Visual Effects for Film & Television (VFT)

2D and 3D Digital Compositing serves as a introduction to the world of compositing for television shows, commercials and feature films. The students will be focusing on the basic building blocks in order to understand the complexity of artistically blending elements from a variety of sources.

In this course students will learn about making particle systems and fluids move under the forces of physics. Instead of using keyframes to animate, students will be setting simulation behaviours and judging what works and what doesnt. Effects animators may get involved in blowing things up, setting fire to objects, adding dust over the top of a dinosaurs foot fall,breaking glass, simulating fluids or a ships sails as they flap in the wind.

In this module students will learn about making procedural particle systems, rigid body simulations, cloth, and fluids move under the forces of physics. There will be a particular stress on making these effects procedurally. These tasks are the job of an effects animator or effects technical director. Instead of using keyframes to animate, students will be setting simulation behaviours and judging what works and what doesnt. Complex phenomena are often more convincingly simulated rather than keyframed.

This module concentrates on the process of achieving an accurate camera solve or matched object geometry from plates shot with moving film cameras.Emphasis is placed on how 3D matchmove has become the cornerstone of career progression within VFX (especially within 3D departments) and how accurate 3D matchmoving is crucial for the production of believable CGI. There is an emphasis on the importance of the minimum use of data needed to achieve required quality and in particular the influence that generated topology has on texturing and rendering further down the pipeline.

This module explores the skills that constitute and surround the role of the lighting td. lighting is also a fundamental skill required by generalists who cover more than one role when working on smaller projects.The process of balancing CGI texturing, shader development, lighting and rendering to match a reference image is called look development (look dev) and this module is concerned with providing the mixture of art, science and maths skills needed. Maths and software may power the technical processes, but art and cinematographic observation and awareness uniquely supply the emotional impact and believability of the world portrayed onscreen. as such this module attempts to teach and blend the science and art of light.

The student will learn to analyze and to efficiently build forms using professional techniques, creating 3d assets in shot that may or may not be interacted with by real filmed actors. There will be an emphasis throughout this module on the importance of the minimum use of data needed to achieve the required quality when producing assets. This efficiency aspect also needs to be communicated to students concerning the influence topology has on texturing and rendering further down the pipeline. The rigger essentially occupies a crucial point in the development and enhancement of workflow and pipeline, collaborating with animators to define rig requirements and communicating with and responding to supervisors, character TDs and/or other leads to ensure the rigging is suitable for animation, texturing, lighting and rendering.

Visual Effects is the merging of art and science. Most artists have little knowledge of computer programming, but knowing the very basics can tremendously improve their workflow. This class will introduces students to the computer language Python, which is a very popular tool in visual effects studios to increase artists speed and efficiency.

Texturing is the technique in which a two-dimensional image is applied to a 3D model. In visual effects it is the the digital equivalent of putting wallpaper or paint on a real object. In this first course on surfacing, students will learn production proven techniques and workflows to create realistic materials that can be applied to their 3D models. This first section is suited for students new to texture painting.

2D and 3D Digital Compositing II takes a more advanced look at the subject of Digital Compositing. We take a harder look at Advanced Techniques, with the goal being the image looking so seamless that they look real. Pre-requisite: 2D and 3D Compositing I

In this course students will learn about making particle systems, rigid body simulations and hair and fur move under the forces of physics. Instead of using keyframes to animate, students will besetting simulation behaviours and judging what works and what doesnt. This program builds off of the foundation of VFT 710.

In this module students will continue to learn about making procedural particle systems, rigid body simulations, cloth, and fluids move under the forces of physics. This course builds on the skills the student learned in VFT 711. As before, there will be a particular stress on making these effects procedurally.

Lighting Technical Directors add the lighting that creates atmosphere, adding realism, tone and depth to a scene; visually balancing individual elements to enable a compositor to produce a convincing and consistent range of images. They need to use technical skill and aesthetic judgement in order to create images that not only look right but can be rendered efficiently. They ensure the CG looks believable to match the live action plates.

Riggers need to design, create, test and maintain character, vehicle, cloth and prop set ups (according to project) and provide a service that responds to animators and works with modellers to create a model that meets technical needs. They collaborate with animators to design appropriate motion controls, often testing extremes of position or pose, ensuring the most efficient and flexible solution is employed. Rigging work is pivotal in CGI, and therefore has to be carried out on schedule and on budget. psychologically the rigger needs to handle the challenge of others in their team waiting for their modifications and the danger that a faulty rig could stymie the final animation. Students will need to clearly communicate rigging systems and processes to other team members. Riggers may need to develop new techniques and processes to solve character production challenges and may even be involved in R and D and tool building to improve and add to the rigging pipeline. As such, the ability to write utility scripts and programs to streamline or automate the rigging set-up process is explored in this module.

Students refine and polish skills learned in Surfacing 1, build industry ready portfolio pieces, and explore career paths involving surfacing.