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Carrara Challenge #50 - A Special Carrara Anniversary Celebration - WIP thread

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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,125
    UnifiedBrain said:
    Diomede said:
    UnifiedBrain said:
    Diomede said:

     

    Nothing brilliant here.  Just some basic vertex shapes modified with the scale and rotate tools, and tweaked with soft select.  There was something new - I figured out how to assign shading domains. Yay!  Then surface replicated onto a plane, slightly below a terrain.

    Great start.  I'm always a huge fan of NPR!  You will find assigning new shading domains empowering.  For example, there are many clothing items for which you can change the style easily, such as making a long sleeve shirt a short sleeve shirt (depending on the mesh).

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,125
    Mystarra said:

    WIP Snow Garden

    hung my snowflake on tree as leaves.
    it wouldn't let me tweak the 2 shading domains on it.


     

     

    Spectacular!

    Which element are you having trouble tweaking shading domains?  The tree in its entirety?  The snowflake leaves?  The tree trunk?  Branches?  Top star?

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,125
    Mystarra said:

    oh no i killed the thread

    You mean the Commons thread?

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,323
    UnifiedBrain said:
    Diomede said:
    UnifiedBrain said:
    Diomede said:

    - Don't be daunted by the notion of modeling a custom leaf from a reference pic.  It really is just a few steps.

    Ha!  Eighteen steps is more than a few in my book. :)  Still, thanks for showing your process.  Your new version of the orchard will undoubtedly be amazing.

    Thanks Wendy for your suggestions as well.

     

    You will get to eighteen steps quickly if you load a preset object and try to adust its texture and shape.  

    The steps are

    - trace a reference image in the vertex modeler.

    - use that image as the shader.

    - with shader displayed in the uv room, adjust the uvmap to be inside the reference image

    Only 3 steps!!!

    You can do it. yes

    And it is soooooo liberating

     

    I appreciate learning something that is liberating.  In the meantime, I decided to go NPR on at least one of the category 1 renders, and made a toon flower (original) in the modeling room.  This is not the scene I will enter, it is just a concept render to see how this plant (or a similar one) will look.

     

    Nothing brilliant here.  Just some basic vertex shapes modified with the scale and rotate tools, and tweaked with soft select.  There was something new - I figured out how to assign shading domains. Yay!  Then surface replicated onto a plane, slightly below a terrain.

    Brilliant!!! Now we just need to break you away from Always grivitating to the surface replicator. For this scene, you could have just as easily left the plane at home and used the replicator instead! ;)

    Brilliant, though. I was just reading where Diomede was trying to get you to model a flower pedal using a leaf modeling technique. You were a bit overwhelmed at the idea... and then you pull This off!   Proud of you, UB! 

    Another FYI: Basic Plant Leaves in Carrara - some of them would make fine flower pedals, just change the shader. Like leaves but even moreso, flower pedals will benefit greatly with the use of translucency in the shader.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,323
    Mystarra said:

    WIP Snow Garden

    hung my snowflake on tree as leaves.
    it wouldn't let me tweak the 2 shading domains on it.

    Is the snowflake a vertex object? If not, convert it to one and edit away.

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    Mystarra said:

    WIP Snow Garden

    hung my snowflake on tree as leaves.
    it wouldn't let me tweak the 2 shading domains on it.


     

    Beautiful, Misty!

     

     

    Mystarra said:

    oh no i killed the thread

    If you mean this thread, fear not.  There has been a general lack of comments on WIP's so far.  Right now, Da Vinci could post something and get no response. :)

    Maybe enthusiasm will pick up after the holidays.

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    Diomede said:

    Great start.  I'm always a huge fan of NPR!  You will find assigning new shading domains empowering.  For example, there are many clothing items for which you can change the style easily, such as making a long sleeve shirt a short sleeve shirt (depending on the mesh).

    Wow, that is something that I would have never considered, thanks!

     

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,323
    UnifiedBrain said:
    Mystarra said:

    WIP Snow Garden

    hung my snowflake on tree as leaves.
    it wouldn't let me tweak the 2 shading domains on it.


     

    Beautiful, Misty!

     

     

    Mystarra said:

    oh no i killed the thread

    If you mean this thread, fear not.  There has been a general lack of comments on WIP's so far.  Right now, Da Vinci could post something and get no response. :)

    Maybe enthusiasm will pick up after the holidays.

    I think you're right. I keep getting pulled in every direction!

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,323
    edited December 2019
    Diomede said:
    UnifiedBrain said:
    Diomede said:
    UnifiedBrain said:
    Diomede said:

     

    Nothing brilliant here.  Just some basic vertex shapes modified with the scale and rotate tools, and tweaked with soft select.  There was something new - I figured out how to assign shading domains. Yay!  Then surface replicated onto a plane, slightly below a terrain.

    Great start.  I'm always a huge fan of NPR!  You will find assigning new shading domains empowering.  For example, there are many clothing items for which you can change the style easily, such as making a long sleeve shirt a short sleeve shirt (depending on the mesh).

    Exactly! I do that all the time!

    Also, to help with Poke-through, did you know that we can select parts of figures and assign new domains? Yes!

    Areas like elbows and knees, just parts of thighs, shoulders, forearms, etc., Use the preview window to get accurate with areas you need to make invisible, and give it a new domain. If the default shaders shows in the preview window, you know you've selected too many polygons. No fear. Undo the creation of the new domain and work on the selection some more.

    I have a shader with everything set to "None" except that Alpha is Value 1-100 = 0

    I call this shade "Invisible", and plunk it into domains I need to make disappear.

    Now, let's say that suddenly you need to unhide parts of that new domain. Just plunk the corresponding shader for that body part in the new domain! This works as long as you don't cross domains with the new one. For example, I'll never include Torso or Head body parts with a Limbs selection, etc.,

    Post edited by Dartanbeck on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,037

    I think leaves need to be one domain

  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675
    Diomede said:
    Mystarra said:

    WIP Snow Garden

    hung my snowflake on tree as leaves.
    it wouldn't let me tweak the 2 shading domains on it.


     

     

    Spectacular!

    Which element are you having trouble tweaking shading domains?  The tree in its entirety?  The snowflake leaves?  The tree trunk?  Branches?  Top star?

     

    Thanks.  the snowflakes leafs.  when i take the plant into the shader room, i see the trunk, the branches, and 1 shader domain for the snowflake.  no big deal tho smiley just an observation.  

  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675
    WendyLuvsCatz said:

    I think leaves need to be one domain

    seems t be true.

    it's the same exact sflake.car as the one on tree top.  the light bulbs didn't come thru on the leaf flakes.

  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675
    UnifiedBrain said:
    Mystarra said:

    WIP Snow Garden

    hung my snowflake on tree as leaves.
    it wouldn't let me tweak the 2 shading domains on it.


     

    Beautiful, Misty!

     

     

    Mystarra said:

    oh no i killed the thread

    If you mean this thread, fear not.  There has been a general lack of comments on WIP's so far.  Right now, Da Vinci could post something and get no response. :)

    Maybe enthusiasm will pick up after the holidays.

    thanks. smiley  i used a metal shader on the tree branches for the silver and gold look

    and a volumetric cloud for the background haze

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,125
    edited December 2019

    Another WIP

    I used a layers list to assign shading domains and replicator masks to the base terrain.  I changed the heightmaps a little, but the basic concept is still the same.  Most of these plants can be found on my ShareCG account.  Feel free to put them to use (if that is allowed surprise).

    https://www.sharecg.com/pf/full_uploads.php?pf_user_name=diomede

     

    wip scene setup.jpg
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    WIP just shader domains.jpg
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    WIP shaders and replicators garden stil to be done.jpg
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    wip better.jpg
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    Post edited by Diomede on
  • StezzaStezza Posts: 7,988

    sorry for not commenting, been rather busy with real life and christmas lunches and keeping an eye on bushfires in my area..

    as usual though, awesome posts by all that has posted keep them coming I enjoy reading and looking at them even if I'm not posting yes  wink

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    Dartanbeck said:

    Brilliant!!! Now we just need to break you away from Always grivitating to the surface replicator. For this scene, you could have just as easily left the plane at home and used the replicator instead! ;)

    Thanks!  But I was trying for some random distribution.  Isn't the plain replicator more orderly?  I went back and set up the flowers again (render to follow), this time in the replicator.  Great for plants in an orderly garden, or men marchig in columns, but maybe not so good for random placement?

    Dartanbeck said:

    Brilliant, though. I was just reading where Diomede was trying to get you to model a flower pedal using a leaf modeling technique. You were a bit overwhelmed at the idea... and then you pull This off!   Proud of you, UB! 

    Ha, to me, what I did was a lot easier. :)  In other words, I used tools that I basically know.  What Diomede was doing - tracing a reference image - I didn't even know where to start.

    Dartanbeck said:

    Another FYI: Basic Plant Leaves in Carrara - some of them would make fine flower pedals, just change the shader. Like leaves but even moreso, flower pedals will benefit greatly with the use of translucency in the shader.

    Awesome ideas.  I've never (knowingly) used translucency.

     

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    edited December 2019

     

    Vincent's Garden

     

    This one was unplanned.  I started playing around with the plant, the replicator and GMIC, and saw some possibilities.

    All done in Carrara. 

    Vincent's Garden Carrara setup.JPG
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    Vincent's Garden.png
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    Post edited by UnifiedBrain on
  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    Diomede said:
     

    Wow!

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,125
    edited December 2019

    UB - thanks for the Wow.  Much appreciated.

    And... WOW right back at you.  I know it can be hard to know which of the GMIC stacked filters does what, but I'd love to know your recipe.  Most excellent.

     

    Almost done with everything EXCEPT the garden - haha.  Some more replicters.  Modeled a bridge for the stream.  Need to rough it up a little with morphs.

     

     

    WIP have a bridge now.jpg
    1600 x 1067 - 351K
    Post edited by Diomede on
  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588

    Thanks Diomede.  Filter stack - from top to bottom, GMIC Color>Basic Adjustments, Toon 3, GMIC LyleJK, GMIC Dream Smoothing.

    For those who don't know, the filter stack is similar in hierarchy to the Layers List.  The top filter has the initial influence, and the bottom filter has the last influence.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,125
    edited December 2019

    50 - Been Trying to Decide my Project for 50

    Don Coyote, the Man from Laredo (TX), who dueled windmills was my 50th entry in a Carrara Challenge.  Don Coyote was another of my silly custom figures.  Think will revisit that.

    He appeared in challenge 29, in December 2016.   https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/1849076/#Comment_1849076

     

    Post edited by Diomede on
  • VyusurVyusur Posts: 2,235
    Diomede said:

    50 - Been Trying to Decide my Project for 50

    Don Coyote, the Man from Laredo (TX), who dueled windmills was my 50th entry in a Carrara Challenge.  Don Coyote was another of my silly custom figures.  Think will revisit that.

    He appeared in challenge 29, in December 2016.   https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/1849076/#Comment_1849076

    He is my favorite figure among yours.

     

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,323
    edited December 2019
    UnifiedBrain said:
    Dartanbeck said:

    Brilliant!!! Now we just need to break you away from Always grivitating to the surface replicator. For this scene, you could have just as easily left the plane at home and used the replicator instead! ;)

    Thanks!  But I was trying for some random distribution.  Isn't the plain replicator more orderly? 

    Until we add randomness, sure.

     

    UnifiedBrain said:
    Dartanbeck said:

    Brilliant, though. I was just reading where Diomede was trying to get you to model a flower pedal using a leaf modeling technique. You were a bit overwhelmed at the idea... and then you pull This off!   Proud of you, UB! 

    Ha, to me, what I did was a lot easier. :)  In other words, I used tools that I basically know.  What Diomede was doing - tracing a reference image - I didn't even know where to start.

    By tracing a leaf with the polyline tool in the model room, silly! ;) (I'm just being silly here, I hope you know!!! )

     

    UnifiedBrain said:
    Dartanbeck said:

    Another FYI: Basic Plant Leaves in Carrara - some of them would make fine flower pedals, just change the shader. Like leaves but even moreso, flower pedals will benefit greatly with the use of translucency in the shader.

    Awesome ideas.  I've never (knowingly) used translucency.

    Translucency is perfect for materials that you don't want to have the ability of casting fully dark and heavy shadows - like tree leaves and especially flowers, candle wax, etc., etc.,

    Here's a quick example, using the Basic Aspen leaf from Carrara. I Ctrl + Drag (copy drag) the Color Gradient down to the Translucency channel for the leaf on the right. Check out the shadows.

     

    TranslucencyExampleA.jpg
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    TranslucencyExampleB.jpg
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    Post edited by Dartanbeck on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,125

    Thank you, Veronika.  One of my favorites as well.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,125
    edited December 2019

    A Garden! - Finally.

    Cornstalk is from my second entry in the very first challenge.  Probably not close enough to the camera to notice, but the maize cobs have hair coming out the top for the strands.  Not quite finished, but getting much closer.  Lots and lots of replicators.  Lots and lots of duplicates.  

     

    Technique description - the thatch of the cottage roof was made by modeling a long thin oval grid and growing hair on it.  I then duplicated the hair bunches and placed sideways on the roof.  I like the thatch effect, but invite suggestions on the roof.

     

    WIP 000 garden getting there.jpg
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    wip 000 even better.jpg
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    Post edited by Diomede on
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,323

    @Diomede That is looking Really, Really nice!!! Don't feel bad. I think nature uses lots and lots of replicators and duplicates too!

    Love the whole scene - and I especially love the grove of maturing trees. But like I said... I really like gazing upon the whole scene.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,323

    Oh wow. I just noticed that, when I made that last post to UB about the translucency thing that I accidentally forgot to go back and see what else I've missed. Lots of cool goings on!

    Cool Don Coyote render!

    UB, that Vincent's Garden looks really freaking cool! Is that all GMIC run in Carrara? I'm guessing that it is. Either way... looks really cool!

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,323

    Loving the workflow shots of Diomede's garden area too. Interesting!

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,125
    edited December 2019

    And some gardeners!

    Thanks for the nice comments, Dart.  Very much appreciated.

    I needed a female harvester in order to pay tribute to my original entry in challenge #1. So, I've inserted my Moxie figure.  I think Moxie and Brash help give some focal points and scale perspective.  I need to revise their outfits.  I need to give Moxie a gardeners hat and a basket.  I need to give Brash a wheelbarrow or similar tool.

    No more WIPs for this project.  The next image I post related to this project should be the entry (I hope).

    wip garden with brash and moxie.jpg
    1600 x 1067 - 351K
    Post edited by Diomede on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,037

    that is so beautiful Ted heart

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