(18 August 2007 2:35 pm)

MUMBAI: Digital artists have used Autodesk Inc.’s technology for this summer's major Hollywood releases including Transformers, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Surf’s Up, Pirates of the Caribbean: at World’s End and Penelope amongst others.

"Autodesk software offers creative solutions that help artists raise the bar, push boundaries and deliver visual masterpieces that make for a truly authentic movie experience each and every time," said Autodesk media and entertainment senior VP Marc Petit.

"This summer’s blockbusters offer something for everyone, including surfing penguins, hammering llamas and transforming superheroes. We continue to support and applaud those artists who create magical images, transporting audiences to exhilarating new heights," he said.

For Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End, post-production facility Asylum completed 315 shots using Autodesk Flame and Autodesk Toxik visual effects solutions, Autodesk Maya 3D animation software, and Autodesk Lustre digital color grading system.

In one scene shaped by Asylum using Flame, Sparrow played by Johnny Depp is exiled to a desert purgatory where he begins to hallucinate and sees 20 clones of himself dressed as his crew. The Flame system was also used to create the climactic maelstrom backdrop along with computer-generated characters, mast extensions on miniature ships and track shots. Toxik was used for compositing, colour correction, and final tweaks.

Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) was the main visual effects house for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. ILM used Maya and Flame as part of its proprietary SABRE visual effects system to create computer-generated characters and Maelstrom sequence.

For Michael Bay’s SFX potboiler Transformers, ILM used Maya and Inferno as part of its proprietary SABRE visual effects system to complete 460 shots for the film. Maya was used for all character animation, including the challenging opening sequence in which a robot attacks an American military base in the Middle East.

Autodesk Inferno was used on two key compositing sequences, including the bonecrusher scene where a destructive 30-foot rollerblading robot shreds through a moving bus. The robot’s bones were created using Maya and imported into Inferno, and were animated and combined with flying and burning debris.

ILM’s SABRE/Inferno artist Mark Casey explains, "Creating and combining production plates, particle elements, computer-generated elements, practical pyrotechnics, and lens flares all in one shot can prove challenging and intimidating; knowing that all these elements can be tamed in Inferno is all the reassurance any artist needs."

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer saw The Orphanage completed approximately 120 shots on the film, with the majority of shots involving Maya 3D animation software.

In Sony Pictures Imagework's Surf’s Up animators used Autodesk Lustre colour grading system for the film’s final grade. Also, a combination of software was used to create the final water animation, with much of it completed using Maya. "Maya is the core of the front-end pipeline at Imageworks," explains character set-up supervisor Mike Ford. "It is used for modeling, layout, animation, and some effects work."

By leveraging the power of Maya Embedded Language (MEL) Python and Maya’s API scripting, the Sony Pictures Imageworks team customized the Maya software to overcome many of the film’s challenges. Says animation director David Schaub, "We never have the question, ‘Well, can the software do that?’ Because if it doesn’t, the way Maya is built allows us to create a tool that will do the job."