ALIENWARE Challenge Entry: Russell Thomas

Well I played with some post production work to add an energy field around the center Orb. If I go that route I will have to do a better job. Also added mist in the scene and a star field in the back ground. I kind of think I might like it better without, it makes it seem more desolate and lonely. In addition, I tried to make my power tubes appear to have an energy beam inside, but I might like the original effect better. Any thoughts people?

Russell, the "energy beam" *does* help the tubes, but it doesn't really register *as* an energy beam in the small jpeg -- probably because its effect on the transparent tubing seems negligible (if you've got access to After Effects or Combustion, now is the time to get familiar with Trapcode's Shine and Starglow plugins). The energy around the globe works fairly well, and I think the mist helps increase the sense of scale, though I'd eliminate it at the ground level.

Hope the TruSpace renderer is fast; I just had mental ray crash on me, which effectively means I won't be able to finish my scene in time.

Good luck wrapping things up!

Nuclearman,
Thanks for the input, I can't see the forest for the trees right now. TS fast render, I think not, that is why I haven't been using a lot of post processing. Thanks for the input on the power tubes and your comments, I really appreciate the help!

Sorry to hear you have problems, I will probably be up most the night getting this done. Hope you figure something out!

Well I tried setting up my depth a field and something went horribly wrong, looks like I used a toon shader on the back ground. If the transition was better and the orbiting rings didn't get so messed up it might be cool. Well I am going to tweak it and try one more time and see what I can get, that is all I have time for.

Very good going.
Keep fighting

Thanks,
Last render just finished, it was 0 bytes, nothing there! Aaaaarg! Will try one more and sleep during render and get up and check on it. have to go to work and I am not sure on the deadline, since when I got home from work an e-mail said only about 22 hours left, so It can't even be east coast time. I must be too tired and delirious, it doesn't make much sence right now. Whatever I get done before work will have to be it.

Good luck everyone!

Here is what I could get done. Could not get depth of field to work correctly, so a lot of my hopes were dashed there. Been up all night trying to salvage what I could with what I have and then upload my final to the FTP site. I want to thank everyone who gave me advice, I learned a lot!

Thank you ;)

YEEES, the fog made it even more strange. Beautiful work, and I mean it.
Best luck

I would be honored if you have time to visit also my thread

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.ph...320#post1090320

Eska,
Thanks again for your kind words and input. I have been to your site numerous times and your final image is awe inspiring, I am honored to have your praise. Previously I had only lurked in your thread, pretty much speechless, I will post a comment now that the rush is over. Good luck, but I don't think you will need it!

Looks amazing, excellent work.

Well I decided to do a few more things to it so that I felt I finished this as far as "Diminishing Returns' dictated. I worked on the DOF, made the lower center sphere a power ball (not to be confused with some type of lottery! LOL), the same type of post work in my final alienware competition contest. I tried to get the fog to look like a ghostly alien face in the sky, but any further tweaking messed it up so the average observer will probably not notice it. I did a quick intro for it to, bit corny, but I was going for closure on the peice.

You are on a hauntingly deserted planet, where once thrived a vast civilization. Currently it appears that only some of the machinery has survived, and yet the misty fog seems alive. The hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and your heart pounds in cadence with the powernode before you.

Thanks Behzad!

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