Published , by Kevin Tucker
Published , by Kevin Tucker
The visual effects industry is going through a period of growth right now, and video game technology has a lot to do with it. Advanced computer rendering and the sort of real-time effects made possible through the likes of Unreal Engine 4 have simplified the process of creating photorealistic visuals in film. Not only are the final products more impressive, the process itself has become much more streamlined.
Shacknews recently had a chance to sit down with Karl Herbst, visual effects supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks, at View Conference 2018 to discuss how modern technology has changed the visual effects landscape.
One of the first things Herbst mentions in the interview is CG hair. Film fans might remember hearing about computer-generated hair and other hair-related technologies around the release of various Pixar films. Apparently, the method of approaching hair in CG films has been similar for years, due to a phenomenon Herbst himself calls "institutional folklore." Thankfully, with the power of modern computers, visual effects artists are now able to render follicles at a level that would have been impossible "even just a couple years ago."
View Conference 2018 provided an opportunity for all manner of computer graphics and visual effects artists to get together and discuss all the latest developments. Small surprise, then, that so many of Shacknews' recent View Conference interviews have been focused on the role of computer and video game technologies in film. Check out more View Conference interviews, as well as talks with some of the gaming industry's top talents, by following Shacknews and GamerHub.tv over on YouTube.