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View Full Version : SMC #48 "On The Hour, Every Hour" - Cuckoo Clocks


ClassicGamer-3DT
06-04-2012, 09:00 PM
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk208/classicgamer-3dt/SMC48Brief.jpg

The Challenge Rules

1). Each challenge we'll post a subject for you to model along with a time limit on how long you should spend on it. Spend no longer than the allocated time then post a render of your model. No cheating, we are relying on your honesty here and the idea of speed modeling is to simulate a "real world" environment. If you are working on a project and asked to show a concept model you'll need to be able to get somewhere near the target in the allocated time. Your submission should be a model created especially for this challenge and not one you have stored on your hard drive. How you interpret the brief is up to you as long as the final model conforms to what we have asked for. Any images of models that do not match the brief can be removed and the poster disqualified.

2). You may enter as many times as you like as long as each model is completely new and uses no components from other entries. Entries using models which are not original will be removed and the poster disqualified.

3). Your entry may contain as many views of your model as you like and must include a clear and easy to see wireframe of the mesh before any smoothing/subdivision has been applied. Wire renders/ Cell Shaded or Screengrab wireframes are acceptable. Any wireframes we cannot see correctly will be disqualified. The key is for us to be able to see the wireframes clearly to ascertain how you modelled the subject matter.

4). You MUST include the following details with each submission:

A). Software used
B). Time spent creating the model.
C). A Clay Render of your models.

Any further information is voluntary but posts not containing the required information can be removed and the poster disqualified.

5). Post TWO images per entry which must be no larger than 1280x1024 pixels in either landscape or portrait format with a file size of no more than 195k.
1 image for your wireframes and 1 for your clay combined with a optional beauty render.
These images must be uploaded to our servers using the "browse" button on the forum reply page.
Do not link to external images files. Images larger than the maximum size or posts containing links to external images (other than for reference materials)
will be removed and the poster disqualified.

6). The creation of displacement maps, normal maps and any splines drawn out in an external program other than your modeling software are to be included in your modeling time.

7). Time spent on rendering or texturing or building a scene in which to display your model is not included in the allocated period to allow those with slower machines to participate on an even playing field. What we are looking for is the quality of the models you can produce "under pressure". If your model is not complete, you can still post it as long as it's recognizable.

8). Posting the same entry twice in a challenge is considered to be double posting and will result in a disqualification. When asked to fix a previous post due to DQ or any other reason, you must fix the first post, or delete it altogether and create a new one.

9). The Winner must email jo@3dtotal.com to claim their prize.

10). Only 1st place & 2nd place (i.e. the runner up) can claim a prize.

These rules apply to everybody taking part there will be NO exceptions!

Subject: Cuckoo Clocks.
Deadline - 10:00PM GMT 13th April 2012.
Description: A cuckoo clock is a clock, typically pendulum-regulated, that strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo's call and typically has a mechanical cuckoo that emerges with each note. The mechanism to produce the cuckoo call was installed in almost every kind of cuckoo clock since the middle of the 18th century and has remained almost without variation until the present. The design of a cuckoo clock is now conventional. Most are made in the "traditional style" (also known as "carved") or "chalet" to hang on a wall. In the "traditional style" the wooden case is decorated with carved leaves and animals. They have an automaton of the bird that appears through a small trap door while the clock is striking. The bird is often made to move as the clock strikes, typically by means of an arm that lifts the back of the carving. In this challenge it is your chance to model an exisiting design or a style of your own, as always the choice is yours.

Modelling Time: 90 Mins.

Prizes:

1st Place - £30 worth of 3DTotal downloadable products & a gold award badge.
2nd Place - £10 worth of 3DTotal downloadable products & a silver award badge.
Honourable Mentions - Bronze Award Badges

Above All Else Have Fun & Good Luck!

My Starter

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk208/classicgamer-3dt/SMC48-02.jpg
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk208/classicgamer-3dt/SMC48-01.jpg

Forgot to add my cuckoo lol...... the one thing I should have had, oh well :wall:

rocneasta
06-04-2012, 09:02 PM
cool topic, gonna look for reference since I'm still in the flow of the last SMC

rocneasta
06-04-2012, 09:46 PM
Here is some inspirational music to listen to while modeling.

Don't say it didn't help out :dance::dance::dance::wall::wall:
Cuckoo Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRgncMs0QxM)

ClassicGamer-3DT
06-04-2012, 10:54 PM
Strangely I don't mind that!...... and usually country and western music makes me want to kill something lol.

rocneasta
06-04-2012, 11:27 PM
you saying western makes me put on Morricone...

timberwo7ves
07-04-2012, 09:14 AM
... or a style of your own, as always the choice is yours.

DO you always write that? Just reminded me of Graham from Blind Date :D Was going to start revising, will try this one today though :) v nice subject

ClassicGamer-3DT
07-04-2012, 09:45 AM
Now you mention it no it's just something I started to add to the end of the briefs lol.

But now it will remind me of that lol

rocneasta
07-04-2012, 11:25 AM
Cuckoo????!!!!

rocneasta
07-04-2012, 08:55 PM
I did have some fun with this one, bird was simple, box modeling and abusing symmetry. But the tree and clock handles proved to take up more time than the SMC allowed - at least the first time when i went to plane > shift extrude them up.

End result, third try I managed to pull it off by drawing a simple line > convert to edit poly > then edge loop + shift extrude. Swift loop and some shell, turboosmooth worked out like a charm

Design is not mine, original can be found here
LINK (http://www.progettishop.it/product.php?l=en&id=148)

few differences, I wanted to make mine a bit more 3D, and the tree a bit more curvy

borgfriend
08-04-2012, 12:57 PM
Another Cuckoo Clock

ClassicGamer-3DT
08-04-2012, 02:46 PM
Wow two great entries already, love them :)

gauravcg
10-04-2012, 07:35 AM
Wow really nice entries so far...
Here's mine....

191717

191718

Bob Marley
10-04-2012, 09:50 AM
I really like your entry gauravcg, nice job!!

ClassicGamer-3DT
10-04-2012, 12:20 PM
Great style, superb :)

pavolsvk
10-04-2012, 01:58 PM
Hey there, finally i have managed to join SMC:)
Nice entries here so far.


http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s397/pavolsvk/CuckooClock_Clayrender.png
http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s397/pavolsvk/CuckooClock_wireframe.png

ClassicGamer-3DT
10-04-2012, 03:50 PM
Wow great entry :)

timberwo7ves
10-04-2012, 08:50 PM
Can I defer to the experience of those in this thread? :) I was trying to model the clock shown here [http://www.headsupco.com/img/xl/cluckcoo.jpg] - as you can see, the roof is made from a carved bit of wood - it's clearly one piece (or even if it isn't irl, assume it is).

How would you guys model it, cleanly, to keep it one piece, but keep the number of edges at a minimum? to keep it nice, I had to propagate edges from the bottom ridge all the way up, but it seems excessive; what if you were modelling a set of stairs which was one object (perhaps far-fetched) but had hundreds of steps? Any tips here would be appreciated :D

(note, the image plane has some purple bits - it worked to keep edge propagation to a low, but then I got 6-edged poles when I extruded back and in any case, didn't look nice).

lovely entries so far :]

ClassicGamer-3DT
10-04-2012, 09:56 PM
I'd personally take the spline route....... will update with an example in a mo...

EDIT: It took me longer to composite the mini tut pics than it did building the mesh, this mesh took me 8 mins and I didn't rush :)

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk208/classicgamer-3dt/QuickTut.jpg

As you can see it's fair low poly before smoothing so give that method a try! I realise it's not uniform but then again something like this that is handmade isn't perfect either, hardly anything is 100% perfect in the real world, you can of course add knife cuts for a better definition here and there... I think it works.... hope it helped.

timberwo7ves
11-04-2012, 04:56 AM
Thanks man, that does help a lot! I remember spline modeling in max vaguely but hadn't used in Maya yet, was worried you meant nurbs :P the closest thing I can think of to get that initial mesh is create poly tool, but will see what's available tonight! Cheers :D
--
edit: bleugh, can any Maya users confirm that there is no spline modeling in Maya except by using Nurbs? The fastest way (for me) to get to step 2 was to start with a single poly and extrude out, like you might when modeling a face. in any case will try properly tonight :D

ClassicGamer-3DT
11-04-2012, 03:12 PM
If all else fails trace the image in illustrator and export the path as an illustrator file and import it in Maya? Maya can import illustrator files right? I dunno C4D can.

rocneasta
11-04-2012, 03:25 PM
If all else fails trace the image in illustrator and export the path as an illustrator file and import it in Maya? Maya can import illustrator files right? I dunno C4D can.

it can handle AI file, but as all Autodesk solutions (from my personal experience) don't handle quite good imported graphics. Best to do them in the software, then import them in

timberwo7ves
11-04-2012, 03:25 PM
yeah it can definitely import Illy files - the issue isn't drawing the splines, it's what to do with them after lol :D

If I recall correctly, 3ds max allows you to draw splines and apply an extrude modifier, but it's definitely still poly. There's a distinct component which creates NURBS surfaces.

In Maya, (afaik), there is no such way to draw a curve and extrude it directly like you've done, to produce a poly object. There are curves used for NURBS or animation (drawn using the EP or CV curve tools) and a separate curve tool for Bezier curves which you can convert to NURBS. If starting with a curve, like you've done, I assume you'd have to make a NURBS surface, and then convert to poly - choosing tesselation options etc.

My initial query was about topology (which you've answered :)) and there are other ways, apart from curves/splines to produce that ofc, which I'm more familiar with :D

ClassicGamer-3DT
11-04-2012, 03:29 PM
Yeah it the spline was extruded with an extrude nurbs, then made editable so it was all poly's, shame there's not that kind of thing in maya, maybe some other users know of a way round it or plugin.

timberwo7ves
11-04-2012, 03:29 PM
oh, that's exactly what it is in Maya :S I thought you skipped the nurbs stage.

---
but I'm quite lame with curves/NURBS still.

ClassicGamer-3DT
11-04-2012, 03:33 PM
Ooops my fault I should have mentioned nurbs in the mini tut :)

Now.... all that's left is for you to wow us with you entry :)

timberwo7ves
11-04-2012, 03:34 PM
haha, will be a two parter - got exams coming up so I've only got a 45min nightly allowance of Maya/Houdini :D

--

okay done the roof, doesn't look nice though - won't attempt to smooth it haha :D will do the last hour tomorrow hopefully! (dw I did more than the roof in 30min :P) cheers for your help mate :)

ClassicGamer-3DT
12-04-2012, 02:33 PM
No worries, glad I could help :)

Researching SMC 49 now..... got a crackin' idea for Friday night's theme.

bakuryu06
12-04-2012, 05:24 PM
I really wanna do a Bird House 1 hr challenge. It's simple and there are a lot of amazing concepts out there :) Just my opinion.

bakuryu06
12-04-2012, 05:53 PM
I decided to this one. Haven't joined a challenge in a while. Been too busy =\

So here is what I made. After search through hours for a UNIQUE cuckoo clock, I couldn't really find one that I liked. They all looked the same too me. Some modern, abstract ones people already did lol.

So I found one that I did like, but it was too complicated to do in 90 minutes, so I simplified it a little. I definitely run out of time =\ Really wanted to make the bird come out. But I never saw that as being a major requirement.

Here is a composed shot that I decided to do, just wanted a little OLD Photo feel. Added, grains, rips, scratches and what not in Photoshop. Set up a simple scene and added a clock. Thanks!

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f162/bakuryu06/CuckooClock_HighRes01-1.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f162/bakuryu06/CuckooClock_Clay.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f162/bakuryu06/CuckooClock_Wires.jpg

ClassicGamer-3DT
12-04-2012, 06:06 PM
Very nice entry! I will consider the birdhouse for a future SMC, it's a bit too close a subject to run next weeks or the week after.

bakuryu06
12-04-2012, 06:23 PM
Very nice entry! I will consider the birdhouse for a future SMC, it's a bit too close a subject to run next weeks or the week after.

Yeah I felt the same way, too close to this. I really like these Speed modeling challenges, definitely pushes you to the edge.

timberwo7ves
12-04-2012, 08:07 PM
I forgot the hands, so that's why the wire screenshot shows some random plane in the front (in the top left corner) :D

rocneasta
12-04-2012, 09:46 PM
simple but cool looking bird :)

just thought of an idea that i might run with - not your standard everyday cuckoo clock, but my own concept.

You will recognise certain parts...

timberwo7ves
13-04-2012, 02:13 PM
looking forward to seeing it at 21:59:59 :D

rocneasta
13-04-2012, 02:15 PM
looking forward to seeing it at 21:59:59 :D

lol, it might again be that time of the day - still giving lectures an hour before the deadline...

ClassicGamer-3DT
13-04-2012, 05:33 PM
oooohhhhh could I be that cruel.... and end them early....... lol.......no the challenges will end at 10 tonight, the next SMC is all ready.... just waiting for the deadline :)

rocneasta
13-04-2012, 06:19 PM
oooohhhhh could I be that cruel.... and end them early....... lol.......no the challenges will end at 10 tonight, the next SMC is all ready.... just waiting for the deadline :)

*bow

rocneasta
13-04-2012, 07:55 PM
modeled during my break a bit, now full steam ahead.

Loosing faith in the concept, **** my criticism, would love to devote more time to this, perhaps one day, still a good idea to develop, at least from where i'm sitting.....

ClassicGamer-3DT
13-04-2012, 08:55 PM
Better hurry up roc, the deadline is drawing ever closer! :)

ClassicGamer-3DT
13-04-2012, 09:01 PM
Sorry roc, rules are rules mate. This challenge is now closed. The next SMC is live.

rocneasta
13-04-2012, 09:01 PM
my second version, i'll explain later as will the beauty

EDIT:
explanation of this concept can be found here
http://forums.3dtotal.com/showpost.php?p=912673&postcount=303
updated the original post with better clay and "beauty" - wires remain the same, as it can be seen I didn't include the clouds in the final version.

rocneasta
13-04-2012, 09:02 PM
Sorry roc, rules are rules mate. This challenge is now closed. The next SMC is live.

No worries :(

model was done render and wires, resizing took that minute over...

ClassicGamer-3DT
13-04-2012, 09:04 PM
Awwwww shame.. love it!

rocneasta
13-04-2012, 09:07 PM
Ahh well at least I got an entry in this SMC. Now to not repeat this missing the deadline ever again.

bakuryu06
24-04-2012, 03:38 AM
Quick question when will the results for this be posted? :max:

ClassicGamer-3DT
24-04-2012, 08:35 AM
Results Are Here (http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=108537)