Breaking Down the Tech: The Making of the Future Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past

Summary

In this article, we will delve into the making of the future Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past. MPC, the visual effects company, created these mutant-hunting robots capable of absorbing mutant DNA and using it against them. The article will explore the sophisticated code written to design the distribution, flaring, and random orientation of each scale or blade, known as follicles, on the Sentinels’ bodies. The article will also discuss the challenges faced by the effects team in animating the 1019 moving parts inside the Sentinels’ faces.

Introduction
The Idea Behind the Follicle
Procedural Animation for Controlling the Follicles
Animating the Moving Parts in the Sentinels’ Faces
The Unstoppable Robots in Cinema History
Conclusion

Introduction

X-Men: Days of Future Past features some of the most technically complicated and unstoppable robots in cinema history – the future Sentinels. These robots are capable of absorbing mutant DNA and using it against them, making them a formidable opponent for the X-Men. MPC, the visual effects company, provided the future Sentinels in the film and produced the visual sequences that helped sell these threatening machines.

The Idea Behind the Follicle

MPC’s initial R&D idea was to take their existing hair and fur tool, which allowed for procedural animation, and adapt it for the scale. However, they soon realized that they needed to introduce a whole new idea – the idea of a proxy representation for each individual scale, what became known as follicles. This allowed MPC to design the distribution, flaring, and random orientation of each of these scales or blades, while making sure that no blade intersected with another.

Procedural Animation for Controlling the Follicles

Sophisticated code was then written that allowed MPC to control the follicles on the Sentinels’ bodies. The scale animation, which ripples across the Sentinels’ bodies, was cached out as a point cloud and then stored as a matrix with various parameters for position, orientation, or blade. Ultimately, the Sentinels would incorporate 100,835 blades on screen, controlled by procedural animation.

Animating the Moving Parts in the Sentinels’ Faces

While procedural animation worked out rather well for controlling most of the follicles or blades, the 1019 moving parts inside the Sentinels’ faces had to be animated by hand. The effects team were able to have the Sentinels fight Sunspot with solar flare, Iceman with arctic cold, all while Colossus and Blink tried to make their elaborate escape.

The Unstoppable Robots in Cinema History

All of this made the Sentinels some of the most technically complicated and unstoppable robots in cinema history. The X-Men had to go back in time to stop them from ever being started, highlighting just how much of a threat they were.

Conclusion

In conclusion, MPC’s use of follicles and procedural animation allowed for the creation of the future Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The sophisticated code written to control the follicles on the Sentinels’ bodies made them some of the most technically complicated and unstoppable robots in cinema history. The challenges faced by the effects team in animating the moving parts inside the Sentinels’ faces highlight just how much work went into creating these formidable opponents for the X-Men.