Introduction to Maya - Rendering in Arnold
This course will look at the fundamentals of rendering in Arnold. We'll go through the different light types available, cameras, shaders, Arnold's render settings and finally how to split an image into render passes (AOV's), before we then reassemble it i
# 1 08-04-2009 , 02:33 PM
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April/May Challenge - SPACESHIPS (Prize info added!)

Spaceships

Due to high demand from a poll that you guys had a couple months ago, we're doing a fun project this time: spaceships! Spaceships are awesome and can be a ton of fun. I've made several spaceships and space stations and planets and stuff in my career and remember having a blast with it! Feel free to be creative and think outside the box!

There's only one hard and fast rule: you have to choose from the following races:

Earthling - That'd be you and me, but we've developed faster-than-light travel through spaaaaaace! It could be anything from USS Enterprise-style to the Firefly-class Serenity-style or maybe we utilized crash alien technology from Roswell... anything you can think of, but try to convey the fact that it is from Earth.

Vyrium - A race of cold-blooded reptilians, these snake-people were enslaved for millenia before finally breaking free from their oppressors and founding their own homeworld on a far away world. Unfortunately, they chose poorly and the star they used to get their warmth began to die out. They were forced to the stars once again to find a new homeworld that would provide the warmth and resources for their civilization. (Bonus mckinley-points to anyone who can catch the reference this race is from! user added image)

Schivas - Similar to Reavers or Klingons, if you will, these pirates are the scourge of the thousand-skies, raping and pillaging any ship or outpost planet they can get to and get away from quickly. They steal technology and cobble together components from other races to develop their ships.

The Unity - These creatures seem to share a hive mind and have strange telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Yet they are able to literally "plug-in" to their ships, becoming ships themselves. So think of these guys as actual living spacecraft!

Other - If you don't like any of these choices, feel free to make up your own! user added image But try to fit an idea into the above choices if you can. I'm really interested in seeing what you guys can come up with given these kinds of themes!

A couple guides:

1) Modeling and Texturing are required.

2) You can be super-duper-high-res or do low-poly game models... your choice!

3) You *can* recreate popular ships from sci-fi and such but it's recommended that you try to think of your own.

4) Name your threads something like Spaceship Challenge: Earthling (challenge name: your race)

5) Any 3D or 2D program can be used.

Feel free to ask any questions in this thread. 1st prize nets 100 points to be used in the SimplyMaya store! But that's not all, you'll also get a nifty medal for getting 1st, 2nd, or 3rd! We can even go crazy with categories if you guys want: Most Creative, Most Realistic, etc. Depends on if we get enough entries, though, I imagine.

Deadline Noon June 1st (USA Pacific Time)!

# 2 08-04-2009 , 02:58 PM
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Excellent! I was just trying out some spaceship modeling strangely enough! Good choice Mike, I'm looking forward to this one even more than the last, I'm in for sure!

One question though, I want to do the Unity choice but with a twist, (them not being humanoid,I have another idea in mind) can I still name it under The Unity, or do I have to go with "Other"?


Last edited by Dango77; 08-04-2009 at 04:23 PM.
# 3 08-04-2009 , 07:33 PM
EduSciVis-er
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I wasn't going to join in on a challenge yet, cause I'm going to be going on holidays in europe for most of may :attn: and I'm also pretty new to maya (I think my join date is misleading), but then I thought, why not? This is probably a really good way to learn, and I should be able to put something together in a bit less than a month. It would be great to get some constructive criticism and strike out on my own after the tutorials I've been doing.

# 4 08-04-2009 , 09:23 PM
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does the spaceship have to be a spaceship or can it be an airship?




that's a "Ch" pronounced as a "K"

Computer skills I should have:
Objective C, C#, Java, MEL. Python, C++, XML, JavaScript, XSLT, HTML, SQL, CSS, FXScript, Clips, SOAR, ActionScript, OpenGL, DirectX
Maya, XSI, Photoshop, AfterEffects, Motion, Illustrator, Flash, Swift3D
# 5 08-04-2009 , 10:16 PM
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Stwert: That's why I joined in on the last challenge,I was still doing tutorials at the same time, but it was good to just be a bit creative, and you do learn a lot. Go for it and good luck with yours!

# 6 08-04-2009 , 10:32 PM
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wow this was quick.. a little shocked by that but hay. Need to think about this one. And F.Y.I villains won that poll.


mike is the Vyrium - the aliens from "V"



Last edited by tweetytunes; 08-04-2009 at 10:35 PM.
# 7 09-04-2009 , 12:58 AM
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-as long as it's a space-faring airship, sure!

-villains won the poll, but I was more interested in spaceships. mwa ha ha!

-Nope, not from V. user added image

# 8 09-04-2009 , 01:42 AM
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busy with 2 of my own personal projects so I might not join this, interesting looking though.

is Vyrium a Conquest 2 reference?

# 9 09-04-2009 , 05:00 AM
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I have so much on my plate at the moment and don't want to commit (I'm still bummed out i couldn't finish the last challenge) but i might be able to join.
Looks like fun though.


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


Winner June 2009 Spaceship Challenge
# 10 09-04-2009 , 11:37 AM
mtmckinley's Avatar
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Yep, Rhetoric, that's right, the Vyrium are from Conquest 2, a now-defunct game I worked on. user added image

# 11 09-04-2009 , 11:49 AM
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well come on that is the same story as the dudes from V


# 12 09-04-2009 , 12:29 PM
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sorry, not familiar with V

don't worry, mckinley-points have no value. user added image

# 13 09-04-2009 , 01:06 PM
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well its getting remake thx to battlestar so it will be back on soon.


# 14 09-04-2009 , 02:34 PM
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Originally posted by mtmckinley
sorry, not familiar with V

not....familiar....with....V....?? user added image

cool - this is going to be great challenge. would love to get in on it, tho like someguy, i'm a bit tied up at the moment...

# 15 09-04-2009 , 04:58 PM
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Well i usualy just look at all ur stuff, but now i reckon i il join in on a competition, really looking forward to it!:attn:

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