3d animation

[Xenocore]

Right now i am working on some 3d animation for class, i should have the animation up pretty soon. It's just a simple animation, but then again this is also the first animation that i have ever done in 3ds max. It's just a ball bounceing but it is still pretty cool how you do it. It's all done by key frames and action poses, and then you put them in a timeline. It's kinda easy, minus the timing of multiple objects and making sure they are doing what there supposed to at that certain time. It's pretty cool though. And to make some things clear, 3ds Max is like a weak version of Maya, which is what saken uses. Still just as complicated though

[4saken]

cool dude, you taking a 3d animation class this quarter? I saw someone doing some similar animation to that in lab the other day, 3d animation looks cool but in a way it looks just annoying to do as a job. Alot of people are all about it tho. I didnt know u were taking any 3d classes lately.
Heres a scene iv been messing with for fun. Theres only 3 spheres in the scene, the ground is just a displacement of some layered grids and ramps. And its using image based lighting from an HDRI image.

[p51jd]

Look a got some smilie face to move



Cool huh?

By the way the video has a suprised ending! I won't spoil it though.

[shinaku]

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y141/shin...ggardentest.jpg

This is what I'm working on for my Adv Modeling class. This is what happens when you play Prince of Persia for two weeks straight...it's the Hanging Garden btw. Yes it has flaws, and the execution sucks, but considering it's my first model in about 2 years it ain't too bad...for a class assignment anyway. Once I actually add the garden parts (that'll be a pain!!) it should hide all the crappy parts...plus texture should make it look better. So any comments while I can still fix the damn thing?

[Xenocore]

I wish i had some free time... then i would be able to make pretty things too :(

[4saken]

Hey shinaku thats pretty cool. Im guessing you are but the only comment I would have is to make sure you are doing them in pieces by how you will texture them and combine them for UV mapping. Other then that i would just say that if you are putting flowers and plants the easiest way to do that is the maya paint tools. Good work tho.

[shinaku]

Yeah I built them using pieces, so I all have to do is UV the original. That was like lesson 3, "model smart and efficient"...or something like that About the paint brush, well I'm using 3dmax so I don't have that option. Well there is a paint tool in max, but I don't think it works the same way. My only real concern about the plants is making them low poly while keeping the quality good enough to be able to zoom in a bit. Well when this is out of the way, I would have finish half of the semester's work in advance Hey 4saken, do you have a website that you posted some of your work on?

[4saken]

hehe yeah shin your at it in the gallery in my admin gallery iv posted some stuff. If you really dont want to create the plants I can send you some .obj files of different flowers and plants. Also you could probably find ones around the net, might try highend3d.com

[Xenocore]

Yeah, shin if you want you can upload stuff on our gallery as well, you have to make a new acount on it, but it's a little bit more stable then like photobucket, cause well.. we dont have a limit on bandwith, heh.

[shinaku]

Oh yeah, I totally forgot there was a gallery here And it's cool, I'll model the trees and shrubs. I have to learn to make good looking low poly plants somday. Thanks for the offer though. I just got Max8 today, and maybe there's something new that help me out. Plus Max8 finally included the hair generator...or at least I think it came with max 8...could just be a bonus from those "acquired" sources.

I really like the abstract object that looks like a metal flower...bulb...thingy. How did you make that? It looked like you just extruded a row of spikes, and twisted them. And I heard Xeno telling me that the trees was just made with the paint tool in Maya. Man I wished I had the computer to run that program...and the knowledge to use it. Alright, my independent model, if I have time from the class work, is to rather make Strike Freedom, or maybe one of the Evas. I haven't made a gundam in a while now.

And I'll upload some pics when I actually have some. I got tired of showing people the same two renders from 3 years ago. Anyway, classes starts again next week so I've got to prepare for them. So back to the couch to watch more anime

[4saken]

Thanks, the bulb looking one is just some nurbs pieces duplicated and slightly changed. The reason the texture looks like it does is because of there texture node setup.

I used a node called sampler info that will produce information about an object based on how much of an angle it has twords the camera. So it will produce a nuber between 0 and 1. And when piped with Facing ratio --> V Coord (or U depending on the ramp its going into) into a ramp thats, say going from gray to white and then put onto a materials incandescence and onto the object. It gives that white glow of the outer pieces. And the blue on the inside is done similar except its like black to blue I think.

Sampler info is a really sweet node to give glow and it looks cool on animation aswell because usually the camera or the object is moving. And it can be used in all kinds of ways instead of V/U Coord and Incandescence.. The original pieces are pretty easy to make tho, just a "cicle curve" extruded along another curve.

Maya is really nice, I would think you could run it if you can run 3ds. Starting other projects is nice, so you have a selection of things to practice modeling with.

The gallery is kind of messed up right now, everyone was deleted because I have bridged it with a new forum. And all images have to be re-upped, not to mention the whole userlist and everything is now combined with the new forum. there will be links to user gallerys from everyones topics/profiles once i get the code right. But theres one on the new forums top bar for now. If you register I believe you can create your own gallery and upload to it.
Its http://www.gomuanime.com/phpBB/index.php which is hosted on our server instead of this free one. And if been trying to merge the gallery and new forum and add different mods and such. The gomuanime.com domain is amost up so we are thinkign of getting another more based around 3d with just a bit of anime. And have the dls and such be more about plugins for 3d apps etc. That forum is going to need alot of work tho. And need to think of a good new domain name.

[shinaku]

hm hm, node sampler...1 and 0...right, facing ration...ah so simple...FUSAKENNA!! Mou wakanai yo sore wa... But I think I can get the idea, or at least come up with a similar result

I'll probably finish the hanging garden scene soon, though I won't finish now since it's not supposed to be assigned to me for another month. It's good to know the lesson plan ahead of time. And while other student are working on that, I can work on the final assignment...the human model. Nothing new, but I've never done block modeling for a human before. I usually do spline, it's so much easier for me. But then again that was with lightwave. Oh well, I guess I'll enjoy the last day of break before being glued to the computer for another semester.

[Xenocore]

Looks pretty good so far 4saken . Sorry i havent been online much lately... It's probably going to be like to for a while to... I start school tomorrow. which is pretty awesome. But.. it's nothing but basics... so... school, and homework. And that's about it. heh. It looks like the new site will be pretty cool. I"ll help as much as i can.

Shin, how were you able to get the assignmetn early? Every 3d class i had ever taken there they didnt have the assignments out yet... now i feel left out some. :(

[shinaku]

Resources my friend, resources. Actually, the guy in my texturing class was taking it last semester, and it's the same teacher. Plus the fact that they usually follow the same lesson plan, it was a sure bet. The adv modeling class only has three assignments, the first was a short one about masucline and feminine cups, then the scene, and then the human male. Heh I even know the assignments for animation II and basic animation Anyway, hope you have a good first day at a new campus...don't get lost now. Man I was so lost the first week of UT, especially in Welch Hall.

[4saken]

school:

Yeah thats the same with my school, its almost like even if it was a different teacher the projects would be the same. And I dont think its really a secret what your going to be working on. Here they tell you how the course is split between the different projects. I really like how they do it to. Theres a new project each week that you have to do except the last 2 weeks. And the last 2 weeks you take one of the main projects(car, character, human head) from before and make it a final project. Thats how it was for Poly 1. The reason its like that is because the real point of a final project is to add it to your reel or portfolio so you should be able to make what you want. this is a long post dont give up

I jus started my ZBrush class and man it is awesome. Zbrush has alot of features that are not of interest to someone whos a 3d modeler like me. Which is why I questioned taking it. But the teachers knows exactly what I mean and we will only focus on the useful mesh editing/displacement aspects. Cant wait to get more into this class, cuz just from the first class I learned so much. The teacher is the guy who made most of the monsters for the new movies underworlds revolutions and new silent hill movie. I posted some little thing I made with zbrush on the new forum in the only thread so far. testing out the automatic image host. Which is very nice i must add. You know how on here when you want to host an image your goign to some free image host and then copying the link back here. Well on the new forum theres a button for "add image to post" that will open a window to a free image host and do everything for you. So its easier.


new forum/site:


Xeno, man.. I need to talk to you about some things about the new site. Need to think of a name for it. And then buy the domain. Something having to do with 3d.. Im having a hard time deciding or even thinking up good names. www.e3zd.com ? I thought that one was kinda cool because when you say it, you cant tell if you just said "easy 3d" or e3zd .. Or does that look to much like ZD benchmarks, or some commercial site.. Give me some good domain names guys. A shord name that would be good for a 3d based discussion forum.

That way i can start working on non-temp graphics for both the gallery and forum containing the site url/name. Once we decide on a domain and I get some real graphics on there the first step will be to make photoshop/maya tutorials and submit them to tutorial sites to get alot of the kind of members im looking for, for the forum. And id like to get to that asap which requires a real domain and good graphics. The problems with this forum are becoming more numbered. its to much about anime and it will turn away people who want to come to talk about there projects, advice, news, new apps, new plugins etc etc, for 3d packages or even PS.

I dont mind paying for a new domain for it by myself just so you know, if you dont want to pitch in xeno. But more and more im needing to keep this host either way. (I dont want to reinstall all this crap! )

new forum mods:

You have no idea how hard this damn thing has been to get to where its at now. Iv never done such intensive coding (since I only have done html for the most part). Like that sub-forum mod took me hours to install, had to edit 25 files each with certain additions at like 10 places in each file. Then having to switch between mod installation instructions because of using a different skin. Im so happy/supprised it actually worked. Same with the Nav-Bar mod, because you have to copy the code into the files that both makes up the mod and makes up the UI for customizing it. Also had to do all the mySQL database changes that I almost screwed up since I have never done it before. But it was good practice I guess.

Anyways I need some suggestions on things for that forum. Im thinking of intalling an atachment mod and a few others. And what kind of catagorys we should have. I need some other opinions on if i should install these other mods (dont want to spend hours installing em for nothing).. Like which smilie set should be used and which ranking images (I have custom ones on there right now that I like but need other opinions). What the rank titles should be.

Theres an automatic download section maker that uses the attachment mod. It would be like a "Plugins forum" and whenever anyone posts a attached file it would automatically be added to a downloads section with the name of the topic posted in. Or should there be a specific download section that we make cuz theres mods for that too.

And you will probably notice the gallery has a new theme(skin) because I upgraded the gallery to the newest version. It has all kinds of sweet features like you will see a button to the new forum from the gallery and a whole stat thing for each image, exact statistics for who viewed the images. There are new skins and other that i had never seen. So I need to show you, xeno, the other ones and get your opinion on the best one. Also im working on installing a mod to show a link to 'Users Gallery" from each of there posts only if they have a gallery created. instead of just teh avatar link to user gallery which is whats on there now. There so much stuff thats possible its hard to decide. like theres a mod that will show thumbnails from the users gallery in there profile.

Hit me up on msn or aim sometime soon man.