During Epic Games’ “Unreal Engine User Group” panel on SIGGRAPH 2019, Unreal Engine’s team
presented a new and impressive piece of technology which is called the VFX Camera. Thanks to that
technology filmmakers would be able to create visual effects way faster than they were able to do so
before without using green screen. Here’s a video showing it in practice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bErPsq5kPzE&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=UnrealEngine
Unreal Engine is a game engine designed by Epic Games in 1997. Since the beginning its main goal
was to enable creators to design stunning looking games. Nowadays creators are using a forth
generation engine which has also become a useful tool for designers from other industries. It supports
technologies like VR and AR. Unreal Engine 4 is so advanced that interior architects and filmmakers
are able to utilize its features in their work.
Epic Games have created an ecosystem of tools and applications. Basic UE is free for everyone until
the revenue from the game which they created exceeds 1 000 000 $. One of the biggest advantages of
UE is the fact that there is no need for a creator to be a master of coding to make a game with solid
mechanics. It utilizes a system called Blueprints which presents coding as a graphic interface with
nodes. Connecting nodes replaces typical lines of code so not knowing a programming language is not
a problem. The newest version of the engine offers graphical capabilities which, when used by a
skilled artist, can generate stunning, realistic visuals.
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/events/join-the-unreal-engine-enterprise-team-at-siggraph-2019
The newest Epic Games Team’s project utilizes not only their software but also additional equipment.
The whole concept of the VFX Camera is that the visual effects are created on the spot, displayed on
four huge led panels powered by nDisplay and are captured by cameras right there on a movie plan.
ARRI SkyPanels are placed around the studio and allow the team to adjust actor’s and CG
background lighting. Set of sensors on the camera is connected with the UE4 what allows the engine
to move and rotate the artificial background in the way that creates an illusion of depth. Everything is
set to cooperate with camera’s settings and its focal length. The results are breathtaking. An actor is
perfectly fitted into the CG background because the camera captures both of them at the same
moment. Thanks to the real time rendering every element of the background can be moved or
replaced on the spot without having to re-render the whole scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUnxzVOs3rk&ab_channel=ILMVFX
One of the projects in which this technology has already been used is Disney's “Mandalorian”. Most of
the visual effects were done on the spot and that allowed to shorten the whole post-production
process drastically. Shooting the same scenes on the green screen would highly increase costs and
needed time. Decision made by Disney to use this innovative technology in their flagship franchise
shows how huge potential this idea has.
Nothing is perfect so, of course, removing some points from the process comes with some drawbacks.
In this case it is about the ability to edit the captured material afterwards. Green screen has this
advantage that basically anything can be added later without much effort. Film captured with VFX
Camera can also be edited but it requires much more work and effort from the creators to achieve the
same changes.
People say that we should capture everything we can on camera and add only the necessary things in
post-production. The magic of VFX Camera is that the cameraman can “capture the post-production”
in the same moment.
Apart from film making and video games, UE4 has been utilized by artists in many other ways. For
example, Weta Design and 2n Design worked together with a musician Donald Glover (wider known
as Childish Gambino) in a project which aim was to create some innovative visualisations for
Gambino’s Pharos concerts. Those visualisations were displayed on a huge spherical screen which
worked as a roof for the concert hall. Thanks to the Unreal Engine, Team was able to create huge
environments and sceneries for each song. Whole material was rendered in real time and that allowed
the team to interact with the situation on the stage dynamically. All of the stages were also smoothly
changing between each other. Project turned out to be a huge success and a one of a kind, worldwide
awarded, musical show was its result.
https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2019/03/11/childish-gambinos-pharos-festival-interactive-visuals/
Questions:
What do you thing about the VFX Camera? Is it innovative or is it just a gadget?
Can you think of any other ideas of what to do with that technology?
Have you ever tried to do anything in post-production? If not, what kind of visual effects are your favourite?
Sources:
Cover image:
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/spotlights/unreal-engine-in-camera-vfx-a-behind-the-scenes-lookhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUnxzVOs3rk&ab_channel=ILMVFX
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/events/join-the-unreal-engine-enterprise-team-at-siggraph-2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bErPsq5kPzE&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=UnrealEngine
https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2019/03/11/childish-gambinos-pharos-festival-interactive-visuals/
Comments
2. Obviously, I would have a cyberpunk-styled home with those panels! I would wake up in Hokkaido, next to the hot springs where monkeys chill, I would probably eat breakfast in Madagascar to start a day in the best way... and so on. It wouldn't however take much advantage of the camera movement but, maybe, it could be used to visually enlarge the space, give the illusion of depth. To put it simply it would render a current view from the middle of the Eiffel tower or on standing on the edge of the platforms. In that case, the system would have to track me, but if we are fantasising then let's not focus on the technical details ;)
3. Do you mean special effects? Yeah, I did. After Effects is like my mortal enemy now. I remember when we had to track a rope and cut it out from the background. Part of it was done automatically, however, we did had to go over every last frame and correct the masking path... and the result of our several hours of work was... well... a rope on o blank screen. Yey... That's why the idea of VFX Camera is so exciting to me :)
Thank you for your comment:)
Ian Mckellen's words were very often commented in the media and I also think that it is sad but there are some shots which you can't do without some sacrifice.
Martin Scorsese thought differently and the trchnology which they used on the set of "Irishman" to make the actor older used no additional markers and green screens. It was not perfect but it definately proofed a point.
I'm amazed by this technology, it's stuning to see such detailed effects generated in real time.
2. Can you think of any other ideas of what to do with that technology?
I think that using it with Augmented Reality or Extended Reality could be really fun.
3. Have you ever tried to do anything in post-production? If not, what kind of visual effects are your favourite?
Unfortunatelly no, I have zero experience in post-production. Unfortunatelly, I don't know what my favourite kind of visual effects is, nothing comes to my mind.
A dedicated room with some AR equipment and this technology sounds like something I would love to test myself.
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