TNG's ATLANTA family is growing!

TNG Atlanta is excited to be expanding the family with the addition of Laura who is an Atlanta resident and there to manage your 3D Scanning project needs!

TNG Visual Effects is in Los Angeles - Vancouver - Toronto - New York - Atlanta - New Orleans and Montreal so call Nick Tesi at 310-717-2937 for a quote.

#tngcommecials #tngvisualeffects #digitaldoubles #photorealism #vfx #TNGvisualeffects #3dscanninglosangeles #digitaldoubles #vfxportablestudio #3dscanningservices #3dscanninglosangeles #best3dscanning #vfxstudio #digitaldoubles #vfx #lidar #photogrammetry #digitaldoubles #tngvisualeffects #tngvfx #losangeles #newyork #neworleans #atlanta #vancouver #montreal #toronto

The Real Cost Commercial 3D Scanning by TNG Visual Effects

The big bad Wolf...run Piggies RUN...!
Have a look at another one of our scanning commercials and call us today 310-717-2937...

Los Angeles - Vancouver - Toronto - New York - Atlanta - New Orleans - Montreal #bigbadwolf #strawcityscan #tngcommecials #tngvisualeffects #digitaldoubles #photorealism #vfx #TNGvisualeffects #3dscanninglosangeles #digitaldoubles #vfxportablestudio #3dscanningservices #3dscanninglosangeles #best3dscanning #vfxstudio #digitaldoubles #vfx #vessociety #lidar #photogrammetry #digitaldoubles #tngvisualeffects #tngvfx

New Well Yes! Soups scanning and Photogrammetry by TNG Visual Effects

Soup's on !  As we enter the Fall Season, it just sounds good, doesn't it? We know the entertainment industry utilizes 3D technology in some of the most exciting and experimental ways that are helping the technology to evolve. From Commercials to Movies to Video Games, and even Theater performances, have recently benefitted from #3dscanning. Speaking of commercials, we know because it's what we do and we did all of the 3D scanning and photography of the vegetables for this commercial. Have a look and call us today 310-717-2937... #tngvisualeffects #digitaldoubles #photorealism #vfx #TNGvisualeffects #3dscanninglosangeles #digitaldoubles #vfxportablestudio #3dscanningservices #3dscanninglosangeles #best3dscanning #vfxstudio #digitaldoubles #vfx #vessociety #lidar #photogrammetry #digitaldoubles #tngvisualeffects #tngvfx

Digital Doubles – It’s as Easy as Child’s Play

Meet Mandy – our latest digital dynamo! She is one of the latest creations from our talented team of digital designers at TNG Visual Effects. Her real-life avatar was scanned in-house in just less than an hour -- using the latest in 3D photogrammetry technologies. She emerges from a fantastical forest of fireflies, fairies, hummingbirds and atmospheric artistry holding a lamp the lights her whimsical world. Mandy’s arm was digitally moved from her side to above her shoulder -- a cinch for our digital pros busily imagining new characters for VR, AR, and MR projects.  

 Digital Doubles from Raw to Ready-to-Rig for the Entertainment Industry.

We build high-resolution original 3D characters from 3D scans every month to feature in our newsletter. These models are suitable for film, TV, VR, games and are available for purchase from our online inventory of digital assets.

Visit TNGVFX.com to view our catalog of digital doubles we’ve been providing the entertainment industry for ten years and counting.

Got a question about how we can implement these digital assets into your next Film, Game, TV, and VR venture? Call us today at 310-717-2937 for a quote. We are mobile, so we bring our leading 3D scanning technology to your doorstep!

Call us today to schedule your next photo-realistic digital-double! TVGVFX  310-717-2937  Los Angeles  Vancouver  Toronto  New York  Atlanta  New Orleans  Montreal

Head Turning Digital Doubles

In the world of facial performances, there is sometimes a need to capture facial expressions for blend-shapes along with mocap or other forms of facial performance. At a moment’s notice, TNGVFX can deliver on-site the most advanced digital-double scanning technology available. Whenever your talent is ready, we can do the job -- at a time that is convenient for you. Our expert team knows how to work with producers, directors, coordinators, A-list talent, and other agencies. We are seasoned, fast and efficient, and our work is always guaranteed.

We continually strive for the quickest set-ups along with refining and testing our head-scanning unit -- specifically designed for mobile applications from the manufacturer. If you find the process of creating your characters has become routine, needs a refresh or expediting, then our 3D mobile system with its quick turn-around may be the answer to maximize constraints on valuable time and labor.

For head turning scans, call TNGVFX today for the latest in transportable 3D Scanning solutions.

In the first half of 2017 we added this new technology to be better, faster, and even more mobile with our facial scanning business. Nothing makes us happier than producing lightning-fast, top-quality 3D scans, and we would be happy to provide a demo on your current or upcoming project.

TNG Visual Effects and its subsidiary, TNG Visual Effects Canada Inc., combine to make a network of 3D scanning services on-the-ready for any North American entertainment industry project. We specialize in the creation of photo-realistic 3D digital assets. Since our inaugural year in 2010, we continually populate our ever-growing oeuvre with rich media. Visit tngvfx.com to view the array of characters, vehicles, cars, sets, props, animals, sculptures, and buildings in our portfolio.

The 3D Portable Face Scanner is a full-body photogrammetry scanning unit.

Because we are mobile, our leading 3D scanning technology provides crisp, clean head scans for all Film, Game, TV, and VR projects -- at your doorstep!

Call us today to schedule your next photo-realistic digital-double! TVGVFX  310-717-2937  Los Angeles  Vancouver  Toronto  New York  Atlanta  New Orleans  Montreal

The Cutting Edge of VR

Virtual Reality is being adapted to the consumer market as shown by Sony's Virtual Reality device, the PSVR, now having sold 915,000 units, closing in one million within five months of being released. This exceeded their expectations and many others who presumed that this batch of VR could be more gimmick than something that stays.  Sony's been doing a good job of continually adding features to the PSVR until such as being able to watch 3D Blue Ray movies on the headset.

It has been said that the heftiness and weight of the VR headsets are too cumbersome, and much like many other forms of technology, in time they will be smaller, more lightweight, and less pervasive.  Plenty of people will wait for those developments, but many of us enjoy standing on the bleeding edge of technology, ready to embrace the waves of software and patch updates, willing to fully experience it in its genesis and being part of all the discussion and debate that happens, real-time.

The somewhat slow speed of game development might be the most jarring issue currently. As with any new hardware, it takes time to develop stable software and to use the full potential of the device. And to uphold the fidelity of high-quality graphics in Virtual Reality, we recommend utilizing 3D scanned assets for your entertainment projects.

Benefits of 3D scanned assets include higher accuracy to real-world counterparts, pore detail on head scans, intricate detail on clothing including seams, pockets, and collars at high quality.  There is so much you can save by having a company 3D scan some characters, objects, or environments, and preparing those digital assets for your projects, to work withing tight deadlines, and to have data surfaced and retopologized to your liking with texture maps to any size, along with the normal map, the displacement map, and the evenly lit diffuse map.

Photogrammetry for Photorealism

Photogrammetry is an emerging cutting-edge technology which creates photorealistic, highly detailed 3D models from photographs. Photogrammetry has a wide range of applications, from visual effects to engineering. Thanks to being highly detailed and photorealistic, models built with it meet the strict requirements of professional animation studios - face and body capture, are among the most in-demand. With Photogrammetry, many (sometimes hundreds) of digital images are processed by software programs which align them all, creating a thick point cloud. From there we build a mesh and ultimately a 3D photorealistic model. Micro-detail is possible in Photogrammetry if you really manipulate the environment for maximum results. For example, the camera settings insofar as the lens, the focal distance the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and metering mode affect the photos dramatically, so there are many pitfalls to watch out for. Since Photogrammetry relies on very high-quality photos, it’s important to zoom in and analyze the pictures to ensure that the sharpness window is suitable.

3D photogrammetry model of our expert scan-tech Ken James.

In addition to the camera settings, the angle in which the camera is positioned via tripod (or hand-held) is calculated and very specific, and will vary depending on the shape you are capturing. So although the concept is simple, the capture session requires planning and the technicians must have ample experience to handle the session in expert fashion to attain the full potential of the project.

Similar to a Lidar scan, Photogrammetry can likewise be a suitable method for capturing buildings. An advantage for using Photogrammetry rather than Lidar is that the high-quality texture maps have a 1:1 ratio of surface to texture; much higher than does Lidar. Challenges that arise with Photogrammetry include maintaining consistent lighting during outdoor shoots. Geographic locations also play a part since some locations simply have better light from the sun. Regardless, an experienced team can iron out any problems.

3D Photogrammetry models of the historic Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro, CA.

Cars and vehicles are great subjects for Photogrammetry since they are static, thus eliminating noise. Shiny surfaces can pose problems with traditional 3D scanning methods, but Photogrammetry can dodge the noise by utilizing appropriate lighting conditions.

TNG Visual Effect's Photogrammetry can be seen in this Campbell's Soup

Well Yes! commercial.

One of our favorite recent projects was delivering extremely realistic assets with Photogrammetry for the new Campbell's Soups Well Yes! brand of soups. The campaign features the soup's fresh, healthy ingredients so capturing the freshness aspect was key.We prepared for the assignment by picking up a different vegetable or fruit from the grocery store every morning to practice, and the finished :30 turned out great (Man vs. Machine, a design and motion studio, created the kaleidoscope effect).

Photogrammetry has an unlimited amount of applications and is fast becoming a go-to technique. Call us with any questions, regarding this or any 3D scanning technique and what would work best for your 3D scanning project.

LiDAR Scanning for the Big Jobs

Three-dimensional scanning has its challenges, some techniques more than others. LiDAR (light radar) scanning is a technology used to 3D scan larger subjects like elephants, planes, trains, automobiles, buildings, sets, and environments. LiDAR would also be used to scan natural areas like parks, woods, or a gravel pit for a scene. With this technique, we are able to quickly capture an incredible amount of data quickly and accurately.

There are some challenges we face when using LiDAR for entertainment projects. For example, cars are a popular item to scan using LiDAR. Since the surface is shiny we have to dull it down to avoid getting big areas of reflection which will not capture the scan data. Chrome and also has this effect.

Transparent surfaces like windows do not reflect back at all and require treatment with paint or applying a covering of paper or wax to show where the window is and the curvature. Another challenge with LiDAR is movement. Say that you would like to have a boat scanned with LiDAR while it is in the water. The rocking of the boat would make that scanning session difficult. A remedy would be to get the boat onto land or a barge in order to scan it. Another solution would be to tie it down tightly between two docks, in calm water.

Scanning buildings and environments in populated areas will pose certain challenges due to people moving about within the targeted scan area. In these cases, we block off the area if possible. Windows and shiny surfaces need to be accounted for again and prepared, in addition to staying safe in a live action area with moving cars, trucks, and buses.

While in active development it's easy to plan ahead for these considerations, once you know about them. In cases when we are surprised with challenges we are usually able to iron out a solution using some grit and determination, a benefit gleaned from 25 years in the 3D scanning business.

2016: It was a Very VR Year

2016 was marked by the emergence of virtual reality to consumers with the launch of Oculus Rift, Vive and PlayStation VR. Technology now offers us passage deep into a first person experience.  Stanley Kubrick once famously said, “If it can be written or thought, it can be filmed”. This is the modern state of storytelling and gaming, the age where complete 3D worlds are created. At last, we, the viewers, are able to virtually step right into a storyline and take a look around.

According to Oculus Story Studio, early attempts at VR felt empty and strangely fake. VR storytellers strive to populate their 3D worlds with spatial story density. Spatial story density includes all of the visual details that make the worlds more real and more believable; the atmosphere, the environment, the 3D characters and everything visible through the VR headset.

Additional technologies, like synesthesia suits (developed for the game Rez infinite), offer more encompassing experiences through twenty-four sensory vibrotactile actuators. Music, sounds, and sensations are felt through the suit, and early users said that the experience was otherworldly and beyond words.

From a 3D scanning perspective, this is an exciting time. The demand for quality 3D digital assets and digital doubles from high-density 3D scans is rich in 2017. As VR expands, we look forward to the part that we will play as storytelling and gaming environments continue to evolve.

Set a High Bar for Digital Characters

If a digital character is not 3D rendered and animated quite right it can be said to be in the “uncanny valley”, a term coined by roboticist Masahiro Mori. A character is in the uncanny valley if it is not quite photo-realistic, causing humans to react with a sense of unease and eeriness. Therefore, the bar must be set very high during development to create believable digital doubles.

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Today, using state of the art 3D scanning methods, we stay out of the uncanny valley by building dense data clouds that capture every subtle nuance of the scanned character, making them a reliable stand-in. Cyber-characters are showing up in every media channel now, and the internet is a hungry player. With the growth of virtual reality, we will likely become even more accustomed to watching entire stories featuring cyber-characters, a la Rogue One.

.At TNG Visual Effects we use Artec structured light 3D scanning technology coupled with Photogrammetry to build highly realistic digital human heads and bodies. The scanned bodies and heads can be used and reused with subtle tweaks, so ultimately they can prove to be a cost-effective digital asset for your digital library. Furthermore, once the 3D models are built they can take multiple rounds of punishing action that will continue to extend your storytelling without driving up a hospital bill. And, if you set the bar high they will step into your story and do it seamlessly.

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