Real Time Visual Effects for the Technical Artist

Real Time Visual Effects for the Technical Artist

Visual effects (VFX) are one of the most complicated components of feature film and television creation. With advancements in such technologies as Ray Tracing and Virtual Reality, the visual quality of the real-time rendering engine is now rivaling feature film. Real-time rendering requires years of programming experience with advanced understanding in math and physics. As the power of the real-time rendering engine improves, so too do the interfaces for VFX creation. With limited technical understanding, artists can create VFX with the push of a button and tug of a slider. As powerful as the interfaces are, they can only expose a portion of the true potential of the rendering engine. Artists are limited by their understanding of the engine interface. Real Time Visual Effects for the Technical Artist is written for digital artists to explain the core concepts of VFX, common in all engines, to free them from interface bounds. Features: Introduces the reader to the technical aspects of real-time VFX Built upon a career of more than 20 years in the feature film VFX and the real-time video game industries and tested on graduate and undergraduate students Explores all real-time VFX in four categories: in-camera effects, in-material effects, simulations, and particles This book is written to complement undergraduate- or graduate-level courses focused on the fundamentals of modern real-time VFX. Chris Roda is a Technical Art instructor at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), a graduate degree program in interactive, real-time application development at the University of Central Florida. Early in his career, Chris was a visual effects artist in the film and television industries where he contributed visual effects for films such as Spider-Man , Titanic , and The Fifth Element . Before coming to FIEA, Chris was a CG Supervisor at Electronic Arts, where he worked on video game titles such as NCAA Football and Madden NFL Football . In addition to teaching, Chris works on generating tools and pipelines for the creation of immersive experiences: the amalgamation of the narrative of films, the interactivity of video games, and the immersion of theme parks. “A long-awaited resource that belongs on every bookshelf. This book, written by one of the leading experts in the field, provides in depth practical advice that can be applied directly during production. Chris shares his 20 years of experience with readers in a practical format that will benefit anyone who wants to create real-time Visual Effects. I highly recommend this book!” -- Andre Thomas , Director – LIVE lab, assoc. Professor of the Practice – Texas A&M University; CEO – Triseum "A singular title for this book doesn’t do it justice. Chris Roda’s authoritative guide to real-time visual effects illuminates essential topics with clarity and wisdom for not only the technical artist, but any student of real-time computer graphics and animation will benefit from Chris’s vast experience. It will be on my required reading list." -- Brian Salisbury , Associate Professor, Entertainment Arts & Engineering, University of Utah “A thorough, solid and friendly book that can guide you to explore and learn every aspect of the real time visual effect. I wish I had read this book before I went into this industry.” -- Yunhao Huo , VFX artist of Rockstar Games "Chris Roda has a vast background and experience in mainstream film, world-renowned game production, and nearly a decade of academic instruction from one of the largest universities in the nation. With this experience, he has a broad understanding and practice using tools in variety of platforms and context, and has the ability to relay this information in a way this is easy to follow and put into practice. The book is a great foundation for any inspiring technical artist as well an exceptional resource for the seasoned vet in the visual effects landscape. Approaching the tools and topic from the artist perspective, Chris provides words of wisdom both in the practice of visual effects and in the strategies for achieving career success in the field." -- Joe Muley , Manager, Academic Support Services, School of Visual Arts and Design, University of Central Florida "Chris Roda's decades of experience as both a professional VFX artist and instructor offers readers a fantastic entryway for developing visual effects in digital media. Taking you behind the simplified button and slider options provided in modern render engines, Chris takes his readers through the fundamental concepts of creating visual effects and navigating a render pipeline. Understanding how a VFX artist thinks and works within the render engine enables readers to carry his lessons into any modern digital creation tool. A fantastic read, and invaluable addition to any artists either ready to start working within VFX, or take their talents beyond basic online tutorials." -- Joseph Bonura , Shader Programmer / Technical Artist at Imagina