM

Concept Car Design

3D Rendering in Marketing

Interstellar’s Black Hole

Week Four Homework

In the world of high-end CGI, photorealism has emerged as a dominant aesthetic standard, particularly in the realm of 3D modelling. Photorealism aims to create images that are indistinguishable from their real-life counterparts.

The key techniques used to achieve a photorealistic image are global illumination, physically based rendering, and subsurface scattering. Added on top of these techniques are high-quality textures, and realistic animation – specifically in the face, as this is where much of our uncanny reaction comes from.

The ability to create photorealistic 3D models has opened up a wide range of applications across various industries. Some of the most prominent uses include:

Film

Photorealism is now a hallmark of modern CGI in the film industry. Many blockbuster movies, such as Avatar and The Lion King heavily depend on this technique in order to create their worlds and characters.

Architecture and Visualisation

In the visualisation industry, architects and concept designers use realistic renders to display their projects to clients and sell products. Architects will have teams create detailed renders of buildings, interior designs, and urban landscapes. These renders are then shown to clients to propose an offer to them and can be edited per their request. Such a process has helped massively with the construction of these custom buildings due to having such a streamlined planning phase.

Virtual Reality and Videogames

The gaming industry is another domain where, in recent years, photorealism has taken off. In games, having the world be as realistic as possible helps players immerse themselves in the world and interact with it as they would their own.

Week Five

Week Five Homework

Motion Capture
Motion capture is a technique where the movements of an actor or object are recorded using sensors or cameras and then translated into data. This data is applied to a 3D character or model, making it move in a way that mirrors the original performance.

Advantages:
Realistic motion – Since it captures human movement, the resulting animation tends to look lifelike and natural.
Efficiency – Capturing an actor’s movements once can save a lot of time compared to animating every frame.
Complex movements – Mo-cap can handle intricate and subtle movements, such as facial expressions and body language.

Disadvantages:
Limited to realistic motion – Mo-cap works best for human-like or realistic movements, it cannot capture what is unnatural as it is based on an actor.
Setup – The process can be expensive, requiring specialised equipment, studios, and technicians.

Keyframe Animation
Keyframe animation is a traditional technique in which an animator creates a series of key frames that define the major points of an animation. The computer, or animator, then generates the intermediate frames (In-betweens) to fill the gaps, creating motion.

Advantages:
Creative freedom – Animators have full control over the character or object’s movement and can create highly stylised or exaggerated actions that are impossible to achieve with mo-cap.
Cost-effective for simpler animations – For certain animations, keyframe animation can be less expensive than motion capture.

Disadvantages:
Time-consuming – Traditional keyframe animation is a very time intensive process.
Limited Realism – While skilled animators can produce convincing movement, it often lacks the natural fluidity that motion capture can achieve.

Week Six

Week Six Homework

Reality Capture
Reality capture involves using 3D scanning, photogrammetry, and LiDAR technology to create precise digital models of real-world environments. One of the pioneers in this field is ScanLAB Projects, a UK-based company known for using advanced scanning techniques to document and reconstruct spaces for architecture, heritage conservation, film, and more.

ScanLAB Projects employs LiDAR and photogrammetry to capture 3D models. LiDAR uses laser pulses to create accurate point clouds, while photogrammetry combines photographs into 3D models. These technologies have been applied in projects like the King’s Cross Station renovation, where they provided detailed scans of the station’s architecture. This data served as the foundation for preservation and redevelopment, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in planning.

Another example is ScanLAB’s work with cultural heritage, where they use reality capture to preserve artworks and historic buildings. Through photogrammetry and scanning, they have created immersive VR exhibitions, allowing users to explore digital replicas of these spaces and artefacts remotely. This technology also enables the virtual restoration of these scans, which can bring new life to these artefacts digitally.

Beyond architecture, reality capture is transforming fields such as film, urban planning, and forensics, offering precise, data-rich models for analysis, simulation, and preservation.

Week Seven

Week Eight

Image analysis based on Baudrillard’s theory of Simulation and Simulacra

Phase one – A painting

Phase two – A picture of the painting

Phase three – A digitally edited version

Phase four – Computer generated (AI)

Week Nine

What is virtual production?

Virtual production is a method of filmmaking that uses CGI, motion capture, and other modern technologies and approaches in order to create realistic environments on a virtual set. This technique incorporates VFX throughout the production, instead of in the post production stage. Different kinds of software are used to allow studios to capture something like the movement of a physical camera and translate it into a virtual world to replicate that movement behind an actor. This is most commonly known from the production from The Mandalorian (2019).

A major benefit of virtual production is it’s use in fantasy productions, where magical or off-world scenarios can play out much easier with a virtual background than with more traditional film methods.

Virtual Production Pipeline –

• Previsualization (Previs) – Planning out what the film is going to look like. The process of blocking out ideas and making rough animatics of potential scenes.
• Pitch Visualization (Pitchvis) – Usually occurs before a project is greenlit, designed to pitch the project to stakeholders by demonstrating the look and feel of the completed project.
• Technical Visualization (Techvis) – Used to work out the feasibility of shot designs and find the technical requirements of said shots. Can also help find out how much of a physical set is needed before going virtual.
• Stunt Visualization (Stuntvis) – Also known as Action Design. A combination of previs and techvis for physical stunts and action sequences.
• Post-Visualization (Postvis) – Is used after the shot is completed, or is used to create the shot entirely. These shots are most commonly ones with green or blue screen elements.
• In-Camera VFX (ICVFX) – The production technique showcased in the image above. These are filmed on virtual sets with huge LED screens that display a digital set tied to the movement of the camera.

Virtual Production Case Study – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Previs

Dry-to-Wet

CGI Scene

Assignment Title Choice

Assignment

Photorealism and its relation to 3D Modeling.
Introduction
Photorealism, an artistic movement that emerged in the late 1960s, is defined by its commitment to creating an image in a way that resembles a high-resolution photograph. Artists who embraced this style aimed to recreate the visual details of their subjects with such precision that the viewer would be unable to tell if it was a painting, sculpture, or photograph. Photorealism was born as a reaction to the abstract art movements of the 20th century and represented the return to traditional techniques, albeit executed with modern tools and perspectives. With the rise of digital technologies, photorealism expanded its reach into the realm of 3D modeling and computer-generated imagery (CGI). The concept of creating lifelike images, whether through traditional art forms or digital means, converged in the advent of the digital era, where software
allowed artists to replicate reality in even more sophisticated ways than ever before.

The Birth of Photorealism
Before I explore the relationship between photorealism and 3D modeling, it is imperative to understand the roots of photorealism. Photorealism began as a movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States, with artists such as Richards Estes, Chuck Close, and Ralph Goings. These artists used photographs as reference material, with the goal of recreating the image as realistically as possible through painting. For example, Richard Estes is known for his cityscapes that mimic the sharp reflections of glass and metal surfaces with startling levels of precision. The technical aspects of photorealism were marked by meticulous attention to detail. Artists often
employed techniques such as airbrushing and using grids to ensure that every feature of the reference photograph was faithfully replicated. As technology advanced, the tools available for photorealism also grew. The advent of digital photography, Photoshop, and other digital tools allowed for even greater precision and control over the final product. These developments laid the foundation for the intersection of photorealism and 3D modeling, where artists could now manipulate digital representations of reality with unprecedented accuracy.

Photorealism in 3D Modeling
The core of 3D modeling lies in creating digital representations of objects, characters, and environments in three-dimensional space using specialised software. Photorealism in 3D modeling refers to the ability of 3D artists to craft scenes and objects that look as realistic as photographs, using advanced rendering techniques, high-fidelity textures, and realistic lighting effects. It is here that the overlap with traditional photorealism becomes evident to the viewer. The process of creating a photorealistic 3D model involves several steps, each one contributing to
the final product’s feel of authenticity. These include modeling, texturing, lighting, and rendering.
• Modeling: In 3D modeling, the artist first creates the geometry of the object or scene. This step is akin to a sculptor’s process but completed virtually. The use of digital tools such as Blender, Maya, or ZBrush allows artists to manipulate vertices, edges, and faces to create highly detailed three-dimensional shapes. When aiming for photorealism, modelers often rely on references, whether they are photographs or 3D scans of real-world objects to ensure that the models are as accurate and true to life as possible. For instance, the character design in The Lion King (2019) employed highly detailed 3D models based on real-life animal anatomy, combined with real-world textures and lifelike movements. The team behind the film used photogrammetry to scan animals and study their features in minute detail. This allowed them to craft models that could closely match the look of real-life lions.
• Texturing: Texturing is one of the most crucial aspects of photorealistic 3D modeling. It
refers to the process of applying surface details to the 3D model, including the color,
material properties, and patterns. The textures applied to a model can greatly affect its
realism, as they mimic the appearance of real-world surfaces such as skin, fabric, or metal. To achieve photorealism, artists often use high-resolution textures, sometimes sourced from real photographs, to match the smallest details, such as pores on the skin, cracks in wood, or rust on metal. One example of texture work in 3D modeling can be seen in the Uncharted video game series. The game developers at Naughty Dog are known for their expertise in creating photorealistic environments and character models. The textures used in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End are created using a combination of hand-painted textures and photorealistic scans of real-world surfaces, contributing to a highly immersive and realistic world.
• Lighting and Shading: Lighting is a critical factor in achieving photorealism in 3D
environments. Just as in traditional photography or painting, the way light interacts with the scene can significantly impact the realism of the image. 3D artists use a variety of lighting techniques to mimic natural lighting or artificial light sources in their digital models. One common technique in 3D modeling is global illumination, which simulates the way light bounces off surfaces and indirectly illuminates the scene. This technique helps in creating realistic lighting conditions and shadows. In addition, artists use ray tracing—a rendering technique that simulates the physical behavior of light—as part of the shading process. Ray tracing helps to simulate the reflections, refractions, and light scattering that occur in real life, making digital scenes appear incredibly lifelike. A prime example of the impact of lighting in 3D modeling is seen in films like Avatar (2009), where lighting and shading play an integral role in bringing the alien world of Pandora to life. The realistic lighting effects that mimic atmospheric conditions, the reflection of light on water, and the shadows in the jungle scenes demonstrate the importance of photorealism in creating an immersive environment.
• Rendering: Rendering is the final step in the 3D modeling pipeline, where the digital model is converted into a 2D image or animation. Advanced rendering techniques such as path tracing and ray tracing are used to simulate the way light interacts with materials and surfaces, helping to produce photorealistic images. One notable example of rendering in photorealism is the animated movie The Good Dinosaur (2015), produced by Pixar. The movie’s rendering technology allowed it to capture a breathtaking level of detail in the textures of the environment and the characters. The foliage, water, and rocks were rendered using advanced algorithms that helped achieve a natural, lifelike look, making the film’s world appear tangible and realistic despite its animated nature.

Applications of Photorealism in 3D Modeling
The potential for photorealistic 3D modeling extends beyond just animation and video games; it has practical applications in fields such as architecture, product design, and even virtual reality. Let’s look at a few of these areas:
• Architecture and Urban Planning: In architectural visualization, photorealism in 3D
modeling is essential for accurately representing buildings and spaces. Architects and
designers use 3D modeling to create realistic renderings of their designs before they are built, allowing clients to experience a digital version of the space. By integrating
photorealistic elements, such as accurate textures, lighting, and shadows, architects can give a true sense of how their designs will appear in the real world. One example is the virtual walkthroughs created for new residential and commercial buildings. These 3D renderings are often indistinguishable from actual photographs, providing clients with an immersive and realistic preview of the finished structure. Software such as Autodesk 3ds Max and V Ray is commonly used in this field to produce high-quality photorealistic renderings.
• Product Design and Marketing: Photorealistic 3D modeling is also widely used in product design and marketing, where manufacturers and advertisers seek to showcase their products in the best possible light. By creating lifelike 3D models of products, designers can simulate how the product will look and function before it is even produced. A notable example can be seen in the automotive industry. Companies like Tesla use 3D modeling to create photorealistic digital prototypes of their cars, allowing them to test different materials, colors, and features in virtual environments. These renderings are often used in advertising campaigns, allowing potential customers to explore the product in great detail before it hits the market.
• Virtual and Augmented Reality: Virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) are fields
where photorealism plays a crucial role. To create a convincing virtual experience,
developers use 3D modeling techniques that produce lifelike textures, lighting, and shadows. In VR games and experiences, achieving photorealism is important to enhance immersion and make the digital world feel as real as possible. In the medical field, for instance, VR simulations can be used to replicate surgeries or medical procedures with incredible detail. 3D models of organs or human bodies are created with photorealistic textures and lighting to assist in education and training.

Conclusion
The intersection of photorealism and 3D modeling has led to significant advancements in how digital artists create lifelike visuals across a wide range of industries. From animation to architecture, photorealistic 3D models have transformed our ability to represent and experience the world in digital form. As technology continues to evolve, so too will the techniques used to achieve photorealism, offering even more opportunities for creative expression and practical application. The union of artistic vision and digital tools has not only changed the way we interact with media
but has also expanded the boundaries of what is possible in digital creation.