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With the request for what new features/improvements to add to the next version I think it is best to step back and look at some of the fundamental issues we face every day and how the software can help us. I started working in effects back on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. We mainly used particles and sprites. I've since worked at WETA Digital in research and development, shader writing, lighting, effects, as well as the creature department. I'm now writing and directing my own films. It seems that same fundamental issues we had ten years ago still exist today.
You start out by blocking out the effect as quickly as you can. Setting up the scene with character animation, etc so that you can get a rough version of the effect to show the vfx sup. This can be rendered at 1K or smaller. Once the timing, location, interaction, etc is approved then the next step is to improve the quality of the simulation to produce higher resolution images. This will be rendered at 2K and higher.
I think Phoenix currently excels at the blocking stage. The GPU viewport rendering and fast simulation times mean you can quickly output a viewport preview without having to do a software rendering. This definitely helps turnaround in the blocking stage.
The next step however is the hardest and one that most TD's spend 90% of their time: making a higher resolution version of the sim for higher resolution rendering.
a) Currently it is quite complex to take a low resolution sim and add more detail. You can decrease Cell Size but this changes the sim's characteristics. You then compensate by changing Max Step and SPF, however it takes quite a lot of tweaking to get it to look like the blocking sim. It is important to note that by this stage the blocking sim has been approved so I need to get the high res sim to keep the shape and timing the same as the blocking sim.
b) The rendering of the sim to give it more detail is quite tricky as well. The basic sim surface is often not detailed enough to simply rendering on its own, particularly at higher frame resolutions. A combination of Displacement and Textures does help but it is tricky to determine how your texture map scale applies to the surface. I've rendered with the Geo Mode to help but it isn't very intuitive. Also which texture is best? Volume Noise, Solid Fractal, etc? The application of a texture to the sim colors is somewhat limited since it multiplies the color of the sim by the texture. More color controls would help here. I personally would love that Phoenix produces a procedural displacement and procedural texture for you based on the simulation itself.
c) Lastly, you can be asked to retime a sim at any point by the vfx sups. They want the same fundamental sim but slowed up or sped up. Currently it is difficult to achieve this in Phoenix despite the Time Scale feature.
So taking a look at the bigger picture the areas where Phoenix could really assist TDs is:
a) Upresing existing sims while keeping the same fundamental shape and timing.
b) Producing high detailed renders of the sim the quickest way possible.
c) Accurate retiming of a sim without changing its original characteristics.
I'm sure other TD's would like to add to this.
What "bigger picture" things do you do on a daily basis that you could do some help with?
You start out by blocking out the effect as quickly as you can. Setting up the scene with character animation, etc so that you can get a rough version of the effect to show the vfx sup. This can be rendered at 1K or smaller. Once the timing, location, interaction, etc is approved then the next step is to improve the quality of the simulation to produce higher resolution images. This will be rendered at 2K and higher.
I think Phoenix currently excels at the blocking stage. The GPU viewport rendering and fast simulation times mean you can quickly output a viewport preview without having to do a software rendering. This definitely helps turnaround in the blocking stage.
The next step however is the hardest and one that most TD's spend 90% of their time: making a higher resolution version of the sim for higher resolution rendering.
a) Currently it is quite complex to take a low resolution sim and add more detail. You can decrease Cell Size but this changes the sim's characteristics. You then compensate by changing Max Step and SPF, however it takes quite a lot of tweaking to get it to look like the blocking sim. It is important to note that by this stage the blocking sim has been approved so I need to get the high res sim to keep the shape and timing the same as the blocking sim.
b) The rendering of the sim to give it more detail is quite tricky as well. The basic sim surface is often not detailed enough to simply rendering on its own, particularly at higher frame resolutions. A combination of Displacement and Textures does help but it is tricky to determine how your texture map scale applies to the surface. I've rendered with the Geo Mode to help but it isn't very intuitive. Also which texture is best? Volume Noise, Solid Fractal, etc? The application of a texture to the sim colors is somewhat limited since it multiplies the color of the sim by the texture. More color controls would help here. I personally would love that Phoenix produces a procedural displacement and procedural texture for you based on the simulation itself.
c) Lastly, you can be asked to retime a sim at any point by the vfx sups. They want the same fundamental sim but slowed up or sped up. Currently it is difficult to achieve this in Phoenix despite the Time Scale feature.
So taking a look at the bigger picture the areas where Phoenix could really assist TDs is:
a) Upresing existing sims while keeping the same fundamental shape and timing.
b) Producing high detailed renders of the sim the quickest way possible.
c) Accurate retiming of a sim without changing its original characteristics.
I'm sure other TD's would like to add to this.
What "bigger picture" things do you do on a daily basis that you could do some help with?
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