Monday, September 14th, 2020 Posted by Jim Thacker

Master 3D scan integration techniques for visual effects


The Gnomon Workshop has released 3D Scan Integration Techniques, a guide to working with 3D scanned assets in visual effects workflows, recorded by Digital Domain look dev and lighting lead Adrien Vallecilla.

The workshop, which comprises over five hours of video training, explores how integrate a 3D scan of a train into a photographic backplate using Maya, Mari, V-Ray and Nuke.

A detailed guide to current production workflows for creating photorealistic effects
Valecilla begins by exploring how to transform the 3D scan of a train into a production-ready asset using Maya, discussing the underlying hard-surface modelling theory.

He also reveals how to clean up the textures from the scan in Mari and project them back onto the model.

Valecilla then demonstrates how to match the lighting of the 3D asset to that of the backplate inside Maya, and generate all of the necessary render passes using V-Ray.

He concludes by discussing how to composite the render passes with the plate inside Nuke, and what to look out for when doing photorealistic compositing work.

As well as the video training, viewers can download the low-res model of the environment and Maya .mb file used for the shot camera, along with the HDRI backplate, which comes from HDRI Haven‘s free collection.

About the artist
Adrien Vallecilla is a look dev and lighting lead at Digital Domain, where he has worked on movies including Avengers: Infinity War, Terminator: Dark Fate and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

He has worked in the VFX industry for over five years, at studios including Scanline VFX and MPC, and has recorded two further tutorials on lighting and rendering in Maya for The Gnomon Workshop.

Pricing and availability
3D Scan Integration Techniques is available via an online subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, providing access to over 300 tutorials. Subscriptions cost $49/month or $490/year. Free three-day trials are available.

Read more about 3D Scan Integration Techniques on The Gnomon Workshop’s website


Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.