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General => Image Sharing => Topic started by: Dune on June 04, 2018, 11:39:42 AM

Title: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 04, 2018, 11:39:42 AM
Doing some more Neanderthal people. Morphed object imported in DAZ, posed, exported, modified stuff (also head again) in ZB, mixed all in Poseray. I still need to try Marvelous Designer for clothes, these were made in ZB.
I made a depth pass for DOF (lens blur by alpha in PS), but get into trouble with very thin areas. The edges (circled) don't get blurred very well, so you get kinda nasty fringes. Does anybody have a solution for that (other than FOV in TG)?

I also need to have more detailed bump maps for DAZ skins.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Kadri on June 04, 2018, 01:02:01 PM

Looks good.
I have done only limited tests with DOF.
So i can't say anything helpful that you don't know already, like using higher resolution, with crop rendering etc. Ulco.
Is this the DOF and GISD problem ones again?
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on June 04, 2018, 01:29:22 PM
Well I'm no help here. but as I've run into similar problems time to time will watch this thread.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: WAS on June 04, 2018, 01:42:39 PM
Quote from: Dune on June 04, 2018, 11:39:42 AM
Doing some more Neanderthal people. Morphed object imported in DAZ, posed, exported, modified stuff (also head again) in ZB, mixed all in Poseray. I still need to try Marvelous Designer for clothes, these were made in ZB.
I made a depth pass for DOF (lens blur by alpha in PS), but get into trouble with very thin areas. The edges (circled) don't get blurred very well, so you get kinda nasty fringes. Does anybody have a solution for that (other than FOV in TG)?

I also need to have more detailed bump maps for DAZ skins.

I wonder if the DOF issue is in relation to the objects size in the space assigned to DOF. As it's "gradienting" for the focal area, this "gradient" may "scale" at a larger scale than the objects stem/edges. Causing distortion in calculation

Also really love the scene and models, wondering if maybe more muscle definition could be done on the neanderthals? They seem kinda smooth in relation to all the detail of the scene. For example, the clothes look more detailed than their skin, so I don't have much complaint over the clothes at this point.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: KlausK on June 04, 2018, 05:52:08 PM
The depth pass is rendered in TG, right? If so...
you could disable the rock object and do the same render passes again without it in the picture.
To check if the problem still appears. If it does, hm ?0?

other than that: man, you are very busy these days! Producing one high quality scene after the other.
Sitting and watching in awe - jaw dropped ;D ~~~ Very good.
CHeers, Klaus

Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 05, 2018, 02:03:19 AM
Thanks Klaus. The pass is made in TG, so produces a greyscale, where the close up parts are white (in short). So the stems of some plants are white with the background being dark. If I use this to soften the back area, the stems' edges somehow produce a serrated soft/not-soft area, because of the sharpness of the contrast. Hard to explain. One thing I could do is blur the whole pass a bit and increase gamma, so the stems are slightly wider white, so to speak. I will try that one of these days.
The people are better than I used to do, but not good enough. You can make more definition in DAZ in muscles, and also work on the model afterwards in ZB, or use better bumpmaps, but I'm a very impatient guy, and don't want to spend all my time on one thing. There's just too much I want to pursue.
@ Kadri: no, this is not the TG DOF. If there weren't this GISD/DOF probem I'd probably go for that instead.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Kadri on June 05, 2018, 09:16:53 AM

I see.
Just a thought have you tried to render without raytracing?
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 05, 2018, 09:33:40 AM
No, I don't think that would be as nice. It's not really important, just something that I tried once again (DOF) and saw what happened.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Kadri on June 05, 2018, 09:38:43 AM
 :)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Oshyan on June 05, 2018, 04:19:31 PM
I don't think raytrace/not raytrace will affect this, it's just an inevitable result of a high contrast mask for a blur. You can reproduce this without a depth pass at all, just create any hard-edged selection on an image in Photoshop and then run a blur. The blur has a hard-edge transition because the mask is hard-edged. The same is happening here. A more DoF-oriented blur filter might handle this better (I think Photoshop has one built-in now), but it's the kind of situation where proper 3D DoF is needed for ideal results.

- Oshyan
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 06, 2018, 01:13:31 AM
I'd say so, indeed. So hopefully, one day the GISD/DOF problem can be solved too.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 06, 2018, 04:35:06 AM
This is the old photo that was my reference  ;) Apparently there was still a relic population back in the '50's!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Kadri on June 06, 2018, 04:42:27 AM

:)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: luvsmuzik on June 06, 2018, 06:29:38 AM
joker
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on June 07, 2018, 04:30:25 PM
ha ha ha, where? in Texas? heh heh heh
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: WAS on June 08, 2018, 01:21:51 AM
Quote from: Dune on June 06, 2018, 04:35:06 AM
Apparently there was still a relic population back in the '50's!

Fairly certain my father is one of the last to be born. Lol
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 11, 2018, 03:48:13 AM
That explains a lot....  8)

Okay, kiddie practising hunting skills.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: masonspappy on June 11, 2018, 05:27:16 AM
Quote from: Dune on June 11, 2018, 03:48:13 AM
That explains a lot....  8)

Okay, kiddie practising hunting skills.
Looks great, and I'm really curious - how are you accomplishing the hair?  Render individual strands? or multiple image layers using fine masks?
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 11, 2018, 12:05:41 PM
I add the hair in ZBrush as fibremesh. In the beginning I made the strands wider and added a hairmask of several hairs, but you get repetition. Now I just use unmasked hairs, though with as little as possible polys lengthwise. This hair is 20Mb. For curly hair it might triple or worse. If I really go off, I can dubdivide the guys and sculpt a lot of detail in, and add very detailed hair, but for now this is okay.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Ariel DK on June 11, 2018, 04:01:42 PM
Quote from: Dune on June 11, 2018, 12:05:41 PM
I add the hair in ZBrush as fibremesh.

Another Zbrush skill that i need to learn, great work Ulco!

Quote from: bobbystahr on June 07, 2018, 04:30:25 PM
ha ha ha, where? in Texas? heh heh heh

I dont think so, i dont see their guns 8)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: J_Con on June 11, 2018, 04:11:42 PM
Nice job indeed. Z-Brush does hair ? who knew! Looks very good.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on June 12, 2018, 01:46:27 AM
Nice result, Ulco. One Day (in about 200 years) I'll have to learn zbrush too :)

I'm in the mood now to leave office and run and play on a meadow with butterflies and flowers :)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 12, 2018, 04:02:20 AM
 :D

Nils, ZBrush would be a breeze for you to learn.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on June 13, 2018, 04:12:32 AM
;D ;D ;D

I just checked the price... appr. 800,-- bugs? Not this year, Ulco ;D

(Of course I could use the trial version first but 45 days is to short in my eyes or am I wrong?)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: René on June 13, 2018, 04:45:30 AM
ZBrush core is available for $149.95
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on June 13, 2018, 05:24:40 AM
Thank you René, 150,-- sounds much better for giving it a try.

I did not know the version variety and the differences between the software versions. But I'll check it.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: J_Con on June 13, 2018, 12:07:12 PM
With regards to 45 day trials, I create a new email account at GMX each month and then download Substance painter. I will buy the software eventually but at the moment I don't use it a lot.I may give Z-Brush a look, but it looks like it would need a good degree of practice to get good usage from it.One more item on my bucket list.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 20, 2018, 01:26:48 AM
Some new people I made.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Kadri on June 20, 2018, 02:30:20 AM

Nice renders Ulco.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on June 20, 2018, 02:55:00 AM
Very nice renders and a nice mood in both of them!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: WAS on June 20, 2018, 02:56:16 AM
Quote from: Dune on June 20, 2018, 01:26:48 AM
Some new people I made.

Really nice! Dude in the back may not be part of the tribe! The kid may be warning them... lol

But is that one person eating a rock? Lol
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: mhaze on June 20, 2018, 04:21:53 AM
You are getting good at this - nice work.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: luvsmuzik on June 20, 2018, 09:34:28 AM
Very impressive. You are about to dispel the myth that character features do no transfer to Terragen. In your b/w image the skin /anatomic features are quite evident defining muscle tone, etc. In the color image it also becomes quite obvious that your shaders have great detail. Are you using a limb by limb shader or one UV map for a static body? And to either are you adding some displacement? Amazing progress in my opinion.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: sboerner on June 20, 2018, 11:19:10 AM
Nice renders, Ulco. Like the second one especially. Adding ZBrush to my bucket list as well.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 21, 2018, 01:53:22 AM
I use the provided DAZ maps, but the main additions are procedural. Scratches and bumps, differences in skin tone, etc, either procedural or by mixing in a simple painted texture tile.
Clothes/hides I make in ZB as a single side (thin) mesh to save on unnecessary polys, but my next challenge is to just have the visible edges thickened (more like real skins). Edges are sometimes too obviously thin, but I don't want the whole thing double, because I sometimes get problems with inside poking through outside.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 23, 2018, 01:58:07 AM
Here's another guy. I now added some procedural insect bumps  ;D (and had to make a quick fly in ZB)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: luvsmuzik on June 23, 2018, 07:52:21 AM
Wow! Once again great details! Hannes makes measles and now you have made fly-bites! Each new character is becoming your best. Chest/abdomen hair adds so much, as well as unkempt facial and scalp hairs. (No blow dryers and vent brushes in this era!) The attire is so good here also. Right off the beast.....
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: mhaze on June 24, 2018, 05:52:05 AM
Love it, has a touch of humour that brings it alive.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Kadri on June 24, 2018, 06:34:06 AM

:)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: WAS on June 24, 2018, 08:19:22 AM
Quote from: Dune on June 23, 2018, 01:58:07 AM
Here's another guy. I now added some procedural insect bumps  ;D (and had to make a quick fly in ZB)

Wow the detail is great. He doesn't look too happy about his colony of flies.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on June 24, 2018, 09:05:59 AM
Quote from: mhaze on June 24, 2018, 05:52:05 AM
Love it, has a touch of humour that brings it alive.

Echo! I can almost smell the reason for all the flies ;D

Very nice and detailed! Good work!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 24, 2018, 09:33:42 AM
Yeah, I was thinking of adding a line about the guy really needing a good rinse  ;)

Also this new figure. Child is not perfect at all (wasn't able to use a proper morph).
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on June 25, 2018, 08:34:18 AM
Nicely posed Father and Child though..well done on that.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: masonspappy on June 25, 2018, 08:02:32 PM
Actually, I kind of like the look on dad's face.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 26, 2018, 01:41:35 AM
Mom's.  ;)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on June 26, 2018, 02:46:58 AM
Quote from: Dune on June 26, 2018, 01:41:35 AM
Mom's.  ;)


Opps, well the give away features are blocked by the child in our defense....
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on June 26, 2018, 03:08:38 AM
Quote from: bobbystahr on June 26, 2018, 02:46:58 AM
Quote from: Dune on June 26, 2018, 01:41:35 AM
Mom's.  ;)


Opps, well the give away features are blocked by the child in our defense....

;D ;D ;D

I knew it was Mom because of the Tina Turner's hairstyle ;)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Hannes on June 26, 2018, 03:14:51 AM
 ;D ;D ;D ;D
Looks great!!!! Poor guy!
I really love the fur and the not perfectly tanned leather skirts.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 26, 2018, 10:47:55 AM
Thanks. I'm getting the hang of it a bit more. Those fibers are very handy (though take up most of the MB's).
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: archonforest on June 26, 2018, 11:30:05 AM
Quote from: Dune on June 26, 2018, 01:41:35 AM
Mom's.  ;)

LOL!!
Actually u have to zoom in to see it ;D
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: WAS on June 26, 2018, 12:52:23 PM
Quote from: Dune on June 26, 2018, 10:47:55 AM
Thanks. I'm getting the hang of it a bit more. Those fibers are very handy (though take up most of the MB's).

Reminds me of Empire of the Sun haha.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Kadri on June 26, 2018, 05:20:53 PM

Nice.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on June 26, 2018, 09:23:45 PM
comic relief heh heh...love the stampede....
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on June 27, 2018, 01:57:26 AM
Great ideas, most beautiful horses and a great humor in the boy with plane render :)
May I make some suggestions?

In the stampede render I feel as if the brightness of grass and the stones in the forground do not work so perfect together. Could you try more bright and raw rocks with less displacement? And/or reduce the luminosity of the grass especially in the forground?

If you place the sun so that the model plane throws a shadow on the boy than it could work a bit better. I guess it must be a model plane in the foreground. otherwise the position and direction of the boy would not work together with the plane, right? :)

...only my thoughts... :)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on June 27, 2018, 06:17:13 AM
Well, the latter are just for trying out the horses (modded and haired in ZB) and for fun. Threw in some stuff quickly and didn't really pay attention to much. But thanks. You're very right, of course.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: luvsmuzik on June 28, 2018, 10:38:24 AM
Quote from: Dune on June 27, 2018, 06:17:13 AM
Well, the latter are just for trying out the horses (modded and haired in ZB) and for fun. Threw in some stuff quickly and didn't really pay attention to much. But thanks. You're very right, of course.

Jethro Tull....Heavy Horses  :)  good one
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: masonspappy on June 28, 2018, 07:56:14 PM
Quote from: Dune on June 26, 2018, 01:41:35 AM
Mom's.  ;)
Yikes!  :o
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: WAS on June 28, 2018, 11:15:27 PM
Done far too much cosmetic photo-manipulation for models not to notice that boob.

Quote from: luvsmuzik on June 28, 2018, 10:38:24 AM
Quote from: Dune on June 27, 2018, 06:17:13 AM
Well, the latter are just for trying out the horses (modded and haired in ZB) and for fun. Threw in some stuff quickly and didn't really pay attention to much. But thanks. You're very right, of course.

Jethro Tull....Heavy Horses  :)  good one

Great album. Are you a Jethro Tull fan, luvsmuzik? I believe I asked this to Bobby once upon a time. My avatar was Ian Anderson for the longest time with his flute. ;)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on July 29, 2018, 12:36:03 PM
Another test, mainly about this fat old tree. I don't like the branches, so I'm making a better one.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: WAS on July 29, 2018, 03:10:10 PM
Quote from: Dune on July 29, 2018, 12:36:03 PM
Another test, mainly about this fat old tree. I don't like the branches, so I'm making a better one.

Neanderthal is not amused also. Lol
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on July 30, 2018, 02:09:42 AM
He was the one who pointed the anomaly out to me  ;)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on July 30, 2018, 05:45:56 AM
Quote from: WASasquatch on July 29, 2018, 03:10:10 PM
Quote from: Dune on July 29, 2018, 12:36:03 PM
Another test, mainly about this fat old tree. I don't like the branches, so I'm making a better one.

Neanderthal is not amused also. Lol

Indeed ... How could he be amused? - I guess this trouble is his fault ... after throwing a stone at the tree all little branches and leaves fell down?

Anyway very good ground and persons :)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on July 30, 2018, 12:07:26 PM
Quote from: Dune on July 30, 2018, 02:09:42 AM
He was the one who pointed the anomaly out to me  ;)


ha ha ha
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Kadri on July 30, 2018, 12:17:05 PM
Quote from: Dune on July 30, 2018, 02:09:42 AM
He was the one who pointed the anomaly out to me  ;)

:)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on August 24, 2018, 01:58:04 AM
Working on a detail of a Neanderthal camp for a book. Hesitating between a sunny look and some drab, miserable setting (but still not overly depressing for the sake of the reader). So I added some reflections on mud/sand and some pools, some rain, etc. To start with. WIP, lots to be done still. For one; relocate a forgotten hairpiece  :P
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on August 24, 2018, 03:50:05 AM
Great render, Ulco! Like being there!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on August 24, 2018, 09:29:08 AM
Agree it's a really fine render but they all except Mr. Missing Hairpiece, look like they've just been to the barber shop their hair is so neatly trimmed.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: WAS on August 24, 2018, 05:15:46 PM
Quote from: Dune on August 24, 2018, 01:58:04 AM
Working on a detail of a Neanderthal camp for a book. Hesitating between a sunny look and some drab, miserable setting (but still not overly depressing for the sake of the reader). So I added some reflections on mud/sand and some pools, some rain, etc. To start with. WIP, lots to be done still. For one; relocate a forgotten hairpiece  :P

That's really cool! I wonder if they would harvest grass to make makeshift beds like gorilla and chimp species do.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on August 25, 2018, 02:15:32 AM
Yes, they might, logically thinking. Nobody knows, I guess.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: mhaze on August 25, 2018, 02:51:01 AM
That sky is amazing! so is everything else! Great work Ulco.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on August 25, 2018, 08:12:56 AM
Well, I wasn't quite satisfied with the sky actually. One of the beams has a nasty central black area. Want to have it more dramatic. Working on it now...
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on August 26, 2018, 12:32:37 PM
Much better now, Ulco :)


The clouds position makes the lighting more plausible. It somehow reminds me of an interpretation of the biblical story of the Flood :)
Somehow I have the feeling the muddy ground somehow looks better now. The blonde boy's hair is much better now... a pitty that Kojak had to go :)

All in all well done - thumbs up!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on August 27, 2018, 01:17:20 AM
Thansk, Nils. In the meantime a lot of things have changed again; position of puddles, added a really meaty deerleg instead of that strange red and white clump, some spears, and stone debris near the 2 front guys hacking, long hair for 2 guys, etc. I will probably not post the final, though.

Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: N-drju on August 27, 2018, 07:40:44 AM
Curved rain-lines in the distance and the general peasoup-y atmosphere make this setting really captivating and relaxing in my view. I wonder where the fire comes from though - procedural, object or postwork?

Not sharing the final seems like a prudent thing to do. Understandable.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: masonspappy on August 27, 2018, 09:22:21 AM
Latest image looks really nice!
Understand you can't share final image but I'll bet it will be grand!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on August 27, 2018, 09:34:02 AM
Quote from: masonspappy on August 27, 2018, 09:22:21 AM
Latest image looks really nice!
Understand you can't share final image but I'll bet it will be grand!

I agree
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on August 27, 2018, 09:47:14 AM
I had to hit seed lots of times and adjust lots of nodes to get the right rain veils and clouds, but I got it quite perfect now. Lowered and rotated the camera a tiny bit so I can use the right (or left) half for bookcover without cutting legs, added some more grasses and herbs, and added ochre bodypaint to some of the guys.
The firepit is a circle of fake stones, ground is blackened/sooted up by SSS and PF, added some (black/grey/red) branches, and the flames is just a card with an image, very simple. I will add smoke in post.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on September 11, 2018, 02:40:46 PM
Quote from: Dune on August 27, 2018, 09:47:14 AM
I had to hit seed lots of times and adjust lots of nodes to get the right rain veils and clouds, but I got it quite perfect now.

I must agree and note that you must have patience of a Saint or a Statue; ;D I guess that's what perfection demands.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on September 12, 2018, 01:41:05 AM
Thank you, Bobby. Indeed, I tend to fuss over little things. Often far more than is being paid for  :P
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on September 12, 2018, 08:24:48 AM
Quote from: Dune on September 12, 2018, 01:41:05 AM
Thank you, Bobby. Indeed, I tend to fuss over little things. Often far more than is being paid for  :P

I tend to be like that with my music which is the driving force in my creative life so I guess I get it.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on September 13, 2018, 01:41:37 AM
This is the final concept/WIP. Some minor stuff maybe (like changing the snowy owl feather into a falcon tail-feather), but then it'll be rendering big.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on September 13, 2018, 02:01:21 AM
Quote from: Dune on September 13, 2018, 01:41:37 AM
This is the final concept/WIP. Some minor stuff maybe (like changing the snowy owl feather into a falcon tail-feather), but then it'll be rendering big.

great progress...
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: WAS on September 13, 2018, 02:34:08 AM
Quote from: Dune on September 13, 2018, 01:41:37 AM
This is the final concept/WIP. Some minor stuff maybe (like changing the snowy owl feather into a falcon tail-feather), but then it'll be rendering big.

Is algae growing on the filth on their skin? That's a interesting thought.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on September 13, 2018, 05:13:49 AM
There could well be  ;D But it's ochre-like bodypaint. Maybe a tad to greenish?
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: masonspappy on September 13, 2018, 07:47:47 AM
 Dude, that's remarkable!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: luvsmuzik on September 13, 2018, 10:13:08 AM
Love how you have isolated the foreground and included the distant terrain! Great perspective.  Fascinating image! (Trying to absorb all your explanations as this progressed) :)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: j meyer on September 13, 2018, 01:06:59 PM
Maybe a different angle for the feather, since now it looks a bit like a blade
or so thrown at him by the other guy.
Nice meat texture.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on September 14, 2018, 02:23:25 AM
A real WOW!-Render again, Ulco. :)

I think your idea with the falcon like feather instead of the owl is a good idea.
The mood of the scene is unbelievable good now. I like how the weather seems to get better.
Now I need breakfast - somthing with MEAT! ;D ;)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on September 14, 2018, 03:12:05 AM
Join the party, I'd say  ;D Plenty food to be caught in those days.

Changed the feather in the meantime and relocated some of the ducks, as I found the distribution too even. Maybe change feather angle indeed. Thanks for all your comments.

The picknick area is a warped simple shape mask, btw. The puddles are hard PF masked, with a color adjust to darken ground and RT reflective shader, and which also smoothes the small stones and stuff, after a XYZ shader to fix the hills as they are.
Blood is another warped and broken up SSS through surface shader. Small river in distance is a simple drawn mask (Photoshop) that I located in the right place, sunk a little and added a reflective shader. And it smoothes the fake grass.
Rain is stretched cloud, rotated over X or Z by transform shader and warped by distribution shader with minimum altitude and some fuzzyness for the wind-slanted idea.
Clouds are masked out by a white circle on black (Photoshop), then inversed, and projected towards the sun, hence burning a hole in the cloud.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on October 01, 2018, 02:09:21 AM
Second image for the book as WIP. I don't like the reflection of these clouds, so they will be changed. Waiting for the archaeologists to have their say....
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: masonspappy on October 01, 2018, 06:36:15 AM
Dune that's outstanding!!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: luvsmuzik on October 01, 2018, 06:47:08 AM
T riffic! :)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on October 01, 2018, 07:41:27 AM
Agree with the others! Impressive!  :)

Also agree with your own meaning about the reflection (you mean the dark cloud reflection in the foreground?)

A minor suggestion, if both renders will appear on the same page in the book: Perhaps you could divide the flock of ducks into two flocks in one of the two pictures? Maybe I am too influenced by 3D / render technics and common book readers would not recognize but that could avoid the impression of two times used the same ducks.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on October 01, 2018, 09:36:51 AM
Great action shot, not sure if I agree on the cloud reflections...seems O K/natural to me
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on October 01, 2018, 10:25:42 AM
They will appear on different pages and the flock has already been rotated, so I guess it's quite okay. Otherwise it would have seemed 'too easy' indeed  ;)

There's a dark cloud and then abruptly some blue reflecting, which annoys me. Almost looks like some sort of rapid.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on October 01, 2018, 09:16:46 PM
Quote from: Dune on October 01, 2018, 10:25:42 AM

There's a dark cloud and then abruptly some blue reflecting, which annoys me. Almost looks like some sort of rapid.

I understand.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on October 02, 2018, 01:32:19 AM
Well, this will change anyway; they thought it would be nice to have a snow covered scene...
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: luvsmuzik on October 02, 2018, 10:12:58 AM
Quote from: Dune on October 02, 2018, 01:32:19 AM
Well, this will change anyway; they thought it would be nice to have a snow covered scene...
Well then this should be the jacket image.  Look at it this way, now you get to make outerwear fur hats and dressings!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on October 02, 2018, 11:44:14 AM
Indeed.  Still WIP of course...
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on October 02, 2018, 11:19:56 PM
So great again! Do you know the "Ulco-effect"? It's if someone does a WIP that looks better than other's finals ;)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on October 03, 2018, 01:56:13 AM
 :P

But it's not too hard at all; just a painted (Photoshop) mask for the stream (which could have been warped SSS, but it had to be exact), then a compute normal, then a lateral offset from a surface shader masked by that same stream mask (but a bit whiter [color adjust], to effect only the stream area), then some snow colors (look for old snow and ice clip), masked by a PF for some areas of less snow. Offset the snow a bit and add some soft displacements upward only, so from a color PF. That way the grasses sitting on the node before that would stay below the snow 'layer' where it thickens.
The local rough areas where the vertebrates are masked by soft SSS's (piled in line), added some downward voronoi billow holes, and some fake stone clumps (and the blood spatters), masked by that line. Because the sides of those clumps would have lost their snow color when using slope constraints, I didn't use that.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on October 04, 2018, 11:14:45 AM
Update.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: N-drju on October 04, 2018, 11:45:11 AM
This is WIP Ulco? Man, just publish it already and sell it to highest bidder. ;D
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on October 04, 2018, 12:21:22 PM
Client just mailed he was satisfied, so I guess this is it. Now make it hi-res....
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Hannes on October 04, 2018, 01:03:25 PM
Fantastic! As usual, Ulco! Well done!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on October 04, 2018, 02:42:02 PM
Great, Ulco! The snow break on the stream bank looks so awesome!
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Lady of the Lake on October 05, 2018, 11:21:16 PM
Your work is always so amazing.  Love watching as you post your updates.  Never understand the explanations of how you do things, but I read them....maybe someday a light bulb will go off on some of it. 
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: masonspappy on October 06, 2018, 01:05:59 AM
Quote from: DocCharly65 on October 04, 2018, 02:42:02 PM
Great, Ulco! The snow break on the stream bank looks so awesome!
Second that. It's a neat touch most people would not think of.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on November 07, 2018, 03:10:06 AM
Here's another setup. Groundveggies need work, I'm just making better Hare's-tail cottongrass.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: WAS on November 07, 2018, 05:08:16 AM
Quote from: Dune on November 07, 2018, 03:10:06 AM
Here's another setup. Groundveggies need work, I'm just making better Hare's-tail cottongrass.

Lovely distribution of the veggies. Looks very realistic. And I gotta say the haze with the glacier plateau looks really cool.
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: bobbystahr on November 07, 2018, 07:45:58 AM
Quote from: WASasquatch on November 07, 2018, 05:08:16 AM
Quote from: Dune on November 07, 2018, 03:10:06 AM
Here's another setup. Groundveggies need work, I'm just making better Hare's-tail cottongrass.

Lovely distribution of the veggies. Looks very realistic. And I gotta say the haze with the glacier plateau looks really cool.


Agree, might be called 'Tracking'
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DocCharly65 on November 07, 2018, 08:28:28 AM
What can I say... great :)

I'm not sure what i am missing at the ice wall. Perhaps some broken ice peaces or something debris of the moraine... But I am really not sure! Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I was not born as contemporary witness in that times :)
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Oshyan on November 07, 2018, 02:18:27 PM
Looks quite nice, but rather low in contrast, shadows seem almost absent. Probably due to the lighting/haze, but it still seems a bit extreme perhaps, or maybe just from an aesthetic perspective it might be better to balance it toward a little higher contrast lighting, even with the haze...

- Oshyan
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Dune on November 08, 2018, 01:16:01 AM
Yeah there's an extra sun and upped GI from before I added the mist. And even a reflection screen to the right of the camera to lighten up the initially too dark sides of those people. But actually I liked the softness and color scheme. But I have also been pondering whether to burn a hole in the cloud for some sunlight to pass through. I might...
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: DannyG on November 08, 2018, 08:26:35 AM
Topshelf as always
Title: Re: Neanderthals
Post by: Jo Kariboo on November 26, 2018, 11:42:42 PM
Very beautiful scene with always a lot of attention to many details.