United3dArtists Archive

Well guys.. Decided to start participating, now that I have a bit more routine and a bit more ideas and time to do it.

I love working in TS - it's so relaxing (other than it's weird crashes - need to patch it!).


I started sketching some ideas, wondered how to make my world fresh and new, and also wondered how to apply some of Clintons work with the rigging. So far so good. Can't wait to try out his other plugins he created - which I haven't had the chance to.. 'cause my internet access has been very restricted - cut off - the past week.

So here goes my first attempts! I did the tree yesterday and made a nice rig.

Learning SI has been great, because of ICE. I see ICE as a very powerful coding and nodal based system to manipulate a lot of things. I also look at TS and realize.. hang on.. the LE is a lot like ICE. The only problem is it isn't context colour coded data management-ized - and I have no idea what the LE function nodes are or what they do - unlike ICE which is much better documented - concise but ultimately works very similar to the LE. I would love to somehow create a series of ICE like nodes in the LE to modify and work TS like I would in SI for some very cool procedural effects, modification and functions....

I would love to learn how to do that - for example.. how to expand the matrix values - how to create an average - and use that value to drive another source. I would also like to learn how to make a "randomize" value node - for a position or anything important.

I have a tree with 4 IK controls, and would love to learn how to randomize around a set value to create a number of random trees.

I also have found the the LOD tool on the WS to be AWESOME. I have no idea how I could rig the distance from one object to the value of the Simplification tool - but I could see lots of potential (not for rigged characters though) - how? So that like in games - you can reduce your poly count the further the object is from a set point (the camera for instance). I plan to play with this in this scene to put in HEAPS of trees without bogging down my video card too much.

I also patched TS to have the 64bit architecture, so far it loads more than twice the speed and runs much smoother, brilliant!

So my goals are to somehow figure out how to "randomize" a value around a set limit - use it to drive data - learn to expand and modify the matrix values of an object and morph values to create a "random tree generator".

I also want to learn how to calculate the distance value from one object to another to then use it to drive "simplification" values to run a realtime LOD system for the render-engine in the WS.


But before that.. just casually modelling, texturing and sketching - thinking on how to make the scene - and wondering how to optimize my "pass" workflow - which I could learn how to script that too!!! (Create a script that will take all materials - export them to the root - link them to the pass shader 1, 2, 3 and so forth when required for all shaders present in the scene - not on the object scale - the restore to orginal shader) - Why? So I can do post DOF - motionblur and shadows and potentially Normal shading for lighting effects in post in Blender.



Lots of ideas, not enough know-how.

Clinton! Trueblue! Help!!!!




Ideas for the foilage.


Sketch ideas for the character I want, simple, cute.. effective.


The tree! Modeled and textured roughly.




The rig - simple, effective, with squash and stretch and morph and some basic practices of using no full constraints and scaling the constraint I want using two types. I need to study Clinton's rigging study more to apply it - maybe use his plugins.

I'm lacking ideas for the world, pose, composition, etc.. but I'll get to it. I am thankful for the extra month to work on this.

I lot of what you are interested in is already created in the Workspace libraries.
For the LOD you could use FPN and distant triggers to trigger a LOD.
Also look at ObjectsDistance and Triggers in the Objects - Tutorial Objects library
ProximitySensor and RandomEngine in the Activities - Base library

That works - the Object Distance object works nicely for the LOD. Handy! I just have to interpolate it correctly and inverse the output using some basic math I suppose. I'll make a new node for that and start making my library.

Thanks TB. I knew ts had something in there somewhere.

I also patched TS to have the 64bit architecture, so far it loads more than twice the speed and runs much smoother, brilliant!

@Mikom

Try the second link in this thread! Works nicely.

It's not really "x64bit"... just has twice the RAM capacity.

Wowie... that just rendered my Marshes scene in one go without having to render it in layers. My jaw dropped so low it was touching Australia...

Thank you all very much for the link!

Tested out my randomizer. I also started experimenting with my Pass script to toggle some features (cause when you expand the Matrix value you can't move the joint) so used that script to create a toggle. I might exagerate the randomize values - but it's working.

I might randomize the shaders also eventually... just wondering how to create a button that randomly selects another script. I'm also wondering how to run the randomize engine node once, then stop.

How would I do that?

Needs:
Randomize value once then stop script
Randomize the activation of different scripts or buttons/boxes/values


I'm liking the LE - less coding, more fun, but still pushing the brain into code like thoughts!

Do not use a Timer with the script, just it's button. You could just use the command:
Math.random()
linked to an output number and or several.
Remember you can use the Animation Editor to record/change a value too. Just add that Attribute to the Keying Panel.

Thanks trueblue! HANDY! I'll modify the randomizer to work with the button over the timer.

Nice one, run the randomizer once... the timer is also effective for gradual processing (which eventually generates some cool looking deformed trees)

Run Activity is working fine for randomize once, perfect.

I think I am starting to get the hang of it. I will have to make some cool nodes and share them.

I started modeling my character - and sketched him again one night while I was wondering what to do with my life. .



I am getting his modeling up, quickly, not focusing on it too much, I will have to be quick with him.. but man..... modeling is SO relaxing.

More modeling. I will try get this out of the way, and do something different than everything else I do with work, relationships and the like.... I want to get this out of the way!!!

Another update, satisfied with the modeling, ready to UV and texture.. But since I'm on a time limit I will work a little more on his world before I get into the aesthetics... priorities!! Priorities...

Working on the terrain - made a fun little displacement map, then using selective subdivision and the displacement tool in WS, got a cool looking terrain in no time.

Now to populate it. I will have to create my distance node with different interpolations and outputs.

There.. looking good with some nice trees. I don't need to use the detail lower thing.. Unless I want a HUGE forrest of them... hmm.. let's just have some fun.

Sure do like your imagination and use of colors. Great work! Thanks for sharing the process.

trueBlue wrote:Sure do like your imagination and use of colors. Great work! Thanks for sharing the process.

Thanks trueblue! I always love what you do or contribute here also

Here is an update.. Couldn't do too much today, I was exhausted, and just needed a day to rest.... Was a long week. hopefully next week I'll get this all done up. (And apply some new knowledge to this project)



I have a question.. is the extended time till the 14th or till the 28th or something? When does this competition go to?

Draise wrote: I have a question.. is the extended time till the 14th or till the 28th or something? When does this competition go to?

I don't mind if you guys end it at the end of the Month to give everyone more time to finish.

You guys want another extension? I suppose we could make it run the duration of the month. However if so then I'll change the rules to allow more than one entry.

@Mikom - haha, well.. *awkward laugh* I wasn't specifically asking for an extension, just wondered when was the final date - to know how much I stress over my project or not!!!

The 14th is good for me but I'm ok with extending it too. You're the boss. Whatever you decide. Draise has an ambitious entry and not much time to work on it so he might not be able to finish (on the other hand he is a professional CG artist familiar with meeting deadlines ...) Who knows, maybe more contestants would enter.

Considering the suddenly popularity of the challenge I think it would be only fair to give the later contestants a chance to properly finish their work. I'll leave the current deadline in place but if the deadline is reached and there are still unfinished entries then I'll extend it to the end of the month but not further.

I can't wait to see all your finished entries

Ok then, I'll try finish ASAP..



Started painting. I had a bit of a creative block with this guy.. didn't know how to paint him. But here he is! Looking better.

EDIT: And JEEPERS.. blender takes forever to learn. It's GREAT, works like a charm, might have some weird hiccups - like when baking some textures won't update and it will bake weird.. but it's great so far. I am using it to bake. I decided to learn how to bake textures in Softimage and it was a piece of cake. But blender... all frackin afternoon to learn how to get a high detail AO onto a low detail mesh!

FIGURED IT OUT! Now I know how to bake textures - AO and normals from hi-poly to a low-ploy. I had quite an annoying circular shader error that had me stumped all afternoon. Maybe cause I duplicated objects to model and change. But it works better now - so I got some nice detail on the eyelids with AO and a normal map, ready for TS's engine.

Can't wait to rig him. I am debating if I add more detail to his body or not, but I think that should be good enough for now. I'm also wondering how to do his eyes. I will have to model them like Marcel does.

Lovely! This is fun, I have 2 days... *gulp*.. so much work to do! Learning new software should be done in my free time, not crunch time! =P

I like all the wrinkles on the eye lids. You must post how you bake the textures later after the contest.

I'll try let you know how! I had to research a lot to figure it out, and it was a little finnicky. But I'll try make a tutorial or something - not too good as to how, but I'll try! And maybe using it to port into trueSpace might be a good thing!

Anyway... I'm working late tonight on this project. I will rig him before I go to bed - as I have his shader and the rest ok. I am only lacking........ the eyeballs.

I will do a very pasic pose rig with basic shapes to get him into the pose - I'll take my time on making a proper rig using Clinton's new discoveries and plugins.




I'm still not tooooo happy with the shader, as I could not find a "multiply by value" node... I did find a good multiply two image node though, and then using and Image Gamma node, played with the brightness of the image. ...all using Clinton's compositing nodes within tS. He's my hero.

It's like using Softimage's integrated compositing nodes - within the Rendertree - the material editor it has.. no wait.. very similar to it's material editor. Just.. a lot slower.

On to work more!!!!!!!

One must remember, when dealing with 2k or 4k images - to delete the shader balls and previews in the default tabs of your object nodes... TS will refresh it every time... and it is very slow. Things speed up if it doesn't have to do that.

OK! Done.. for now. Good enough... not enough to animate with - but good enough to compete.



That is the wireframe. The SDS is lowered to show the mesh of the final character - but in the final it's upped like 3 or 4 times.

Here is the final - with some Fotor W8 app fixups! Sometimes simple apps do the tricks one wants.



Now to enter, make sure I have everything sorted.

Was fun to do, wish I could spend more time in it, perfecting the guy for animation - and perfecting his textures and definately eyes. His eyes are very dead, as I had to use one of TS's eyeball shaders to do it in the end... boo.....

I also wanted to create a depth pass and play with it in Blender compositing.. also wanted to finish the trees with their blue tendril fruit... but that didn't happen... also was thinking to make a better space background - but that will have to do.. anyway, on the bright side with little atmosphere - you wouldn't see any stars anyway.

So there you go!!! Alkathosk's new character. Guslo.

Colorful! Give it stars, planets, nebula if you want. Maybe his eyes are right given that he gets little sleep. I hope you continue with this. I want to see the plant tendrils.