tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14379038163443854522024-03-13T22:27:26.892-07:003d Swamp - Knee Deep in 3dThe chronicles of one beginning CG artist trudging through the swamps of 3d.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-36355790736195837102011-07-19T01:13:00.000-07:002011-07-19T01:13:36.642-07:00Posting moving to PurpleboogersTo the few followers following this Blog. I've actually moved over to posting on my website at <a href="http://www.purpleboogers.com">PurpleBoogers.com</a>. Or if you love blogger (though blogger is nested on that site) you can read about my adventures in 3d (and 2d) at <a href="http://purpleboogers.blogspot.com">purpleboogers.blogspot.com</a>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-50361263594002167112010-06-02T00:05:00.000-07:002010-06-02T00:07:40.994-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/TAYDALsZiXI/AAAAAAAABa4/gFYklVbQ6Uk/s1600/Brisingr4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/TAYDALsZiXI/AAAAAAAABa4/gFYklVbQ6Uk/s320/Brisingr4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478069298416683378" /></a><br />Yet another Sculptris/Blender work, I feel like I found the missing link in my workflow. Inspired by the cover of the Christopher Paolini book, "Brisingr".Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-27013457884938206462010-05-29T16:24:00.000-07:002010-05-29T16:36:31.916-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/TAGk5Em5SkI/AAAAAAAABaQ/AJRASG1EwNQ/s1600/Orcie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/TAGk5Em5SkI/AAAAAAAABaQ/AJRASG1EwNQ/s320/Orcie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476839922255612482" /></a><br /><br />Sculptris for Orca - Sculpted/Textures/Normal Maps<br />Blender for Environment/particles/Lighting/Shaders/Compositing etc<br />Gimp for some texture stuff (inverting normals maps etc)Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-35656194440659902592010-05-27T00:38:00.001-07:002010-05-29T17:00:08.655-07:00Ogre<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/S_4ibqB70II/AAAAAAAABaI/qrzH0MD3VvA/s512/ogre2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/S_4ibqB70II/AAAAAAAABaI/qrzH0MD3VvA/s320/ogre2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475852055463317634" /></a>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-49857710293023640832010-03-17T12:23:00.000-07:002010-03-17T12:29:22.524-07:00Model made it into Durian<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://durian.blender.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/shamanhut_no_comp.jpg"><img style="float: center; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 820px; height: 349px;" src="http://durian.blender.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/shamanhut_no_comp.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />A couple of posts ago I showed a model I made in the modeling sprint for the Durian Open Movie. Well, some renders got posted up today from the movie and I'm happy to report that my model made it into the shaman hut scene of the movie! Yay!<br /><br />You can see the stave tied to the wall of his hut on the left side of this image. You can see that they re-textured it to make it fit the theme of the scene. You can find the stave a few posts ago.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-38267534854352163872010-03-12T16:56:00.000-08:002010-03-12T16:57:36.945-08:00Radioactive FluidJust a quick test with fluids and the new Indirect lighting feature of Blender 2.5. It worked - I now have Radioactive Fluid!<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10125782&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10125782&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10125782">Radioactive Goo</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/liquidape">Sean Olson</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-46308936195381814852010-02-23T13:20:00.001-08:002010-02-23T13:29:42.103-08:00Durian Modeling Sprint<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/2236/ss20100223131926.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left; cursor: pointer; width: 803px; height: 250px;" src="http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/2236/ss20100223131926.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />So, the <a href="http://durian.blender.org/">Durian</a> Team, decided to hold a modeling sprint to gain some ground on their open movie project. I saw this as a neat opportunity to get my modeling into a real project so I went for it. I decided I could actually use one of my unfinished models as a base and get to work on finalizing it for the movie. The original concept is taken from the Pandaren Brewmaster Staff. Anyway, here it is. Small, simple, but complete! You can download the finished model here: <br /><a href="http://www.blendswap.com/durian/seanolson_shamanhut_staff/">Download Blend</a><br /><br />Anyway, you should go support the Durian Project and Blender development by <a href="http://www.blender3d.org/e-shop/product_info_n.php?products_id=120">pre-ordering</a> the movie!Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-2377003897865952462010-01-18T20:56:00.000-08:002010-01-18T21:01:44.973-08:00HDR Fun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/S1U8rTXKdxI/AAAAAAAABWU/kXDZSCl8E5o/s1600-h/_pregamma_1_mantiuk_contrast_mapping_1.525_saturation_factor_1.515_detail_factor_18.8.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/S1U8rTXKdxI/AAAAAAAABWU/kXDZSCl8E5o/s320/_pregamma_1_mantiuk_contrast_mapping_1.525_saturation_factor_1.515_detail_factor_18.8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428311640494470930" /></a><br />I just picked up a Pentax K-X DSLR because I got my last camera wet on my honeymoon. Oops. Now I have a much nicer camera! I played with it a bit this weeked, and decided to learn a bit about HDR and tonemapping. I made this image with a free program called qtpfsgui (<a href="http://qtpfsgui.sourceforge.net/">http://qtpfsgui.sourceforge.net/</a>) What an awful software name! But, the software did what I wanted it to do quite nicely. So, my first foray into HDR!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-88557894908538934582009-10-25T19:48:00.000-07:002009-10-25T19:51:45.055-07:00I just created a test with the Blender 2.5 system, animato, and the "Clumping" feature. This video shows the clump factor from -1.0 to 1.0 over a 10 second period. Thus, 5 seconds in has a clump factor of exactly 0. This video had default lighting and default blender material. The only variable is the clumping factor. Maybe it will be of use to somebody looking for the correct clump factor for a model.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; color: rgb(100, 95, 94); white-space: pre-wrap; "><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7257370&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7257370&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/7257370">Clump Hair setting in blender 2.5</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/liquidape">Sean Olson</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p></span></div>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-3650313233233449072009-08-30T23:21:00.000-07:002009-08-30T23:22:50.167-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SptsMDN5ZeI/AAAAAAAABKA/c84RapvGjkA/s1600-h/ballMasonJarRender.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SptsMDN5ZeI/AAAAAAAABKA/c84RapvGjkA/s320/ballMasonJarRender.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376009534474642914" border="0" /></a><br />A mason jar - a challenge by a friend produced this. I still need to fine tune some of the materials, but the bulk of the work is done.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-62999475133305907422009-08-27T09:57:00.000-07:002009-08-27T10:40:13.496-07:00Rendering Smoke in Blender<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SpbEZ30ftBI/AAAAAAAABJ4/RQs4GNc4LHg/s1600-h/smoke.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SpbEZ30ftBI/AAAAAAAABJ4/RQs4GNc4LHg/s320/smoke.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374699154073170962" /></a><br />Hello all. I stuggled a little bit while trying to figure out Blenders new smoke & volume features and I thought I would write a little guide to make the process easier for others following in my footsteps. I'm righting this tutorial for Blender build 22805 which can be found <a href="http://www.graphicall.org/builds/builds/showbuild.php?action=show&id=877">here</a>. Keep in mind, this proceedure might totally change in the future since this is an early development build of Blender 2.5.<div><br /></div><div>1. Open the build. Start by saving the file so the cache knows where to save. Hit Z to enter wire frame mode.</div><div>2. Add a plane to the scene. Scale it down and fit it inside the default cube.</div><div>3. Add a particle system to your plane. Set the physics option in particles to "No". On the Render Panel, set the option to "None".</div><div>4. Go to the physics tab and add the smoke to the plane.</div><div>5. Set the radio button to "flow". Select your particle system in the text box. The default name is "ParticleSystem"</div><div>6. Select the default cube and add smoke to it in the physics tab</div><div>7. Set the radio button to "domain". You can play with the other options to have fun with your smoke, but it is not necessary.</div><div>8. Go to the material tab for the default cube. Select "Volume" from the radio buttons that have - Surface, Wire, Volume, Halo.</div><div>9. Under the Shading settings, set Density to 0.</div><div>10. Go to the texture tab for the default cube.</div><div>11. Under type, select "Voxel Data"</div><div>12. On the Voxel Data Panel select "Cube" as your domain object.</div><div>13. On the influence panel, check the option "Density". </div><div>14. Go to the World Panel and set the horizon color to black to better see the smoke.</div><div>15. Hit alt-a to let the simulation run... Cool smoke!</div><div>16. Stop the simulation on a cool looking frame.</div><div>17. Drag your lamp next to the camera so you get some good front lighting on the smoke.</div><div>18. Hit F12 to render and get something like this!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-72435859209015348152009-05-20T15:53:00.000-07:002009-05-20T16:01:21.344-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/ShSLtCQU_6I/AAAAAAAABIw/DTfw6vACdLo/s1600-h/Telescope.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/ShSLtCQU_6I/AAAAAAAABIw/DTfw6vACdLo/s320/Telescope.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338045064156610466" border="0" /></a><br />I've been away awhile as my life has gotten quite hectic recently. I just got married on May 1st and then went to the Dominican Republic for the honeymoon. In addition, we just got a new family member, Luna, a Siberian Husky puppy. Needless to say, my time has been quite limited recently. <br /><br />On to recent graphics stuff I've done! <br /><br />I just followed an excellent tutorial by Jonathan Williamson and learned a few cool tricks. It was fun watching a quick work flow on a simple project. You can watch the tutorial here:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cgcookie.com/articles/2009/05/07/model-a-steampunk-telescope">Model a Steampunk Telescope</a>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-52751071730266725062009-03-16T10:47:00.000-07:002009-03-16T10:48:54.203-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/Sb6Q-21y6rI/AAAAAAAABHI/kZ1FjxVcVHw/s1600-h/p38wip1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/Sb6Q-21y6rI/AAAAAAAABHI/kZ1FjxVcVHw/s320/p38wip1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313844019891202738" border="0" /></a><br />Just thought I would let you all in on my latest project. A WWII P38. Here is my initial modeling.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-18571057464829621542009-02-16T19:23:00.000-08:002009-02-16T19:38:24.930-08:00Texturing goodness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SZoxIerFDOI/AAAAAAAABGg/vn65IP2dhDg/s1600-h/Hatch1024x768.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SZoxIerFDOI/AAAAAAAABGg/vn65IP2dhDg/s320/Hatch1024x768.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303605532924644578" border="0" /></a><br />I followed this <a href="http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=373024">tutorial</a> in order to really dig into texturing work. I learned a lot that I will be able to apply to my own images.<br /><br /><br />Brief notes for future reference<br /><br />Color Map:<br />UV Template - Screen<br />AO Pass - Multiply<br />Scratches - Screen+Alpha (Hard scratches)<br />2nd Scratch Layer - Screen+Alpha (Soft scratches)<br />3rd Scratch Layer - Screen/Lighten + Alpha (Soft Scratch Pattern)<br /><br />Bump Map from Color Map:<br />Grayscale<br />Scratch Layers - Invert Color + Multiply<br />AO - Off<br />Grime - Lowered or off<br />Decals - Off<br />Textured Fills - Filled with solid<br /><br />Specular Map from Color Map:<br />Grayscale<br />Darken Less Reflective AreasSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-54161947849446197642009-02-07T14:48:00.000-08:002009-02-07T14:54:50.704-08:00Discombobulate!<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3123017&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3123017&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/3123017">Discombobulate</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1006682">Sean Olson</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br />This is a simple cube with the "discombobulate" script used on it. It's got approximate ambiant occlusion and ray tracing applied to it. But the thing that makes this video extra special, is how it was rendered. It was rendered using distributed computing. Not just a renderfarm, but a world wide networked render farm. I'm one of the first people involved in the project, so we will see how much it grows, but hopefully this will be the way to render in the future. It gives the possiblity of rendering a full length movie in a fraction of the time it would take to render on one machine.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.renderfarm.fi/">www.renderfarm.fi</a>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-91922683713701105402009-01-30T13:07:00.000-08:002009-01-30T13:27:59.819-08:00Extracting Normal Maps from Photo TexturesI've been playing with normal maps recently and learned a cool trick. Usually, you have to have a 3d object to make a normal map of the object. But, I learned a way to "Recover" normals from a photo texture, thus giving the texture the illusion of depth.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Original Texture</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SYNuEDy5XbI/AAAAAAAABEc/24LhF0ApTmg/s1600-h/Bones.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SYNuEDy5XbI/AAAAAAAABEc/24LhF0ApTmg/s320/Bones.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297198602735148466" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />To do this you:<br />1. run the texture through a normal map filter in your chosen photo manipulation application.<br />2. Blur the image slightly to remove the fine details (I did not do this step enough on the example)<br />3. Create a new layer in "overlay" mode<br />4. Use a Gaussian Blur on the layer. (I used 3 pixels here)<br />5. Repeat steps 3-4 a bunch of times. I created 15 layers for this example.<br />6. Flatten the image<br />7. Run the Normal map filter again, but this time in "Normalize" mode.<br />8. Yay, you have an "extracted" normal map!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Extracted Normal Map</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SYNuWCxgqwI/AAAAAAAABEk/nni5mgRgjWA/s1600-h/BonesNormalMap.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SYNuWCxgqwI/AAAAAAAABEk/nni5mgRgjWA/s320/BonesNormalMap.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297198911698545410" border="0" /></a>After extracting your Normal map, you can apply it to any surface in your 3d modeling package. Here are some pictures of my normal map applied to a simple plane. This illusion of 3d holds up until the viewer is almost at a 90 degree angle to the viewing surface. It's best used on surfaces that you know the viewer will not be able to get near or are usually seen from a distance.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3d rendering of textured plane with no normal map</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SYNvpHgkIUI/AAAAAAAABE0/Eg9VXqTyrvM/s1600-h/skullNonNormalMapped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SYNvpHgkIUI/AAAAAAAABE0/Eg9VXqTyrvM/s320/skullNonNormalMapped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297200338898788674" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />3d rendering of same textured plane with normal map</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SYNvx_Uvk8I/AAAAAAAABE8/ouc6-N57RCc/s1600-h/skullNormalMapped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SYNvx_Uvk8I/AAAAAAAABE8/ouc6-N57RCc/s320/skullNormalMapped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297200491320546242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This gives a great sense of depth!Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-24784030893050215182008-12-18T16:05:00.000-08:002008-12-18T16:11:54.809-08:00Glowy EyesJust a quick post showing some experimentation with a glowy eye effect I am working on. You know the type that are often seen on super heroes and in video games? Here is my first attempt/stage. It just uses particles emitting from a sphere and then colliding with the "eyelid" while being attracted to an empty spherical force.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2569191&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2569191&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/2569191">Glowy Eyes Attempt #1</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1006682">Sean Olson</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-18381930850379438302008-12-18T14:12:00.000-08:002008-12-18T14:30:58.617-08:00Peace (Wizards)Well, today I was going to post a cool artistic piece that I made with <a href="http://www.topmod3d.org/">topmod</a>. It was a 3d abstract object that rotated on all 3 axis's at once. Problem is, the render of my movie crashed somewhere in between hour 26 and hour 28 of my animation. The upside of this experience is that it motivated me to learn about the "Image Sequencer" in Blender. If you care, here is a <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/2221974">link</a> to the tutorial. Basically, using this tool, I can render each frame of an animation to a seperate image file, and then combine them later. No more loosing 26 hours of render time if my system crashes. Yay!<br /><br />So, since I don't have the cool topmod animation to show you, I'll show you another one of my projects.<br /><br />When I was young, I was always attracted to the cover art of the movie "Wizards". I recently watched the movie, and it is not very good at all, but that cover art has always stuck in my head. So anyway, I've decided to model it.<br /><br />Here is the reference image that I am using. The characters name is Peace.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUrON89mHZI/AAAAAAAABDk/2BDofVDS0Bw/s1600-h/wizards1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUrON89mHZI/AAAAAAAABDk/2BDofVDS0Bw/s320/wizards1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281260252143426962" border="0" /></a><br />I started work with the weapon in the image.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUrOoHEivUI/AAAAAAAABDs/HOaNv5fESB0/s1600-h/Gun.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUrOoHEivUI/AAAAAAAABDs/HOaNv5fESB0/s320/Gun.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281260701533519170" border="0" /></a><br />And Peace himself:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUrO1iBACjI/AAAAAAAABD0/5ehbkYZ9mVo/s1600-h/peace.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUrO1iBACjI/AAAAAAAABD0/5ehbkYZ9mVo/s320/peace.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281260932104718898" border="0" /></a>I've modeled some of the other parts of the image as well, but I don't have those images with me at the moment, so I won't be able to post them just yet. You will have something to look forward to now.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-20744176630244320142008-12-16T10:15:00.000-08:002008-12-16T11:46:25.878-08:00Flood TestSo, I decided I wanted to push the fluid sim a little further and learn how to make a big flood, rolling down an avenue. I started with just trying to get the look of the water right, so there is not much "environment" yet. Right now the street just consists of some boxes and a plane for the street level. Also, though I am pretty impressed with the results, it could use some tweaking. You might notice the water hits the top of the domain, that is a problem. (You want to make the domain as small as possible as it is very memory intensive...and it's memory requirements are exponential with it's size.) The material on the water looks a little "goopy", maybe like dirty toothpaste. I think that could use some work too. But, all in all, I think the proof of concept is in place and looks good. I'm going to have to figure out how to make some nice rain to add to the scene too. As well as lightning!<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2544404&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2544404&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/2544404">Flooded Street Concept</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1006682">Sean Olson</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-66195046426567004192008-12-11T09:39:00.000-08:002008-12-11T09:47:55.089-08:00Fire - Attempt #1This is my first attempt at creating CG Fire. It took about a weekend of work to produce. The method used was created by <a href="http://www.coyhot.com/">Francois Grassard</a>. The general idea is like this:<br />1. Create an object that you want to light on fire<br />2. Emit particles from that object<br />3. Use a "magnet/attractor" type force to draw the particles in the upward direction.<br />4. Use "wind" type forces at multiple sides of the object. Variance in the wind is good too.<br />5. Attach small spheres to the particles.<br />6. Find a nice orange material for the fire. (or whatever color you want the fire to be)<br />7. Light the spheres with a hard light on one side of the object<br />8. The magic is in the composting. You need to add a lot of blurs and glows to make this look right.<br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2492704&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2492704&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/2492704">CG Fire - Attempt #1</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1006682">Sean Olson</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br />I'm not entirely happy with this fire yet. The color appears off. If you look closely you can still tell that spheres are used. The base does not look thick enough. And the randomness of the fire does not look quite right yet. I'll have another go at it in the future.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-28830510349987539142008-12-11T00:00:00.000-08:002008-12-11T00:08:00.234-08:00Eyes!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUDI6bH_B_I/AAAAAAAABC4/iL9A0sceBhw/s1600-h/EyeRender.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUDI6bH_B_I/AAAAAAAABC4/iL9A0sceBhw/s320/EyeRender.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278439669317437426" border="0" /></a><br />A few posts ago I mentioned that I would show off some completed eyes that use the Iris creation method I was talking about. So, here they are!<br /><br />For the Iris you use the method that I described earlier. The rest of the eye is set up like this.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUDJO-4Z-VI/AAAAAAAABDA/GRs5gYGU5Ag/s1600-h/EyeDisasembled.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUDJO-4Z-VI/AAAAAAAABDA/GRs5gYGU5Ag/s320/EyeDisasembled.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278440022513154386" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As you can see, there is the Cornea, which has a slight blue tint, and a lot of alpha applied to it. The iris is just the texture of course, but also make sure to set the material to be shadeless, otherwise you will get a nasty shadow on your iris. Then, the pupil itself it just a solid Black and the eye white is of course just a solid white. You can add some veins to make the eyes look more realistic, or leave them like this for a more "toony" feel.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-26358393288818163562008-12-10T14:24:00.001-08:002008-12-11T00:08:14.880-08:00RainAfter playing with the fluidsim for a long time and studying the work of <a href="http://mikepan.homeip.net/">Mike Pan</a> I created a really nice looking fluidsim. It's rain slowly falling on a chrome tube. Blenders fluidsim is very powerful and I can't wait to produce some more animations with it.<br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2488433&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2488433&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/2488433">Rain</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1006682">Sean Olson</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-26312504650362369652008-12-10T12:05:00.000-08:002008-12-10T12:12:49.627-08:00Magical Trevor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUAiVmjlxNI/AAAAAAAABCw/izrLeOwoUWY/s1600-h/MagicalTrevor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/SUAiVmjlxNI/AAAAAAAABCw/izrLeOwoUWY/s320/MagicalTrevor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278256517800641746" border="0" /></a><br />So, I decided to make a 3d composition of "<a href="http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/magical+trevor/">Magical Trevor</a>" for my brother Trevor the Magician. I tried to stick to the style of the original cartoon, but pulled into 3d. I'm getting faster. This piece took me about a night.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-66625617814657006192008-12-09T14:16:00.001-08:002008-12-09T14:20:45.359-08:00Iris Texture<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/ST7udMfdrgI/AAAAAAAABCg/CPzF4G4faBo/s1600-h/IrisSetup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 264px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/ST7udMfdrgI/AAAAAAAABCg/CPzF4G4faBo/s320/IrisSetup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277917998661611010" border="0" /></a><br />I would just like to share the cool Iris making technique I learned the other day.<br /><br />Modeling<br />1. Create a Circle and Rename it "Pupil"<br />2. Extrude the edges of the pupil out a short distance.<br />3. Select the Extruded Part of the pupil and separate it into a new mesh. Rename this Mesh "Iris"<br />4. Scale up the Pupil Object slighty. This will create the black ring around the outside of the Iris.<br /><br />Materials<br />1. Create a new Black Material and apply it to the Pupil Object. Make it "shadeless" so that light does not affect it.<br />2. Create a new Color Ramp Material and apply it to the Iris Object. 3 Colors in the gradient look nice.<br /><br />Particles<br />1. Add a Particle system of type "Hair" to the Iris Object. Bump up the Normals Size to "Grow the Hairs".<br />2. Invert the normals on the Iris object. This will make the normals go in towards the pupil, thus making the "Hair" grow towards the center of the eye.<br /><br />Lighting/Camera<br />1. Make the camera directly face the front of the Iris object.<br />2. Place the camera in "Orthogonal" mode.<br />3. Scale up the Eye Objects (Iris/Pupil) so that they fill the whole camera viewport.<br />4. Snap a lamp to the same position as the camera<br /><br />Rendering<br />1. Render Image and smile at your Iris Texture.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/ST7uqO-xJSI/AAAAAAAABCo/4vPvxsE3V_E/s1600-h/Iris.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/ST7uqO-xJSI/AAAAAAAABCo/4vPvxsE3V_E/s320/Iris.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277918222668080418" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'll show some fully rendered eyes with their whole setup soon.Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1437903816344385452.post-43485998613911721042008-12-05T12:10:00.000-08:002008-12-05T12:23:20.940-08:00Axe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/STmMHzv1TzI/AAAAAAAABCQ/4rA4Y4W_vPw/s1600-h/KR22.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/STmMHzv1TzI/AAAAAAAABCQ/4rA4Y4W_vPw/s320/KR22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276402504219053874" border="0" /></a><br />Ah, a weapon! I decided to make an axe the other day on lunch. I think it turned out quite nicely, but it shows that maybe it's time for me to start flushing out more materials and textures to complete some of my models. Everything is feeling a bit gray to me. The hardest part about building this model was keeping the topology of the Axe-Head clean and Triangle Free. (Triangles do not play nicely with subsurf animation.) I got it after struggling for a little bit. Anyway, here is the source image, and my version.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/STmMTGWwakI/AAAAAAAABCY/ymSJE5INQtg/s1600-h/axe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6LL-wYtaplM/STmMTGWwakI/AAAAAAAABCY/ymSJE5INQtg/s320/axe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276402698192710210" border="0" /></a>Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00765236817309216329noreply@blogger.com1