If you use 3D apps to create your art, please put this thread on Watch and either announce your specialty apps, or help others out with using their gear, even if it's just pointing peeps to existing YouTube tutorials.
When asking a question, please remember the small stuff. List:
1) OS 2) Hardware+Application+Version Number 3) Screenshots under 100kB, please
I'm a long term Bryce user, from modelling to animation to environment and lighting. I'm also getting up to speed on Blender. Need help? Post
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I am also a long-term Bryce user with experience in modeling and animation; I have spent a lot of time in the pits of Hell Bryce's Deep Texture Editor and have gotten pretty good at using that as well. I like getting stubborn textures to look nice =D
I have also worked with Bryce for a short while; however, my experience is more based in Autodesk's Maya software. I can say that I know dynamics well and am learning Maya programming language, but my experience is still limited to basics. So, if you are just starting with Maya I can help you get right on your feet!
I do a LOT of 3D (stereoscopic) photography. The kind where the images, once interpreted by your brain, look 3D. This isn't computer 3D building, but I figured since this thread is now up (and shares the same "3D" title I've come to use), I could use my experience to provide assistance to anyone interested in this technique of the third dimension.
Stereoscopic = two images designated to each eye EXAMPLE: cross your eyes so the two images below overlap
To make Dav's images work, you need to find a significant point on each image to the extreme right of the left frame. For the one above, I use the circular ceiling light, top right of each frame. I'll call that Left Light.
1) Position your head about 30 cm (1 foot) from the screen.
2) Place your left first fingernail just under the Left Light, palm facing you. (prevents fingerprinting your screen.)
3) Look at your fingertip and focus. Slowly draw your finger closer to you. In your peripheral vision you'll see the Left Light split left and right. I'll call those illusions Left Light-L and Left Light-R. Keep looking at your fingertip, and let it follow Left Light-R as it tracks to the right.
4) When your finger gets about halfway between you and the screen, you'll be aware of the illusion of RIGHT LIGHT-L drifting closer to Left Light R, to overlap. If one is higher than the other, tilt your head one way or the other until they line up.
5) The light should right above your fingernail. Keep your hand there. The overlapping lights will swim in and out of focus, but if you get lost, remember: look at your fingertip and relax. That's what the finger is for: marking your eyelines. If you can't get the lights to overlap, move your finger towards or away from your face a centimetre or two.
6) When the lights overlap, breathe. Keep looking at the light above your finger. Don't try and dart your eyes around. It takes practice. Just relax, and look at your finger. Eventually your eyes will focus on the light, bringing it sharp.
7) When you get focus, snap your finger down. Keep your hand where it is so if you get lost you can quickly remark the eyeline. Even then.... Just look at the light. Let your eye get used to that one point. Even when you see the pic resolve into a 3D image, resist darting your eye around for 30 secs.
8) Slowly, move your gaze in small steps to the centre of the resolved stereogram. If you lose the focus: finger, light, relax.
I have little to no experience with any 3D arts programs, but I played around with ZBrush when I was at PAX and just fell in love with it. So much so that I plan to try and take some classes at school next term in the subject. I've got this thread on watch so that I may lurk and to maybe learn a thing or two.
Ok, never mind then. Purely on the technical side of it, though, it's turning out to be easier then I thought it would be. Achieving that 3D effects is fairly easy if you stick with still shots in theater.
Here's a quick question that really fits the topic of the thread: does anyone have any experience with the 3D modeling capabilities of Photoshop CS5? I haven't looked at it yet, but apparently it can extrude images/layers into 3D models and export that to Premiere or After Effects. I'd like to know if it's worth my time to learn.
I guess ill announce my self as a 3d artist in 3ds max currently studying adv diploma in game development need any tips or help just post here. ill try to help
I havn't used 3DS yet, in your opinion, how does it compare to other Autodesk programs like Mudbox, Softimage, and Maya? That is, if you've used any of those.
Well First up I have the creation suite, so I officially own mudbox, softImage, maya, Motion builder all 2010. cost me 350 as a student and the license will never run out.
the basic run down is. all these autodesk products where once different company's competing with each other but max was slightly more successful and decided to buy out the competition, which happened. anyways to the point.
3Ds max is like user friendly to games with alot of the most popular games over the last 40 years was made in 3ds max and its older versions like gmax(which is free to download if you Goggle it)
Maya is the user friendly one towards movie and animation with alot of the big time movie makers use this program mainly but its also in a lot of games too. i currently never used this program but will be next year. some time soon.'
Mudbox is like autodesk's slash at Zbrush which it totally much better than mudbox, and in this program its more like a sculpting tool, playing with mud. but this program is Powerful and practically every big time company uses this, for example iron man... bungie... 2k... blah blah list goes on. its amazing for character design and making Really really detailed models. BUT it cannot do all the awesome stuff that maya blender etc can do its just a modeling tool but the program is hard to learn but you get awesome results when you learn it. But Mug box is like 10 minutes to learn and very to use which is easy for beginners but still does some amazing things but the best product is Zbrush atm. Softimage is what autodesk brought out about 3 years ago i think i started my first modeling course about then. i really don't know much about this program but I have seen and heard that is is a really awesome particle system so like creating amazing particles like fire or other stuff in ease. .
for starting out i would recommend doing 3ds max or maya either way they are both great programs and there is endless tutorials on these programs...
but which one is better?
well they are the same but some are slightly better in different areas. but if they add a special feature in maya it will take one year and then it will appear in max and that's the same with all autodesk products. they update each other when they release a new version of there program.
I can do the sentence: Though 3DS Max, Maya and Mudbox are all Pro 3D apps with lots of toys in modelling, compositing, lighting and animation, 3Ds Max is best suited to model construction and is PC-only, whereas Maya and Mudbox provide a consistent workflow across both PC and Mac platforms while specialising in different areas of 3D construction.
... Never said it was a short or pretty sentence, but a sentence nonetheless.
Thanks for the run down. I really appreciate your opinion, and I intend to start using MAX sometime in the future, definately this summer. One final word to those who actually read his post and understood it: Motion Builder It is crap for modeling and lacks the engine to model well, however, it is unmatched in its preservative workflow for animation. Basically Motion Builder will not crash if you decide to change one key frame one thousand key frames back. It also allows for the easiest complex animation.
And finally: All Autodesk Products are free with a 13 month education license to any student in highschool or younger. Go to students.autodesk.com to create an account and join the learning community.
Motion builder is more for when you have a rigged character already. its practically just created for animation. same like mudbox/zbush which they are just for pushing vert's around. but both of these types of programs cannot not create stuff like how max and maya which are mainly better for modeling. its just how abode has 3 different programs, illustrator, fireworks photoshop.
Dang, I wish there were some Blender peeps in this group, but I'll put this out there, mb someone can help...
I make primitive shapes in Blender to be used in Bryce. Often what I want to do is blunt or sculpt edges. To do that, I have to subdivide faces, then subdivide them again, then again...
For those not into 3D modelling, imagine a cube where I want to have nice rounded edges. A cube has 6 faces. So I subdivide the faces. Now I have 6 x 4 faces. I subdivide them again: 6 x 16 faces. Subdivide again: 6 x 64 faces, and I'm getting to a resolution where I can round off the 2 or three rows and columns closest to the edges.
But this creates horrendous numbers of flat, parallel, unmodified faces that I really don't need: it increases poly count for no usable reason, making the mesh way more complex (and inefficient) than it needs to be.
Any Blender experts know how I can export an OBJ or .3DS mesh from Blender without having to turn a simple mesh into a lattice of redundant faces?
This is my first attemp at maya, got fully licenced version thanks to my uni for my games technology course, Only took a screen dump as havent masterd lighting yet :/ My main course work piece is to build a faberge egg that opens with a working orrery inside, should be fun :)
ok sorry will use thread for its propper use, any one got any tips or know good guides for lighting in maya (the 3D autodesk site doesent help much) :)
autodesk does teach you amazing lighting except its like reading a manual so boring and all the words look like they have not changed it since when maya first came out. my advice is to jump on youtube and get some tutorials by word of mouth.
Regarding on you wanting to show off your work (Click Here)
Regarding you want some tips in maya, ill recommend these sites = ) The Gnomon Workshop This site has amazing tutorials on everything. but only from the experts, BUT this will cost you... $$$ BUT ask your school they would probably Most definitely have already a subscription to this site. but its only really if they want to share, Mine didn't want to share = ( But thats no reason not to give it a try (actually they did but they could get banned from the site if they gave out the logon)
CG Society this site interviews developers and uploads very good tips and you hang with all the other proffesional 3D artists. but bewarned there emails spam my email box but its all worth it, i just dont like cleaning my mail box. ; )
hope that helped somewhat but both of those sites i nearly live on when at school but yeah im sure from sites you will find what you need.
Just wanted to let anyone in or near the Indianapolis area know that there is a group of artists who have a lot of experience and can help you or teach you about just about anything in 3D. The MG Collective (Facebook) has plenty of industry artists who can help you or refer you to seminars or lectures. It's really helpful to get hands on experience and aid, especially if you have difficulty with forums.
This probably sounds crazy, but I have to ask about this. Up until now I have always seen these images just by looking at them and relaxing my eyes; the problem is that it only works if the images are the other way around. I've actually once or twice told Dav that I'd swear the pictures are the wrong way around; he said (correctly) that I was viewing them wrongly.
Doing it your way is obviously how it's supposed to be done (focusing before the image rather than behind), but what I don't understand is why some of the objects aren't 'as' 3D (backgrounds primarily) it's more like there's one background picture and one foreground that a full 3D image.
Oh, and does anybody have any tips for getting the angles right when taking pictures in forge?
Doing it your the correct way is obviously how it's supposed to be done (focusing before the image rather than behind), but what I don't understand is why some of the objects aren't 'as' 3D (backgrounds primarily) it's more like there's one background picture and one foreground that a full 3D image.
Dav makes these images using the Halo 3 game engine, which already uses a perspective view camera: near objects are large, far objects are small. The main difference the Halo engine has from the human eye is that everything is in focus, no matter where you look with your eye on-screen, or wherever the camera is pointed. (In-engine, distant objects are artificially tinted to simulate haze, but are still in focus).
Stereoscopic images, whether they're using cross-eye, polarised-eye or parallel-eye techniques use the fact that the more distant an object is, the less it moves if you change your view point.
Imagine, in your own field of view, you have a coffee cup on a table in front of you. Behind that you have a window. Behind that, a view of a mountain in the distance. And behind the mountain, a bank of clouds.
If you move your head a foot to the right, you will see the coffee cup at a slightly different angle relative to the table. You might even see the landscape view get cropped by the window on the right, and revealed on the left. But you won't see the mountain shift view against the clouds. The fact that the clouds are behind your view of the mountain means the clouds are more distant than the mountain... yet they don't shift when you move your head. Why? Because the angle of change, relative to the mountain and clouds is so small relative to the move and the distance between your eyes, that the movement doesn't register.
In stereoscopic imagery, 'frozen' background imagery is done by having virtually identical backgrounds. As objects come closer to view, each eye will see slightly different angles on it.
For his cross-eye views, Dav takes a shot of a scene, then takes another identical shot of the same scene, with the camera moved a small distance left or right. You will see near-field objects from two slightly different angles. But the background objects are so far away that they're practically identical to each eye, and so register as a flat image at infinity distance.
(BTW... Without knowing how big or distant objects are beforehand, it's virtually impossible to estimate the distance and/or size of objects further than 50 m away. As far as your eye goes, infinity distance is about 50 m. Anything more distant than that and your eye doesn't change its focus.)
Oh, and does anybody have any tips for getting the angles right when taking pictures in forge?
Thank you very much, however upon re-reading my ramblings, I have realised that I actually didn't finish a key sentence.
What I meant was, why are the objects 'more' 3D when I look properly and 'less' 3D (just a background and foreground) when I do it my way?
And 'right' was an ironically poor choice of words. What I meant was how do you take the pictures (in Theater mode) to ensure that you get the right effect. I've been trying, but something always seems wrong; generally that which is closest to the 'camera'.
