Steel Battalion, 2003

The entire production–from modeling to animation–made use of Softimage 3D. “We did not even consider using Maya…the staff thought that Softimage was adequate.” The fact that everyone was already familiar with this almost bug-free tool made it less likely to cause problems.

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If you have ever dreamed of having your own robot, read what Japan’s Digital Frontier did with SOFTIMAGE®|XSI® for the Armored Core series on PlayStation 2. Digital Frontier used the 3ds max converter to have access to the best rendering in the business. You will be amazed by the results.

GATHERING: THE FINAL FRONTIER Digital Frontier Protects the Future with XSI

I don’t know about you, but I love robots. In everything from James Cameron’s original The Terminator to Ted Hughes’ timeless The Iron Man (his 1968 children’s book was further immortalized thirty-one years later in the animated film The Iron Giant) to those dealies that put our cars together, the man-made mechs have been models of ingenuity, resilience and unbridled power. In the video game world, of course, there is something vicariously satisfying, yet guilt-free, about attacking something that—unlike our Humpty-Dumpty selves—can ostensibly be put back together again.

The thrill of such mechanized combat reaches its apogee in From Software’s Armored Core series, which first appeared in 1996 and achieved its third definitive version in April 2002. As part of the roll-out for the highly-anticipated PlayStation 2 experience, production company Digital Frontier made extensive use of SOFTIMAGE|XSI to create a highly effective and affective television commercial. But, let’s return to Armored Core for a second.

Simply put, Armored Core lets you kick some serious ass as a so-called Raven mercenary, a mech-for-hire whose sole goal is to keep your vehicle in top shape. Each mission earns money for car repairs, but also makes those repairs necessary. Luckily, you have checked your altruism at the door and are only intent on pulling in the cash. With a growing arsenal of weaponry, your chosen line of work is never boring. With an almost obsessive attention to mechanical detail, stunning graphics and arresting live action, Armored Core takes the fun of action very, very seriously.

Is this a guy game, or what?

Founded in 1994 and now boasting a staff of sixty, Digital Frontier handles a wide variey of television commercials and programs, feature films, games and plethora of other projects from their Tokyo offices. Digital Frontier’s Yasuhiro Ohtuka was the CG director on the Armored Core commercial. As a former software support specialist, Ohtuka knew he and his team had their work cut out for them, and knew the benefits that SOFTIMAGE|XSI could provide. One problem, however: much of their data was still in one of those “other” software systems:

“We used SOFTIMAGE|XSI straight through the CG production process for pre-visualization, modeling, animation, and rendering,” says Ohtuka matter-of-factly. “We also made great use of Avid|DS for final compositing, but that’s another story. We were happy to use SOFTIMAGE|XSI, but a bit concerned about the transition out of the other software package. As it turned out, however, there was no need for worry: we were able to move all of our data into SOFTIMAGE|XSI with the latest version of 3ds max converter. We then grouped all the elements in SOFTIMAGE|XSI and did some lump-sum editing. That way, we had great control over the feel of the material.”

Despite his initial concerns, Ohtuka was nevertheless intent on using SOFTIMAGE|XSI on the project. The reason? Two words: Final Gathering!

“Simply put, we wanted to render our mechs with the advantages of SOFTIMAGE|XSI’s Final Gathering,” Ohtuka explains. “SOFTIMAGE|XSI’s rendering quality is extremely high. Using the Render Tree together with Final Gathering proved to be more than even expected. We could pursue the possibility of expressions through the Render Tree then, with Final Gathering, we were able to create an extremely high quality image. The functionality of Final Gathering as a pure tool integrated within SOFTIMAGE|XSI is just part of what makes it a supremely powerful tool, however. Functions like Dynamics, Hair, Fur, Particles, Function Curves, UV editing of textures, Subdivision Surfaces and the Animation Mixer add extra advantages to what is simply a great system.”

Ohtuka’s praise for SOFTIMAGE|XSI doesn’t stop with the present system. Making specific reference to SOFTIMAGE|XSI’s productivity advances, Ohtuka sees great things coming in the future,

“XSI’s high-leveled modeling, animation and editing tools like the Animation Mixer and Script Function, which enable us to add functionality, exchange data through our networked environment, as well as use Net View to actively lead us to the ever-higher levels of productivity. ”

When it gets right down to it, haven’t you always wanted a robot? An uncomplaining, ever-ready mech prepared to get you the paper, turn on the TV, mix you a drink, fix you a snack and threaten your neighbors? OK, maybe it’s just me, but Digital Frontier has made those childhood dreams come true. For that, they have our thanks.