Focus : District 9 - Behind the scene with Zoic

Click any Picture to Enlarge, Press Esc or 'X' to Close




IA : What software did you use for these scenes and what were the most complex scenes to render? Why?

PG : For CG, Maya is our main toolset. We use Mental Ray for our render engine, Boujou for tracking; and compositing was done in Shake.

None of the shots were overly complex, but the most time consuming were the two biggest shots—the fluid and Casspir—as they had the most elements.

IA : Can we have some information about the geometry and the complexity of these objects/scenes?

PG : One of the trickier aspects was creating dust elements and atmosphere to help sit CG elements into the scene. The location where they shot the footage was very dry with lots of atmosphere. The Casspir was one of the most challenging to blend into the environment. It was also the largest build ringing in at about 40k Poly’s. We made use of HDRI and direct lighting. The HDRI had to be created by us.

Click to watch Distric 9 Behind the scene

IA : How many people worked on these parts?

PG : Six in CG, four compositors

IA : The Alien Fluid seems to be an incredibly complex scene. How did the artists involved design and conceive this part?

PG : With the fluid, we looked at simulators like Realflow and Houdini, but as those are based on normal fluid physics, they wouldn’t work for something as unique as this. While Ferro fluid is a real and scientific reaction, it’s certainly not normal. In the end, we felt that a hand animated Maya effect would be best. Not as easy as running a simulation, but this gave us the results we wanted.

IA : Ready to work on the “District 9” sequel?

PG : Absolutely! We would have loved to have the opportunity to do many more shots for the movie. Working with Neill was a very enjoyable experience, and we are thrilled to have been a part of the film.

IA : Anything Else?

PG : The movie is awesome and the VFX look amazing!!