Animated 3d Feature Film Production Schedule (Page 6 of 10) in pdf

Page 6 of 10

art packet can usually begin after a few months of design work and approvals. The visual style guide and art packet are usually

housed online in the production asset database, where they are easily accessed by artists in the asset creation departments.

The art packet is also used during element turn-overs in which character, prop and environment designs are issued to CG artists

for construction (not to be confused with element roll-outs, in which assets are released into shot production. The art packet is

by nature modular, and continues to be updated throughout production as elements are added and/or modified. The work of CG

production artists is often added into the packet for the benefit of subsequent departments.

Pre-viz/Workbook

Pre-viz & workbook are to the shot production artists what the art packet is to the asset production artists, and are typically

developed concurrent with the art packet. As story sequences are approved in the animatic, they are sent to workbook for

specific camera instructions and to pre-viz for 3D visualization of complex scenes. As mentioned earlier, the workbook task is

sometimes omitted in favor of direct planning of the 3D environment in the Layout department, but this work is still often done

more efficiently in two dimensions – especially where 3D assets or stand-ins have not yet been created.

The workbook and animatic serve an important function in sequence braintrusts: meetings between the director and production

leadership to discuss technical aspects of sequences that have been approved for 3D production.

Software

Production software development includes code required for the database, network, render farm, production management &

asset tracking, custom plug-ins to off-the-shelf software, and translation code for the export/import of assets from one software

package to another. Complexity ranges from simple shell scripts to extensive programs written in C++ and/or using vendor-

supplied software developer kits (SDKs). Software creation can begin on Day One if desired, but the recommendation here is to

wait a few months for story and vis dev to shape up (at least where the roll-on of an entire software team is concerned –

supervisors can never be brought on too early). The rule of thumb with software development is: “Never write what you can

buy, and never buy what you can get for free.”  Even so, software development in some form is a necessary aspect of quality

animated feature film production.

Animated 3d Feature Film Production Schedule Page 6