Carrara Challenge #32 They Only Come Out At Night - WIP Thread - Meet Our PA Sponsor, GKDantas!

UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
edited May 2017 in Carrara Discussion

This is the Work-In-Progress thread.

 

It has now been almost 4 years since Carrara Challenges began.  Head Wax got the ball rolling, prizes were offered by Daz and Carrara PA's to provide added incentive, and the passion of Carrara artists has kept it all going.  Although I have only been a Carraraite since the end of 2016, I continue to be astounded at the friendliness, creativity, and sheer inspiration radiated by this community.  Thank you for letting me in.

 

1.  The Current Theme: "They Only Come Out at Night."

Old rock-n-rollers will undoubtedly associate this with an Edgar Winter album by the same name, released in the early 1980's.  It's a coincidence, but if that idea inspires you, go for it!

Others will likely think about vampires or horror scenes. - a natural connection - but the theme can just as easily reflect goodness and great beauty.  I will put a variety of example images in the next post.

A partial list of things that come out at night:

Nocturnal animals - Owls, Bats, Raccoons, Mice, Badgers, Cougars. 

Insects - Moths, Fireflies, Scorpions, Tarantulas, Giant centipedes.

Plants - several species of plants only bloom at night, including the once-a-year Night Blooming Cereus.

Other - Vampires, Werewolves, Monsters, Santa Claus, Stars, Aurora Borealis, Prostitutes, City lights, Spacecraft lights, Nightclub goers (night life), Criminals and so forth.  And false teethcheeky (thanks Wendy!)

These are only suggestions.  The goal is to create a render somehow connected to the theme, based on how the phrase inspires you.  It may even be a daytime scene if it expresses the theme in a clever way.

 

2.  Specific Render Rules (Carrara functions required)

1.  Special Lighting - all renders (except as noted) are required to contain at least one usage of any ONE of the following lighting effects:  Anything Glows, Aura, Light Cone, or Lens Flare.

2.  Carrara-only.  All renders must be done entirely in Carrara, with no postwork (except sigs).  For example, multipass and compositing in other programs is not allowed.  If you need to composite, you are of course allowed to use the Carrara texture room and composite on a plane or other shape using channels in the shader tree.

3.  NPR/Toon.  If you enter more than a single render (you are allowed 3), at least one of them must be done by using either the NPR render engine*, or the Toon! part lll filter.**  The lighting requirement is waived for these entries.

*NPR is the Carrara Non-Photorealistic render engine located in the render room.

 **Toon!partIII is the (awkwardly-named) Carrara cartoon filter located in the Assemble room.  It can be added from the "filters" tab in the upper right.  Like many other filters in Carrara, it is an effect which is processed only after the regular render is finished

 

Notes on requirements:  Because of the night theme, it seemed appropriate to require special lighting.   The second requirement - no postwork - is merely an artistic constraint, in line with the idea of displaying the wonders of Carrara, and reflects my own desire as a relative newcomer to see what is possible when staying almost entirely within the Carrara environment.  It infers no judgment towards postwork, as postwork is important to every working artist.  And the third requirement is connected to showcasing a part of Carrara that many feel has been virtually unexplored - NPR - which means that a new game is now afoot for those who love drawing and painting in 3D art.  Who knows what interesting discoveries will be made in the coming weeks?  See this thread for some great Carrara NPR renders and tips.

In a nutshell, the requirements are 1) the use of one light function, 2) no postwork, and 3) one NPR render if you enter more than one image.  My aim was to make these requirements less intimidating to those newer to Carrara (much like in the previous Challenge), and encourage greater participation.

 

3.  General Rules:

1. Each participant may submit up to 3 images into the Challenge.

2. Images must be new (previously unpublished).

3. Images must be entirely set up in Carrara, except signature, and follow constraints as outlined in the Specific Render Rules.

4. Images must be rendered in Carrara or in an external renderer for which there is a Carrara plug-in (e.g. LuxRenderer, Octane).

5. At least one WIP (work in progress) image must be posted to the WIP thread

6.  In the WIP thread,  a screen shot of the final scene as it appears in the Carrara assemble room must be included.

7.  The winner of the "Best Participation" category becomes the next Carrara Challenge host, and sets the rules for the next competition.  But should the winner decline this honor, the winner of the next category (Best Photorealistic Render) will then get the opportunity to step forward and fill the role.  This is a proposed change to a previous rule.

 

4.  Sponsors and prizes

smileysmileysmileysmiley

Once again Daz will generously sponsor the monthly Challenge.

I am working on adding a Carrara PA sponsor(s) as well.

I propose a slightly different prize format this month (and it has been OK'd by DAZ).  For this contest, there are different categories, much like the Academy Awards (Oscars) and the prizes are all more-or-less equal.  Comments about this change are welcomed.  I explain the process in more detail in THIS THREAD.  Please read it if you have questions.

The four categories are:

Best Participation

Best Photorealistic Render

Best Non-photorealistic Render

Best Demonstration of Theme.

This translates into:

Most votes total for one artist: $50.00 towards DAZ 3D owned item(s)
Most votes single image (Photo-real render engine):  $ 50.00 towards DAZ 3D owned item(s)
Most votes single image (NPR or ToonIII filter):  50.00 towards DAZ 3D owned item(s)
Most votes single image best demonstration of theme:  $45.00 towards DAZ 3D owned item(s)

 

Dates to Remember:

 

All dates are Daz Utah Time http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/usa/salt-lake-city

WIP Thread Opens: Friday April 7, 2017

Entry Thread Opens: Friday April 21, 2017

Entry Thread Closes/Voting Begins: Friday May 5, 2017

Voting Ends: midnight Friday May 12, 2017

 

Promotions

I made an announcement in the Commons.  Moderators have made it clear to not place a mirror thread there.

So, the Art Studio thead is here if you would like to share your entries with others outside of the Carrara forum!

Post edited by UnifiedBrain on
«13456713

Comments

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    edited April 2017

    Attached are a variety of images which illustrate elements of the theme.

    Edgar Winter album cover.jpg
    900 x 900 - 139K
    Dartenbeck.jpg
    1280 x 720 - 511K
    night-blooming-cereus.jpg
    1200 x 900 - 124K
    City at Night 1.jpg
    2560 x 1600 - 3M
    Raccoon at Night.jpg
    657 x 438 - 130K
    Werewolf.jpg
    965 x 1116 - 1M
    Starship.jpg
    1679 x 944 - 691K
    they live by night poster.jpg
    1055 x 1600 - 384K
    nightlife_.jpg
    1400 x 740 - 128K
    Cecropia Moth.jpg
    1065 x 1287 - 2M
    shadow1.jpg
    1440 x 1722 - 291K
    Fireflies.jpg
    1280 x 854 - 451K
    Post edited by UnifiedBrain on
  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    edited May 2017

    Our PA sponsor this month is GkDantas (Marcelo Teixeira).

    I will write more about him and his work, just before voting begins.

    Check out some of his great renders below!

    tumblr_nq0g5hxrIr1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 175K
    tumblr_nq0fm2CrF81ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 125K
    tumblr_npwykayqcI1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 198K
    tumblr_npvb52SLsQ1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 175K
    tumblr_nq0gelURiw1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 224K
    tumblr_nq0gciof0T1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 327K
    tumblr_nq0fe41qrU1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 207K
    tumblr_nq0fybct5K1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 178K
    tumblr_mam1zdz4LK1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 750 - 62K
    tumblr_nq0fu9W9AT1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 149K
    tumblr_nq0g5st0zL1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 143K
    tumblr_nq0gd4bd1h1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 167K
    tumblr_nq0fjrFXlH1ry58y6o1_1280.jpg
    1000 x 1000 - 112K
    Post edited by UnifiedBrain on
  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921

    Terrific Mr UB. Wonderful theme. I like it :) !

  • TangoAlphaTangoAlpha Posts: 4,584

    This was my first thought...

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921
    edited April 2017

    Handsome woman Tim.

    Here's a wip character  to start off. No post work.Toon1Part111. Fast aa at the moment. Better fuzz out the glow channel in the iris a wee bit.

     

     

     

     

    character1.jpg
    1600 x 1200 - 569K
    Doc6.jpg
    1600 x 1200 - 977K
    Post edited by Headwax on
  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    head wax said:

    Here's a wip character  to start off. No post work.Toon1Part111. Fast aa at the moment. Better fuzz out the glow channel in the iris a wee bit.

     

     

    I can already tell.  This is gonna be awesome.

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 7,757

    Q: can one artist therefore win all four categories?

     

    Great theme.... do squirrels come out at night I wonder.... hmmmmm.

    Headwax!...... shouldn't you be out surfing ... devil

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021
    edited April 2017

    Fun theme and new requirements.  This will be an interesting change of pace.  Thanks for the reference images. 

     

    @Headwax, way to start off the WIPs.  yes

     

    I'm not ready for a WIP yet.  But here is an image that I thought about when I saw the theme. 

     

    dusk til dawn poster.jpg
    750 x 1089 - 917K
    Post edited by Diomede on
  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    edited April 2017
    Stezza said:

    Q: can one artist therefore win all four categories?

    Nope.  Only one. From the other thread: "No artist can win more than one category.  If an artist gets the highest score in more than one category, he/she can only accept the higher category, and the lower category is won by the 2nd highest image vote."

    Stezza said:

    Great theme.... do squirrels come out at night I wonder.... hmmmmm.

    Nope.  But their less-cute looking cousins do.

    I sense a cartoon in the making.

    "Hey, if we put on these fake tails, we can go out in the daytime!"

    Or, two squirrels looking at their rebellious child - "Jr decided to shave his tail and experience the dark side."

    Post edited by UnifiedBrain on
  • StezzaStezza Posts: 7,757

    We don't have squirrels in oz so wasn't sure... may have to try and push and pull it into a possum then... they come out every night and sit in the dead tree out the back growling and hissing ... blood curdling stuff really, even the Roos steer clear!

    or maybe a drop bear ..... 

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588

    You can still use squirrels (and your squirrels are great btw).  I added some off-the-wall ideas in the post above.

    No squirrels in Oz?  I had no idea.  There are a lot of trees around my house.  We probably have 5 or 6 squirrels.

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    edited April 2017
    Diomede said:

    Fun theme and new requirements.  This will be an interesting change of pace.  Thanks for the reference images.

    Thanks!  I always look forward to seeing where your curiosity takes you.

    Post edited by UnifiedBrain on
  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675

    1st thought popped in my head, think was hall and oats song, she's a man eater

    thinkin goin horror smiley  bruxa mebbe, literal maneater 

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921

    @UnifiedBrain et @stezza et @ Diomede - thanks - no surf today I have been pulling down walls for our new arts' centre :)

    great poster Diomede 

     

    Stezza, you could do drop bears :)

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    MistyRara said:

    1st thought popped in my head, think was hall and oats song, she's a man eater

    thinkin goin horror smiley  bruxa mebbe, literal maneater 

    Go for it!  I've heard that if you leave the soul out of the blended weight conversion, G3 makes a great vampire. :)

  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634

    Already 2 different ideas are churning in my head... wonder which I'll choose... hmmm... .. .

  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675
    MistyRara said:

    1st thought popped in my head, think was hall and oats song, she's a man eater

    thinkin goin horror smiley  bruxa mebbe, literal maneater 

    Go for it!  I've heard that if you leave the soul out of the blended weight conversion, G3 makes a great vampire. :)

     

    traps the souls of his victims in his freckles  

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 7,757
    edited April 2017

    My first WiPs and render for this challenge to match @headwax 

    a challenge to render NPRs & PRs with NO postwork not even for sig and to use AM's squirrel   smiley  ... but I did it yes

    used the glow channel to brighten up the models

    TITLE - Going Nuts

    WiP1.jpg
    1883 x 811 - 123K
    WiP2-scenesetup.jpg
    1886 x 787 - 746K
    Post edited by Stezza on
  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675

    Casper!

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921

    Ha ha, what a scream Stezza~!

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921
    edited April 2017

    Bit of a play today before the sun went down. Used aura and light cone and a fire and cuastics 

    Doc1.jpg
    1500 x 2000 - 2M
    Post edited by Headwax on
  • StezzaStezza Posts: 7,757

    very very frightning me!

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921

    Yes, at first I was going to make him a minister of religion....

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021

    Wow, they must be putting speed pills in the water in Oz.  Stezza and Headwax, yes

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921

    it was either that or do house work :)

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021
    edited April 2017

    Decided on a nightclub scene.  Trying to find options for the lighting requirement.  Blocking out a test of light cones.

    1) used some primitives to block out a stage and curtains.  In scene tab, set ambient light to zero.  Turned the default distant light to zero.  Inserted a text object for the test.

    2) inserted some spot lights. Brightness, half angle, and angular falloff are under the general tab. 

    3) spotlight, under modifiers tab, point at text object

    4) spotlight, under effects tab, check light cone.  There are options for light color, intensity, falloff, fog, 3d shadows, light through transparency

    .

    5) toon settings found by selecting scene and look under the filters.   

    .

    dd01 scene arrange spot light general light.JPG
    1689 x 941 - 124K
    dd02 modifier point at text.JPG
    1648 x 911 - 122K
    dd03 effects tab check light cone fog box.JPG
    1643 x 1012 - 154K
    dd04 test render.jpg
    640 x 480 - 11K
    dd05 test render nightclub.JPG
    1665 x 1026 - 136K
    dd06 test render toon render.jpg
    640 x 480 - 13K
    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021
    edited April 2017

    NPR renderer with outline, diffuse, shadow, highlight, and background checked.  Light cone does not appear to be effective with NPR renderer, but I may just be using the wrong settings.

    dd07.jpg
    640 x 480 - 10K
    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021
    edited April 2017

    So, here is a test of combining the photoreal test render with the NPR test render.  I inserted a plane, adjusted its dimensions to 64 by 48 (dimensions of previous renders), and changed the shader to a multichannel mixer.  Inserted the photoreal and NPR as texture map in each channel. 

    ee01 insert plane change dimensions 64 times 48.JPG
    1455 x 928 - 155K
    ee02 shader for plane multi mixer at 50 percent.JPG
    1743 x 945 - 153K
    ee04 npr renderer combo with real to get some light cone effect.jpg
    640 x 480 - 9K
    Post edited by Diomede on
  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    Diomede said:

    Wow, they must be putting speed pills in the water in Oz.  Stezza and Headwax, yes

    yesyesyes

    Just dang.

     

     

    Diomede said:

    NPR renderer with outline, diffuse, shadow, highlight, and background checked.  Light cone does not appear to be effective with NPR renderer, but I may just be using the wrong settings.

    Yes, I don't think that light effects work in NPR, which is why I waived the requirement there.  But you figured out how to add one anyway. :)

    Then again, I know that many entering this Challenge are Carrara geniuses, and that a restriction here or there won't hardly even slow you down from doing what you want.

  • MarkIsSleepyMarkIsSleepy Posts: 1,496
    edited April 2017

    I'm not sure if I will enter this one - not being able to do even simple color and light corrections post-render means doing dozens of test renders and on my slow old laptop that's a real time killer when I only have a few hours a week to spend on my art hobby.  

    Below is what I have now, but I am not sure how far I will pursue it.

    The bats were just made roughly in the vertex modeller by extruding a few pieces from a low-poly vertex sphere, then deleting two spots and putting in spheres for the eyes.  Fur is Carrara dynamic hair. The ceiling is vertex object and the floor is a terrain.  The mid-ground bats are replicated on an invisible plane. The distant back-lighting uses a light cone and the render has a 20% toon effect on it (render without the toon affect is also attached).

    SceneSetup01.JPG
    1875 x 969 - 139K
    SceneSetup02.JPG
    1871 x 960 - 243K
    TestRender001.jpg
    1400 x 1050 - 76K
    TestRender002.jpg
    1400 x 1050 - 70K
    Post edited by MarkIsSleepy on
Sign In or Register to comment.