Hyper-Realistic CGI Is
Killing Photographers, Thrilling Product Designers
Some people even use these advanced tools to replicate old school products.
產品設計師已經開始運用 CGI 和利用一個叫做 KeyShot 給他們的數位模型程式使得它們的照明效果似乎是拍照工作室或縮小的實際專案在野外。你可能看到
KeyShot 的輸出，雖然您可能意識不到它。與術等照明，突出了其所有關鍵功能的極致電腦圖像嗎？ KeyShot，一種程式，增強了他們成為區分是不是真實的點到
CAD 創作中所做的一切。
“The entire Microsoft Surface marketing campaign was done in KeyShot, and if you
go out and buy any Microsoft product, the picture on the box is made with
KeyShot,” says
Henrik Wann
Jensen, an Academy Award-winning computer graphics professor who founded
KeyShot’s parent company,
Luxion. ”The same
goes for pretty much every smartphone, tablet, even the Nook was made in
KeyShot.”
Dave Vogt, an industrial designer who uses KeyShot in his work for
Skullcandy, says that the speed that the
software creates its output is a huge advantage. “Being able to pull in 3-D and
have a juicy render sub 5 minutes is pretty impressive,” he says. “It’s a huge
visualization asset for us to be able to instantaneously reroute a colorway
mid-meeting and work through ideas.”
Other designers echo Vogt’s sentiment
about the pace of work that KeyShot offers, making it stand out above other
packages that try to produce similar effects.
Tim Feher, who generates images for some of
the top automakers, notes, “I have real, artistic-grade paints and I can see the
impact of my work instantly. For me, speed is key. And KeyShot allows me to
demonstrate multiple iterations quickly.”
KeyShot is a “camera for data” that is used to render cameras and other consumer
electronics.
Despite its tech pedigree, the product has humble roots — it was originally
designed to help window manufacturers preview lighting solutions. Now, it’s used
to render Unilever shampoo bottles, Luis Vuitton leather bags, and even parts
for the Millenium Falcon. Marco Di Lucca says that while he can’t
reveal the projects he’s currently working on at Industrial Light & Magic,
his work with KeyShot, especially its ability to generate realistic skin, have
made him a believer.
“Rendering human skin has always been a huge challenge to get right,” he
explains. “Skin rendering is a very complex matter, scientifically speaking, and
what it makes even harder is the fact that we look at ourselves every day and it
becomes very easy to spot a fake computer-generated imagery.”
For product shots, KeyShot is a control freak’s dream. Unlike photographs,
the images it produces show no greasy fingerprints and are unmarred by dust. “If
someone puts their heart and soul to a product, they want the images to be
perfect,” says Jensen.Technically, KeyShot works by simulating the
scattering of photons as they bounce around in a scene and interact with the
different materials. According to Jensen, “The rendering engine in KeyShot is
the only one that has been verified by the International Commission on
Illumination (CIE) as computing the scattering of light correctly (CIE
171:2006). We have been careful in ensuring that the physics is correct and this
is one of the main reasons why we can simplify the interface and focus on the
key parameters such as the color of the materials.”
KeyShot leverages Jensen’s scientific research, but he’s always excited to
collaborate with artists to improve the product. “I was developing this paint
that I thought was really good,” he says. “The physics made sense, but when I
showed it to a famous car photographer he pointed out some details I missed.”
Far from being deflated by the criticism, Jensen enjoys working with demanding
professionals to help improve the product.
A CAD-generated wristwatch (top) gets the KeyShot makeover (bottom).
The renderings produced by KeyShot are also being used in development. The
team at Luxion has spent a great deal of timing making sure their renderings are
as close to photorealistic as possible. Chemical giant DuPont was so impressed
with the verisimilitude of the renderings that car designers can actually spec
their virtual paints in a CAD model and order real paints for a physical model,
all in the same interface.
After conquering the world of product rendering, Jensen is leveraging
advances in
Moore’s law to tackle some
of the most intractable challenges in computer graphics. First up is utilizing
his technology, capable of rendering the face of a watch, to do the same for the
human face — a technological challenge that Jensen attributes to the complexity
of subcutaneous hair and blood.
The latest KeyShot release adds some impressive features, like stereoscopic
viewing of models — a demo Jensen will be presenting at Siggraph this
summer. With increasingly realistic images being produced in 3-D on MacBooks,
Jensen thinks a real virtual-reality revolution — without the clunky
Lawnmower Man look — could be within sight. “If we can raise the
fidelity of the images, present them in 3-D and we can fool the eyes, I think
it’s possible.”
KeyShot is rocketing CG artists out of the uncanny valley, providing a glimpse
of the future.
Photo:Marco Di Lucca
