Real-Time Animation with Blue Zoo

Michael Davies animates in real time

Last week Escape Studios visited the London animation studio Blue Zoo to test their new Real-Time Animation Pipeline.  

Traditional animation is painstaking and time-consuming, but Blue Zoo's new real-time pipeline allows the user to create puppet animation in a matter of seconds.

The interface uses the Oculus Rift, and allows the animator (on left is our Head of Animation, Michael Davies) to create puppet-style animation much more quickly than using a traditional approach. 

The Oculus interface allows the animator to use a layered approach, starting with the main body control, then animating the head, hands, eyes, eyebrows and so on. The effect is very much like a digital version of The Muppet Show, producing a lively, energetic style of animation.

Blue Zoo To Keep Working Remotely

Tom Box (right) with Escape Studios' Animators

In a recent interview at Cartoon Brew, Blue Zoo co-founder Tom Box explains why remote working is here to stay.  Since Covid-19 broke, around 700,000 people have left London, and this change is reflected at Blue Zoo animation, where many of their team have left the capital for good.  

According to Tom: "Blue Zoo is no longer really a London based company, even though we have (empty) offices there. Now, just 30% of our team live in London. Over last 10 months lots of staff relocated across the UK for a better work/life balance.  London has changed forever".

VFX Festival 16-18 March 2020

The countdown to Escape Studios' 2020 VFX Festival - the 8th edition - is on.  As in previous years, we've got some great speakers coming to talk about the latest developments in Animation, Games and VFX.  In 2020, the festival will focus on discovering and developing new and emerging talent.  Two parts of The VFX Festival 2020 - EDU and Emerging Talent - will take place on 16 - 18 March at the Southbank Centre - the UK’s largest arts centre on the South Bank of the Thames.

Blue Zoo's Real Time Animation Pipeline

Blue Zoo's Tom Box at BlueGFX Expo

At the BlueGFX Expo event on Tuesday, Blue Zoo founder Tom Box explained how Blue Zoo are transitioning to a "real-time animation render pipeline" this year, exploring new ways to speed up the animation process.

Tom described Blue Zoo as a studio that, since its inception, has "refused to accept industry standards", and has forged its own path in the industry.

Recently Blue Zoo have been pioneering the use of real-time rendering using Unreal Engine, in much the same way that we have been doing at Escape Studios - finding ways to make the production process faster and more efficient. 

Storyboard with Panel Forge Pro for Free

At last week's Blue GFX Expo, Blue Zoo’s Tom Box announced that Panel Forge Pro, their new storyboard and pipeline tool, is now available for free for student use.

Panel Forge Pro, extensively tested at Blue Zoo on Miffy the Rabbit and Digby Dragon, makes use of 3D Layouts to save time in Storyboarding, allowing board artists to use low resolution 3D assets to help set up camera angles and layouts.  Good news then for storyboard artists, who can now learn to use this new software for free.

Meet Panel Forge - New Storyboard Wizard

One of the highlights of yesterday’s Blue GFX Expo was Blue Zoo’s Tom Box introducing Panel Forge Pro (the first public demonstration of the software), a new storyboard and pipeline tool which has now been extensively road tested at Blue Zoo on the Miffy the Rabbit and Digby Dragon TV Series.

Panel Forge uses 3D Layouts – much like its rival Redboard (also developed here in London) – to save time in Storyboarding.  Panel Forge allows board artists to use low resolution 3D assets to help set up camera angles and layouts, and has been used on “10,000 shots” to date.  So, what is Panel Forge all about, and why should our students be interested?