OK – at long last, I’m ready to move on from the Moon Shark to the next task. Click HERE for a high-res version of the rendering, and click HERE for a 360 degree QuickTime movie so you can really get a good look.
I’m leaning modo at the moment, so I really enjoyed your comments on modeling and texturing. I looks to me like your Moon Shark is picking up a reflection map from somewhere. Is 3D something you just know how to do, or do you use it at work?
Kori - I’ve been working with 3D since 1994. At this point, I think I think in CG like another language. *shrug*
Yes, I did put a reflection map on there. I put them on most things, even if it’s only 1 or2 percent visible, because it makes all the surfaces look more integrated into the environment. The less visible I make them, the more blurry I make them, too. But it does seem to make the CG look more natural.
Thanks, Sardtok. I really liked that design, and would have felt I blew it if I hadn’t stayed on model with it. Turns out it was harder than I thought, but it’s done now, so I can relax now and move on… heh.
This is one awesome design. I can really envasage the look of the entire project by looking at this, Steve. How long did this render take you? I noticed there was some refraction through the windows, and lots of reflections.
Lehsa – meh. Ye’ll swell me head, Lassie! But don’tcha stop.
Paul – Yup, that was the idea… to encapsulate the look and feel of the whole thing with that one sketch, and then endure hell and high water to make sure the model looked like the sketch. Now I have a bar that everything has to measure up to.
The ship took me about 2 hours to model, and about 38 to texture… give or take 10 hours. As I was alluding to in the podcast, it takes me MUCH longer to texture than to build, but it’s because I’m fanatical about wear, tear and junctions.
The reflections – yeah… I put reflection maps on everything because I think it really helps the shaders. The light falls across them just so and the reflection maps – even if super blurry, even if barely even present, say 1 or 2% – really sell the idea of a convincing world. Not reality, mind you, but something convincing.
As for the rendering… it took me about 1 minute to render the big pic, and about 2 hours to render the 180 frames for the 360 degree spin.
Wow Steve… that is one piece of fine work.. looks just awsome.
I’m leaning modo at the moment, so I really enjoyed your comments on modeling and texturing. I looks to me like your Moon Shark is picking up a reflection map from somewhere. Is 3D something you just know how to do, or do you use it at work?
Kori
Jason - thanks!
Kori - I’ve been working with 3D since 1994. At this point, I think I think in CG like another language. *shrug*
Yes, I did put a reflection map on there. I put them on most things, even if it’s only 1 or2 percent visible, because it makes all the surfaces look more integrated into the environment. The less visible I make them, the more blurry I make them, too. But it does seem to make the CG look more natural.
Thanks for the note!
Great model,
love the textures and that’s one awesome gun.
It looks just like the design sketch, you did really well on staying true to the design.
Thanks, Sardtok. I really liked that design, and would have felt I blew it if I hadn’t stayed on model with it. Turns out it was harder than I thought, but it’s done now, so I can relax now and move on… heh.
all I can say is (jaw dropping awe)
~L~
This is one awesome design. I can really envasage the look of the entire project by looking at this, Steve. How long did this render take you? I noticed there was some refraction through the windows, and lots of reflections.
Lehsa – meh. Ye’ll swell me head, Lassie! But don’tcha stop.
Paul – Yup, that was the idea… to encapsulate the look and feel of the whole thing with that one sketch, and then endure hell and high water to make sure the model looked like the sketch. Now I have a bar that everything has to measure up to.
The ship took me about 2 hours to model, and about 38 to texture… give or take 10 hours. As I was alluding to in the podcast, it takes me MUCH longer to texture than to build, but it’s because I’m fanatical about wear, tear and junctions.
The reflections – yeah… I put reflection maps on everything because I think it really helps the shaders. The light falls across them just so and the reflection maps – even if super blurry, even if barely even present, say 1 or 2% – really sell the idea of a convincing world. Not reality, mind you, but something convincing.
As for the rendering… it took me about 1 minute to render the big pic, and about 2 hours to render the 180 frames for the 360 degree spin.