Newbury Park, Calif. - Maxon Computer, the developer of Cinema 4D and BodyPaint 3D, revealed that Cinema 4D played a key role in helping The Mill, a visual effects company, win a visual effects award
from the Visual Effects Society (VES) for its work on "Doctor
Who," the world’s longest-running science-fiction TV series. This is the
first time the series has won an award for visual effects since the
opening episode was broadcast by the BBC in 1963. The Mill was
recognized with the award for Outstanding Matte Paintings in a
Broadcast Program or Commercial associated with the "Doctor Who" episode
entitled "Silence in the Library," during the 7th Annual Visual Effects
Society (VES) Awards show.
The centerpiece of The Mill's award-winning effects, a library the size of an entire planet, was created in Cinema 4D, Maxon's 3D modeling, rendering and animation program. This element of the project proved particularly challenging due to its immense size and scale coupled with tight television production deadlines.
To achieve the realism required, The Mill turned to the new Global Illumination (GI) render engine in Cinema 4D; which made short work of rendering scenes that could contain up to six million polygons; and resulted in the creation of superior, flicker-free animation in a fraction of the usual time. The studio also created full 3D environments for the atmospheric shots.
According to The Mill’s Lead Matte Painter, Simon Wicker, CINEMA 4D and its Advanced Render 3 module played a vital role in the creation of the episode. "The results were amazing,” says Wicker. I could render a 175 frame camera animation at wides-creen PAL resolution overnight on a Mac Pro without a trace of GI flicker. Without that, these shots would never have been completed on time. Cinema 4D has always been bulletproof for my work."