JohnArtbox

Links resolved and tested. Just when you think this internet stuff is all simple now, something else happens. But it's all good now. Tut2 Modelling the Engines Tut1 Modelling the Cockpit (new Home) Enjoy Save the presentations by right clicking and pressing save as here Tut1 Cockpit save target as Tut2 Engines save target as

I liked this image the first time I saw it Robert.... and the added ship has an interesting organic shape.

Here's a technique for quickly laying a surface texture over an irregular object without first needing to decal it. The various projection map types work well for regular-shaped objects like sphere's, planes and cylinders. For irregular rounded shapes a projection mapping type which is based on the surface normal is often a better solution. AM doesn't currently have this option but for stills you can use the environment map to project a texture. Just add an environment map material and select an image. A spherical projection is ideal because it avoids pinching at the poles, but even simple photographic textures work well. On larger flat areas the texture will stretch, but this can be minimised by adding a fractal bump material to break up the streaking. This technique is great for trees and other objects which are time consuming to decal.

Lovely model Matt. Looking forward to seeing her fly.

Ok...it took a while but it's done. The guys at Hash kindly answered my plea and agreed to host it after my bandwidth usage shot up to 8gb on the first tutorial. Thank them nicely, because otherwise you wouldn't be getting this until next month. As soon as Will posts the link, I'll change the subtitle on the thread to let people know it's there.

it's a great likeness nice clean model Robert, and a cool design

great start Richard...guess I better do part 2

Rich / Rodger by all means state your viewpoints, that's what forums are about and I'm not going to get offended . Sometimes it makes me change my mind, sometimes not, but I appreciate anyone that makes the effort to type a comment. And Rich, I cheated on the audio, I did the tutorial video and then recorded the voice on a second pass. Given that none of it was scripted I'm pretty happy...although I should have taken out the sneeze and a few of the other comments. If I take the tuts to a more professional level I won't have time to complete the series, so I'll keep them cheap and cheerful.

William, fantastic detail, really like those columns and the overall magesty of the set. Are all the edges sharp?

Thanks for everyone who has watched the tutorial: I hope it wasn't a waste of time. I offered it up because a lot of people have contacted me asking about modelling. It's by no means the only way to model in AM and there are a lot of modellers who are more skilled than I. With a bit of luck it will give those at the bottom of the AM ladder a boost onto the first rung. Rodger: this is just the model, with some basic materials...I haven't even started to texture it, and the gold canopy was just relief from the grey. A few people have comented negatively on the canopy, and if I was trying to be realistic I'd probably slim down the profile. But I like it Ken You got it in one. My studio's tagline is "because reality's been done"....realism isn't always high on my list of things to do. Bulbous cockpit, silly wings, strange exhausts ...it's just a way to waste an afternoon. OspreyRotoscopes.zip

..and one bad upload later it appears to be working correctly. Rodney, Darklimit and I have tested it...Same Url (crosses fingers and prays )

It's the next morning and...performing to expectation..my ADSL went to sleep at the same time I did...it's all up now and streaming happily. Apologies for the false start.

The tutorial on making the cockpit is being uploaded as I type. It's large(30MB) , long (40min)and it's very basic, aimed at new users of the software. I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions. The upload should be finished in 10 minutes but it's 3.30 am so I'm going to bed http://www.artboxanimation.com/AmStuff/buildCockpit.htm or to save it for playback on your machine right click on this to download an swf

Fantastic characters....looking forward to more. Great use of exagerated proportions.

Thanks for the info Yves....you were working on a hdri option at one point weren't you? That's one area which would seem to improve soft reflections even further. I agree the rim light's too strong to be real, but for the moment I'm just doing a modelling and rigging tutorial. When I get to the lighting, compositing section I'll fix that.

Thanks guys. Yves led me down the garden path to soft reflections, which are cool but almost doubled the render time. The garden path then led on to reflection blend, refraction, and density, features I hadn't used before. All very cool, Nerrazzi: Don't know about pilots yet About the shadows: these renders are 16 passes going to higher passes will smooth out the shadows to a degree. One other option is to have kleigs with soft shadows(bottom) but it softens the shading as well. On another note when the ground is textured (bad eg middle panel) and/or irregular, the shadow striations become less noticeable.

Great sprite settings Will. He/it looks fantastic. Getting very close to the movie Can't wait to see animation

Thanks Guys Rich:yup SkyCast lighting :0) Tut Wednesday or Thursday. Kyle: hardcare mechanics aren't usually my scene, but it's fun for a change. Yves:I haven't used soft reflections yet(I've been afraid of the render hit), but I think you're right. Adding soft reflections will take away some of the chromeball cg look. I've added the rear of the ship's body, built basic detail into the cockpit and fixed a few issues where I felt existing detail wasn't working.

Hi ..The Osprey is a highly manouevrable short range exploration craft. We're evaluating some screen videocapture software, so I thought I'd do a video tut on creating a spaceship. Named after my daughter's soccer team this is the Osprey after about two hours work.

I think yo're probably looking at using cp weights or fan bones to get an approximation,with a lot of smartskin on top. I like your (non)sense of proportion If he's going to grip things he needs longer fingers. and the chest comments are valid, my superhero models are less bulky than yours andI ran into issues with their shoulders looks great

some thee minute bridges using sweep Emilio..You are the Man! ...this week

Next, and probably final, incarnation. The main changes are a modified Jack model with better cuffs on his shoes, and a newly modelled giant foot(which no longer looks like a giant avacado. Ken: the hair is just extruded tubes tapered and then pulled into shape. It hearkens back to rolled plasticine hair . Somewhere I have a sketch pad with a whole lot of different variations. Time to put the real show on the road now, and move onto the film. Otherwise I'll have a fantastic trailer but no short Jack mpeg 9mb download

The old version was my all-time favorite female am model. I always wondered what happened to her. The rotate has pride of place in my reference library. This version looks like it'll be even better Have you used your skin shader on the render ? Lovely work.

very cute little lobster.. lovely

That's a great model.... you've made some huge steps There are quite a few textures available on the net which can serve as good starting points, but if you're trying to match the model you invariably have to modify/create your own. This doesn't mean painting from scratch, you can cut and paste from lots of sources, including a digital camera. looking forward to more