The summer’s biggest blockbusters have featured some stunning visual effects. And Maxon’s tools were used to create some of those visuals. Teams working on films including Inside Out 2, Godzilla x Kong, Monkey Man, The Garfield Movie, The Watchers, and Sasquatch Sunset used Maxon tools such as ZBrush and Redshift to craft visuals.
To lean more, see our piece on everything you need to know about Zbrush and our Maxon Cinema 4D review. In the meantime, here’s how the tools were used on this summer’s hits.
Film editor Maurissa D Horwitz working on Inside Out 2 (Image credit: Maxon)
Pixar made use of Maxon’s ZBrush to achieve visual continuity when developing new characters, emotions and scenes in Inside Out 2 and build on the visual storytelling of the original film. Character Supervisor Michael Comet said the software allowed the team to stay true to the original film’s style while incorporating new, emotive characters.
He said the approach was more efficient than clay sculpting. ZBrush was used following initial clay sculpting to refine characters like Anxiety and Ennui, allowing quicker transitions from 2D concepts to digital designs. “Moving to the computer lets us iterate more and reduces cleanup time,” Comet said.
(Image credit: Maxon)
Meanwhile, Redshift was used for immersive VFX in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Baked Studios, guided by VFX Supervisor George A. Loucas, crafted futuristic cityscapes and lush landscapes that 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.
The team was tasked with integrating composites into established color palettes and lens aesthetics. This required meticulous colour matching, precise lighting adjustments, and close attention to anamorphic photography, especially concerning bokeh and chromatic aberration.
Redshift 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.
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(Image credit: Maxon)
(Image credit: Maxon)
(Image credit: Maxon)
Redshift was also used to make the unbelievable believable in The Watchers. Cadence Effects, led by Travis Pinsonnault and Rob Liscombe, showcased subtle yet exceptional effects 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,” said 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.”
“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.”
