Animation screenshot: "Down in Front"

[BgDM]

Very nice. Excellent looking chracter.

My problem isthat all the stuff/junk on the floor doesn't seem to be casting any shadows for some reason.

BgDM

[3D Freak]

Excellent character indeed....... can't wait to see an animation of this guy! Although I have to agree w/ BgDM about the shadows on the floor........ fix that & it'll be great!!!:beer: 3DF.

[OgLuna]

First off, thanks for the compliments and support. Second... ugh. You guys are right about the shadows, and I see what's causing that... combination of subtle shadows and a key light that's too close to the camera angle.

Luckily, it's an easy fix. I'll try to address that later.

Thanks again!

Og

[agreenster]

Wow. I think you really have something here.

Cant wait to see the rest, but to address your question:

It really does look Pixar-ish, but it does have a bit of OgLuna flava.

[Digital Backlot]

this is perfect for digitalbacklot.com material. I'd love to see some animation samples playing in our theater, that would be a trip, a theater in a theater, Freaky!

:applause:

[OgLuna]

Thanks, guys, for the kind words!

Digital Backlot...heh heh...yeah, that'd be cool, a theatre within a theatre. Actually, the Down in Front teaser will feature a theatre prominently, and I should have that available in November, God Willing...

Meanwhile, I do have a moving camera test for the Theatre environment, if you'd like to link it at Digital Backlot:

Theatre Environment Test (http://www.lunaentertainment.com/Bug/IMG/TestGFX/TheatreChairs.mov)

Thanks again!

Og

[Volker]

Awsome!!! My only thought is that if your looking to go more stylized than Pixar, then keep going. Can't wait to see some tests!

~Zach

[Mooncalf]

Very nice work there. :) I hope to approach this level someday...

I especially like the subtlety of how the chair seats are all at different angles. That definitely adds realism to the scene... it's all about detail and subtlety, I say.

I'm also curious about the character's antennae/ears/head-pokey-things. One has three joints and the other only two. Is there something in the character's background that explains this? Is this just how his people are built? Anyway, I think I dig it, as an interesting touch.

The only thing that kind of jumps out at me is the tongue. It could simply be the camera angle, or stillness of the image (which animation would fix up), but the tongue looks a little like it's coming to the lip from under the lower gums. That is, it doesn't appear to be unfurling over the lower teeth as much as originating below them. But like I said, that might be just an illusion I'm seeing due to other factors.

Great work!


- M

[paradisio]

I like the character a lot... the only things that bug me is the scene...

The spilled liquid could use a little work, maybe put some ice cubes in and work on the reflection...

And the lighting needs a little work, just doesn't seem right. And like was said before, need to fix the shadow...

And the only thing I can think of character improvements, is add a little fur maybe. :thumbsup:

[sixtyten]

I don't think it is possible to be any more sylized that pixar (except for manga/anime)

unless by "more stylized" you mean "more basic" or "simpler", in which case you are doing quite well.

[OgLuna]

Well, you all gave me a lot to think about!
Here are the fruits of your suggestions:

http://www.lunaentertainment.com/Bug/IMG/TestGFX/DownInFront-OyTheMess3.jpg

1. Shadows - FIXED.

2. Liquid and reflections - FIXED (and added some icecubes...)

3. Tongue biting - FIXED (Mooncalf, you have an incredible eye...)

4. As for stylization and the Pixar comparisons...
I think what I mean is that I want my stuff to look more like a sketch than a photograph.
I'd be less inclined to use fur shaders or raytraced reflections...
I'd be more inclined to knock things out of square, to use screwy silhouettes,
and illustrative colour schemes.
It'd be nice if the whole production could look more like one of my sketches:

http://www.lunaentertainment.com/Bug/IMG/TestGFX/Bug07ColourRough.jpg

Then again, I'm not champing at the bit to use a toon shader or anything... heh heh.

Thanks again for all the great feedback!

Og

[RobW720]

Looks a lot like a toon version of a theater by my place. Cool character! good work!

[paradisio]

Looks quite a bit better.

You don't have to do pixar style... it's better to make your own anyday! :scream:

And if they don't want you, make your own movie :P

[MikaelPersson]

Hi Steve,
nice stuff. I had a little look on your website some weeks ago. And I like what I see. But I thought I'd put in my take on the stylization issue.
I like your attitude in making it more like a sketch rather than a photgraph. That is the route more people should take, will be more interesting works that way. But this isn't stylized enough, right now it looks more like you are trying to achieve "pixar" (for lack of a better term) but dont fully get there.
Maybe you should drop the whole 3D look and try some completly different route? For some ideas go here: http://www.toonshade.com/ (the guys who made Tom the Cat, and this excellent toonshader wich you can achieve sketched looks with (just an idea mind you)).
Another thought if you want to stylize it harsh, make the lighting much more extreme. Hard shadows and really bright highlights.

If I misinterpreted your whole take on stylization I apologise, but I'd thought you'd value some more opinions. Your works isn't bad in any way this was just my angle on it.

show us more.
cheers.
Mikael

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.