Redboard, Hibbert Ralph Animation’s innovative storyboarding and pre-production management system has now been updated to provide DIRECT SUPPORT FOR AUTODESK’S 3DS MAX. Previously Redboard has worked with Autodesk’s Maya to enable the efficient production of CG TV series created using Maya. By integrating 3DS Max support, Redboard now offers the comprehensive pre-production solution to those studios and production companies using 3DS Max in their TV production pipelines.

Keith Pang, Hibbert Ralph’s Animation’s 3DS Max specialist takes up the story. “We’ve had a number of clients asking about using Redboard with 3DS Max and in the past we required Maya to be used as part of the conversion process to make the Max files. This could be frustrating, so we set about finding a solution that would enable the creation of 3DS Max files without having to use any other software. By utilising MaxScript (3DS Max’s internal scripting language) we were able to recreate all the scenes and animation, as they are set up in Redboard, accurately in 3DS Max. EVERYTHING WE COULD CREATE IN MAYA WE CAN NOW REPRODUCE DIRECTLY IN 3DS MAX.”

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One of the most challenging aspects was the recreation of the “storyboard cam” feature which, uniquely to Redboard, superimposes the storyboard artists original drawings over the corresponding CG scene, at the correct keyframe, directly in 3DS Max. This innovative feature provides the animation team with a direct visual reference to the original storyboard when they are working in 3DS Max (or Maya).

Redboard allows directors, producers and storyboard artists to preview an accurate scene, including camera angles, lenses and precise placement of characters and props, with the added details of expression and characterisation. Once approved, the animation department or subcontracting company receives a highly detailed animatic with precise camera, layout and drawing data, which greatly reduces costly interpretation errors. Redboard provides the reassurance that the final rendered animation will exactly match the approved storyboard. This can lead to SAVINGS OF UP TO 40% for storyboarding costs, and almost completely automates the process of digital layout.

Redboard is available immediately for CGI television series productions as a complete service package, including software licenses, installation, training and support. Licenses will run for the period of the project and prices will be calculated based on the length of the project. Film packages are also available on request.

The spring 2011 issue of Imagine Magazine features a three page Redboard tutorial providing an overview of some of the features that Redboard has to offer.  The tutorial explains the process and advantages involved in using Redboard in a CG TV series production.

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The latest version of Redboard is now available for download. Redboard is revolutionary technology that lets you plan and manage your 3D animated production very accurately from the storyboard stage, then seamlessly transfer all of your pre-production data into Autodesk’s Maya, saving you both time and money. Redboard has helped in the creation of over 1000 minutes of animation, and is currently in use on ‘The Hive’, a 78×7 minute production by Lupus Films.

We’ve added a number of new features including “Storyboard Cam”, Intelligent Auto-Sketching and an improved Windows Vista and Windows 7 installer.  Plus we’ve continued to build on Redboard’s existing workflow management tools.

We’ve now fully implemented the automatic generation of a ‘Storyboard Cam’ allowing Redboard to automatically superimpose the original drawing created by the storyboard artists, over the corresponding 3D models directly in Autodesk’s Maya.  This allows animators, to see the exact original pose that the storyboard artist created at the correct keyframe directly in Maya, hugely simplifying the creation of key frame poses in Maya.

Redboard’s auto-sketching of models and characters is already a major timesaver and Redboard now provides Intelligent Auto-sketching, auto-sketching only those lines that are visible, depending on the specific placement of models.

We’ve made considerable improvements to the way Redboard installs under Vista and Windows 7 making it even easier to get you started and there’s now even better project management for network installations and remote ‘offline’ storyboarding as Redboard now treats its project files and folders like any other data that you save on your computer.  You can save project folders on local disks, network disks, or removable storage such as USB keys.  Redboard now also intelligently searches for the corresponding 3D data for a project so you can store all your project data on a network disk but still provide a solution for remote board artists working at home.

If you have any questions or comments about the latest version of Redboard please email us at info@redboard.tv or fill out the form on our contact page

Hibbert Ralph Animation’s new proprietary software-based storyboarding and pre-production management system, Redboard, has been purchased by Lupus Films and The Picture Production Company (PPC) to aid in the production of a new CG animated children’s series called The Hive. Redboard is being considered by a number of production companies and studios around the world but Lupus Films and PPC are the first to take advantage of Redboard’s special introductory pricing for use on commercial productions.

The enclosed stills sequence demonstrates Redboard by comparing the original frame in Redboard and the corresponding layout that was automatically recreated in Maya.

Lupus Films and The Picture Production Company invested in Redboard to drastically reduce initial storyboarding costs, so as to make the storyboarding process considerably more accurate and therefore minimise expensive changes further down the production pipeline.

By using game engine technology, Redboard is able to preview storyboard panels in realtime, providing a simple but accurate CG representation of the narrative environment onto which traditional storyboard artists can easily add drawn details and expressions. HRA estimates that Redboard can save up to 50% in storyboarding costs; whilst also increasing storyboarding accuracy, this in turn yeilds huge efficiency benefits on the remainder of the production pipeline through a significant reduction in costly revisions and changes.

Redboard’s ability to dramatically improve the communication of CG data across a number of geographic locations was key to Lupus Films and PPC, helping the production team to accurately communicate the initial CG layout data to their overseas animation studio who were working on the remainder of the production.

The Hive’s series producer, Camilla Deakin, said: “HRA suggested using Redboard as an alternative to the existing 2D packages. Our creative director, Ray Merritt, was initially skeptical because Redboard was unfamiliar. But once HRA had demonstrated Redboard’s potential using our existing Hive assets, we were blown away by how useful it was to see actual models and characters in situ at such an early stage of the production.

“It’s very reassuring for a director to know what they send their animation studio has the correct camera angles, elements sizes and positioning, because you know it means these won’t have to be corrected later. 2D storyboards look nice but they often cheat perspectives and sizes to fit it all in. If an overseas studios is being used for the animation, the director is unlikely to be on-hand to oversee the fixes, so a system like Redboard hands control back to the director, whilst reassuring the studio that changes will be minimal. It’s also ideal for presenting to broadcasters as Redboard storyboards build an accurate sense of what the final production will look like.”

The Hive follows the lives of brother and sister bees, Buzzbee and Rubee, and will be broadcast in the UK on GMTV from autumn 2010, with international transmission currently being negotiated with a global pre-school network. The series comprises 78 x seven-minute HD episodes, translating as an enormous 546-minutes of CG animation.

Sometimes it can be tricky to explain all the benefits of Redboard using just text and images, so we’ve created a video to help illustrate how Redboard works. You can watch the Redboard video now by clicking on the video player below. We hope this helps to explain some of the features of Redboard in an easy to understand way. If you have any questions or comments about the video please email us at info@redboard.tv or fill out the form on our contact page