Every now and then we get commissioned by our clients to create visuals for their projects that are in a very initial design stage, where there would be not only no 3D models supplied, (not even basic ones), but what is even more striking but as well more challenging and exciting – they might not even have proper architectural drawings (plans, elevations,etc.)  yet produced, so constructing a 3D model would be a tedious and time consuming  process.

So, as it is the case with this current example- a visual we’ve completed  recently for Gensler, all we got from them as a brief was only this sketch:

And if it is a nicely constructed one – that is, in the right proportions, scale and perspective, then what we would do is grab it and throw it straight into Photoshop where, overlaying pieces of photography and using matte painting /digital paining techniques, we would be able to come up with results similar to the one you see below:

You can watch the quick breakdown video here:

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Or, if you would like to download the full HD version (1920 x 1080, ~48.7 MB), you can do it here>>> download HD

Thanks for watching!

——————————————————————————————————

Deyan Minchev @ VYONYX LTD. | 2012

project name: Tour Bagnolet Paris
project location: Paris, France
project date: 2011
client: Group6, Paris


Behind the Scenes:

Below is a screen shot of the original raw render images.

“Where there is movement, there is improvement.” –  Rick Helders

Contemporary architectural visualisations are full of motion blurred cut-out characters, seemingly done  in the last possible minute before a deadline.  The reason why artists blur people in their images is either to make them stand out less ( “unobtrusive animation” ) and/or to simulate the photographic exposure of real-life cameras.  Apart from the usual lack of any colour balance whatsoever and the poor integration of the cut-outs,mistakes still very common in our industry, this “skateboard” blurring ( as characters appear to be moving in a linear, unidirectional and lifeless manner, similar to standing on a skateboard ) is a very annoying eyesore in otherwise nearly perfect visuals. “Skateboard” blurring is normally done by applying ( “Click-and-go!” ) the default motion blur filter in Photoshop (see example below).

Now, the cardinal problem with the automatic application of the motion blur filter is that it blurs the whole cut-out figure in a very uniform manner, not taking into consideration the human anatomy and character’s very specific movements in space. We, humans, as you know, are bipeds (until we have had a few pints of beer), i.e. homo erectus, and in order to move forward we have to put one of our legs firm on the ground while using the other leg to push ourselves forward, in the process of which we make a step; then reversed. Take a look at the following diagram below.

As you can see from it,which I sketched over a  photography, not all parts of the body are equally blurred- some of them are blurred less, some more and there are even some parts that are not getting blurred at all!

Alright, let me now show you how to apply these principles in our work. I am going to use this RedBull drinking character as a guinea-pig and  integrate him into the picture on the left.

I will start by positioning him in the right perspective, paying attention to the horizon line, the usual stuff, you know.

Next, I will select the poor guy’s right leg, using the lasso tool and after some feather selection I will…

…pull it gently…that is, blur it nicely, using radial blur. Perhaps, something like this:

It is very important to position the “blur center” near the upper right corner, approximately where his hip bone is expected to reside.

Now I am going to repeat the same procedure for the upper part of his body, using a smaller blur radius and this time I will position the blur center at the lower edge.

Then I will radial blur his arm all the way down to his wrist and  fingers using his elbow as a blur centre (upper left corner in the blur center diagram) :

Below is a small comparison between this radial blur technique and the “traditional” motion blur:
 

And a  few colour corrections later, here’s what I get as a final result:
 

Thanks for watching this little tutorial of ours and if you would give us some feedback on it, that would be just awesome!

P.S.: Due to the numerous requests we receive regarding the actual colour corrections applied, here is the full high-res PSD file ( ~35 MB, RAR) >>> download here!

————————————————————–

Vladin Petrov @ Vyonyx Ltd, London 2012 A.D.

A quick breakdown movie of how the image you find in this post has been made using Photoshop and Photoshop alone. I know,  a lot of you fans out there might get disappointed by the fact that there is absolutely no 3D involved…

The painting techniques used here are common among analogue painters as well as many contemporary digital concept artist. One of those cools techniques is to take a random piece of photography and start fiddling around with it and painting over it in Photoshop until you brain starts recognizing patterns and images.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

If you like this video you can download it here ( 7.46MB) >>> download

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Vladin Petrov @ Vyonyx Ltd, London, 2011 A.D.

project name: Hippodrome de Longchamp / Longchamp Racecourse
project location: Paris, France
project date: 2011
client: Massimiliano Fuksas, Paris

project name: London River Park
project location: London, UK
project date: 2011
client: Gensler, London
music by: Oh No Oh My

A very quick animation we produced recently for Gensler of their proposed London River Park. Music is by a very talented emerging young band from Austin, Texas called “Oh No Oh My”. You can find more information about the London River Park project here .

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

project name: Ningbo Fashion District
project location: Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
project date: 2011
client: PLP/Architecture, London

15/09/2011. Vyonyx opens a new office in Paris. Our Paris address is: 13 Rue Lisfranc, 75020 Paris.

L’équipe de VYONYX est heureux d’annoncer qu’un nouveau bureau français de l’agence vient d’être installé à Paris. Attirés par une scène architecturale diversifiée et une riche histoire dans tous les domaines artistiques, nous espérons collaborer en France avec des architectes prêts à explorer des nouveaux horizons de la créativité. Il n’y a pas de limites, ni frontières pour l’innovation.
A votre santé et à bientôt!

Or, if you do not read French, here it is in English:
The VYONYX team is happy to announce that a new French office has been established in Paris. Attracted by a diverse architectural scene and a rich history in all artistic fields, we hope to collaborate with architects in France ready to explore new horizons of creativity. There are no limits and boundaries for innovation.
Cheers and see you soon!

project name: Suwwah Island Tower
project location: Abu Dhabi
project date: 2010
client: Foster+Partners, London