Miniatures are a great way to add photorealism to any VFX shot, and with advances in 3D printing, they are more affordable than ever. What follows are some examples of miniatures I have created for various projects, as well as a discussion of the approach to creating them.
"Roadside Diner" - Burnt Diner
This miniature was created for a graduate thesis film at Florida State University. Shots of a burnt-down diner were needed to conclude the film, and it had to match a real location where the rest of the film was shot. In order to match the location as accurately as possible, we took a 3D scan of the real location and used it as a reference for measurements. I decided to approach the miniature by recreating the diner as closely as possible before then scorching it. The miniature was built at 1:6 scale, which was large enough that we were able to build most of the structure out of wood. The door, chairs, table legs, bar-stools, and the top of a pie heater were all modeled in Maya and then 3D printed.
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"Protectors of Life" - Helicopter
Given that the shot of the helicopter was to be the opening shot of the film, it was imperative that it look as photorealistic as possible. As such, the decision was made to use a model helicopter with CG propellers. The model was a 1:32 scale model from a kit, which I assembled and textured without the propellers. The model was then shot on blue screen using a motion-controlled slider. This enabled us to move the camera relative to the model, rather than moving the model itself, thereby giving it a smoother, more realistic motion.
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