3D drama ... and Vue: the interface from heaven

3D action drama -- "now for something completely different!" -- and some landscapes. And these are very different indeed! I've been getting a bit exasperated with Bryce lately. It's the interface from hell. Literally. And I decided to take something else for a spin...

Vue is a program I've been aware of for a while. I knew Version 8 was out ... I didn't know they're already up to 8.5, and I only recently learned that you can now get Version 7 as a legal free download (get that, folks, LEGAL, not a torrent of dubious origins that's probably loaded with viruses). So I just had to take it for a spin, as I said.

It's the interface from heaven.

I'm not saying there's anything in an way amazing about my first tentative renders:




...but consider this. I got these images in about ten minutes flat, including installing the program and seeing the interface for the first time!! That's the part that blows you away. Right now, I don't even have the proper render engine for it. Vue is different in everything they do. They don't make their current "core" program a free download (DAZ does). In fact, if you're not careful you can still pay $199 for Vue 7, from Amazon sellers, when you can get it free from the publisher. However, as soon as a version goes obsolete the do give away the core. But the program expands itself in modules for about fifty bucks each; and the first module you need is (!) the render engine, to give you higher-rez renders without the damned company logo.

And it's not just long distance landscapes that Vue is all about. You can fly the camera into the heart of the forest and zoom in for a super closeup on the bee sitting on the flower, while the squirrels frolic in the tree behind.

It's a whole 'nother interface to learn, but by comparison with Bryce, Vue is child's play. And not only that, it has POWER you don't believe. Turns out, Version 6 was used to do some of the work in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Terminator 4 and Australia. Half the time, I just don't believe what I'm seeing.

I gotta learn the interface and controls, so that I can get out of "wide angle shot of the whole world" mode, and get into the forest glades full of ferns and trees. It's going to be fun! Also, must buy the render engine, which is something called RenderUp, and get rid of that damned logo.

So, let this post mark the beginning of something new: my relationship with Vue 7, also known as Digital Nature.

Jade, 30 June

3D art meets life and death drama: make your own OBJs!

Deep Shadow Map...

Deep Shadow Map

3D art meets nature photography ... and maybe a bit of Indiana Jones type adventure, too! I was messing around with Bryce for a few minutes today: feeling like death warmed over, because I have the 'flu, needing to take a break, get my mind off code and numbers and editing ... brain having something of a meltdown. So to do something absolutely different I opened up Bryce and started playing with terrains.

Now, in Bryce when you click to "create a terrain," you get a default mountain range. But nothing says you have to model a mountain range ... you can model a tableland that's flat as the proverbial bickie, if you like. The easiest way to model a terrain is to use a bitmap image, which tells the program where you want to push the default model UP, and where you want to drive it DOWN. Pure white is way up, top of Everest. Pure black is way down, bottom of the Marianas Trench. So it stands to reason that a good image map for talking to the software is going to be gray, and right around the middle of the "11 zone" grayscale. This way, you generate a terrain that's like low rolling hills. Which could also be used as a close-up of a bootprint or a tire track (!) or it could be scaled to be a pretty decent bit of foreground for your character to stand on...



I came up with this Bryce landscape, above, and I was actually quite pleased with it. The next thing you'd want to do is put characters and trees and stuff into it, but while you can do this in Bryce 5.5 (yeah, yeah, I still use the free version; can we say "Counting our Pennies?) it's nowhere near as efficient at working with figure models (guys, trees, shrubs, snakes...) as DAZ Studio 3.

So the next thing you do, in Bryce, is click to EXPORT AS OBJECT. Tell the program you want an OBJ, and tell it to export all its maps. That part's easy. The interesting thing was, I had no idea how big and detailed I could make the OBJ now, because I haven't done this since I upgraded the computer about two months ago.

So I ran an experiment and told Bryce to create the highest-detail OBJ it could. It did a superb job. But DAZ won't render it! The program just falls over. I bought a fantastic model the other day, a battle cruiser that I'm hoping to able to use in the ANIMATIONS (!) for the upcoming promo for Mel Keegan's HELLGATE series. Saaaaame problem: DAZ won't even open the model. Fortunately, 3D Studio MAX opens it easily and renders it beautifully, so we're going to be bouncing from program to program, doing certain jobs on certain platforms, and then patching the work together later.

For today, though ... I knew 3D Studio MAX would open the huge OBJ Bryce had just made, but I don't have the energy to be bothered. I went back into Bryce and made a new model of the terrain with half the resolution.

Worked like magic. DAZ is happy to open it, whack the maps onto it, the works. So now you get to this image, which is fair:


OBJ as generated by Bryce, imported into DAZ, maps applied ... Bryce sky imported as a backdrop. Three distant lights set, and then rendered in DAZ. Um ... wahoo, it works! Now we can have Michael 4 go running about on a proper bit of ground instead of something that's as flat as a table!

So here's DAZ's male supermodel, Michael 4 himself, wearing Rock Star Hair by Neftis and Billy T.'s M4 Real Jeans, and the cockroach-crusher boots from he Stylin' pack ... I added four of the Deluxe Trees and four shrubs from PNature (all from Renderosity), and then set up a couple of extra lights ...

The scene was still missing something. Rattlesnake. Yep, that was it. The scene needed something to make Michael 4 get up and ACT. Nothing like startling a snake in the bush! I could tell you some stories ... but snakes are beautiful, beautiful creatures -- and almost blind, and very timid. They won't hurt you unless you threaten them. This snake is the DAZ Morphing Python, with the viper fangs turned on, and the texture from the Cold Blooded pack set to rattler. And he's a beauty. Looks like Mike knows to freeze and let him skedaddle...!

Cough drops and hot tea now.

Jade, 28 June

Romance in the air: Subotu and the ninth-born son ... next part!

Romance -- and the plot thickens! In yesterday's post, the young ronin warrior Subotu learned that he's being paid a fortune to go away and stop being a bad influence on the young man who is the ninth-born son of the king of this small kingdom. In this post ... the princeling at the crux of all this trouble learns what his father has decided -- and by the looks of this, the kid is about to get his Irish up!

Seriously ... this is a very nice story that's developing. This one makes about seven episodes! I guess I need to give this kid a name (still looking for one that fits him), and design his parents, and the warlord who captured him. And then I ought to go back and show how he and Subotu met ... and hint at where Subotu is from, since he's a nomad heading west on a big, beautiful horse, hiring out his warrior skills as he goes.

Hmmm. Let me think about this.

Not much coherence in today's post: I've come down with 'flu, on top of everything else. It's winter here, downunder, and there's a lot of 'flu going around. It's my turn to get it, and I have to admit, I feel ... exactly the way you feel, when you have a case of 'flu!

***********************************
Looking for the rest of this series? Here they are:

The Yaoi Princeling ... young, beautiful, still full of arrogance, with his jewelry and his, uh, clothing intact. Then...

Looks like a captive now -- notice the jewelry is gone, and in three out of four images his, uh, clothes are as absent as his jewelry. Then ...

The ronin hero realizes he has a dangerous job to do -- alone in the wilderness he performs the ritual sword kata to purify his heart and mind before undertaking the mission. Then ...

Here comes the hero -- and what a hero. The scenes actually look like he's breaking into someone's stronghold to bust someone out. Notice, there's an extra sword in the bottom of the shot in two of the images. Then ...

Remorse! Look who's sorry now. But how could you stay mad at him, especially when he's been through such a tough time. Then ...

The Next morning, where Subotu finds out that fighting the battle and rescuing the princeling was the tip of the iceberg in terms of trouble. Then...

This post, where the news filters down to the prince himself. And nooobody (except maybe the king!) is happy about any of it.

Jade, 27 June

***Posted by MK: my connection is intermittent, too slow for this. Seriously, guys, I've got dialup speeds. How are you expected to do anything these days, at 1990 dialup speeds?!!!

Romance blossoms -- the prince and the ronin warrior, next episode!

The fantasy romance continues -- a little Yaoi. And why not? And in this episode...

The battle is over, the princeling has been delivered back to his father; Subotu has gone out there and risked everything to rescue him from the warlord out in the hinterland ... and then he learns what's going on. The princeling is safe and sound, and his father is glad to have him back, but he also believes that Subotu had been a "bad influence" on the young man. It's not the ronin's love that's the problem. It's the fact that the kid is trying to emulate the older, wiser, much more experienced Subotu ... which is how he got himself in trouble in the first place! So here, ronin ... here's a barrowload of money and jewels, enough to be a prince yourself. Take it, and leave this land.

And here is Subotu, wondering what he did to annoy his gods, because he just became rich -- and lost the love of his life, in the same moment.

Yaoi romance ... this one's a heartbreaker. Come back tomorrow, and I'll show the other side to this scene: the princeling who got himself into strife and needed rescuing -- only the ninth son and far from the succession -- is about to find out what's happening with Subotu!

Looking for the rest of this series? Here they are:

The Yaoi Princeling ... young, beautiful, still full of arrogance, with his jewelry and his, uh, clothing intact. Then...

Looks like a captive now -- notice the jewelry is gone, and in three out of four images his, uh, clothes are as absent as his jewelry. Then ...

The ronin hero realizes he has a dangerous job to do -- alone in the wilderness he performs the ritual sword kata to purify his hert and mind before undertaking the mission. Then ...

Here comes the hero -- and what a hero. The scenes actually look like he's breaking into someone's stronghold to bust someone out. Notice, there's an extra sword in the bottom of the shot in two of the images. Then ...

Remorse! Look who's sorry now. But how could you stay mad at him, especially when he's been through such a tough time. Then ...

This episode, where Subotu finds out that fighting the battle and rescuing the princeling was the tip of the iceberg in terms of trouble.

Jade, 26 June

***Posted by MK: my connection is intermittent, too slow for this. Seriously, guys, I've got dialup speeds. How are you expected to do anything these days, at 1990 dialup speeds?!!!

Vampires rock -- part two

"So I said to him, 'Don't be a berk, Lewis, I can't come to your dumb party. You know I hang out with Amadeus at night.'"

"That was very decent of you, Bradley. Tell me, what's a berk?"

"Um ... the Australians would call it a nong."

"I've never been to Australia. The furthest south I ever went was Athens, in 1742."

"You need to get out more."

"We're 'out' now, aren't we? Speaking of which -- we have to stop meeting in places like this. It's ... muddy!"

"It was your idea to meet up here. Anyway, you're a vampire, I thought you liked all these creepy old places. Like, you sleep in an earth-filled coffin."

"I sleep on a Posturpedic mattress, Bradley."

"I know. With chocolate satin sheets. I guess when a spine gets to be as old as yours, it needs its orthopedic mattress --"

"You're not too old to be spanked, young man!"

"Oh, would you, would you? You're always promising all kinds of goodies, then you never --"

"All right, how's this? Give me back the carkeys. You're not driving the Lamborghini tonight."

"Oh ... well, poop. You know how much I love driving that car o' yours."

"Then, try treating me with a little respect, since I'm eight hundred years old and I own the damned sportscar!"

"Uh, yeah, right, okay. So, can I drive? Please?"

"You can drive it right to the diner, and eat, so I can get fed. I'm starving! You wanted fish and chips."

"No, you wanted fish and chips. I wanted Italian. Or pizza. You gave me the usual sob story about garlic bringing you out in hives, and --"

"What happened to all this respect I was going to get if I let you drive the car?!"

"Um ... yeah. I do respect you, man. Honestly. Even in the morning."

"In mourning for what? Or for whom? I always wear black. Everyone says it looks good on me."

"No, the morning, like before-noon, as in, a.m."

"Ante meridian."

"Auntie who --?"

"Shut up and get in the car, Bradley."

"I love it when you come over all masterful. S'why I told Lewis. 'You know I can't come to your dumb party, man, you know I hang out with Amadeus at night."

"And he said ...?"

"He said, 'Why don't you hang out with the dude during the day?'"

"And you said ...?"

"I said, 'Because we're both asleep during the day, because we hang out at night.' Well, duh. In red, underlined."

"I must say, I rather admire your logic."

"You're just saying that."

"No, really. And ... which way is this diner with the fish and chips --?"

"It's ... um, that way. And I get to park the Lamborghini right outside!"

"Just get in the car, Bradley."

====================================

Looking for the other parts?

Waiting for the Vampire (prolog) and Vampires rock -- part one

Jade, 25 June

***Posted by MK: my connection is intermittent, too slow for this. Seriously, guys, I've got dialup speeds. How are you expected to do anything these days, at 1990 dialup speeds?!!!

Studies in light and shadows

Alas, just a Deep Shadow Map, but...

...there's a lot you can do with a DSM...

...if you don't mind tweaking in Photoshop.

Studies in 3D lighting ... just eye candy (guy candy, if you prefer!) today ... no time to write more than these few words. Things are hectic, time is short, and I'm submerging under a mountain of work! Back tomorrow, with something semi-coherent: a tutorial or sorts, on the joys of displacement mapping ... and you can't imagine how beautiful it can be! Trust me, it's a treat -- I already did the art, I just don't have time today to write the text, so ... please enjoy these images instead!

Jade, 24 June

***Posted by MK: my connection is intermittent, too slow for this. Seriously, guys, I've got dialup speeds. How are you expected to do anything these days, at 1990 dialup speeds?!!!

Vampires rock: 2010 style

"Hey, what kept you, man? I been waitin' here for half an hour, and you know there's bats!"

"I like bats."

"You like bats? You're weird. Even Batman doesn't like bats."

"I'm not weird, I'm a vampire. And I was stuck in traffic, Bradley. Even we get stuck in traffic. Occasionally."

"Don't call me Bradly. You know I hate it."

"It's your name."

"Call me Brad. Listen, I'm starving."

"So am I!"

"Yeah, but I get fed first, so I don't fall down and faint when you get fed, if you take my meanin', you being a vampire, an all."

"I take your meaning. And you wouldn't fall down and faint. You'd faint and fall down."

"You're picky tonight."

"I get that way when I'm hungry, and when I've been standing in traffic for half an hour!"

"Oh, yeah, right. So, like, you wanna go somewhere?"

"Unless you can find somewhere to get a burger or a hotdog in a ruined church, I should imagine we'll have to go somewhere ... and get you fed so that I can get fed! So, what do you have an appetite for tonight?"

"Italian. I like Italian."

"No! Bradley, you know perfectly well the garlic brings me out in hives!"

"Oh, yeah, right. Well, how about pizza? There's no garlic in pizza."

"Yes, there is. It's in the sauce. I can taste it. In your blood."

"Damn ... is that why you always hiccup, after I've eaten pizza?"

"Bradley, you're not taking any of this seriously, are you?"

"Nope. You take yourself way too seriously, man. I mean, Amadeus. So you're eight hundred years old. Whoopdie-do. Doctor Who's older than that."

"Doctor Who is a fictional character in a television science fiction comedy-drama, Bradley, not a starving vampire who is quite likely to sink his fangs into you at any moment!"

"Uh ... yeah, I guess you make a good point there. Okay, no pizza. No Italian. I guess that includes French, too, huh?"

"No, Italian does not include French, just as Italy does not include France. And no, you're not going to eat French food tonight, either -- not if you want to drive the Lamborghini!"

"O...kay. Well, you got anything against English food? They don't use garlic in English food. I could go for fish and chips."

"Mmm. With plenty of salt and vinegar ... and ketchup, all of which lends a peculiar piquancy to your blood. Here, catch the keys -- the car's parked over there, under those trees. You're driving, Bradly."

"Way cool, man! So, hey, where's this traffic jam of yours?"

The story continues...

Jade, 22 June

***Posted by MK: my connection is intermittent, too slow for this. Seriously, guys, I've got dialup speeds. How are you expected to do anything these days, at 1990 dialup speeds?!!!

Waiting for the vampire

3D art can be incredibly expressive. Call this series of renders "Waiting for the Vampire," because this young man is very beautiful, and this church is very ruined, and this night is very dark and stormy! (In fact, if you come back tomorrow, I'll have the vampire show up!)

These renders are a return to yesterday's art. In that series I was exploring a new set called AD Gothick. Fantastic piece of work. What you don't realize (I don't think it comes through in yesterday's renders) is the size of the set. So today I set up the shots to show how big it is. That gargoyle up on the wall is life-sized at least ... and if this dude were alive, he's no shrimp!

Otherwise, the setup is pretty much the same -- the Bryce sky, some extra trees in the background to give a sense of depth, and the lights. Actually, I set a couple of extra lights, because having a character means you need something I call "point of reference lighting." What this is, is a bounce-back from the ground -- in real life, you always get reflected light, and if you don't have this in 3D renders, something seems to be "off." However, because the world is big, if you're on a very large set (like this one), you'll need to set at least two, if not three lights ... dim, and set in the ground (or floor) and pointing UP at the model. I know it's a bit extra work, but it really is worth it.

Now, the character is Michael 4 (duh), wearing the Mon Chevalier hair set to blond, and the Billy T. jeans and jacket, and the sneakers from the m$ Basicwear. He's wearing the Elite skinmap known as Lee (which is actually Asian, but it doubles very nicely as Scandinavian -- and that's one in the eye for the folks of other centuries, who were racist on the basis of what skin tone we're all wearing!!), but as for that angular, beautiful face ... sorry guys, that's one of mine. You can't buy this anywhere.

With the exception of the skinmap and hair and sneakers, which were from DAZ, all else you see in these renders is from Renderosity. Face by me, and Bryce sky by me, obviously.

Join me tomorrow, and the vampire he's waiting for will show up. I do believe it's going to be Amadeus. I can see Amadeus driving up in a starlight-blue sports car for his midnight tryst. Oooh, yes!

Jade, 21 June (Solstice of Winter downunder)

***Posted by MK: my connection is intermittent, too slow for this. Seriously, guys, I've got dialup speeds. How are you expected to do anything these days, at 1990 dialup speeds?!!!

3D sets: the gargoyle's eye view

3D sets ... the ruined church on a stormy night ... the gargoyle's eye view! Yep, I treated myself to some goodies from Renderosity. Some were on sale, some are just amazing -- and the fact is, Renderosity is cheaper than DAZ. So long as you know what you're doing with installing the files yourself rather than having the convenience of a Windows installer, you're home free. Turns out to be easy to do a manual installation ... if you need to know how, I blogged about this a while back, with instructions. (You're most welcome!)

So, the set that I bought this morning is called AD Gothik -- a ruined church complete with Gargoyles! Fantastic value at under $10! And fantastic quality. Jade's verdict: 5 stars out of five.
The first thing that surprises you is, it's HUGE. The set is vast. Loading it up was dead easy -- and repeated the back wall and turned it through 90 degrees to make a corner on the left. You could also repeat the wall on the right, and make a total enclosure.

I only set two lights on this: one blue and one purple, to simulate moonlight on the proverbial dark and stormy night. Both lights have deep shadow maps set and are high overhead, offset from each other by about 15 degrees, and pointed in different directions. You could set up any lights you want, obviously -- in fact, the kit comes complete with a set of lights. But I already put in my Bryce sky, and I wanted to set my own lights to match.

Then ... you just select the default camera, and default camera view, and run around inside the set. Look up, look down, get as close to everything as you like. It's wonderful. I got right down on the ground and looked up at things, different angles. I did set a couple of trees outside (Deluxe Trees, also from Renderosity) to give it a bit of extra depth.

The most ambitious shot is the Gargoyle's Eye View ... I got the camera in behind the gargoyle and looked down at the wrecked floor. The only thing I had to add to finish off this shot was to add a really simple displacement map to the gargoyle. In extra, super-closeup, it looks a little tiny bit smooth ... plastic, when you expect to see weather beaten rock ... good grief, the designed NEVER expected anyone to get up on the wall behind him, right? he, uh, doesn't know me! But this fix was child's play -- these are the things you need to know, if you're going to do weird and wonderful shots.

So -- today I'm showing off the set. Tomorrow, we'll put some characters into it. It's going to be great, so join me then!

Jade, 20 June

3D clothes maketh the 3D man

3D character creation is one of the biggest thrills in this kind of work, and here's a game I couldn't resist playing...

You recognize the set from yesterday, when Sinbad was sitting there. But do you recognize the same character?! This is the same digital actor who plays Sinbad in all these fantasy posts of mine! All I did was change out the costume, add the car, set a morning sky background and change the lights to look like morning, and ...

Whaddaya know ... it was all a dream. He's not Sinbad at all, he was just having this amazing dream of being Sinbad, while on a driving holiday to somewhere like Leptis Magna. Or maybe he was remembering a past life? So, the next morning he gets in the car and follows his instincts and reaches --

The place! Yes, this was the place! He remembers sitting right there, in the dream ... which of course you saw in yesterday's renders.

Is this cool or what?

Also today, I'm taking the opportunity to test-drive a new set of clothes: M4 Real Jeans by Billy T, from Renderosity. Nice. Works a treat in DAZ, even though it was intended to work in Poser ... you just have to really know how to install all the files to the right locations. I've blogged about that expensively, too -- see this, if you need a hand.

Jade, 19 June