Features

AutoDesk Creates HDTV Content for FIFA World Cup 2006

By Dilip Thomas

Autodesk technology was used to create high-definition television (HDTV) content for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, said the Fortune 1000 company. Autodesk solutions provided digital artists with the creative tools and processing power necessary to produce content containing the level of detail required for HDTV programming, said the company. Post-production facilities that relied on Autodesk technology include: Deep Blue Sea, Locomotion, METAphrenie, Method Studios and The Mill.

The World Cup occurs every four years and is one of the most widely viewed sporting events worldwide. It is estimated that 28.8 billion viewers tuned in for the event in 2002, with an audience of 1.1 billion for the final match alone. This year, the tournament is being held in twelve German cities from June 9 to July 9. It is airing entirely in high definition for the first time.

METAphrenie, a Berlin-based design and production company, created the Adidas "Impossible Team" commercial with Autodesk Maya 3D animation software. This entirely computer-generated ad features the Adidas +F50 TUNIT and +Predator Absolute soccer shoes, as well as the gold and black Adidas +Team Geist matchball that will be used in the final World Cup match. Artists at METAphrenie used Autodesk Maya software to model, texture and animate all aspects of the commercial, including: the ad’s two main characters, soccer players’ legs and feet, the Adidas products and the environment.

"I love Autodesk Maya software’s intuitive workflow," said Andrea Dionisio, creative director at METAphrenie. "During production of the commercial, the Maya software’s ease-of-use saved us from having to solve technical problems and allowed us to focus on realizing our creative ideas."

Post-production house Method Studios also used Autodesk Maya software, as well as Autodesk’s Discreet Inferno visual effects system, to create Budweiser’s "The Wave" commercial. The ad first aired during Super Bowl XL in February 2006. It depicts a packed soccer stadium in which fans hold up cards to create the image of a Budweiser beer being poured into a glass. Autodesk Maya was used to create the cards and Discreet Inferno was used to composite various elements in the ad such as the soccer players and the crowd.

Florida-based Deep Blue Sea created broadcast promos, bumpers and opens, as well as the channel logo for Mundial Total — DIRECTV’s Latin American World Cup channel. Digital artists used Autodesk’s Discreet Flame visual effects system for the rotoscoping, tracking, compositing and conform of all 2D and 3D components. The system was also used for color correction work. Based on the impressive performance of the Discreet Flame system throughout this project, Deep Blue Sea’s sister studio, Manhattan Transfer, purchased two Discreet Flame systems and two Discreet Smoke 2K editing and finishing systems, all running on the Linux operating system.

In addition, Autodesk’s Discreet Flame system was used by The Mill to create "Football Dream", a commercial for the UK-based bank Nationwide Building Society. This humorous ad promotes the society’s longstanding relationship with the England soccer team. In the ad, the bank manager made famous in previous Nationwide Building Society commercials falls asleep while speaking to a client about loan rates. He dreams that he is a soccer goalie who is only one penalty save away from winning the World Cup for England. After taunting the penalty taker, the bank manager makes a victorious save with an overhead scissor kick.

Judy Roberts, lead Flame artist at The Mill, explained: "We used Autodesk’s Discreet Flame system to create various aspects of the dream sequence. First, Flame was used to design and build the soccer stadium and to create abstract crowds that make it clear that the bank manager is dreaming. Next, to create one smooth shot of the overhead scissor kick save, I had to cut and fold the bank manager’s body movements in Flame. Lastly, Flame was used to add in a variety of smaller elements such as confetti, flares, neon lights and signs around the stadium."

Post-production facility Locomotion used a variety of Autodesk products to create a commercial for a mobile phone network - O2 Germany. In the spirit of the World Cup, the ad shows four German soccer legends engaging in an impromptu soccer scrimmage inside one of their homes. As they play, the walls of the house fly away and a soccer stadium is exposed. Autodesk Maya was used to create the ad’s stylized 3D world, including the house, furniture, balls, stadium, shadows and mobile phones. Autodesk Combustion desktop visual effects software was also used for b-spline rotoscoping work and pre-composites, while the Discreet Flame system was used for high-definition finalization.


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