zacktaich

Wow! Looks like a lot of setup work for your style. A:M composite could really speed up your workflow.

That's looking really great. My one critique is their is an extraordinary level of detail in his face and head that didn't quite make it to his body. But that's a great looking model!

Mr_MM? Zack

Hmm... an object in space does pose an interesting problem. Normally I would suggest placing your camera lower to convey size, but in a place without a horizon that's not very helpful. You may want to move the camera closer and reframe the shot so the effects of perspective are more visible. The only way to convey the size in a wide shot like this is comparison, and none of the objects in the scene are helping: 1) The laser doesn't help much, the size can change, and we actually expect it to be small 2) And the earth, which really doesn't help. Also, it looks very much like a common satellite, which we are trained to view as only a few feet across. Possibly having more of the sat. off screen would help. Zack

*comments deleted* *ignore list added-to* Great image Frank. I love the creative use of rendering.

That looks great. Try moving the camera down a little bit so the car doesn't look like a toy (it's not bad right now, it could just be a little better). With a little bit of the gear underneath, so you can see the other tires through the cracks and a good scene and good lighting that will look really awesome. Zack

I tried putting a black matte around it for you. I ended up having to shrink it to fit it nicely in the forum. I downloaded it and saw it on a black background, and the difference was huge. I was hoping to save some people the effort. It loses some of the effect, but I think you can see the darks better. If you'd like me to take it down, I'd be more than willing. I love the lighting. This is a great piece.

I'm gonna echo Gene here. Make two emitters, one that's thicker and much less dense, and a second small one that just adds some thin "fuzz."

For realistic car modeling, you have to model the car how it would be built, as in seperate plates. You're lucky to have some really good reference that shows you where the plates are. Seperate them and bevel in the edges. Good luck! Zack

Check out what Javier Poot did a good while ago: http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...=3609&hl=rocket While it's not exactly what you're going for, it get's excellent results.

You can do the same with hand-painted textures, I'm not sure I see your point... It's possible I'm missing what you're speaking of, but I don't see anything that couldn't be done with hand painted textures. Through the use of Bump, Displacement, and Color you can achieve what you describe. Procedurals can only use the same tools as hand painted textures... Procedurals are just not painted, but essentially created by layering turbulences to create color (and many times bump) maps.

I am personally undecided on procedurals. They can be used very well, but I've heard arguments against the use of them. I also think that tiled images don't cut it. Here're some really great cross-app (although she does favor Lightwave) texturing tutorials by Leigh van Der Byl, a really talented texture artist. http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6648 - Part 1 http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=7681 - Part 2 & Part 3 http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=11053 - Part 4 (This one's a little bit harder to apply to A:M, but still interesting reading) http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=17631 - Part 5 http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=74444 - Part 6 (This has a great reference sheet for refraction) Even if you don't follow everything she says word for word, it's great reading and will really deepen your knowledge of texturing.

That looks really great. I was cracking up the whole time. BVH files could be a partial answer to fitting A:M into a pipeline. As BVH's are pretty much universally accepted, and as we can clearly see, beautifully imported into A:M, it could be a way of transferring animation from A:M into other packages. I believe I saw a conversation on this a while ago (don't search too hard, I think it was on a different forum ) . An exporter can only be so far away... I'd love to see this at a higher resolution. Besides adding some blinks and fixing the little ammo belt problems, this has a really nice polished feel. Zack

That looks really great. Great animation, great style, nice colors. I really like this piece. I can't wait to see where you go with this. Zack

I'm saying that you could work out a way with him to send him cash, and he'll give you bonus points. I've gotten bonus points in the past, so I know they work. Wegg has confirmed for me that he'd be willing to do this.