dvGarage has released “The Reflection Toolkit,” a collection of images for realistic reflections and global illumination calculations that’s designed for visual effects artists and 3D animators.
dvGarage is the QuickTime-only site dedicated to “building the next generation of visual media artists.” The new disk is a result of their in-house production and provides seamless spherical reflections to use for environments in computer graphics scenes, according to Alex Lindsay, founder of dvGarage.
“When we began to create full 360 Panoramas for reflections we couldn’t believe how much better our reflective objects looked immediately,” he said. “Once you get used to using these images, a simple photograph seems crude.”
The disk includes over 35 full spherical reflections, Quicktime VR previews and cubic frames. All images were created using a Kaidan Spherical Rig and REALVIZ Stitcher. Rather than using a wide-angle lens, dvGarage chose to shoot with longer lenses for a more natural look and to attain more image data, Maina Mucoki, the lead artist on the Reflection Toolkit, said
“It was really all about resolution and realistic focal angles,” Mucoki added. “Shooting with longer lenses is more difficult but the resulting images are much clearer and the effective focal length is much nearer to the human eye.”
The Reflection Toolkit retails for US$129 with a current introductory price of $99 though March 26. It’s compatible with Mac OS 9, Mac OS X and Windows.