It all started when…

INTEGRATION: REFRACTION - GLASS

One thing I learned at Framestore that was surprising to consider was adding refraction to objects behind a CG glass we added in. It’s an optical effect we see daily, but I never considered it on my vfx checklist when working on a shot. The more I looked for refraction in my daily life and in movies, the more I see it surrounding me.

Refraction of the windshield is now one of the first things I look for in a car shot to see if the shot is real or composited. An extreme example of windshield refraction is in Goldeneye:

This can even help sell subtle glass effects like eyeglasses. Seen in the practical Last Crusade:

Something I wasn’t expecting was while watching “Once Upon A Time”, I noticed the refraction effect also happened on bokeh in the background: