"Look Sir, Droids!" - Build your own droid in glorious 3D

June 3, 2013 4:13 PM

You too, can build your own Gatling Droid ... these are instructions for creating a 3D CGI robot, and comping it into an office. Pretty comprehensive examination of a 3D pipeline.
posted by busillis (10 comments total)

This is not the 3-D Gatling Droid I am looking for.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:23 PM on June 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

That man needs a shave.
posted by killdevil at 5:28 PM on June 3, 2013

That's really beautifully done. Mapping that thing into a scene with a handheld camera, and the guy in the foreground, looked flawless to me.

The thing I'd be worried about is that some rube would see it and decide it was real, and call the police about him. (That kind of thing has happened.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:03 PM on June 3, 2013

That man needs a shave.

I am pretty sure that moustach was CGI, painstakingly inserted into the live footage.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:21 PM on June 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

Obviously, as CGI gets better and better, movies will need less and less "real" special effects. I wonder how long it will take for computers to replace real-world set building and dressing, though?

I know some fantasy movies have tried this, but, so far, those "sets" have looked more like video game settings.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:26 PM on June 3, 2013

I wonder how long it will take for computers to replace real-world set building and dressing, though?

it happens now for totally normal TV shows.
posted by GuyZero at 6:33 PM on June 3, 2013 [4 favorites]

That was very very good work. The effect is best when the droid is moving - look at the way the little highlights hit the rotating wheels and tires! Awesome! When the droid stops, something is just ever so slightly off - I think it is a little too perfect; the texture needs some tiny scratches and bumps and dirty spots I think.

But really, a minor quibble. I would totes hire this guy for a CGI project!
posted by Mister_A at 6:44 PM on June 3, 2013

That was very very good work. The effect is best when the droid is moving - look at the way the little highlights hit the rotating wheels and tires! Awesome! When the droid stops, something is just ever so slightly off - I think it is a little too perfect; the texture needs some tiny scratches and bumps and dirty spots I think.

I think it's the opposite; maybe it's my visual texture culture speaking, but the robot has this "video game decrepit" look that's kind of silly; a bit like in Mass Effect 3, with Shepherd's brand-new, pre-dinged armor (in the future, they've lost the ability to make paint stick to surfaces)
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 7:02 PM on June 3, 2013

it happens now for totally normal TV shows.

s/now/20 years ago/; s/totally normal TV shows/Babylon 5/
posted by 7segment at 9:04 PM on June 3, 2013

The way CGI is going on nowadays, I have renewed hopes for the roll-your-own movies. Like Citizen Kane with Keanu Reeves and, ummmmmm. I got nothin'. That particular movie idea terrifies me.
posted by Samizdata at 11:07 PM on June 3, 2013