Carrara Challenge #7: "CARDS FROM AN UNUSUAL DECK" - Work In Progress (WIP)

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Comments

  • MicioDueMicioDue Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    jrm21 said:
    The cards and the symbols on them were created in Carrara (there is one basic card shape and then four different "suit" symbols - I am guessing this qualifies as at least two items created in Carrara?) Along those lines, does "point at" qualify as use of a modifier?

    Yes, if you created cards and symbols in Carrara they qualify.
    If you mean the "Point at" modifier part of the Behavior Modifiers family and you use it to set the proper orientation of an object respect to another in you static scene, it qualifies too.
  • stu sutcliffestu sutcliffe Posts: 274
    edited December 1969

    Good idea for the rope diomede. Is there a way to "freeze" a modified twist? I have tried exporting it with morphs and skinning, it sort of works but looks terrible.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021
    edited December 1969

    Good idea for the rope diomede. Is there a way to "freeze" a modified twist? I have tried exporting it with morphs and skinning, it sort of works but looks terrible.

    Thanks. Good question about "freezing" the result. I just played with a few ideas but no solution for you yet. I tried converting only 1 of the cylinders to the vertex modeler before exporting and seeing if I could identify which one upon re-import. It didn't seem to make a difference. Maybe if the mesh density was increased? However, just doing the default resulted in a mesh density of over 88,000 vertexes.

    I'll attach a screenshot. On the left is the mesh of the exported/re-imported rope .obj with one cylinder converted to a vertex model first. I can't identify the cylinder that was converted first based on the mesh. The right side is the unadjusted rope model made with primitives and the twist modifier.

    Could you post a screenshot of the problems that you are getting?

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  • stu sutcliffestu sutcliffe Posts: 274
    edited December 1969

    I don't need to . You just have!

    I get the same. What we need is for it to keep the same mesh as when we started .
    I have been making ropes in 3dCoat and have got it sorted, this would give me another option for a quickly made different spec rope.

    In 3dcoat, what you do is make a secton of a rope, then you can sort of tile it and actually just draw the rope out,even tie knots in it! ( take a look at my Hunchback pic on my blog or on the renders thread here.) But the key thing you have to do is make the top bit of the section you make match the bottom bit ,so when you tile it, it blends with itself. I figured this might be easier to do in Carrara .But it was just a thought , I will stick with what I have.

  • VarselVarsel Posts: 574
    edited December 1969

    I'm trying to create a Card Soldier as well.
    But this one is more influenced by the latest movie with Alice....

    It's still far from the final stage...

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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021
    edited December 1969

    I don't need to . You just have!

    I get the same. What we need is for it to keep the same mesh as when we started .
    I have been making ropes in 3dCoat and have got it sorted, this would give me another option for a quickly made different spec rope.

    In 3dcoat, what you do is make a secton of a rope, then you can sort of tile it and actually just draw the rope out,even tie knots in it! ( take a look at my Hunchback pic on my blog or on the renders thread here.) But the key thing you have to do is make the top bit of the section you make match the bottom bit ,so when you tile it, it blends with itself. I figured this might be easier to do in Carrara . But it was just a thought , I will stick with what I have.

    For straight ropes, I think you could use a replicator with 'seamless' tiling if you "...make the top bit of the section you make match the bottom bit ,so when you tile it, it blends with itself." Curving the result requires more thought.

    Varsel,

    - looks great! Your card-soldiers would kick my card-soldiers butts in a battle because I have imbedded the shoulder and hip joints within the card. My configuration complicates the joint weight-mapping.

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,040
    edited December 1969

    I don't need to . You just have!

    I get the same. What we need is for it to keep the same mesh as when we started .
    I have been making ropes in 3dCoat and have got it sorted, this would give me another option for a quickly made different spec rope.

    In 3dcoat, what you do is make a secton of a rope, then you can sort of tile it and actually just draw the rope out,even tie knots in it! ( take a look at my Hunchback pic on my blog or on the renders thread here.) But the key thing you have to do is make the top bit of the section you make match the bottom bit ,so when you tile it, it blends with itself. I figured this might be easier to do in Carrara .But it was just a thought , I will stick with what I have.

    I have two suggestions for the rope. Neither one uses the modifier though.

    One would be to use the VM and draw to circles next to each other (or more, depending on how many strands you need), then use the dynamic extrude function and extrude the two circles out a short bit, then use the rotate tool to rotate the extruded section a bit, extrude, rotate, extrude, rotate, etc. etc. as long as you need. Then you could rig it to bend.

    Another method would be to draw two circles ( or more) next to each other in the spline modeler and use the spring preset to wrap the circle sections around each other.

  • d-j-od-j-o Posts: 345
    edited December 1969

    Here is the figure, She's shooting energy from her hands. Right now I'm testing a ribbon like object that I have twist and bulge on. I'm trying shaders first see if I can make it look cool, if not I will try textures, I'm also going to try a tube shaped object and see how that looks too.

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  • d-j-od-j-o Posts: 345
    edited December 1969

    Here is the fire blast.

    It's a tube with bulge and twist with a ball on the end with the explode modifier on it, it is with a cellular shader.

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  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    Zawarkal said:
    But, someone could create a daz challenge with this theme... hint, hint, hint ;)

    D|S gets enough love and attention... ;-)

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    Zawarkal said:
    Stezza said:
    You can download a demo of 8.1 from download.com

    http://download.cnet.com/Carrara-8-Pro/3000-6677_4-10782148.html

    that will kick start you off ;-)

    yeah, but I make it a habit not to install demos as I do not like it when bad uninstalls create registry issues down the road

    when I find it at a price I can manage then that will be the time I am supposed to have it, until then daz studio it is

    perhaps I can make a hello goodbye themed unusual card image and submit to the pc challenge

    Then run a virtual machine using Hyper-V or VMware. When you are finished with the demo, throw it away...no changes made to your regular computer.

  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    Got a late start again and my idea well is nearly completely empty. :sick: 8-/

    I'm pondering the idea of using Roger Zelazny's Chronicle Of Amber series and the use of "Trumps" as a communication/transport device. I'm not sure that I'll have the time needed...but I'll try to come up with something.

    Seriously, go read the first 5 books in that series - they are fairly short. The last 5 get very weird and I would rate them as optional.

    Great theme idea BTW! I am looking forward to seeing what people come up with.

  • MicioDueMicioDue Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Garstor said:
    Got a late start again and my idea well is nearly completely empty. :sick: 8-/

    I'm pondering the idea of using Roger Zelazny's Chronicle Of Amber series and the use of "Trumps" as a communication/transport device. I'm not sure that I'll have the time needed...but I'll try to come up with something.

    Seriously, go read the first 5 books in that series - they are fairly short. The last 5 get very weird and I would rate them as optional.

    Great theme idea BTW! I am looking forward to seeing what people come up with.


    Garstor, I was hoping that someone was inspired by Amber Tarot! :-) This theme has endless possibilities, indeed.
  • GarstorGarstor Posts: 1,411
    edited December 1969

    MicioDue said:
    Garstor, I was hoping that someone was inspired by Amber Tarot! :-) This theme has endless possibilities, indeed.

    It is a tough idea to run with though...thinking of how to express the Trumps. Here is the link for others to learn about them:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Amber#The_Trumps

    Wikipedia is no replacement for reading the books though! :)

    Working in a Carrara modifier is also giving me a moment of pause...

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,040
    edited December 1969

    Garstor said:
    MicioDue said:
    Garstor, I was hoping that someone was inspired by Amber Tarot! :-) This theme has endless possibilities, indeed.

    It is a tough idea to run with though...thinking of how to express the Trumps. Here is the link for others to learn about them:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Amber#The_Trumps

    Wikipedia is no replacement for reading the books though! :)

    Working in a Carrara modifier is also giving me a moment of pause...

    I would recommend the spin modifier, but it may be hard to get across in a still image.

  • shlomi laszloshlomi laszlo Posts: 250
    edited December 1969

    first render

    post of it in project dogwaffle

    2nd render with the postwork of the 1st as a texture

    feedback is welcome

    shlomi

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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021
    edited December 1969

    Shlomi - Great fireball. I will have to look into Dogwaffle Howler. A few others have posted images from the program, and they are always impressive.

    JRM21 - If the dragon is a cheat, don't trust, but don't accuse, either! Fun concept. I like that you can see the dragon's cards.

    Kashyyk - Thanks for showing the shader tree for the energy ribbon. Very creative.

    Varsel - I'm still trying to decide whether to adjust my card-people to have the complete limbs outside the card-torso, or if I will stick with having the thighs and shoulders remain within the extended frame like a whale or a dolphin. At the moment, I am sticking with my original card-figure approach, but suggestions are welcome.

    Here is a progress update for making a face card, queen of diamonds. I modeled a female head and torso, then used duplicate with symmetry to flip it on the y-axis. I then used the SCALE tool to reverse the duplicate in the X direction. Using similar methods as for my 2-10 cards, I rendered out the card on a white background, then loaded the image as a texture map on the figure.

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  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,040
    edited December 1969

    Cool stuff in this one! I would like to try and get something in this one, but I'm knee deep in an important project and at the same time my work hours have increased, so I don't know if I will be able to get an entry done.

  • VarselVarsel Posts: 574
    edited December 1969

    diomede64 said:

    Varsel - I'm still trying to decide whether to adjust my card-people to have the complete limbs outside the card-torso, or if I will stick with having the thighs and shoulders remain within the extended frame like a whale or a dolphin. At the moment, I am sticking with my original card-figure approach, but suggestions are welcome.

    Sorry.. Didn't mean to steal your idea. :red:

    But I did recently watch the latest Alice Movie, and when this challenge appeared I had a memory flashback...
    When googling for references, I did happen to find this : http://alice.wikia.com/wiki/Card_Guard

    It might be easier to rig. perhaps. Although your design is more in line with the original illustrations from the book.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    edited December 1969

    Great stuff going on... Keep it up! :)

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021
    edited December 1969

    Varsel said:

    Sorry.. Didn't mean to steal your idea. :red:

    Not at all. It was Miciodue's idea. (In the list of examples). I love your card soldiers, and am even more impressed with your base model now that you've linked to some of your inspiration. The real danger is that I will steal yours!

    Since I want my card soldiers to swashbuckle on the deck of a flying galleon, and in the air around it, the rigging is turning out to be an issue. As constructed, they don't look very good if they move their arms up or down, so it takes a lot of time adjusting the weight paints. Moving limbs forward and backward seems to work OK. The "protagonists" will be on a smaller craft closer to the camera.

    Here is a progress update on the flying galleon. It has been uv-mapped but I hope to improve the shaders. The balloons are vertex objects. I started to use metaballs for the balloons but I was going to have to convert them to vertex models anyway, so I just restarted in the vertex modeler. I've gotten a good start on the rigging but it clutters the scene and makes it hard to select objects, so I will hold off on that. The pedestals for the railings on the upper decks were made by applying modifiers to primitives.

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  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,040
    edited December 1969

    diomede64 said:
    Varsel said:

    Sorry.. Didn't mean to steal your idea. :red:

    Not at all. It was Miciodue's idea. (In the list of examples). I love your card soldiers, and am even more impressed with your base model now that you've linked to some of your inspiration. The real danger is that I will steal yours!

    Since I want my card soldiers to swashbuckle on the deck of a flying galleon, and in the air around it, the rigging is turning out to be an issue. As constructed, they don't look very good if they move their arms up or down, so it takes a lot of time adjusting the weight paints. Moving limbs forward and backward seems to work OK. The "protagonists" will be on a smaller craft closer to the camera.

    Here is a progress update on the flying galleon. It has been uv-mapped but I hope to improve the shaders. The balloons are vertex objects. I started to use metaballs for the balloons but I was going to have to convert them to vertex models anyway, so I just restarted in the vertex modeler. I've gotten a good start on the rigging but it clutters the scene and makes it hard to select objects, so I will hold off on that. The pedestals for the railings on the upper decks were made by applying modifiers to primitives.

    You may want to look at your thread again as I was wrong. Wendy changed the top level of the shader to either box projection mapping or spherical projection mapping and it works. Changing the top level from multi-channel to projection mapping is something I hadn't done, so I wasn't having success. Just goes to show you, us old farts can still be schooled in Carrara- and happily so! ;-)

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021
    edited December 1969

    You may want to look at your thread again as I was wrong. Wendy changed the top level of the shader to either box projection mapping or spherical projection mapping and it works. Changing the top level from multi-channel to projection mapping is something I hadn't done, so I wasn't having success. Just goes to show you, us old farts can still be schooled in Carrara- and happily so! ;-)

    I should have been paying attention, but it is all good. The metaball tip will come in handy in the future.

  • d-j-od-j-o Posts: 345
    edited December 1969

    I used Metaballs too. I created a about 10 balls different sizes, all just barly touching, I rotated it, then added the Blackhole modifier, then scaled it to get this attack effect.

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  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,040
    edited December 1969

    kashyyyk said:
    I used Metaballs too. I created a about 10 balls different sizes, all just barly touching, I rotated it, then added the Blackhole modifier, then scaled it to get this attack effect.

    Now that is a cool effect! I am going to have to try that one!

  • d-j-od-j-o Posts: 345
    edited February 2014

    kashyyyk said:
    I used Metaballs too. I created a about 10 balls different sizes, all just barly touching, I rotated it, then added the Blackhole modifier, then scaled it to get this attack effect.

    Now that is a cool effect! I am going to have to try that one!

    Thanks, I want to use it in another project as a whirlpool effect, just haven't got around to try it yet.

    Post edited by d-j-o on
  • d-j-od-j-o Posts: 345
    edited December 1969

    I created a game mat, took some blocks that I extruded the top down then took a render from the top then applied to my mat object for a top down city look. Then I added the bend modifier to it to add a curl to the edge.

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  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,103
    edited December 1969

    That's awesome, kashyyyk. All of it! Very cool!

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,021
    edited December 1969

    kashyyyk said:
    kashyyyk said:
    I used Metaballs too. I created a about 10 balls different sizes, all just barly touching, I rotated it, then added the Blackhole modifier, then scaled it to get this attack effect.

    Now that is a cool effect! I am going to have to try that one!

    Thanks, I want to use it in another project as a whirlpool effect, just haven't got around to try it yet.

    Kashyyyk. Great job. Lots of possibilities are coming to mind. For example, I think that whirlpool metaball would make a fantastic tornado with the right shader.

  • MicioDueMicioDue Posts: 0
    edited February 2014

    Folks, you're all showing a real mastery of Carrara and technical explanations of WIPs are excellent! :-)

    I've been really busy so far (as usual... :down: ) but I wish to give my own contribution.
    I planned a complex scene but time flows so I started working to a scene based on simple objects and primitives.
    First, I tried to create four 3D interpretations of French playing cards suits, using just primitives and modifiers. Some modifiers have had amazing effects: Clubs from a negative warp of a cube... interesting!

    Here are the four objects and the details:
    - Hearts: Sphere primitive, scaling on Y axis, Punch + Taper + Linear Wave
    - Spades: Hearts object upside down
    - Diamonds: Cube primitive, scaling on Y axis, 45 degrees rotation on Y axis, Warp
    - Clubs: Cube primitive, scaling on Y axis, Warp + Taper
    - the support for Spades and Clubs: Cylinder primitive, scaling on Y and Z axis, Taper + Warp

    I will try to post soon a more complete WIP. :)

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