PROJECT PHOENIX ENTRY: Nigel Gilbert

#1

Hi all,

I though long and hard about entering this comp, as between now and the final date I’ll be moving house, but I though it may be fun even if I don’t complete it.

My idea for this competition will be based around the Neolithic burial mound of Maeshowe in Orkney. The main shaft into the monument is aligned on the sunset of the Winter Solstice. This is time of renewal and rebirth as the days begin to get longer. For a few days around the Solstice the light of the setting sun shines down the passage and illuminates the chamber. I want to show this gloomy chamber lit with the brilliant orange of the sunset, shining on the bones of the ancestors, and also the EIAS logo in the form of bone too. I may put a smoker in there that represents the evening mist swirling into the chamber. Maybe a rat or too if I have time J

ta

Nige.

#2

Sounds like a great environment study. Good luck.

Don’t forget your sketch!

#3

Hi,

Ok, I can’t draw for toffee, but here goes…

Ita

nige.

#4

This image really speaks to me. But it’s says something different. It immediately reads to me as the altar where there Pheonix burns itself up to ashes. The chard ashes and bones being the remains for the event. Basically the moment after the Phoenix spread it’s skin.

Only thing is, I think it would need some indictation that the New Pheonix left or just took flight. Something spicy and eye catching.

Again, nice moment in time.

#5

Hi All,

Here is my first little test render. I wanted to see if i could start to get something kinda gloomy.Also, i’ve never done any SDS modleling (exept messing about), and wanted to see how my meshes looked. The bone texture needs a lot of work!

I hope i’ve done the template think right? I don’t have the listed font, is this freely avaliable??

#6

I have the font for the Macintosh. If you’re running on the PC, I’ll see if I can find you a substitute. Anyone out there have future for the PC?

#7

I have Futura, if that helps. I’m not sure if its one of the fonts I paid for or not but I’d be glad to share if there aren’t any license issues.

#8

If not… just try to find something san sarif that is reasonably similiar and update all your text to match.

#9

Just an idea… you could put the shadow of the fenix projected inside the chamber, blocking the light?
Interesting idea :eek:
All the luck

FelixCat

#10

Hi Felix

My plan is to have the EIAS logo shadowed onto the back wall of the chamber - but first i have to model it…

ta

nige.

#11

Hiya,

Here is my latest wip. I need to work on the main light!!. I tried a smoker for the ground mist but it appears within all of the lights cone, i only want it swirling around the floor. I may try a displaced mesh with an appropriate shader. Also, the logo needs to be re-done and a texture created for it and the bones. Also, my standing rat looks like a kangaroo!

Any suggestions welcome!

(Looking at the image again - it’s too light. I need to make it more gloomy!)

ta

nige.

#12

I like the holes in the wall. Whats in there? The stacked stone texture you have on the walls is great too. It looks a little flat though. I think it needs a displacement map to let the light penetrate. You could make an alpha map in photoshop and use it to give the grout more depth.

Having the EI logo buried in the ground a little is distracting considering that the floor is probably made of stone! The absence of shadow on the stone immediately behind the logo is part of why it is distracting as well. You must be using buffer depth shadows? I mostly do architectural work and buffer depth just doesn’t do it when your after crisp shadows that fall of straight where their suppose to.

I like the stone texture on the 2 floor stones but the shape of the stones seems too perfect. Prehaps if their edges were knocked about a little they may feel a little more plausable?

If your using EI V6.5 you could use the lightplane shader. Its great for scenes were you want penetrating light that has a very soft shadow result. It’s great for volume light that comes through a window and seeing that your light location is not to dissimilar to this principal it might give you the result your after? I don’t think your lighting is too light, I just think that it’s too even! More contrast is needed were the light is directly hitting the floor and a great sense of the light leaking into the rest of the room. You could also use a spot light with rays and smoke like the x-files tutorial.

Good luck Nige. If you have any questions or need help their are enough of use here who are willing to help.

Buggsy

#13

Hiya All,

Here is a small update with a smoker in place. I can’t get the smoker to look all swirly and cool, any suggestions? I tried a lightplane and it looked ok, may explore that a bit more, but i have to place it in front of my light, whick gets blocked and so no rays?? I have the light plane object set to not show.

I’ve moved a few things around too. I still need to get a bone texture and also sort me rats out!

ta

nige.

ps Buggsy - the holes in the walls are the chambers (3 off), where the bones are interned. The blocks on the floor cap them. Intersetingly there is a theory that thay are made to open from the inside!

#14

The smoke effect in EI has a turbulence radio button. This might give you the effect your after. You need to get a hold of the EI “X-files logo” tutorial and study how they have the smoker set up. You will find it on the EI web site here at the EIAS Intermediate tutorials at the bottom of the page:

http://www.eitechnologygroup.com/community/tutorials.html

The glare channel would give you a great intensification of the the light hitting the logo as well. It’s a little hard to get the gist of using it but when used with the anisotropic shader works well.

I like the skull in the hole. Nice placement. I think it really helps composition! :thumbsup:

Buggsy

#15

Good work. I like the mood…scarry
For rays, I use a Nitro sphere in mid explosion saved as a model that is placed in front of the light source…well that’s common knowledge. As for the setting of the smoker for a twirly look, have a look at Loon’s sun setup it might guide you.

#16

Hiya,

Thanks for the input guys. I changed things around a bit and used Felixs idea of the Phoenix projecting onto the back wall. I stilll can’t get much done with smoker, tried dozens of test renders, altering different things each time but no luck. Wish i had K-Myst, that looks cool for this sort of thing. I moved Roland the comedy rat, but he’s got himself lost in the gloom.

I still need to sort dem bones out. I won’t have time to do much more as i’m moving house Monday. But it’s been fun.

ta

nige.

#17

Hi All,

This is so not finished but i have to offer it as my final version as I’m without internet from tomorrow. I never found a nice bone texture. I wanted to make it look like there was still a bit of flesh on them. I kept changing the placement of stuff, but i never got a set-up that i was happy with. I’d like to point out that this is my first ‘finished’ job with EIAS!!

Hope u like it.

ta

nige.

#18

Is it just me? I can’t see your last posted image correctly, only the top part stretched vertically. Hope you can post it before your Internet connection vaporize.

#19

Yeah, I like the siloutte/shadow of the phoenix in the scene. Nice job. Hope your move goes well, I’m doing the same in a couple of weeks. ugh.

Troy

#20

I see it now. I’m on another computer with a different connection. Excellent first job. I did nothing that good with my first trys with EI. Congrats.