What's Next After Project Phoenix?

#1

Well I’m glad you asked. Project Phoenix will be completing its run on the 22nd of March. Some lucky winner will be sporting some cool ILM gear. But what happens after that? Well, I’m currently brainstorming up some ideas. We could always do another contest, but those need to be used sparingly. (Besides, the next one we do… I want to up the ante somehow). Until then… I have some ideas for other fun things we can attempt.

  1. A collective art project utilizing EIAS users all around the globe. Each user is assigned a different task to complete or item to build/render and we work together to produce a final product.

  2. Team competitions. This is may or may not be the next contest… we’ll see how it goes. But imagine two or more teams that have to produce a 10 to 15 second final animation. It would be even cooler if the contest required each team to render their animation through a world wide Renderama TCI/IP renderfarm. (Of course if that happened, the final animation and elements would have to be small).

  3. Plugin Projects. Specific assignments/projects utilizing a single “hero” plugin. Say Onyxtree, Dante, or Blobmaker.

What kind of ideas do you have? I’d love to hear.

#2

I like the “specific plug-in project” idea.

Seeing Reuben’s recent post with MrsBebel really showed me what it’s capable of-- I’d like to be similarly impressed by other plug-ins.

GM

#3

Yah… it would be nice to set up a collective of threads dedicated to specific plugins showing off their capabilities. A lot of our plugins are really under utilized.

#4

nice ideas. i can see nice dante or let’s say particle pojects to include pppro.
unfortunatly for me, i don’t own any 3rd party stuff at all.
but i can play the cheerleader :applause:

#5

Hmmm… sounds like this plugin idea is catching on. Which plugins would you like to see highlighted?

#6

I would like to see some Plug-in “integration”, Plugin communicate in each other, For instance, with Rodeo dynamics engine apply to Mr. Nitro, So the explosion pieces will collide to other object, Dante’s Wind blow the FiberForge Hair etc-etc.

but I think EITG need to do something to the current API, and all plug in need to rewrite again…

is that possible?

Loon

#7

I like all those ideas, however, I don’t have that much 3rd party stuff (we have quite a bit really, it’s just unintelligently spread over different dongles).

Loon, Nitro would need a rewrite, all its explosion fragments are contained in one group.
A way to get round this could be to pre-score the model in a modelling program then perhaps collide an invisible rODEo sphere with it to make it blow apart and use nitro for the dust etc. I’m teetering on the edge of getting Blaster, it’s cheap now… maybe we could have an explosion competition (it would certainly encourage me to buy it).

Maybe an Vis’ FX brief, more specific then the nebulous Phoenix…
Ian

#8

You know, one of the greatest plugins comes free, Ubershape !, really :slight_smile:

Ubershape + Placer Deposit = Fur
Ubershape + Big Dipper = asteroid field
etc, etc

its great !

Reuben

#9

Hi,

[font=Arial]I’m trying to pick up digital 3d/3d animation again, but this time for keeps. So from the struggling part time artist side of things I’d like to request reasonable projects that help improve my understanding of Nurbs, Nurb surfaces, good modeling techniques that help make a better model for animation, deformation, textures, and shaders in EIAS. In EIAS, I am embarrassed to say I have never gotten very far and I’m still learning the interface and how to deal with the whole application.[/font]
[font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]That’s my 2 cents.[/font]
[font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]Mike[/font]
[font=Arial][Not sure if I’m going to make the Mar.22 deadline on project Pheonix, Looks like my eyes were bigger then my stomach… but will continue trying to make the deadline[/font][font=Arial]][/font]
[font=Arial][/font]

#10

I’m still trying to figure out what half of the available plugins do! =)

I’d really like to see some demonstrations of the more popular plugins. That, to me, would be of great value!

#11

So if we had to choose a plugin to highlight, which one would you want? Anyone?

#12

Hm. I suppose one of the particle ones.

GM

#13

hmm, i’d like to see some really good work with particles, too.
something in the line with the old burning tire example on northerlights website. i have forgotten who made it.

it’s a shame that the build in particle system is such b…s…, at least compared with other packages.

hey blair, any chance for dante lite bundled with eias? :slight_smile:

#14

Or… maybe it could be a kind of ‘pick your favorite plug-in, and feature it’. Points given for how exclusively and creatively the featured plug-in is used.

That way many plug-ins could get some exposure, and everyone could learn some great tricks.

-Steve

#15

Oh I would like to get to all of them eventually. But something a bit more centralized where everyone is studying the same same thing is a bit more beneficial. Stay tuned. I’m thinking something up. :slight_smile:

#16

Well… i’m rendering an animated asteroid demo right now :thumbsup:

Reuben

#17

Hey everyone. What are some of the most requested 3D effects you can think of. If I make my list I would probably list:

  1. Water (oceans)
  2. Water (running)
  3. Stationary and Moving Fire
  4. Smoke
  5. Lightrays
  6. Explosions & weapons fire.
  7. Dust and Debris
  8. Fog
  9. Fountains
  10. Bullet holes or impact craters

We’ve touched on Water (oceans) in the Problem of the day: Storm. Since we discussed the idea of focusing on a plugin for the next community project…which of the effects above would you like to see discussed?

#18

Fire and smoke would be my first choices. Smoke being the one I have most problem with… For fire, I always did the requested jobs with billboard technique.

#19

My votes would be: Particles, and hair… and that’s because I have PPPro which I know how to work with, and also Fiberforge which I haven’t done much with, and personally I have a hard time making it work they way I want it to.

Mrs Bebel would be cool for a second round. I don’t have it but it looks sooo interesting.

Joel

#20

Well a nice combination of those would be quite fun…

An explosion with dust, debris, smoke and fog :slight_smile:

I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy Blaster… And I don’t have a particle system (simply because they appear stagnant, although perhaps that’s because they are so good :wink: so maybe I need kicking into getting one of those as well. PPP is only 80 quid now. I can’t see how much Dante is because the NL store is down…

Bebel will be mine very soon indeed, my boss finally cracked!
Ian