Creative software solutions developer Maxon is celebrating a summer of stunning visual effects on the big screen brought to life with the help of its professional tools. Summer 2024 films including Inside Out 2, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Monkey Man, The Garfield Move, The Watchers and Sasquatch Sunset each used Maxon tools, from Cinema 4D and Red Giant to ZBrush and Redshift.
“Perhaps contrary to the sunshine and warm weather that summertime brings, it’s also known as a season in which the best films are released — such as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones blockbuster franchises. This summer was no different, with tons of excitement over movies like Inside Out 2 and Godzilla x Kong, both of which put Maxon tools to use in helping to create their incredible visual effects,” said CEO David McGavran. “Our mission is to empower creators, and seeing the extraordinary results achieved with our technology is immensely rewarding.”
Pixar’s use of Maxon’s ZBrush was crucial for developing new characters, emotions and scenes in Inside Out 2, building on the visual storytelling of the original film.
Michael Comet, character supervisor, highlighted ZBrush’s impact, noting, “ZBrush’s capabilities allowed us to stay true to the original film’s style while incorporating new, emotive characters.”
Pixar has used ZBrush for early modeling on recent films, noting its efficiency over clay sculpting. “Moving to the computer lets us iterate more and reduces cleanup time,” Comet said. For Inside Out 2, ZBrush was used following initial clay sculpting to refine characters like Anxiety and Ennui, allowing quicker transitions from 2D concepts to digital designs.
In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Baked Studios enhanced the film’s visual effects by using Maxon’s Redshift to create stunning and immersive visuals. Guided by VFX supervisor George A. Loucas, the team crafted futuristic cityscapes and lush landscapes that seamlessly integrated with live-action footage.
“Our focus was on designing digital backdrops that matched each scene’s needs, ensuring they blended perfectly with live-action plates,” Loucas explained.
When crafting visuals for Godzilla x Kong, the team was tasked with integrating composites into established color palettes and lens aesthetics. This required meticulous color matching, precise lighting adjustments, and close attention to anamorphic photography, especially concerning bokeh and chromatic aberration.
Redshift, Baked Studio’s primary 3D renderer for over a decade, provided the speed and efficiency necessary for managing complex scenes, allowing the studio to move away from heavy render farms. “Redshift’s capabilities in depth of field, motion blur and volumetric rendering were crucial in crafting high-quality environments,” Loucas added.
Cadence Effects showcased their subtle yet exceptional visual effects prowess in The Watchers, with visual effects led by Travis Pinsonnault and Rob Liscombe. Their work focused on ensuring the VFX were believable in an unbelievable world, using Maxon’s Redshift to render scenes and set extensions throughout the film.
Cadence Effects was tasked with creating visuals such as a CG ceiling, a 3D forest floor, a tilt-shift effect for a dreamlike car crash, and flawless mirror reflections. “Much of our VFX work is ‘invisible by design,’ seamlessly blending with the existing footage,” shared Pinsonnault. “Redshift enabled us to efficiently render complex scenes, like a high-density CG forest, by using render proxies to quickly manage extensive foliage and terrain.”
Redshift’s user-friendly interface and fast processing were pivotal, enabling Cadence Effects to deliver high-quality results promptly. “One of my favorite scenes features a large piece of glass shattering into millions of pieces. Redshift’s handling of refraction and speed in rendering made this task significantly more efficient than traditional CPU renderers,” added Pinsonnault.
