I collaborated with the team at GMUNK Studios to lead the VFX of two sequences in Tron: Ares.

In one sequence, Ares searches through a massive library Eve’s digital files. Working off an initial concept design by Michael Rigley, I created tools in Houdini that populated thousands of images and video sequences onto a densely packed 3-dimensional image array, and I lead the look-dev of the sequence.

The tools I made used adaptive functions to handle any aspect ratio of the source images, without distortion.

Clusters of images were hand-placed, using a box as a proxy. My tool would convert the box into an image array with a preview mode (simple GL-textured cards) and a render mode, which would enable the square-packing and detail geometry added to each card.

I personally did the CG work on several of the master shots for this sequence before passing off the setups to other artists to ripple out and finalize the remaining shots.

Also of note: the shots were rendered in Karma XPU. I had to devise strategies to fit all the texture data into 16GB VRAM. Additionally, we partnered with ILM, who were handling the 3D environment and final composite. This meant ensuring the scenes were USD compliant and able to be ingested in their pipeline for reflections and shadow casting.

The second sequence I led happens in the intro to the film. What starts as a cursor on a digital screen explodes into semi-retro lines and data particles. The system grows in complexity, climbing the walls of a tube, which, as the camera finally pulls out, is revealed to be the optic nerves of the character, Ares.

The final elements in the film are a combination of things I created and elements created by Serjan Burlak. For my part, I was responsible for the outer structure of the column, the initial burst of elements, and the branching digital structures that we follow throughout the shot. Serjan was responsible for the more organic-looking digital elements of the design, as well as the final rendering of the shot.