Friday, June 28, 2013

3D Scanning for Commercials

Here are a couple of commercials we did the 3D scanning for.




 
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Thursday, June 27, 2013

What is the Cost of Insuring Your Digital Assets?

Have you heard of Digital Asset Insurance? It may save you time and money on your next project. Check out this blog to learn more about it. http://blog.tngvisualeffects.com/what-is-the-cost-of-insuring-your-digital-assets/


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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Building Character

We build 3D characters for an array of uses and with all sorts of looks, sizes, ethnic groups, with clothing and with out clothing for movies, commercials and video games. A request for a 3D character is like a casting call, but in reality what we create is a copy or simulation of real life.

Click here to read more.

Friday, June 21, 2013

3D Scanning for Music Videos

Last year we worked on David Guetta's music video for Turn Me On featuring Nicki Minaj. Check it out!




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Friday, June 14, 2013

Expanding Across North America

For the next couple of months we're asking for your help in expanding our business to 5 additional satellite locations. Our goal is to provide more local services to production and to help them cut cost. You can read more about the company and what we're looking to do by clicking on our GoFundMe page below. Any shares of this link is highly appreciated, and thank you in advance for your support!
Trekking 

http://www.gofundme.com/TNG-VFX-North-America 

 

Are Your Characters Spending Your Budget?

3D scanning characters or talent can either be expensive or more cost effective for your project depending on how, when and where they are scanned.

We have experienced production needing a 3D scan of an actor after they had already left the show, and the cost for having them return for a scan was too expensive. We know there are a hundred ways to accomplish almost anything on a project, but if this particular actor was scanned in preproduction or between scenes, there would have been no extra cost or cause for worry.

man

One service we offer acts as an insurance policy, of sorts. We suggest scanning all of the main characters on a show in the event their scan is needed later. The scans are then archived until the processed data is requested or ordered. If you've ever found yourself rushing last minute on a project, the insurance policy service is something to consider and is the least expensive compared to last minute orders. Supervisors have confirmed that having the 3D scans readily available in post saved them a lot of work and time.

dispatcher

Below are some considerations to make when planning your 3D scanning. TNG Visual Effects will help you make your 3D scanning experience a positive one. Consult with us on your needs and let us help you find the most efficient way to accomplish your goals.

Travel

Cut costs by performing your 3D scans in one of our studios. This saves you on associated costs of travel and on-site scanning fees.

Modeling

If you have your own modeling team, just order the clean, raw scan. Then it's a simple calculation of determining which type of 3D model is the most cost effective.

Scheduling

Consider the down time of the talent on set and schedule our team of scan technicians accordingly. This will save money and alleviate stress for the Producer, Art Director and talent.

We know you have a lot more to think about than 3D scanning your characters. Our goal is to make our service as efficient and stealthy as possible. We guarantee our work and look forward to helping you experience 3D scanning at its best.

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More Ways to Save: Discuss the Specs Before Your 3D Scan
  • What type of hair will your 3D models feature?
  • Will talent be in a wig cap?
  • Does the wardrobe to be scanned include clothes with reflective qualities?
  • Will you be animating cloth?
  • What is your delivery schedule?


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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Does Your Head Work for You?




In the visual effects world, it is expected that anything can be created and/or replicated. Our expertise is in replicating anything that we can scan (and we can scan pretty much everything), but our most time is spent on replicating a head shot. It is the most important work we do because every part of it from the hair line, to the ears, to the nose, to the mouth and especially the eyes need to look photo real, and it is our challenge to make the transformation from a real person to a live action cyber character 100% believable. They are what you can call our money shot; we make sure everything matches exactly to the character. 


Of course our model does not have a soul when we send it out, however it must be adaptable. The head may be for a movie or a commercial or a trailer in a video game and it needs to do its part in holding up the story-telling process, while at the same time having the vision come through in the VFX shot or it does not work.
 

We start by getting in front of the character and first scanning their head to capture every detail. It only takes a few minutes to scan, so we may shoot it a few times to make sure we have what we need. The next step is the pre-processing phase which is slowly matching and stitching the head together. We then re-topologize following the standard head cage to make sure the rigor will have the setup they can rig. Lastly, we set up the quads and edge loops for animation and UV the model to prepare for texturing.
  
The texture shoot is a separate photo shoot on site with a very high resolution camera to get all the details needed for texturing. We also use a polarization system to take the highlights out giving production a flat lit model to re-light and match to their own environment. When the texturing is complete, we do a final run through and QC of the model to make sure it has the level of detail needed.


This is a simplistic explanation for part of our workflow that takes days and does not include the process for cyber hair or expressions for blend shapes. We pay attention to detail and deliver what you need. Look at your next head model, is it living up to your expectations?


Get a 25% discount off your next scan project until July 4th! Click here for more details.


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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Lidar Scanning of Buildings, Sets and Extensions



More and more of the movie, TV and even game sets are being scanned and manipulated to match the vision of the director. The scanning team will start off by only scanning the building area of each shot that is set up, and later will add the surface and detail to make them part of the scene. Scanning and saving these sets will cut the cost of going back to a location in the future.



Click here to see samples of 3D Scanned buildings that can be used for set extensions, detail, measurements, Pre-Vis, or whatever the need is.

This type of work saves hours or days of modeling and gives precision data to build extensions and props, such as gargoyles or other accessories as needed, onto or in front of the building. These scans are used to project or make videos of projected themes onto the buildings and can be blown up in war movies, or the like.

Sets that are marked to strike can take advantage of the insurance scanning concept which is to have sets scanned and then archived to eliminate the need for rebuilding.




The Lidar Scanning, or large area scanning, will also work on more organic settings like a park or country location and can be used for easements, planning and Pre-Viz. The leaves of a tree or other organic items may have to be modeled or generated in a different way, but the Lidar Scanning would be a great place to start.

TNG is in the process of building a database of 3D scans for future needs, call us for more info. Perhaps we already have something you could use.

Get a 25% discount off your next scan project until July 4th! Click here for more details.


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