Advance Micro Devices.
Leo "SNEEZE THE DAY"
Leo: Sneeze the Day: is a real-time lighting demo designed to showcase advanced rendering techniques, including forward lighting, global illumination, and the use of PBR (Physically-Based Rendering) materials.
One of the first applications to demonstrate PBR materials in real-time, the demo was showcased in 2012 at Siggraph "Real-Time Live" show.
The animation follows Leo, an elderly gentleman, as he creates a stop-motion animation. As Leo films his characters, they magically come to life, blending the art of animation with a touch of whimsy.
This project highlights the power of modern real-time rendering technologies to bring immersive visuals to a charming and imaginative story where the old man's marionettes come to life.
My Role:
This project was developed by a small in-house team of artists and engineers, with some creative elements outsourced. My responsibilities included the creation of the dragon character “Louie,” from concept through to final animation. This process involved detailed sculpting in ZBrush, creating a low-poly in-engine mesh, UV mapping, texturing, material setup, character rigging, approximately 20 facial blend shapes, and animation.
Working on a small, creative production team is something I really enjoy. It offers the opportunity to engage in multiple aspects of a project, from crafting fun illustrations for marketing purposes to creating explainer videos that showcase the behind-the-scenes tech.
In addition to developing Louie, I handled both environment and character lighting for each shot in the short. I also ensured that outsourced 3D assets met modeling standards and were prepared for animation and integration into the Maya project. I set up PBR materials with proper textures and exported setups to our proprietary real-time engine, “Sushi,” before passing the referenced models over to the animation team.
"Louie" the Dragon
Louie was initially modeled in Modo, then digitally sculpted in ZBrush to capture intricate details. The rigging and animation were done in Maya, incorporating skeletal bones and blend shapes for facial deformation. The blend shapes allowed Louie's face to transform from fierce to lovable, adding personality and emotional depth to the character.
Character Development
The lighting in this demo enhancing the depth and atmosphere with volumetric light effects and GI bounce lighting. To achieve optimal character illumination, I crafted a custom five-light rig incorporating traditional key, fill, and directional lighting cues.
This demo showcased the power of AMD's video cards, pushing the boundaries of real-time rendering with dynamic lights, volumetric lighting, ambient occlusion shadows, global illumination, and advancements in PBR materials that remain industry standards today.
These rendering techniques underscored the potential of real-time engines to deliver visuals approaching the quality of traditional CGI.