My Son Allen Laughs!

Digital Skin Grafting 

In this article we will explain the technique behind Super Star Rajini's European complexion in the film 'Sivaji - The Boss' (Style Song). The film "Sivaji The Boss" starring super star Rajinikant is the costliest film made in India to date. Directed by S.Shanker, Cinematography by K.V.Anand, Music by .R.Rahman, Produced by A.V.M Productions and VFX supervised by Indian Artists (V.Srinivas M Mohan - VFX supervisor and T.K. JayaKumar - Partner). 

Rajini is well known actor worldwide. People call him “Super Star” because of his unique style. He is the 2nd highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie chan. 

In this film, director Shankar wanted to change Rajini's wheatish complexion to a white European complexion. As a visual effects company (Indian Artists) this was a challenging task for us because we guess nobody has executed this type of concept in the world. Thanks to Mr. Shankar for giving us this opportunity to execute his brilliant idea. 

Technique behind Dark Skin to Fair Skin 

To begin with, we (Indian artists) did an in-depth study of the European complexion. We found that white skin reflects more light and has less shadow when compared to dark skin and is translucent in some areas. Therefore a simple color correction of the hero's skin would not achieve the desired effect. 

For the shoot a London based young white lady with a fresh complexion and flushed cheeks was chosen and with the help of Cinematographer Mr. K.V.Anand every single shot of the hero was repeated with her because lighting conditions change in every shot. After the final edit all the 630 hero shots and 630 girl shots were scanned in 4K resolution. Each of the 9000 scanned frames were rotoscoped to separate the body parts (face, hands, legs etc.). The white lady's skin was mapped onto the Super Star's image using Eyeon “Digital Fusion” software. Thus the Super Star got his glowing white complexion. 

There were two difficult aspects in this project. One was matching the girl's action with the hero's action and the second was matching both of their body proportions during mapping. 

Though it sounds simple, the work involved was laborious and painstaking. Great attention was paid to detail right from the shoot until the final print. It has taken 25 dedicated CG technicians almost a year to achieve this 6 ½ min. feat. 

The 150 best 3D movies of all time

1. 102 Dalmatians
2. 2010
3. 300
4. A Bug‘s Life
5. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
6. A.Li.Ce
7. Akira
8. Alien3
9. Antz
10. Apollo 13
11. Appleseed (Apparushido)
12. Armageddon
13. Babe
14. Backdraft
15. Bad Boys II
16. Batman Begins
17. Batman Returns
18. Beauty and the Beast
19. Black Hawk Down
20. Blade
21. Brother Bear
22. Cars
23. Casper
24. Cassiopeia
25. Cast Away
26. Cats & Dogs
27. Chicken Little
28. Children of Men
29. Contact
30. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu Cang Long)
31. Death Becomes Her
32. Deep Impact
33. Dragonheart
34. Enemy at the Gates
35. Eragon
36. Fight Club
37. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
38. Finding Nemo
39. Flight of the Navigator
40. Forrest Gump
41. Futureworld
42. Ghost in the Shell (Kokaku Kidotai)
43. Gladiator
44. Happy Feet
45. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
46. Hollow Man
47. Hoodwinked!
48. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
49. Howl‘s Moving Castle (Hauru no Ugoku Shiro)
50. I, Robot
51. Ice Age
52. Immortel (Ad Vitam)
53. Independence Day
54. Innocence: Ghost In The Shell 2 (Innosensu: Kokaku Kidotai)
55. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
56. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
57. Jurassic Park
58. Kaena: The Prophecy (Kaena: La prophetie)
59. King Kong
60. Labyrinth
61. Looker
62. Madagascar
63. Mars Attacks!
64. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
65. Men In Black
66. Mighty Joe Young
67. Monster House
68. Monsters, Inc.
69. Open Season
70. Panic Room
71. Pan‘s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)
72. Pearl Harbor
73. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World‘s End
74. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
75. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man‘s Chest
76. Pitch Black
77. Planet of the Apes
78. Poseidon
79. Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime)
80. Ratatouille
81. Red Planet
82. Renaissance
83. RoboCop 2
84. Shark Tale
85. Shrek
86. Shrek 2
87. Sin City
88. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
89. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
90. Spider-Man
91. Spider-Man 2
92. Spider-Man 3
93. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
94. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi)
95. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
96. Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
97. Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace
98. Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack Of The Clones
99. Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge Of The Sith
100. Starship Troopers
101. Stealth
102. Steamboy (Suchimuboi)
103. Stuart Little
104. Sunshine
105. Superman Returns
106. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
107. The Abyss
108. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
109. The City of Lost Children (La Cite des Enfants Perdus)
110. The Corpse Bride
111. The Day After Tomorrow
112. The Fifth Element
113. The Flintstones
114. The Frighteners
115. The Incredibles
116. The Iron Giant
117. The Last Starfighter
118. The Lawnmower Man
119. The Lion King
120. The Living Forest (El Bosque Animado)
121. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
122. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
123. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
124. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
125. The Mask
126. The Matrix
127. The Matrix Reloaded
128. The Matrix Revolutions
129. The Perfect Storm
130. The Polar Express
131. The Professional: Golgo 13
132. The Time Machine
133. The Triplets of Belleville (Les Triplettes de Belleville)
134. Titanic
135. Total Recall
136. Toy Story
137. Toy Story 2
138. Transformers
139. Treasure Planet
140. TRON
141. True Lies
142. Twister
143. Wallace and Gromit in The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit
144. War of the Worlds
145. Waterworld
146. What Dreams May Come
147. World Trade Center
148. X2: X-Men United
149. X-Men
150. Young Sherlock Holmes

Anatomy for 3D artists

However far technology advances, anatomical knowledge will still form the basis of good character design. Follow this set of expert tips from 3D World to get better results from your own work. 

An aspiring character artist might ask: “How is anatomy important to my work?” The emphatic answer is that as a character artist, anatomy should inform every aspect of your work! Anatomy is the structural foundation that grounds characters in the physical world and makes them believable, even if they are cartoons or imaginary creatures. 

Of course, every CG artist needs to know how to use software applications, but what really separates an accomplished artist from a mere operator is artistic vision and a firm grounding in the fundamentals of human form. Artistic vision can’t easily be taught, but the enterprising artist will find that there’s a wealth of resources available that will help them discover more about anatomy. 

Fortunately for us, the fundamentals of artistic anatomy have been known for thousands of years. Unfortunately, there’s little opportunity to learn these anatomical fundamentals in art schools today. Like most of the knowledge of the great masters, the subject has fallen out of favour in education and, as a result, there are currently very few people who are qualified to teach the subject. This makes finding good instruction difficult and it transfers the responsibility of learning anatomy onto the artists themselves. 

This collection of tips will help you on your way towards the mastery of these fundamentals. Once you’ve finished, why not check out the list of recommended books on anatomy so you can increase your skills even more? 

These tips are intended to provide a foundation for your own learning. Some relate to muscles, some to bones and others to proportion. If you can assimilate these principles and combine them with your own anatomy study, your character work will go from strength to strength. 

APPROACH BIG SHAPES LIKE A SCULPTOR

Always subordinate small details to the big shapes. In computer graphics, especially in newer programs that let you sculpt fine details quickly and easily, it’s simple to start right into the details (wrinkles, texture, veins and so on) of a character before the larger shapes are correctly established. If you approach the task of making a CG model like the sculptors of old approached working in stone, it will help to structure the construction process. Think of how a stone sculptor has to carve a chunk of stone into a blocky model first, taking care to establish the correct proportions and big shapes. Only once this stage is complete do the actual muscular shapes and details get carved in. 

CHECK SILHOUETTES

Checking the silhouette of your model is a good way to assess the larger proportions and gesture of your model, without being distracted by the lack of finer details, which will be established later. Set your model to a flat, unshaded colour and zoom out to where it’s small but still readable on the screen. Check the outline of the model, looking for the big shapes and proportions. A dark, unshaded colour helps you concentrate on the big shapes and ignore the fact that the model isn’t finished. 

STUDYING A SKELETON

The skeleton is the foundation of any character – human, animal or otherwise – and must be understood before the muscles will make sense. Say a client asks you to model a coat hanging in a closet. Being a dutiful artist, you would have to ask two questions to make sure the client gets what he or she was looking for: most obviously, what kind of coat is it? However, perhaps more importantly, you’d also ask, what’s the shape of the hanger? Just as the hanger dictates the shapes of the hanging jacket, the skeleton dictates the shape of the body and hanging muscles. Besides being the scaffolding that establishes the proportion of the body, the skeleton serves as the start point and end point for all of the skeletal muscles. 

MASS CONCEPTIONS

It’s important to have a mental simplification of the large shapes of the skeleton. With a simple mass conception of the skull, rib cage and pelvis, a figure can be sketched quickly to show balance and proportion. Each of these masses is decidedly complicated when examined in detail, but it’s enough for the artist to understand the large masses of these forms and use them to establish the large shapes and planes of the figure. 

PUT MASSES IN YOUR MODEL

There should always be a sense of underlying structure in your models. This is achieved by maintaining your mass conceptions as you start to place the muscles onto the body. A simple technique in CG is to actually create simplified mass conceptions underneath the skin of your model. These will serve as a reference for both modelling the muscular forms on top, and also a reference during rigging to make sure the deformations don’t violate what’s meant to be the rigid skeleton underneath. 

THE BONY POINTS

We acknowledge the importance of the skeleton and understand the simplification of the big masses of the pelvis and rib cage, but what next? Well, you need to learn the key bony points on the surface of the body. These are the places where the skeleton lies directly underneath the skin. They’re great reference markers for establishing the proportions of the body and for accurately placing the surrounding muscle groups. Not only that, but these are the places on your model that, when you’re rigging, shouldn’t deform at all – they should only move rigidly with the joint. Some of the most important are the point of the shoulder (acromion process), the spine of the scapula, the seventh cervical vertebra, the points of the hip (anterior and posterior superior iliac spines), and the elbow (olecranon and the epicondyles of the humerus). 

ORIGINS AND INSERTIONS

What are the bony points good for? Well, like the coat hanger example, they dictate how and where the muscles originate and insert. Understanding these muscular attachments will help you to determine the direction of pull of the muscle, no matter what pose the figure is in. This dictates how edge flow should be laid out. 

PULLING POWER

One of the most important structural aspects to understand about muscles is that they must span at least one joint to function. This simple mechanical principle gives muscles their pulling power. They originate on one bone and insert on another bone further down the hierarchy. It’s a simple concept, but it makes the interplay of muscles across joints both dynamic and believable. 

At the elbow, for example, there’s considerable interlocking between the upper and lower arm muscles. The forearm muscles extend well above the elbow, attaching onto the upper arm bone (humerus). Likewise, the biceps and triceps extend below the elbow, attaching into the forearm. The principle of interlocking holds true right across the body, so emphasising this will make your models become much more powerful. 

THE FOREARM

The two most complicated areas of the body are the forearm and the scapula. Both owe their complexity to the number of muscles and the numerous directions in which they pull. Mastery of these areas will require additional study, so do pay attention to them. When it comes to the arm muscles, the origins and insertions of the biceps and triceps are relatively simple, but the muscles of the forearm are much more complex. 

As a roadmap to help you in your study, begin by understanding the structure of the lower end of the upper arm bone (humerus). There are two important bumps there (epicondyles): one on the outside and one on the inside. From these two bumps respectively, the extensors and flexors of the hand originate. The flexors then travel on the inside of the forearm, while the extensors travel over the outside. 

THE SCAPULA

Much of the complexity of the back – which beginners often incorrectly approximate with a few arbitrarily placed lumps and bumps – is due to the scapula (shoulderblade) and all its muscles sliding to and fro over the rib cage. Again, to tackle this complicated area, start by understanding the bony form of the scapula. The shape of the bone is like a guide map for placing the muscle. The spine of scapula is an important bony landmark that will give away the orientation of the bone and the disposition of the muscles that reside there. Approach this area like a detective. 

THE SKIN AND FAT

Your investigation of anatomy will certainly have you studying from reference plates. These plates show every muscle in fine dissected detail, but it’s important to remember that this is what the muscles look like without their top layer of fat and skin. This layer acts to soften and, in some cases, entirely obscure the muscular detail. The effect of skin and fat on the underlying muscles is like looking through a piece of frosted glass – you can still see the shapes and masses behind the glass, but the edges are blurred and many of the details are lost. Always cross-reference what you see on the muscular plate with photos or drawings of what the area looks like in real life. 

ANIMAL ANATOMY

Once you have human anatomy under your belt, it’s quite easy to learn animal anatomy. You may be surprised to learn that animals have anatomy that’s very similar to humans, varying mostly in proportion. They have scapulae, flexors, extensors and all the things we’ve talked about, only in a different size and shape. The wing of a bat, for example, has the exact same bone hierarchy as a human arm and hand, right down to the smallest digits of the fingers – only the proportions and function are different. Learn human anatomy well and you’ll soon be able to understand animal anatomy. 

PLAUSIBLE ANATOMY

The principles outlined above can and should be applied to fantasy creatures as well. Given that a creature is situated in a world with physics similar to our own, it will have evolved similar mechanisms for dealing with gravity, mass and momentum. Use your knowledge of human anatomy to imagine how the creature might be constructed with muscles and bones so that it can react to the environment around it. Take into consideration all the points mentioned here. Make note of an underlying skeleton, its bony points, muscular origins and insertions. Consider the interlocking of muscles and tendons across joints. Borrow from human anatomy but change the proportions and functions as necessary.

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FURTHER READING

Anatomy reference books 

Even a casual glance in your local bookstore will reveal that there are shelves full of anatomy books available to the eager student. There are some great titles out there, but there are also lots of bad ones too. A student of anatomy should study from only the best, so here’s a list of recommended anatomy books: 

Title: Artistic Anatomy

Author: Dr Paul Richer & Robert Beverly Hale

ISBN: 0823002977

• The authoritative reference in the field

• Difficult text, but well worth the effort

• Clear, extremely accurate plates 

Title: Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist

Author: Stephen Rogers Peck

ISBN: 0195030958

• A classic, must-have reference

• Many illustrations that explain difficult concepts

• Lucid text 

Title: Human Anatomy for Artists

Author: Eliot Goldfinger

ISBN: 0195052064

• A contemporary reference

• Encyclopedic coverage of the individual muscles

• An essential resource 

Title: Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters

Author: Robert Beverly Hale & Terence Coyle

ISBN: 0823002810

• Uses master drawings to explain a range of anatomical concepts

• Exhaustive coverage of the body

• Highly recommended for intermediate and advanced students of anatomy 

Title: Die Gestalt des Menschen

Author: Gottfried Bammes

ISBN: 3473610992

• Constructionist approach to the skeleton and figure

• Excellent simplification of forms

• Recommended for its illustrations, even if you don’t read German! 

Title: Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth

Author: Andrew Loomis

ISBN: 067031255X

• Quality introduction to anatomy, proportions and figure drawing from a master illustrator

• Text is extremely readable

• Not in print, but second-hand copies can be found online from specialist stores or sites like eBay 

http://www.scott-eaton.com/

Resident Evil: Afterlife Debuts on DVD, Blu-ray & Blu-ray 3D

Press Release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Culver City, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2010) – On December 28th Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will unleash the deadly T-virus into homes everywhere when Resident Evil: Afterlife explodes onto Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD. The Blu-ray 3D will flood veins with adrenaline and kick viewers into survival mode in 1080p high definition 3D, optimized for the latest 3D playback devices and eyewear, but also including a backwards-compatible 2D version of the film that plays on all existing Blu-ray players. For those who prefer their zombies safely in two dimensions, Resident Evil: Afterlife will also be offered on 2D Blu-ray and DVD the same day.

Based on one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, Resident Evil: Afterlife opens with Alice (Milla Jovovich, Resident Evil, The Fifth Element) on a lonely and dangerous hunt for survivors in a decimated world crawling with the Undead. On her quest for the alleged safe-haven “Arcadia,” she finds survivors Claire and Chris Redfield (Ali Larter, “Heroes”, Resident Evil: Extinction and Wentworth Miller, “Prison Break”, Underworld), and the smoldering trio heats up the screen as they ravenously set their sights on taking down the evil Chairman of the Umbrella Corporation, Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts, Edge of Darkness) and hordes of the Undead along the way.

When the bloodshed is over and the credits roll, be warned that the Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D live on with horror-filled special features, including eight deleted scenes, seven featurettes, an “Undead Vision” Picture-in-Picture Video, filmmaker and cast commentary, a blooper reel and movieIQ+sync, which allows users to access real time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie via BD-Live™. The DVD release offers filmmaker and cast commentary and two featurettes.

Also included on both the DVD and the Blu-ray editions of Resident Evil: Afterlife is a teaser trailer for an all-new CG-animated installment in the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: Damnation.

Resident Evil: Afterlife will be available for the SRP of $34.95 (Blu-ray), $39.95 (Blu-ray 3D) and $28.95 (DVD).

Resident Evil: Afterlife Synopsis

In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead – and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap.

Directed and written by Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil), Resident Evil: Afterlife stars Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, and Wentworth Miller. Resident Evil: Afterlife was executive produced by Martin Moszkowicz (Resident Evil: Extinction) and Victor Hadida (Resident Evil: Apocalypse, The Black Dahlia).

2D Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D Special Features

• Sneak Peek of Resident Evil: Damnation
• movieIQ+sync
• “Undead Vision” Picture-in-Picture Video
• Filmmaker Commentary
• Eight Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Seven Featurettes
• Back Under the Umbrella: Directing Afterlife
• Band of Survivors: Casting Afterlife
• Undead Dimension: Resident Evil in 3D
• Fighting Back: The Action of Afterlife
• Vision of the Apocalypse: The Design of Afterlife
• New Blood: The Undead of Afterlife
• Pwning the Undead: Gamers of the Afterlife

DVD Special Features

• Sneak Peek of Resident Evil: Damnation
• Filmmaker Commentary
• Two Featurettes
•  Band of Survivors: Casting Afterlife
• Fighting Back: The Action of Afterlife

Resident Evil: Afterlife has a running time of 97 minutes. The picture is Rated R for sequences of strong violence and language. Artwork and 2D digital clips are available for download at www.sphepublicity.com. Visit Sony Home Entertainment on the Web at www.SonyPictures.com.

The Blu-ray 3D version of Resident Evil: Afterlife is BD-Live™ enabled, allowing users to get connected and go beyond the discs via an Internet-connected Blu-ray player. BD-Live provides the opportunity to view exclusive content, register for Blu-ray Club rewards, provide feedback through our survey and experience interactive special features.

The Sony Pictures Blu-ray Club rewards consumers in the U.S. for purchasing and registering BD-Live enabled Sony Blu-ray movies. Members can redeem accumulated points for cool Sony products, plus enter to win cash and prizes in daily sweepstakes and more. For details visit www.sonyrewards.com/bluray.

SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. SPE is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 140 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.