Combustion
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Has anybody heard of this program? The demonstration is quite impressive.
Basically the operator is taking a rendering and changing the lighting as well as interfacing in 3D just from a rendering. Saving time having to render over and over.
I know it sounds odd but check out the first video. It is 46 min. long and the effects I am talking about are near the end so you will have to watch it all. The first part is basically a tutorial in Viz and 3ds max.
Take the time if you have it, I was impressed.http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=5665905
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A few years back I worked for a visualization firm, supposedly one of the top in the nation, and they had licenses to this. After I finished my graduate degree, I went back to work for them for ten weeks while looking for a job in architecture firm. By this time, Combustion was out the door in favor of After Effects and Final Cut Pro. They just made faces when I asked what happened to Combustion.
I was just a Max Monkey at the place and didn't deal with any video composition, but I do find it telling that a firm so involved in high-end animation (these days they are putting green-screen-filmed fashion models into their completely digital architectural environments) should dump a product aimed at their market.
poster-Lewis Wadsworth
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I'm more of an Avid and Adobe After Affects guy...but that's probably because I've worked at both companies on digital video!
Thanks for the headsup Eric, if I have extra time this weekend I'll check it out!
Cheers,
- CraigD -
Have you looked at or used Particle Illusion? You can get a free version and its quite easy to use. Its basic but can create the same sort of stuff as Combustion. Particle Illusion works in a sort of 2 and a half d way, you can apply 3d effects to your avi files etc. I think the tools and finished results are better than After effects. Apologies if I am wrong about this though as I'm a modeller, never been much of a renderer - working on it though.
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The 'relighting' technique that was being demonstrated is fairly standard - I guess most architects already do this (or should do?) when rendering 3D visualisations.
The rpf file format export was very clever indeed - shame it locks you down to using just 3DS Max and Combustion (yuck). Never been a big fan of Combustion, but that's kind of a 'given' working in a VFX studio - where it is very much looked down on.
Apple's Shake is now only $500, and is much, much more powerful. I've been using Digital Fusion a lot recently, too, which is great - direct import of fbx and obj meshes, including textures, to your compositing package. Woo!
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