Autodesk Technology used in Summer blockbusters

From computer-generated sea creatures to entire virtual cities, digital artists relied on Autodesk's media and entertainment solutions to realise stunning visual effects for this summer’s hottest films.
The industry’s leading post-production facilities delivered blockbuster action, adventure and dramatic content created with Autodesk’s advanced visual effects, animation, editing and digital colour grading solutions.
“Once again, our clients have produced awe-inspiring, visual movie experiences using Autodesk software,” said Marc Petit, vice president of Autodesk, Media & Entertainment Solutions. “This summer’s blockbusters offer the ultimate escape from reality. We are proud that our tools enable artists to take movie viewers into such rich and dynamic environments as Captain Jack Sparrows’ exotic Caribbean seas.”
Autodesk’s Discreet Inferno system was used by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) as part of its proprietary SABRE visual effects system to create supernatural scenes for Lady In the Water. In one sequence, a giant eagle-like bird swoops in and rescues the film’s heroine. The rescue is shown through a reflection in the water. Digital artists at ILM used Inferno to create the distorted look of the reflection and to add lightning and rain to the scene. The system was also used to add shadows, mist and rain to a scene where branch monsters drag away a scrunt – a dog-like grass monster; and to create the mystical ball of mud that Cleveland Heep, the film’s hero, needs to retrieve from the heroine’s lair in order to save her.
ILM also helped bring to life the misguided escapades of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. One of the scenes shaped by ILM shows Will Turner and the crew of the Black Pearl captured by cannibals and held in a round cage made of bones hanging over a ravine. Inferno was used to composite together shots of the actors filmed against a blue screen, a water plate, and a digital matte cliff, as well as to add birds, mist and foot bridges to the scene. The system was also used to texture, light and animate Ragetti’s wooden eye. Autodesk Maya 3D animation software was used by artists at ILM to rig Davy Jones and the Kraken sea creature’s tentacles.
(GB/SP)