Page 24 - 3D World - October 2017

FEATURE
Journey’s end

ecosystem of the prison camp, that landscape knocking over trees and covering
totara is all built out digitally as well.” the entire prison camp. “An
LiDAR scans were taken of avalanche isn’t something that
hoW neW technology anything that was physically built. you get asked to do on every film
enabled ultimate realism “We photographed everything so it required research as to what
When building forests to understand the materials and an avalanche looks like and what
shot a lot of lighting reference to are the components that we want
understand how the lighting affects to hit,” notes Dan. “There are a lot
War for the Planet of the Apes those materials. Then we created of different avalanches out there
enabled Weta Digital to utilise a a digital version of whatever we so what does ours need to do?
new ecosystem modelling tool, had in live-action.” Battle scenes Figuring out the character of the
called Totara, for the first time. were a mix of practical and digital avalanche and then trying to get it
“It’s a way of growing not elements. “Matt wanted to be gritty to behave in the way we wanted it
only a tree but the whole forest
realistically,” explains Weta
Digital Visual Effects Supervisor, “there is some fAntAstic Acting thAt
Dan Lemmon. “Rather than
building a tree and placing that the performers did on-set And the
tree by hand, you scatter seeds
across your whole mountain and AnimAtors At WetA digitAl Were Able to cArry
then those seeds sprout, grow
and compete for resources. Across onto the digitAl chArActers”
You’ll actually simulate the
whole ecosystem for 80 or
100 years. Some trees will die, Dan lemmon, Weta Digital Visual effects suPerVisor
branches will fall, and you end
up getting a distribution of much but to also have that sense of bows to behave was difficult.” To make
more realistic forest. Two trees and arrows versus heavy artillery. a success of the challenge, the
are growing side by side and There were a lot of practical effects proprietary tree system software
their branches will avoid each and those gave us the basis for the had to be revamped. “Lumberjack
other and develop more on the kinds of digital effects that we constructs growth patterns and
outside surfaces. There a lot of needed to augment it.” branching structures that closely The avalanche that
these details that seem like they mimic a tree in the real world. It takes place in the
should be subtle but they ended CreATing An AvAlAnChe builds a simulation system at the third act was a
up being important and critical A huge challenge for the team same time, soas branches grow major technical and
in making [everything] look as was the avalanche that crashes they start to be affected by gravity creative challenge
realistic as possible.” down through the mountains, and begin to droop.” for Weta Digital

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