4 ms·

Mari was designed in production at Weta, based off the lessons learned from, well, everything that Weta does. Take for example, a large hero asset like King Ko

Mari was designed in production at Weta, based off the lessons learned from, well, everything that Weta does. Take for example, a large hero asset like King Kong. Kong look development started many months before a script was locked down. Kong is 60ft tall, our leading lady is 5’2”. We think we need shots where she’ll be standing in Kong’s hands, feet, be lifted up to his face, nose etc. So we need fingers prints that will stand up at 4K renders, tear ducts, pores on the inside on the nose, etc etc but we don’t know. All of which will have to match shot plates in detail. We could address each of these as the shots turn up and tell the director (who owns the company) he needs to wait a few days for his new shot, or you can break Kong into 500 patches and create a texture for each of the diffuse, 3 spec, 3 subsurface, 4 bump, dirt, blood, dust, scratch, fur, flow etc etc inputs to our shaders. Let’s says we have 500 UDIM patches for Kong so we can sit our leading lady on the finger tips, and 20 channels to drive our shaders and effects systems. When working the artist uses 6 paint layers for each channel ( 6 is a massive underestimate for most interesting texture work). So we have 500 patches * 20 channels * 6 layers which gives us 60k images. Not all of these will need be at 4K however. For Kong replace any hero asset where shots will be more placed “in and on” the asset rather than “at”. Heli carriers, oil rigs, elven great halls, space ships, giant robots.... The line between asset and environment is blurred at that point and maybe think “set” rather than “asset”

CyberDildonics 6y ago
500 separate 4k textures patches for a character covered in fur is excessively wasteful. Things like 3 4k subsurface maps on 500 patches maps on a black skinned creature that is mostly covered by fur is grossly unnecessary no matter who tells you it's needed. We both know that stuff isn't showing up on film and that the excess becomes a CYA case of the emperor's new clothes where no one wants to be the one to say it's ridiculous. > When working the artist uses 6 paint layers for each channel ( 6 is a massive underestimate for most interesting texture work). This is intermediary and not what is being talked about.
- aprdm 6y ago
  Your opinion on something doesn’t mean much when confronted with real world experiences from the biggest studios.
  - CyberDildonics 6y ago
    Maybe some day I'll know what I'm talking about. Which part specifically do think is wrong?
    - aprdm 6y ago
      Focusing on the technical steps and what might be technically feasible or not versus the existing world and artists workflows. Also speaking as an authority that knows best patronizing who actually works in the industry.
      - CyberDildonics 6y ago
        > Focusing on the technical steps and what might be technically feasible or not versus the existing world and artists workflows. I would say it's the opposite. There is nothing necessary about 10,000 4k maps and definitely nothing typical. Workflows trade a certain amount of optimization for consistency, but not like this. > patronizing who actually works in the industry. I don't think I was patronizing. This person is valuable in that they are trying to make completely excessive situations work. Telling people (or demonstrating to them) they are being ridiculous is not his responsibility and is a tight rope to walk in his position. > Also speaking as an authority that knows best If I said that 2 + 2 = 4 would you ask about a math degree? This is an exercise in appeal to authority. This person and myself aren't even contradicting each other very much. He is saying the extremes that he has seen, I'm saying that 10,000 pixels of texture data for each pixel in a frame is enormous excess. The only contradiction is that he seems to think that because someone did it, it must be a neccesity. Instead of confronting what I'm actually saying, you are trying to rationalize why you don't need to.
        aprdm 6y ago

CyberDildonics 6y ago

500 separate 4k textures patches for a character covered in fur is excessively wasteful. Things like 3 4k subsurface maps on 500 patches maps on a black skinned creature that is mostly covered by fur is grossly unnecessary no matter who tells you it's needed. We both know that stuff isn't showing up on film and that the excess becomes a CYA case of the emperor's new clothes where no one wants to be the one to say it's ridiculous. > When working the artist uses 6 paint layers for each channel ( 6 is a massive underestimate for most interesting texture work). This is intermediary and not what is being talked about.

aprdm 6y ago
Your opinion on something doesn’t mean much when confronted with real world experiences from the biggest studios.
- CyberDildonics 6y ago
  Maybe some day I'll know what I'm talking about. Which part specifically do think is wrong?
  - aprdm 6y ago
    Focusing on the technical steps and what might be technically feasible or not versus the existing world and artists workflows. Also speaking as an authority that knows best patronizing who actually works in the industry.
    - CyberDildonics 6y ago
      > Focusing on the technical steps and what might be technically feasible or not versus the existing world and artists workflows. I would say it's the opposite. There is nothing necessary about 10,000 4k maps and definitely nothing typical. Workflows trade a certain amount of optimization for consistency, but not like this. > patronizing who actually works in the industry. I don't think I was patronizing. This person is valuable in that they are trying to make completely excessive situations work. Telling people (or demonstrating to them) they are being ridiculous is not his responsibility and is a tight rope to walk in his position. > Also speaking as an authority that knows best If I said that 2 + 2 = 4 would you ask about a math degree? This is an exercise in appeal to authority. This person and myself aren't even contradicting each other very much. He is saying the extremes that he has seen, I'm saying that 10,000 pixels of texture data for each pixel in a frame is enormous excess. The only contradiction is that he seems to think that because someone did it, it must be a neccesity. Instead of confronting what I'm actually saying, you are trying to rationalize why you don't need to.
      - aprdm 6y ago