From Building Blocks To A Virtual Set - Creating A Virtual Reality

Epic Movies & TV Are Epically Expensive To Make

There are an ever growing number of productions that require sets that would not be able to be built because of physical restrictions, economic restriction, and very often both at the same time.

Have you ever thought about what it is you are really seeing when you see your favorite show? Do you ever consider what these scenes look like under the pretty materials and lighting?

Behind The Wizzard's Curtain Dorothy

This is the very same scene in a raw format within the software that I used to create this image. What you see are a collection of stock pieces that I have for science fiction type buildings.

The areas that are dark and like on the models in the scene are where the different materials will go. To create this scene I used 3ds Max as my main digital content creation tool.

So in this scene you see several things the geometry of the models that are being displayed, where textures will go, and then you see some of where the lights are located.

A Process Of Evolution

Once got some of the building pieces in place I created 2 base materials. Both were some metal textures. They differed in the way the reflection worked and how rough they appear to be. One dark one for the main building material and one brighter and shinier version for the railings and vents.

Then one more material was created and applied to the ground.

What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks

So the windows are just an image that I found on the internet. I used them to make the lit windows as you see them in the image by creating a self illuminated material out of them. I made it have sort of a glassy reflection to it and applied a few areas of the building blocks.

Adding Environmental Depth

To create a greater sense of reality and provide some lighting help I took the image above and applied it as an environmental map.

Much Faster Than Building It

So this entire project can be put together in a few hours give or take the rendering time. But it can put a production light years ahead and if you decide there is something you want moved you still have time. Try doing that with a hard built set.