New project - crits please

[Claudio72]

I like the idea and the smoke but it looks too..........plastic like.........you should work on the texture of the wall.

I don't know where you put 64 lights but I think you should start with less ligths and radiosity...............

I like the image and I will continue follow this thread and your progress.

Ciao
Claudio

:beer:

[medula]

Hard to tell in terms of subtle detail because of the amount of jpeg compression the image has. Can you post a link to a less compressed image?

What I can tell so far . . .

The shadows need better positioning. The more dynamic the better. Right now the shadows are lined up with your objects to the point you almost don't notice shadows do exist.

The exit/cave/hallyway could use some character on it's edges. Give it a reason for having a perfect edge. Like a steel support or something. You could also go the other way and make it all cracked up and aged.

Further in the hall I would also suggest making that less lit as well. I bit mystery could help the scene in that sense . . . Also, less light in that area would help keep the viewer focused on your main subject.

That rock pattern is well . . . too repetitive. Use a lager texture for your shader or use SLA to create a new rock the yields a less repetitious look.

The scale of the texture on the floor looks too big and blurry. Scale it down about 75% add some bump to it as well (not too much - just a hint).

The blue lines look too perfect. Should they be perfect? Should they have some wear and tear on them? The same goes for the gold.

The sphere doesn't convince me as to why it's suspended in the air. A visual que of some sort is needed here. A whisper of fog/smoke collecting along the bottom of the sphere would do the trick. Also, a glow that spindles north and south from the spheres poles would help to define it as floating mysteriously .

Reducing the amount of light you have in the upper portion of the scene would help add some drama to it. I get a sense of shape (the back wall) more from the texture than the light. Let the light paint the shape . . . Also, consider using volumetric lighting as a possible alternate render.

Still early in the game on your image. But that's some of what i can see so far . .

I look forward to seeing your progress. :)

[creart]

Thanks Medula and Claudio 72

Now that's what I like about this forum!!! you get comments not to just kick you down but help improve!!!

tomorrow I'll look into your suggestions and post a new image !!

Claudio 72 - the 64 lights were actually there because it's part of a large scene - raydiosity might be better but I always scare off by the rendertimes...

Medula I like the 'glow' idea for the sphere - it's actually supposed to be floating in a sort of electromagnetic field kept up in between the other spheres.. I will look into the texture, as a matter of fact I didn't even notice the repetition on the wall ('ve been looking at it too long - picture blindness)

cheers

Hans

[Claudio72]

ok, we wait for your improvements my friend.

It seems also you're not only compressing too much the jpg...........maybe you have to choose antialiasing BEST in the general render settings(take a look)

Ciao
Claudio

[medula]

Originally posted by creart
Thanks Medula and Claudio 72

Medula I like the 'glow' idea for the sphere - it's actually supposed to be floating in a sort of electromagnetic field kept up in between the other spheres.. I will look into the texture, as a matter of fact I didn't even notice the repetition on the wall ('ve been looking at it too long - picture blindness)

Now that you say that - consider a little Tesla coil action or something or the lightning bolt type? Hard to say . . might be worth looking at.

[creart]

Yes Claudio 72, you're eyes don't deceive you; I had it set at geometry and just forgot.....

Medula - any ideas on how to make the lightning bolts, wasn't there a plugin for that????

[Claudio72]

if I can..............

With pyrocluster maybe you can find something usefull(I don't know because I dont have it yet)

I usually do my lighting bold as Photoshop post production, here an example of a C4D explosion combined with lightning bolt:

http://www.maxoncomputer.com/gallery_detail.asp?imageSrc=h_devotion.jpg

a PSD file is also available for download in splashchallenge.com if you want to study the technique to merge it............

hope it helps
Claudio

[creart]

Yeah Claudio72

that's definitely the sort of effect I would be after, but the projects will (some wher in the future..) have to be animated so the bolts would have to be too, so there's no way I'm going to do that in Photoshop...

[Per-Anders]

use "Bolt" it's a plugin available from plugincafe.com (you have to search under v7 plugins though, the default is set up to search 8 only so it appears there aren't many plugins there, but there are... just hidden as v7).

that will do animated lightning bolts for you :) oh and it's free

[creart]

Thanx mdme_Sadie - I'll have a look (I knew I saw something once!...)

[kiwi]

Try electric noise in 8s glow settings...looks great :thumbsup:



I have an example somewhere I did before I stopped using 8..will dig it up for ya :)



Make your textures more interesting bud.Repetition of textures will kill a good scene every time.



Stu.

[kiwi]

Found it :)

Now that the image has proved its purpose I removed it again Hans :)


Stu.

[DaliFan]

it is coming along nicely creart ;)

[Claudio72]

Originally posted by kiwi
Found it :)



Stu.


I've to decide to upgrade to version 8 but the rumors are that it takes months to get the package right now, and, if I buy it, I don't want to wait.

[fxgogo]

Like the blue floor lights. I would suggest reducing the size of the texture on the wall. The scale of the texture is fighting with the scale of the scene. How many lights are in that room?

Well done.

[creart]

OK

new image - other texture for wall and floor (thanks Stu); changes to gold
I tried bolt-plugin - didn't work in r8 - tried glow with electrical noise - not to my liking yet, so at least I wanted to upload the picture with photoshop 'electrix'.....

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