The Making of 'Dirge'
with Alex Alvarez
Description
In this extensive eight-hour lecture, Alex Alvarez delves into the the creation of 'Dirge', an animated personal project. Created as a high-resolution two-minute animated loop at 2560x1600 for viewing on a 30" framed display, 'Dirge' was created using Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, After Effects and Mental Ray. The entire workflow will be explored, including character and environment design, modeling, sculpting, texturing, shaders, dynamic effects, rigging, animation, lighting, volumetric effects, and compositing. As this project represents a diverse range of tools and techniques, it is an in-depth look at the process with an assumption that the student has an intermediate understanding of the tools. Anyone interested in creating a dynamic and cinematic 3D digital environment will benefit from Alex's approach and breakdown.
Duration: 448 minutes
Format: SD 1024x768
Alex Alvarez
Founder / Director The Gnomon Workshop and Gnomon School of Visual Effects
Alex is founder and director of The Gnomon Workshop and of the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood. Having dedicated the last decade to educating students and professional artists around the world, Alex has helped change the face of computer graphics and design education. He has been published in industry magazines, websites and books – plus he has taught courses at several major trade conferences. Alex is president of the Los Angeles Maya Users Group and sits on the Advisory Boards for Highend3D.com and CGsociety. He continues to work on personal and professional projects, recently as a creature development artist on the James Cameron film Avatar. Prior to Gnomon, Alex worked for Alias|Wavefront as a consultant and trainer for studios in the Los Angeles area. Alex is an alumnus of the Art Center College of Design and the University of Pennsylvania.
