December 2016 New User 3D Art Contest - Free Render Month (WIP Thread)

LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,780

New User's Contest - December 2015

Sponsored by DAZ 3D


Are you new to the 3D World? Are you at the beginning stages of learning 3D rendering? Have you been around for a little bit but feel you could benefit from some feedback or instruction? Have you been around awhile and would like to help other members start their creative journey? Well then come and join the fun as we host our newest contest...

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                                Put your skills to good use 

                                                                                                                          

This contest is a general render contest. Try putting to use all the things you've learned over the months and create an image showing off mad skills.


I will be checking in as will the rest of the Community Volunteers to try and help with anything you all may need.

You may want to have a look into the contest of this year covering different topics from composition in January, Light in February to materials in November, there are lots of valuable tools, tips and tutorials hidden that will help you with your mad skills render.



For a list of the current contest rules, please see this thread :  Contest Rules
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For those veterans of the forums that would like to help, because this contest is designed for the beginner to learn from, we will be randomly selecting posts offering helpful tips and/or critiques to receive a special voucher as well so whether you are a seasoned artist or an aspiring one, there is fun for everyone!

This is the WIP (work in progress) thread. When working on your submissions, if you would like to get feedback as you work or before posting your final image, please post your image to this thread. People will be popping in to the WIP thread to give you some critique and advice on your entry and help along the way.

Please keep all comments on entries in the WIP thread as well, because comments or requests for help/feedback/advice will be removed from the contest entry thread and merged into the WIP thread. When you have finished your artwork and are ready to enter, please post the final version to the ENTRIES THREAD.

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Closing Date: December 31st 2016

Post edited by Linwelly on
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Comments

  • Here we go with version a of what I thought up after seeing this was open.

    dec2016a.png
    1031 x 872 - 1M
  • Kismet2012Kismet2012 Posts: 4,252

    Here we go with version a of what I thought up after seeing this was open.

    Wow.  That is a big gun. 

     

    I love the red backlighting on Cheetah Girl.  I understand she is in the shadow of the ship so this might be tricky.  If you can get a soft light on her front it will help her stand out a little bit and bring out some of the details of her outfit and the gun she is carrying.

     

    Great start.

     

  • daybirddaybird Posts: 645
    edited December 2016

    Yesterday I have seen the deformer tutorial and so I try with this pic, use the things I have learned from it.

    Still have some problems with the background. After the render a shadow from the woman appears on him. So I have to change the light position and maybe the background himself.

    first try.jpg
    2133 x 1600 - 972K
    Post edited by daybird on
  • Here we go with version a of what I thought up after seeing this was open.

    Wow.  That is a big gun. 

     

    I love the red backlighting on Cheetah Girl.  I understand she is in the shadow of the ship so this might be tricky.  If you can get a soft light on her front it will help her stand out a little bit and bring out some of the details of her outfit and the gun she is carrying.

     

    Great start.

     

    Thanks Kismet. How's this for version b? I actualy had this come to me after version a was posted.

    dec2016b.png
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  • Kismet2012Kismet2012 Posts: 4,252

    Here we go with version a of what I thought up after seeing this was open.

    Wow.  That is a big gun. 

     

    I love the red backlighting on Cheetah Girl.  I understand she is in the shadow of the ship so this might be tricky.  If you can get a soft light on her front it will help her stand out a little bit and bring out some of the details of her outfit and the gun she is carrying.

     

    Great start.

     

    Thanks Kismet. How's this for version b? I actualy had this come to me after version a was posted.

    Better.  I can see more details now. 

    I am no military expert but I am wondering if the guy coming from behind Cheetah Girl should have his gun raised a little?  I realize he should have his safety on and his finger outside the trigger guard but if he doesn't and takes a misstep he could shoot her in the back.

     

  • Kismet2012Kismet2012 Posts: 4,252
    daybird said:

    Yesterday I have seen the deformer tutorial and so I try with this pic, use the things I have learned from it.

    Still have some problems with the background. After the render a shadow from the woman appears on him. So I have to change the light position and maybe the background himself.

    D-formers can be a great tool.  Your image is a little dark on my monitor and I am not entirely sure what is happening so I will wait until you have made your adjustments before commenting further.

     

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,648

    I am rendering my idea as I type this and will post it just as soon as it is done and explain all what I did in it.

    This is just my 1st idea for this month I still have a couple more in mind, for a bit later in the month

  • Shinji: I love the way the red lighting falls on the machinery in your first version. I really like the blue lights you added to the later one. Keep playing around with the lighting on your figure, but I think it's a little better now than in the earlier version. The other thing is, I'm not sure the second figure is adding to the overall composition of the image. He kind of distracts the eye from the primary subject...maybe consider moving him, or changing the camera angle?

  • daybird said:

    Yesterday I have seen the deformer tutorial and so I try with this pic, use the things I have learned from it.

    Still have some problems with the background. After the render a shadow from the woman appears on him. So I have to change the light position and maybe the background himself.

    Great work with the deformers! I think that was a very successful effort. And I agree with your own feedback on your image...keep working and let us see where you go with it!

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Shinji, Love this one it looks really good already.  I have to say I disagree with Scott (sorry Scott!) about the blue lighting.  I liked it better when it was the plain background.  To me it looked more real, like they had just landed on a this dirty dusty planet and were ready to kick some, ummm, behind lol!  Now if you want to use the blue blackground (which really does contrast very well with the red, I would try and add some blue tone to the  ground as well otherwise, it looks odd and disjointed, at least to me.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    I'm not making any commitments to finish anything this month although I will try.  Its already crazy busy with holidays stuff.

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,648
    edited December 2016

    My render just got done wow this laptop is sure fast for rendering in IRay!!!!

    Ok I retextured both the boxers on Kirk and the Bikini on Sandra (Yes Charactors I made from morphs) 

    Then made both Kirk and Sandra IRay ready and posed them myself kissing under the misletoe!!!

    Romantic Christmas with Kirk and Sandra.png
    1146 x 1433 - 2M
    Post edited by Saphirewild on
  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,648

    Now I am off to work on my second idea while I wait for comments and suggestions on my first idea!!!

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,648
    edited December 2016

    Here is my second thought for this month plz tell me what you think of it. This one I did in 3Delight.

    Titled Setting Food Out For Santa

    Setting Food Out For Santa.png
    1500 x 927 - 2M
    Post edited by Saphirewild on
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,331
    edited December 2016

    My render just got done wow this laptop is sure fast for rendering in IRay!!!!

    Ok I retextured both the boxers on Kirk and the Bikini on Sandra (Yes Charactors I made from morphs) 

    Then made both Kirk and Sandra IRay ready and posed them myself kissing under the misletoe!!!

    Nice retexture on the clothing. Regarding the poses, her pose seems pretty natural, but I think the positioning of his arms could be improved as his body language seems a bit stiff. Additionally, it seems like your characters may be intersecting in a couple of places (his right arm with her ribcage, and possibly their calves). Kirk has some marks on his torso...not sure if that's intentional (scarring?) but if not, it might be interesting to try to figure out what's causing it (maybe surface settings).

    Post edited by Scott Livingston on
  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,648

     

     

    My render just got done wow this laptop is sure fast for rendering in IRay!!!!

    Ok I retextured both the boxers on Kirk and the Bikini on Sandra (Yes Charactors I made from morphs) 

    Then made both Kirk and Sandra IRay ready and posed them myself kissing under the misletoe!!!

     

    Nice retexture on the clothing. Regarding the poses, her pose seems pretty natural, but I think the positioning of his arms could be improved as his body language seems a bit stiff. Additionally, it seems like your characters may be intersecting in a couple of places (his right arm with her ribcage, and possibly their calves). Kirk has some marks on his torso...not sure if that's intentional (scarring?) but if not, it might be interesting to try to figure out what's causing it (maybe surface settings).

    Thanks for the feedback Scott, I figured as much with the poses it is hard to see sometimes when you in Daz trying to do it right.

    I will get that fixed and be back tomorrow with the revised render!!

  • Here's a start to my second idea for this month.

    dec2016-2a.png
    1031 x 872 - 2M
  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    daybird said:

    Yesterday I have seen the deformer tutorial and so I try with this pic, use the things I have learned from it.

    Still have some problems with the background. After the render a shadow from the woman appears on him. So I have to change the light position and maybe the background himself.

    Backgrounds can be tricky...

    Which renderer are you using?

    How are you doing the background?

     

  • Here is my second thought for this month plz tell me what you think of it. This one I did in 3Delight.

    Titled Setting Food Out For Santa

    Very nice job putting this scene together. At this point I think I'd focus on lighting. Adding some softness to your shadows might make the lighting both more realistic and more appealing. In addition, you might consider using UberEnvironment2 lighting (if you aren't already using it). UE2 isn't the only way to achieve great lighting results in 3Delight, but it's probably the most common one, and it's included free with DAZ Studio.

    If you are new to UberEnvironment (or, for anyone else who wants to render in 3Delight and isn't familiar with using UberEnvironment), here's a link to some basic information that will help you get started: http://www.versluis.com/2015/05/getting-started-with-uberenvironment-in-daz-studio/

    Another resource for beginners: https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/207530283-Beginning-Help-with-UberEnvironment-2

    And if you want more in-depth information, try this thread: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/5320/

  • daybirddaybird Posts: 645
    edited December 2016
    mjc1016 said:
    daybird said:

    Yesterday I have seen the deformer tutorial and so I try with this pic, use the things I have learned from it.

    Still have some problems with the background. After the render a shadow from the woman appears on him. So I have to change the light position and maybe the background himself.

    Backgrounds can be tricky...

    Which renderer are you using?

    How are you doing the background?

    Iray as always and I only put a night sky photo on a primitive. But no matter, I rejected this idea and put the scene into daylight, which makes me more satisfied with the result.

    But I still have problems. As you can see there are square rasters in the water. Is this a render- or a setting problem? Oh, and she have a strong reflection from the pink primitiv on the down side of her legs. 

     

    new one1.jpg
    2133 x 1600 - 1002K
    Post edited by daybird on
  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,648
    edited December 2016

    Here is my second thought for this month plz tell me what you think of it. This one I did in 3Delight.

    Titled Setting Food Out For Santa

     

    Very nice job putting this scene together. At this point I think I'd focus on lighting. Adding some softness to your shadows might make the lighting both more realistic and more appealing. In addition, you might consider using UberEnvironment2 lighting (if you aren't already using it). UE2 isn't the only way to achieve great lighting results in 3Delight, but it's probably the most common one, and it's included free with DAZ Studio.

    If you are new to UberEnvironment (or, for anyone else who wants to render in 3Delight and isn't familiar with using UberEnvironment), here's a link to some basic information that will help you get started: http://www.versluis.com/2015/05/getting-started-with-uberenvironment-in-daz-studio/

    Another resource for beginners: https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/207530283-Beginning-Help-with-UberEnvironment-2

    And if you want more in-depth information, try this thread: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewthread/5320/

    Thanks for the great feedback Scott I will fix the lighting today, not new to Uberlights and will see..........might even try something new with lighting you never knowdevil

    Here is another with someof the lights toned down and some shadows turned off.

    Setting Food Out For Santa2.png
    1500 x 927 - 2M
    Post edited by Saphirewild on
  • daybirddaybird Posts: 645
    edited December 2016

    The light is now much better, but I miss a warm atmosphere in this scene. The feet position from the child creates the feeling as if the ground was cold. I also have problems with the dog. I have a bad feeling when he gazes at me like that. ;) ( maybe he should be more interest in the turkey *gg*)

     

    Post edited by daybird on
  • Made some changes last night, so here we are with version c.

    dec2016c.png
    1031 x 872 - 1M
  • daybirddaybird Posts: 645

    I'm envious of how cool you got the glowing red. Nevertheless, I liked the red in your first posting far better. Your facial expression of her is great, but I would put the soldier in the background back aside, or omit it completely to draw the entire attention of the viewer on the main person of the picture.

     

  • daybird said:

    I'm envious of how cool you got the glowing red. Nevertheless, I liked the red in your first posting far better. Your facial expression of her is great, but I would put the soldier in the background back aside, or omit it completely to draw the entire attention of the viewer on the main person of the picture.

     

    I'm planning on making use of DOF once I'm happy with everything else to focus on Cheetah. It doesn't feel right to have her fighting alone, she should have to be a one cat army.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Made some changes last night, so here we are with version c.

    I love this version!  She stands out nicely and I am eager to see how it looks with DOF.  Really like the bit of blue edge on the bottom of the ramp contrasting with the red.  Very well done!

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    edited December 2016
    daybird said:

    The light is now much better, but I miss a warm atmosphere in this scene. The feet position from the child creates the feeling as if the ground was cold. I also have problems with the dog. I have a bad feeling when he gazes at me like that. ;) ( maybe he should be more interest in the turkey *gg*)

     

    Lol her feet probably are cold!  My kids would show up looking exactly like that, half dressed without shoes, socks or slippers, too impatient to get dressed all the way.  Not mention, mine pretty much hated clothing most of the time and would put on as little as they thought they could get away with.  I thought it was very realistic!

    Post edited by IceDragonArt on
  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    daybird said:
     

    But I still have problems. As you can see there are square rasters in the water. Is this a render- or a setting problem? Oh, and she have a strong reflection from the pink primitiv on the down side of her legs. 

    What are you using for the water?

    Is there a bump map, a normal map or something else being used?

    The reflection is down to a couple of things...the surface settings, namely how shiny it is and the strength of the color.

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 17,890
    edited December 2016

    I decided to withdraw my entry as I've decided since I partially funded another contest in the DAZ forums I can't enter any contest in the DAZ forums. I will leave the image though as a No Entry Applicable as the theme of it does fit nicely with December in the northern hemisphere.

    Babe the Blue Ox & Paul Bunyan

    Post edited by nonesuch00 on
  • Who knew the Grinch was a Dahar Master??

    Exmas.png
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