PLUGINS & SOFTWARE USED

This experiment was initially inspired by the amazing work Raoul Marks did for the Semi-Permanent 2015 – check out his amazing work here.

Raoul has been especially generous as he has made his detailed spaceman 3D model available for free – go here to download it.

Using Raoul’s free model I set out to discover if it was possible to animate and render his spaceman model in Element 3D rather than CINEMA 4D and still get a decent result.

The process involved bringing the C4D model into Element 3D with all it’s textures, which was a breeze with the new CINEMA 4D import tools in Element 3D V2. I then used a generic skull 3D model, which you can find on sites like Turbosquid and placed it into the spaceman’s helmet to give the composition a darker feel.

Using the replicator tool in Element 3D I increased the number of spacemen. I then used the Element 3D deform tools to manipulate the spacemen models and animate them. Although this method isn’t as powerful as fully rigging a 3D model, it does an OK job good at creating some movement.

To add extra visual interest I used the excellent Digieffects Damage (check out my Digieffects Damage review here), which also helped to create a more sci-fi look.

My go to colour correction tool Magic Bullet Suite was used for the overall grading and Video Copilot’s MotionPulse did it’s usual sterling job of providing appropriate sound design.