BEVERLY HILLS — Known throughout Japan as Tsukomo, the animated short "Possessions" has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Animated Short Film category. "Possessions" is part of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Short Peace omnibus project that brings together top animation creators.
Shuhei Morita directed "Possessions," which made use of NewTek's LightWave 3D software to achieve its stunning visuals. LightWave 3D was used throughout the entire pipeline for modeling, animation and rendering.
"With LightWave, I can modify model data and animation scenes very quickly, whenever I want," notes Morita. "It's much like drawing 2D on paper. It's also easy to see the strengths and skills of artists when they use the basic features of LightWave. We could easily create animation by taking advantage of plug-ins or cool new feature sets, but I want our staff to keep sight of the artist versus the tool. My philosophy is: Do not be used by the tools, instead use the tools as if they are your hands."
"A few years ago while in Japan, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Morita and the artists at Sunrise while they were working on the 'Possessions' animated short," notes Rob Powers, president of LightWave 3D Group. "This is a well-deserved nomination for Mr. Morita and the talented artists at Sunrise. They have mastered the art of visual storytelling and we are honored they use LightWave to help bring their stories to the world."