Snap Model

I was asked to upload a wireframe of Snap to the blog so I decided I might as well upload the model itself. The model can be downloaded in OBJ format from this link.

Note:
Some of the objects are defined further with displacement maps I couldn't attach due to size.

The TED presentation itself

(There's an HD version on Youtube)

TED presentation

I've been meaning to update, but hadn't had the time.
We had an independent TED event (TEDx) in Israel today and we had to prepare a short talk and a video showing some of the work on Round 6 - so we've been a little swamped.
So hopefully, more stuff coming soon.

In the meantime, here's the edit we put together for the TED conference!

HD issues

We're having some technical issue with Vimeo and can't have embedded videos in HD at the moment - so through the blog the videos can only be viewed in regular resolution, but through Vimeo they can still be viewed in proper HD.
Hope this will be fixed soon.

Some compositing

I've made a short compositing video. I go over one of the compositions and explain a little about how the render passes are used and how the composition was built.

Render pass overview

Hello!
Didn't mean to take so long with this one, but lack of time followed by technical issues postponed it.
Anyway, I put together a short overview of our render pass and elements setup for R6. Hope you enjoy.

Animation take 2!

So here's another shot Eran brokeown for our enjoyement. So.. enjoy!

This video shows, in slow motion, the progress of the shot from layout to final animation.



This shot didn't have live reference, and because it only consisted of a few frames of action it was very important to get each pose exactly right as well as the timing.
The general feeling I wanted to get across was that Snap free falls from a protective pose which coveys what he went through in the previous round just before he died.
I didn't want him to move around during the fall since, besides the fact that there are few frames and the action comes as a surprise for the viewer, Snap himself isn't aware that he's falling yet.
The pose in which he hits the ground demonstrates that he is unaware that he is falling and not in control over it by hitting the floor with his lower back - which is the most painful and harsh way to hit.
From the moment he hits the floor he realizes he's fallen and so he doesn't hit his head on the ground and he raises his hands back up protectively in what is cut on action to the next shot.

A couple of points (click on animated GIFs to see large version):

Here we can see the work on the first pose where the first thing to do was to put him in a general position, and I thought it would work well if his hands were clutched into fists - as someone trying to defend himself.
In the second version I worked more on the silhouette of the hands and legs, and I opened his fingers back because I felt that it showed more of a helpless defense.
In the third version I made sure to break the symmetry between the legs, so I straightened his farther leg, which helped create the negative space between them. I also exposed his eyes a little bit from above the shield.

In this demonstration we can see I made the difference between the parts which hit first and those which hit last more extreme.
It was important to me that he hit the ground harshly, that's why he falls on his lower back.
In the final version the legs hit later, which helped the pose and the timing move in a more interesting way to the flat pose he next assumes on the floor.