Ryoker - Music Video WIP - Nov Challenge

[spacekdet]

See also 'Spline Array'

[Draise]

Oh hey! I completely forgot of those tools. Nice. I have to use the bridge more. Somtimes when I get into the millions of Polygons the MS can't hack it, but I have found a workflow of isolating geometry and working with the MS tools in a clean scene. SO thanks for that, completely forgot it had those tools.

I used the Spline array - but I found it didn't follow the curve normal of the path. But that's ok. It saved me a lot of time.

I really should learn to use the ICE tools in Softimage for exactly these kinds of exercises and procedural modeling...

[Finis]

spline ... curve normal ... it has been a while since I used that in TS (I'd use Hexagon but have to break that habit and get into Blender) so I'm not sure of the following. The right click menu for the array tools has some options that may cover that. Also if you rotate one of the objects, the first one I think, it will rotate the others. I think size works that way too. Vaguely remember that resizing the object on one end scaled them on a gradient, or small to large, and the other end scaled all the objects the same.

[Dragneye]

Whoa Draise. COOL look to the characters, and cool terrain sculpt!

[Draise]

Thanks guys.

Update

I am still working on this. I have had two deadline shifts. One was supposed to be the 15th of Dec, and the other now is tomorrow, the 31st, and I probably will be given till the 4th.

I am way behind schedule, over budget. I accepted a too ambitious project.

But... I am getting there........ Just thought to update.

I am now doing animation, and soon hopefully lighting and finishing some assets. I have done the animatic with my illustrator, and some lineart animation for special effects. I have done maybe 70% of the animation. I have done only 20% of the renders.

But.. oh well.

I'll be working late tonight again.

My client is not happy, and very picky. He has been too involved in thecreative process, and I think that has me back about two weeks as we started to review the animatic - which I told him was not feasible for the time and price he wants. I am not too happy with the client being so involved in the creative process.

[Finis]

I hope you finish in time so your client is happy.

When you finish this project review all your past freelance work. Use your research to learn your strengths and weaknesses and where things went right or wrong and why. Learn what your competitors charge.

Work on the creative aspects in more detail with your client early in the process (simple storyboards, quick sketches, etc.). That should move changes to the early parts where they are not so harmful, if at all, and creates a better agreement about what will be done. Make your client aware at the start that significant changes later will cost extra and take longer and be sure he agrees to that.

Negotiate honestly and fairly with a professional and courteous attitude but also with strength. Don't be afraid to pass on unprofitable work. Don't be afraid to bid the most you think a client will pay. Better to negotiate down than be stuck with a low bid.

I hope to see the finished product. It looks like fun.

[RAYMAN]

Yup Finis you are right..but.. in 3d I learned the lesson
that the right tools will speed up the process inredibly...
you can do everything with the method of use what you
have...but its a lot more time consuming......
Renders can be finished in a few hours ...or can be matters
of days.... depending on what you use....also if you use
poly software ecclusivly....every hole that you make takes ages
and very good planning.....if you model the hybrid way..
you shave off 90% of your modeling workflow...!
Even Modo now offers a subd plugin to do exactly that
job.....!
The tools cost a fraction of what you can earn with them
if you speed up the workflow!
Peter

[Finis]

Yep, using the wrong tools is one of the weaknesses to be detected. Using the tools you know well improves speed and quality. Learn efficient powerful tools and workflows so they are what you know well. Then you have the benefits of all of that.

The current Modo has character rigging and animation (video). Mmm, Modo, mmm, (wanders off dreaming of Modo).

Note to Admin or super powered moderators: you can alter the BB code for embedding youtube videos so they can go full screen. You can add BB code to embed Vimeo videos like we do youtube vids (). How to is all over the web just search.

[RAYMAN]

I mentioned Modo not because its so special per se but because
Modo as THE polygon modeling icon now suggests hybrid modeling
or ib other words poly ..tspline... nurbs...and back as a much more speedy process!
Gone are the times when the poly only diehards used to dominate..

[Draise]

Yeah, you are right on the right workflows and software. Whatever is more efficient. I hear animation in Modo is still limited. No animation layers, no animation mixer/clips. A deal breaker for me. But other than that, I like the sounds of Modo as a concept.

I have been using Mach Studio Pro 2 for the rendering and Softimage for everything else other than modeling. Previz and modeling was done in trueSpace. Softimage is a great powerhouse. I built a crowd generator with it (swapping out body parts using the visual programming with ICE) and the autorigging of GEAR addon - great free rig generator. Best rigs I know of with least amount of work. I also very much like Softimage, it handles heavy scenes like butter, and really is good at handling data. It's not hard to script in it for mass data processing - and the ICE ability to nodal programming of everythign is great. It's explorer (or overview) is excellent, and I have a schematic view to opt for aswell. And more! It had a middle click on ANY menu to open up or repeat last action of said menu, no matter how deep it goes. SO GREAT! I wish ALL software had this. A middle click to repeat ANYTHIGN!?!?!? SO REVOLUTIONARY. It clearly is a professional software, and it sucks you can't buy it anymore.. but heh.

I am doing composites in Fusion 7, and the other software things I use is DJV viewer, Krita, Gimp.

Let me tell you, for a dead free software, Mach Studio Pro 2 is AWESOME. It's a bit clunky when handling large data sets (but Blender is worse for that - no schematic view, a clunky overview panel, no nodal access to objects) - but the speed you can render out some quality renders is great - a huge time saver. I am confident that I don't have to sit for days or weeks rendering the 11000 frames I would have to render.

I can see potential for it. Maybe hard to develop shaders, but for a specific style I can develop, and a workflow.. rendering takes seconds in it. I do need a better graphics card though, as I'm cutting some corners to get out HD 1080p pics.. but it is nice.


UPDATE:
Coming soon....

As soon as I am over with this, I will do that reflection. I learnt a lot this year, mostly through mistakes - but I have some good material to boost a better showreel and got some great exprerience for the future. Was a good year all round despite the difficulties. Thanks for the support..