cmiVFX, has released Snowy Landscape Complete. This project based course takes on the challenge of a snowy landscape. Snowy visuals in animation are quite complex and can be a challenge to the most experienced TD. The organic shape, depth and sparkles of snow are all difficult features. Together in a single scene they can be maddening. Paolo Copponi has taken on this challenge. Paolo will model in maya, shade in VRay, and compose in nuke. Every stage of this complex scene is covered in detail. This beginning-to-end approach in a lesson, takes the student from a blank screen to a complete REEL clip. This production pipeline is intended to achieve the balance between quality and speed that can be difficult with VRay. VRay materials, lighting and rendering can be a bear. He takes VRay further by setting up passes and elements for NUKE compositing. The VRay to NUKE pipe alone is worth this small cost. This is an intermediate to advanced lesson. The tools taught here require: Maya, VRay, Nuke and Photoshop. Trial versions of each should suffice to follow along.
