Discreet announced at the 2004 Game Developers Conference that its 3ds max professional animation modeling and rendering software was used by the Tokyo-based ROBOT Communications to create the cinematic opening sequence for Onimusha 3: Demon Siege. In the final installment of the Capcom's acclaimed series, which has been available in Japan since February 2004, Samanosuke Akechi and Jacques Blanc must save the world from the sinister warlord Oda Nobunaga and his army of Genma warriors. The opening sequence to the game features Samanosuke fighting through hoards of the Genma army and eventually facing off against his old enemy, Gargant.



"It's very gratifying to see Discreet 3ds max software used both for core game play development in PC and console games and also to create motion- picture like cinematic opening sequences as exemplified so beautifully in Onimusha 3," gushed Martin Vann, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for Discreet. "Discreet's 200,000 plus registered users continue to inspire us with their artistic visions, and it is very rewarding to see them exploit the rich feature set of all of Discreet's software solutions," added Vann.



"In the final episode of the Onimusha series, our intention was to produce the best 3D cinematic opening entertainment ever, and captivate the game players," confessed Ikuo Nishii from ROBOT, Japan. "Takashi Yamazaki, a film director of 'Returner', and Donnie Yen, legendary martial arts choreographers in Hollywood and Hong Kong, co-directed the production with Shirogumi and Kaihei Hayano, who both completed CG (computer graphics) creations for both Onimusha 2 and now, Onimusha 3." added Nishii.



Choreographing the eye-popping martial arts movements in the opening sequence was Yen, while Yamazaki's direction gave it its astounding motion picture realism. Im addition, CG artist Kaihei Hayano created most of the outdoor scenes, as well as those that included the massive Genma Tank.



"The crowd scene of the warriors for the Genma army was in fact, all hand created. We assembled objects one by one, such as small tanks and set lighting to utilize HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging) and GI (Global Illumination). I did most of the work myself," explained Hayano. "Of course, many times, the process is trial and error, but with 3ds max, ultimately, you can find a way or ways to customize the result exactly to what you want."



It took ten days of motion capture sessions and a year two make, yet Onimusha 3: Demon Siege's jaw-dropping opening scene is something the makers can be damn proud of. We'll get to see just how the rest of the game is when it comes to North American shores in April.