Digital Matte Painting - Final Project: Thematic Matte Painting (VFX)

Samantha Kristalyn / 0373905 / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media 
Digital Matte Painting

Final Project: Thematic Matte Painting (VFX)

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JUMPLINKS

1. INSTRUCTIONS 

2. TASK

3. FINAL PRESENTATION

4. REFLECTION

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INSTRUCTIONS

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TASK

Final Project: Thematic Matte Painting (VFX) (30%)

Instructions

Thematic and realistic. Students will demonstrate technical capability to analyse, composite and communicate set uniqueness by blending 3D geometry and 2D painting to a raw video footage together with special effects. Students need to come up with 3 different location based on the theme and genre selected. Students must also showcase the breakdowns of how this project is undertaken. * Note that your matte should seamlessly blend and showcase a believable set. You are to use Unreal or Unity to make the world build and compose it via After Effects. 

Submission:

• Compiled technical doc .pdf (*moodboard, styleguide, storyboard, technical processes as posted in their e-portfolio).

• Final output will include a 15 – 30 sec video (*.mp4, h2.64, 16:9 - 1440 X 1080, 25 fps, ACC, 48kHz, uploaded to a YouTube channel).

Progress

I started off based on the ideas that I have created on Project 2. 

Below are the compositions of photo bashing that I have priorly made:

Fig. 2.1, Project 2 Compositions

To meet the technical requirements of the brief, I developed 3D objects to integrate into my 2D composition. These are the specific 3D assets I developed to enhance the structural depth of the scene:

Fig. 2.2, Gate Guard Statue Sculpt

Fig. 2.3, Sword Sculpt

 Below are the final base plate and materials that I used in creating the final composition:

Fig. 2.4, Compiled Materials

Starting off, to bring depth to the 2D environment, I established a multi-plane parallax effect within After Effects. By separating the assets into distinct layers and calculating relative position offsets, I simulated a realistic sense of scale and camera movement.   

Fig. 2.5, Creating Parallax Effect on After Effects

After doing so, I included a flicker expression for the lighting using wiggle (5,30) on the opacity setting, turbulent displacement for cloud movement, and a particle emitter to establish environmental depth and scale. I also added another wiggle expression on the camera to give a handheld shaky effect on the final video.

Fig. 2.6, Animating on After Effects

Below, I have created an annotated version of my final photobashing composition to ensure a seamless integration. It allowed me to map out exactly where the 3D geometry would sit within the 2D environment to maintain correct perspective and lighting consistency. 

Fig. 2.7, Annotated composition

• Guard Statues: The massive statues flanking the gates are inspired by the brutalist, larger-than-life architecture of Dune, designed to evoke a sense of intimidation and ancient power.
• Swords: To frame the composition, I placed swords on the foreground rocks on both sides of the frame, serving as a 'visual anchor' that hints at a recent battle before the viewer enters the gate.

I uploaded the 3D assets into my parallax composition and color corrected them using the Lumetri Color, decreasing the exposure to match my initial composition.

Fig. 2.8, Lumetri Color

After I was done with everything, I added a windy audio track in the background to enhance the overall atmosphere and ground the scene in a desolate, cinematic reality.

Below is my compiled technical document (PDF), and final YouTube video.

Compiled Technical Document   

Fig. 2.9, Compiled Technical Document (PDF)

Final Video

Fig 2.10, Final Video on YouTube

 

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REFLECTION

This module was a whole rollercoaster ride. I felt like I was quite unprepared for it and I was very unfamiliar with digital matte painting as a whole. Initially, the jump from static photobashing to a cinematic, moving environment felt like a massive hurdle.

However, the technical process turned out to be my best teacher. Moving into After Effects to build the multi-plane parallax was a lightbulb moment; it forced me to stop thinking in flat layers and start thinking in 3D space. Successfully integrating 3D geometry and using expressions to animate the spotlight and clouds really bridged the gap between 'art' and 'VFX.'

Looking back, the steep learning curve was worth it. I've gone from being unsure of the basics to managing a hybrid 2D/3D pipeline, and I'm proud of how I turned that initial lack of familiarity into a polished final composition. However, I am not very proud of the final outcome. Due to my lack of skills and insufficient time, I was unable to polish the integration to the standard I envisioned. That said, the process was a valuable learning experience that highlighted exactly which technical areas I need to strengthen in the future.