BR: What impact will access to ILM’s tools have on LucasArts?

CP: Well, we’ve literally taken their game engine and integrated it into Zeno. So, they have a bidirectional pipe that works in realtime. They can make editing changes in their engine or within Zeno tools. They can work on an asset in Zeno and export it to the engine and if they need to edit it, they can edit it within the game engine and it automatically updates in Zeno.

BR: Do you expect the game engine to be used on post-production?

CP: No. Only during early stages in previs. At this stage, the game engine can’t hold as complex a scene as we need for film effects. To get the complexity we need, we’d be compromising the realtime performance.

Many of the digital assets used on the Star Wars films were later utilized by LucasArts, which is increasingly becoming the norm with games based on films.

BR: What about sharing assets?

CP: In the case of Star Wars, we did that a bit. I can imagine where we might do that in the future. We might even have different versions of a digital double or synthetic character that’s [otherwise] too high res to work in a game, or a background character that could be used as a hero character in a game. It might even affect how the film is shot. You might do things on set that could then be used as part of the game as well as create textures for the film. If you were going to repurpose those textures for the game, you would do things on set to make sure you have the right photos.

BR: Are there any other new modules in Zeno?

CP: Well, the Zenviro module has a huge application in visual effects. With it, artists can create environments using texturing tricks rather than fully rendered 3D geometry and also do level of detail for geometry. They can go from pieces of 3D geometry with a lot of detail to less detail in realtime based on where the camera is.

Also, we’ve begun doing image-based motion capture. I think the first use of the technology was on Minority Report and we’ve used it for some digital double type of work. But now we’re at the point that instead of relying on going onto a motion capture stage, a director can capture motion during first unit photography. We’re using HD cameras, but the trick is in the photography.

BR: Would you sell Zeno?

CP: I’ve been asked. People who have left ILM and gone on to other studios have inquired, but…

BR: But you’re not selling the family jewels?

CP: You could say that.

Barbara Robertson is an award-winning journalist specializing in visual effects and computer animation, and a travel writer. Her latest travel story appears in The Thong Also Rises, an anthology published by Travelers Tales.