Insectoids - "Reaching for the Light"

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Insectoids - "Reaching for the Light" // Image Gallery

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Post by Shike // Aug 19, 2007, 11:02am

Shike
Total Posts: 511
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Ok, it's been loooong since I posted something so it's about time now! :rolleyes:

(And again I show that I can't come up with good names for my creatures...Insectoids..?? Pfff ! ;) )


8042

Creatures trying to escape through a recent breach in the cave roof.


This was basically a project just to learn tS7.51 Workspace.

The Insectoid was modelled, UVmapped and rigged in Workspace, then texture was painted in ZBrush2. SubSurfaceScattering material (low settings)

Didn't use bump or normalmap since GI doesn't support it.

(eh, or does it? It didn't in the first VRay versions...and I just assumed it hasn't changed..)


Lighting was three spotlights outside the cave aimed through the hole in the roof.

One faint bluish for skylight, and two (since I couldn't find a way to change intensity in Workspace I solved it by using two lights with different color-"brightness") for sunlight.


The cave was roughly modeled in tS, then sculpted in ZBrush3...and I switched to ZBrush2 for texturing since I couldn't understand how to do it in ZB3 ;)

I think I need to do a 100% ZB3 project later on just to learn the new stuff, just as I did here with tS!


And before anyone mentions it...yes, the cave could have been sculpted with Softpaint or Displacement but I choosed ZB3 for a couple of reasons:

1. Really didn't want to focus on the cave..it's just a background.

2. Easy to hide polygons I didn't need to see.

3. I wanted to test ZB3. ;)


Render was done from Workspace side in VRay 1.52 in 5000x3536 with Global Illumination and soft shadows.


More info and a 1280pic can be found on my webpage (see signature below)

Post by 3dvisuals dude // Aug 19, 2007, 11:33am

3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Killer image here Shike.

I hope you never put bones in these critters and let them loose in shared space! They are way scary looking to me!

Nice work, way nice.

- 3dvisuals dude

Post by Jack Edwards // Aug 19, 2007, 11:39am

Jack Edwards
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Nice work Shike! :)


Normal maps work fine with GI, unless I'm mistaken... :confused: Bump maps not so well though... :(


-Jack.

Post by Steinie // Aug 19, 2007, 2:01pm

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Total Posts: 3667
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Ohhhh they look so cute, let me pet one.....chomp! I've seen these varmits crawling up my pants leg and that is not something I want to describe right here...

Because of you Lars I'm having flashbacks of my first encounter with fireants and hornets. Well if your learning the tools in TS 7.51 then get acquainted with "smooth normals" and smooth these critters to oblivion! Flatten them to Hell!


P.S. Did I mention that I really like your work and this is just another outstanding job? I sure hope you continue to post here. Love your work.


P.P.S. Insectoids + Raid = Happy Steinie (nothing personal:D )

Post by Shike // Aug 19, 2007, 9:30pm

Shike
Total Posts: 511
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Thank you guys! :D


@3dvisuals dude:

They are rigged with bones...hm..and I'm missing one of the critters..might be roaming around shared space chasing avatars ;)



@Jack:

Hm, normalmaps with GI... I had faint memories that it didn't work when I worked on the tribeast. :confused:

Something about normal and bumpmapping only affected by direct light, but maybe I mixed it up? :rolleyes:

EDIT: Just tested it by applying a tangentspace-ormalmap to the catsuit. Normalmap only visible when directly lit, GI only affects diffuse, and in the "shadow" side which is only lit by GI bounces, there isn't any visible normalmap effect. (unless I'm doing something wrong? Tested both with and without lightmaps)



@Steine:

LOL ! :D Don't worry, just outside the cave-hole is a gigantic can of raid just waiting for them ;)

Post by Georg // Aug 19, 2007, 11:39pm

Georg
Total Posts: 270
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great picture and very nice lighting.

As you can see they look insectoid but they are definitely multi-legged vertebrates with an inside skeleton. The raid may not work on them....


Georg

Post by MadMouse // Aug 20, 2007, 12:12am

MadMouse
Total Posts: 1069
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Great Stuff Lars. Reminds me very much of the film Starship troopers.

Post by W!ZARD // Aug 20, 2007, 2:05am

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Total Posts: 2603
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Great Stuff Lars. Reminds me very much of the film Starship troopers.


Yeah! This was exactly my thought too! Starship Troopers is one of my all time favourite movies - Paul Verhoeven directing a Robert Heinlien story? It has to be good.


(A lot of people didn't like the movie but I would say they are the ones who hadn't read the original book).


Anyway, nice insectoidal critters Lars. What is it with you and weird beasties anyway?:confused:

Post by Shike // Aug 20, 2007, 6:37am

Shike
Total Posts: 511
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Thanks everyone! :o


Starship Troopers.... didn't think about that movie when I did the critter,

but I think it's a great comedy-insect-monster-bashing movie and I've seen it many times :D ( Movie#2 was rather dissapointing though :( )


Might be the types of movies I like that influence my creations...? Special effects, creatures, more effects, maybe aliens, monsters, spaceships, CGI....that's the stuff needed for me to love a movie. :rolleyes:

Deep story, dialog, drama, feelings...... just makes me fall asleep ;)


Maybe I should do something pretty for my next project.....however....it will probably be "Pretty - with a weird twist" ;)

Post by Nez // Aug 23, 2007, 4:06am

Nez
Total Posts: 1102
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Or maybe just 'pretty weird'?! ;)


Really nice job - reminded me of Startship Troopers too, now I'm going to have to go dig it out of the cupboard and watch it again...

Post by Matski007 // Aug 23, 2007, 5:18am

Matski007
Total Posts: 539
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fantastic image! can we see a render of a bug on its own? I feel that we dont get to see all the details

Post by Shike // Aug 25, 2007, 4:14am

Shike
Total Posts: 511
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Been travelling for work again, but now I got som time for tS again...well until the weekend is over :rolleyes:


Here is the closeup of one insectoid, poly-mesh can be seen in my webpage.

Just remember that I kept the polycount+textures down to avoid memory problems so the small texture and lack of bump or detail

kinda hurts my eyes in this closeup ;)

8111

Hm, I'm thinking about trying to do a high-density version for a singlecreature render...I'll see if I have time for it.



Not sure if it's visible here...might be too dark, but this is the same render from below, trying to show the slight sub surface scatter effect.

8112

Post by 3dvisuals dude // Aug 25, 2007, 5:02am

3dvisuals dude
Total Posts: 1703
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Been travelling for work again, but now I got som time for tS again...well until the weekend is over :rolleyes:

Here is the closeup of one insectoid, poly-mesh can be seen in my webpage.
Just remember that I kept the polycount+textures down to avoid memory problems so the small texture and lack of bump or detail
kinda hurts my eyes in this closeup ;)
8111
Hm, I'm thinking about trying to do a high-density version for a singlecreature render...I'll see if I have time for it.

Not sure if it's visible here...might be too dark, but this is the same render from below, trying to show the slight sub surface scatter effect.
8112

Wow.... this is just fantastic close up Shike,

Now you have me totally creeped out!!!

http://bestsmileys.com/paranoid/1.gif
- 3dvisuals dude

Post by Jack Edwards // Aug 25, 2007, 12:18pm

Jack Edwards
Total Posts: 4062
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This would be an awesome game model. Very cool work Shike!


-Jack.

Post by Shike // Aug 28, 2007, 4:28am

Shike
Total Posts: 511
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Ops, did some high poly tests of the insectoid during the weekend and decided to scrap that idea.

Primary reason: A single insectoid isn't as fun to look at..:p

Secondary reason: The basecage would have to be remodelled in selected areas to increase the subdiv levels enough in thoose areas...and then reattaching skeleton..hm, and maybe tuning UV..?

Not worth it due to primary reason.:rolleyes:



However, in the tests I got really familiar with the displacement tool.


First I increased subdiv to 200'000 polys, applied a greyscale of the texture as displacement map, and used the disp-paint-tool to modify areas. Was a little bit sluggish (guess it's because the painttool have to modify the 2048x2048 dispmap) but it worked perfectly.

Still, the polygon density wasn't high enough for fine details (secondary reason above).

Also, couldn't figure out if there was a way to export the modified dispmap for finetuning in photoshop....anyone know of a way?

(ctrl+doubleclick to load map and ......... to save?)


Also tried to increase subdiv to 800'000 polys, painting the dispmap in photoshop and ZB3, and reload into tS to see the changes.

Worked really well, and it was great to be able to switch to lowest subdiv level, reposition the character using the skeleton, and then increase subdiv level and see how the dispmap modifies the shape...awesome!

Still some areas that didn't have enough density for fine detail like wrinkles and scratces...stuff that usually should be normalmapped or bumpmapped but has to be made as real geometry if it's only lit by GlobalIllumination-bounces.


Only tried a few times to generate a displacement map with ZBrush3 as the difference between low-high poly model....but I didn't quite succeed...think I have to read more about something weird called morph-target..?


And I hope that Caligari (or the Vray/Lightworks people?) in the future will implement micro..something..displacement, which I think

is a render-engine function to apply a detailed displacement map on a low poly model, then when rendering, the engine subdivs only the currently rendered part or something. Might even be a specific shader, like the Vray hair-shader?

Decreases memory/GPU impact if I understand it correctly?



Oh, well.... have to travel again...and when I get back I think I'll do a 100% (hm, better make it 90%, because I'd rather make the base mesh in tS7.51 ;) )

ZB3 project, which will hopefully get me up to speed on the news in ZB3...

That approach should work, since the insectoid project really opened up the wonderful world of Workspace to me! :D

Post by prodigy // Aug 28, 2007, 6:03am

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Total Posts: 3029
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Ohhhh they look so cute, let me pet one.....

HOOOOooooo... BOB... you never change :rolleyes:

Hehehhehehee....

Shike, VERY Cool creature.. btw, my kid want one of those.. :)

NICE EGO WEBPAGE hehehehe...

Post by Shike // Aug 28, 2007, 11:59am

Shike
Total Posts: 511
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Shike, VERY Cool creature.. btw, my kid want one of those.. :)

NICE EGO WEBPAGE hehehehe...


Thanks! :D


I let one of the creatures out of the cave and pointed in your direction...not sure it will make it across the waters between our countries but just in case, have your kid listen for strange noices under the bed ;)

And remember what Georg mentioned....Raid might not kill it :p

Post by transient // Aug 30, 2007, 4:30am

transient
Total Posts: 977
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Really nice work. :)

Post by Dragneye // Sep 11, 2007, 6:58pm

Dragneye
Total Posts: 602
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'Deadly-looking' beautiful Shike! Showing the many first, THEN showing the one aided my feel for it. Very nice.

Post by butterpaw // Sep 11, 2007, 10:28pm

butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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Oohh those are some stickery looking beesties!!

<butterpaw shivers... and lays in a supply of heavy duty bug bombs.>

:D such an imagination!

... at least I hope it's imagination...

<__< ............... >__>


^_^

p.s. ... these remind me of some nasties I knew in Kenya.. called safari ants or siafu (http://blessedquietness.com/yarn/pinching.htm)- no, they don't look like them, but they make me feel about the same... (used to have to stand the legs of the baby's cot, and our bed in little tins of kerosene to keep them them from munching us in our sleep) <shudder>
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