CAD technology has made incomparable contributions to the field of engineering, automotives, prosthetics and product designing in general. And the entertainment industry too has reaped the benefits of CAD. CAD designers have offered the benefits of this technology to cinema too and have been responsible for all the digitally created animated characters like those in Monster House and Open Season, to cite a few recent examples. Not just the creation of characters, but CAD has also made many of the special effects we see in movies possible with 3D and Cinema 4D technology. The Matrix, Independence Day, Jurassic Park, The Terminator series and the most recent Avatar, have all made use of special effects with CAD for a realistic and believable portrayal on screen. Double roles, slow motion, characters flying in the air and almost all elements of the supernatural can be incorporated in movies thanks to CAD.

All the ooh’s and aah’s that many scenes elicit can be attributed to the work of these CAD artists. Apart from airbrushing, hiding visible wires used to suspend actors for scenes, a CAD artist also deals with other aspects like imposing a different background on a scene. All the imperfections that a camera cannot hide, are brushed away easily by a CAD artist. A CAD artist generally creates a digital 3-D model of the scene with the required special effects, and even decides on camera working and angles for that particular scene, so that it can be reproduced with the desired effect during the actual filming. Making the work of an actor and director much easier, and giving them scope for creative expression by making almost any scene possible with special effects is part of the everyday work of a CAD artist in the movies.

In animation movies, a CAD designer needs to incorporate a great deal of creativity with technology and abstract concepts. A CAD artist has to create full-fledged characters; and going by the success of Open Season and Toy Story, CAD artists are adept at this.

To become a CAD artist for special effects and animation in movies, you need a specialised degree in film production under animation or associated degrees in special effects that many film schools offer. Though a Bachelor’s degree in special effects and animation is desirable; apart from technical expertise, creativity and an eye for detail are added advantages. Though most of the work of a CAD artist in cinema comes in the post-production stage, when the actual filming has already been done; the work of the designer begins much earlier (in the pre-production stage). In pre-production stage, the CAD artist helps decide what effects can be incorporated; and he or she also creates digital 3-D models of the scene and assists in getting the camera angle right for the best effect.

For beginners, though it is not very easy to get to the bigger studios, getting a degree from a recognized university and creating a portfolio of work is recommended. All the practice that you can get on Digital Animation workstations (easily downloadable) will be an advantage. Also, since new technology and imagery revolutionizes the world of cinema almost every day, a budding CAD artist must watch movies with animations and special effects very closely. Being up to date with technology and techniques will get you the extra edge!

To sum up, if you’re the kinds who doesn’t just sit through a movie and forget about it, but spend hours marvelling about special effects and animation and how they’re done then CAD in movies will prove to be a rewarding career for you.

By Lorabella



Read more about CAD and teknisk tegning at http://www.noroff.no