March/April Challenge Rules and Guidelines!
 

March/April Challenge!

Robots!

For this challenge, create a robot of some kind. Doesn't have to be humanoid. But do try to design the robot with a specific job in mind. No anime-style mechs!

1) Show concepts! Show progress!

2) BONUS goal(s): As a bonus goal, create an animation of your robot at work! Whether it's a cleaning robot or a secretary-bot or whatever, show what your robot is designed to do.

3) Label your thread thusly:

Mar/Apr - Norm or Noob - Your name

Choose to classify yourself as a Normal or Noobie class entry. Whichever class you choose is the class your final submitted entry will compete against! A winner will be chosen from both classes.

4) Mods and Admins can enter, but are inelligible to win and do not count toward the Grand Prize consideration of 8 or 5 entries mentioned below. If a mod chooses to participate, choose "Mod" class rather than Norm or Noob.

5) If 8+ Normal entries and/or 5+ Newbie entries finish among the 3 Simply sites participating, a Grand Prize will be rewarded to BOTH classes! Regular VIP point prizes will be awarded to both a Normal and Newbie winner, if the Grand Prize criteria of entries is not met!

6) Final entries must be posted into a Final Entry thread that a mod will create in the last couple weeks of the challenge.

The due date of the challenge is April 30th!

7) If 8+ Normal entries and/or 5+ Newbie entries finish among the 3 Simply sites participating, a Grand Prize will be rewarded! Regular VIP point prizes will be awarded to both a Normal and Newbie winner, if the number is not met!

Normal Grand Prize:

A book (any art subject book, whether educational or reference or whatever) and a choice of a tshirt or mug.

Newbie Grand Prize:

1 SM DVD of their choice and 14 points

Ask any questions here!

COOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!
I see they took my advice huh MIKE?

wheres the results for last contest?

winners haven't been announced yet.

O lol :p


might not have time this month for a robot, arg...

one of the goals that mike put up at the beginning of this thread was:

1. Show concepts! Show progress!

What does this mean? I am confused. could someone untie my brain for me?

show us any concept sketches or whatnot, and show us progress throughout the challenge. I don't want someone to just join up and post a finished model at the end.

oh I get it......I knew that:p ....
Anyway there was a question that was asked in one of the other threads.........I ALSO share a similar question.
Could we make a robot that would have a certain use in the military? Would this be considered a USE????....
Ex. a robot that blows up stuff...

As long as you can make something like that interesting, I suppose. :) Originality is key!

Hy!! That's a very interesting ideea, I'll join for sure !! Can we make a robot with human parts??

ill join up this challenge ..... also had to ask so from all three simplymaya sites only 2 winners would be chossen...?

and there is no poly limit is there

Right, 2 winners from all 3 sites. 1 normal, 1 newbie.

No poly limitations this time. :)

so we are competing against other ppl from other sites????????:(
oh well guess that means i got to try harder.

WWWWWWHenn do we get the results from the previous chalenge MIKE......SORRY but i am getting impatient:angry:

LOL....but i can wait a little longer:D ;)

1 question. Does the bonus goal count toward your chances of winning?

I love the prices.
Let's see if I can come up with a concept simple enough for me to enter as noob.
I'm actually so new at Maya that I don't even know how to modify Polygon primitives or use Hypershade (not to mention how to render an animated scene).
But the prices are very motivating :) Even if I don't win anything (most likely), it's a good motivation to learn Maya.

gohan - definitely doesn't hurt. :)

Eelco - try downloading some video tuturials from the simplymaya
movie page i am sure they would help you with your poly skills.....
THEY HELPED ME!:D :D :D :D


http://www.simplymaya.com/movie_pages/

mckenly i ddnt get you is that a yes or a no?.....if bonus goals increase our chances of winning

Sure, they do. But if you were the only one to perform the bonus goal in the challenge, it wouldn't guarentee you the win. It's just one factor that is considered in the project as a whole.

heheh i m gonna make my robot blow the heads off similar robots of my compititors here

ok. i see now. thx mtmckinley

Thanks.
It's just so unfortunate that I'm bound to 56.6 kpbs modem download :( (I'm located in some remote area where anything faster is just not available)
I'll just have to ask my mrs to download it at her werk.

Question to Mike:
Is a noob considered to be new to just Maya or new to all 3D?

I'm very new to Maya but I do know about 3D.
In Maya I don't know modeling/texturing/rendering. I do know somewhat about character rigging and IK.
But in 3DS Max, I do know modeling/texturing/rendering but don't know character rigging and IK. I sometimes make artist impressions in 3DS Max for an architect.

When I enter the competition, would I be a noob or norm?

Categorize yourself as you see fit. If it's decided you should change your category by the mods, we'll tell you.

I don't categorize myself as an all time noob. I just need points and a dvd. And you can't get that in normal prizes.

Me too. And Caligraphics is still way out of my league.

Any chance of creating an "abnormal" category. I think I might fit in that one.

haha funny! :p

I'm Up for a larf
 

Hey All,

I think I'll join in...

Im at work just now and therefore can post my cr***y drawings of a bot I have in mind...

But I have posted one i did do in the WIP section...

Click Here

I think its quite good, but still basic.

Ill post my concept scribbles when I get in :)

hmm looks gud ... your already done with the textures ..... when did you start with it?

ive been workin on it for about 4 weeks...

I know very little bout textures...

Thx for the crit m8:cool:

I have an idea for this one, and I'm considering entering even after the disaster of the last one:
I caught the flu
wrenched my back
broke a bone in my hand
drew scads of overtime
had the hd crash with my models on it
had the power supply die on my monitor.

So I hesitate to enter again; that may be God's way of telling me I shouldn't be doing 3D (or entering contests, maybe...)

Anyway, I've a cute idea I may try out (though I'm still trying to reconstruct my game art models from backups...)

Mike, would OpenGL graphics books count as art books? :D
There's this book about character modelling with Maya I'd been hoping to get, if not...

it wouldnt be harmful if i have this whole scene with the robot in it rite?

I have a question for the admins. Does the winner choose a premade dvd or can the winner get a dvdr and add stuff to it?

one of our premade dvds.

Ok, I thought so. Just checking. Thanks.

Sound pretty cool
 

Well, at least "skinning" will be easy for this one. I usually waste a lot of days on failed weighing attempts.

Does it matter if we use PLE to model it? I'm a poor starving student and can't afford to buy the complete/ultimate versions.

PLE is fine.

after the final postings at april 30th, by what time do u think the results may come in by? please estimate, very curious