Tralfaz

This is really a great entry Eric. The texturing is really well done. It is nice to see the wire frame as well to see where the model stops and the background starts. It blends together seamlessly. My son and I had stared at this image for quite a while trying to figure out what was the modelled and what wasn't. We both knew that Thom was a model, but couldn't figure out if the building was or not. What was throwing us for a loop (and this is the only thing that bothered me about this image), is that the direction of the shadow for Thom doesn't match the direction of the shadow for the building and sign. It is as if the light source for Thom is almost directly overhead where the light source for the bulding and sign is at more of an angle to the top right corner of the image. Other than that, it looks perfect. Again, great job and congrats on your win. It is well deserved. Any chance of doing a tutorial or showing some steps on how you textured the building? You talk about many layers on some of the surfaces. I would be really interested in seing how this was done. Al

Hi bighop, Your Bender is looking pretty good. Largento is correct in that the mouth shape itself doesn't move, so you could model it directly into the head using the suggestions already given. You may even be able to cut down the number of control points in your head as the splines and bias control points do a great job of obtaining the shape you need. Then in behind the mouth, model the upper and lower teeth separately so they can be opened and closed or animated as necessary. Keep up the great work. Really love this character and I am often caught quoting 'You can bit my shiny metal @$$!' around the house (in a joking manner of course). My wife would kill me if she thought I was serious!!! Al

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. You are right about it being a tough call. There were a lot of excellent models in this contest. As for the movie, my bad. Here is the correct one... Al Rebel250.mov

Here are some wireframes as well as an animated 360 movie of the bike. Al Posted the wrong movie here, look for the correct one further down... HondaRebel450_.mov

I... must... vote... for... Eric... I... must... vote... for... Eric... I... must... vote... for... Eric... I... must... vote... for... Eric...

Yeah why is that? I'm sure it's the same image right? For some reason it looks better here than it did when I was voting... maybe it was my subconcious tricking me into thinking mine was better. This was a mechanical modelling contest and I feel the above images do more to show the quality and technical expertise of the model and modeller than the contest image did. The camera is showing a different angle of the tank in the above renders. In the contest image, the tank seemed to blend in with the background more and was kind of lost in the image. I guess this is what they are supposed to do in real life. For me, a mechanical modelling contest is just that. I look at the details and how well it appears to have been modelled. For me, textures, lighting, backgrounds, etc., are secondary in this type of contest. I am looking at the quality and execution of the model. When it comes to the Photoreal contest, my judging criteria will change. The model becomes secondary and things like textures, lighting and how well the model is integrated into it's environment become the primary consideration. When it comes to other contests, than everything plays an equal role, including things like does it tell a story, what type of emotion does it invoke in me, etc. I could be totally wrong on how to judge, but this is how I approach it. Just my opinion... Al

As per Vern's request, this was one of the May Mechanical Contest entries. (I actually entered two, this Rebel and the Lamborghinni Gallardo). And as with Eric's entry, this is still a WIP. I had been doing a WIP thread on this already, showing the progress of the model. The Gallardo was the model I created mainly for this contest. Never even thought about entering the Rebel until someone in the WIP thread asked if I was going to enter it. I hastily tried to complete the model, but didn't succeed very well. There are a lot of things on the Rebel that I am not really happy with, and will be redoing them properly. Anyway, here are some larger, higher resolution images of the bike. Thanks to those (if anyone) who voted for my models. The models in this competition were really well done and I am always impressed with the quality and talent of the members of this forum. Al

Hi Eric: Your entry is phenomenal. As mentioned, the level of detail and textures are outstanding. The model is much more impressive in these renderings than it appeared in the entry photo. Congrats on a job well done. Al

I downloaded the zip file and imported the .3ds model into Animation:Master. It really didn't import very well. Is there another format of Masterchief available? Something with quads instead of tri's would be better. If not, you would be better off to use the imported .3ds model as a reference and re-create him in A:M. The imported .3ds model won't animate very well without a lot (and I mean a lot) of work cleaning it up. Sorry if this isn't what you want to hear... Anyway, if you do want to proceed with the model, you should be able to use the Skin.jpg file. I would break up the Masterchief model into groups that would match the textures (e.g. chest plate, back plate, etc.). Then you would flatten the group and apply the texture as a decal to the group. You can search the forum for details on flattening and applying textures. Al

Yes, it is possible to add a decal with a transparent background. I did this for the Rebel logo I created for the side of the gas tank on the Honda Rebel motorcycle I am modelling. I created the logo in Photoshop with a transparent background and saved it as a .tga file. I then imported it into A:M and applied it as any normal decal. It took a while to get the background to actually save as transparent (not really familiar with Photoshop and transparent backgrounds), but once it saved properly, it worked like a charm. I believe Caroline did a little tutorial on creating images with transparent backgrounds so they can be used in A:M. Al

When using Front Projection (and I am not at home with A:M right now, so this is from memory), I believe you have to turn Flat Shading either On or Off for the object receiving the Front Projection. This will take care of the object being darker than the background. Hope this helps... Al

Try this link http://www.peerlessproductions.com/tuts/pages/Icarus.html There is both a Mac and Windows version as well as video tutorials in both Divx and QuickTime formats. Also has some video files like the building in the test I did earlier. And here is the link for the A:M plugin. http://www.kci-group.com/z/icarus.htm Hope this helps... Al

Thanks Eric. I am modelling this mainly to try out different mods to the real bike. Not sure what type of scene would be suitable for a bike like this. I am open to suggestions... Thanks XTaz. Never even considered the mechanical contest for the bike. I don't think I would be able to get it finished in time. Still have so much to do, carbs, finish the brakes, shifter, tranny, chain drive, gas line, instrumentation, turn signals, finish the tires and more... Anyway, here is another update... C&C always welcome... Al

Another great start on a fine looking car Eric. Looking very smooth and great use of splines. Looking forward to seeing more... Al

Thanks everyone. Yes, the Rebel 250 is great on gas! Keep in mind these numbers are in Canadian gallons, which are a big bigger than U.S. gallons. In the city, I am getting 76 miles per gallon and on the highway I am getting 103 miles per gallon. It is a blast to ride as well! It will cruise along at 60 mph with no problems and have had it up to nearly 80 mph. Al

Latest update: Started working on the engine and exhaust. Really helps to have the real thing sitting out in the driveway. I keep running out and taking measurements and photos to use as reference. Still have lots to do on this model like lights, seats, handle bars, foot pegs, and more and more..... C&C always welcome... Al

I did this test when I was just learning Animation Master. http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...42&hl=track Al

As always, your modelling and texturing is excellent Stian. That whole test scene reminded me of the TV show Dinosaurs from a while back. "Not the mama!" It would be pretty funny to see these two raptors standing around the water cooler having a conversation about their weekend. And what is kind of bizarre is that I am watching Jurassic Park on TV as I type this. Right now the T-Rex is trying to chew his way into the car holding the two kids. Oops, there goes one of the tires! Al

Thanks everyone. One of these days, I should really learn how to use booleans. Another update. Added fenders, gas tank and shocks. After seeing how the rear fender is attached, I am glad that I decided not to carry passengers! Doesn't seem to be too much supporting where the passenger would sit. Thanks... Al

Quick update: Added rear tire, still no tread on them though. Add disc rotor to front wheel. Dang that was hard to model. Spent most of the day on the rotor (still too cold outside to ride). C&C always welcome... Al

I totally agree about being out riding Luuk. It's just the weather this weekend has been cold and rainy, so today is modelling and laundry day! And before anyone makes the obvious comment, no I do not model the laundry around the house.... Quick update. Started working on the front wheel, no tread on the tire yet, will do that later. Al

Thanks everyone. I sold my 2005 Yahama Vino 125 scooter for $2,000 CAD certified. Didn't require anything to certify it either. Bought the Rebel for $3,000 CAD. My Rebel also came with around $400 of extra options on it (windshield, soft saddle bags and backrest/sissybar). I am around 5'11" tall and weigh around 230 lbs. The Rebel 250 is comfortable to ride and will easily do over 70 mph. I am also getting 76 mpg in the city and 103 mpg on the highway! As for paint schemes, I have read about people painting their bikes to look like Police bikes. Apparently, drivers can spot a Police vehicle from miles away! Al

I just recently bought a 2004 Honda Rebel 250 motorcycle. Sold my Yamaha Vino 125 scooter and am now riding the Rebel. I started modelling the bike for three reasons. The first, is that I am learning how the darned thing is actually put together. The second is that come the winter months, I want to repaint it to make it more visible and distinctive. I also want to try any modifications to the bike first on a 3D model before implementing it on the real thing. So, I am modelling it from the ground up, which is satisfying the first reason for modelling the bike. The 34 Ford I was working on is going to have to wait a while until this project is done. C&C always welcome. Thanks... Al The real bike... WIPs... Wireframes...

So, if you can add a material and an image, can you add a video or series of images for an animated light? Hmmmmm....... Al