Compositing Animated Assets

Project 3 (VSFX 420 Technical Compositing)

March 13 2023 (Class 19)

For today's update, I finished the project by finishing adding shadows to the plate, putting breakdowns together along with the additional shots that my classmate Kat Kimmet worked on. Here is the result!

March 8 2023 (Class 18)

For today's update, I started working with integrating shadows in the scene to make the integration more believable. (Current WIP) I also color corrected the green screen plate to match the scene as a whole.

One of the biggest challenges I have been facing is making the character look as it is part of the scene, keeping in mind that the plate is out of focus. Trying to solve this, I added depth of field and blurred the background as much as I could to match the plate. I also rendered out the mp4 using Media Encoder with a lower resolution (1280x720) . In addition to this, I tried to sharpen the character slightly with a sharpen node in Nuke,

Nuke Script:

March 6 2023 (Class 17)

For today's update, I decided to change the composition and the frame range of my green screen plate. Based on feedback, the green screen plate from Hollywood Camera works is so out of focus it would look best if the characters was not seen so close in frame.

This is my work in progress so far. I still need to add shadows interacting with the environment, color grade and add depth of field to push forward the realism.

Nuke Scripts:

March 1 2023 (Class 16)

For today's update I reduced the warmth/saturation of the scene by making the directional light temperature less warm(10000). I also color corrected the girl to match the scene.

Based on last class's feedback I also made the edges less blurred and placed her in a less centered position.

Most Recent Result:

To reduce the noise in the scene, the advanced samples in Unreal Reader are currently set at 10 and I used a denoise node as well.

To fix the fast movement of clouds I made them stop moving in Unreal by making the Wind Vector 0 in Volumetric Clouds material.

Nuke Script:

Initial Denoise and Cloud Troubleshoot test with a Denoise node and with my samples set at 8:

February 27 2023 (Class 15)

For today's update, I started working with Unreal and Nuke bridge to align the green screen plate with the Unreal Environment. I also improved my scene by changing the curtain material to a different and less noisy pattern. I also added some backyard assets to make the environment more interesting and changed the light setting to match the Green Screen plate.

Work in Progress:

Getting the camera aligned correctly was a bit of a challenge. I still feel that the camera track can be slightly improved since towards the end of the sequence the camera stops moving.

Also, one of the biggest issues I have right now is the sky animation and the noise of the overall Unreal scene is extremely high.

Nuke Script:

For the camera workflow, I exported the tracking information into Maya and brought it into Nuke again as an FBX which then got connected to the Unreal Environment with the Unreal Reader node.

February 22 2023 (Class 14)

For today's update, I improved the green screen key and re did my 3D camera tracking. In the previous update I did not realize that the footage from Hollywood Camera Work was stretched inwards so I had to outstretch it and re-do my camera tracking.

3D Tracking:

Nuke 3D Scene:

Green Screen Key:

Alpha:

Nuke Script:

February 20 2023 (Class 13)

In-Class activity: Pro3 Proposal and Planning

For the final project, as previously stated I will be exploring UE5 and Nuke bridge by using the kitchen environment previously created in UE5. With my partner Kat Kimmet, we will be telling a melancholy story with 3 shots. I am responsible of the first one where I will be introducing our character. The second one will be a closeup of a letter or document that will tie the entire story by showing the reason why our main character is sad. explain why she is sad. This will then transition into Kat Kimmet's close up shot of the character.

The green screen plate does need 3D camera tracking. I need that camera information to bring it into UE5 and match the movement.

I will be using a green screen plate from Hollywood Camera Works. Since I will be using a Green Screen plate, the animation is completed for me already and there is no need to use UVs. However, for our second shot, we will need UVs for the letter we are planning on comping in the environment.

Quick Photoshop Comp:

Calendar:

Week 7(Sun Feb 19 - Sat Feb 25) : Tracking, Keying Green Screen, Bring into UE5

Week 8(Sun Feb 26 - Sat March 4) : Lighting and Color Match

Week 9(Sun March 5 - Sun March 12) : Filler shot with letter(Shot2) and final adjustments

Progress:

For today's update, I did some 3D tracking and started keying out the green screen of my plate. I still need to work on it because the alpha is still slightly transparent. However, with what I have so far, I feel confident to start exploring Nuke and UE5 bridge.

3D Tracking:

Nuke 3D Scene:

Keying out green:

Alpha:

Nuke Script:

February 15 2023 (Class 12)

Project Pitch:

For project 3, I will be working collaboratively with Kat Kimmet. We are planning on following option 2 for the final project and explore Nuke/Unreal bridge. We would be using the interior environment I created for Real-Time Rendering Class and incorporate a green screen plate from Hollywood Camera Work. We are planning on telling a melancholy or heartbreak story to go beyond a simple integration.

I will be working on the first shot, where we see the girl walking in the kitchen and looking out the window as if waiting for something important or worried.

Green Screen Plate:

UE5 Environment:

For Shot 2, we were thinking of taking a different approach to connecting both Kat's and my shots. We would show a breakup letter or important document on the table to explain why the girl is so worried. Shot 3 would be either a filler shot or Kat's closeup shot of the girl.