Paul, if you look at the original concept “sketches” everything was horizontal, and if I get the space station done to where I’m satisfied with it, I’ll certainly position the camera where I can take full advantage of the effort that’s been invested. It’s just that I haven’t tested the fluid-simulation “solution” for the gate effect any other way but straight on – it was 2 a.m. when I started getting some really interesting results with the fluid approach, and all I was concerned with then was see which textures worked best – and so any layouts incorporating a draft of the gate effect would have to be straight on. The problem was, none of the horizontal layouts looked particularly interesting because I’m still missing too much of the Waterhole Alpha space station, so vertical was the only viable option. And who knows? Maybe by the time I have to put together a set of final renders I’ll opt for “diagonal” rather than either horizontal or vertical!
Grand Space Opera 3D Entry: Michael Crawford
ok… ok… i see… two times i was wrong… first i didn’t understand properly what you were talking about… and the second is when i accidentally wrote “horizontal format is not a prob” instead of “vertical”… so i get it loud now… 
sorry for confusing you…
Wow - great stuff! I just wanted to post so I can add another congratulatory post and more easily keep an eye on this thread! Very inspiring!
:m
Very interesting, So you see, there is some kind of interconection around, LOL, good job anyway, but you forgot the phrase:
“COMING SOON TO A CHALLENGE NEAR YOU”
Ahh, nice Movie Poster!
<kidding> But since we’re all eager for details may I suggest you add a bunch of closeups in filmstrips so you can fit absolutely everything in? </kidding>
“Less is more” can be a very useful thing to remember, even if it can be painful… “kill your darlings” can be even more so
So you’re an ad man? I would never had guessed.
Your approach is certainly the best when it comes to learn and discover new things - and a good thing this challenge is set over enough time so you can make it. Can’t imagine how many hours you and others might have spent on this so far. This is one of the best schools I’ve attended in a long time.
Amen to that. And then there is all the things that doesn’t come out the way you want but still are interesting enough to follow … Looking forward to the next chapter - you’re doing great!
Had to shut down for a couple of hours due to a very unusual snow storm / thunderstorm (first came the snow, then some very close lightning strikes, forcing me to unplug the workstation), but wanted to get this posted tonight – another piece of the endless experimentation that’s been going on as I try to figure out how to achieve the effects I’m after.
Now that I’ve got a better idea of what the blob shader can do (the breakthrough came when I checked the tutorials for 4.0 and came across an explanation of how to substitute the blob shader for the regular particle shader, enabling the user to utilize the advantages of that particular shader while having all the emitter control that comes with regular particle simulations), I’m thinking of using it to produce a spaceship by streaming the blobs along the curves that make up a NURBS hull. I suspect I can produce something that way that will look unlike anything else in the competition ('course, I’m waaaaay behind on checking out what everyone is up to, so I could be wrong). Anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to: downloading more deep space NASA image files to try out as textures for the “gate effect,” and dreaming up new ways to use the pretty sweet blending of UV texture maps that is part and parcel of the blob shaders. (I’ve already tried using a fluid simulation to produce a cliffside, and it’s a pretty quick and effective way of doing it – who’d have thought that???)
Hehe lol!
A lot of problem in this challenge, and i like that!! We can learn lot of thing and “win in experiences”… and your work is amazing, i like too the last test with the gate effect… very cool. 
Keep working on your particule… but i can’t help you, friend, i never used XSI 
but you work is very cool, i’m sure you’ll make a very impressive final image!!
Waiting to update!!! :bounce:
hi Michael…
the gate effect looks good mate but ithink you choose the most complex way to create it…
i may suggest you to try to use few mesh objects containing each other… and play with materials incadescant (i’m sure i wrote it wrong but i hope you understand what i mean… in max it’s fall-off) and additive transparency… believe me you can get amazing results… just try it… unfortunately i have no examples but when start making my fireballs (very soon btw) you can see what i’m talking about… but i’ll try to find something to show you…
cheers…
ok Michael… i found one example of what i was talking about…
here is very simple scene but i hope you can get idea how good results you can get just using additive transparency and fall-off maps… unfortunately i don’t have a XSI file… but if you like it i can in few words explane how it works… but first please take a look at this and tell me what you think… no particles or post effects used… just few mesh objects ( more exactly three) nested in each other and standart materials with an additive transparency and fall-off maps…
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Paul, I wouldn’t have thought that possible without using particles and then running it through post, or relying on something like Particle Illusion. Very impressive – and many. many thanks for sharing that with me.
With respect to the “gate effect,” the primary reason for posting that test was because the method was actually EXTREMELY fast. There are probably only something like 50 or 60 particles being generated by the circle, and I found that by setting up a floating control panel beside the render region I could try things out in pretty close to real time. Now, that speed slows down considerably if you start pushing up the number of particles utilizing the “blob” (default fluid) shader into the thousands, and throw in a lot of static blur and falloff – but what got me really excited was that this particle method was a quick alternative to setting up textures in Photoshop and then bouncing back and forth between apps to fine-tune the effects. (Yes, I could’ve used the procedural shaders in XSI – marble or vein as the base – and work up a shader network, but I like the color schemes from the Hubble images so much that I felt inclined to just use those rather than try to recreate them.)
Anyway, I’m currently working on the plasma ball again and finding it much slower going – not because the method isn’t working, but because the number of particles required to get that beautiful falloff makes the render time closer to 30 minutes – hardly “real time.”
I’d love to hear a more complete explanation of how you achieved the “cosmic winds” effect, so I’ll post now, get my plasma ball experiments uploaded to my thread, and then check back in.
no probs Michael… i’m very glad if can somehow help… this “cosmic clouds” isn’t my work… unfortunately i don’t know the name and i don’t have a link to this guy who made it (edited: his name is George Polevoy but I still don’t have the link) but setup is not complex and i’ll prepare one sample file (cos i need it in any way for my plasma fireballs) and will try to show how it works…
btw can you tell me exactly what kind of effect you’re trying to achieve? some gaseous or turbulent? from your previous post i noticed pic of supernova or some dying star… something similar to that?
Paul, I’ll send you the reference pics and sample renders from my Hotmail account. The CG Networks server is having problems tonight; Adrian wasn’t able to post anything, either.
Hello Michael, the effect is looking good, is like solid and aetheral at the same time. Definetelly your last discussion with Paul made me wanna try out some particle effects for my entry!
I also have the same question as Paul regarding the effect you have in mind, i’ll be waiting for updates (gotta run and try some particles…)
:wavey:
It looks interesting
Maybe too too organic but maybe you wanted to do that like it is
I would add some strikes towards or outwards the gate
Just an idea
WOW :eek: Can’t believe it! Those are some great FX :)… I wish I could make something like that for my image… but anyway keep it up!!!