The award-winning Spanish software is back on the big screen
Spanish company Next Limit Technologies is back in the Hollywood spotlight with Maxwell Render and RealFlow.
In 2008, the creators of RealFlow won a Technical Achievement Award 2007 (aka a "technical Oscar") in recognition of the significant contribution RealFlow has made to the process of making motion pictures, and RealFlow has played a leading role in the 2009 film scene. For instance, Josh Hatton, FX TD at cutting-edge VFX facility Hydraulx, remarks, "We have used Realflow in most of our recent feature film projects. In 2012, it was traditional wave crests and splashes. On Avatar, we used it for some interesting zero-gravity water effects. Looking forward, we have some very large water sequences coming up that will rely heavily on RealFlow, and especially some of the new features in RF5. While we have tried other products, RealFlow remains our go-to solution for water simulations. With its reliable fluid solver, rigid body module, and python scripting, there is so much more to it than just pouring liquid into a glass."
And, throughout 2009, Next Limit's innovative technologies have been used in a wide range of blockbuster movies, TV series, commercials and video games.
To name but a few:
Movies:
- RealFlow: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Crank 2: High Voltage; District 9; GI Joe; Ice Age 3; The Orphan; Shorts; The Final Destination; Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans; Watchmen, Avatar
- Maxwell Render: Alma, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
TV Series:
- RealFlow: Lost, Dr. Who
Commercials:
- RealFlow: Guinness, Sky, Aquarius Zero, Rosemount Wine, BMW, Dodot, Nestlé, Barceló Cream, Bacardi Lemon, Wolf Blass, Coca Cola
- Maxwell Render: Chevrolet, Vinamilk, Kia, SN Brussels Airlines
Video Games:
- RealFlow: X-Men Origins: Wolverine; Dante's Inferno; Bioshock 2; Mass Effect 2; Dragon Age
About Next Limit
Next Limit Technologies is a Spanish company dedicated to the development of simulation technologies for a broad range of applications in computer graphics, science, engineering, architecture, advertising and the movie industry. It was founded in 1998 by two young engineers, Victor Gonzalez and Ignacio Vargas, who poured all their enthusiasm and their knowledge of naval and aeronautic engineering into the creation of innovative new simulation technologies.
To date, they have developed three programs: RealFlow, a fluid and dynamics simulation software for the movie industry; Maxwell Render, a render engine used for light simulation in the fields of architecture, industrial design and cinematography; and XFlow, an accurate fluid simulation tool for engineering and scientific purposes.
Next Limit counts among its customers a number of major studios, such as Walt Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, and Industrial Light and Magic. RealFlow first appeared in "Lost in Space" in 1998, where it was used to create stellar explosions. Since then, it has been used in dozens of hit movies like "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", "Charlie of the Chocolate Factory", "300", "Poseidon"; "The Matrix", "Final Fantasy"; "X-Men 3", "The DaVinci Code", and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
An extensive case study with further details on how Matte World Digital used Maxwell Render, what challenges they came across, and how they solved them will be available soon at www.maxwellrender.com
