Using 3d To Create A Famous Television Spaceship And How It Was Done
3DS Max was used to build a popular TV spaceship this year.
Here’s how special effects studio Qurios Entertainment put together these shots.
The build was for BBC’s Hyperdrive and involved a long flyby of a moonbase that zoomed into an observation tower. Inside the tower are two characters from the show.
The shot was made up of a complex 3D model built in 3DS Max. The moon’s surface proved to be the hardest part to get right, a displacement map was used to add in additional surface detailing in the model. The base itself was made up of a series of connecting corridors and a central hub.
Several sections were duplicated and repeated to increase the scale of the model. Various small shuttles fly over the base, one is seen landing on a docking pad. We added in smoke footage and overlayed this with particle simulations to give interactive dust as the shuttle comes in to land.
Several moon buggies can also be seen. As they move across the surface they leave tracks behind them. This was achieved by revealing an addition section of geometry textured with the buggy’s tracks.
The scene was lit by multiple small lights scattered over the model, these helped give details in the shadowed areas.
As the camera moves into the observation tower we had to switch between the standard model and a high detail version to ensure it stood up to closer inspection.
As we move even closer we can see two characters inside the glass dome. This footage was shot against greenscreen and tracked and composited into the 3D model. As the camera passes through the glass of the dome the live action fills the screen.
We created a digital matte painting for the interior of the dome that blended with the small practical set. During the zoom into the dome the focus shifts and throws the background detail out of focus.
Compositing of the scene was completed in Combustion. Multiple passes of the 3D model were overlaid and a ambient occlusion pass was used to add additional detailing. A depth map was used to animate the cameras focal point of interest.
Niel Bushnell established Qurios Entertainment in 2002 after working for many years in the animation industry.
Qurios is an animation and design studio that specialises in 3D animation; illustration and design using the latest technology. It provides special effects for TV, films, industry and also AAA titles within the gaming industry. Qurios has been commissioned to create special effects by the BBC, ITV and Warner Brothers, amongst other. Its recent credits include Spooks, Hyperdrive and the Outsiders.
Tags: 3D, animation, graphics, special effects