ImagineFX_Issue_150_August_2017

Publisher The Gnomon Workshop Price $49 per month (subscription) Format Streaming video Web http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com

Artist profile

Olivier

DubarD

Olivier is an environment artist

who specialises in film and

cinematics. With a background in

comic books and illustration, he

attended the Gnomon School of

Visual Effects in Hollywood, and

now handles different aspects of

production, from concept to the

final photo-real CGI image. He’s

also created digital environments

for the film industry, working

on blockbusters

such as Star Trek

Beyond, The Hunger

Games series and

Terminator Genisys.

http://www.olivierdubard.com

with lots of panning, for example,

might require more 3D objects than a

scene intended for a static shot, where

more 2D painting could be called for.

Particular points of interest in this

project include the use of 3D at the

initial concept stage, where a toon

shader applied to a roughly blocked-

out scene gives Olivier the perspective

lines he needs to start painting and

photo-bashing with precision. And

artists who associate ZBrush with

character sculpting might be surprised

to see Olivier using the software to

craft hard-edged objects later on:

working on them in ZBrush enables

him add the imperfections that

convince the viewer the parts are real.

Yet while there’s much you’ll find of

use here, you may well end the video

wishing Olivier had shared more of his

knowledge. This feeling is exacerbated

by the frequent musical interludes that

alternate with the narration.

MAKe A SCeNe Master the basics of producing scenes and backdrops

for films and video games, with pro environment artist Olivier Dubard

aking CG characters might

be the glamour roles in

visual effects and games,

but there’s plenty of

creative opportunity in the more

niche areas, too. Those fantasy and

sci-fi backdrops and props don’t

design themselves, you know.

In this brisk video on environment

creation, Olivier Dubard offers a broad

introduction to a specialism he excels

at. In a little under two hours, he goes

through every stage in a single project,

taking an atmospheric alleyway from

concept to final rendering. Covering so

much territory in relatively little time

inevitably means that some technical

detail is lacking: although you’ll pick up

some useful tips, it’s better to think of

this video as a career overview.

Olivier mixes 2D and 3D skills

according to the needs of the brief

rather than following a strict pattern.

An environment that features in a shot

M

Environment Creation

for Film and Cinematics

Olivier goes through

every main stage of an

environment project,

including creating

custom textures in Mari.

During the pre-composition

stage, Olivier uses Nuke to

control colour and focus.

Olivier Dubard uses

SketchBook Pro to

flesh out a concept

he initially made in

3D, using a toon

shader to generate

the outlines.

Olivier’s video on

environment shows

you the ropes, to help

you decide if it might

be a career for you.

ZBrush gives Olivier

the toolset he needs

to make pristine

objects damaged and

imperfect, which adds

to their authenticity.

Topics covered

n Gathering reference

n Concept art

n Modelling and layout

n Texturing

n Lighting and

LookDev

n Pre-compositing

n Matte painting

Length

111 minutes

Rating

★★★

Inspiration Training

August 2017 97