TNG Visual Effects
Main Office - Los Angeles
877.879.2040
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North American Services
TNG Visual Effects 3D scanning systems allow us to serve your production locally in Canada and the U.S. See map below for locations. |
TNG AT YOUR SERVICE
 TNG Headquarters LA
TNG Visual Effects is a 3D scanning company in the entertainment industry that specializes in the creation of photorealistic digital assets. Many characters, vehicles, cars, sets, props, animals, sculptures and other items have been added to TNG's scope of work since the company's inception in 2009.
The TNG team knows how to work with producers, directors, coordinators, A-list talent and other agencies, making the most of their precious time and ensuring a successful project. TNG's work is always guaranteed.
The TNG scan team is also highly noted for their ability to travel at a moments notice for a project. Exclusive use of highly mobile scanning systems allow for TNG to perform scans in practically any location. Express Scanning.
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Characters
 
Rides
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A Note From Our Founder
Nick Tesi
TNG Visual Effects Founder
December is the month of my patron saint, St. Nick. Christmas is almost here and it seems Santa has come early to TNG and brought us business. Nothing like working up to the best day of the year, Christmas in all its cheer! Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday's to everyone celebrating this season through all beliefs. Our best to all.
We're in the final month of the year, and as you're scrambling to meet final deadlines, make sure to enjoy this time. We love what we do, but we know that all work and no play makes for a not so rounded company.
We are always looking at new technology and software to keep the quality of our service at the highest level, and to accelerate our pipeline. This is tricky at times, but we do our best to make it happen.
We continue looking for partners who are synergistic to our service, and who can help our customers and theirs through more savings and better products. Contact us for more information.
I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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Testimonials
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"Nick and his team at TNG did a large scanning project for Zoic that required a very quick turnaround. On a day's notice, he flew out of state, scanned all night on location, and came back the next day to start delivering models for our use. Nick definitely went the extra mile for us!"
-Doug Ludwig-
Visual Effects Supervisor
Zoic Studios
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Mobility in Service
To have a working studio today is a wonderful accomplishment. This means you can afford the overhead of providing a place to ply your skills. The biggest advantage is being able to control your set up - your full crew on hand and all of your equipment available in the event you need to fix or replace anything. It is almost the perfect scenario.
However, if you service the entertainment industry, this changes quite a bit. It is the industry that never sleeps which makes the talent in high demand with definite time constraints. It's a fast-paced environment of get in, wait, do your part in the least amount of time skillfully and then get out of the way. It's not a cruel business; it's what makes working in our field so exciting.
The ability to be a mobile business that is also flexible is so important in the entertainment industry. Production is always on the move whether they are working on a film, a commercial, a trailer for a game or a TV Series, and depend on businesses that understand their demanding schedules. As their budgets get tighter, the need to be available at a moment's notice is what they rely on. This can add a bit of stress on all involved, especially as things change based on the needs of the project, availability of the talent and sometimes the weather, but the more flexible and mobile we can be help us meet the needs of our clients.
This strategy is not for the weak of heart, it is for those who excel under pressure. They need to have efficient technology allowing them to get in and out quickly, the ability to get back to their facility, unload all of their data, process it and send it out to the group that needs to integrate it into their part of the project. We know it sounds a little militaristic. Maybe we'll start recruiting from Special Forces in the military - just the strategists of course.
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Digital Doubles
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Building Digital Doubles: More Art or Science?
All characters in our world are first 3D Scanned. Whether we are scanning a human or a Marquette, it all starts with the scan. The question is, is there more art or science in creating a realistic digital double?
SCIENCE. The 3D scanning system uses white light technology to capture all parts of the model or object - measurements, wrinkles, clothing, shapes, bumps, etc. These items are the first level of the character and provide our artists with a great starting point. This is not saying that an artist couldn't get there without the science of 3D scanning, but as the clock is always ticking, who has the time to start from scratch?
When we're working on a project with a short time-frame, typically the speed of the project is a "push and pull" process with technology. We are pushing to keep our quality and the company needing the finished product is pulling to get it in production. Now, if there was the option between the two, we're sure speed would be the easier choice; however it is our practice to create production lines that are built for quality.
ART. The artists (modelers and texture artists) take a 3D scanned model or object and mold or sculpt it into an exact replica of the original. This relies on the talent of an experienced artist whose eye can see things most can't. An artist must have the skill to use their tools as their forefathers; however, instead of applying paints to a canvas, they use computers with specific software.
Yes, we still use some of the old tools in the 21st century, but the tools of the majority are based on science and how you can have your whole studio with you in a computer. You can even output that final work to a color printer, film, a 3D printer or whatever the need. It ends with the mastery of your tools.
Today, Art and Science are described as the tools of today and tomorrow. As time passes, the tools change, we change and the world goes on.
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New 3D Scanners Are Coming Out All the Time
With the new 3D scanners hitting the market, like the Kinect Solution and the new iPad camera, are you thinking about bringing 3D scanning in house?
The cost of buying and maintaining 3D scanning equipment is very high, and when we read about the new scanners and their lower costs, we were about to jump for joy. Sadly, some things are too good to be true, and as we investigated further we found the lower cost matches the quality of the scan. The reality is quality comes with a price, and it would be hard to bring something like this to a professional environment (although they will capture something).
Here are a couple issues we found with the new lower cost 3D scanners:
1. The measurements, distance and size do not match the model/object and there is little detail in the scan data. Although our artists
would be able to sculpt something out of these scans, our customers sometimes ask for the raw scans and expect them to be something they can work with. Some scaling may be done based on camera lenses, but not much more.
2. Texture maps are not possible. We add texture maps from a system that captures non reflective looks and detail for texturing back onto the model. The scan data the new scanners capture are not detailed enough to provide any type of map. Production studios sometimes require the final look on 4K x 4K screens.
These scanners are good for lower end projects or specialty items, but unfortunately not to create professional digital assets. We wanted to give our thoughts on these scanners since we work with them every day. Please share any ideas or insights you have if your findings are different than ours.
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