Eon (3D Scene) Entry: Vikram K. Mulligan

[vmulligan]

Well, I guess I'll get started. I'm thinking of modelling the entry borehole with a cargo ship docking to one of the rotating docks. I've started writing the first of the Renderman shaders I plan to use. This one isn't too impressive as of yet. It's just a honeycomb shader, but by the time it's done, it will look good. I know there are hexagonal tile shaders out there that I could use, but I kind of wanted to write this myself, just to get back into writing code.

Hopefully I'll post some sketches of what I plan to do before too long.

Here's the shader so far:

/******************************************************************************/
/* */
/* Hexagon tile shader by Vikram K. Mulligan. */
/* Created 15 November 2006. */
/* */
/******************************************************************************/

float makehex ( vector C; vector P; float l; )
// Makes a single hexagon, given its centre, a point, and the hexagon's radius
// (measured from the centre to the midpoint of an edge).
{
uniform float K1 = sqrt(3);
vector Pprime = P-C;
Pprime = vector (xcomp(Pprime),ycomp(Pprime)*K1,zcomp(Pprime));
float theta = atan(abs(xcomp(Pprime)/ycomp(Pprime)));
float theta2 = mod(theta, PI/3)-PI/6;
float returnfxn = clamp( 1-cos(theta2)*length(Pprime)/l, 0, 1);
return returnfxn;
}

float rim ( float input, vmin, vmax;)
// Takes a gradient and returns a band with semicircular cross section.
{
float returnfxn = clamp((input - vmin)/(vmax-vmin), 0, 1);
returnfxn = abs(returnfxn - 0.5)*2;
returnfxn = sqrt(1-pow(returnfxn,2));
return returnfxn;
//return input;
}

float makehextile (vector P; float numx, numy, l;)
//Tiles the hexagon pattern.
{
float collector = 0;
collector += makehex(vector(0.5,0.5,0), vector(mod(xcomp(P)*numx,1),mod(ycomp(P)*numy,1),0), l/2);
collector += makehex(vector(0.5,0.5,0), vector(mod(xcomp(P)*numx+1/2,1),mod(ycomp(P)*numy,1)+1/2,0), l/2);
collector += makehex(vector(0.5,0.5,0), vector(mod(xcomp(P)*numx+1/2,1),mod(ycomp(P)*numy,1)-1/2,0), l/2);
return collector;
}


surface
hextile(
float Ks = .25;
float Kd = 1;
float Ka = 1;
float roughness = .05;
color specularcolor = 1;
float numx = 24;
float numy = 12;
float hexsize = 0.9;
float rimsize = 0.2;
color hexcolor = color (0, 0, 1);)
{
normal Nf = faceforward( normalize(N), I );
vector V = - normalize( I );

Oi = Os;
color srfcolor = Cs - (color(1,1,1)-hexcolor)*rim(makehextile(vector(u,v,0), numx, numy, hexsize), 0, rimsize);
Ci = ( srfcolor * (Ka * ambient() + Kd * diffuse(Nf)) + specularcolor * Ks * specular(Nf, V, roughness) );
Ci *= Oi;
}

[vmulligan]

The honeycomb shader is now much more impressive, and I've split it into displacement and surface shader components. The displacement shader passes three hexagon patterns to the surface shader for it to use, to cut out unnecessary recalculation time. I plan to use these shaders for the rim of the borehole and for some of the interior. I'll post some sketches and test renderings soon!

[vmulligan]

Hmm. Well, I've got a few images I'd like to post, but these forums still aren't letting me post attachments. Guess I'll keep waiting :) .

[vmulligan]

I think it will be important to establish different looks for the 21st-century technology (in my case, the OTV) and the technology of the Stoners (the borehole and the docks). For the former, I want things to look very functional, with visible thrusters, tanks, antennae, etc. The latter should have a more sculpted appearance, as though the designers could consider aesthetics as well as function. Consider, for example, the difference between a boxy Ford Model T and a sleek modern car.

Here's a link to an old image (http://www26.brinkster.com/mulligan/images/povship2.jpg) of mine, showing a very functional-looking spacecraft. I'm thinking I'll make the OTV look something like this.

[ChewyPixels]

I would really like to see some of those test renders, but your images are not showing up.

To post images, you must click the link at the top of the page named "Submit Entry." Here's a quick link for you:

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/eon/submit_entry.php

Good luck on your entry and I look forward to seeing those wip renders. :)

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1164765286_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1164765286_large.jpg)

Thanks for the link. I'm still new to these forums, and I was expecting to be able to post images as attachments.

Here are some concept sketches for the various objects in the scene. I'm well into the modelling, now, and I'll post more images soon. I think I'll take out the antenna webbing near the engines of the OTV, but otherwise, the model should look like the sketch. For the rotating dock, I'm picturing a bathtub-like thing which the OTV will nestle into sideways. The dock will be on rails which circle the inside of the borehole, allowing it to compensate for the spin of the Stone. To transfer materials from the dock to the chambers surrounding the borehole, the dock must start rotating with the borehole, and must itself dock with a hatch set into the borehole wall.

[Leotril]

Nice sketches... are u planing to use renderman, Prman, type ? im using Renderman for Maya u know RfM its cool :D

Later

[vmulligan]

Nice sketches... are u planing to use renderman, Prman, type ? im using Renderman for Maya u know RfM its cool :D


I'm planning to use either Aqsis (http://www.aqsis.org) or 3Delight (http://www.3delight.com), and Liquid (http://sourceforge.net/projects/liquidmaya/) as a Maya to Renderman bridge. I like Aqsis quite a lot, largely because it's open-source and constantly being improved. Admittedly, 3Delight has two major advantages over Aqsis: first, it can ray-trace, and second, it is currently a faster renderer. I don't plan to use a lot of ray-tracing in my scene, but for an animation, fast rendering is a must, so I'm leaning towards using 3Delight more.

[ChewyPixels]

Cool concept, Vikram.

Hey, there's no reason to hold off on posting what you have right now. C'mon, let's see some wip pics! :D

[vmulligan]

Hey, there's no reason to hold off on posting what you have right now. C'mon, let's see some wip pics! :D

Apologies -- I just haven't had time to upload the WiP pics yet. I'll do it either tonight or tomorrow. (I'm not at my home computer right now, so I can't do it at the moment).

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165095508_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165095508_large.jpg)

Here are some initial renderings of the OTV. I'm a bit sloppy in that I tend to work on shading and modelling simultaneously. I haven't done the OTV tanks or cargo, yet, but I've been working on the displacement map for the head. Oh well. It modifies the geometry, so it's kind of like modelling :) .

[vmulligan]

I forgot to mention that I finished reading Eon, and it wasn't bad. It's about on a par with a lot of the novels of Arthur C. Clarke, or even some of Isaac Asimov. I guess comparisons to Clarke's Rama series are unavoidable, but there's a lot of original thought in Eon as well.

For those in this contest who haven't bothered to read the book, I encourage you to do so.

[AdamTSC]

I really like your design for the OTV. Are you going to give it any basic weaponry? I don't remember it being said either way in the story, just wondering if you were going to throw some in :)

[vmulligan]

Are you going to give it any basic weaponry? I don't remember it being said either way in the story, just wondering if you were going to throw some in :)

Weapons? No, I wasn't planning on it. I don't think the OTVs were supposed to be armed. Just checking... Yes, the text specifically says that they weren't:

"The OTV was a registered unarmed military vehicle, subject to the restrictions imposed after the Little Death. It was one of dozens of new vehicles that had been constructed in Earth orbit since the appearance of the Stone, and it differed substantially from the vehicles that had serviced the Joint Space Force’s Orbital Defense Platforms. It was larger and capable of traveling much greater distances; by treaty, it could not carry cargoes to the ODPs." [Italics mine].

Later in the book, the Soviet assault vehicles destroy one of the OTVs, and I don't think it puts up much of a fight.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165207677_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165207677_large.jpg)

Here's a VERY early version of the dock. As I said, it's a bathtub-shaped thing into which the OTV will nestle.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165208430_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165208430_large.jpg)

Hmm... I'm not sure if this is modelling or shading, but I tend to think of displacement shaders as part of the modelling process, since they modify geometry. Here's the displacement shader I plan to use on the inside of the borehole, applied to a NURBS cylinder. An early version of the OTV mesh is also shown. This image shows off the final incarnation of that hexagon mesh shader I was working on earlier. I think I'll go with a hexagonal motif for the Stone technology, and a more pritimitive, blocky look for the 21st-century Earth technology.

[ChewyPixels]

I like the OTV. Interesting look going on the chamber.

Waiting to see what you come up with next.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165304584_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165304584_large.jpg)

Here's the completed surface shader for the borehole. It uses a few noise functions to generate a rock texture and subtle mottling on the hexagonal mesh. I'm kind of proud of the efficiency of this shader. It steals the hexagonal mesh pattern from the displacement shader, rather than recalculating it from scratch, which reduces rendering times.

The lighting isn't anything like the final rendering, and the torus is just there as a temporary object casting a shadow on the wall.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165526714_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165526714_large.jpg)

I've added fuel tanks and some other little details to the OTV model, now. Modelling tasks remaining:

--A low-poly interior with pilots
--Rear engines
--Thrusters
--The tuberider cargo (replacing one set of tanks)

[Leotril]

Hi Vikram..

Nice Job .. Modeling is going great .. also like the borehole a lot .. lightning .. great stuff

are u planning to incorporate the dock and stuff inside the borehole ??

I' been modeling also im having a hard time modeling a chair .. oh well ill try to do some updating tonight...

Later man

[milw]

Its looking cool Vikram- can't wait to see your tuberider and interior!
cheers- Scott

[vmulligan]

Hi Vikram..
Nice Job .. Modeling is going great .. also like the borehole a lot .. lightning .. great stuff
are u planning to incorporate the dock and stuff inside the borehole ??
Later man

Thanks, LJ. Yup, the dock and so forth will be on tracks running around the borehole wall, so that it can compensate for the spin of the Stone.

Its looking cool Vikram- can't wait to see your tuberider and interior!
cheers- Scott

Thanks, Scott. More to come soon!

[Nothingness]

great work on the displacements. I hear renderman is a beast if it comes to displacement and many polys. But writing your shaders, damn, too much for me.

do i understand it right, are you using maya too? Or is it an other app?

cheers and much fun

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165813491_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1165813491_large.jpg)

I've added thrusters and engines to the OTV model, now. The lighting is not final, of course.

[vmulligan]

great work on the displacements. I hear renderman is a beast if it comes to displacement and many polys. But writing your shaders, damn, too much for me.
do i understand it right, are you using maya too? Or is it an other app?
cheers and much fun

Yup, Renderman-compliant renderers are usually great at true displacements, which is one of the reasons I really like them. As for shader writing, once you get the hang of it, it's really not that bad. It's not nearly as complicated as writing Mental Ray shaders. The typical Renderman shader is perhaps twenty to fifty lines of code.

I am using Maya 7.0, with the free Liquid plugin as my Maya-to-Renderman bridge. Right now, I'm using 3Delight (a PRMan clone) for rendering.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1166151659_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1166151659_large.jpg)

I've written a shader for the OTV hull, now. The shader adds random noise to give the hull a grungy appearance, and can accept three textures (diffuse, extra noise, and occlusion maps). I'm still working on painting the diffuse maps; what you see is not final.

[vmulligan]

Incidentally, the previous post shows the tuberider stowed on the OTV. The book describes it as being wrapped, which made things much easier for me. I threw together a few low-res polygonal spheres and cubes, then draped some Maya cloth over the shapes.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167338405_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167338405_large.jpg)

I haven't had access to a computer with 3D software on it during the holidays, so I've had to make do painting some textures for the past few days. Here's the texture for the OTV tanks. I'll post a picture of these textures applied to the model soon.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167551751_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167551751_large.jpg)

I've finished the texture and displacement maps for the front of the OTV, now. I'm still working on the back.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167552107_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167552107_large.jpg)

Here's another view showing the texture and displacement maps for the front part of the ship. Anything that's dark grey still needs maps or shaders.

By the way, a happy New Year to everyone!

[LightSovereign]

i've looked at all the stages youve posted and im very impressed, i know next to nothing about 3d but this contest sure has tweeked my interest. its looking very porfessional, all the little decals and such.

Interestingly the last shot reminds me of a scene from 2010 year we made contact. With the russian ship "liarnoff" /sp?. just the way it is positioned on screen and the tanned olive colour palette...Awesomne work mate.

take care and have a great 2007

Marley

[ChewyPixels]

Looks like your work on the shaders is paying off. :thumbsup:

Any ideas on what your aiming for in terms of concept/scene composition?

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167596028_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167596028_large.jpg)

I've finished the texture maps for the OTV fin, now. On to the engine section!

[vmulligan]

i've looked at all the stages youve posted and im very impressed, i know next to nothing about 3d but this contest sure has tweeked my interest. its looking very porfessional, all the little decals and such.

Interestingly the last shot reminds me of a scene from 2010 year we made contact. With the russian ship "liarnoff" /sp?. just the way it is positioned on screen and the tanned olive colour palette...Awesomne work mate.

take care and have a great 2007

Marley

Ah yes, the Leonov (named for Alexi Leonov, the first person to walk in space). I remember it, and I can see some of the similarities to my OTV. I'm more partial to "2001: A Space Odyssey", myself. The design of the Discovery tends to influence my space art.

Thanks for the compliments; glad you like the model!

[vmulligan]

Looks like your work on the shaders is paying off. :thumbsup:

Any ideas on what your aiming for in terms of concept/scene composition?

I've got it roughed out in my mind. I'm thinking two shots, each about four second long. The first will show the OTV in the borehole from the front, sliding into the dock sideways, with some action in the windows. The second will show the OTV from the back, with the camera closer to the ship (and the field of view wider); the ship's thrusters will fire briefly to slow its approach to the dock. I might post a draft animation soon. I want to keep all the action slow and serene. There are too many fast-paced sci-fi movies in which spacecraft manoeuvre like fighter jets.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167690428_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167690428_large.jpg)

I've started painting the displacement maps for the engine compartment. Here's the work so far.

[SEL]

I love detail and enjoy the modeling and texturing alot, look forward to more updates!

SEL

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167803884_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167803884_large.jpg)

I've finally finished painting all the textures for the OTV. I've got a little more tweaking to do -- a few little details to add, some shaders to assign, and one more shader to write for the blinking running lights -- but the model is looking pretty close to being finished.

[vmulligan]

I love detail and enjoy the modeling and texturing alot, look forward to more updates!

SEL

Hey, thanks Shaun. I like the way yours is looking, too. Good luck to you in the contest!

[Leotril]

You're back !!!

doing a terrific job a must say .. i like a lot what u do with displacements,, i probably borrow that later when i need more detail not that havent done it before :rolleyes: i use procedurals .. i wonder do use UVs to set things up or how do u line up d textures?

later

[vmulligan]

You're back !!!

doing a terrific job a must say .. i like a lot what u do with displacements,, i probably borrow that later when i need more detail not that havent done it before :rolleyes: i use procedurals .. i wonder do use UVs to set things up or how do u line up d textures?

later

Thanks, LJ. The model mainly consists of subdivision surfaces, and I spent a while setting up the UVs for the texture and displacement maps. I then added a layer of procedural noise on top, which uses the XYZ coordinates of the objects. I find that this tends to hide the texture seams pretty well.

If you're interested in the way I do my displacements, I'm willing to share some of my shaders. I just ask that you credit me if you use them for anything.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167980881_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1167980881_large.jpg)

It doesn't look like much in the image, but I've written the shader for the running lights. The shader takes a time value to allow them to blink, and also outputs a glare channel to allow me to add glow in postproduction:

//Running lights shader for the OTV model.

surface
eon_runninglights(
float Ks = 1;
float Kd = 1;
float Ka = 1;
float roughness = .05;
color glasscolor = color(0.2, 0.21, 0.24);
color specularcolor = 1;
color dimincolor = 0.5;
color dimrimcolor = 0;
color flashincolor = 1;
color flashrimcolor = 0.75;
float inputtime = 0;
float timeoffset = 0.132;
float flashfreq = 0.5;
float timeon = 0.1;
float glaremin = 0.25;
float glaremax = 1;
output varying color diff = 0, spec = 0, glare = 0;)
{
normal Nf = faceforward( normalize(N), I );
vector V = - normalize( I );

float timey = inputtime + timeoffset;
color incolor = dimincolor;
color rimcolor = dimrimcolor;
glare = glaremin;
if (mod(timey, 1/flashfreq) < timeon)
{
incolor = flashincolor;
rimcolor = flashrimcolor;
glare = glaremax;
}

color srfcolor = mix(rimcolor,incolor,V.Nf);
glare *= srfcolor;

Oi = Os;
diff = glasscolor*Kd*diffuse(Nf);
spec = specularcolor*Ks*specular(Nf,V,roughness);
Ci = diff + spec + glare;

Ci *= Oi;
}

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1168237032_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1168237032_large.jpg)

I've finished the shading on the dock, now, and I'm working on getting it lit in the borehole setting. The idea is that the dock rotates around the borehole wall on a track that I have yet to model. This compensates for the spin of the stone, allowing ships to dock safely.

[vmulligan]

The more I look at it, the less I like the sunlight coming in from the borehole entrance. I think I'll position the docks farther into the borehole, and light everything with the bluish artificial lights attached to the dock and other surfaces.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1168580254_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1168580254_large.jpg)

The dock lighting took me some time to work out, but I think I've got it down, now. I've used a number of omnidirectional lights to fake radiosity, plus some negative-intensity lights to minimize my need to generate shadow maps. Things are finally starting to come together, methinks.

[digikris]

Vikram,

Its looks realistic. I think using renderman also brings in some realism. Can you recommend me some renderman shader writing books. I will be posting my concept sketch tonight check it out.

Thank you,
Hari

[vmulligan]

Vikram,

Its looks realistic. I think using renderman also brings in some realism. Can you recommend me some renderman shader writing books. I will be posting my concept sketch tonight check it out.

Thank you,
Hari

Thanks for the compliment, Hari. There are a few books that I've found useful. If you're just starting out with renderman, Ian Stephenson's Essential Renderman Fast is a good starting point. As you start getting into more advanced Renderman techniques, though, you'll find that that book leaves you hanging -- it's really just an introduction. There's a second edition coming which might be more complete, but if I were you, I'd try to track down Anthony Apodaca's Advanced Renderman: Creating CGI for Motion Pictures. I think it's out of print, but The University of Toronto Engineering Library has a copy, and 90% of the time, I've got it checked out and sitting on my desk next to my computer. It's very useful.

There are also some decent web resources out there. The RManNotes website (http://accad.osu.edu/~smay/RManNotes/rmannotes.html) is quite handy, and the Renderman Academy (http://www.rendermanacademy.com) is also worth cheking out. There's also a terrific website with lots of information about shader writing at http://www.fundza.com/index.html.

[digikris]

Vikram,

Thank you. I would get the Advanced Renderman book as rendering backbone is mostly same for all render programs.

Thank you again,
Hari

[Leotril]

hey vikram looking good :) i think u need to add more lights in there or maybe get more sunlight .. come on update :twisted:

now i want to give my thoughs about renderman .. i love renderman :scream: our friend vikram here has a lot of skill in shading and writing shader using the shading language if u have a programming background thats great but if u dont i found that way of developing to much work for an artist or so i recommend Renderman for Maya plugin for artist .. even toug i have programming background i found it really dificult to start that way .. those books are great buy them if u can .. u can also develop shader with maya shading nodes but u got more control writing ur own .. i dont have that much experience in 3d but starting with RfM make it kinda easy im hoping the tools get more integrationg with maya in the future that way u can control them both ways

later

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1169021209_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1169021209_large.jpg)

I've rendered out the borehole layers, now, and am working on compositing them. I'll render the ship as a separate pass and layer it on top of this. I'll also add the far wall of the first chamber, visible at the end of the borehole.

[vmulligan]

hey vikram looking good :) i think u need to add more lights in there or maybe get more sunlight .. come on update :twisted:

now i want to give my thoughs about renderman .. i love renderman :scream: our friend vikram here has a lot of skill in shading and writing shader using the shading language if u have a programming background thats great but if u dont i found that way of developing to much work for an artist or so i recommend Renderman for Maya plugin for artist .. even toug i have programming background i found it really dificult to start that way .. those books are great buy them if u can .. u can also develop shader with maya shading nodes but u got more control writing ur own .. i dont have that much experience in 3d but starting with RfM make it kinda easy im hoping the tools get more integrationg with maya in the future that way u can control them both ways

later

Hey, Leotril:

Thanks for the comments. Yup, I needed more light, but the sunlight just wasn't working out for me. I think the internally-lit borehole shown in the composite will work out, though. I might play with the contrast a bit to make the lighting a bit more dramatic, but it's essentially the way it will be in the final animation, methinks.

As for Renderman, it is true that writing your own shaders isn't always the fastest or most intuitive thing for an artist to do. Nevertheless, it can yield some pretty neat results that would be hard to acheive in any other way. I think anyone who's serious about CGI should sit down and give it a try at least once. Once you get the hang of Renderman shaders, you realize that they're not that hard to write, and the ability to write them is a very handy skill to have.

[digikris]

vikram,

Feels like little bit empty in the hold. Can you put another ship undocking or entering space from the hole. It would be interesting. Probably a space ship of different kind.

Hari

[vmulligan]

vikram,

Feels like little bit empty in the hold. Can you put another ship undocking or entering space from the hole. It would be interesting. Probably a space ship of different kind.

Hari

I don't think I'll have time to model a second spacecraft. I haven't added the OTV into the scene yet, though. Hopefully, the borehole will look full enough once that's in there.

[vmulligan]

I've been working on the animation, and I'm finding that the borehole rotation is very subtle at the rate mentioned in the book. I'm going to refrain from moving the camera at all during the animation for fear that the borehole rotation will become completely unnoticable. That's fine, though. Too many computer-generated animations feature extreme, video-game-like camera movements (just think of that horrible opening shot of Revenge of the Sith), so I'd rather keep all the motions subtle in this animation.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1169968936_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1169968936_large.jpg)

The first of two shots for the final animation is now done!

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1170046752_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1170046752_large.jpg)

I've finally finished the animation. I'll upload it as soon as I figure out how to convert it to the necessary format.

The sequence consists of two shots. I start with a close-up of the OTV nestling slowly into the dock, with the rotating borehole wall visible in the upper-left corner. I then fade to a long shot, showing the OTV finishing its manoeuvre and the whole of the borehole. The far wall of the first chamber is visible at the end of the borehole.

The whole sequence is 8 seconds long.

[vmulligan]

Grr... Anyone else having trouble with the CGUploader? I keep getting "Connection timed out" errors.

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1170108684_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1170108684_large.jpg)

Software: Darktree,Maya,Photoshop,Renderman

This is my final animation for the Eon Modelling contest. The animation shows an OTV docking at one of the rotating docks, with the Stone slowly rotating around it. I decided to avoid the video-game style of many space animations, going instead for slow, serene movements.

Programs used:
Wings 3D (polygonal modelling)
DarkTree Textures (textures)
Adobe Photoshop (textures)
Windows Notepad (shader writing)
Maya 7.0 (polygonal and NURBS modelling, scene setup, lighting)
Aqsis (shader previsualization)
3Delight (rendering)

Play Video >> (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/eon/player.php?entry_id=76984)

[vmulligan]

Okay, so the animation is done and uploaded, now. I'll post the finished high-res image soon.

[Leotril]

Let me be the first in congratulate you on your animation.. i like it a lot it reminds of Alien for some reason and thats a good thing ,, also like the transition was cool :)

[vmulligan]

Let me be the first in congratulate you on your animation.. i like it a lot it reminds of Alien for some reason and thats a good thing ,, also like the transition was cool :)

Hey, Leotril. Yes, I've always liked the look of the first two Alien movies, so that's high praise :) . Thanks!

[vmulligan]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1170271555_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/15/12411/12411_1170271555_large.jpg)

This is my final still rendering for the Eon modelling contest. The image shows an OTV docking to one of the rotating docks in the borehole. I used Wings and Maya for modelling, Darktree Textures and Photoshop for texturing, Maya again for scene setup and lighting, and 3Delight (a Renderman clone) for rendering. Some custom shaders were written using Windows Notepad and previsualized with Aqsis (another Renderman clone).

Note that the original image was rendered at 2657x3636 resolution. This has been scaled down and the compression quality reduced to drop the file size to below 150 kilobytes and the image size below 1280x1024.

[vmulligan]

And for anyone curious about my finished animation, it's on the fourth page of my forum pages.

[spire]

Your work is great man, especially concept and lights.

[vmulligan]

Your work is great man, especially concept and lights.

Thanks, Spire!

[Nomad]

Great final image & animation :applause:


Good luck for the vote :bounce:

[arturro]

Nice mood here! I like the contrasts. My congratulations on finishing and good luck now

[vmulligan]

Great final image & animation
Good luck for the vote


Nice mood here! I like the contrasts. My congratulations on finishing and good luck now

Thanks, Nomad and Arturro!

[ChewyPixels]

Your final render still image is awesome! :thumbsup: You've taken a simple scene (modeling-wise) and have made it look so much more detailed with the displacements, lighting, rendering, and post comp work. I also love the compostion of the piece. Very well done.

Good luck with the final judging! :beer:

[vmulligan]

Your final render still image is awesome! :thumbsup: You've taken a simple scene (modeling-wise) and have made it look so much more detailed with the displacements, lighting, rendering, and post comp work. I also love the compostion of the piece. Very well done.

Good luck with the final judging! :beer:

Thanks, Jesus. Yes, you're on to my dirty little secret -- the scene is actually quite simple, and it's the surface and displacement shaders, the lighting, and the postprocessing that I use to sell it. Ah, well. Whatever works, eh?

By the way, I had a look at yours, too. I like it a lot -- particularly the design of the truck, and the weeds by the roadside. Good luck to you too!

[nwiz25]

details supremo! :eek: this is far out! :eek: congratulations mate! :scream::bounce::applause: ur final entry rocks the house! :buttrock: again .. ur details are just .. wow! :eek: very nice lighting too! soft glow n all .. cool! :p


good luck dude! :thumbsup: cheers! :beer:

[vmulligan]

details supremo! :eek: this is far out! :eek: congratulations mate! :scream::bounce::applause: ur final entry rocks the house! :buttrock: again .. ur details are just .. wow! :eek: very nice lighting too! soft glow n all .. cool! :p
good luck dude! :thumbsup: cheers! :beer:

Thanks, Neville!

[vmulligan]

Say, does anyone know when the results are to be announced? The competition looks pretty stiff. There are a lot of really good entries, and I'm starting to get nervous :) .

[mmoir]

Hey Vikram,

Well, I don't know when the winners will be announced but in the FAQ thread Mibus who is looking after the challenges said it usually takes 2-4 weeks to announce the winners. It is now just over 4 weeks so I would guess we will be hearing the announcement soon..
Your image looks cool, great job and good luck.

[digikris]

Hi Vikram,

I have more questions about Renderman Pro Server.

I'm not a student so i wont be able to get it for student rate. I have Maya 7 complete so it doesn't have Fluid dynamics. I'm thinking of going fro Vue Xstream integrate with Maya 7 to get water effects and generate a RIB file using Renderman Studio and Render it in RPS. I'm not going for Embeded Renderer in RMS its a separate license and works on Maya memory foot print. Do you think Vue Xstream - Maya 7 complete - RMS -RPS workflow will work. Becuase Maya 7 doesn't have fluid dynamics but tonight i will be trying it out.

Tell me about RMS and RPS shaders towards dynamics.

Hari

[vmulligan]

Hi, Hari:

Before answering your questions, I should put a little disclaimer here: I've never used Renderman Pro Server. All my experience with Renderman-compliant renderers has been with the freeware or shareware clones (3Delight, Aqsis, Pixie, and BMRT). I've also only played around a bit with the Personal Learning Edition of Vue XStream, so I'm not really a Vue expert.

What kinds of water effects are you trying to create? Do you want to make ponds, streams, and oceans, or are you more interested with flowing, splashing water (e.g. water pouring from a bottle into a glass)? If the former, Vue 6 XStream itself seems to be a pretty good solution, from what I've seen of it. Trying to integrate Vue 6 with Renderman might be a bit tricky, though. Vue 6 is a renderer unto itself, and the XStream plugin is made for automatically compositing material rendered in Vue 6 with material rendered in Maya's renderer or in Mental Ray. I don't think XStream really speaks the same language as Renderman. If I were you, I'd EITHER go with Vue 6, OR use Renderman. The advantage of the former is that it makes landscape and seascape creation very automatic, while the latter's advantage is that it gives you absolute control over pixel-level computation. You'll probably have a fair bit of manual tweaking to do if you want to integrate them, though.

Still, if you can try it without losing money, go for it; I could be wrong. The free Personal Learning Edition of Vue 6 (http://www.vue6.com/ple) can give you an idea as to whether you can do it; its images are watermarked, but it's otherwise fully functional. You could also try the freeware Liquid (http://sourceforge.net/projects/liquidmaya/) Maya to Renderman plugin and a freeware or shareware Renderman-compliant renderer like 3delight (http://www.3delight.com/index.htm) or Aqsis (http://www.aqsis.org). (To clarify, the name of the plugin is Liquid; it's not made just for liquid effects or anything like that). I don't know what your financial or time constraints are, but this would give you a way to test your proposed workflow using what you have and software you can download for free.

All of the above applies to rendering large bodies of water (lakes, rivers, oceans, etc.). If you want to make splashing water droplets, I'd recommend looking into Realflow 4 (http://www.nextlimit.com/realflow/) or a related fluid dynamics simulator. As I understand it, Realflow generates animated liquid meshes that can then be rendered in any renderer. Incidentally, ray-tracing was only added to Pixar's Renderman recently, so it might not be the very best renderer to use if you want ray-traced water effects. You might want to stick with Mental Ray for that. I can't say for certain, though, having never used Pixar's Renderman.

I hope this helps. The only other advice I have is that you ask around. My experience is limited, and it's always a good idea to get a second opinion.

Best regards,

--Vikram

[vmulligan]

Tell me about RMS and RPS shaders towards dynamics.


I missed the last line :).

Renderman shaders can do whatever you can code. If you can write a decent water shader, you can generate photoreal water. It's not an automatic thing, though -- you need to write whatever shader you use. With most Renderman-compliant renderers, there are default shaders, but they tend to be pretty bare-bones (constant matte, plastic/phong, etc.).

[digikris]

Thanks for the insight.

I need both. splashing water as well as ponds, lakes and oceans. I have vue 6 infinite its really awesome for those effects. But not for animated fluids. Like beer flowing out of a bottle or a soda can. Exactly need Ray tracing too.

Real Flow was a good suggestion. I also tried blender for fluids. But i have to learn the interface. Most of the time i'm wasting on the interface. I would be glad if Blender had a Maya interface presets like vue.

Renderman Pro server: Do you mean i can write realistic animated water shaders? Like beer flowing out of a bottle and stuff.

Thanks,
Hari

[vmulligan]

Real Flow was a good suggestion. I also tried blender for fluids. But i have to learn the interface. Most of the time i'm wasting on the interface. I would be glad if Blender had a Maya interface presets like vue.

Renderman Pro server: Do you mean i can write realistic animated water shaders? Like beer flowing out of a bottle and stuff.



Yeah, I've played around a bit with Blender. It's an amazingly powerful freeware program, but immensely difficult to learn. I agree that the interface needs work. Still, some people swear by it. If you can learn it, it may be the solution for you.

You can certainly write realistic Renderman shaders for flowing beer. In Renderman, there are five shader types: light shaders (which define how you scene lights work -- e.g. point light, spot light, etc.), volume shaders (which are used for effects like fog or underwater silt), surface shaders (which tell the renderer how light interacts with a surface to give it its colour), displacement shaders (which define small bumps on the surface of an object), and imager shaders (which tell the renderer what to do with the final 2D rendered image to tweak it -- e.g. to add film grain, or to adjust the exposure). Unlike Mental Ray shaders, Renderman shaders can't create new geometry. They can only modify existing geometry. (Actually, this isn't 100% true. Advanced Renderman users will tell you that there are ways of using surface or volume shaders to create isosurfaces from 3D volumetric density functions, but this would be a very difficult way to generate flowing beer.)

Assuming you've already created the mesh for your flowing beer (e.g. as a Maya particle effect, or using Realflow), you can create a surface shader to give the beer its golden colour, shininess, and transparency (complete with ray-traced refractions and reflections, depending on the particular Renderman-compliant renderer you're using). You could use a volume shader to add little bubbles inside the beer, and a displacement shader to add foam to the beer's surface.

If you look at the first post in this thread, you'll see an example Renderman shader I wrote to make the hexagonal pattern on the walls of the borehole. The syntax is like C++, and is very easy to learn if you have any programming background at all. This is a surface shader, as it affects the colour and the specular properties of the surface. I also used a displacement shader to raise the edges of the hexagons.

For more information on writing Renderman shaders, here are some useful links and books:

The Renderman Academy.
http://www.rendermanacademy.com/

Advanced Renderman: Creating CGI for Motion Pictures, by Anthony Apodaca and Larry Gritz. (1999).
http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-RenderMan-Creating-Pictures-Kaufmann/dp/1558606181
(http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-RenderMan-Creating-Pictures-Kaufmann/dp/1558606181)
Essential RenderMan, by Ian Stephenson. (2007).
http://www.springer.com/west/home/generic/search/results?SGWID=4-40109-22-131388437-0
(Note that I'm a bit biased, since I did one illustration for this book).

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