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Interviews | News

Pixomondo: VFX for Star Trek Into Darkness using 3DS Max

Aug 14, 2013 by Joel LeLievre
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Autodesk has released an interview with Adam Watkins regarding the work Pixomondo did for Star Trek Into Darkness. Adam discusses the heavy use of 3DS Max in the work that Pixomondo did, and shows a lot of behind the scenes footage of how they created various sequences. You can view the direct link to the inteview via the Autodesk Area website.

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mpcdev
12 years ago

Just saw the video and it’s beautiful. The quality of the work is impressive. And kind of calms down the rage from not a 3dsMax panel on the user event and in the beginning of the interview Adam says he couldn’t present because of some authorization problem.

Great work Pixomondo.

Igor Posavec
12 years ago

Look at this video!
This is a video we should watch every day – at best, each time you boot the computer, during the log-in, not to forget.

This illustrates (aside the fact what fantastic work the talented people in pixomodo did) what power still lays in 3dsmax: crippled, dusty, ran down by the competitors and his own sister (maya), inert and orphaned, just look what awesome results it still delivers!

Despite Autodesk, 3dsmax is still a heavy engine you dare not to underestimate.

Magnificent work, Pixo!

Joachim Perschbacher
12 years ago

Excuse me but just because a big company is using 3ds max means its the best product again?

DAngel
12 years ago

Hey Autodesk, how is it going, nice video, quick question though, was this video targeted at us the users? or at your own employees? because, how should I put it, WE ALREADY KNOW HOW GOOD MAX CAN BE AT FX/ENTERTAINMENT, that’s why this whole thing started in the first place, so you may be preaching to the wrong choir.(yes, I suppose it’s still nice for people who don’t know how capable Max can be, but still)

Oh, and Thank You Pixomondo, one of my favorite effect houses of all time.

Igor Posavec
12 years ago

@ Joachim Perschbacher
If it was directed to my post – i don’t know what to excuse.

I have never stated nor implicated that 3dsmax “means” to be the “best product” – “again”. The best 3d program is Reflection 3D, for Amiga, as everybody knows.

On contrary, many of us claim repeatably in the last time 3dsmax is almost the worst one, at least from the aspect of development. I am sure you have read the bombastic topic about future and the state of max (look at the right side). If you did not – go there and you will quite fast change your mind.

Changsoo Eun
12 years ago

I think this is the one of the three cancelled presentation at User event.

john butler
12 years ago

Reflection 3D on the Amiga! Memories….

I has sculpt 3D and Imagine as my first 3d programs.

I’ll be sticking with max despite all the gloom. It was good to see someone demonstrating that you can actually get a job done with max…and then some!

SuperRune
12 years ago

Sculpt 3D? Pah! Sculpt 4D was the best! Combined with POV-Ray, you could rule the world!

Anyway, great work Pixomondo. Very inspiring video!

john butler
12 years ago

Sculpt 4D was what I meant. The one that came in the big box with the raytraced chrome sphere thing on a chequerboard floor. I went from that to Imagine 2 because it had texture mapping! From there to Lightwave when it escaped the toaster.

I even remember Videoscape. Exciting times.

Igor Posavec
12 years ago

POVRay hahaha…. Superrune, you win!!! :))) I was just about to write “Bryce 3D” or Nendo but POVRay, one can’t go “lower” 🙂

I have here on my bookshelf a grave-yard of 3d Software boxes i’ve used in my life… Nendo, Mirai, Imagine3D, Real3D, Strata, etc… and look here – Autodesk/Discreet graveyard: RadioRay, Lightscape, Hypermatter… I think i have paid for this jinxed pack around $2500,- back in 1998, just to look them die 2 years later.

MU
12 years ago

These are the droids you are looking for…

Roger Barnes
12 years ago

Max delivers again.

The only problem facing Max is Autodesk’s commitment to advancing Max’s VFX abilities in favor of Maya. AD should not try to direct the market, just feed it.

If you don’t buy two (or three) competing products, you don’t have these problems.

BTW- Max is way smarter than Maya.

mpcdev
12 years ago

I also didn’t said the Max was good because of the video. We all know there’s problems, but the work by Pixomondo is inspiring and great.

And for me is reassuring as I’m very far from this level of greatness. And if with the 2014 version as the last one, and if in the future I can produce that kind of work, I’ll be extremely happy, that’s for sure.

We all want the fancy stuff, but we have to remember that great movies with beautiful VFX was done in the beginning of 2000’s. Work that even now I can’t make. So yeah, I think it’s safe to say that even right now, 3dsMax can be a monster app.

john butler
12 years ago

aaaaaaaaah Sculptt 4D . HAM rendering with 4094 colours.

Byte .t Byte. I remember thinking that this is the future. I had to upgrade to more than 1 meg of ram to use it. I also eventually had Caligari, the really expensive one. Real 3D as well. That was insane. All modelling was done by booleans. Professionals with their Wavefront, Symbolics and Softimage systems used to laugh.

spacefrog
12 years ago

To be exact HAM was 4096 colors
Yes the Amiga… memories. I still have my supercharged Amiga 2000, which i must have spent insane amounts of money on.
And Videoscape was actually the first software i toyed aorund with animation. There was this other (2d ) animation software too, similar to Macromind Director on the Mac, but i can’t remember the name now…
And of course Sculpt 3d Junior/4d, Turbo Silver ( predecessor of Imagine).
And of course every Amiga fan will remember this one
http://home.comcast.net/~erniew/juggler.html#video

JohnnyRand
12 years ago

Nice Pablo! I am glad I am not the only one that saves that old stuff 😀

JohnnyRand
12 years ago

BTW I would expect nothing but awesome coming out of Pixo, max or not there is a bunch of talented people under their roofs!

MU
12 years ago

@JohnnyRand: Ha ha, yes, I like to keep some of those. They’re part of CG history now… how time flies, really. Do you have any good ones to share?
@john butler: Yes, Byte by Byte, Eric Graham was the guy who developed it.
@spacefrog: Thanks for the juggler animation, it was great to see it!

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