Groggthorr the Jaggernaut

[Dragot]

MAYA is known more for modeling and animation.
ware Max is known for Modeling and rendering.

mayas renderers suck, thats wy most professional who work in the biz that use maya use it just for the modeling and animation then finish it up in one or 2 other programs.

If Maya had Brazil, then i would say it was all around better then max but for now we are stuck with mentalray

[Avatar-3DT]

viragoLDR, first of all a bow of respect for you. Nice observation spirit you have my friend. And welcome to this thread.
You are right in the most of what you've said. I was thinking too the shadows are too sharp but there wasn't such a hurry to adjust such a minor detail. I will soften the shadows as you've said. As for the brightness, well it is a confusing step I have to do. Trying to learn something from the Troll, I've adjusted the light so that nobody would say that the image is too dark. You come and say the image is too bright... I have to think seriously on this problem.
The keylight is infact much higher (higher than the moon) but you've guessed the aproximatif position. You see, when I've started, the main light mached the moon position perfectly. But not all that is corect gives right on the image. The house was too dark... So I've decided to move the light upper and to the right of the moon hoping that won't be a visible adjustment. You have a very good eye, congratulation. You also have a very balanced, wise opinion on the 3d programs and that another point for you. As for the brazil renderer, unfortunaly, was closed for the public for a while now. So I don't have it.
DanielB, you are right my friend, the terrain in indeed very shiny. But I like the wet mud effect so I will let it like that.
Liquid X I don't want to achieve realism in my animation but I don't want a cartoonish looks also. Instead I want to go with my own style ('tho is arrogant of me to call it my style), that goes between comix and realistic look.
Dragot I will not start that debate again; there are advantages and disadvantages in any 3d programs. Its a personal decision what looks good and what works better. Remember: "The beauty lies in the eye of the beholder".

[sarN]

i personally liek the way it is lit, and if you are going for the wet mud thing, then it looks perfectly fine to me
i also agree with viragoldr on that the moon should be much higher up
a very nice scene itll be great for mr troll

[viragoLDR]

LiquidX : I've been in many many discussions about 3d packages. When I was still using Max, I was convinced that Max was the best ever. Then I tried other programs, and found out that other programs also have a lot to offer. Nowadays, I'm very open towards most 3d packages, as all of them of pros and cons.


Dragot : Maya is mostly known for it's very open structure and extremely powerful MEL scripting engine. With MEL, users can create custom tools for just about everything without a problem. That's what many people like about it.

As for rendering, Maya5 had some upgrades there. The default scanline renderer is still lousy, although with some playing you can achieve decent preview quality results. With some fake GI, you can actually get very good results.

Max has Brazil, but on the other hand, Maya has a choice of MentalRay (maya5 + MR integration is a lot better again) and Renderman. And we all know that renderman just simply kicks serious butt


Avatar : I've been training my eyes a bit recently to see details, I've some project in mind which got quite a bit more difficult after I started looking for details. As for the height of the keylight, I wasn't trying to estimate that part, just general direction =)

The lighting is very good, and I've read the rest of the thread, so I know your problem with the troll (personally, I though the troll was excellent when it was dark, I mean.. It's night, he's in a forest, there's really not that much light there ). The lighting as it stands now works well with the scene of the troll, so you probably shouldn't change it. I'm also thinking, once you soften up the shadows and put a drop off on them, the direction of the shadows won't be that noticable anymore.

I noticed that Brazil was no longer public, and it actually is pretty expensive too. Then again, there's nothing that brazil can do that you can't fake And if that doesn't work, well.. Max6 will ship with MentalRay support.


SarN : I never actually said that the moon was per definition too low, but in a "real-wannabe" scene (which this isn't), the moon would indeed be too low. In this scene, it adds to the atmosphere and ehm.. drama (?) of the whole thing. Low hanging full moon is always very foreboding

[Avatar-3DT]

Why the low moon? Simple:
First, the ghostly moon adds effect, as viragoLDR said it also. Second, it's a setting moon, a sign to show the viewer that morning is close. A little inside for the attentif ones of what its going to happen.

[sarN]

hehe the moon does add the effect...
i was just being a nitpicking pain in the ass

[Liquid X]

Dragot I agree that Maya is better known for its animation and modeling, and the renderers are supposed to suck. They seem to work ok for me, but I always use the mental ray renderer. I have noticed that Maya 5 has been a bit unstable, but I think I know why, and I am pretty sure its just my setup.

Avatar You have achieved the look you were going for. Its not quite cartoonish, and not quite realistic. It's right in the middle. I like the position of the moon, it looks good.

Too Everybody I think if you notice that since you have been in this you have probablly been noticing a lot more things about graphically done items. Like I noticed a mess up in the Hulk movie where his shorts disappear for a brief moment and you see solid green buttcheek. It's just brief, but you would not have noticed it before. Or at least I wouldn't. Do you guys and gals agree?

[RickStefani]

I have done a bit of hiking under a full moon and the shadows are very distinct. THe ground does somewhat glow. I would not change a thing. Just my opinion.

[lilCara]

Avatar, io am ramas cu gura cascata, e prima data cand intru pe thread-ul asta.
Am o intrebare: esti inregistrat la VisualArt.ro? Nu te-am vazut pe acolo...
Marpha scenariul, am citit ce vrei sa faci, si pana acum arata super tot, personajele si scena, are atmosfera

I hope you won't mind for speaking romanian, will you? Hope not... Just wanted to congratulate another romanian

[Avatar-3DT]

sarN, it helped me buddy. Just kept me an inch off the seat.
Liquid X, the best way is to apply this critic stand on your own work. Its a dangerouse trip 'cause you can find that everytime you finish something it doesn't like you anymore and you wanted redone.
RickStefani, thanks for the support. But there are things to be changed and I will change them if I really don't like them. But sometimes you cannot keep an objectif eye on your own work. Here is where you all come, my friends.
HaLcIu sigur ca nu ma supar ca ai scris in romaneste. Eu unul sunt mandru ca sunt roman. Nu, nu sunt inregistrat pe site-ul acela dar promit sa-l vizitez. Ma bucur ca ti-a placut scenariul, sper sa-l duc la capat. Nu sunt grozav intr-ale animatiei. Viziteaza-mi thread-ul 2d, sunt mai bun cu creionul decat cu computerul.

Ok guys, here I go, the house with the light infront of the moon and with softer shadows. C&C. Please!

[Liquid X]

If you are gonna keep the lighting like that. I would definitely add a light stand kind of thing by the well. Otherwise it is just not very visible and loses a lot of its effect. I would also add a light stand by the little shed thing. Maybe even internally, meaning hanging in there. Just a thought. Take it or leave it, Other wise the scene looks great!

[Avatar-3DT]

There is a light right near the well. That's how I got the bearly visible light effect. I thought myself to add a light inside the house, but the effect will be minimal and the in rendering a new light would add some considerable timing. So this ( aldo a good ideea) its a tough decision.
I will increase the secondary light just a little to see how's it looking. Thanks Liquid X!

[Daniel]

this scene is coming along very nicely, but it's too bad that it's that dark, a lot of the effort and detail goes unoticed, to me anyways, I got problems seeing everything and my screen is already at it's brightest.

Liquid, you right Maya 5 does have some problems with stability of the renders, it's not just you. Sometimes if I just use the normal renderer in maya 5 is just crashes or timesout. I'm going back to 4.5 myself.

[RickStefani]

You could do the light inside the building with a plate that has self elumination. Just make a set of curtains and eluminate (with self elumination map) with shadows and sillotette of things inside and play with the ellumination setting to make the light appear to flicker during the animation.

[Liquid X]

A lot of it depends on how much light you see it with. If I turn my laptop screen certain way I can see it better. I don't know if that is how it looks to you or what.

I didn't mean that you should put a light in the house, I meant in the shed next to the house. Right now, I can't see but one wood plank of it. It looks just like its part of the woods to me. Just a thought.