VFX for a movie - Page 5 - Simply Maya User Community

# 61 03-05-2003 , 07:47 PM

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a idea for ya maybe.. I know like having one big ass wiping wepon and blowing s___ up is cool. like in independence day. but also I think that its over done.. there is always just one big "lazer" that blows up something. how about a bunch of smaller ones on the belly of the ship ? and maybe some topedows.. I meen probly just one would be enufe to blow up a house.. but I personaly would like to see something get pumled to shit.. and they just keep on fireing even after the house or bilding is odveusly flat !! just to show there raige or unresonableness..

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# 62 03-05-2003 , 11:06 PM

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HAHahahaH. Well i'm not directing this, and the director actually wants to pull an independence day and blow up the barn EXACTLY in the manner that is overdone. One big laser blah blah(like the white house). But thats a great idea with all the little lasers killing a bunch of things at once, except it sounds like alotta work for just me. I think i'll keep the spec map on there (its there actually) because when i saw the with and without side by side (in the texture forum under Spec map) i think it makes a nice subtle difference.

The mother ship is also not uv mapped, but VERY simple geometry (almost a simple squashed sphere), so UV mapping is not nessesary. Although i am in the process of Mapping the smaller ship. Maybe you could help me with the UV mapping (crapping!!) in the texture forum under "Cylindrical Crapping"

.<---------EDIT CYLNDERMAP FIXED BY PLANAR MAPPING ALL ------------->

Thanx for all you're input, it will all help, even though it may not seem soo. I do show all my friends, but theres nuthing like feedback from other 3d artists. THANX EVERYONE WHO POSTED

"When you are born, you have a resposiblilty to program you're own mind, if you do not accept this responsiblilty, then the world will do it for you"
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Last edited by Vectorman; 04-05-2003 at 10:50 AM.

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# 63 04-05-2003 , 09:48 AM

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FINALLY did my first UV map. Came out okay, although i have some things to fix.

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Last edited by Vectorman; 07-05-2003 at 01:37 AM.

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# 64 04-05-2003 , 08:22 PM

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Anyone know any programs that read .iff!? i haven't found any. Heres a shot with an approximate scale of the too ships. Might be even more intense tho. Took off all the little white "lights" on the incandescence map, because they looked like crap.

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# 65 05-05-2003 , 10:23 PM

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Pure morning i've been playing with the smoke a bit, and i'm going to need to find some smoke tutorials, or shaders because its all a slolid color. But the reason why you're airfield wont work is i need the smoke to be pushed up and down away from the ship, not just one direction. I'm thinking of just having the ship emerge and forget about the colisions. I know i'm going to need a second (or third sortof interpolated) group of emmitters for the inside fire color of the smoke cloud. Heres a shot of it right now.

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Last edited by Vectorman; 09-05-2003 at 08:27 PM.

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# 66 06-05-2003 , 03:14 PM

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You need to work out the lighting more on the composite shots. The original plate and the composite shot dont match. The composites are too bright and they contrast heavily against the original plate. Try lowering the brightness on the composites and throw in an alpha layer of haze. Notice all the haze in that first shot. The speed of the ships doesn't match the speed of the plate either. The people are running in slow motion while the ships seem to be moving at normal speed. Also there are two ships - one is closer to the camera than the other, yet they are both still the same size.

I'm seeing a thin black line around the ships in the first shot. Are you color keying them in from a black background? Dont! Use Alpha Channel. You wont get that thin black line.

Oh, and on a funny note... user added image

If that guy gets vaporized, why is he in the goup when they run back the other way? user added image

Dave Baer
Professor of Digital Arts
Digital Media Arts College
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dbaer@dmac.edu

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# 67 06-05-2003 , 05:55 PM

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Thanks dave! Hey about the lighting yes, that first scene isn't done and i will take a look at it. About the haze, you really think so? I might need a quick explanation on how to do that.

I am using alpha transparency generated by maya, saved as targa sequence. Then loading into after effect. Do you think i should adjust lighting in after effects or Maya. And if the direction doesn't match, don't worry about that either. I'll get around to it eventually. I assume you're refering to the animation, because the still composites, are only for Concept at this point.

On the speed, i've known this is a problem too, but haven't found where the frame rate is set wrong...might be after effects or Maya. How do i check/change the framerate (fps) in maya again?

I don't understand you about the size of the ships, for they are they same size, and the size relative to camera distance via perspective is controlled by maya.

HAHahaH about that kid running back. HOW did you see him? The reason is this: Eli shot that thinking that the ships would simply chase the kids across the screen, and then back again. But i changed the flow of the scene cause i thought that idea was pretty darn cheesy. Is it real noticeable? I didn't think anyone would notice (although i'm sure that kid will when he watches it, he doesn't even know i vaporized him! haha).

I would like to thank you for picking this apart as i can see you put some time into it. I recently textured (well setup for texturing, i'm wating on an email from my texture guy) the model and decided to just rework the animation. And for that reason, and all you're comments, i will make sure to correct all of these errors.

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Last edited by Vectorman; 06-05-2003 at 06:52 PM.

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# 68 06-05-2003 , 08:36 PM

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heres a pic, 1k with Gloabal illumination. I didn't like the GI on the mother ship tho. Does anyone else think that it kinda messes up displacement mapping? Seems like a waste because i have such a nice bump map on the mother ship. (there is no map on this image however)

Sorry about the blur, had it on from the motion renders.

And by the way everyone, pony said earlier he thought that i wasn't getting much C&C because he figured i probably know how i want this whole thing to look. But it's the opposite. I have NO idea what i'm doing, i've never done anything like this, and i'm making it all up as i go along. So any ideas i'm sure will help.

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Last edited by Vectorman; 06-05-2003 at 09:27 PM.

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# 69 06-05-2003 , 11:30 PM

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OKAY far from done but i had to post this. This is soo fun.

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Last edited by Vectorman; 07-05-2003 at 03:00 AM.

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# 70 07-05-2003 , 01:36 AM

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okay played around a bit. Heres a big one. What do you think eli? I'm gonna have some well deserved beer now!

"When you are born, you have a resposiblilty to program you're own mind, if you do not accept this responsiblilty, then the world will do it for you"
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Last edited by Vectorman; 08-05-2003 at 06:47 AM.

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# 71 07-05-2003 , 01:41 AM

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i'm in owe....... i dont know what to say, it's beautiful, i'm gettin gyou some more footage tomorow. asap, as sooooon as i posably can you will be working on shots, because that is just to god damn beautiful

Eli
You all amaze me.
"i'll try to keep my posted shoter next time"
hahaha, i really cant spell. heh.

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# 72 07-05-2003 , 02:52 AM

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okay so i inspired eli so he gave me all these stock shots(stills) of isreal that we can use as diff parts of the world for the animation. I'll see what i can do and post more stuff tomorrow.

"When you are born, you have a resposiblilty to program you're own mind, if you do not accept this responsiblilty, then the world will do it for you"
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# 73 08-05-2003 , 03:13 AM

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Hey, this is looking insane man! Keep it up user added image

. One thing i notice though.. is the top of your mother ship is amazing.. but the bottom to my eyes is just weird user added image

. I dont know.. i have never been a fan for a mix of colors type thing. Its all looking great though.. and the fire/smoke is sweet user added image

. BTW, I know you have already unwrapped the uvs user added image

.. but could you add like a big ass barrel to the front of your ship (the banshee type ship.. small one) where that fireball can come out from? Ok, lookin great.. just thats one thing i would change.. otherwise its like... Poof, blow a fireball from nowhere user added image

. Ok, cya later.

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# 74 08-05-2003 , 03:22 AM

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OMG i'm dumb yah! Great idea. Do you think it would look okay, if it wasn't relly connected to the geometry? I already sent my texture guy a revision of the the UV map. I'm sure i could texture JUST a gun.

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