Something I have always wanted to know...

# 1 26-04-2013 , 06:27 PM

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Join Date: May 2011

Posts: 12

hi all,

In the real world, there are people that can design Aircraft Carriers. I can cut a Styrofoam block and make a raft.

The same is true for me in Maya. I can make simple scenes with primitives like spheres and blocks.

Please look at this short YouTube video Behind the Magic: The Visual Effects of "The Avengers"
Behind the Magic: The Visual Effects of "The Avengers" - YouTube

At 0:33 there is an amazing futuristic Aircraft Carrier with lots of detail, complete w/large quantities of water spray.

Between 0:36 and 0:52 we see this 3D model disassemble and reassemble.

I can't fathom the complexity of a model like this or where I would even start to create something like this.

So the best I can do is ask...
Does anyone know long does it take to create a model of this complexity and how many people actually work on that 3D model?

I'm not talking about rendering or the textures just the model.

Then at 1:19 it's apparent the artists have created a 3D city complete with cars ... how long does something like that take to create.

And then how long does it take to composite all of the textures / creature animation for a scene.

I realize that each scene is different with many differing layers, but I'm just trying to get a ballpark figure of how this is done.

I can think of shows like Caprica with the futuristic cities with flying craft ... how long to create a city like that and then add all of the flying craft and details?

Like I said, my Maya expertise is being able to put a few primitives in place, put a colored texture on them and then add a few lights and hit the render button.

Also, is it possible to download anything similar to these models such as the buildings and fancy machines that have been created?

Thanks!

EDIT:
Let me rephrase this question a little.

1) Without the textures, how long would it take you, the person reading this if you are capable of doing it, to create the carrier or the street / city buildings?

Hours, days, weeks months?

Last edited by wizarddrummer; 27-04-2013 at 03:56 AM.

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# 2 26-04-2013 , 11:17 PM

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How long does it take to create x could result in a thousand different answers as there are numerous factors involved. How long the people in those teams took to create those scenes is a different question.

You can find some nice models for free or cheap if you search 3d asset sites, not likely Avengers quality but dig around a bit. There are even scripts to generate cities.

Are you asking because it's something you'd like to do as a personal project?

- Genny
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# 3 27-04-2013 , 03:39 AM

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I don't know but on my computer it will take like 15 years to render one of those scenes user added image

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# 4 28-04-2013 , 05:48 AM

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Wow! Thank you SimplyMaya Community for all of the WONDERFUL responses.

Can't tell you how thrilled I am that so few people took the time to respond to my question.

What a great community!

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# 5 28-04-2013 , 10:18 AM

Noober than noob
Join Date: Sep 2011

Posts: 520

The reasons why a thread gets few responses could be either of these or a mix of these:
a) People aren't online - probably at work or somewhere else.
b) You have already been given the answer so no more was needed.
c) People may not know the exact answer to the question.

To answer your question about how long it would take me:
To build the street - if I do it the easy way, probably a minute... (that is, without any cracks or special effects or textures).
To create the buildings - assuming they are just cubes with the wireframe just as seen in the video, I could make them in maybe a day though for the more complex ones (the one in the front) I'd say a week if I'm lazy enough. Fully textured? I'd say 3 weeks if I'd need to research other stuff to make them look that realistic.
The carrier? With all those details... I'd say maybe 2 weeks (non-textured) to a month (textured) and rendering it would probably have me sleeping next to the computer if it would take longer than my solar system scene. X_X

Last edited by SilverFeather; 28-04-2013 at 10:29 AM.

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# 6 29-04-2013 , 03:57 AM

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Being a good fisherman I dont take the bait. Oh and this is a good community sunshine user added image

cheers bullet

bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

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# 7 29-04-2013 , 07:03 PM

rm3d
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lol wizard if you looked through this site you would see how good this community is, they certainly helped me through the ages. user added image

, unfortunately while i get your questioning and i am also intrigued with this kind of stuff. its a hell of a question to answer unless you work at ILM or other studios that do this kind of work, for instance avengers 2012, avengers 2 2015(ish) should give you some indication at how long this sort of stuff takes. if you plan to do it on your own pc as a personal project id suggest spending a lot (a lot) of money to get a pc powerful enough to cope. oh and some extra cash to send your render to a render farm. haha

the more I Think I know about Maya the less I seem to know about it.

check me out www.rm3d.co.uk

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# 8 01-05-2013 , 11:04 AM

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Join Date: May 2011

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I know it's a good community. I have posted here many years ago and received lots of great replies. Things have changed for me, I spend most of my time being angry because I got dealt a shitty hand in this Poker game of life. I got a terminal illness and other health problems that screws with me every waking moment of every day. It's like a Chinese water torture. It's relentless and never stops. So I tend to lose it and get impatient because I don't have lots of time.
Sometimes it gets away from me and I take out my frustrations on good decent people.
The best I can do is apologize and hope for the best!

Last edited by wizarddrummer; 01-05-2013 at 11:09 AM.

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# 9 01-05-2013 , 11:08 AM

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The reasons why a thread gets few responses could be either of these or a mix of these:
a) People aren't online - probably at work or somewhere else.
b) You have already been given the answer so no more was needed.
c) People may not know the exact answer to the question.

To answer your question about how long it would take me:
To build the street - if I do it the easy way, probably a minute... (that is, without any cracks or special effects or textures).
To create the buildings - assuming they are just cubes with the wireframe just as seen in the video, I could make them in maybe a day though for the more complex ones (the one in the front) I'd say a week if I'm lazy enough. Fully textured? I'd say 3 weeks if I'd need to research other stuff to make them look that realistic.
The carrier? With all those details... I'd say maybe 2 weeks (non-textured) to a month (textured) and rendering it would probably have me sleeping next to the computer if it would take longer than my solar system scene. X_X

Originally Posted by SilverFeather

Thank you for that excellent reply.
That's what I was looking for. I have no frame of reference because a) I don't have a fast computer and b) I have virtually no real training or solid working knowledge of how that is all put together.

I doubt I'd ever be able to create a carrier ... ever, so its very impressive to me that anyone can do that to begin with, especially with respect to the time frame.

Thanks again.

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# 10 02-05-2013 , 10:18 AM

Noober than noob
Join Date: Sep 2011

Posts: 520

Thank you for that excellent reply.
That's what I was looking for. I have no frame of reference because a) I don't have a fast computer and b) I have virtually no real training or solid working knowledge of how that is all put together.

I doubt I'd ever be able to create a carrier ... ever, so its very impressive to me that anyone can do that to begin with, especially with respect to the time frame.

Thanks again.

Originally Posted by wizarddrummer

I am sorry to hear about your health problem.

Well, I don't have a computer that's up to date either. But those are my approximations based on what I've noticed that my computer can do (without rendering textures and such). The render speed will always differ based on what textures I need and how the scene is set up and if I've made a few workarounds or went with something that follows a guideline to the letter.
Specs of my comp: 3GHz Intel Dual Core, 1 GB Ati Radeon video, 3 GB Ram (DDR2...) so not much but I've spent my savings back then on it so... might as well make use of it.

I think you could create a carrier but it would be like creating one of those ships you put in a bottle if it needs to be complex. You could work on it little by little.
Then texturing would take quite a while if you want very realistic ones. That would probably make my whole scene move choppy while rotating views.

You could do things your own way, as long as the end result looks very similar to it, just make sure you respect the quads rule (no ngons and if possible, no tris).

I am also working on plenty of projects at the moment. One is of a fish that changes scale colors based on angle of view/light direction, working on the tank that the fish will be in, and also working on a machine with a conveyor belt that has to be animated, and this one would probably be the easiest to render but hardest to texture / model. A few statues and other objects will have to be created for that scene too.
And then there's the biggest project: making a 3D animation that lasts 20 minutes, whenever my friends and I can find the time for that...

So you could try and see how the carrier building goes, work on the carrier and find workarounds while also making it as close to the real thing as possible. You don't have to build it the same way they did, just follow the model, make blueprints or something.
Anyway, if you do start with this, I wish you good luck.

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# 11 02-05-2013 , 10:25 AM

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I feel your pain and please do not take what I said the wrong way. To make that on your own...have a look at R.O.S.A I believe that took 12 months or more solid by one person. No offense...but if you have a terminal illness (depending on severity) then maybe you should just sit back and enjoy the fruits of others labour user added image

watch a film or 3...paint...fish....do something f*****g crazy.

Silver...are we talking real type streets? Unless you have a library of assets this will take more than a minute? surely? You have kerb profiles, pavemant etc etc Im curious now.

Cheers bullet

bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

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# 12 02-05-2013 , 10:29 AM

Noober than noob
Join Date: Sep 2011

Posts: 520

I feel your pain and please do not take what I said the wrong way. To make that on your own...have a look at R.O.S.A I believe that took 12 months or more solid by one person. No offense...but if you have a terminal illness (depending on severity) then maybe you should just sit back and enjoy the fruits of others labour watch a film or 3...paint...fish....do something f*****g crazy.

Silver...are we talking real type streets? Unless you have a library of assets this will take more than a minute? surely? You have kerb profiles, pavemant etc etc Im curious now.

Cheers bullet

Originally Posted by bullet1968

Not real type. That's just non-textured, I've even written that it's without anything on it (no cracks, no realistic shape), just for something to be between buildings for the sake of it.
Meaning something very plain, like this:
user added image

If realistic, it would require texturing, modeling, bump map placement, choosing the lights... and we're talking just a surface made of cement with a few painted lines here too.

Last edited by SilverFeather; 02-05-2013 at 10:49 AM.

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# 13 02-05-2013 , 11:02 AM

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Oh sorry mate...Im a Surveyor and I though you meant roads etc...sorry mate. I do believe wizard, there is a program (prob not free) called city scape or something? pretty good by the looks of it, seems to be a Speedtree for cities?

Cheers bullet

bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

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# 14 02-05-2013 , 11:15 AM

Noober than noob
Join Date: Sep 2011

Posts: 520

Oh sorry mate...Im a Surveyor and I though you meant roads etc...sorry mate. I do believe wizard, there is a program (prob not free) called city scape or something? pretty good by the looks of it, seems to be a Speedtree for cities?

Cheers bullet

Originally Posted by bullet1968

Now I feel like I really want to try and make a realistic street (just one road and an attempt at making some realistic buildings since I have made a whole city of glass before in 3ds max and a normal city). I haven't worked with bumpmaps from the day I've made that 3D earth model.