Winter Challenge - Simply Avatar
 

http://www.outlaws3d.com/training/AVA.jpg



Hey All

Welcome to the first Simply Challenge of 2010. I've been let loose on here to kick this one off whilst Uncle Mike Mckinley takes a well earned break.

So here at Simply we decided that this challenge should be of a current topic based on James Camerons latest Scifi epic, AVATAR.


YOU AS AN AVATAR
Now for this challenge you will be asked to create an AVATAR of yourself based on the Na'vi characters from the movie. If you look at the faces of the characters they are a mix of the Na'vi Race and a human being. So you are going to have to pay attention on this and study your own features, mainly the lower half of the face. The Upper half will of course be like that of the movie characters.

Okay so a few rules before we start.

1. A base mesh will be supplied in OBJ format for you to use, so you dont have to worry about starting from scratch, you can jump straight in. You'll have to make your own eyes though

2. You can use any software you want, including mudbox or Zbrush.

3. Texturing, Yes if you want. We'll be looking for the best Avatar-a-like at the end of the day but if you want to go the full distance, we'll take your efforts into consideration as well.

4. Your threads must be called Simply Avatar: Your Name

5. Before starting modelling you must post images of yourself so we can see what you look like and please keep posting them along the way side by side with the in progress model.

6. I'm not worried about the hair, but again if you want you can.

7. Have fun and do your damdest.

8. Deadline is now 15th MARCH

Theres lots of references around the web of Avatar so grab those too and use them.

any probs mail me on this thread, I'll answer asap.



Prizes:


1st Prize

Theres a First Prize on this of 100pts from Simply. So make it good

2nd and 3rd Prizes
Crew T-shirt from VFX house Cinesite London for 2nd and 3rd runner ups. It has all the cool movies we are working on at the moment and will begin working on.




Here the link for the base head for you to download.
http://simply3dworld.com/vip_movie_i...vatar_Head.obj



Ladies and Gents start your modelling.

best of luck
Jay

Just a fast question jay ... Can i make my girlfriends avatar not mine ... ?

If not ok !!!

I'll start workin ASAP ! :beer:

Just to share this

http://www.surrealaward.com/avatar/index.shtml

Lot of refz.

Coldwave: I had a feeling a question like this may pop up. So yeah go ahead and make her instead. Same for everyone else too....


BUT.....YOU STILL HAVE TO POST UP REFS OF THE PERSON YOU ARE 'AVATARING' BEFORE YOU START AND DURING THE MODELLING PHASE.....


Rules as before still apply.....

best of luck - I am watching
Jay

Just a quick heads up....

I was just asked by SomeGuy about whether there was a lower poly mesh to use than the one supplied for the challenge as he felt it was too high. The answer is basically no there isnt.

The mesh is there for you to get going so please edit it as you see fit, delete what you want. Building a head from scratch takes long enough as it is, as does creating a fairly good UV set.

So feel free to do what you will to the mesh in order to make it work for you.

cheers
Jay

When I go to the object file there are a load of cordinance how do I load these........dave

Sorry mate I dont understand.

Simply right click > save taget as, then import into your maya scene and save as normal

That should do it

Jay

silly me, all ok.............dave

Cool Good Man!

Jay

omg i loaded the obj and it looks exactly like me! :P

LOL you win!!

Actually that kinda sux, you need to get those ears sorted LOL

Jay

I see we have one dude in the challenge forum with his thread already underway - Someguy well done sir!!

Jay

Why thankyou! Hopefully we can rally more people!
I can donate another 50 points if you'd like? Maybe thatll tempt people more.

Im going to Extend the Cut off date to March 15th


Jay

Bah, id love to get in on this, Not for the challenge, but just to do it....
might be good practice for my current drive to learn to do organic modeling...but, i just don't have time at the moment. >.<.....suppose i might have to do it later sometime

G-man

my biggest problem is spare time...
but I'll try to get over it.
Let me think about it and I'll probably jump in the contest.

I've been working hard last days on a project but I have some spare time today... I'll give a shot tonight and see what happens

If it looks good tomorrow you'll have a someone else in the contest =)

And... do we need to model the body or its just about the head?
Ill be using Maya for the whole project =)

***edit***
but first... there's a problem... I tried to download the file and it doesnt work... I tried to save target>my desktop then import it but the scene is empty... I zoomed in & out to see if it was really small or really big and... it is not

So if there's a solution it would be perfect =)

I have the same problem, when I import or open the scene in maya i cant see anything....when i open it in zBrush how ever i can get it.

oh really? it works in Zbrush? Ill try to export it from Zbrush to maya then

I have had no problem getting the obj downloaded and into maya 2010

the head is not on the origin.... hit f.

I know we have to start with the base mesh but am I aloud to delete the ears - they just not working for me.

I really like the rest of the mess. If not ok its just looking at alot of ref for the females avatars they just look very different.

i don't see why not. I've not really started but i've changed the topology of the head.

Guys

you can do what you want to the mesh. As Ive said on other Avatar posts, I supplied the head so it gives you a starter for the contest without worrying about building an actual head.

the contest is a Head only build, not the body.

Tweety tunes:
Are you building a female friend?? You still have to show reference. You'll need to redo the ears then in that case if you dont like the provided ones

Mikey Duf:
Yeah its an obj file. Simply right click the link and do 'save target as'. It will go straight into any software, Import into Maya, or import in Zbrush or Mudbox. It was provided as an OBJ as the format will go into any of the big software packages

Ozgalis:

It will Import into Maya as its an OBJ, simply hit F on the keyboard to frame it as Hammer Horror has already said.


It was built on the origin but because it comes from a default character model/rig I have set up for my own work, it will be at shoulder height, but you can snap it back to origin as the head is all that is required for the project, you will need to add your own eyes.

For people who are joining this competition i have included an image for reference about the facial features

there are some good 3k reference on the official avatar flickr account.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/officia...81733/sizes/o/

Nice one hammer horror and Mastone.

Yes get your references, you cant do it really well without them.

Jay

I sadly don't have the time for this comp however I couldn't resist to fiddle a bit with it so I quickly ( about an hour ) sculpted an avatar in ZBrush which looks pretty decent.

If anyone uses the standard base mesh ( which wasn't mandatory I believe), I woul advise them to take it straight to ZBrush or Mudbox and reshape the nose, eye and ear area to an avatar like head, don't bother to fiddle with details because then take it in to maya again and work a bit on the loops and load your reference images in mayaand basically alter the overall shape of the head, some distinctive facial features like high cheekbones big or narrow lips fat or shallow face( for the guys doing their girlfriends go for the bestlooking features LOL) and then go back to Zbrush and work and the details textures and so on.

If one or some of you has the time however do a quick basemesh in maya so that you have an avatar like basemesh from the start.

Good luck to all:beer:

image....

Ref

females AVATAR looks that same
the Naavi are differents... but the avatar looks like humans
http://www.areapal.com/rapo/images/c...Photo/2264.jpgsee? the girl in background

Ok "F" will do the trick but in my case the camera far length was set to 1000 . If you still don't see the .obj ( like me ) just simply select your camera and update the far length to 9999. Will do the trick..

I'm a little busy right now with exams , and some paid job ... so i'll join ASAP ...

This is nice idea for a competition, however, i'll probably skip is, as i'd rether prefer to make something that i can design completly from ground up, and have a lot of freedom to what exactly to make. Therefor, i just find it a bit too specific for my taste.

Don't get this wrong though, i'm sure many of people here are crazy about this idea! :)

Anyhow, looking forward to see what you guys make!

Fair comment Sil - Valeor, horses for coarses as they say. I see what you are saying.

With the amount of interest shown when I mentioned it, theres not many starters, maybe they dont like the rules LOL....oh well their loss, on the prizes!

Jay

More Refs
 

Hey Guys

have attached some more Refs for you. You may have seen these about on the web already, but these were done by Scott Patten who worked on the intial designs in Zbrush and XSI by the look of it.

Take not of the Sam Worthington Image top left, you can clearly see his features in the lower part of the head, mouth etc, the rest is just Navi. That all ya need to do is the very same, but of yourselves - as best you can.

Jay

this is a bit rubbish but might be helpful for some reference

http://www2.mcdonalds.fi/day/avatar/...mId=33418771.3

Jay, will you be organizing the next challenge? I just got my desktop back up and reinstalled my Maya. I don't have time to enter this challenge but might enter the next one.

I dont know mate. If anyone doesnt object. I suppose I could

Jay

Guess there's no objections Jay, how about a stereo 3D comp?

Cool, I'd be down with some 3D if I could figure out how to do it.

How woulod one actually do that, and set it up for the people who don'e have the proper eyewear to view it?

Unless you're lucky enough to have one of those new Phillips tv's that will take any image, and project it in Stereo 3d, without glasses of any type,

I want one!

I can see it now, i'm the only person i know who has 64 inches of desktop space spread across 2 32 inch hd tv's. Yet here i am, dreaming of having two 32-37 inch Phillips Tv's like that, for my computer, that will show everything in stereo 3d, without glasses, at 1080p.

.......I'm a monster.