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Computer
Generated Animation
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Computer
Film Services (CFS)
systems offer extremely sophisticated facilities for 3D graphics.
Multiprocessor systems and network rendering continue to increase
in speed and throughput.
3D software is
becoming increasingly more advanced and CFS systems still lead
the field.
Key
Features and Benefits:
- Multiprocessor
Intel Pentium/Xeon takes advantage of the latest multi-threaded
software such as 3D Studio Max, Softimage and Digital Fusion.
- Integrated
disk recorders. Render directly to video for real-time output
to broadcast digital or analogue formats.
- Operates
under Windows NT or Windows 2000 Professional - Integrate
your graphics environment with your favourite non-linear
editing and compositing tools.
- Network-ready
- This unique capability allows the system to be the heart
of a 'Render Farm' configuration - networked users all working
independently but simultaneously rendering on the same project.
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Cinesite
(a wholly owned subsidiary of Eastman Kodak Company)
is one of the largest full service effects facilities in the world,
with offices in Hollywood, London and Effects Associates at Pinewood
Studios. |
| Cinesite
provides high quality digital effects, 3D animation 2D compositing,
high resolution film scanning and recording, video to film transfer,
physical effects, models, miniatures, pyrotechnics and weather
effects for feature films, broadcast projects and commercials. |
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Cinesite
credits include:
- Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer's Stone
- Tomb Raider
- Pluto Nash
- Red Planet
- X-Men
- Mission:
Impossible 2
- The World
is Not Enough
- Entrapment
- Erin Brockovich
- U-571
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Stuart
McAra - Senior Digital Effects Producer, Cinesite (Europe) Ltd.
says "We used the Reality Recorders extensively in Tomb Raider
at Cinesite. They were particularly useful in the Brahmin animation
sequence - seeing a rough edit gave the animators a sense of timing,
consistency and a clear appreciation of how the sequence would
work as a whole."
Cath Duncan
- Digital Effects Producer, Cinesite (Europe) Ltd. adds,
"dpsReality has been invaluable over the past few months.
We used it extensively on The Lost Empire and also on Band of
Brothers. We are currently using it on Hans Christian Anderson
for Hallmark Entertainment. It continues to be a particularly
useful reference for animation heavy sequences."
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| Rushes
- one of the top special effects and post-production houses in
Europe and the world - commands a high profile through success
in the London market and through award winning work. Rushes places
great emphasis on leading edge engineering and innovation. |
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Rushes
uses dpsReality for assembling computer 3D animation and combining
live action footage with 3D computer animation. dpsReality gives
operators the advantage of a powerful system able to respond instantly
to creative demands and flow. |
John Paul Harney,
Senior 3D operator, Rushes said
"When I first contacted Computer Film Services they gave
us a machine on spec
for quite some time so we could try it out and run it through
its proccesses
to see if it was right for us.
This helped us on the job we were doing at the time as we immediately
saw a time saving difference and since then we've had good support
from them, when we had some software issues and some hardware
issues, synching to a D1 and things like that, they came round
and sorted them out."
If we have a problem obviously we need to get it fixed quite quickly
and we do have a good response time, not just to fix bugs but
also to see if there are any features that we need adding."
"If I do have any issues with the Reality system then Computer
Film Services will
quickly follow up any problems that I have." |
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For
The Hive, one of Soho's most impressive young animation
facilities, dpsReality has become crucial to their creative output.
The vast majority of The Hive's projects have involved
dpsReality at one stage or another. In 2001, some of these included
Fatboy Slim's "Demons" promo; working with Jake Nava
on Roni Size's "Dirty Beats" commercials work for BMW
and creature animation on a Channel 4 science/factual series "Extinct."
The DVD department has seen the release of 2001's 'must-have'
title "The Silence of the Lambs." |
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3D
Animator Adrian Wyer sees the advantages that Reality
gives to the 3D creative process for which The Hive is justifiably
renowned.
He
says, "Reality has enabled us to keep our production pipeline
going at full tilt, whilst still being able to view and edit
clips on the machine. Three people can be rendering to the Reality,
whilst someone else can be laying off a tape. No one has to
stop work and there is no bottleneck. The ability to store footage
at different compression ratios means we can manage storage
more efficiently, animatics can be sorted at four or five MB/sec,
and finals can be uncompressed for maximum image quality."
Read
more about The Hive
View
the Hive's footage
Denman
Productions is a leading
producer of computer modelled 3D animation and now uses CFS
products to help create state of the art footage for film and
television release.
View
Denman Footage
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Paint
and Trace
Are you using
an old U-Matic recorder and animation controller?
With a CFS system
it is possible to use a rostrum camera as normal but, rather
than capture to tape to preview animations, transfer to the
computer where the software provides a pre-roll facility to
view the animation as it builds.
Once on the computer,
outlines or traces can be painted and then played back directly
to tape at broadcast quality.
If the output
is to film, the painting can be resolution independent, so output
is at film resolution and a preview in real-time at PAL (or
another suitable user-defined resolution) can be carried out.
The
many advantages this exciting system offers over conventional
methods:
Record
directly to the computer at broadcast quality.
Play
back in real time.
Greatly
increases productivity - multiple workstations can render CG
work simultaneously for instant review as video.
A
wide range of sophisticated paint and animation programs work
directly with the systems.
Animations
can be:
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