One thing we had to keep in mind during the 8 weeks of production was we wouldn't get most of the final skins for each car until the last couple of weeks; we worked with temporal textures until then, but the final couple of weeks were a processing nightmare, between texture adaptation (as we were provided with a different layout for the paintjobs depending on the team) and scenes re-rendering!

We used mainly Softimage|XSI for 3D creation, with a little bit of 3DMax for volumetric stuff. This was the first production we did with the latest build of XSi, the v7. We had very little time to get used to the new ICE environment but in the end we found that lots of simulations were greatly simplified, along with rendering improvements in mental ray. On the post side, we used a mix of Flame, combustion and Shake to do all the composites, with a final step of color grading using Apple Color.

The live-action scenes were filmed by Simmons in LA while La huella’s 3D team was off and running back in Madrid. "This was one of the more difficult shoots we've ever undertaken,” said Simmons; “safely suspending actors 14 feet off the ground on a glass floor was a huge logistical problem.”

Visually stunning and featuring a seamless integration of live-action and 3D, it truly is a view of NASCAR that had never been seen before.



Links

La Huella

Related links : Vettel and Werber in Singapore
Features : IT'S ART Features Archives

CREDITS

Title: “Undergound”
Client: Fox Sports Marketing
Product: NASCAR on FOX

Agency: Fox Sports Design
EVP Marketing: Eric Markgraf
SVP/Creative Director: Robert Gottlieb
Creative Director: Mark Simmons
Live Action Director: Mark Simmons
VP On-Air Promotions: Bill Battin
Editor: Kirk Smith
Flame: Kevin Prendiville
Sound Design: Mic Brooling & Jim Mitchell
Music: “World Domination” by Ash

VFX Company: La Huella

3D/2D Supervision
Jérôme Debève
Juan Antonio Ruiz

3D Artists
Antonio Lado
David Gonzalez
Gerardo Arpide
Miquel Angel Corominas
Vanesa Iglesias
Martin Contel
Cesar Eiji

2D/Post
Régis Barbey
Thiago Dantas
Ricardo Gomez

Story/Textures
Santiago Verdugo
David Escribano
Paco Rodriguez

Production/Administration
Marga Obrador
Paloma Fuentes