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The recently passed Halloween, filled with ghosts and monsters, also saw the announcement of the winners of the CGandWE 3D Challenge, which revolved around this theme. The competition showcased the excellent creativity of supernatural wizards. Among the many entries, Flinky.3D's work secured second place. Congratulations! What made Flinky.3D's work stand out? Through a conversation with Fox Renderfarm and Flinky.3D, let's delve into the creative process of this talented artist.As a leading cloud rendering service provider and render farm, Fox Renderfarm, along with other sponsors including Lucas Falcao, 550+ Stylized Brushes - ZenShaders, Flip Fluids, and UV Pack Master 3 - Glukoz, offered rich prizes for this competition. Now, let's begin the conversation with Flinky.3D!"Halloween" 3D Challenge © CGandWEFox Renderfarm: Hi Flinky.3D! Thank you so much for accepting our interview! Please introduce yourself to our readers.Flinky.3D: Hi everyone, I'm Mohammed Kaif from India, aka Flinky.3d online, a 3D artist and student with a passion for creating stylized and realistic 3D art.Fox Renderfarm: Congratulations on winning in the October "Halloween" CGandWE Challenge! How do you feel about it?Flinky.3D: It feels awesome! Community challenges are really fun and encourage me to learn new every time! Fox Renderfarm: Where did you draw inspiration from for "The Hollowfiend"?Flinky.3D: "The Hollowfiend" — a terrifying pumpkin-headed creature that emerges from haunted woods on Halloween night to scare anyone who dares to wander too deep into its territory.Flinky.3D: Groot it is! The inspiration was Groot from "Guardians of the Galaxy" and of course I wanted it to be Halloween themed so I searched up for some references of Halloween themed environments to get the mood of the scene right. I imagined Groot but with a pumpkin shaped head. "The Hollowfiend" is meant to feel eerie and look joyful at the same time.Groot from "Guardians of the Galaxy" © MarvelReferenceFox Renderfarm: What software did you use and was there anything different you did for this project?Flinky.3D: I used Zbrush, Marmoset Toolbag 5, Substance 3D Painter and Photoshop. The monster wears some worn cloth around his hip. It was something different I tried in Marvelous Designer I was satisfied with how it turned out.© Flinky.3DFox Renderfarm: Before diving into the visual design, how much planning and pre-production work do you typically do?Flinky.3D: Since this was a creative challenge, I went with the flow and didn't worry about how it would turn out. It was just all about playing around and finding what worked for me. I kept moving, removing, and adding things until I was satisfied with the results.Fox Renderfarm: Could you please tell us about your pipeline for this work? And how long did it take you?Flinky.3D: I started by sculpting the models in ZBrush, quickly doing UVs and remeshing with ZRemesher, all within ZBrush. After that, I exported the model to Substance 3D Painter. For a stylized look, I used baked lighting filters and generators to achieve the effect I wanted. The scene was rendered in Marmoset Toolbag 5, chosen for its speed, ease of use, and user-friendly UI. I added several lights with varying brightness to get the desired result. However, the color balance was off, so I exported the final render to Photoshop to make some color corrections. I spent 5 hours a day for 6 days on this.© Flinky.3DFox Renderfarm: Can you describe the technical process you used to create the assets within the scene?Flinky.3D: The main asset was created in ZBrush. For the monster, which is the focal point of the scene, I began by blocking out the forms using basic shapes like spheres, cubes, and capsules. I then used Dynamesh to create a dense mesh for sculpting the finer details. Once the details were in place, I used ZRemesher for better topology, subdivided the mesh serval times, and projected the details back using the Project History function. The character was posed using the Gizmo tool. For texturing, I used Substance Painter, using filters, generators, and some manual painting over the model to achieve the stylized look. For the pumpkins and trees, I used the same workflow. Finally, I used Quixel Bridge assets for the falling leaves, grass and ground.© Flinky.3DFox Renderfarm: Are there any challenges that you encountered during the process of creation?Flinky.3D: Achieving the right lighting and finding the perfect balance in composition to draw the viewer’s eye to the monster was challenging.Fox Renderfarm: Are there any moments you enjoyed during the creation process?Flinky.3D: Yep, I enjoyed everything about it and the most fun part was texturing!Fox Renderfarm: Can you describe the most rewarding project you’ve worked on so far?Flinky.3D: I recently participated in the creature contest by AbeLeal3D on YouTube, and my project made it to the Top 30 out of 100 participants! This has been the most rewarding piece of work I've done so far. It was reviewed by experienced professionals and received a solid score of 274/300. It really highlights how far I've come after three years of dedication and hard work. You can check it out on my Instagram in the post titled "Rad Fly." This project "The Hollowfiend" is also one of my rewarding works.Rad Fly © Flinky.3DFox Renderfarm: Any artists or works that have influenced your style and approach?Flinky.3D: There's no specific artist. Whenever I open ArtStation or Instagram, the stunning works from different artists inspire me a lot! I like to explore different styles and methods.Fox Renderfarm: Have you tried Fox Renderfarm’s services before? If so, how do you feel about Fox Renderfarm’s cloud rendering services?Flinky.3D: Yep, I used your render farm serval times. It's really fast and works great and, moreover, it supports multiple software!Fox Renderfarm: Do you have any ongoing projects or future plans at the moment?Flinky.3D: I’m just a few months away from graduating, and I’m focused on becoming a character artist for games. Right now, I’m working on a game-ready character to include in my portfolio.Flinky.3D’s Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/flinkyFlinky.3D’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flinky.3d/CGandWE’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cgandwe/

The trailer for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has officially arrived! Set to hit theaters on May 23, 2025, this eighth installment of the iconic action franchise promises to deliver all the high-stakes thrills and breathtaking stunts that fans have come to love.The trailer opens with a powerful reminder: "Our lives are the sum of our choices." True to the series' legacy, it quickly sets the tone for a story filled with difficult decisions and dire consequences. As always, viewers are reminded that this mission is one you can choose to accept, although success may be just as elusive as ever.Image from Paramount PicturesTom Cruise, Familiar Faces and New AdditionsTom Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt, and if the trailer is any indication, he hasn’t lost his touch for heart-stopping action. Fans will also be excited to see a host of familiar faces returning. Alongside Cruise, the cast includes Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, and Esai Morales. Notably, Angela Bassett is back as CIA Director Erika Sloane from 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, adding more depth to the ensemble. The film also welcomes new faces including Nick Offerman and Hannah Waddingham, both of whom are sure to bring their unique talents to the franchise.Image from Paramount PicturesWhat to ExpectAs with every Mission: Impossible film, expect the unexpected. The trailer teases a gripping narrative full of twists, intense action, and the trademark ingenuity that the series is known for. From breathtaking stunts to emotional stakes, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is poised to be a cinematic experience not to be missed. See you in theaters on May 23, 2025!Watch the trailer here:Source: Paramount PicturesTips: If you're interested in animation and visual effects, you might want to check out Fox Renderfarm - the leading cloud rendering services provider and render farm in the CG industry. Fox Renderfarm has provided cloud rendering services to countless visual effects and animation studios, allowing them to get the best quality results in the shortest time. A $25 free trial is available to let you speed up the rendering of your 3D projects.

The results are in, and we’re thrilled to highlight the incredible talents in Reallusion's 2024 3D Character Contest! Running from May 1st to September 30th, 2024, this year’s contest attracted 267 submissions from 55 countries, showcasing the best in 3D character design and animation.This year, the contest highlighted the powerful capabilities of Reallusion's character production ecosystem: Character Creator for 3D character creation, iClone for facial and body animation, and AccuRIG for rigging. These tools have become integral for artists who aim to bring their creative visions to life with precision and flair.Prizes Sponsored by Industry LeadersThe 2024 3D Character Contest was proudly hosted by Reallusion and supported by renowned industry leaders including Fox Renderfarm, a leading cloud rendering services provider and render farm in the industry, NVIDIA, Maxon, Rokoko, Noitom, KitBash3D, 3DConnexion, KeenTools, and TexturingXYZ.Image from ReallusionMeet the WinnersREALISTIC CHARACTER DESIGNUnder this category, entrants create a realistic human character in Character Creator by combining the character base with tools like ZBrush, Substance Painter, Marvelous Designer, Blender, Wrap, Texturing.xyz, and Maya.1st Place: The Last Entry – by Konrad Hetko, 3D Character Artist | Poland"Reallusion’s tools were incredibly helpful, especially the ease of switching between Character Creator and ZBrush using GoZ. But what I appreciate the most is FaceTools, which takes care of the most tedious aspects of working with morphs and dynamic normals by automating everything with just one click!" – Konrad HetkoImage from Konrad Hetko2nd Place: Shannaz – by Tomáš Babka, 3D Artist | Czech Republic"I really like tools from Reallusion. Especially the Character Creator. They help me speed up the character creation process tremendously. Quality textures, Topologies, Meshes and Morphs are of a high standard and very well made. As well as tools and addons for Blender, ZBrush, Unreal or Unity. Any pipeline including characters can be significantly sped up." – Tomáš BabkaImage from Tomáš Babka3rd Place: Hard Battle – by Jeet Shah, 3D Character Artist | India"Character Creator introduced me to a refreshing new way of creating 3d characters with a very non-destructive approach with its hundreds of sliders (if not thousands using additional Headshot sliders) for full body modifications. I could easily try out new proportions, new ideas without fearing that I won’t be able to revert back to the old one. And on top of that the GoZ link allowed me to fine-tune the primary shapes that I could achieve with using only CC4. All of this flexibility comes with an additional benefit of having the character pre-rigged with both body and facial rig." – Jeet ShahImage from Jeet ShahSTYLIZED CHARACTER DESIGNUnder this category, entrants create a stylized character in Character Creator by combining the character base with tools like ZBrush, Substance Painter, Marvelous Designer, Blender, Wrap, Texturing.xyz, and Maya.1st Place: ASTIN – Chemical Oasis – by Jorge Leonardo Ayala Arias, 3D Character Artist | Colombia"It’s such an ease to have a faithful base to the concept, reducing the time to see in action for the created assets and the character. Character Creator provides the possibility and versatility of adding bones for extra accessories, giving life to the character." – Jorge Leonardo Ayala AriasImage from Jorge Leonardo Ayala Arias2nd Place: Avice – A Knight of the Realm – by Kurt Boutilier, Digital Sculptor / 3D Print Artist | Canada"Reallusion tools helped me create a base mesh for my character, as well as the ability to rig and pose her much faster then modeling or rigging a character from scratch." – Kurt BoutilierImage from Kurt Boutilier3rd Place: Seeker – by Duai Sebastian Florez, 3D Character Artist | Colombia"Character Creator 4 is an incredible software; it helped me save 50% of the time in my character creation pipeline. Additionally, it allows me to pose characters quickly without needing complex rigging methods. Its integration with ZBrush is so seamless that they almost seem like a single program." – Duai Sebastian FlorezImage from Duai Sebastian FlorezREALISTIC CHARACTER ANIMATIONUse iClone to create a realistic animation for a character made with the CC3+ Base. The character model can be customized with Reallusion tools and content or third-party software like ZBrush, Blender, and Unreal Engine.1st Place: Lisa & Fia – by Robert Lundqvist, 3D Hobby Artist | Finland"Easy and fast character creation with Character Creator and Headshot." – Robert LundqvistWatch the full entry of Robert Lundqvist:2nd Place: The Playful Deity – by Kay John Yim, Architect by day / CGI Artist by night | United Kingdom"Character Creator 4’s Ultimate Morphs allowed me to create my character’s foundation non-destructively, which seamlessly integrated into iClone for posing and animation. SkinGen enabled me to add detailed skin textures and facial makeup, which I then exported as high-res textures for rendering in Houdini & Redshift. I utilized ActorCore motions as the base for the character animation and relied heavily on iClone’s ‘Edit Motion Layer’ and ‘Motion Correction’ for user-friendly animation adjustments. Digital Soul helped me test various realistic facial expressions before refining them with Face Key." – Kay John YimWatch the full entry of Kay John Yim:3rd Place: NeuroNexus – by Hamidreza Hamzehpour, CG Generalist – Film/Animation Maker | United Arab Emirates"Initially, I used the base 3D model of the character creator and sent it to ZBrush using the ZBrush Face Tool Plugin to sculpt my character on the base m, then exported the rigged character to Cinema 4D. Also, I’ve used iClone to mix some animations like walking to stop, start to walk, etc." – Hamidreza HamzehpourWatch the full entry of Hamidreza Hamzehpour:STYLIZED CHARACTER ANIMATIONUse iClone to create a realistic animation for a character made with the CC3+ Base. The character model can be customized with Reallusion tools and content or third-party software like ZBrush, Blender, Unreal Engine.1st Place: HellGal – by Loïc Bramoullé, Cinematics for indies and AA studios | France"I started with Camilla in CC4, customizing her proportions to follow my concept, small hands and feet, elongated silhouette. I then started to design her face with FaceTools in ZBrush, already defining her custom expressions and wrinkles. I then used her body as a base to sculpt in 3DCoat, knowing I could use the skinning from CC4 to transfer the weights on my final low poly. I exported the character to Blender to make a simplified version to mocap in VR with Mocap Fusion, using my low poly environment blockout to walk around. And then import back the same animated armature into iClone. I gathered everything in blender in the end to keep polishing the environment while matching the animation, lighting, vfx, final edit, all in a single blend file. Character creator is always amazing to kickstart any humanoid character production, already supporting the really accessible facial motion capture in iClone, here with my iPad via LiveFace." – Loïc BramoulléWatch the full entry of Loïc Bramoullé:2nd Place: Dance of the Flying Spirit – by Melis Caner, 3D Generalist | USA"As a 3D generalist, creating a character from scratch has always been challenging. Reallusion tools helped me build my character and animation significantly easier, faster, and more efficiently." – Melis CanerWatch the full entry of Melis Caner:3rd Place: Nesting Realm Keeper – by Varuna Darensbourg, Artist & Game Dev | Canada"For this challenge, I was able to complete everything using CC4, iClone, PS and GoZ+. Since I switched my direction on the final deadline week, haha! I needed to work as streamlined as possible. CC4 & GoZ+ really helped me finish my character efficiently and helped to quickly create props, like the Dragon egg, pillar and more. Another super massive time saver was using the facial capture from the Voice over video, using AccuFace." – Varuna DarensbourgWatch the full entry of Varuna Darensbourg:Check out the winners' announcement video:Check out the full list of winners: https://magazine.reallusion.com/2024/10/09/reallusions-2024-3d-character-contest-meet-the-winners/Congratulations to all the winners! Don't be discouraged if you didn’t get an award this time, continue to practice your 3D skills to shine in the next competition and win the title!Source: Reallusion