United3dArtists Archive

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 16 May 2011, 03:16

Space-Time Entanglement Portal - STEP

This will be a gateway device like the gates on Stargate or the inter-dimensional portals from Earth Final Conflict or many other sci fi stories.

In this future STEPs are common and are like vending machines for travel. A customer can select a destination and pay at the portal and walk through to the other place. When active the destination is visible through the portal and that is how it will be shown in this scene.

I'll design it to fit the MMC theme of consumer transportation. The STEP will have "STEP" as a trademarked brand name, an arch or opening to walk through, a screen to select the destination, a payment device, promotional/price displays ("To Dallas, 1/2 price all day!", "Senior discounts! (130+ yrs)"), stylish design, and maybe other attributes of consumer service/vending machines.

I'll probably model the portal, use a photo in it for the destination, and fit it into another photo for the current location. This means only modeling the device but I will get to explore techniques of fitting 3D things into photos. That is something I have not done before. Post processing will likely play a role too.

For art, I'd like to use current and destination locations that are different. I've found some photos of gardens in daytime and nighttime cityscapes with tall buildings. Which is the destination depends on which photos I choose. For total art, I'd have the portal in a colorful garden and the destination be a black and white photo like this http://www.nyclondon.com/photography/Ni ... 0Building/" .

I thought of "spatially entangled" is a sci fi twist on the idea of quantum entanglement and named this Spatially Entangled TelePortal. Oops, that spells SETP not STEP. Changed the name. I like "teleportal" and might change the name again.

Hopefully I can finish in time for the May-June 2011 MMC, Future Consumer Tranportation.

http://www.morguefile.com" is a good source of free legal photos but read their license about not using them without alteration.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 17 May 2011, 18:16

Starting box modeling to produce a control mesh for SDS. There will be angled parts and rounded edges. The green part will be the portal opening, the purple part will have the controls and promotions, and the trademark goes on the red. Advertisements will go in an area at the junction of purple and green. The colors are, of course, markers for use now.

Starting with the thin green box I used point editing to select faces and apply sweeps to them. The idea is to create faces and edges to support more sweeps in a process of refinement until the shape is ready. Then SDS will smooth and round it.

The billboard people texture is from the free samples at http://www.viz-people.com" .

jamesmc · Post by **jamesmc** » 18 May 2011, 01:27

Will there be a large watery looking whooshing plume like the Stargate?

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 18 May 2011, 02:17

I'd like to do that or some FX James. However, this is going to be intentionally mundane looking. That will show that STEPs are as ordinary as pay phones or ATMs to future people.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 20 May 2011, 03:33

The box modeling and sweeps technique is making SDS hard to control so I'll make separate parts. That will give some flexibility for design modification too.

Steinie · Post by **Steinie** » 20 May 2011, 11:42

Great idea Finis so I'll be watching your progress. BTW is that you in the
last panel?

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 24 May 2011, 15:12

Thanks Steinie. No not me. Mr. Casual is from free samples from viz-people.com.

Technique now is to make separate parts then modify with point editing and quad divide and then apply SDS. The quad divide makes the SDS boxier. I'll show the progression from boxes to to control mesh later.

Here is the current wire frame, a curvy version from this wire, and a boxy version from this wire with one more quad divide before SDS. I think the boxy version looks more like a real world design might look. There would be different ones of course. I think one based on this one will be in the garden, more stylish, and parts of an armored graffiti covered one, the portal at the destination, will be in the city visible through the portal.

Controls will be in the yellow area which I will make larger and maybe reshape. Advertisements will appear in or near the control area. I might add a clear wind/rain shield.

I like the word "teleportal" and want to change the name to use it. The first, or some, letters in the name should preferably spell a word associated with travel/movement.

Any suggestions for a new name or about the design(s) or other ideas?

Dragneye · Post by **Dragneye** » 24 May 2011, 19:04

Very nice Finis.
Keep it comin'.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 28 May 2011, 16:40

I need advice about the style. Especially of the screen and control area.

I think that needs some shape other than a rectangle. Or does the similarity of portal opening and the rectangle control ares work? The whole object needs some accents or details like just a few well placed seams or lines. There will be a floor or platform too.

I was thinking mass produced but since this one is in garden what if it has wood, or wood and metal like a bench, etc. Something made to fit into a garden?

This isn't the color or texture for the final one of course.

This one will be in some portion of this garden so it gets a little more style than the city one on the other side.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 30 May 2011, 02:21

Considering making this one into the city one and making a wood, stone, and wrought iron one for the garden. I like this garden photo but it'll have to be another one since no area of this one supports the angle I want.

Still need design advice for this one but now as the city one. Names with "Teleportal" needed too.

Spatial TElePortal - STEP? How about just Teleportal but use a company name from a sci fi. Cyberdyne Teleportal. Ah! Splododyne Teleportal!

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 30 May 2011, 19:40

Here is a teleportal for the garden. This is a quick one to get the basic model and textures. Post processing will play a significant role.

The screen will have the controls, logo, advertisements, etc. The wrought iron is an array. The rest of the objects are mostly boxes.

Ideas and advice welcome.

Dragneye · Post by **Dragneye** » 31 May 2011, 00:41

Nice work and idea Finis.

Steinie · Post by **Steinie** » 31 May 2011, 01:58

I visualize the panels not showing a flat surface but a 3d visual. Are there going to be controls that the traveler needs to work?
Real nice so far Finis.

spacekdet · Post by **spacekdet** » 31 May 2011, 03:27

Pretty sure it's lacking a credit card slot and some targeted advertising.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 31 May 2011, 04:09

Thanks everyone.

Steinie, the screen will have conversational voice control with touch screen where security is needed and biometric ID (hand print, voice, eye, facial recognition). The screen also shows the logo, pictures of popular destinations, advertisements, and screen savers. The other side of the screen shows that too. I'll make a texture that shows some of this. Holographic controls would be neat and cool to model but I'll spend too much time on this now.

The final version will show Mr. Casual half through the portal at an angle that shows him "disappearing" at the edge, the destination portal in the city, and shadows and light going through. Hopefully that will give the illusion of depth to the active portal opening. The idea is that there is no panel there. Inactive it is just an opening.

Spacekdet, after the biometric ID data is run through the Caligari PsychBot program and it sees that you are tired and stressed it will play soothing music and say that Buy More has a sale on refreshing Froth Cola. Then it will offer a large discount to send you to there.

I might add a bench on the back.

I need to finish my bridge and pistol pictures too. Not much time now days.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 31 May 2011, 07:44

hah, ya, this is how i imagine the teleportation :) Just a window to some location. Bending the space.

jamesmc · Post by **jamesmc** » 31 May 2011, 14:52

I tried this form of transportation last night, but was unsuccessful as my shower stall door wasn't permeable enough for me to pass through without injury to skin and pride.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 31 May 2011, 16:28

Bitkar, that's the idea, bending, or linking, space. My goal is to make a cool future technology seem common as it would be to future people.

James, first you have to prepare your body for the process with large amounts of tequila.

Ir would need some security features to keep bad guys from using it:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/3914291"
http://www.dhs.gov/files/publications/g ... 362.shtm#7"

Dragneye · Post by **Dragneye** » 31 May 2011, 16:50

My 2 cents..
- The actual picture area should be flattish, not 3Dish (like looking past a doorway into the actual outside view in real life). It is not Just a door. It's a matter displacement/re-generator and that doorway houses the energy mechanism elements. So the pic should seem representational, not actual (maybe undulating, wavy?).
- Each square inch of doorway requires a bunch of energy, so cutting corners, literally and figuratively, seems logical. So I'd say square edges at the bottom and rounded arch at top.
- The walkway can have colored painted stripes (color coded for various generic environments?) that guide one to each portal.
- Maybe there should be a full length scanner that scans what's going into the portal, 2 ft or so before a person goes in (like maybe a blue scanning beam)

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 31 May 2011, 18:22

Thanks for the input Dragneye.

A flat picture sounds good for a matter displacement/regenerator, like Star Trek, and certainly easier to do in TS. However, this is not a matter displacement/regenerator. It is not a space bender either. It is a re-connection of places in space so distant places become "adjacent". Imagine that each point in space has an ID and a list of ID's of its neighbors. This device puts the ID's of distant points in each other's neighbors lists. Also, the challenge of creating the 3D-ness of the portal opening is just something I want for this project.

Energy. Don't know how much energy it takes or how much is available in the future. Good point though. If they could be real I'd guess you're right = enormous energy use. Lowering energy use provides a need for the over used "form follows function" which gives interesting constraints on design. I'm thinking of abundant energy combined with low energy need -- that it doesn't take much. So, I made the portal big enough for tall people and some small cargo but small enough to fit in many places. Industrial size ones would exist somewhere.

"The walkway can have colored painted stripes (color coded for various generic environments?) that guide one to each portal." Stripes/guides sound good. Not sure what you mean about "generic environments". This one only has one portal (fish/kelp panel will be the control screen).

I was thinking scanning for ID or security would not be evident but a visible "blue beam" or such could add interest to the picture.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 01 Jun 2011, 01:53

Playing with green screen technique in Paint Shop. Not the angle for the final.

Thinking about those stripes Dragneye. The garden one could have them by using floor stones of similar color and the city one painted. Thinking of how to indicate security features are present or have been passed too.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 01 Jun 2011, 09:21

james: you have to run out quickly. Maybe you can pass in certain speed ;)

Breech Block · Post by **Breech Block** » 08 Jun 2011, 13:34

This is a really cool idea and I like how you are trying to model this as an everyday public utility as opposed to the way we normally see these kinda devices portrayed in the movies or on TV.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 09 Jun 2011, 03:47

Thanks BB. I am trying hard to make it a everyday ordinary thing for future people but credit to Jamesmc for the MMC theme.

Here is a quick photo plus portal render. This is in TS not Paint Shopped.

There is no good place for the Splododyne Teleportal in the other garden photo so I'll either use this one, with the bench Paint Shopped out, or model surroundings like this. This provides contrast of current location and destination, looks like a place one would be located, the wall behind the portal will improve the perception that portal opens to another place.

I'll place the guy so the right edge of the portal covers part of him and Paint Shop it so he isn't seen in the appropriate area.

Might need to think about the textures. I like these textures but they don't fit with the photo.

Using a photo I get to learn about shadow catchers (any advice? I've had no luck with that so far) and other 3D-photo-merge things. Using a modeled environment adds modeling fun but I don't have a lot of time for this. It also allows me freedom with textures and view angles. Plant Studio can make some plants for this. Ivy Generator. Some ivy would be nice.

Breech Block · Post by **Breech Block** » 09 Jun 2011, 22:21

Mmm. I like your thought process. And your right that in order to "sell" the image, your going to have to clearly illustrate that the "portal" does indeed take you through to another geographic location, as opposed to it just looking like someone is just stepping through/under an archway to the next street. Your idea of a wall is quite clever and works very well IMO. Sheesh, just goes to show you how much there is to this 3D malarkey!

As for tS's shadow catcher, sorry, can't advise you there as in all my years I have never got it to work properly. I was desperate for it to work for my Get Bond project but i just got a completly black plane every single time. It could be the tool is very dependant on the graphics driver to implement itself properly. Don't quote me on that, but in the past, I have certainly had differing levels of success when I have worked with volumetrics that can be directly traced to what version of driver I was running. W!zard is probably the guy to advise you all about shadow catcher as he had a tut up regarding its use on the other website if I remember.

Steinie · Post by **Steinie** » 10 Jun 2011, 01:21

You can look here for some shadow catcher techniques...

vi ... &view=next"

or

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/ ... id=1743799"

and Page 84 for those playing at home:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23932770/Chap ... del-View-1"

jamesmc · Post by **jamesmc** » 10 Jun 2011, 03:12

What I do is probably simplistic, but works for me.

I use a background image for the render of course and a plane in which the texture is in the alpha channel. The idea is that shadows will render on the plane, but it won't be seen.

Of course, everything that you want to cast a shadow in your scene must be a 3D object

OR

Can render the scene in multipass and paint your own shadows in Photoshop.

The images below, show a combination of the technique.

DIFFUSE

SHADOW PASS

RENDER

The final render wasn't modified using the multipass channels a layers, just rendered in Carrara, but should work in any 3D software package, I think.

I would definetely use PSHOP and get rid of that shadow blob on the left. heh

An extremely quick edit in Photoshop to get rid of the blob, add blur to shadow layer and reduce shadow layer capacity.

froo · Post by **froo** » 10 Jun 2011, 03:48

Very cool James and Finis.

Steinie wrote:I visualize the panels not showing a flat surface but a 3d visual. Are there going to be controls that the traveler needs to work?
Real nice so far Finis.

Hmm... how bout a control that reads: "Surprise Me!"

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 10 Jun 2011, 16:32

Thanks!

Froo, you're hired for the advertising/promotions department!

Steinie's links and James' method solved it two ways. The link to this forum where Marcel told how to do it helped. I had posted on that thread too, didn't remember it, and obviously didn't use the forum search. TS 7.6's shadow catcher reflectance shader worked that way (make the material white). Also one link and James method could do it where there is no shacow catcher. All the bases covered.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 17 Jun 2011, 04:33

I'm not able to get the photo and the model aligned and sized to show the model from an appropriate angle and size. So I either need a different photo or to model the surroundings. I'll probably model it. That removes the shadow catcher and photo merge parts that I wanted to explore but there is still some Paint Shop stuff to do and making some Plant Studio plants will be fun.

The deadline approaches so I have to pick a method and go with it.

Edit: after reading that first sentence I think it is more repetitively redundant than absolutely called for by necessity.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 17 Jun 2011, 09:35

place a plane there and camera.. play with camera position and FOV to match something with the plane (could be more planes or other objects) untill it matches the perspective. You should match the lightning with the photo too.

For producing shadows you can use what james showed you. For shadows paint the objects black too and use it in PS as a shadow layer. Bottom layer will be bg image of course and top layer will be the teleport.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 17 Jun 2011, 15:03

Thanks Bitkar. That's what I had in mind and you added a couple of things I hadn't thought of for 3D merging with photos. TS's shadow catcher works if you make to object pure white. The problem here is that this photo doesn't work well with the angle I need. I need to show the teleportal from an angle that allows Mr. Casual to be "cut off" but still give a view through the portal into the city. The earlier image I posted was close but the photo plane has to be viewed at an angle to fit and it doesn't look good from the needed angle.

I'll give the photo-3D-merge another try. If I don't get it right then I'll model the surroundings which will be fun too.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 20 Jun 2011, 01:51

I'll model the surroundings. I made some plants in Plant Studio. The plant models are available here: vi ... =31&t=1663"

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 20 Jun 2011, 09:34

good luck

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 21 Jun 2011, 17:17

bitkar wrote:good luck

Thanks!

Here is a test layout.

The sidewalk, garden area, and walls are one object which is a sweep from a 2D profile. I'll use a forest background above the walls or maybe a sky. There will be grass in the ground that isn't the sidewalk and maybe more concrete to walk around the portal. The controls texture will appear on the screen where Miss Back is. A portion of the destination portal needs to show beyond Mr. Casual but not cover too much of the city scene. Factors that should be evident in the city portal are that it is a teleportal machine, dirty, grafitti, armored.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 22 Jun 2011, 05:20

Textures. What to do along the tops of the wood walls? I think I'll just have the walls be all wood ... maybe.

The textures looked fuzzy with high quality and adaptive AA (lightworks) with raycast so I switched to scanline and the look crisp. I'll change the lighting to GE and adjust the textures.

Need to make the texture for the controls.

I think I'll put something off camera that casts a shadow into the scene. Is that a gobo?

The plants will vary more. These are a test to see if all the polys would be too much and of plant size. 250,000 polys rendered in about a minute. I'll change the bump on the leaves to something more vein like.

I'll do a simple model for the city portal and city background, place it past the garden portal, and make a render without the garden. Then combine them in Paint Shop. Have to think about how to do that. Maybe a special render to make a mask.

Breech Block · Post by **Breech Block** » 22 Jun 2011, 14:05

Looking good. And yeah, texture selection is always a painful process.

bitkar · Post by **bitkar** » 23 Jun 2011, 06:18

its definatly getting better ;)

the wooden wall should be wooden all i think, but you are a garden pro ;)

About the background, what about some japanese park or ancient building? and in the teleportal some NYC or something? To mark the destination difference. As a teleport from japanese park to new york :) just an idea.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 23 Jun 2011, 15:00

Thanks Bitkar and Breech Block.

Yeah, I tried it and the all wood wall looks good. I've got a high resolution forest background now. I like the one that I was using but it is pixelated on large renders.

Agree about the difference factor. A Japanese garden vs. New York would show that they can go around the world in a few steps. (I might put some destinations on the control screen including the Moon.) That's what I'm doing with it being day here and a night city scene (the one I used before probably) in the portal but adding a Japanese item or two in the scene would reinforce that.

Oh, I want to do stuff on this picture but I have to work.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 25 Jun 2011, 16:25

TS 7.6 model side.

Not much time so I'll wrap up a version of this. Maybe some improvements if there is any time left.

I tried GE lighting but that makes the textures look different. Lesson: work with the final type of lighting from the beginning. I'll use the, uh, um, what is that light called, the parallel rays lights for this one. There is a dim yellow light, intended to be a sodium light, in the destination portal.

Here is a test of a composite of the main garden and the destination using a mask. I made the destination and mask as a separate scenes.

The mask is a TS render with a plane in the portal opening. The plane is white with a constant reflectance shader and the other objects are invisible.

I used layers for the first time. The plants add most of the polygons so work is faster with their layer invisible. The render still takes a minute or less.

I'm still working on the design and textures for the destination portal. It is a problem of contradictory needs. The image should show that Mr. Casual is not just walking into a doorway so more of a side view would let us see the garden behind the portal plane but that reduces the view into the opening and of the city. A more direct view into the portal could show the destination and depth into the view beyond but the people are textures on planes so they are distorted if viewed too far from the plane's normal. The planes must almost point at the camera to look right.

These are the component images and the next post will have the result from Paint Shop.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 25 Jun 2011, 16:27

The composite image from the components in the previous post.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 26 Jun 2011, 21:32

Close to being done. I made the destination portal and grunged it up. That took time to find textures, apply them, and many test renders. Some destination textures have three layers.

I changed some of the plants, the texture below the plants, darkened the wrought iron, moved Miss Back farther from the screen, changed the lighting, and adjusted a some textures. I also tried a gobo to give shadows for the impression of being in a forest. That worked in some places but not in others.

Now to make the control screen texture.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 27 Jun 2011, 06:02

Here is the control screen and a wireframe.

Finis · Post by **Finis** » 27 Jun 2011, 06:07

This is the finished version unless anyone has a must do idea. I'll make a resized one for the MMC. This one was 1200 x 742. The text was better but the forum requires 1024 x 1024 or less.

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