Challenge thoughts

# 1 03-03-2007 , 03:17 PM

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Considering this challenge had (in my opinion) the coolest prize evar and we still had very few finished entries, I am opening the floor to opinions and thoughts on what I could do to make the challenges something people feel like they will want to participate in and complete?

-Mike
The Maya Toolbelt

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# 2 03-03-2007 , 06:08 PM

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I agree about the prize.
Maybe for the next challenge it could be a texturing competition, so everyone uses the same basic model but they can texture it any way they want and change it by using displacments and such.

Also, you could print of a certificate or some official thing that could be used in a portfolio to say 'I won the SM challence so hire me' or somthing? Hope that makes sence user added image

"If Less is more then think how much more more would be..."

Winner June 2009 Spaceship Challenge

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# 3 03-03-2007 , 06:35 PM

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These challenges need good advertisement on the home page. I think thats the main reason why there are not so many entries in these challenges. I also notice that this site brings in alot of people that are just breaking into 3D modeling and ect.., so skill level is also a major factor in my opinion, but it also seems like the ones that are skilled are too busy to enter; but however, there were a few entries in this challenge that had a very skilled artist behind it. Sadly they just dropped out, be it for personal reasons, or for some other reason.

Of course this is just my own personal opinion.

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# 4 03-03-2007 , 07:30 PM

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i agree with Someguy, a texturing challenge... maybe on a simple monster(low poly) like that challenge they had over at polycount. we would need to UV map it, or not, lol

Pre UV mapped, just the best texture. ANd we would make a low-poly environment to match it or something. Just to make it harder, lol of course we would need to model AND texture the enviro, within certain specs.

I think that might get a lot of entries! :-D

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www.joopson.com

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# 5 03-03-2007 , 07:49 PM

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so what do you think would get YOU to enter *and* actually finish a challenge entry? user added image

-Mike
The Maya Toolbelt

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# 6 03-03-2007 , 07:52 PM

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yeah - I would definitely be interested in a texturing contest, though I think I would prefer to work on my own model rather than the same one as everyone else.

I agree that there should be some sort of advertisement on the front page and though I don't have any problem with the two month limit, a one month challenge may see more entries.

arran3D

arran3D blog

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# 7 03-03-2007 , 08:34 PM

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i pretty much agree with THX, the only think that has kept me from entering the last couple was that I have been pretty busy the last year or so building a house and designed it in Maya I might add user added image

I also prefer a one month challenge as there is less time to get distracted and I tend to get stuck in with less time to complete.

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# 8 03-03-2007 , 08:39 PM

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Arran-
that wouldn't work, certain models are easier to UV and Texture, so it would be a bit more Variable instead of just based on skill. But i would deff. finish a texturing challenge for a pre-made model. user added image

Environment Artist @ Plastic Piranha
www.joopson.com

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# 9 03-03-2007 , 08:42 PM

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Originally Posted by mtmckinley: so what do you think would get YOU to enter *and* actually finish a challenge entry?

Originally Posted by

A fantasy themed challlenge would be a neat idea. It could be a fantasy themed city, landsacape, person, structure or moment in time. I see so many very beautiful fantasy artworks on other forums. That kind of thing really pulls in the imagination.

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# 10 03-03-2007 , 09:06 PM

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Originally posted by Joopson
Arran-
that wouldn't work, certain models are easier to UV and Texture, so it would be a bit more Variable instead of just based on skill. But i would deff. finish a texturing challenge for a pre-made model.

Originally Posted by

i don't see what difference that makes. It's the texturing that would be judged and the difficulty of UVing and texturing of each model can be taken into account.

a fantasy themed challenge would be cool too.

arran3D

arran3D blog

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# 11 04-03-2007 , 06:11 AM

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as far as a challenge that would actually get my attention...

so many people want to focus on so many different things, obviously according to their own talent (and experience) level... as for me, i can create nurbs objects and create textures for them to make them seem somewhat realistic. i've seen people that can model actual (existing) objects in polys, sub-d, or nurbs and then render them to make them look good. i've seen people model half-assed things and render them in plug-ins or other renderers and make them look amazing no matter how the original model looks or was created.

i believe that focusing on a certain object is key. creating textures, bump maps, lighting, particles, etc. should all be done with knowledge of base maya. no mental ray, no 3rd party renderers, no z-brush. use maya. use maya's built-in materials. use maya's built-in modeling techniques. use maya's built-in texturing, lighting, and software rendering.

i understand that there are others from other 'simply' forums that want to compete because their forums are dead... i believe there's a reason that our forum is flourishing as well as it is currently... it's not because of zbrush, it's not because of modo, it's not because of (enter alternate 3D package here)... simply maya has done well because of the support of users of maya.

therefore, i suggest that maya should be the program all 3D aspects are conducted in. obviously, 2D (such as texturing) is up to the user/entrant.

i offer that if there is to be a challenge, let it focus on an aspect that members can learn from... but let it be a focused aspect. give us a lighting challenge. give us a texturing challenge. give us a rendering challenge... but only allow us to use maya. no plug-ins. no third party renderers. no 3d painters. after deciding which challenge you decide to give, you can THEN decide the rules. allow us photoshop, or not. allow us maxwell, or not. allow us zbrush, or not. allow us mental ray or renderman, or not. the more specific you make a challenge, the more it actually CHALLENGES us to learn more about the program, and the more it increases our skills.

Accept no substitutions.

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# 12 04-03-2007 , 07:22 AM

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To be honest I havent a clue what would get more people to enter, a lot of people seem to then drop off after a week or so, It aint the prize OR the challenge, this one was so open ended that anyone with an idea and any level of skill could havea crack at it, and had the best prize ever in my mind (Hell who wouldent want to see their 3d model made into a real object???)

One idea posted previousley was to mail shot everyone with an e-mail saying what the challenge and prize would be (it gets done with new tutorials so why not in this case) then you might get a lot more people hitting the links to get here and see whats what. As is seems most of the people entering the challenge are the regulars, doing this might get "new Blood" in so to speak.

I like the open endedness of the last challenge, it let me get some ideas on what i've been wanting to do to the forefront of my mind.

One thing that I would like to see is some sort of VFX challenge, kind of like superpowers, space battle, explosions etc etc, these could be all done within maya, either as a single picture or as an animation, and even include compositing...

Just my 2 pence.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 13 04-03-2007 , 12:34 PM

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to be fair mike this challenage was alsome. I could find nothing wrong with it. Alot of different entries, a nice time lenth, a good prize and some stunning work was made.

My personal problems stopped me from finnishing my model to the point where I`m happy with it (I might take arron up on his advice about posting an earlyer verson of it).

i have said many times about the lack of ad`s for these challenages, but I also think a noob section is needed as alot of pepole here are new to maya here

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# 14 04-03-2007 , 12:58 PM

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I think that a lot of people just didn't know about the challenge.
Maybe if the challenges were advertised more, more people would participate.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

George Bernard Shaw - Man and Superman

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# 15 04-03-2007 , 12:59 PM

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This was the first time I participated in a Simply Maya challange and I think the challange was very fun and you were free to work without to many rules keeping you back.

I agree with the others that an all Maya challange would be great. I think that you should not need to have all those exclusive programs to participate in the challanges produced by the SM forums.

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