What Am I Missing?!!! Maya 6.5 Render
 

Hi all,

As of late, I haven't gotten any responses to recent posts so I'll try again. I recently got my hands on Maya 6.5 and lemme tell ya, it has so many new tools and tool sets as well as improved rendering with a better implimented Final Gathering setup.
That said, I have to ask, I recently tried to render a model of mine using the provided ambient occlusion and now, ta da(!), subsurface scattering shaders and I just feel as if I'm missing something. Please look at me image and tell me what I'm missing, anything at all! Thanks in advance! :)

Your friend,
Russell

ur not missin anything(except for a light)

How's This? :)
 

Better?

Russell

wow, much more vibrant! Have you figured out you're SSS issue on this shader? If so, I'd like to see this with rim light to see how it looks on the thin areas of the ear.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! :)
 

I feel better now. Thanks for the comments. I'll see about adding a rim light (BTW, not to sound like a total goof but... what's a rim light? LOL! - Fill Light = Rim Light?) and we'll see what this bad boy can do. :) Thanks to looking at The Incredibles all day, I think I've figured it out. I also added some softer shadows to make it all blend in.

Thanks again,
Russell

Soooo, he's not too pink? Not too much specular highlights?

Russell

lighting terms
 

Sorry, using photography terminology. A fill light is use to lighten up shadowed areas in order to pull out more detail. A rim light is placed behind a subject to create a sillouette and/or a light bleed halo around the edges of subject.

How 'Bout This?
 

I love this shot!

Russell

I'd say you're nailing the effect. See the rosey areas in the lobes where light is filtering throgh. Well done! yeah he's a little pink, but he's also cartoonish so it works out ok.

I'm inspired to try SSS now... of course I have to get model down better first :)

Michael, you really should give SubScatter a try. It took me forever to figure out what I was doing. I think the payoff has, well, paid off... in spades. :) OT re: the model itself, I think I need to monkey with his eye sockets and nose. Never have been happy with those. But if the impression is of him being cartoony, I may just leave it. Maybe his eyes are sunk in as a result of too much alcohol, ya think? Thanks again for your kind words. Now, time to finish building the rest of him, including the other ear, addition od arms, torso and legs, tho you don't see his legs onscreen. Hmmmmmmmm...

Russell

One Omitted Detail...
 

I forgot, y'all. This stuff wasn't rendered in 6.5. I figured I'd go back and see if I could get SubScatter to work in 6.0 and, obviously, it did. Also, I added a type of ambient occlusion shader as well (Dirtmap) to give it that slightly grainy look as well. Thanks for the support.

Russell