Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 9, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 9, 2013 Oh! I remember his movies. It was such a magic time to see his creatures (skeltons) growing out from teeth thrown on the ground. I knew only about the "Jason" or "Simbad" series, but having a look at his official website, there's a lot more! http://www.rayharryhausen.com/filmography.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 11, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 11, 2013 Updated #629. Walls, ceiling and spider web left. May try a refraction stuff + FX to add dragon's breath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member chris_solo Posted May 11, 2013 Advanced Member Share Posted May 11, 2013 Chris > Thanks! wassup in France? hey Garagarape! all is well here but bad weather! I like your start scene but beware of the focal length of the camera... my thoughts. ++Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 12, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 12, 2013 Thanks Chris! Yes the field of view is a bit extreme, you're right. I'll tweak it after adding walls and small details. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reputable Contributor digman Posted May 13, 2013 Reputable Contributor Share Posted May 13, 2013 Loving your 2D artwork and the progress of the dragon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 13, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 13, 2013 Thanks Digman! But I'm progressing too slowly. Frustrating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member michalis Posted May 13, 2013 Advanced Member Share Posted May 13, 2013 Quite the opposite, IMO, you re progressing fast, you work slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 16, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 16, 2013 Thanks! Now that the room is almost done I tried a more realistic lighting. It will be better with ivy here and there, and if possible armor parts, bones and treasure on the ground. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contributor Tony Nemo Posted May 16, 2013 Contributor Share Posted May 16, 2013 "It will be better with ivy here and there". This might require a hole in the roof as ivy may tolerate deep shade but it must have some sunlight in order to grow. As a backdrop to the dragon, it would work. Mushrooms among the bones and armor is another possibility. The scene is really looking great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member chris_solo Posted May 17, 2013 Advanced Member Share Posted May 17, 2013 really like the atmosphere! congrats! I'm waiting the next up!^^ ++Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 17, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 17, 2013 Tony> Yes you're right. Won't open a hole in the roof 'caus I'm too lazy to tweak the lighting = Bones + armor and treasure only Chris> I want to change it all each time I go back to it... It's not done at all. Another attempt to change the lightning+ slight different pose: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reputable Contributor digman Posted May 17, 2013 Reputable Contributor Share Posted May 17, 2013 Again what I like about your renders are the more intense colors, not so muted... Each artist brings his own style to his work, whether colors, setting up the scene or posing... This gives us a fantastic array of art styles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contributor Tony Nemo Posted May 17, 2013 Contributor Share Posted May 17, 2013 This is really looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 18, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 18, 2013 Thanks mates! You bring me courage to push it a little further. The dragon looks stiff (is that correct english?). The previous one was like, just about to move. This one, seems to be... doing nothing. I have to tweak it again. oh my... dragons are hard to handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 18, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 18, 2013 Ok, this one has a little more move feel: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contributor Tony Nemo Posted May 18, 2013 Contributor Share Posted May 18, 2013 Okay, it looks like a lunge. From the previous pose where the weight appeared to be on the left leg, this would allow the right leg to be raised with a bent knee for a more regular advance (rather like the common 'classical' pose). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 18, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 18, 2013 Thanks Tony. To tell the truth... the model skin is kind of roten, and don't allow me to make extreme poses. No moves sucks. But there's no too many options with such a skin (the wings are horrible to manipulate too). I added a simple treasure behind him to give a little idea of the scale. This guy took all my strength. Have to rest for a while. Let's call it done. May tweak the lighting a bit after having a look on other display; the one I use gives quite dark results. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contributor Tony Nemo Posted May 18, 2013 Contributor Share Posted May 18, 2013 If you want to call it "finished", I'm sure no one would quibble. Bravo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 19, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 19, 2013 Thanks Tony. I know it is not perfect. For example, the pose could have been better with a little more curvy neck. But after 7 months working on it (irregularly), I'm kind of exhausted. Anyway, from now, I'll try to make a presentation effort to show work made in 3dCaot. A scene brings a lot. After a while in middle age, I'm dreaming of Sci-Fi scenery with flying cars like in Blade Runner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member alvordr Posted May 19, 2013 Advanced Member Share Posted May 19, 2013 Well done. I would tone down the lighting a bit on the hallway to the left of his head, as it takes some focus away from the main subject. There's something odd about the lighting used to highlight details on his head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 19, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 19, 2013 Thanks Alvordr. Yes, the lighting is not perfect, probably. But I need to forget this one for a while in order to see it with new eyes. About the light on the hallway: I wanted to add a light source outside the camera view field. Someone is coming, men in armour holding torches? That's a part of the theme. This dragon is obviously facing someone and is about to defend his treasure. That's why I have a slightly warm color in the front of the scene. Yes, there's probably something odd about the head lighting. It is not a hundred percent realistic. I understand that too, but I don't know how to fix it. I probably need more practice. I'll see what I can do about that in the next trials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member michalis Posted May 20, 2013 Advanced Member Share Posted May 20, 2013 Smaug !!! Amazing. Some fine tuning of DOF is needed. Some better posing? A turn of the head towards camera? There is a reputation of a curve pattern. The head - neck and this vaulted ceiling behind it. Better brake it. IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 20, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 20, 2013 Thanks Michalis. A turn of the head towards camera? > I tried that. But the model is not good enough (completely symetric). So I chose to show the profile (just like for birds, the shapes are more readable from the side). But I know it lacks dynamism. A dragon rushing toward us would be more impressive (with bones and flesh stuck between the teeth? ). May be for the next work. This one is to be seen as an illustration in an old book. I like the fact that arch and neck repeat the same kind of curve. I don't know if it is good or bad. But the previous pose version was rather too stiff. I prefer this one. Of course it is not perfect. In a first place, I'm weak for rendering realistic feel; The stone pilars look like steel. The dragon skin don't look like real lezard skin, but more like plastic. I know there's a lot to enhance. I used DOF like that both to hide bad parts of the scene and give a little more move to the whole. Anyway. I'll try to be better on the next one and learn more to improve. Thanks for the feed-back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member michalis Posted May 21, 2013 Advanced Member Share Posted May 21, 2013 May I ask? How did you model the vaulted ceiling? It looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 22, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 22, 2013 It is just a small part (half the arch) that I sculpted and retopoed in 3dCoat. I didn't spend too much time on the sculpt and added details afterwards with additionnal normal map layers in photoshop (a stone picture converted in NM and AO in Crazybump). This is a cheating way... But I knew there were no need to focus on it from the start. I duplicated the result and rotated it to get domes, arches and other ceililng parts. I also often use deformers in Maya to get this kind of curves. It is very handy. But it is to be avoid as a method when you want a normal map that fits perfectly the model, of course... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 22, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 22, 2013 Michalis, Alvordr, You were both right about DOF and lighting. Sorry for my lazy negative guy reaction. But I'm just a kid after all Updated #647 and that's probably better thanks to you. Once again thanks for the good ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member alvordr Posted May 22, 2013 Advanced Member Share Posted May 22, 2013 Hey, no worries. Feedback, while sometimes helpful, isn't always correct. Only you know what you had envisioned for this. It's also hard to hear anything other than "awesome," when you've been working so hard on something. I still really like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 22, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 22, 2013 I'm thankful for that Alvordr. Without crits I would have been satisfied with less. When you work for a long time on the same thing, you lose objectiveness. Only too solutions for me: 1) Forget the work for a while and then look it with new eyes. 2) accept the crits and re-think the work = fight your own ego and incorporate ideas you didn't have in the beginning. Japanese people are good at that. But when you listen too much advices to satisfy everyone, you often get something lacking originality. Thanks for your help. Little tone down + adding light source on the front part was necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contributor Tony Nemo Posted May 23, 2013 Contributor Share Posted May 23, 2013 Having come to 3D from a traditional painting method, I never employ WIPs or DOF as what I attempt to achieve is what I see in my minds eye (hence no camera artifacts) and kibitzing by others would be off the mark. This leads to many failures but I always learn something in consequence. I haven't shown much on this forum because I am currently involved in animation and it has a considerable learning curve for my ancient grey cells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advanced Member Garagarape Posted May 24, 2013 Author Advanced Member Share Posted May 24, 2013 Tony, animation is so complicated these days. There's no limit, but so much to learn. Did you had a look at this video?: http://www.cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSFeatures/CGSFeatureSpecial/siggraph_2013_tech_papers Astonishing, no? Speaking of ancient grey cells. I feel the same. In my case I realized how much my knowledge about render is poor, looking at other people work. I've been using too much of these all in one, ready to use packages. I wanted to buy Vray for Maya, but jeez, that's far too expensive for me. And Maya Mental ray, so complicated to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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