JTalbotski

Thanks! I usually create groups of areas to texture, such as, face, back of head, palm of hand, back of hand, etc. Then I hide everything except one of the groups and create a new pose, flatten the group and tweak the cp's so there are no overlapping splines, press shift-z to make the flattened area fill the window and do a screen capture. I will open that in an image editor (Photoshop), and crop it to the window size, save it as a targa file and import it into A:M, which I left open with the pose window as it was. I create a new decal and choose the targa file I just made and when it appears it should be just about perfectly positioned, adjust if needed. Apply the decal and save your model. Then you go back to Photoshop, save the targa file as a layered Photoshop file with the same name as the targa, but with the .psd extension. Then use the screen capture as a template layer, set to multiply, above the other painting layers you create under it. (I usually adjust the levels of the screen capture so that it is just a white image with black lines.) Then paint away to create the textures. Do a "save as" making it a targa with the same exact name as the original targa file you applied to the flattened group. Render that section to see what it looks like. Go back to Photoshop and make any needed changes. Repeat as neccessary. For areas that are difficult to decal I use patch images. Create a group, ie. right ear, and drag an image you've imported of a patch of skin to that group. Done. HTH, Jim

Thanks! Jim

Thanks Mike and Randy! Mike, I actually changed the model that's seen in the first image to fix that issue. I added a second bicep bone that will control the roll of the upper arm without messing up the shoulder. I think the results look better in the triple image. Jim

robcat2075, Thanks. The 3 point patches you see on the head are actually the guide hairs overlapping 4 point patches. The guide hairs are splines also. So I guess they show up in a wireframe render, too. If I increased the number of passes in the multipass render, I think a lot of the aliasing would be taken care of. I only did 5 pass in this render. Jim

I know what you meant! I was just offering a softer alternative. Jim

Thanks again for your comments, guys. I may post this at CGTalk, when I get it right. Mike- Yes, I meant the porcelain from the 2003 CD. Sorry I wasn't clear on that. And are you calling my character a "brush"? For those who wanted to see a wire, here's a combined image of the labeled renders. I turned off reflections to try to save on render time, but unfortunately that also took most of the highlights from her eyes. I should have just turned it off for the gun. Duh. And I forgot to turn on the alpha buffer. Double duh. I don't like the puffiness of her hands and the way the wrist bends, so I'll have to work on that. Anything else that doesn't look quite right? Thanks, Jim

Thanks guys! Francois, if you want your models smooth, try to make all your patches as square as possible and then add the new porcelain. I does wonders, especially to 5 point patches. A:M and I are pretty compatible, but I do have a good deal of patience, too. I hope to have a new render up later tonight with the fixes. Thanks again, Jim

Looks good! Is he watching a soccer match? I would like to see it rendered close up. It's a little hard to make out what's actually happening in spots. A small issue: He has some deformation issues at his crotch. Just some cp's that need to be blended between his hips and his legs. Jim

Ha! Yeah, I probably should have avoided making the inside of the barrel reflective. I think it lit itself up. Oh, I did have one light shining right at the front of the gun, darn it. Looks like another long wait for a render coming up. Jim

Thanks for the comments everyone! Someday *I* would like to see my characters animated! Jim

You have overall good proportions on her, but there are a few things that stand out to me. Her body looks more like a teenage boy because her ribcage is wider than her hips. A few other comments: The dress looks great! Her eyes seem too big for her head (if you are trying to create a "realistic" character). Her forearms look too short. Her waist should be a bit higher. I hope these don't sound overwhelming, I think you have a good start here. Just need to tweak things. Jim

I should have statted that the plugin is a Photoshop plugin, not an A:M plugin. Which leads me to ask, would it be possible to allow Photoshop plugins work in A:M, through the post effects maybe? Jim

And here's a jpeg of the actual render to show the difference the DreamyPhoto plugin makes.

Hi all, Here's a render of the new hair from v11 alpha. The image has been softened with this free plugin that I love, DreamyPhoto. You can get it, for Mac and Windows, here: http://www.autofx.com/freeplugins/dreamyphoto.asp?id=7 I still have some things to fix, like the hair penetrating her ear. And since I removed her gloves, I need to add fingernails. Her fingers are also penetrating the gun. It took 4 hours and 47 minutes to render this because I have three wide raytrace lights with 9-11 rays cast, reflections turned on (the gun!), the particle hair and 5 pass multipass. I didn't have the patience for 16 passes. I rendered the image with an alpha channel and so was able to add the soft background colors in photoshop. I'm loving the new hair! Jim

Dagooos, Wow! Great stuff. I love the character's expectation. It reads very well. Jim

Wow! Cool environment. Show us more! Jim

I agree, excellent likeness of Ichiro! I would slim the character down a little, though. What is the model for? Is this a paying job? I would be interested in seeing any progress and updates and animations. Nice work, Jim

Looks very good, Carl. Nice and smooth. Jim

William, That's just fantastic! Very professsional and fun. I like the way it comes to an abrupt stop. I can almost hear the pilot saying, "Sorry!" Jim

Hey, congratulations, Zach! Well done. Jim

Hey Marcel, That's a lot of fun! I watched it a few times and now I'm feeling a little dizzy.... Jim

Excellent! Thanks for re-rendering so we could see it clearer. It's just like the cartoon, but smoother! Jim

Christina, Very well done! It's got such a nostalgic feel to it. Like the storybooks I read as a kid. I think the pacing is well suited to kids shows on TV. You've done some excellent work with A:M. How long have you been using it? Jim

Klutz, huh? He could have a bandage on his forehead. Or his fly could be down. Jim

I love it! His tailor must have nightmares! Jim