WIP thread New Users Contest - June 2013

1235

Comments

  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Jaderail said:
    ]I really like this except I see all the flaws in the defenders technique. Your posing and interaction is fine, lighting looks good, textures are fine but....

    The Elbow strike to the face looks good, the hand (right) would only be turned flat to the neck for a pull throw or drop. When facing a Armed foe pulling them close is a BAD idea. I would turn the right hand flat to the shoulders for a fast follow through neck chop. The left arm is good also but striking the inner Elbow just allows the Knife to get closer. A punch out, flat handed at the wrist would force both the arm up and away and keep that nasty knife away from the defenders body. It would also then be a true form taught to me in Kempo for defending against a knife attack.

    I used a photograph from the net as a reference tool... :) Guess I should have been more critical. My own Ju Jutsu days are 15 years in the past.

    So, you think the defender's left hand should strike at the attacker's right forearm, and the defender's right forearm needs to be twisted so the right hand is more parallel to the ground? Just making sure I understand your suggestions before I twist it all up.Yep, you got it perfect. By the way, truthfully the Render is FINE. Don't change a thing. I just saw the next second or so in my mind. It took me back to days when I found that stuff fun and could still do it. The render rocks, it made me see more than it shows. I hope you understand, not often do renders connect to my past, I just had to comment. I do see it in other places in the action but that's not needed here or now.

  • TobiasGTobiasG Posts: 447
    edited June 2013

    Jaderail said:
    Yep, you got it perfect. By the way, truthfully the Render is FINE. Don't change a thing. I just saw the next second or so in my mind. It took me back to days when I found that stuff fun and could still do it. The render rocks, it made me see more than it shows. I hope you understand, not often do renders connect to my past, I just had to comment. I do see it in other places in the action but that's not needed here or now.

    Hey, it's totally cool to get feedback at all, not to mention positive feedback! I'll fiddle with it a bit, and then likely put it in the Contest thread. Thanks for your ideas!

    Post edited by TobiasG on
  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited June 2013

    NV Oracle said:
    Hey, gang, here's my entry.

    "Dude, the Other left, 2"

    I used two Blank Boi's, each with a different texture, 3-D-C's free Scifi Corridor set, the Hero FX special effects set, and three lights. Please let me know what you think.

    Your friend
    Oracle


    I think this one might have gotten missed (it's just over on page 8). Please let me know what you think.

    Your friend
    Oracle

    Post edited by NV Oracle on
  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited June 2013

    NV Oracle said:
    I think this one might have gotten missed (it's just over on page 8). Please let me know what you think.

    Your friend
    Oracle

    Hi, RED FACE here, sorry. Okay first off this is a enter action contest, you picked blank characters so you really need the action between the two figures to SHOW. The posing of the Figures here will really be important. Now, I'll not say this often but as they are TOON like figures think EXAGGERATED poses! The type you see in comic work. Second you need to do something with the lighting, just turning shadows on might be enough. And if you go back through this thread you will find many tips that should help you improve this render.
    Post edited by Jaderail on
  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited December 1969

    Jaderail said:
    NV Oracle said:
    I think this one might have gotten missed (it's just over on page 8). Please let me know what you think.

    Your friend
    Oracle

    Hi, RED FACE here, sorry. Okay first off this is a enter action contest, you picked blank characters so you really need the action between the two figures to SHOW. The posing of the Figures here will really be important. Now, I'll not say this often but as they are TOON like figures think EXAGGERATED poses! The type you see in comic work. Second you need to do something with the lighting, just turning shadows on might be enough. And if you go back through this thread you will find many tips that should help you improve this render.


    Thanks for catching it this time, Jaderail. I really do appreciate the feedback. Turning on the shadows is no problem, it's playing with them that might be the challenge. LOL. Now, comic book type poses....that might be hard. Let me see....

    Thanks again for the help. You've definitely given me something to think about.

    Your friend
    Oracle

  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    NV Oracle said:
    Thanks for catching it this time, Jaderail. I really do appreciate the feedback. Turning on the shadows is no problem, it's playing with them that might be the challenge. LOL. Now, comic book type poses....that might be hard. Let me see....

    Thanks again for the help. You've definitely given me something to think about.

    Your friend
    Oracle

    Okay by Comic book type I mean the stuff like Micky Mouse, Bugs Bunny, and other CARTOON types. They mostly use those over the top poses so the person reading KNOW the characters emotions and actions before you even read the text.
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,892
    edited December 1969

    NV Oracle said:
    Hey, gang, here's my entry. "Dude, the Other left, 2" I used two Blank Boi's, each with a different texture, 3-D-C's free Scifi Corridor set, the Hero FX special effects set, and three lights. Please let me know what you think. Your friend
    Oracle


    Oracle- I just didn't "get" it. The title confuses me, and as Jaderail said, the action isn't exaggerated enough to give me a clue. The Boi's are cute though! As for lighting, it's my personal taste to have something a tad more dramatic, such as a stronger side light and not quite so balanced. I think the set was a perfect choice as it doesn't distract from the main characters.

  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited December 1969

    Sorry about the confusion, Novica. It's actually an inside family joke. My mother, (may she rest in peace), used to get turned around very easily. If we were going to a store, and I would park on one side of the parking lot, when we would come out of the store, she would invariably try to go to the other side of the parking lot from where I was actually parked, and we'd say 'the other left, Mom.', or sometimes if we were giving her directions, she would go the opposite way, and we'd say, 'the other left, Mom'.

    Basically what it boils down to is that, the two Boi's are walking down this hallway, trying to go from point 'A' to point 'B', and they're at a fork in the road. The one Boi looks at his map (think like on Green Lantern, or Young Justice, or Batman and Robin), and says 'we should go this way', and the other Boi, who is positive of where he's going says 'Dude, the other left.'.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,892
    edited December 1969

    Cute! It's like being a newbie army officer- "Your OTHER left, Lieutenant!"

  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    NV Oracle said:
    Sorry about the confusion, Novica. It's actually an inside family joke. My mother, (may she rest in peace), used to get turned around very easily. If we were going to a store, and I would park on one side of the parking lot, when we would come out of the store, she would invariably try to go to the other side of the parking lot from where I was actually parked, and we'd say 'the other left, Mom.', or sometimes if we were giving her directions, she would go the opposite way, and we'd say, 'the other left, Mom'.

    Basically what it boils down to is that, the two Boi's are walking down this hallway, trying to go from point 'A' to point 'B', and they're at a fork in the road. The one Boi looks at his map (think like on Green Lantern, or Young Justice, or Batman and Robin), and says 'we should go this way', and the other Boi, who is positive of where he's going says 'Dude, the other left.'.

    AH HA!! There you go. You have it IN your minds eye, you SEE that in the render you did. Now SHOW that story to us (Viewers) in JUST the render. We only SEE the render, we do not have the background story (we do now, but the judges will not). You need to tell that story in just the render and the poses you use.

    I hope that helps you SEE how more is needed so we See the story you do.
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,892
    edited December 1969

    Here's what I would do-
    The green one, have his finger ON the map, and with his other hand, POINT to a direction.
    The other one, COCK HIS HEAD like "Are you kiddin' me?" and have him point to the other direction. That tilt of the head needs to include the neck and shoulders- get the entire character into it. Then you'll have the attitude shown by the body language. You can also have the second one taking a STEP in the direction he's pointing, like he's already on his way and "enough of this foolishness."

  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited June 2013

    LOL, Yes, Novica, 'your OTHER left, Lieutenant!!' LOL.

    Thanks for the suggestions, Novica, and Jaderail. It does help to see a render from someone else's point of view. I'm going to try to get some of the corrections done this morning, before I go to work, and post the render before I leave.

    Your friend
    Oracle

    EDIT

    Ok, guys, here is some of the corrections. I'm not done with the red Boi on the right, though, and I think I might need to tone down the lighting slightly, but I'll let you guys be the judges.

    Your friend
    Oracle

    Dude,_the_other_left_test.jpg
    800 x 600 - 235K
    Post edited by NV Oracle on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,892
    edited December 1969

    Much better!!!
    Agree about the lighting, I'd turn it down a bit.

  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited June 2013

    Ok. I adjusted the poses on both Boi's, and I turned down the lights, slightly. Please let me know what you think.

    Your friend
    Oracle

    Dude,_the_other_left_test_2.jpg
    800 x 600 - 269K
    Post edited by NV Oracle on
  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,892
    edited December 1969

    I REALLY like it personally. The hand to the forehead shows the confusion, while the other Boi has a very confident stance and is in a "take charge" position that is clearly illustrated without you explaining anything via a story. Nicely done! I like the stronger shadows too.

  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Now that shows interaction and explains itself all on it's own. NICE WORK!

  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,341
    edited June 2013

    Everyone, on your entry posts, don't forget to include the name(s) of software you used in the creation of your image. Some of them are missing that information.

    @hectorblg: Looks good so far. I think the characters' facial expressions are crucial to your image, and while they look fine to me, if I were you I would think about how to make them a little more visible to the viewer, or more of a focal point. Could involve changes in lighting and/or composition.

    @NV Oracle: I agree with Jaderail, the new version is much better! I'd still like to see them casting shadows, though.

    Post edited by Scott Livingston on
  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited June 2013

    Thank you, very much, for all your help, Novica, Jaderail, and Scott. I was trying to play with the shadows before, Scott, but every time I try to turn the shadows on, and choose 'Raytraced Shadows', it darkens the scene almost completely, and no matter what I do to increase the intensity of the lights, nothing happens. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Sorry, so far, I've only used DAZ Studio 3.1.

    Post edited by NV Oracle on
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,341
    edited December 1969

    My guess would be that your lights are being blocked by walls or something else in your scene...with shadows off, the lights would just penetrate through the other objects, but when you turn shadows on, the lights may not be reaching the things you want to illuminate.

    I've found this thread to be a very useful resource, especially when it comes to lighting interior sets.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,892
    edited December 1969

    NV Oracle said:
    Thank you, very much, for all your help, Novica, Jaderail, and Scott. I was trying to play with the shadows before, Scott, but every time I try to turn the shadows on, and choose 'Raytraced Shadows', it darkens the scene almost completely, and no matter what I do to increase the intensity of the lights, nothing happens. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Sorry, so far, I've only used DAZ Studio 3.1.

    You're so welcome! It was a pleasure to see it "come along." And I can tell you had fun with it, and that's the most important thing when you're doing this *smile*

  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited December 1969

    It has been fun, Novica, and a learning experience. Lights are not my forte, and I need to work on posing a bit more as well, until I'm a bit more comfortable with it.

    Scott, I promise, there are no walls blocking my lights. I am using three Distant Lights, but they're all within the corridor, unless I'm getting spill over from the outside, and I don't think so. I got the segments as close together as I possibly could. One thing I did was, I had used a Null object to aim my lights, but I was getting confused by it, so I reset the 'point at', and deleted the Null, and then re-aimed my lights manually. Also, I didn't know that you had to turn down the Shadow Softness, and the Shadow Bias both all the way down to zero in order for the shadows to show up (or 0.010 in the case of Shadow Bias). I didn't know that before.

    The one thing I don't understand is why is the back wall still so dark. It's getting some of the light, because the shadows are hitting it from the two Boi's, but nothing else.

    Here it is. Please let me know what you think.

    Dude,_the_other_left_2_final_by_NV_Oracle.jpg
    800 x 600 - 183K
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,341
    edited December 1969

    Maybe try spotlights instead of distant lights? My understanding is that distant lights don't really have a position, just a direction--the light comes from infinitely far away (like sunlight...technically that's not an infinite distance, but for most practical purposes it may as well be).

  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited June 2013

    Ok, let me give that a shot, and see what happens.

    Ok, for some reason it looks like a trade off. The floor in color, and the back wall too dark, or the back wall in color, but the floor bleached out a fair bit. It seems to give the scene a bit more of the 3rd D, meaning depth. The two boi's shadows, and are shaded, and you can see the back wall behind them.

    Anyway, please let me know what you think.

    Your friend
    Oracle

    Dude,_the_other_left_2_final_2_by_NV_Oracle.jpg
    800 x 600 - 274K
    Post edited by NV Oracle on
  • frank0314frank0314 Posts: 14,089
    edited December 1969

    Try using 1 uber environment with occlusion/soft shadows light and 2 point lights

  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited June 2013

    Ok. We may be reaching out of bounds on the 'Beginner' level, here, Frank, but I'll try anything. Where in the scene would I put the two point lights.

    Thanks for the suggestion, by the way.

    Thanks for the suggestion Frank. I did an experiment with the UberEnvioronment2 light, and I liked the way that it worked, so I think I'm going to keep it, but I left in the three Distant Lights, instead.

    Please let me know what you think, gang.

    Dude,_the_other_left_2_FINAL_3_by_NV_Oracle.jpg
    800 x 600 - 268K
    Post edited by NV Oracle on
  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited December 1969

    Okay. Did I say, or do something wrong somewhere?

    I wanted to thank all of you for your ideas, and suggestions. Novica, Jaderail, Scott, and Frank.

    Frank, I'm sorry if I made it sound like I wasn't taking your suggestion as seriously as the others. That was not the case at all, and I'm sorry if I made it sound that way.

    The UberEnvironment2 really worked out great. It lightened up the back wall fairly well. At least you can see where the two Boi's are at now, which is what I wanted.

    Thanks, again, for your help, gang. It was greatly appreciated. I'm going to post it in the main Contest Thread, and we'll see what happens.

    I might play with it again, here in a few days, and try Franks suggestion of using two point lights in there, although I'm a little out of my element with the point lights.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Did someone mention Point lights http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/23911/

    whistling as I sneaks off.

  • NV OracleNV Oracle Posts: 139
    edited December 1969

    Szark said:
    Did someone mention Point lights http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/23911/

    whistling as I sneaks off.

    Pete, you big meanie!! LOL!! Now I know I'm completely out of my element. LOL. I'm going to have to re-read that again. It's a good thing I've bookmarked that page, so I can go back to it. I loved what you did with the point light inside the sphere, and then put the texture over the ball. It kind of reminded me of one of those disco ball lights that they used back then (yes, I know I'm dating myself here. LOL.

    I'm going to have to show that Mechwarrior type picture to my brother. He'll get a kick out of it. He's a major Mechwarrior fan.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    LOL I didn't mean to be mean, you know what I mean. :- ) My advise with tutorails is read them twice, play with Daz Studio for a few months and then come back a reread them twice again. I beat more things will makes sense the second time around.

    Disco Balls yeah I remember them well...I was living it. I wish I hadn't but I did.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    oh and I like your image..a lot, why as it is hard to get a story across with one prop, body language and two hand gestures...for me that just works so well...I love it.

Sign In or Register to comment.