Previs?

1: Visualization and storytelling to show the director's idea with all the low-resolution model.

2: Exhibit whole movie’s final result roughly.

3: Explore creative idea, easy to fix.

4: Communicate for efficient production, achieve the consensus between different perspective before production.

5: More precise and continuous than the storyboard.

6: Simulate real-world space in CG camera.

7: Experiment, staging and filming all visual elements with overall consideration.

8: Rehearsal all character’s blocking and camera movement to confirm all assets.

9: Make sure the camera’s area to deduct the useless props in a set.

10: Polish editorial(vision and sound).

11: R&D technical solutions.

12: Export technical data for next procedure.

13: Breakdown the amount of production.

14: Plan the schedule, Save money and time.

15: Demo reel to compete for cases.

1:故事影像化及敘事,導演想法具體呈現(使用粗模)
2:概略,卻完整呈現整部電影的最終影音成果
3:發想及不斷修正創意,修改容易
4:各部門提升效能,溝通的工具,於開拍前達成所有畫面要素及製作方向的共識
5:分鏡腳本的進階版:精準化及流暢化
6:透過CG鏡頭,呈現真實世界的空間觀念:景深,比例,透視,構圖
7:沙盤推演+布局+整合視覺要素
8:彩排角色走位+運鏡+表演空間來確認場景模型無誤
9:確認鏡頭取景範圍,鏡頭內的場景物件要細緻,鏡頭外的可移除
10:反覆修改確認定剪(影像+聲音)
11:技術開發,各部門製作可行性評估
12:輸出場景上視圖,鏡頭資訊等規格
13:解析實拍或CG的分工,製作總量的估算
14:進度,人力,時程規劃,拍片計畫,節省預算及工時
15:製作樣片來接案

 A good video for explanation of "Previs" on Youtube

double reference

In 3D animation phase, animators always need to animate a "whole" character that made up of one character and some accessories,weapons or other props. Artists who in charge of assets won't  do the combination of char,props for animators.Their responsibility is only making a single char or prop model(or rigged model) with a initial pose (A or T pose) or neat status and locate on the 3D world center 0,0,0. then ensure the model's shape can follow art designs,achieve the director's request and the construction in the model and rigging conform the regulation of production.

The assets team always concentrate the perspective on the "still status" of everything. Otherwise, artists who is response for "shots" (like previs or layout artist,animator..etc..)will focus on the "active status" of everything in the animation. Consequently, according to the storyboard,layout artists or animators should build a combination of char,props and consider entirely for following workflow.

When they start to load things into Maya files should use "reference" instead of import. It's a better way to get the newest version of everything from assets. The reference can has many hierarchies, so the animators supposed to reference the assets you need, then translate and rotate the chars' ctrls to get a appropriate  poses. The constrain function be also useful. It can put them together.

We regards this finished Maya files as a "bundle', made of "double reference" way. Afterwards, every shot that need it can reference this "bundle" into Maya file rapidly.

That's very convenient for animators to perform the animation.

the double reference hierarchy:

3D動畫製作期間,動畫師必須調整"一整組角色"的動作,包含了角色本身加上配件或武器等,assets組不會組合整組角色,他們只負責建立單獨的角色或物件模型(或含rig的模型),擺好A或T pose ,工整的放置在世界原點0,0,0.,然後確認模型的樣貌符合美術設計和達到導演要求,以及結構符合製作部門的規範

Assets組專注重點在靜態的視覺,至於製作shots的Layout人員或動畫師,則專注在生動表演的動態上,所以,Layout人員或動畫師必須負責組合表演需要的一整組角色,並考慮後續製作

當我們將物件置入Maya,會使用"reference"的方法取代"import",這是得到最新版本asset的好方法,reference可以有很多層,所以動畫師置入需要的角色,物件之後,位移或旋轉ctrls以得到適當的表演姿態,並善用constrain的功能將角色物件綁定成一整組

這樣組合好的檔案,我們稱之為"bundle"檔,使用兩層reference,日後,任何shots都只需要快速地reference此"bundle"檔,就可以得到一整組角色,方便製作角色動畫

以下是兩層reference的層級: