Carrara Challenge #24: “Under the Sea” or "Out of the Box" - WIP Thread

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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,024
    edited April 2016

    Here is my start to try to rehab the male head 2 model in the mesh model folder (malehd2).  I converted it from facets to a vertex model and created shader domains for the lips, eye whites, eye iris, eye pupil, and skin.  I used seams and pins to make a uvmap.  I derived the eye shader maps from human reference photos by Peter Levius acquired from that other marketplace.  The skin and lips are just procedurals from the carrara default shader folders, but I hope to improve.  I tested adding hair, eyebrows, and a mustache, but more experimentation is warranted. 

     

    Malehd2 try 1.jpg
    800 x 600 - 43K
    malehd2 uvmap.JPG
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    Post edited by Diomede on
  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634
    edited April 2016

    Very good renders All.

    I seem to be having a problem with the Landscape editor. Is there any documentation for it?  I searched in the Help/Documentation for it last challenge and barely found a mention of it... basically said Carrara had one... didn't explain load/save, import/export or any of the controls etc.

    My mistake, my second trip into the landscaped editor, was saving my landscaped from there and not from the Assemble room also. I also exported one as a .psd file from the Landscape editor... I was able to load it after inserting a landscape into the scene then importing the .psd file... unfortunately it was not the one I wanted.

    I can load the landscape, Terrain 2.car, saved via Terrain editor Preset: Save As... however the world size is enormous... it doesn't load with lighting etc... after resetting the wold size all the features are lost. Is there any hopes in getting it back?  If not I'll just start all over.

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

    I just ain't got enough time... packing up the PC this arvo and I haven't got  anything together just yet..

    Hopefully before the end of the challenge I'll get something up..

    Meantime before I duck off -- here is a render I did in the PC challenge thread which won a prize for me which fits in with this theme

     

    Great works coming through and I'll be keeping a lookout via the iPad as we go

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    wgdjohn said:

    Very good renders All.

    I seem to be having a problem with the Landscape editor. Is there any documentation for it?  I searched in the Help/Documentation for it last challenge and barely found a mention of it... basically said Carrara had one... didn't explain load/save, import/export or any of the controls etc.

    My mistake, my second trip into the landscaped editor, was saving my landscaped from there and not from the Assemble room also. I also exported one as a .psd file from the Landscape editor... I was able to load it after inserting a landscape into the scene then importing the .psd file... unfortunately it was not the one I wanted.

    I can load the landscape, Terrain 2.car, saved via Terrain editor Preset: Save As... however the world size is enormous... it doesn't load with lighting etc... after resetting the wold size all the features are lost. Is there any hopes in getting it back?  If not I'll just start all over.

    If you're loading in a .psd file, I suggest not loading a terrain from the browser. Instead, open a new blank scene, then use Insert > Terrain. That will take you into the terrain modeler with a "mountain" generator applied to the otherwise flat plane. Look to the right and set the world size you'd like right from the start.  Then select that mountain generator and then hit the Remove button (this is all on the left of the work zone) and then, just below all of that, use the loader to load your psd height map. 

    Don't go too wild when you see the result... you'll need to carefully tweak the height parameter to get the right proportions, as well as going to the right and setting the resolution higher - say, 256 minimum, but if you set it too high your Carrara experience will get unnecessarily sluggish - so I would suggest 512, possibly even 1024. But try it at lowerr resolution first and just add a filter or two or three (or more) to finish the look.

    Alternatively, in the case you've mentioned above, if you wish to simply change the world size while keeping the same appearance, etc., instead of changing the world size parameter on the top, go to the very bottom of those controls and use the one that allows you to "Rescale to" and set the size you need - it'll keep the proportions as it changes the size. ;)

    Anyways, for a much more in-depth exploration into making your own terrains, I have a decent thread going called Building Terrains Intro with all sort of great information from the community. Still have questions after perusing that? Ask within that thread so that it can expand and get even better! :)

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103

    Diomede, What a wonderful job you're doing with that head! Very cool!

    Speaking of Very Cool, Stezza... that's looking really nice!!!

     

  • DUDUDUDU Posts: 1,945

    Thanks Dart for your explanations about the fog, yes it could be usefull, and in animation too.

    Here there are the two kinds of fogs because the distant fog is the best for a submarine atmosphere.

    I will add a few things for the submission but it's nearly good for this one.

    The name is "The guardian of Atlantis".

    Scène v26.jpg
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  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,139

    Stezza and Dudu - great images!

  • MarkIsSleepyMarkIsSleepy Posts: 1,496
    edited April 2016

    Still working on cleaning up and retexturing the content cars to turn them into hotwheels and I want to go back and take a little more time on the track but I had an idea for the under the sea one and thought I'd spend a few minutes on that to at least block it out (really I was just jealous of all the great underwater images being posted cheeky) but then I got a little too involved and spent a couple hours on it.

    Finding Ryleh

    Doc28.jpg
    1200 x 900 - 41K
    Post edited by MarkIsSleepy on
  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634
    edited April 2016

    Dart,  Thanks... for the help... tagged your Building Terrains Intro it looks like a big help... will ask future questions there since others will benefit.  Thanks also to PhilW getting me excited about tackling the Landscape editor, once again, after watching his video.

    Edit: OT... how did you remove or not have an underline under "Building Terrains Intro"?

    Post edited by wgdjohn on
  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634

    Stezza, DUDU and MDO2010 like how all the pics show depth... forground to background... nice work.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    wgdjohn said:

    Dart, Thanks... for the help... tagged your Building Terrains Intro it looks like a big help... will ask future questions there since others will benefit.  Thanks also to PhilW getting me excited about tackling the Landscape editor, once again, after watching his video.

    Well, you can ask questions here too! 

    You'll see that it can really be fun. Layering various maps, generators, filters can make all manner of really wonderful results! 

     

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,024
    edited April 2016

    Here I am with two steps forward and one step back.  For my next steps, much of what I need to fix will have to be done in Photoshop on my custom texture map, not Carrara.  You can see the blockiness where I cut and paste the skin on the uvmap. 

    I didn't like my original uvmap, so I remapped the head to make it easier to use my skin reference photos from Levius. The irises and pupils are from Olympia 6.   I then exported the uvmap and loaded it in Photoshop Elements.  Here is the raw attempt to copy and paste sections of the skin photo reference to my uvmap.  LOL. I still think it is progress, but I have a new appreciation for Silver and the other artists that create the original skin textures for character packs.  One day, even after I eventually smooth the transitions of the skin shaders, there will still be no specular or bump photo reference.  Any tips for creating those?  I do have subsurface scattering and index of refraction turned on, but I just plugged a generic map in the bump channel and set a low highlight value.

    Has Cripeman done a build-a-skin-shader-tree video?

    head wip.jpg
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    uvmapMaleHd2 try 2a.jpg
    1024 x 1024 - 201K
    Post edited by Diomede on
  • stringtheory9stringtheory9 Posts: 411
    edited April 2016
    diomede said:

    Here I am with two steps forward and one step back.  For my next steps, much of what I need to fix will have to be done in Photoshop on my custom texture map, not Carrara.  You can see the blockiness where I cut and paste the skin on the uvmap. 

    I didn't like my original uvmap, so I remapped the head to make it easier to use my skin reference photos from Levius. The irises and pupils are from Olympia 6.   I then exported the uvmap and loaded it in Photoshop Elements.  Here is the raw attempt to copy and paste sections of the skin photo reference to my uvmap.  LOL. I still think it is progress, but I have a new appreciation for Silver and the other artists that create the original skin textures for character packs.  One day, even after I eventually smooth the transitions of the skin shaders, there will still be no specular or bump photo reference.  Any tips for ceating those?  I do have subsurface scattering and index of refraction turned on, but I just plugged a generic map in the bump channel and set a low highlight value.

    Has Cripeman done a build-a-skin-shader-tree video?

    This is starting to look really good. A very feathered clone tool will do the trick for blending those hard edges. You can also use the smudge tool to smear tone, luminosity and saturation to even the transitions. From what ive seen most bump maps are just black and white copies of the diffuse map. For specular you can start with the black and white image and darken the areas you don't want any shine and lighten the areas you do. Burn and dodge tools should work for that but I'm not sure if those come with PS essentials. If not I think light grey to dark grey spray will also work.

     

     

     

     

    Post edited by stringtheory9 on
  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634
    edited April 2016
    wgdjohn said:

    Dart, Thanks... for the help... tagged your Building Terrains Intro it looks like a big help... will ask future questions there since others will benefit.  Thanks also to PhilW getting me excited about tackling the Landscape editor, once again, after watching his video.

    Well, you can ask questions here too! 

    You'll see that it can really be fun. Layering various maps, generators, filters can make all manner of really wonderful results! 

    I posted to Building Terrains Intro. Mentioned one thing I especially had trouble with that you didn't touch upon in the tutorial... hope you don't mind.

    Post edited by wgdjohn on
  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921
    edited April 2016

    thanks dart stringtheory and Philw, that's very kind.

    Dart let me know and I'll drop box it ... :)

     

    here's something silly, spent a few hours going for a graphic novel look, 

    you probably need to click on the attachment to read it 

     

     

     

     

    graphicnovel.jpg
    2000 x 1176 - 1M
    Post edited by Headwax on
  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921
    edited April 2016
    Stezza said:

    I just ain't got enough time... packing up the PC this arvo and I haven't got  anything together just yet..

    Hopefully before the end of the challenge I'll get something up..

    Meantime before I duck off -- here is a render I did in the PC challenge thread which won a prize for me which fits in with this theme

     

    Great works coming through and I'll be keeping a lookout via the iPad as we go

    that's pretty awesome stezza , what did you use for postwork? perfect effects??

    Stezza said:

     

    Post edited by Headwax on
  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921

    diomede triffic job, patience is a virtue :) evilproducer has a procedural skin shader if that helps?

  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634

    head wax, may be silly to you but I happen to like it.

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921

    this caustics generator is handy

    http://www.dualheights.se/caustics/#download

     

    you piut the map in the light effects section "GEL" amd also tick Use gel in the Light Cone parameters

    you end up with something like this 

     

     

     

    demo-5.jpg
    2000 x 1341 - 495K
  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,921
    wgdjohn said:

    head wax, may be silly to you but I happen to like it.

     

    thanks :)

     

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 7,757
    head wax said:
    Stezza said:

    I just ain't got enough time... packing up the PC this arvo and I haven't got  anything together just yet..

    Hopefully before the end of the challenge I'll get something up..

    Meantime before I duck off -- here is a render I did in the PC challenge thread which won a prize for me which fits in with this theme

     

    Great works coming through and I'll be keeping a lookout via the iPad as we go

    that's pretty awesome stezza , what did you use for postwork? perfect effects??

    Stezza said:

     

    Yep, perfect effects as well as Ron's brushes... Thanks for the comments..

     

    cant do anything now, in hibernation for a bit, but by jingo some awesome works being shown.. Keep them coming they are so informative and just plain great to look at :-)

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,024

    Thank you very much for the suggestions.  It will most likely be a back and forth between PhotoshopElements and Carrara.  The texture map can be loaded in the uvmapping room and then the uv points moved around to fit the map.  I will try to stay patient, Headwax, but it is so hard!  Your image looks amazing, BTW.  Likewise, Dudu, yours looks very close to completion. Well done.

    .

    diomede said:

     

    Has Cripeman done a build-a-skin-shader-tree video?

     A very feathered clone tool will do the trick for blending those hard edges. You can also use the smudge tool to smear tone, luminosity and saturation to even the transitions. From what ive seen most bump maps are just black and white copies of the diffuse map. For specular you can start with the black and white image and darken the areas you don't want any shine and lighten the areas you do. Burn and dodge tools should work for that but I'm not sure if those come with PS essentials. If not I think light grey to dark grey spray will also work.

     

     

     

     

     

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,024

    wgdjohn - not sure which theme you are going for, but if you have Bryce, you can pull those terrains in to Carrara with the Bryce terrain shaders. 

    Video tutorial by Cripeman here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b9c4CW2c18

    Mark - you are amazing as always.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    head wax said:

    this caustics generator is handy

    http://www.dualheights.se/caustics/#download

     

    you piut the map in the light effects section "GEL" amd also tick Use gel in the Light Cone parameters

    you end up with something like this 

     

    Wow. Thanks for this. And there's even 'paid for' versions if you want to sell the outcome... handy indeed! Love the results!

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103

    "Out of our Depth"! LOL 

    Pardon the pun, eh? The sketch image looks fantastic!

  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634
    diomede said:

    wgdjohn - not sure which theme you are going for, but if you have Bryce, you can pull those terrains in to Carrara with the Bryce terrain shaders. 

    Video tutorial by Cripeman here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b9c4CW2c18

    I just recently grabbed Bryce and have only started it up once needing to shut it back down before getting started.  Been too busy in Carrara and DS to crank it up again yet.  Thanks for the link... got it bookmarked so will take a look later.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,024
    edited April 2016

    Some more progress.  The human reference photos that I have include a front view and side views.  I used Photoshop Elements to combine them in a horizontally expanded texture map.  I then loaded the result as the shader and then used the uv editor to try to fit my uvs to this new map.  So far, I've only completed the center and right side of the face.  However, I do think this is significant improvement.  The hair is one of the sample hairs (short blonde) with the friz/wave turned way down and the color darkened.  Eye shaders are still Olympia 6.

    wip malehd2.JPG
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    WIP render.jpg
    800 x 600 - 23K
    Post edited by Diomede on
  • wgdjohnwgdjohn Posts: 2,634

    Diomede, quite an improvement... you're nearly there now

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    wgdjohn said:
    diomede said:

    wgdjohn - not sure which theme you are going for, but if you have Bryce, you can pull those terrains in to Carrara with the Bryce terrain shaders. 

    Video tutorial by Cripeman here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b9c4CW2c18

    I just recently grabbed Bryce and have only started it up once needing to shut it back down before getting started.  Been too busy in Carrara and DS to crank it up again yet.  Thanks for the link... got it bookmarked so will take a look later.

    I have the same issue. I have Bryce, and I have it installed. I bought several Bryce products, and I have them installed.

    Carrara has had me so immersed that trying to learn Bryce has just never become a possibility! LOL

    I am glad to own it - and some of its support content. I love the community of Bryce users. One day I may actually even dig in deep and give it a good play... but for now... Hmmm... there it sits frown

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103

    Yeah, diomede... that's really looking nice! 

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