“Avatar” Recognized with 2010 Academy Awards® for Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction
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LightWave® was an important part
Rob Powers, creator and supervisor of the VAD for “Avatar,” and his team found NewTek LightWave 3D® invaluable in creating the virtual assets of Pandora, which served as a foundation for the new innovative virtual filmmaking workflow pioneered by director James Cameron. LightWave® was an important part of the sophisticated pipeline used in the VAD, which facilitated immersive real-time art direction, 3D environmental layout, atmosphere and lighting. This was vital to the director-centric virtual filmmaking process utilized by Cameron.
State-of-the-art renderer with intuitive and powerful modeling and animation tools
"The workflows pioneered by the VAD and Cameron’s virtual filmmaking process made a huge impact on the final film and will revolutionize the way that films are made in the future,” said Rob Powers, who recently joined NewTek as director of entertainment and media development. “Often times, the development and creative-decision making process for visual effects-driven films occur much later in the post-production process, adding time and expense. The virtual workflows that we created for ‘Avatar’ are so new that actual categories to recognize these unique achievements haven’t even been created yet,” added Rob Powers.
"NewTek extends congratulations to all of the teams involved in winning these prestigious Academy Awards, and particularly to the VAD team that was pivotal in enabling James Cameron to fully realize his vision of Pandora,” said Jay Roth, president, 3D division, NewTek. “We are gratified that LightWave has, again, played an important part in an award-winning production.”
NewTek LightWave 3D® combines a state-of-the-art renderer with intuitive and powerful modeling and animation tools. Tools that may cost extra in other professional 3D applications are part of the product package, including unlimited render nodes, hard-and soft-body dynamics, hair, fur, cloth simulation and more. LightWave is used worldwide as a complete 3D production solution for visual effects in film, television, broadcast graphics, games, visualization, print and Web.