Celulight
Type: Plug-ins
Updated: May 4, 2008
Availability: Unreleased
Compatibility
Host Applications: After Effects CS4, After Effects CS5, After Effects CS3 and Nuke
Operating Systems: Windows and Mac OS X
Architecture: 32-bit and 64-bit
Overview
Celulight is my tool designed to automatically generate normal maps from simple outlines or cel drawings. The resulting normal map can then be used by Normality to create realistic or toon shading effects.
Celulight takes drawn outlines or cels as source files to create clean, smooth normal maps for shading with my other tool, Normality.
Features
Traditionally painting 2D cels by hand is a time-staking and labor intensive process and is therefore rarely used in low-end cartoon productions. This omission can result in a cheap and low-end look. Celulight is capable of automating this process nearly 100%.
In combination with Normality, Celulight creates a really fresh look for cartoons and anime which might otherwise be cost prohibitive or even impossible to achieve.
- Celulight automatically generates normals maps
- Temporal smoothing avoids artifacts
- Spatial smoothing provides clean maps
| Preset Styles | |
|---|---|
| “Disney-style” toon shading | Modern 2.5D Toons |
| Sparsely shaded anime style | Stippled dots |
| Soft-shaded “Kingdom Hearts” Style | Texture mapping |
These and more styles can be achieved when Celulight is used in combination with Normality.
Celulight is currently implemented as a stand-alone application and as a plug-in for Adobe After Effects for Windows and Mac OS X.
Examples
- Studio Lampion's cartoon character shaded with Normality and Celulight
- Character shaded with Normality
- Smooth gradient shading as seen in posters for animated features
- Automatically generate normal maps from cartoon outlines
- Painterly shading
Compatibility
Celulight is compatible with After Effects CS4, After Effects CS5, After Effects CS3 and Nuke on Windows and Mac OS X (32-bit and 64-bit).