Site created 12/15/97.		page created: 9/23/99 The Prince of Egypt and the Changing Art of Animation (continued) Back to page 1 3D/CGI techniques were also used in other interesting ways, such as to impart stone texture and lighting effects to the walls and other surfaces in Moses' nightmare sequence, in which he imagines himself (in hieroglyphic form) fleeing from Pharaoh's army. Note the beveling effects and stone texture in the above image, created using 3D/CGI. Most of the effects shots in The Prince of Egypt involve a combination of 2D, 3D and CGI work. The various visual elements, such as traditional artwork, 3D models, and various lighting and environmental effects, are combined to create dynamic images that work within the context of the film. The most obvious example of this, is the sequence near the end of the film, involving the parting of the Red Sea. The water itself is digitally-rendered as a three-dimensional surface, which interacts with the traditionally painted characters and background. Some 300,000 hours of computer rendering time was required to create this sequence alone - more than double the rendering time done for ALL of the CGI effects in Titanic. Adding to the complexity of this process, for digital artists such as Henry LaBounta, Bud Myrick (who worked on the Red Sea sequence), was the fact that they were trying to match the look of the 3D effects to the stylized world of the film, rather than to appear "photo-realistic" (which is usually the goal in film effects work). Above and below: Combined 2D, 3D and CGI techniques help Moses to part the Red Sea. In these shots, Moses and the background are traditionally animated, while the water is rendered in 3D by computer. 2D artwork, simulating foam, is then added on the water's 3D surface to add texture. A similar combination of techniques was used to generate the Pillar of Fire, which protects Moses and his people from Rameses' advancing army. The basic shape of the pillar was created three-dimensionally, while the texture was derived using custom plug-ins for such software as Houdini and the Dynamation particle generation system, which helps to recreate the fluid, turbulent motion of "diffuse" objects. This is the same basic process that gave birth to the tornados in the film Twister. The particle generation process was also used to create the various plagues, which befall Rameses' empire, when he refuses to release the Hebrew people to Moses - swarms of frogs, locusts and other insects. These scenes required that hundreds of thousands of individual creatures interact with the virtual environment. In this case, Alias' particle system software was used to place the many individual "particles" in 3D space, and then images of the actual insects were inserted to replace them. The result, after many hours of work, was a convincing-looking swarm. Above: The Pillar of Fire was rendered using software that simulates fluid, turbulent motion. Below: A similar process gave life to swarms of locusts that ravage Egypt in the film. Let's take another look at a complex sequence in the film, which involves an elaborate combination of the various 2D, 3D and CGI effects techniques. In the following images, you'll see how the great Sphinx lost its nose, thanks to the hijinks of Moses, Rameses and the DreamWorks team of animators.... Above and below: Combined effects techniques depict a sequence late in the chariot race, where Moses and Rameses ruin the face of the great Sphinx. In these shots, the scaffolding, the falling stone nose, and the chariots are all modeled in 3D. Moses, Rameses and their horses are animated traditionally (in 2D), as is the background. Note the CGI dust and motion blur effects added for realism. As you can see, The Prince of Egypt pushes the boundaries in terms of the use of computer-generated effects in an animated film. The artists and technicians who created these effects also designed a number of technical innovations, that are sure to be widely used and improved upon in future such films. The result of all of their hard work, is animation that breaks the traditional mold. The Prince of Egypt is one of the most stylized, dynamic and visually impressive animated films yet created by a major Hollywood studio. And it definitely sets the standard that all future DreamWorks animated projects will have to meet. Here's looking forward to The Road to El Dorado...! If you'd like to learn more about the special effects work in The Prince of Egypt, don't miss DreamWorks' new DVD collector's edition of the film. It includes a look behind-the-scenes at the making of the film, and details the effects process nicely. You can read our full-length review of this impressive DVD, by clicking here. Enjoy!
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