Adding a Dragon to Your Videos: A Step-by-Step Guide


A Tutorial by Nomad R Productions

Want to add a dragon to your videos? Nomad R Productions shows us exactly how to achieve this using DaVinci Resolve's Fusion, breaking down complex visual effects into manageable steps.

Pre-Production Requirements

Before diving into Fusion, Nomad emphasizes two critical filming requirements:

  • Objects you can track in your scene
  • Good contrast between foreground and background

"These will make life so much easier in compositing," he explains.

The Step-by-Step Process

1. Initial Setup

Start by right-clicking your footage and creating a New Fusion Clip. This is where all the magic will happen.

2. Setting Up Camera Tracking

Add two Tracker nodes (using Shift+Space):

  • First tracker for motion
  • Second tracker for rotation

"You want to find an area with good contrast," Nomad explains while setting them to "Best Match" adaptive mode.

3. Building the 3D Scene

Next, Nomad demonstrates importing the dragon:

  1. Go to Fusion > Import FBX Scene
  2. Add a Blend Node:
    1. Connect color map to main input
    2. Connect roughness map to the pink arrow
    3. "This makes it look much more realistic," Nomad notes

4. The Clever Scale Fix

Nomad reveals a smart solution for edge cutting issues:

  1. Add Transform 3D:
    1. Scale down to 0.5 in 3D space
  2. Add Transform after renderer:
    1. Set size to 2.0

"Now it should look exactly the same as before, but if I drag it off screen this time and go to a later frame, now it's not being cut off," he explains.

5. Animation Setup

For realistic dragon movement:

  1. Use Transform 3D for position keyframes
  2. Add Bender 3D:
    1. Set axis to X
    2. Animate amount for wing flapping

"Keep it subtle," Nomad advises, "this is just for the tutorial."

6. Lighting Integration

In the Renderer 3D:

  1. Change type to OpenGL
  2. Enable lighting and shadows
  3. Add Directional Light:
    1. Match sun angle
    2. Set intensity to 1.5
  4. Add Ambient Light for fill

7. Visual Integration Chain

Nomad's sequence for realistic integration:

  1. Vector Motion Blur:
    1. Enable Vector output in Renderer
    2. Set depth to float 16
    3. Amount around 0.1
  2. Sharpen Node:
    1. Amount around 0.3
  3. JPEG Damage:
    1. Matches footage quality
  4. Match Tint:
    1. "One of the biggest mistakes I see people doing when compositing CG footage is not matching the Black Point," Nomad emphasizes
    2. Use eyedropper on footage blacks
    3. Enable pre-divided/post multiply

8. Final Compositing

To finish the effect:

  1. Add Delta Keyer:
    1. Sample sky color
    2. Adjust threshold
  2. Final Merge:
    1. Combines everything
    2. Dragon now goes behind trees

Pro Tips from Nomad

Throughout the tutorial, Nomad shares valuable insights:

  • "Real animals don't move like puppets" - keep animations subtle
  • Match your footage's motion blur amount
  • Not all settings will work for every piece of footage - adjust based on your scene
  • The black point matching is crucial for believable integration

Conclusion

As Nomad R Productions demonstrates, adding a convincing 3D dragon to your footage isn't just about dropping in a model - it's about careful integration at every step. From proper tracking to matching your footage's imperfections, each node serves a specific purpose in creating the illusion.

Tutorial by Nomad R Productions. This guide follows his video tutorial, breaking down his professional techniques for adding 3D elements to real footage. For more detailed tutorials, check out his channel.

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