projects
tftmax: Pre-production 3D modeling for theater, film and television
Download preliminary 3ds max space models: TV Studio #1, Freud Playhouse, Little Theater, 1340.
Download tftmax at the ATS website.
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For this project, Erich Keil, a graduate student in scenic and lighting design in the Department of Theater, initiated the exploration of the impact of pre-production visualization on the collaborative process of design for theater, film, and television. We believe these techniques, which include walk-throughs and real-time manipulation of 3D models, can stimulate exploration and understanding of how design elements intersect to create a final artistic work. This research also provides the technical framework to use modeling and visualization to help integrate new types of technology into production.
This project was supported by UCLA Academic Technology Services (ATS), the School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT), and Autodesk, Inc. / discreet.
The School of TFT teaches CAD for lighting and scenic design, and supports 3D modeling using 3d Studio Max (3ds max) in its graduate design lab, but the latter's many capabilities are often daunting for new designers confronted with the fast pace of production design in UCLA’s programs. In the first stage of research, Keil developed a user interface plug-in, tftmax, for 3ds max to address this issue. Its purpose is to harness the power and flexibility of 3ds max lighting and camera tools, and make them accessible to entertainment professionals, particularly designers and cinematographers who are not (yet) 3D savvy. The tftmax package also facilitates an “almost real-time” design/render/evaluate cycle for the designer alone or in discussions with the entire production team.
While there are existing software packages that attempt to perform a similar function, their modeling tools, rendering engines, and interfaces are insufficient for achieving the desired level of freedom, photorealism, and artistic flexibility in the visualization of pre-production. These tools are generally more useful solely for calculating beam and projection angles. The tftmax extension allows for not only more powerful lighting functions but also for flexible and easy stock scenery modeling. It handles the pre-calculation of lighting locations, camera angles and projections for real-world applications in theater, film, and television. Additionally, it supports on-demand network updates of model parameters to Performer (via VR Juggler) and data export to other software, including industry standard packages like AutoCAD, and entertainment-specific tools like Lightwrite.
The basic tftmax interface is a floating palette to which the artist can add tools from a side panel dock. This console can be used to easily operate within a maximized shaded viewport in expert mode, allowing for easy creation and modification of a small set of parameters for lighting instruments and cameras. An extensible library for each console section is being compiled, containing pre-defined parameters for standard cameras and lighting instruments for theatrical and film industries. With the help of ATS’ staff, tftmax supports a flexible back-end database to store (or export) all useful information generated during the pre-production visualization process. Keil has also explored the possibility of storing and exporting lighting cues, scene shift cues, and other camera and lighting layout data for film and theater.
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