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To animate Dobby's body, the team again relied on new software. To add expression to Dobby's face and animate his mouth appropriately, the team used a comprehensive library of faces and other shapes compiled by ILM's Frank Gravatt, along with proprietary facial animation and lip-sync software.
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#Softimage 3d jedi academy software
The team also used this software to create and animate bed covers for the scene in which Dobby jumps fitfully on Harry's bed. For the Dobby team, creating that pillowcase required the use of proprietary cloth simulation software. "You don't have to dial anything in manually once it's set up." Using the maquette as reference, ILM's Jean-Claude Langer textured the model with the company's Viewpaint software.ĭobby, a slave to a cruel family, has only a tattered, ill-fitting pillowcase to wear in lieu of clothes. "The software remembers how parts should move and blend from pose to pose," Smythe explains. Next, the team rigged the model in Softimage|3D, and used new multi-weight enveloping software developed by ILM's Corina Wang to ensure that all Dobby's body parts would move correctly and maintain their shape during animation. "Gentle Giant Studios cyberscanned a maquette of Dobby, and we used in-house surfacing tools, plus Alias|Wavefront's PowerAnimator and in-house sculpting software, to shape the data into the form we needed." He's the new bar at ILM against which future characters will be compared."Ĭreating such a character required the use of powerful commercial and proprietary software, some of it written or enhanced specifically for the film.ĭigital Dobby began life as a dense point cloud of data, explains Symthe. "He's photoreal, he's acting alongside Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry, and he exhibits the subtlety of a real actor. "The biggest innovation in this project is that Dobby's like a real actor," adds Dave Andrews, animation director. He knows why Harry Potter must leave the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "He's special not so much because of his screen time, which was 75 shots, or 10 to 12 minutes of animation. "Dobby is a special character," says Doug Smythe, associate visual effects supervisor at ILM, the facility responsible for his creation. But considering the role this 3D character played in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the day when CG characters compete against live actors for excellence in filmmaking achievement may be closer than you think.
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This lighting technique was one of several methods used by ILM.artists to make Dobby more lifelike.
#Softimage 3d jedi academy skin
Dobby, the House Elf?Ī new skin shader that incorporated subsurface scattering gave Dobby a warm glow. And the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor goes to.
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