AVATAR takes audiences to a spectacular new 3D world beyond our imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. The film has also inspired an Avatar videogame, an imaginative third-person adventure.
James Cameron and his production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, pioneered a new method for making visual effects movies with advanced virtual cinematography techniques. Using Autodesk® MotionBuilder® and Autodesk® Maya® software, the team created a virtual stage or volume in which they could capture actors’ performances and apply them directly to computer graphics (CG) characters, while viewing the results in real-time. This unique soundstage gave Cameron the ability to direct a high quality CG performance as if it were live action.
The movie sets a new standard in stereoscopic 3D (S3D) production, creating a compelling story that is told as much in 3-dimensional space as it is in time, drawing audiences deeper into the movie experience.
Lightstorm refined the performance capture techniques and enlisted a number of visual effects power houses to apply them to high resolution Maya character models to create realistic, believable, animation.
Cameron envisioned Avatar to be as much an S3D game as a movie, broadening the immersive nature of the story. Who better to turn to than Ubisoft, a company that shares a common vision about converging film and game into an integrated entertainment experience.
Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment are ushering in a new era of virtual moviemaking that allows the director to exercise as much creative influence over the actors’ performance in the CG world as in the real one.
The main software used:
- Autodesk Maya
- Pixar Renderman for Maya
- Autodesk SoftImage XSI
- Auodesk 3ds max
- Autodesk MotionBuilder
- Autodesk Smoke
- Autodesk Combustion
Companies used in creating it
* Industrial Light and Magic, USA (most of the character design, modeling and effects)
* Weta Digital, New Zealand (most of the character design, modeling and effects)
* Framestoree, UK (Sully’s arrival at Hell’s Gate and two other shots)
* Hybride, Canada
* Prime Focus, USA (design and compositing of the control room screens, HUDs, etc)
* Look Effects, USA (compositing)
* Hydraulx, USA
* Giant Studios, USA (motion capture)
* Pixel Liberation Front, USA (screens and HUD design)
* Lola VFX, USA (digital cosmetic)