Integrating 3D models with photography
Interested in integrating your 3D work with the real world? This might help
# 1 09-12-2010 , 06:27 AM
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Tutorials you'd like to see

Any requests please put them in here thanks.

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# 2 09-12-2010 , 10:33 PM
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how to retopologize (is that a word?) a high poly mesh, from mudbox or zbrush for example, would be of great use to me at least user added image

# 3 10-12-2010 , 03:04 AM
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We may include some zbrush content but mudbox i think probably not in the near future. Would make for an interesting tutorial.

Thanks for the suggestion


From a readers' Q and A column in TV GUIDE: "If we get involved in a nuclear war, would the electromagnetic pulses from exploding bombs damage my videotapes?"
# 4 10-12-2010 , 12:40 PM
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I was thinking of more along the lines of importing a high poly object (no matter what software it was created in) into maya and creating a low poly cage with a better edgeloops for an in-game model. I've seen it done every now and then.

# 5 10-12-2010 , 01:55 PM
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I am not an expert, but doesn't the workflow normally go the other way? That is create the low poly mesh in maya or zbrush, then subd to a bazillion polys in the sculpting app, then generate the normal map of the high poly sculpt, and then send the normal maps (and the base 0 mesh if you created it in the sculpting app) back to maya?

I have also seen where the sculpt program is used to down rez, by hand painting polys onto the high poly mesh, but I don't recall seeing anything about down rezzing a high poly sculpt inside maya.

But I am not a sculpt modeler so I apologize if I am speaking out of my butt.


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Last edited by ctbram; 10-12-2010 at 02:01 PM.
# 6 10-12-2010 , 02:58 PM
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I am not an expert, but doesn't the workflow normally go the other way? That is create the low poly mesh in maya or zbrush, then subd to a bazillion polys in the sculpting app, then generate the normal map of the high poly sculpt, and then send the normal maps (and the base 0 mesh if you created it in the sculpting app) back to maya?

I have also seen where the sculpt program is used to down rez, by hand painting polys onto the high poly mesh, but I don't recall seeing anything about down rezzing a high poly sculpt inside maya.

But I am not a sculpt modeler so I apologize if I am speaking out of my butt.

He's talking about a real-time mesh. So the high-poly mesh is created in your sculpting app, either by way of a base mesh built in your modeling app or directly in your sculpting app, that is then exported back into your modeling app where a real-time mesh is built around it... this tends to lend better control when a poly limit is present, and also when retopologising directly in triangles. It also allows for better control of silhouette as your polys aren't snapping directly to the high-res mesh, as you have a lot less polys to hold the forms.


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# 7 10-12-2010 , 04:34 PM
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As I said I am not a sculpt modeler so sorry if I am off base.


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Last edited by ctbram; 10-12-2010 at 04:40 PM.
# 8 10-12-2010 , 04:46 PM
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Outdoor lighting for sunny day, overcast day, night time.
Mental Ray rendering
A more realistic dog tutorial instead of just the cartoon dog

I had more ideas to throw out there but my minds drawing a blank at the moment.

# 9 10-12-2010 , 05:29 PM
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hi res scans on a movie or even a game need totally redoing into a much more manageable mesh for animation - scanned objects contain millions of polys and are just unuseable for anything - you couldnt uv them. Im currently doing some new models from scans. You cssnt even see thru the mesh its that dense

I dont mind doing this for the future Dave

Jay

# 10 10-12-2010 , 06:40 PM
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@Rhetoric Camel: For your dog walk in the park yesuser added image For dog modeling you should be able to build quite well on the techniques in the cartoon dog or the quadrupeds modeling, https://simplymaya.com/autodesk-maya-...=152&sub_cat=1 I'm not much of a modeler but either adding resolution to build a high res mesh from the cartoon dog or sculpting out muscle definition and bump mapping based on the quadruped should give you that just base it on your own dog refs.

For lighting content we'll have lotsuser added image I love this field and it's not well covered. We'll do mental ray both for specific shaders and indirect illumination, we'll do interior lighting with direct illumination and physical sun and sky plus exterior illumination. I'm actually building a scene now to use it's based on a park around the corner from my house so you should like it. Hopefully I'll get some water in as well and both day and night time lighting. It's gonna take a while though, end of january probably so might work with the dog walk timing.

@Jay: That sounds great! Keep an eye on your email tomorrow btw, sending you something. Dave just has to finish it off and he's so slow, thinking it might be time to get a proper dominatrix whipuser added image

# 11 10-12-2010 , 08:28 PM
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Hey Nilla

lol rock on!! I like the sound of that too user added image

Rhetoric camel:Thats kind of interesting doing the more realistic dog model. I actually found theres mored to the dog anatomy than first meets the eye. The eyes area is quite interesting around the lacrimal (tearducts) have a look. I did a few hero dogs and tons of blendshapes on Marmaduke earlier in the year and last year and I tell you it was not an easy job to do...anyway its a good idea for a tute.

cheers
Jay

# 12 10-12-2010 , 09:14 PM
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Dog's are really tricky to draw as well, you're absolutely right Jay abot the anatomy, I have problems as soon as I try to make something different than Pluto. You should have a look at Jay's showreel on his site Rhetoric Camel, he's got a really interesting shot of a talking CG dog in it.

For tut it sounds great then, I look forward to watching you go back and remake all those blendshapes Jayuser added image

# 13 10-12-2010 , 11:14 PM
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Just a idea
A lot of people have access to cam corders, putting special effect with them.....dave




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# 14 10-12-2010 , 11:59 PM
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i could do a tutorial on compositing CG into a backplate if anyone would be interested? using Nuke and Maya.

# 15 11-12-2010 , 12:59 AM
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@Rhetoric Camel: For your dog walk in the park yesuser added image For dog modeling you should be able to build quite well on the techniques in the cartoon dog or the quadrupeds modeling, https://simplymaya.com/autodesk-maya-...=152&sub_cat=1 I'm not much of a modeler but either adding resolution to build a high res mesh from the cartoon dog or sculpting out muscle definition and bump mapping based on the quadruped should give you that just base it on your own dog refs.

For lighting content we'll have lotsuser added image I love this field and it's not well covered. We'll do mental ray both for specific shaders and indirect illumination, we'll do interior lighting with direct illumination and physical sun and sky plus exterior illumination. I'm actually building a scene now to use it's based on a park around the corner from my house so you should like it. Hopefully I'll get some water in as well and both day and night time lighting. It's gonna take a while though, end of january probably so might work with the dog walk timing.

I suppose you could just build off the cartoon dog, but like Jay said, it is much harder than meets the eye. I was thinking the dog in a newer tutorial would include using maya fur.
I love the sounds of the lighting tutorials, been dying for some of these!! I'm going to start saving my money now. Can't wait to see the park around the corner from your house. You nailed it, all these tutorial ideas I have are for my dog walk/play at the park scene. Which of course I'm still working on Uv'ing and texturing. So I have time. End of January sounds like I now have a slight deadline to try to meet, haha.

Hey Nilla

lol rock on!! I like the sound of that too user added image

Rhetoric camel:Thats kind of interesting doing the more realistic dog model. I actually found theres mored to the dog anatomy than first meets the eye. The eyes area is quite interesting around the lacrimal (tearducts) have a look. I did a few hero dogs and tons of blendshapes on Marmaduke earlier in the year and last year and I tell you it was not an easy job to do...anyway its a good idea for a tute.

cheers
Jay

See those are the things I wasn't even thinking, things like the tearducts and so on. It would be a great tutorial, even if it wasn't a household dog, it could be a wolf instead. Pretty close to the same thing, and who wouldn't enjoy modeling a realistic wolf?

Dog's are really tricky to draw as well, you're absolutely right Jay abot the anatomy, I have problems as soon as I try to make something different than Pluto. You should have a look at Jay's showreel on his site Rhetoric Camel, he's got a really interesting shot of a talking CG dog in it.

For tut it sounds great then, I look forward to watching you go back and remake all those blendshapes Jayuser added image

I've been to Jay's page, must have missed the talking CG dog, have to look again.

Just a idea
A lot of people have access to cam corders, putting special effect with them.....dave

That was one of the ideas I couldn't think of, thanks for reminding me and posting it dave! It would be great to take a 1 minute video or something and using maya tracking/maya live to incorporate 3d models and/or fx into the video. I've been dying to know how to do this realistically too, would love to incorporate a model or two that I have into some video I have and make it look like that little CG character is really talking to a real person.



Alright I'm done loading you guys up with tutorials..... for now anyway! user added image

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