emPolygoniser 2.0 released

emPolygonizer2 Official Release Video "go ahead, mesh my day!" from Eric Mootz on Vimeo.


emPolygonizer2 Sneak Preview 1: Tim Borgmann's Test Renderings from Eric Mootz on Vimeo.


emPolygonizer2 Sneak Preview 2: Tim Borgmann's Test Renderings from Eric Mootz on Vimeo.

emPolygonizer2 is a custom operator that allows you to create what is typically called "metaballs".
The basic technique used by this plug-in is called "polygonising a scalar field" or "marching cubes". It was invented in the mid-eighties by Lorensen and Cline.

The plug-in consists of a "DLL" file (Windows) or "so" file (Linux) for the operator (compiled C++ code for 32 bit and 64 bit versions of XSI) as well as several VB Script files.

emPolygonizer2 is well integrated into Softimage|XSI and it is used just as easily as the other custom operators.
The operator supports the following objects and components as inputs:
nulls
curves and curve lists (points, knots or curve)
polygon meshes (points or polygons, parameters can be driven by weight maps and vertex color maps)
point clouds (points and strands, parameters can be driven by point size and point color)


emPolygonizer2 Sneak Preview 3: Tim Borgmann's Test Renderings from Eric Mootz on Vimeo.

Go here to the mootzoid product page to find out more

NOTE: Softimage 2011 and 2011.5 only. Includes Lagoa Physics support (coming in Softimage v2011.5).

rray.de Softimage resources website update

Reinhard Claus of rray.de has updated his Softimage XSI resources pages. The update covers many recent plugins (and also a few old ones - like my dxf importer :) ).


Notable additions include links to many free XSI character rigs, plus studioNEST's recent plethora of plugins for rigging and ICE and Eric Thivierge's utilities plugins. 

cmivfx releases Syntheyes Complete Training

http://www.cmivfx.com/productpages/product.aspx?name=Syntheyes_Complete_Training


cmiVFX launches its latest training video for Syntheyes 3D Matchmoving software under the long format video structure plan. This video is complete training for Syntheyes utilizing several projects that overlap complex problems for the matchmoving artists. Topics include, 3D Tracking, Cleaning And Adjusting Tracks, Difficult Nodal Pans, 3D Stabilization and SO MUCH MORE!


Also, you can also get 10% off your purchase right now by using the code: VFX104 in the cmiVFX store.


Syntheyes is a 3d matchmoving software package by ssontech and has been used on many, many VFX blockbuster movies. 

Markerless Mocap Software from iPi Soft

iPi Desktop Motion Capture™ is an entry-level markerless motion capture technology that literally puts motion capture at animator's desktop. You can shoot a video right at your workplace using a webcam or inexpensive digital camera and have it converted to 3D animation on your PC. The technology is targeted at small studios, freelance animators and motion capture enthusiasts.

Features / Editions	Express	Basic	Standard
Number of cameras	1	3	4
Technology	Optical markerless	Optical markerless	Optical markerless
Single-camera mode	Included	Included	Included
Supported cameras	Any digital camera	Sony PlayStation 3 Eye	Sony PlayStation 3 Eye
Availability	Coming soon	Coming soon	Beta version available
Free 30 days trial	Coming soon	Download free 30 days trial
Technical Support	Coming soon	6 months of free email-based technical support. Additional technical tupport options coming soon.

http://www.ipisoft.com/products.php

Looks interesting.

cmiVFX Mid Summer Sale

cmiVFX Mid Summer Sale: Limited Time Only – 25% OFF ALL Training

25% OFF ALL Training Tutorials, Today through Thursday, August 12, 2010 and ramp up your training for the upcoming fall production season. 

cmiVFX brings real world directly to you with training and projects created by some of the best Visual FX creators working in the industry today.  Go to http://www.cmivfx.com today for your 25% OFF, enter Promo Code:  CMI25VFX

And if you missed this deal, you can still get 10% by using the code mentioned in my previous post.

10% off cmiVFX online training videos

Using the code VFX104 you can get 10% off of cmiVFX training videos right now by at the cmiVFX store. (Excludes subscriptions).

Softimage specific videos of interest are both by Thiago Costa and deeply investigate the potential of the ICE platform:-

Softimage ICE For Production

Softimage Scalar Data

Both tutorials can also be bought together for a $9.95 saving.

Also available are many informative tutorials for Nuke and Houdini.

Enjoy.

Lagoa Physics and Softimage to be included in new Autodesk Max & Maya 2011 Entertainment PREMIUM suites

Interesting to see that Lagoa Physics may already be part of the next Softimage release...? Or at least the new 2011 premium entertainment suite (coming soon)...

A quick read the links below seems to point towards Softimage is being "sidelined" as a key Autodesk media/entertainment 3d application and that it is instead being included with Max or Maya PREMIUM Entertainment Suites as an addon application like Mudbox.

http://www.cgchannel.com/2010/07/autodesk-entertainment-creation-suites-premium-launched-at-siggraph/

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=13420613&siteID=123112

http://area.autodesk.com/userdata/static/sigg10/pr/autodesk_suite_premium.pdf

UPDATE: Quote from Raffaele Fragapane on CGTalk:

Soft is still sold as stand-alone and has seen none of its areas of interest crippled, is still commercially viable on its own, and it exceeded sales expectations a couple times instead of bombing year after year and failing to strip market off its competitors.
It simply doesn't have the same market penetration as Maya does, and saying otherwise would be delusional on Soft or Soft users side, so this is a way for AD to squeeze more money out of their biggest userbases (making a large and expensive bundle attractive) that they wouldn't otherwise milk. This much is pretty obvious, other speculations, until further announcements, are rather far fetched.

As long as it keeps feeding money into the ICE architecture and Soft features, and makes Soft seats available in studios that wouldn't have had one there before to begin with, Soft users don't have much to complain about. And I'm one of them.

UPDATE2: Other quotes from people more knowledgable about this development:-

http://groups.google.com/group/xsi_list/browse_thread/thread/c1ef25844792e043

I'm now convinced this is a real positive for Softimage and Softimage users - Autodesk have decided to address requests from many studios who use Max and Maya predominantly to have access to Softimage and it's tools. The new Premium Suite provides this access at a discount rate.

UPDATE3: To quote Mark Schoennagel on the SPH google group:

Lets just say very soon everyone who has Softimage will be getting Lagoa for free. 

And if you put some funky colored glasses on it will even be in stereo... :)

Lagoa Multiphysics 1.0

Lagoa Multiphysics 1.0 - Teaser from Thiago Costa on Vimeo.

Recently up on Vimeo is this video showing some incredible plugin development from Thiago Costa. Go to the Vimeo page for the Hires version. Simply stunning.

Particle physics framework that gives control over:
- High friction granular materials
- Incompressible fluids
- Elastic structures
- Plastic deformations & more...

Anyone still with doubts regarding the potential of ICE needs to see this vid!

Voronoi plugin

voronoi shatter test + rigid body 2 from msk on Vimeo.

Vimeo user msk has recently released a free plugin that uses a point cloud to create polymeshes broken into pieces using the classic Voronoi algorithm. (Source is included). I've not tested it yet but if it works it'll come in very handy. Not sure how useful it will be...
Download link is available from the video page.

Softimage to Octane plugin in the works

The Octane render developers recently updated their manual with command line/batch file commands. A guy on the Octane forums (face) is currently developing a C++ plugin which automates quite a lot of the exporting from Softimage to Octane including full camera setup, animation and mesh animation. (Exporting each frame as an OBJ file and relinking it into the Octane Renderer scene).

Very similar to what I had started doing myself before I found out about this one. So I've put that little project on hold!

According to the author, this will accompany the v2.2 release of Octane.

EDIT: This plugin is now available for download here. You'll probably need the license to access this thread at the Octane renderer forums.

I love SketchUp!

I've been fighting against learning SketchUp for quite some time. I always thought it was too simple. Wasn't organised. That not much was possible with it. That it didn't have the features which would justify its place amongst "real" modelling packages. However, a few quick under-pressure stints using it at work and at home have changed my mind. Completely.

It's not by any means a "full" modelling package, of course. Its not really right for organic (anthropomorphic)  or hardbody modelling (automobiles, etc) - no sub-d's - but what it does in terms of accelerating basic box modelling is fantastic. It allows extremely accurate and easy box modelling in minutes. What takes minutes in Softimage takes seconds in SketchUp.

If you are doing Archviz, use it. Once you get your head around it. You won't look back. You can quite easily design a building from scratch in SketchUp, possibly to a level of detail which you could generate drawings from (using the section tool).

My workflow is now:-
1. Flesh out the main building in SketchUp (use export with instances) - the "Sketch" bit.
2. Import into Softimage. Clean up mesh/de-triangulate/etc. Add more of the fine detail, scenery. Unwrap. Add materials/textures. Add Lights.
3. Render.

The free version exports the Collada format which can be brought into Softimage more or less intact using Crosswalk.

I found this out pretty late in the day (due to the new Valve Steam update bugging out all the SDK apps) but there is also a plugin by Valve for exporting vmf and smd files. It's in the SDK directory. While I probably won't use it, it does mean that fleshing out levels is much faster than using Hammer. Hammer is SLOOOOW and needs a rewrite.

And this my main bane with most 3d packages... Sometimes 3d just takes so bloody long... (rant over)

Octane Render - Interactive Unbiased GPU renderer

This scene is a benchmark scene from the Octane render forums. 1024x512 this image was rendered on a nvidia GTX260 in about 16mins.

But to give you an idea of the speed. This is what it looks like after 20secs.

This image is 1920x1080 using direct lighting algorithm. Render time = 1min30secs.

Octane Render is very new GPU based interactive unbiased renderer from Refractive Software. It is currently in an open beta testing phase in which you can join for a discounted price (currently 99 euros). Not only do you get early access to all versions but you are also licensed to use all final v1.x point release versions.

I'm currently testing my own copy atm. I will post a review here later in the year when it is close to or soon after release.

CTRL_Ghost 2011 and mrHiddenOptions shaders expose MR Progressive Rendering in Softimage 2011

CTRL_Ghost is a custom shader by CTRL (have made many "hack" style MR shaders in the past.) The recently updated one for 3ds max 2011 works with Softimage and exposes the progressive rendering feature. You can download it from here and here.

The plugin also unlocks Image Based Lighting, Importions, FG Contrast, Irradiance Particles/Environment but most of this is unnecessary as the render manager exposes most of it. However, it may also expose Combined Final Gather + Irradiance Particles and Importons but I've not tested it yet.

Also in the running (and currently nicer to use) is mrHiddenOptions - the thread and downloads are here.

Both can be installed in your SI2011 User folder:
DLL file - "*\User\*\Softimage2011\Application\bin\nt-x86-64"
mi file - "*\User\*\Softimage2011\Application\mi" (without the "phenolib"folder already presented in the program directory.)


EDIT: (Now I know what it is...) Progressive rendering, rather than offering a fast preview like many new interactive renderers appearing now, it starts at the settings you set and then continues to refine the image over time. You set a limit to how many iterations you want it to process.


(mrHiddenOptions tested) It seems that with PR you can set your AA setting very low like Min -2 Max -1 which would normally look like this (scene is a group of reflective phong spheres - total 1,920,800 tris 0:00:10.02 for rendering):-

With PR switched on (wallclock  0:00:30.85 for rendering) and max_time =1 (one render iteration):-

From here PR continues to smooth AA, add bounces, reflection depth, etc. But I still don't think it has the same value as a feature as say, GPU acceleration or interactive rendering which starts extremely low and acts as an extremely useful way to quickly preview the scene. Bit like Octane.


I really don't think it will be long before a renderman-compliant GPU-based reyes renderer becomes commercially available.

ICEy Goodness!

Bradley Gabe has recently posted two tutorials regarding creating bezier interpolation in ICE. He's posted some exquisite videos over the past year. Check out his vimeo channel here.


Tutorial: Build your own Bézier Curve Interpolation in Softimage ICE from Bradley Gabe on Vimeo.


Tutorial: Animation tricks using Bézier Nodes in ICE from Bradley Gabe on Vimeo.


ICE flesh - Production Example - Chick Fil-A from Bradley Gabe on Vimeo.

Another major force in recent ICE video mastery is Ahmidou Lyazidi. He's really showing off the potential of ICE kinematics.


ICE kinematics toon limb from Ahmidou Lyazidi on Vimeo.


ICE arc interpolation from Ahmidou Lyazidi on Vimeo.

He's recently released his arc interpolation node in this video to the community and you can get it here.

Sunposition and dxfimport plugins for 2011

As the title suggests, I've compiled these plugins for Softimage v2011.

Available for download from the usual locations:-

dxfImporter2011
Sunposition2011

Post there or here if you have any problems using/installing/etc.

EDIT: I've also updated the Architectural Shader Compound to use the new version of the mia_x material. Get it here.

Architectural Shader (framebuffer) Compound

EDIT2: Also updated the measure tool to show feet and inches. You can get it here.

Building1 Closeup composite

A bit of remodelling to an old scene and using a new pass based image creation technique. This is a low res compositing test image.

A selection of passes below:

'Original render size:1920x1080 (render times for passes)

'Albedo
'wallclock 0:00:56.54 for rendering
'AO <- may try baking this with higher settings (using second unique UVs projection for animation)
'wallclock 0:07:09.58 for rendering
'FG
'wallclock 0:02:31.26 for computing finalgather points <- (will be pregenerated for animation)
'wallclock 0:04:08.25 for rendering
'metal
'wallclock 0:02:21.31 for rendering
'highlight
'0:03:27.49 for rendering
'Depth
'wallclock 0:00:28.69 for rendering
'background
'wallclock 0:00:16.28 for rendering
'white matte
'wallclock 0:00:37.99 for rendering
'glass <- The main bottleneck!
'wallclock 0:26:03.71 for rendering
'with bump res increased wallclock 0:50:34.96 for rendering (probably should lower)

SunpathICE - Coming Soon

Developed entirely in ICE, based on the sun position calculations in the Radiance renderer (as the original plugin), I'm proud to announce that an ICE Kinematics version of the sunpath plugin is almost ready. And with fully animatable parameters this time.

Just waiting for Softimage 2011 to be released so I can resolve a few bugs (due to kinematics being buggy and unsupported in 2010).

Descendants Animation & Grapes Growing Rigging Tutorials

Descendants from Goro Fujita on Vimeo.

Holger Schönberger posted a link regarding Descendants, an animated short, on the XSIlist. A pretty stunning piece of work done with Softimage I've decided to link to here. A detailed breakdown has been posted at CGSociety.


Growing Grapes Veins and Bottles - Rigging and Lighting from Florian Witzel on Vimeo.

Florian Witzel posted this growing grapes tutorial a while back. Its been embedded in Autodesk's underwhelming Softimage page on the Autodesk website since last year but I've only just come across this little gem. A full tutorial can be found here.

Both demostrate some very good examples of multi-pass compositing, something Softimage has been doing well for years. I think the 100 new shaders exposed in SI2011 will make this kind of set up even easier.

Softimage 2011 Preview

Softimage 2011 announced with ICE kinematics fully realised. It enables the intricacies of a rig to be contained (including the IK system) entirely within an ICE tree making it incredibly easy to transfer ICE rigs between different rigs and characters. THIS is a big advance and will really help all areas of rigging including rigs in videogames, a field which ICE has been criticised in the past for not being that useful.

There is also a new system for using/building Mental Ray shaders. Now you only need the source code and Softimage compiles it into a shader for you, automatically creating a SPDL and material node entry in the render tree, exposing all the parameters and allowing you to get on with it without the pain of having to seperately compile on specific platforms. As a result, over a hundred shaders that have (up until now) never been exposed in XSI, are now there. Including a IES/photometric light shader and all the features lighting shaders have gained since it was introduced as the built in renderer.

Face Robot has been updated to include automatic lip syncing. The main issue with Face robot in previous versions was that to use it in any meaningful way you needed to capture live performances and import the data. Many users (like me) don't have access to luxuries like performance capture systems. Now you just need the audio and you can generate the proper mouth movements for dialogue, reducing the lip syncing to a few tweaks. EDIT:  After seeing the GDC'10 presentation by the charismatic Mark Schoennagel, he pointed out a neat trick where you can lip sync to music tracks by singing the song yourself, generate the face robot lip sync from your take and then replace your voice with the original score. Sometimes with amusing results!

The Physx-based physics core in XSI has fallen behind in recent years but now it has recieved a full update to the latest version. Integrated into ICE with CUDA driven (nvidia GPU only) GPU acceleration, it apparently offers softbodies, full shape collisions with rigid bodies and more, all accessible from ICE.

Other stuff includes multiple camera rendering, render slate (which allows you to add text onto renders for play blasts, etc. Be nice to see render times on this.) UV unfold command gets some changes to speed up workflow including symmetry and the ability to reunfold individual islands instead of being forced to unfold and pack the entire object each time.

Pretty solid update for just 6 months work. The Softimage guys really do know what is needed and always surprise me. Of course, there is stuff I wish was in there but isn't yet (perhaps never will be) but I'm pretty sure this 6 month release will mean that Softimage 2012 could get at least a full years development. Then again maybe Autodesk are considering a major x.5 point release for all 3d applications in another six months, that only subscribers can benefit from (just to keep us locked into the subscription cycle.)

Lastly, the two seperate versions of Softimage and Softimage Advanced have vanished. There is now just one version of the software. It has 5 batch licenses for mental ray and comes as either a standalone or a network license (EDIT: no batch licenses with standalone version - thanks for the heads up, Stephen). I'm not sure how people with SI 2010 (not advanced) will upgrade or subscribe as of yet.

Just have to wait and see, I guess. Apparently, early April is predicted for release.

The Bendy One

The Bendy One from Jason Wells on Vimeo.

This was a speed test using an old project and some newish techniques I've gained. It was composited in XSI using the FX tree. I used my RM_Architectural compound to generate the seperate diffuse (albedo), specular and reflective, etc passes via channels. I used fast radiosity technique to generate indirect illumination from a blurred HDR map (frame rendertime less than 20 secs). I baked an Ambient Occlusion pass as a texture using rendermap and reduced the render speed of each 1270x720 frame to 2 seconds. The longest part for rendering was the glossy floor reflection which I reduced by limiting the reflective area with a weight map.

I used a radial gradient in FX tree to create a vignetting effect and blurred some duplicates of the specular pass to get glows on the highlights. I'll try to do some tests with DOF and motion vector driven motion blur next.