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A look at how 'Jurassic Park' and its CGI dinosaurs changed cinema
Here's a fun piece of trivia: Steven Spielberg was originally going to use stop-motion animation for the dinosaur sequences in Jurassic Park. That's right, one of the most iconic films in the world, a landmark in the evolution of CGI almost ended up looking like Jason and the Argonauts. Thankfully, when the director approached Industrial Light and Magic about adding motion blur to his model raptors, the special effects house managed to convince him that completely computer-generated dinosaurs were the way to go. And the rest, as they say is history. After the break is a nice short film from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences that tells the tale from start to finish, and even gives you sneak peeks at the stop-motion test footage and the first batch of CGI proofs of concept.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor trailer warns of the Gravewalker
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor received a new CG trailer today to commemorate the upcoming week of E3, in which attendees will be treated much like the Uruks in the video. The trailer takes place after a battle and shows a dying Uruk speaking of the "Gravewalker," whom players will know as Talion. Announced in November and developed by Monolith Productions, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe. In the game, Talion and his family are killed by uber-villain Sauron, though Talion is resurrected and seeks revenge. We strolled away impressed with the way Shadow of Mordor plays out after our hands-on time with the game late last month. It will launch on October 7 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. [Image: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]
Plastic Wax Studios targets MMO and mobile cinematics
If you found yourself impressed when you watched the four-minute cinematic opening for Neverwinter, then address all kudos and praise to Plastic Wax Studios. The company has previously focused on console titles, although it recently stated that it is branching out to provide cinematics for MMOs and mobile titles as well. Executive Vice President Dane Maddams touts the studio's high fidelity and skill when it comes to these trailers: "We aimed to really push technology and art to compelling and cutting edge realism with our recent release of the Director's Cut cinematic for Perfect World's Neverwinter. The cinematics were carefully designed to enhance the story in a never seen before narrative and build anticipation for the title to new heights." If you haven't watched the Neverwinter cinematic yet, you can do so after the jump. [Source: Plastic Wax Studios press release]
Did you think 'The Avengers' finale was shot in New York? Think again (video)
Raymond Teller once said that the secret to fooling people is to put in so much more effort than the trick seems worth. It seems that the bods at Industrial Light and Magic followed his wisdom when concocting the effects for The Avengers. If you'd marveled at how seamless the team had blended shots of the Big Apple with the Chitauri invasion, then we've got a surprise for you -- almost none of it is real. Rather than shoot parts of the New York-based finale in the city (or any other city), the effects house created a 20-block "digital playground," complete with individually detailed office windows. Interested in learning just how much of those breathtaking set pieces were filmed in a green screen in New Mexico? Head on past the break.
Witness Final Fantasy XIV's reborn realm in new trailer
There is kind of a lot going on in Final Fantasy XIV's reborn realm. Like, some sort of an angry mounted swordsman, and fireworks, and lots of other things that make pretty lights. Square Enix's CG department sure didn't pull any punches this time.
The Firing Line: PlanetSide 2, Tribes, and Heroes & Generals updates
Not a bad week for shooter news, wouldn't you agree? Let's see, we had PlanetSide 2's heart-pounding Death is No Excuse CG trailer. We also had a huge Tribes: Ascend update. While those two juggernauts get plenty of press coverage, one shooter that's still operating relatively under the radar is Heroes & Generals. If you've read The Firing Line before, though, you know I'm a big fan of Reto-Moto's browser-based World War II title. Follow me past the break for the latest updates on that and more.
Fusion-io announces ioFX, a super-SSD that's already garnered an Oscar
You've heard of Fusion-io, right? It produces super-SSDs with the teeth-whitening ioMemory that's so fast it can manage a billion input and output operations every second. Now it's bundling that gear into a workstation PCIe card for FX professionals and speed-conscious multi millionaires. Capable of delivering 1.5GB/s (we checked, GB/s) of bandwidth, it's capable of previewing 3D movie effects on the fly. The gear's even managed to cover itself in Academy awards after it was used by studio Pixomondo on the special effects for Martin Scorsese's "Hugo." A 420GB model will arrive in late Spring, setting you (or more likely, your departmental budget) back $2,495 with an inclusive one-year support contract.
Daily iPad App: Quaternion Julia Raytracer HD
Of the many things I expected my iPad to do, ray tracing was not one of them. The ability to make realistic looking objects with accurate reflections was originally the domain of high end workstations, but over the years it has migrated down to laptop and desktop class computers. Now the programmers at Angisoft in Germany have a pretty impressive ray trace app for the iPad. Called, appropriately, Quaternion Julia Raytracer HD, it renders quaternion julia fractals at a reasonably fast clip, and supplies some background images that can provide the reflections on the surface of the 3d object. What you get is a kind of modern sculpture that can be seen from any angle, and with onscreen settings, you can modify the shape all you want. Of course each change requires another rendering pass, but it only takes a few seconds. The app also allows you to render in anaglyphic 3D and the image looks great with red/blue glasses if you have some around. The renderings you produce would make a great iPad desktop or lock screen. The app was stable throughout my testing, and the images that resulted were sharp. A few negatives should be noted. The app should provide for export to mail, some of the social networks, or even saving it to the camera roll. As it is, you have to take a screenshot by holding down the home and power button on the iPad. I'd also like to see the ability to import images of my own to use as a background, rather than be stuck with the 4 images supplied. Still, I'm impressed to see ray tracing on an iPad. It's not a must-have app, by any means, but I applaud the creativity and it's a great demo. The app is US $1.99, and there is also an iPhone version for $0.99 and a stripped down free iPhone version if you want to give it a try. I've included some screen shots and renderings in the gallery. %Gallery-133938%
Visual Works explains how Tomb Raider's big E3 trailer came to be
If you were capable of watching the E3 2011 Tomb Raider trailer without fully freaking out, well, frankly, we're worried about your health. For the rest of us, Square Enix and Eidos have released a near 15-minute-long "making of" to walk us through all the gory details of its creation.
E3 2011: BioWare shows off The Old Republic Belsavis raid
Are you curious about endgame in Star Wars: The Old Republic? GameTrailers has a couple of E3-related videos that you'll want to check out, both of them focused on raiding content in a galaxy far, far away. First up is a 10-minute clip featuring an interview with BioWare's Gabe Amatangelo as well as various bits of new footage. Amatangelo tells us about a raid that takes place on the outer rim planet of Belsavis. The clip centers on a prison facility in an icy environment, and we get a good look at the approach as well as some combat inside the complex. Amatangelo also talks a bit about raid difficulty levels before reiterating that SWTOR will release in 2011 (though no firm date is given). The second video expands on some of the snippets in the interview clip, and BioWare shows us a minute and 20 seconds of action from the Belsavis raid. Check out both trailers after the cut and let us know what you think in the comments! Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered!
The goddess is set to wreak havoc in Lineage II
With darkening eyes and a thirst for revenge that may well mean the utter decimation of the kingdom of Aden, Shilen comes. Not content to rest on its laurels, the team at NCsoft is hard at work localizing the next major update for Lineage II: the Goddess of Destruction expansion. Just one look into her steely, cold stare and you just know all hell is going to break loose. After all, hell hath no fury like a Goddess scorned. According to NCsoft, we'll be hearing the first concrete information on the U.S. version of this update on April 28th. Until then, you can check out all the spooky CGI trailer action behind the break and bookmark the Goddess of Destruction page on the Lineage II website for when that fateful date in late April arrives.
Shogun 2: Total War trailer assembles for battle
There's totally a war going down between the old and new shogun, and this latest CGI trailer for Shogun 2: Total War from The Creative Assembly and Sega really demonstrates that. Thankfully for us, it's a virtual war based on events that took place long ago. Whew!
New Mytheon trailer features the wrath of Zeus
The marketing for UTV True Games' Mytheon MMO is building to a simmering boil, much like the Greek god Zeus' slow-burning anger over the ungrateful disobedience of his mortal children. Mytheon developer Q&As, closed beta announcements, and class trailers are all present and accounted for, and today they're joined by the latest video sneak peek: a new trailer featuring the thunder god himself. Mytheon is an action MMO that mixes strategy with classical mythology, so it's only natural that Zeus take center stage in both the game and its public awareness campaign. The new trailer lacks gameplay footage and focuses entirely on CG elements, but the stage is nonetheless set for what appear to be epic battles between Zeus and his errant spawn (i.e., Mytheon players).
Trion releases new RIFT CG cinematic
If it wasn't already apparent that Trion Worlds is spending a lot of money on its new RIFT MMORPG, one look at the game's newest trailer should erase all doubts. Up to now, the title's teaser videos have featured in-game footage which, while undeniably pretty, frankly pale in comparison to the CG trailer Trion has just released. The clip features a tense chase and eventual standoff between a pair of Defiants and a Guardian, followed by the activation of an awe-inspiring rift and the arrival of its nasty denizens. As per MMO custom these days, the entire production is liberally laced with over-the-top violence, and serves to amp up the excitement level for fans of fantasy-related combat. Check out all the details after the break and let us know what you think in the comments.
SOE and Blur release DCUO story trailer
Sony Online Entertainment has just released a lengthy story trailer for its forthcoming DC Universe Online superhero MMORPG. Debuting early Saturday morning on GameTrailers, the massive video clocks in at over six minutes in length and features nearly all of the DC Comics notables, including Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Wonder Woman, the Joker, and others. The hyper-violent cinematic is the latest creation of Blur Studio, also known for its Star Wars: The Old Republic teaser work. The cinematic sets up DCUO's overarching story, in which the heroes team up with Lex Luthor to stop Brainiac and his latest threat to humanity. You can view the trailer, appropriately named "Who Do You Trust," after the cut or at GameTrailers.
Early Nokia N8 leak attempts to go viral (video)
Remember that viral video being made for the then secret Nokia N8 codenamed Vasco? The one leaked in a tweet. Well, here it is, a mixture of impressive foosball skill and even more impressive CGI animation. Was it worth the wait?
The Digital Continuum: Lost in worlds divided
In the many MMOs I've played, the ratio between games that got world design right and those that got it wrong is surprisingly skewed towards the latter. Nothing kills the thrill of discovering a new online world faster than feeling like you're being kicked around seemingly unconnected environments without possessing any real understanding or control. This week's The Digital Continuum is aimed at discussing practical ways to address this problem. Obviously this is -- as per usual -- my personal opinion taken mostly from my brain and the experience gathering within it.
Wii makes cameo in Despicable Me
Nintendo's little white box is set to make a cameo in Steve Carell's upcoming CG joint, Despicable Me. You'll spot in the recently released trailer for the July 2010 film, which chronicles the lives of two warring supervillains. Apparently, when you're the best that supervillainy has to offer, you can just lay around in your orange track suit on your matching couch, snacking on potato chips and playing Wii all day. What a life! [Via Go Nintendo]
Force feedback controller allows you to "touch" CGI objects
We've seen interesting 3D peripherals like the Novint Falcon combine multi-axis movement and force feedback to create immersive experiences in the past, but a new research project called the H.VR Editor takes the idea to the next level, allowing you to "touch" and interact with CGI objects. Objects respond according to a pre-programmed graph of hardness values, and the system is capable of simulating texture and events like button presses. That should make the system a hit with product developers everywhere, but we're waiting to see if the folks at DeviceAnywhere pick this up to build the ultimate cellphone testing lab. Video after the break.
WoW Mountain Dew ad was directed by Tarsem Singh
A number of sites have done a post-mortem on the Mountain Dew WoW Game Fuel ad (featuring two ladies battling it out through their WoW characters in a live-action supermarket), and they've uncovered a really interesting fact: the ad was actually directed by Indian director Tarsem Singh, one of my favorites -- he not only did the visually stunning sci-fi/horror flick The Cell a few years ago, but more recently made The Fall, which is an very well-done kind of mirror-life fairy tale. He's directed a number of commercials before, including some for Nike and Levi's, and teamed up with a company called Zoic Studios (they've done a few other spots for video games already) for this WoW commercial.The original CGI models for the ad did come from Blizzard (I'd guess that they're the original models from the WoW CGI trailer), though they were spruced up quite a bit by Zoic to add facial expressions and dynamic costumes and hair. They were then connected to motion captures from stunt artists (which were probably also tweaked to seem a little more than human, and then composited all together in the supermarket scene.Very cool stuff. This isn't the first time WoW characters have been used to sell soda, but hopefully we'll see more fun sequences like this come out of the deals between Blizzard and their partners.
