That´s impressive, i´m impressed how far can go blender with this kind of things … and reminds me that how it´s urgent to fix the viewport performance ( both for model and for animation playback, specially with subsurf on ) to stay at same level of other parts of blender.
this is a rig on transformers ILM level .
Fun thing is, the Rig will come with the DVD!
this rig is a work of art.
That rig is truly amazing. Must of taken a fair amount of time and huge amount of knowledge and experience to get this working so flawlessly. I cant wait to see the final result from the mango project, but I think I’m more excited about the development updates. What a great way to get an insight into larger projects. Even from watching the rig video I feel like I have learned a couple of new ideas.
Great idea for making a thread to keep the forum up to date on the development.
I don’t want to be rude and believe me that I’m one of the biggest fan of Blender but this whole Mango project really worries me. I’ll copy my opinion from its webpage:
If there are no actors, Cycles is still in non-production phase, there’s no experienced crew… why making an actor-movie anyway? I’m really worried about the final result already, even the story is not that convincing (I have a feeling I’ve seen it all already before, e.g. the idea of the sniper at the top of the tower is copied from Mass Effect 3; 3D society will point it out immidately)
no story maximum impact, My self I am liking this one a bit more than Sintel it still early days
I think the main point of Mango is to push the capabilities of Blender to the next level – it’s not just about making a movie but developing Blender. In this case, the point is to get the camera tracking abilities to a high level, as well as get Cycles to “production ready”
As I see it, Mango and all the other movies were to pushing blender to their limits and program what it lacks, as they need them.
Then the DVDs are a great tool for people to learn how they did it.
About Mango being the next Avatar. Man, that is not going to be. Blender Foundation is not Pixar also. They will do the best they can do, it is promised. Then if anyone thinks they can do it better, they can because they can put their hands on the scenes on the DVD.
They already did a test little short to better figure the problems. Take a look to that short in the blog.
Bao2 - I don’t expect next Avatar, believe me, I know how hard it is to make such a movie but perhaps it’s just a bit too big project for Blender Foundation? I know the short you showed me and I think it looks worse than many amateur productions you can find somewhere in youtube. Yes, I understand all the limitations, budget and deadlines, but if it is so hard then why taking the risk? I’m just afraid that this label “programm for amateurs” will not be gone after Mango release…
Best news for Mango (I was afraid of the Crisis for them to not get it this time)
…With both subsidies, our current sponsors, and the ongoing DVD sales (yes, we still need you!), it means our project now is financially being covered in a decent way…
I hope it means giving up an idea for online casting (there’s no time for this kind of stuff).
i respect all your opinions. but i dont understand them. i jsut dont. the whole reason is to make a modern render that is fast and practical for artist. and to test tracking on a live action CGI production. i dont care if they will have the worst acting and the most cliche story ever. i dont.
if it was possible to use the money and time on the best story i of course would love it. but if they are doing the short to update the render then why not use the money and time on cycles and all the other tools?
Ton asks: anyone knows where to get the best quality chrome balls to photograph reflection maps?
I tried my integration too adding Suzanne (in the original only the robot hand is 3D):
Wow, that is looking really cool! Thx 4 sharing it Bao.
This is the most comprehensive resource on the net for information regarding HDRI: http://www.hdrlabs.com/tutorials/index.html (IMO)
I don’t recommend the chrome ball method, much prefer the panoramic method. If you do use the ball technique, I’ve heard that glass balls actually work better. You can buy stainless steel balls here: http://www.precisionballs.com/ Of course, I generally keep mine in my pants.
@Bao2: Very nice integration for a non environment one. 
So do I, though I wish I had precision balls. ;D
++1
LOL…~wipes tears~ thanks. Caught me off guard and I needed it.
would be cool if that dreadlocked dude from australia who built the rig could make a youtube video post in the production blog about the rig.
Robot hand integration video with nodes
Stop in 3 seconds and you see wonderful motion blur on the robot hand.
The big sphere and the dragon near the robot hand are 3D. The rest I suppose are real objects all of them.