Massive (animation)
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MASSIVE (Multiple Agent Simulation System in Virtual Environment) is the computer animation and artificial intelligence software developed by Stephen Regelous for Weta Digital to create some of the award-winning visual effects, particularly the battle sequences, for the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films directed by Peter Jackson. Massive was also used in the making of the The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Carlton Draught: Big Ad, CBS' Category 7: The End of the World, and Pope John Paul II.
The program allows every animated character in an animated army to respond individually to its surroundings. If such a character encounters an enemy character it is programmed to fight in a specific style until it either kills the enemy and goes looking for another, or until it sustains a specific number of hits and falls down "dead".
In the first execution of a battle between groups of characters, the wrong groups attacked each other. In another early demo, some of the warriors at the edge of the field could be seen running away. The reason was not that they were programmed for cowardice (or survival), but that they were initially moving in the wrong direction, and had been programmed to keep running until they encountered an enemy. Template:Fact
Peter Jackson, as executive producer, is expected to use Massive during alien battle sequences in the game-to-movie adaptation of Halo.
Although Massive was specifically written for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it can now be licensed by other visual effects houses. Two versions are offered: Massive Prime for $18,000, and Massive Jet for $6,000, not including support fees. Massive Software also offers varying Agent Sets for use with Massive. Currently available are the Locomotion and Stadium Agent sets. Upcoming sets include: Ambient Agent, Combat Swordsman Agent, Smart Stunt Agent, and Mayhem Agent. Prices vary for the sets, ranging from $1,499 to $2,499. One set is provided for free with the purchase of a Massive software license.
Visual Effects Companies Using Massive
- a52
- Animal Logic
- Animationsfabrik
- Attitude Studios
- Barbed Wire
- BVB Films
- CBS Digital
- Centro Digital
- Charlex
- CIS Hollywood
- Digital Domain
- Diesel FX
- Digital Frontier
- DNA Productions
- Emerald City
- Famepost
- Gener8xion Ent
- Guava Studio
- Method Studios
- Metricminds
- The Mill
- Motion Blur
- Ollin Studio
- Paramount
- Rhythm & Hues
- Sight & Sound
- Weta Digital
(partial list from Massive's website)
See also
- Maya (software)
- Crowd simulation
- Emergence
- NetLogo, free software for multi-agent modeling, simulation, and the like (roll your own "mini-massive")