World’s Most Realistic Character Platform Updates Secondary Animation Algorithms; Better Dynamics for VFX and Game Projects
VANCOUVER, Canada – December 12, 2018 – Today,
Ziva Dynamics launches
Ziva VFX 1.5, an update to its character creation technology that makes the process of creating high-performing secondary dynamics faster, livelier and more memory efficient. Artists can now simplify one of the most challenging aspects of creature FX, using new algorithms to create characters that bend, jiggle and stretch in ways that match an audience’s expectations.
In the past, highly dynamic characters required very small time steps – essentially, subframes in an animation sequence – to achieve believable results; now, artists can get there faster. While Ziva VFX 1.5’s new dynamics will be more apparent on creatures with a lot of fat or body mass, the detailed physics of muscles firing and soft tissues jiggling will help any 3D human or creature look more natural when animated for films, TV or virtual productions.
“The pursuit of high-quality characters comes down to time,” said James Jacobs, Co-CEO of Ziva Dynamics. “If you are stuck under a strict production schedule, you don’t always have the hours needed to achieve ultra-realistic results. Ziva VFX 1.5 offers an efficient way to attach secondary dynamics to an asset, so artists can push the boundaries of character realism, even within the short timelines of a television or advertising project.”
Artists can access these powerful algorithms through a drop-down menu to determine how damped the dynamics will be. Each setting is tweakable and applicable to pre-existing creatures, which will show an immediate improvement after a simple re-simulation.
Ziva VFX 1.5 is the latest release in Ziva Dynamic’s alternating development cycle, which sees a major feature release (1.4) followed by an optimization release. The latter ensures that new gains never slow down the production process, so artists can continue to make great characters quickly and efficiently.
The Ziva method, used by major studios like Sony Imageworks, Pixomondo and Mr. X, fundamentally changes the character creation process by combining the effects of real-world physics with the rapid creation of soft-tissue materials like muscles, fat and skin. By mirroring the fundamental properties of nature, users can produce CG characters that move, flex and jiggle just as they would in real life, removing difficult steps from the rigging process.
The release of Ziva VFX 1.5 follows months of incredible new creature work from top VFX studios like DNEG ( Venom) and Scanline VFX ( The Meg), as well as TV and non-profit productions that are applying massive quality gains to projects with much smaller budgets. Recent examples include: Mackevision’s PETA pig, FABLEfx’s horse and Ghost VFX’s dinosaur.
“We've always wanted a solution like Ziva. We even tried to make a physics solver ourselves, but never had the manpower to see it through,” said Janak Thakker, Co-Founder & Sr. Animation Supervisor at FABLEfx. “You can only imagine our excitement when we discovered Ziva. Anybody can adapt and implement it into their pipeline."
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Pricing and Availability
Ziva VFX 1.5 is available now as an Autodesk Maya plugin for Windows and Linux users. Ziva VFX 1.5 can be purchased in monthly or yearly installments, depending on user type. For all pricing options, please visit:
https://store.zivadynamics.com/.
About Ziva Dynamics
Ziva Dynamics is the world’s leading virtual character software company. Ziva’s physics computation and simulation platform, coupled with standardized character assets, offer groundbreaking solutions for creating high-quality virtual humans and creatures, and designing lifelike digital experiences. Founded in 2015, Ziva’s technology is used by leading film, entertainment, retail and consumer brand companies around the world. For more information about Ziva Dynamics, please visit:
www.zivadynamics.com.
