Back by popular demand—again!! One of Autodesk University’s highest-rated classes, this is intended for emerging 3ds Max software and Maya software users. This session will explore the world of image-based lighting for rendering images using high dynamic range (HDR) maps and NVIDIA mental ray / NVIDIA iray software. We'll begin with the process of capturing the existing real-world environment lighting. From there we'll see the steps involved in creating HDR panoramic image maps that are used within 3ds Max software and Maya software for photorealistic scene lighting. Finally, we'll employ camera techniques that will create very real images that combine computer graphics and real photographs for completely believable and seamless final imagery. What’s new this year? This year we will focus on graphics processing unit (GPU)-based rendering, specifically NVIDIA iray and others.

3D visualization has become a very important part of the practice in today's design industry; it is no longer limited to just the film and game studios who have long-established pipelines that deal with rendering and compositing. These critical techniques are little known by other design industries, or they are typically practiced to a very limited degree, utilizing available software such as Adobe Photoshop. There exists a common misconception that the Hollywood-like compositing workflow is too expensive or beyond reach. Design companies that have 3ds Max software or Maya software can get help from the Composite program from Autodesk, Inc. From 3ds Max software, you will learn how to render by element, separating important layers that can be used in a compositing workflow. From Composite software, you will learn how to assemble your rendered layers and make post-production changes that impact the look and feel of your final rendered image or animation.

Movies do it, the most popular television series are basing most of their effects on it, and commercials love the opportunities, but what about architecture? Can it help the client to better understand their site, their design, and the direction and the impact of their company onto the community? This class will demonstrate the advantages of using the techniques of integrating computer graphics into live plates, the process, and the possible pitfalls—especially when using it with aerial footage.

This session will take a look at the Alias road map, research areas, and the latest tool developments in Alias software.

In this class, we examine a creature modeling and detailing workflow using Autodesk® Mudbox® and Maya® software. Topics covered include concept techniques in SketchBook® Pro software, creating freely in Autodesk® Mudbox® without the worry of the underlying topology, and new retopology techniques that allow for the creation of an animation and rig-ready mesh. The class also takes an in-depth look at the processes of sculpting, detailing, and painting to bring our creature look and style to life.

In this class, we will examine a creature modeling and detailing workflow using Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Mudbox software. We will begin with exploring creature concept techniques in Autodesk® SketchBook® Pro software and then review clean and optimized polygonal modeling tips and tricks in Maya. Next, we will send our base mesh into Mudbox and take an in-depth look at the processes of sculpting, detailing, and painting to bring our creature look and style to life.

In this class, you will learn how to improve your design process, increase your creative freedom, and reach your deadlines faster with Autodesk® Alias®, Autodesk® SketchBook® Pro, Autodesk® Maya®, and Autodesk® Mudbox® software. We will go through the entire process of creating a new product, from the conceptual level up through surfacing and prototyping. All class data will be available for download.

During this class, you will learn the best practices and typical approaches involved when developing custom tools for Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk® Maya®, Autodesk® Softimage®, and Autodesk® MotionBuilder® software. We will cover scripting and programming languages and discuss the numerous APIs and SDKs available from Autodesk. This class will help you grasp what you can do beyond what is available out of the box in Autodesk entertainment creation suites.

This class will examine designing environments for visually capable Machine Learning Agents to train in. Looking at both modular, procedurally generated environments and non-generative spaces, the class will cover constructing environments to promote generalization and learning. Additionally, the class will give an overview of the design constraints imposed when training AI, including vision sizing, computing power, and graphic fidelity. The class will dissect the Unity Obstacle Tower Challenge environments, including their construction in Autodesk Maya, the modular structure, and procedural generation. The class will also survey the possible issues in adapting an existing digital environment to use with AI.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tools have found a niche in real estate sales and marketing, and they are having some impact on design decision making, but the real impact on construction lies just over the horizon when gaming technology, wearable computing, and machine learning will deliver a rapid proliferation of multiplayer collaboration environments for process planning to optimize design, sequencing, coordination, and safety planning. This class will take an industry look at where we are today, and what the near-future and long-term-future states of VR and AR are likely to be. This session features Autodesk Stingray and Maya. AIA Approved

Take your first steps into the world of machine learning. Learn how a neural network can be used to dramatically speed up the removal of noise in ray traced images. In this lab you will learn about noise in rendered images, use a network trained to denoise sample images, and iterate and modify parameters improving the quality of the denoiser. By the end of the lab, you will have the tools and the knowledge to build your own AI accelerated denoiser.

With nearly everything you need to make an animated film, Maya Entertainment Creation Suite software enables animators and directors to do some real guerrilla filmmaking. This class will walk you through some of the techniques we are employing to bring the feature film Dog Eat Dog to life on a budget of less than $1 million. From timesaving rigging techniques to at-your-desk facial motion capture, we are bringing our entire bag of tricks to bear in our quest to release quality animation on a grassroots budget.

Generative design is transforming the way that products are created by providing design solutions that are efficient, resilient, and visually striking. When thinking of generative-design aesthetics, two approaches are commonly used. The first resembles bones that provide structure with minimal use of material. The second approach uses complex algorithmic patterns, similar to fractal geometries and procedural textures, which can be used as bodies or applied to surfaces. This class will explore easy-to-follow workflows for the creation and combination of structures and patterns in generative design. We will create efficient structures with Fusion 360 software’s Autodesk Generative Design tool. We’ll use Maya software’s MASH tool to create intricate procedural networks, which we’ll then bring into Fusion 360 for further refinement. The use of MASH is a novel and innovative approach, far easier to achieve than other tools such as Dynamo or Grasshopper.

More and more architectural studios are tasked with delivering renderings as part of their communications with their clients. These renderings have become powerful and important tools to help clients understand the vision for their projects and to help approve the major milestones during the design process. Understanding how to compose an image to convey the desired message has become increasingly important. Understanding the basic rules of composition and how to engage the viewer using composition is the foundation of successful communication. Our class will teach storytelling through composition and will capitalize on the team’s design skills to create compelling visual communication tools that will enable class attendees to be more efficient and effective in their communications with their clients.

Two things continue to be true in visual effects and rendering projects: schedules fluctuate, and the effort to get to final remains impossible to predict. This is where ZYNC was born: from the rendering pipelines of real studios, enabling small creative teams to focus on creativity rather than infrastructure. Using native Maya plugins and built-in licensing for today's most powerful rendering software, ZYNC lets studios burst their rendering to the cloud when they need it most. ZYNC has been the go-to rendering solutions for over a dozen feature films and hundreds of commercials, totaling over 50 million core rendering hours. This course will show how small-to-midsize facilities can leverage the power of Google Cloud Platform to render their most complex, CPU-intensive jobs on ZYNC.

This class will illustrate the storytelling process undertaken for a recent international airport design competition in Dalian, China, and the critical role storytelling played in the firm’s competition submittal. The class will demonstrate how a variety of media was used to create an inspiring video that set the firm’s submittal apart from its competition. We will explore each phase of the project, starting with discovery and storyboards. Then we will move into a discussion of production for both live and CG elements, and we’ll end with compositing and editing. We will explain why key decisions were made and when they were made to get the best results. The audience will gain an understanding for each part of the process by seeing real-world examples and behind-the-scenes footage during each phase. Finally, we will share successes and lessons learned from our experience working with 2 Design and Production Teams that were on opposite sides of the world and 14 hours apart.

This class will help digital artists become more employable in their industry, fast-track their career, and build a strong name for themselves in the competitive visual effects field. We will talk about how to develop unstoppable demo reels and attention-getting cover letters, along with tactics for managing and presenting yourself in the best light. We will cover how to develop contacts, stand out from other applicants, play the "game" when it comes to freelancing, and treat yourself like a business. You will learn to promote yourself and your work, create viral videos to gain recognition, and practice dozens of techniques to make your career unstoppable. The goal is to put yourself in more of an "industry celebrity" role where you are offered work based on word of mouth rather than having to apply for work and play the numbers game.

Customers in the AEC and Film & Television industries are transforming traditional workflows to accelerate the production of linear and non-linear, interactive content. From using virtual production technology on The Mandalorian, to building a digital twin for Wellington City for public engagement, we’ll explore how real-time technology opens the door to a new world of creative opportunities. This session will dive into how Datasmith is connecting the dots with Autodesk solutions like Forge, Revit, 3ds Max, Navisworks, and Maya. You’ll find out how Twinmotion and Unreal Engine are used to collaborate and engage with stakeholders and peers using Pixel Streaming and other methods. It isn’t all about AEC, as the session will also cover how real-time technology is changing the way films and TV shows are made. And while there won’t be enough time to get into all of the technical details, we’ll point you to free resources to learn how to achieve the same results.

We’d like to share our journey of how we integrated Universal Scene Description (USD) in Maya into our production pipeline. We’ll set the stage by describing life in Maya prior to USD, when we used a generative scene building framework called Shotsetup. This tool had its strengths and weaknesses, and led us to adopt USD for its promised functionality. We’ll share a technical description of the choices we made, presenting the main artist front-facing tools fueled by AL_USDMaya (EnvironmentStudio2, Forge2). We then made the decision to open source the plugin, and will share the reasons why and the lessons learned. Finally, we will describe the collaboration with Autodesk around the unifying goal: from 3 to 1 plugin.

New to visual programming? No problem. Bifrost’s library of pre-built graphs makes it quick and easy to craft serious effects right out-of-the-box. Get to know Bifrost’s latest features through my experimental art.