My first real model--Velociraptor

# 1 18-01-2005 , 09:53 AM

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Hi guys, here is my finished raptor.
I hope you like it, any comments welcome and thanks again for the help in the past of making this model.
Here is the full size image (1280 / 1024).
user added image

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# 2 18-01-2005 , 05:06 PM

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the model is very nice but I think you sholdn't put this project away now.

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# 3 20-01-2005 , 10:39 AM

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Hi, thanks for the reply.
I don`t know how to go about doing any more apart from maybe a bit more detail but as far as the texturing side i`m not any good at artist work so i left it a bit like the raptor colour goes with the desert (sort of user added image

). I don`t have access to adobe photoshop or after effects, i do have paint shop pro 5 and i might be able to borrow a friends paint shop pro 8. I know some people say to only use photoshop but i find PSP is good enough for me, e.g. i know how to use most of the package like layers etc.
Any help much appreciated, Thanks.

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# 4 22-01-2005 , 06:47 PM

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looks really good but it looks like hes floating on the desert.

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# 5 24-01-2005 , 07:52 AM

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real nice the only thing i would recommend is to do texture or do something with the claws. everything else looks real whereas the claws just have simple shaders.

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# 6 24-01-2005 , 09:41 AM

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Is the shadow rendered or painted in? It looks too sharp and has no fall-off, i.e. is doesn't fade the farther it is from the source of the shadow. Good point too on the claws, but that is an easy fix, just paint in some scratch, dirt, etc to make them look as though they've been used. They are, after all, on his feet and therefore would suffer some wear and tear in daily use.

Don't sweat not having photoshop as long as you can do what you need to in Paint Shop Pro or whatever else you have. I know PSP was mainly designed for image editing, but guess what, so was photoshop. Granted it has evolved or been manipulated to do more, but at it's core, PS is still an image editor.

PS is however an industry standard, so if you expect to be competitive commercially then eventually you want to learn it.

If you want something more "painterly" there is always Painter IX or for free, Project Dogwaffle (Don't look at me, I didn't name the program).

AIM: mhcannonDMC

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# 7 24-01-2005 , 02:50 PM

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Hi, Thanks for the comments, i`ll get right on it.
(mhcannon)- the shadow was done with mays as a `USE BACKGROUND` shader on a plane for the floor so all of the scene is rendered as one, i don`t know if this is the propper way to do it but it works for now but any help on this much appreciated.
Thanks..

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# 8 24-01-2005 , 10:25 PM

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the model is great. This could be made much more photorealistic with a bit more work. The model needs a more detailed texture and more definition around the legs to define some muscles. I don't think the direction of the shadow cast by the dino matches that on the background image. Furthermore you could probably play around with the camera settings/position/ scale of the dino to make it fit much better into the backround. You could then doctor it a bit in your image editor, like add some dirt covering some of the foot so that it is sinking into the sand/ blur him a bit (maybe depth of field) as he is too crisp compared to background.

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# 9 24-01-2005 , 10:34 PM

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If the shadows was rendered, then you might want to do a couple of different things. Instead of casting on a flat plane, sclupt the plane to simulate the bumps/curves of your terrain in the background image. In the attributes for the light, increase "light radius" to get softer shadows. Also adjust the lights decay rate to get that fall-off I mentioned before. Quadrautic decay seems to be the most accurate to real life. If this is all too much, in PSP, run a blur and distort the shadow and fade it with a big eraser.

AIM: mhcannonDMC

"If you love your job, you'll never work another day in your life."

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# 10 26-01-2005 , 02:06 AM

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Project dogwaffle is actually a really good program, and its very cheap (And theres a free version, which is almost as good). I use it for a lot of my textures now.

Speaking of textures, the secret for good ones isn't necessarily fancy art knowledge, its the amount of time invested. The secret is always detail, so I would:
1) make him glossier, like a snakeskin
2)add stripes and stuff-this will make your model
3)maybe some scars/bruises(this may be kinda hard, don't worry about it too much)
4) if you feel up to it, painting your own bump map is usually well worth it (IMO);

Also, relative to the background, you raptor seem very sharp, very bright, and very big. Just keep that in mind user added image

-All in all, though, its your image. Do what you want

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# 11 28-01-2005 , 10:12 PM

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Hi guys, Thanks for all the comments, i`m going through the detail part now. I have a slight update for now e.g. i`ve altered the shadow a bit, done some alterations on the floor/shadow to show up some dips/bumps in the sand. I`ve also put a shine onto the skin and also changed the depth of field a bit to add a bit of a blur to the model. Please tell me what you think. I`ts taken some time as the computer kept grinding to a halt and maya kept on crashing user added image

. I think i sorted it out now ( I HOPE user added image

).
Thanks again for the comments, It all helps.
Also can anyone please tell me how i would go about adding a bit of detail e.g. like say vains on the neck or wrinkles. I tried it on the bump map i have at the moment and no luck. Any help on this much appriciated.

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# 12 29-01-2005 , 02:22 AM

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Are they appearing at all with through the bump mapping? If not or if faint, you may need to increase the alpha can in the bump's attributes

AIM: mhcannonDMC

"If you love your job, you'll never work another day in your life."

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# 13 29-01-2005 , 03:38 PM

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It looks good but there is something wrong with the lighting. Look at the background. It is lit by the sun plus some ambient light (sunlight reflecting off the ground and sky). Your model looks like it is being lit evenly from all directions plus a spotlight on his back. Think about the angle of the sun and how it would illuminate the raptor. It would be hot on his back but would cause shadows on much of his skin that is not being directly hit by the light. Look at the rocks or cactus in the background. See how shadowy they are. That's because the sun is a single light source (directional) plus, since there isn't much cloud coverage, the sunlight is not being diffused (scattered).

One other thing; the background is much softer than the raptor. The raptor is too sharp. You can fix this by applying a small amount of blur to the model if you are compositing with a program such as After Effects.

Nice looking model user added image

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# 14 29-01-2005 , 05:52 PM

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it still looks like hes floating to me. i think its because hes standing on a hill, and yet his legs reach their bottom at the same place. i think you need to make hte leg closest to us extend down a little farther than the one behind it.

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