SCAD x The Mill
② Week 5
Trail Mix
Feedback from Mentors (Class 9 )
1. For the look dev, lack detail on the turntable, especially in the shadow, and avoid areas that appear too dark (cranberries).
2. Concern about the lighting
3. The story has improved, and Fx is looking good
4. Keep the nuts inside the package
5. Avoid a deep of field
Changes made:
1. Texture detail adjust
2. Refine the key light direction to better highlight the product
3. Improving the smoke FX dissipation speed and status, and finding the relevant reference
4. Use a shallow depth of field to keep the focus on the product while maintaining clarity in the foreground and reducing excessive blur in the background
Week 5 Task - Fx Development
1. To work on the look development and rendering of the smoke, debris, and dirt FX, then hand them over for compositing tests
2. reference for dust fx
3. Improving dust fx timing and status
4. DO NOT forget the TELESCOPE for Monday’s XR shooting
Dust Fx Reference
1. Dust Fx Adjust
The Week 4 dust FX feels like everything happens too fast, which causes a lack of detail. In the reference videos I found, that most strong impact smoke leaves some residual smoke that gradually dissipates in the air, rather than disappearing instantly.
So this week, I mainly focused on adding residual smoke effects. Building on last week's smoke, in test1, I extended the particle lifetime while also reducing the dissipation value to make the smoke linger longer. However, in test1, although the smoke stays longer at the end, it’s not visually noticeable. In test2, to make the residual smoke at the end more noticeable, based on test1, I also added noise to the original impact dust particles (dust 2). This made the lingering smoke more visible and extended its duration.
Using the same approach as in Week 4, I divided the smoke into two parts: dust1 - the smoke that directly hits the camera (serving as the transition between virtual and real), and dust2 - the smoke from the impact with the ground.
Smoke Breakdown
WIP detail of Dust 2 (For more information on the smoke FX process, please see week4 blog)
2. Look dev of Fx (redshift)
This is the first complete render (except for the packaging material), and I noticed an issue: the smoke appears jagged, most likely due to the particle size or velocity scale. I’ll address this issue on Monday and re-render for testing. I also feel the overall lighting is still quite dark. However, since the background of this shot is live-action, the current lighting is just a placeholder for now. I’ll make adjustments after Monday’s XR shoot to refine the lighting based on the final footage.
Pipeline Test (For Compositing)
In addition to the full unified render, I’ve rendered the smoke, debris, package, and background elements separately. I’ve already uploaded them to Dropbox. This way, we can use them for compositing rough tests in post-production.
Yilin Zhao / SANM560 / SCAD x The Mill