Santa Monica-based visual effects house R!OT recently created visual effects shots for the current Warner Bros. release QUEEN OF THE DAMNED. The 114-shot workload of 3D computer graphics, digital matte paintings and 2D compositing was completed using SoftImage|XSI, Maya and Inferno as well as Armada, R!OT’s artificial intelligence system (AI) for character/object animation and texture management. Originally used for the studio’s work on THE ONE, the application was co-developed by R!OT and SoftImage as a solution for scenes with extensive animated geometry. Boards for one visual effects sequence in QUEEN OF THE DAMNED called for approximately 50,000 fans and vehicles to attend a concert, requiring unique direction for groups of photo-real characters and vehicles. Lead CG artists Jason Barlow, co-developer of Armada, and Hans Payer used the system’s command-line interface to assign pre-animated cycles to the fans and vehicles, from which Armada generated "behaviors" and motion paths using collision detection and other AI technologies in reference to scene-geometry. Specific application commands also allowed R!OT artists to efficiently create layers of scene animation and optimally render them in consideration of available system resources. R!OT also produced all visual effects and provided additional post-production services for the music video "Cold" by STATIC-X from the QUEEN OF THE DAMNED soundtrack.