[Figure 22] Shot SF-03 final render.

The process followed to create the images in this chapter is one of many possible approaches to producing a computer graphics shot. Because a great number of the technical aspects are covered in other chapters, this chapter simplifies the steps. With the basic computer graphics knowledge from those chapters, along with a solid understanding of a 3D software package, a computer graphics scene can be produced. The quality of that result depends on the time spent, the hardware and software resources and the talent involved. The elements created in this chapter are broken down and reassembled in the following chapter on compositing. 14. Lighting a Production Shot

To learn more about lighting and compositing and other topics of interest to animators, check out Inspired 3D Lighting and Compositing by David Parrish; series edited by Kyle Clark and Michael Ford: Premier Press, 2002. 266 pages with illustrations. ISBN 1-931841-49-7. ($59.99) Read more about all four titles in the Inspired series and check back to VFXWorld frequently to read new excerpts.

Author David Parrish (left), series editor, Kyle Clark (center), and series editor Mike Ford (right).

David Parrish went straight to work for Industrial Light & Magic after earning his master’s degree from Texas A&M University. During the five years that followed, he worked on several major films, including Dragonheart, Return of the Jedi: Special Edition, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, Deep Blue Sea, Galaxy Quest and The Perfect Storm. After five years with ILM and a short stay with a startup company, he was hired by Sony Pictures Imageworks to work on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Series editor Kyle Clark is a lead animator at Microsoft’s Digital Anvil Studios and co-founder of Animation Foundation. He majored in film, video and computer animation at USC and has since worked on a number of feature, commercial and game projects. He has also taught at various schools, including San Francisco Academy of Art College, San Francisco State University, UCLA School of Design and Texas A&M University.

Michael Ford, series editor, is a senior technical animator at Sony Pictures Imageworks and co-founder of Animation Foundation. A graduate of UCLA’s School of Design, he has since worked on numerous feature and commercial projects at ILM, Centropolis FX and Digital Magic. He has lectured at the UCLA School of Design, USC, DeAnza College and San Francisco Academy of Art College.