Project Creepy Farm House

[Renzatic]

4 hours of ivy later...

Rev 1

An extension of my first attempt. I threw some leaves onto the texture itself, then floated a bunch of alpha mapped quads on top to give it a bushy look. The leaves are alright, but the way the vines are growing looked pretty dumb.

Ivy don't grow that way.

Rev 2

Now that's more like it. While it's not actually how ivy grows exactly, it does look a helluva lot better. Cooler anyway. I think once I get some leaves floated onto it and bushed up in all the crevices and overhangs, it'll look great.

After 4 hours, it damn well better.

 

[chrono1081]

This looks amazing!!!!

I'm working on something at the moment for a course I'm taking. Hopefully I'll have something to post soon.

 

[Renzatic]

Hey! Post away! It's getting kinda lonely with only me showing off around here.

What course is it you're taking, by the way? Is it the Houdini project you mentioned earlier?

 

[Renzatic]

Ladies and gentlemen, I am now officially in the home stretch.

...of this part.

I figured I'd show the 4 window ortho to show how I did the vines. Someone might actually be lurking about, trying to do something horribly misguided like learn something from this thread.

God forbid.

I still gotta do the big trim. No idea why I haven't gotten around to doing it yet. Next, the icebox, then all the miscellaneous details. Since I've still got quite a bit of space on some of my UV sheets, I might just start throwing in random detail just to fill them up. There's still tons of stuff I could add to flesh it out.

Then...normal mapping. That's gonna be a kick in the nuts.

 

[chrono1081]

This looks so awesome!!!

I can't wait to see the finished result!

I'll try and get something up soon so you don't feel lonely but work is getting in the way of my modeling time :/ I'm currently working on a waterwheel.

 

[Renzatic]

I'll try and get something up soon so you don't feel lonely but work is getting in the way of my modeling time :/ I'm currently working on a waterwheel.

Take your time, and bring it on when you're ready.

Animation and sculpting are the two things I want to get into next, and I'd love to see what you've done there.

...also, I just checked out Houdini. Looks awesome, but I'm wondering how anyone can afford it without either being a part of a big studio, or selling off both your kidneys. I think it's more expensive than current versions of Max and Maya.

 

[chrono1081]

Take your time, and bring it on when you're ready.

Animation and sculpting are the two things I want to get into next, and I'd love to see what you've done there.

...also, I just checked out Houdini. Looks awesome, but I'm wondering how anyone can afford it without either being a part of a big studio, or selling off both your kidneys. I think it's more expensive than current versions of Max and Maya.

Actually there is a free version and a "starving artist" version for $99. Most people will use one of those two if they're not a big studio.

Houdini is definitely cool but I see it more as a tool builder vs a modeling package.

 

[Renzatic]

Houdini is definitely cool but I see it more as a tool builder vs a modeling package.

I tried it out and came to about the same conclusion. The modelling itself isn't as smooth as Modo, but it looks like it can do some very specific things spectacularly.

...maybe one day I'll actually learn how to use it properly.

To get back on topic, I've lost a good chunk of my free time, so now updates will come slowly. I've finished up texturing, added my ice box, and threw a few spotlights into the scene. Just kinda rounding out what I've already got, really.

One thing I will say though, is that, like it or hate it, Blender's realtime window beats the everliving hell out of Modo's. It's great if you just want to whip up a scene without having to render and rerender everything for every small change you make.

...now all I've got to to is figure out how to get alpha maps to work.

 

[chrono1081]

I tried it out and came to about the same conclusion. The modelling itself isn't as smooth as Modo, but it looks like it can do some very specific things spectacularly.

...maybe one day I'll actually learn how to use it properly.

To get back on topic, I've lost a good chunk of my free time, so now updates will come slowly. I've finished up texturing, added my ice box, and threw a few spotlights into the scene. Just kinda rounding out what I've already got, really.

One thing I will say though, is that, like it or hate it, Blender's realtime window beats the everliving hell out of Modo's. It's great if you just want to whip up a scene without having to render and rerender everything for every small change you make.

...now all I've got to to is figure out how to get alpha maps to work.

Did you try Modo 701's preview window yet? Its sooooo fast. The speed increase is ridiculous.

That farm house is looking amazing! Also ya, Houdini is a bit of a bear to learn. There is sooooo much to it its insane. There is also a lot of math involved to get a lot of the effects. Its cool software but I'll use it sparingly and concentrate on my modeling skills (which I think are the weakest) and my rendering skills (also weak) for now.

 

[Renzatic]

Did you try Modo 701's preview window yet? Its sooooo fast. The speed increase is ridiculous.

I've heard it's fast, but I'm skipping out on this round of updates. Unless I move to Linux (which I'll deeply consider doing if Adobe ever releases PS for it), the update isn't worth the cash for me. 701 is 95% rendering updates. All things I'm not planning on using anytime in the near future.

Maybe when 801 comes around, I'll have moved on into the fun world of high end rendering. Right now though, 601 does everything I need to do perfectly.

That farm house is looking amazing!

Actualy, I'd say that ice box is the greatest thing I've ever done. I dunno why. It's so simple, it didn't even take me 4 hours to model and texture it...

...but it just came out so cool looking, I can't help but like it.

I need to do more though. I'm sure we're all getting bored of me showing off that same building after a month of incremental updates.

Once I get a little more time, I'll begin stage 2. Hopefully I'll have something new to show off by then.

Also ya, Houdini is a bit of a bear to learn. There is sooooo much to it its insane. There is also a lot of math involved to get a lot of the effects. Its cool software but I'll use it sparingly and concentrate on my modeling skills (which I think are the weakest) and my rendering skills (also weak) for now.

I'd use it mostly for animation myself, which I'll probably start getting into once I move into learning how to make and bake character models, which'll probably happen around the same time I start investing heavily into sculpting.

Truth be told, I'm pretty weak in everything save for texturing. But I larnin! Slowly and surely, I larnin!

 

[Renzatic]

It's great when things come together. Finally, after a month, my scene is starting to look like a real, actual scene.

I figured it'd be better for me to do everything myself, rather than relying on Speedtree to help me along. I'm in this for the practice, I don't need to fall back on automation just yet. I need to practice doing it all by hand.

 

[chrono1081]

Omg it looks so good!!! I love the atmosphere, lighting, modeling and texturing!



My scene isn't even fully modeled yet : /

EDIT: I LOVE the chipped paint on the door! I'd love to see your texture maps!

 

[Renzatic]

I could tell you how I did it, but you probably know enough about PS that I could just show you the files, and you could figure it all out yourself. So for the purposes of education, I'll sacrifice 3 of my .psd files to the public domain.

Also, if anyone else randomly checks these out and wants to critque my techniques, feel free. I'm always up for figuring out how to do stuff better.

The chipped paint doors, metal bars, and the steps in the back.

Details2_d (14 meg)

The front/rear walls, the gable, and the awning.

Frame1_d (85 meg)

Bunch 'o stuff.

Frame3_d (53 meg)

Just keep in mind that I only label my layers when I feel like it, so you'll probably have to do a bit of clicking to figure out what's what.

 

[chrono1081]

WOW! Thanks so much! I expected a jpeg not the PSD file so thank you! I can't wait to look at these closer.

I opened them up and the detail you are getting is amazing. I know I'm going to learn a ton from these.

 

[fig]

I've heard it's fast, but I'm skipping out on this round of updates. Unless I move to Linux (which I'll deeply consider doing if Adobe ever releases PS for it), the update isn't worth the cash for me. 701 is 95% rendering updates. All things I'm not planning on using anytime in the near future.

Actually, 701 has a ton of animation updates which is why I'm finally going to upgrade. The ACS Rigging Kit is apparently pretty awesome as well, being able to model and animate my own characters in Modo would make it well worth the price of the upgrade (I do some character animation in Maya now, ugh).

 

[ratsg]

I love this thread!

Close, but no cigar. I found this on a Jeep/4x4 forum.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f95/...ile-wheeling-211618/index149.html#post9582511

post @2232

I tried it out and came to about the same conclusion. The modelling itself isn't as smooth as Modo, but it looks like it can do some very specific things spectacularly.

...maybe one day I'll actually learn how to use it properly.

To get back on topic, I've lost a good chunk of my free time, so now updates will come slowly. I've finished up texturing, added my ice box, and threw a few spotlights into the scene. Just kinda rounding out what I've already got, really.

One thing I will say though, is that, like it or hate it, Blender's realtime window beats the everliving hell out of Modo's. It's great if you just want to whip up a scene without having to render and rerender everything for every small change you make.

...now all I've got to to is figure out how to get alpha maps to work.

 

[Renzatic]

Actually, 701 has a ton of animation updates which is why I'm finally going to upgrade. The ACS Rigging Kit is apparently pretty awesome as well, being able to model and animate my own characters in Modo would make it well worth the price of the upgrade (I do some character animation in Maya now, ugh).

I think I'm gonna live vicariously through both you and Chrono in the meantime.

I've already started experimenting with rigging so I can get my random objects and future flora to sway in a light breeze, but I'm thinking I can easily stick with what I've got for at least another year or so. I'm a decent enough modeler to justify spending a bit of cash on a high end program like Modo, but nowhere near decent enough in the other important areas of 3D to justify jumping to each new version when they come available. It's a little too expensive an upgrade just to gain access to a bunch of features I won't be using for awhile yet. 601 will keep me for the time being.

The only thing that could possibly change this is if Adobe decides to get off their butts and make a Linux port of Photoshop. Modo coming available tempted me, but I rely on PS way too much to make the jump with just it alone.

Also, ratsg, that is a cool damn picture. Thanks for the link.

 

[chrono1081]

I still didn't get around to robots in jars, I've been busy at work and thats my CG time but here is a vase I sculpted in ZBrush and rendered for Modo:

Here's a link to a bigger picture: http://www.zbrushcentral.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=357017

 

[chrono1081]

I think I'm gonna live vicariously through both you and Chrono in the meantime.

I've already started experimenting with rigging so I can get my random objects and future flora to sway in a light breeze, but I'm thinking I can easily stick with what I've got for at least another year or so. I'm a decent enough modeler to justify spending a bit of cash on a high end program like Modo, but nowhere near decent enough in the other important areas of 3D to justify jumping to each new version when they come available. It's a little too expensive an upgrade just to gain access to a bunch of features I won't be using for awhile yet. 601 will keep me for the time being.

The only thing that could possibly change this is if Adobe decides to get off their butts and make a Linux port of Photoshop. Modo coming available tempted me, but I rely on PS way too much to make the jump with just it alone.

Also, ratsg, that is a cool damn picture. Thanks for the link.

I only quoted you to say that I want to see more creepy farm house!

 

[Renzatic]

I still didn't get around to robots in jars, I've been busy at work and thats my CG time but here is a vase I sculpted in ZBrush and rendered for Modo

Holy crap, man. That is dead on photorealistic. Great job!

I only quoted you to say that I want to see more creepy farm house!

I've been dabbling with it since, but haven't had much time to really commit to it recently. Besides that, I've been getting down to the basics, trying to hone my more traditional art abilities to maybe help bolster my higher end modelling skills. I picked up a few books on drawing, and have been reading through them, doing a few exercises here and there. After a couple of weeks, I've progressed to what looks like bored 6th grader notebook doodles.

Shut up. I'm proud of them.

Once I got a few days in a row to spare, I'll pick back up on Project Creepy Farm House.

 

[chrono1081]

Holy crap, man. That is dead on photorealistic. Great job!

Thanks! The vase was a quick ZBrush sculpt and I used one of Modo's default occlusion shaders (I think its called blue glaze or something) and tweaked it a bit to get the glaze on the jar and lit the thing with HDRI.

I've been dabbling with it since, but haven't had much time to really commit to it recently. Besides that, I've been getting down to the basics, trying to hone my more traditional art abilities to maybe help bolster my higher end modelling skills. I picked up a few books on drawing, and have been reading through them, doing a few exercises here and there. After a couple of weeks, I've progressed to what looks like bored 6th grader notebook doodles.

Shut up. I'm proud of them.

Once I got a few days in a row to spare, I'll pick back up on Project Creepy Farm House.

6th grade doodles are better than where I'm at! What books did you pick up? Do you like them? I was looking at getting "Fun with a Pencil" since everyone says thats a good one.

 

[Renzatic]

6th grade doodles are better than where I'm at! What books did you pick up? Do you like them? I was looking at getting "Fun with a Pencil" since everyone says thats a good one.

...well, really I'd say I draw more like a moderatrely brain damaged 3rd grader. I had to try and pimp up my skills at least a little bit here.

The book I'm reading came recommended to me from a friend of mine who can draw really well. When I first heard the name, I thought it sounded kinda corny, but the guy swears by it. Said his art teacher recommended it to him, and he recommends it to everyone he comes across who wants to learn how to draw.

It's called Drawing On The Right Side of the Brain. You can pick it up for about $15 on iBooks if you've got an iPad.

What's weird about it is that it's not a "learn to draw" book in the strictest sense of the word. It doesn't start out with "here's a circle, draw the circle, now shade the circle". type stuff. Instead, it kinda reads like a psychology book. The author basically says if you can write your name, and have decent hand eye coordination, you can draw. That drawing's actually easy, it's looking at stuff correctly and seeing how it all comes together that's difficult for people to do.

It goes into all this weird stuff about the left brain, the right brain, and...yeah. It's odd. Even the author says what she's teaching is probably just folk science, but she's been doing it for years, and it apparently works, so...here you go.

I'm slowly going through the exercises now, and I have learned a good little bit. I dunno if it'll actually make me great at drawing by the time I'm done, but it seems to be doing a decent enough job at teaching me a few good tips and tricks. I'd say it's worth dropping 15 bucks for.

 

[chrono1081]

...well, really I'd say I draw more like a moderatrely brain damaged 3rd grader. I had to try and pimp up my skills at least a little bit here.

The book I'm reading came recommended to me from a friend of mine who can draw really well. When I first heard the name, I thought it sounded kinda corny, but the guy swears by it. Said his art teacher recommended it to him, and he recommends it to everyone he comes across who wants to learn how to draw.

It's called Drawing On The Right Side of the Brain. You can pick it up for about $15 on iBooks if you've got an iPad.

What's weird about it is that it's not a "learn to draw" book in the strictest sense of the word. It doesn't start out with "here's a circle, draw the circle, now shade the circle". type stuff. Instead, it kinda reads like a psychology book. The author basically says if you can write your name, and have decent hand eye coordination, you can draw. That drawing's actually easy, it's looking at stuff correctly and seeing how it all comes together that's difficult for people to do.

It goes into all this weird stuff about the left brain, the right brain, and...yeah. It's odd. Even the author says what she's teaching is probably just folk science, but she's been doing it for years, and it apparently works, so...here you go.

I'm slowly going through the exercises now, and I have learned a good little bit. I dunno if it'll actually make me great at drawing by the time I'm done, but it seems to be doing a decent enough job at teaching me a few good tips and tricks. I'd say it's worth dropping 15 bucks for.

Thanks! I'll give it a look

 

[CrickettGrrrl]

It's called Drawing On The Right Side of the Brain. You can pick it up for about $15 on iBooks if you've got an iPad.

That is an absolutely great book --even if you skip the discussions about the brain and just concentrate on doing the exercises --you will learn a lot.

There is a brain shift with drawing, and repetition helps you slide into it quicker with time. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain does get into the nitty gritty of seeing things in a different way. And then you hit the conundrum where you realize you really don't know what things look like until you draw them.

The other big thing is: Draw Every Day. Even if it's a crappy doodle on scrap paper. Do it.

I checked out Chrono1081's recc'd book and it looks like fun and solid basic stuff. Get both books. You learn when you're having fun, but DRAW a little every bleeding day even if it's not fun. I guarantee you will see improvement in several weeks.


(FWIW, I can draw and have made my living that way for years, but what I want to do is learn what you all are doing with 3D. So far I've downloaded Blender and mangled a cube.)

 

[chrono1081]

That is an absolutely great book --even if you skip the discussions about the brain and just concentrate on doing the exercises --you will learn a lot.

There is a brain shift with drawing, and repetition helps you slide into it quicker with time. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain does get into the nitty gritty of seeing things in a different way. And then you hit the conundrum where you realize you really don't know what things look like until you draw them.

The other big thing is: Draw Every Day. Even if it's a crappy doodle on scrap paper. Do it.

I checked out Chrono1081's recc'd book and it looks like fun and solid basic stuff. Get both books. You learn when you're having fun, but DRAW a little every bleeding day even if it's not fun. I guarantee you will see improvement in several weeks.


(FWIW, I can draw and have made my living that way for years, but what I want to do is learn what you all are doing with 3D. So far I've downloaded Blender and mangled a cube.)

I personally think Blender is tedious but maybe because its so different than what I am used to (Maya and Modo).

The big things about 3D modeling:

1. Realize that with 3D programs, you'll be more productive once you learn how to "fix" them. 3D programs are full of bugs, all of them. If something weird happens don't close it and start all over, google it or ask on a forum and learn how to deal with the issue because it will come back.

2. Learn the basic tools first, and expand from there. Learn how to bevel, learn how to "hold edges" when subdividing, learn proper edge flow techniques, etc. Two great resources for this are:

The Guerrilla CG Project. Sadly they no longer operate but the few videos they did make are great at explaining CG concepts and they're free:

http://www.youtube.com/user/GuerrillaCG/videos?view=0

And this book is amazing for getting started with modeling (its not-software specific):

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Modeling-William-Vaughan/dp/0321700899

And this is a great book to teach you about lighting and rendering in CG. It is also non-software specific:

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Lighting-Rendering-Jeremy-Birn/dp/0321316312