Rasmus Rørbæk | Phichet S.B
Orbit Valley was established in March 2023 with the intention of operating as an end-to-end production company. The founders of Orbit Valley initially connected through their shared interest in music. While their respective friend circles were involved in music creation, they took charge of handling the visual aspects. As their friends began collaborating, it naturally brought the founders closer. Recognizing their similar pursuits, despite being in different locations, the decision to collaborate felt organic.
Phichet has an extensive background as a freelancer, primarily specializing as a VJ/3D animator and editor for a production company that emphasized commercials. Rasmus, on the other hand, completed his studies at The National Danish Film School, specializing as a cinematographer. Prior to enrolling in film school, Rasmus worked independently as a director and filmmaker.
Both founders were nurtured in a DIY (do-it-yourself) environment, instilling in them a propensity for versatility. They relish blending various techniques and formats, adhering to the belief that there are no absolute rights or wrongs in their creative process. Their wellspring of inspiration extends to meditation and mindfulness, influencing their aspiration to create from a profound state of consciousness.
For client musicians Emil Lange and Kidd, Orbit Valley innovative vision converged to craft a sensational “smash party” in the hallowed halls of Danish politics, specifically the parliamentary chamber. Armed with their creative tools, including Character Creator 4, its Headshot plugin, iClone 8 and Blender, the team breathed life into their ideas. The result? A transformative fusion of artistic prowess and political backdrop, defying expectations and injecting an electrifying energy into the usually staid atmosphere.
“For us, it has never been a question of saving time – we are not trained in character design and development, so it would never have been possible to create the characters without the tools like Character Creator and iClone ! We received pictures from the artists’ photoshoot and were able to use their faces in the CC Headshot plugin.”
Phichet S.B | Rasmus Rørbæk – Orbit Valley
Q: Hello Rasmus and Phichet! Welcome to the Reallusion feature stories. Please tell us a bit about the music video you animated for Emil Lange and Kidd. How did this idea come about with the Danish Parliament Chamber?
Thanks for having us here! United Records – Emil Lange and Kidd‘s record label asked us if we could create a video with a deadline of 1 month – the artists’ schedules were fully booked, so they knew that a video shoot wouldn’t be possible. Everything was indicating that 3D was the right direction. When we heard the song, we came up with ideas of large rebellion scenes all around Copenhagen, but we knew that given this deadline, we had to limit ourselves to something that was realistically achievable.
We share our office with Mathias Bjerre (ZeroZum G) and knew that he had already created a highly detailed model of the stronghold of Danish politics – the Parliament chamber. Mathias granted us permission to use the model, which gave us a huge advantage.
We asked the artists what they would do if they were set loose in the Parliament chamber – they sent us a memo back, brainstorming ideas. We tried to incorporate all of their ideas into the video.
Q: In the process you employed Character Creator 4 (CC4) and its Headshot plugin to create virtual versions of the singers. Kindly share with us the process you used, and how much time these tools and assets were able to save you.
For us, it has never been a question of saving time – we are not trained in character design and development, so it would never have been possible to create the characters without the tools from Reallusion! We received pictures from the artists’ photoshoot and were able to use their faces in the Character Creator Headshot plugin.
Through Photoshop, we were able to add tattoos to the bodies’ diffuse maps. We found clothing and accessories on Reallusion’s marketplace and created a few custom items in Blender.
Q: For the animations you used iClone. Could you talk about the workflow for the animation and editing with iClone? Did you use any pre-made dance motions or motion capture system? How easy was it to use iClone with Blender?
Animation can be a major headache, but iClone simplifies the process significantly. We imported set pieces from Blender, so we knew the dimensions of the scene.
We then used a mix of animations from the Reallusion Marketplace, Mixamo, and created some ourselves using iClone’s IK system and animation layers. The workflow between iClone and Blender is really easy with iClone Auto Setup plugin for Blender, allowing you to use a professionally-rigged iClone/CC character base, with all its inherited facial and body animation advantages, to creatively building on top.
Q: What advice would Orbit Valley share with other musicians, creatives and developers that are thinking of using Character Creator and iClone in their projects?
For a long time, we were afraid of creating 3D humans, as it’s very easy to fall into the ‘uncanny valley’ and feel stuck there. But Character Creator and iClone offer the possibility to take the project in both a realistic and a stylized direction – easily and intuitively. Especially clothing and its simulations can be a nightmare, with uncontrollable vertices. Reallusion’s tools have saved us a lot of headaches. As Mathias describes it, it’s a bit like playing Sims for adults.
“For a long time, we were afraid of creating 3D humans, as it’s very easy to fall into the ‘uncanny valley’ and feel stuck there. But Character Creator and iClone offer the possibility to take the project in both a realistic and a stylized direction – easily and intuitively. Especially clothing and its simulations can be a nightmare, with uncontrollable vertices. Reallusion’s tools have saved us a lot of headaches.”
Phichet S.B | Rasmus Rørbæk – Orbit Valley
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Website:
www.orbitvalley.com
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https://www.instagram.com/orbit.valley/
