3D Global Illumination Rendering and Many Discreet Plug-ins Used to Create
Stunning Motion Picture Realism in Popular SONY(R) PlayStation(R) 2 Game Title
SAN JOSE, Calif., Game Developers Conference, March 25
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc., announced
that ROBOT Communications in Tokyo, Japan, relied on Discreet's 3ds max(R)
professional animation, modeling and rendering software to create the wildly
popular introductory cinematic opening sequence for Onimusha 3: Demon Siege,
the final installment in the critically acclaimed game series from Capcom.
The game, running on the Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation 2 platform
has been available in Japan since February 2004, and is expected to be
available April 2004 in North America.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031016/SFTH007LOGO )
Onimusha 3 spans four centuries -- from ancient feudal Japan to modern day
France -- as the main characters, Samanosuke Akechi (played by Asian film star
Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Jacques Blanc (played by French film star Jean Reno)
try to save the world from the evil warlord Oda Nobunaga and his army of Genma
warriors. In the opening cinematic, Samanosuke engages all-out battles with
the Genma army, climaxing in a battle with the old enemy, Gargant.
"It's very gratifying to see Discreet 3ds max software used both for core
game play development in PC and console games and also to create motion-
picture like cinematic opening sequences as exemplified so beautifully in
Onimusha 3," said Martin Vann, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing
for Discreet. "Discreet's 200,000 plus registered users continue to inspire us
with their artistic visions, and it is very rewarding to see them exploit the
rich feature set of all of Discreet's software solutions," added Vann.
"In the final episode of the Onimusha series, our intension was to produce
the best 3D cinematic opening entertainment ever, and captivate the game
players," said Ikuo Nishii from ROBOT, Japan. "Takashi Yamazaki, a film
director of 'Returner', and Donnie Yen, legendary martial arts choreographers
in Hollywood and Hong Kong ('Blade 2', 'HERO') co-directed the production with
Shirogumi and Kaihei Hayano, who both completed CG (computer graphics)
creations for both Onimusha 2 and now, Onimusha 3." added Nishii.
Yamazaki directed the creative elements of the opening sequence with jaw
dropping motion picture realism, and Yen choreographed stunning martial arts
movements. A year in the making, the opening sequence also required ten days
of motion capture sessions. Using 3ds max and character studio(R) software,
the ROBOT team created a visually rich CG universe that rivals effects-laden
Hollywood blockbusters.
"Another strength and level of excellence for 3ds max software is that you
have the liberty of choosing from different renderers depending on the style
of animation you are creating," said Ryuichi Yagi, Director of CG at
Shirogumi. "For this project, after we tried several renderers to create photo
realistic images, we chose VRay rendering solution from Chaos Group. It can
render displacement quickly, produce beautiful motion blurs, and represent
photo-realistic highlights. To create 3D hair, we used the Shag: Hair
plug-in to create each fine hair as an object. Without Discreet 3ds max
software, we could not have depicted the highlights on the black hair of the
characters so realistically," said Yagi.
A CG artist, Kaihei Hayano, who participated in all three Onimusha game
cinematics, created mostly outdoor scenes and the scenes of the gigantic Genma
Tank, symbolic to the game. "The crowd scene of the warriors for the Genma
army was in fact, all hand created. We assembled objects one by one, such as
small tanks and set lighting to utilize HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging) and
GI (Global Illumination). I did most of the work myself," said Hayano. "Of
course, many times, the process is trial and error, but with 3ds max,
ultimately, you can find a way or ways to customize the result exactly to what
you want."
About Robot Communications Inc.
Providing fascinating contents for TV Commercials, Movies (theatrical
release), Character & Animations, Game, Website Designs, and Music, Robot is a
widely well-known production company known for its radicalism and
achievements.
About Discreet
Discreet empowers media professionals to realize the visual experience and
transform their most evocative and ambitious visions into reality. Discreet's
award-winning solutions are designed for digital media creation, management
and delivery -- across all disciplines from film and television visual
effects, color grading and editing to animation, game development,
web/interactive, and design visualization. Discreet -- based in Montreal,
Quebec -- is a division of Autodesk, Inc, the world's leading design and
digital media creation, management, and distribution company.
NOTE: Discreet is a division of Autodesk, Inc. Discreet 3ds max and
character studio are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Autodesk,
Inc. /Autodesk Canada Inc. in the USA and/or other countries. PlayStation and
Sony are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other brand names,
product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
CONTACT: Kevin G. Clark of Discreet Corporate Communications,
+1-415-547-2457, or mobile at GDC show, +1-415-548-3336, or
kevin.g.clark@autodesk.com.
SOURCE Discreet
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Related links:
http://www.autodesk.com
Photo Notes:http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031016/SFTH007LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Kevin G. Clark of Discreet Corporate
Communications, +1-415-547-2457, or mobile at GDC show,
+1-415-548-3336, or kevin.g.clark@autodesk.com
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