Welcome to the Houdini/Mixamo/Polycount Costume Design Contest
Ever dreamt of leaving your boring office suit and tie behind and put on a cool steampunk outfit? Ever had a great concept idea for a fantasy costume design? This is your chance to make it happen: Welcome to the new 3D character and animation contest by Houdini, Mixamo and Polycount!
Here's how it works:
1. Register as a participant and get started: Model a 3D character that and give him/her a cool outfit designed by you. The character can be an actual representation of how you look, an idealized version of yourself or a made-up character or your choosing. You can use either Houdini or any other 3D application to create the model.
2. Once your character is ready, use Mixamo's Autorigger to rig it in a few seconds, and pick an animation from our collection to give life to your model.
3. Finally, use Houdini' to create a cloth simulation to your character's outfit. Render a still image and an animated sequence using Houdini's Mantra renderer then post the final video and beauty shot of your work to your Polycount thread!
4. Submit it!
NOTE: As you're working on your project, you must start a work in progress thread on Polycount's forums: this lets you show the community what you're working on and get some feedback and guidance from your peers!
Of course, you can get Houdini Apprentice and request access to Mixamo's Autor-Rigger and Motions for free for your project by registering.
This time, the prizes are even better:
FIRST PLACE:
$1000 cash
1500 Mixamo credits
Houdini FX License
Feature interview on Polycount News
1 year subscription to cmiVFX
SECOND PLACE:
$500 cash
1000 Mixamo credits
Houdini License
Access to cmiVFX's complete set of Houdini tutorials
THIRD PLACE:
$300 cash
500 Mixamo credits
Houdini License
Access to any one cmiVFX tutorial video of your choice
BEST CUSTOM CHARACTER:
$250 cash
COMMUNITY FAVORITE:
250 Mixamo Credits
On top of getting access to top quality rigging, animation and cloth simulation tools, you get to share your work right here on Polycount, get feedback from your peers, a chance for your entry to be selected for a purchase offer (regardless of whether it won a prize or not) and access to feedback from our judges panel.This time, the prizes are even better:
FIRST PLACE:
$1000 cash
1500 Mixamo credits
Houdini FX License
Feature interview on Polycount News
1 year subscription to cmiVFX
SECOND PLACE:
$500 cash
1000 Mixamo credits
Houdini License
Access to cmiVFX's complete set of Houdini tutorials
THIRD PLACE:
$300 cash
500 Mixamo credits
Houdini License
Access to any one cmiVFX tutorial video of your choice
BEST CUSTOM CHARACTER:
$250 cash
COMMUNITY FAVORITE:
250 Mixamo Credits
For now, contest judges are:
- Stefano Corazza, CEO and co-founder of Mixamo
- Kim Davidson, CEO, President and co-founder of Side Effects Software
- Drew 'r13' Risch, Editor and co- founder of Polycount
But more VFX, 3D modeling and game industry veterans will soon join the panel.
Submissions for the contest will be accepted until March 18, 2013 at 11:59:59 pm PST.
Best of luck to everyone!
F.A.Q.: Feel free to ask any question you may have in this thread and we'll do our best to answer you as soon as possible. I'll make sure to also update this post with questions & answers for easier reading. Here we go:
Q: Does the outfit need to be more costume-like or more realistic?
A: Neither, it doesn't have to come across as costume-y... My bet is that some people will create some fantasy/sci-fi styled outfits and others will go for a more realistic approach. Both directions are fine and no particular style is preferred at all: up to you to chose whatever you feel inspired by.
*******
Q: Are there any limitations when it comes to themes, time period, or styles for our outfit concept?
A: The idea is to give you guys a lot of freedom when it comes to concept. As long as you are not trying to model a copyrighted character (unless you are the one holding the rights to it), you are entirely free to create and outfit any biped humanoid you feel like. Wanna go for a samba dancer from the Rio Carnival? Go for it. Feeling more inspired by a badass-looking assassin from a fantasy universe? Show us what you got. Feel like creating a roman centurion on his way to the Battle of Alesia or a slick bounty hunter out of a sci-fi universe? Run with it.
*******
Q: Are there any technical limitations when it comes to the character model itself?
A: The character needs to be a biped (so that it can be Auto-Rigged and animated easily via Mixamo) and humanoid (avoid several limbs, unusually oversized shapes, etc.) but can be aliens, creatures, demons, vampires, whatever you feel like modeling: No poly count limit either! We just want to see one head, two arms, a torso, two legs.
*******
Q: Must the outfit include a lot of cloth or can we design something that will showcase cloth simulation in a more subtle way?
A: The winning designs will be chosen in part for their clever use of cloth simulation. Houdini's tech makes for impressive results so we're definitely eager to see you guys get creative and show off what can be done. Now, that being said, this doesn't mean that the longest robes, most flowy cloaks, or the more exaggerated uses of cloth sim will get a better chance at winning: Judges will be looking at the coherence and quality of the general concept, modeling execution of the outfit and of the character, the relevance of the motion applied to the character and of the cloth simulation, the quality of the beauty shot render, the quality of the video submitted, etc.
*******
Q: Are there any limitations regarding maps that we can use?
A: Nope. Do your thing!
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Q: Can we use third party programs for compositing/rendering?
A: It is required that you use the Houdini Mantra Renderer for rendering your entry. When it comes to compositing, you can use Houdini but it is not required. Note: Winning entries will be asked to submit Houdini scene files for review to confirm that simulation and rendering was completed using Houdini.
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Q: Is it ok to tweak our character's rig and/or animation after having used the Mixamo Auto-Rigger and motions?
A: Sure! The requirement for this contest is that you'd use our Auto-Rigger to rig your character, and that you'd apply at least one Mixamo motion to it. However, although most people don't need to edit their rig or animation after using Mixamo, feel free to tweak yours in any software you prefer if you'd like to. You can also use more than one motion for your project whether through another 3D software, or by adding more than one Mixamo motion -- you can get some more with your own Mixamo credits or use some of our free motions if you wish. Mixamo's editor has a sequencer feature that can help you putting together several motions, with trimming, transitions, etc. Feel free to play around with it if you want.
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Q: Can we add accessories and props to our character?
A: Of course! It isn't required but isn't discouraged either.
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Q: The competition requires an HD video rendered in Mantra, whereas the (free) Apprentice edition seems to have a maximum resolution of 720x576 for both stills and renders. Are we required to buy Houdini Mantra for the contest?
A: Not at all! Every participant needs to register on the official page. Upon registration, you get access to Mixamo services and will also get a temporary Houdini Apprentice HD license to work on your project. Since it might take a few days to receive the Houdini HD license, you can use Houdini Apprentice's free version to get started in the meantime.
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Q: Where can we find tutorials and walkthroughs showing how to simulate cloth with Houdini?
A: To help people get up and running with cloth simulation Houdini posted a masterclass which includes cloth setup lessons and takes you through the setup and controls needed to generate cloth sims in Houdini: Click here. Other tutorials are currently in production and we will make sure to post them in this thread as soon as they become available. In the meantime, here are some existing resources on top of the Masterclasses:
- General Houdini support documentation
- Cloth Create Seam surface node walkthough from Houdini
- Cloth Stitch Constraint dynamics node walkthrough from Houdini
- Mixamo-Houdini walkthrough from Mixamo
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Q: Do you have an example of what can be done with Houdini and Mixamo?
A: Yep, you can take a look at this video to see some examples of Mixamo rigging and animation and Houdini cloth simulation:
[ame="
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uneL4Pocue4"]Mixamo & Houdini Awesomeness[/ame]
Now it's YOUR turn: get crackin'!
Replies
Regarding the type of outfit, there are no limitation regarding the quantity of cloth required. Making a plate armor with some cloth pieces makes a lot of sense. More cloth doesn't equate to better chances of winning.
I'll start with answering a few right now:
Q: Does the outfit need to be more costume-like or more realistic?
A: Neither, it doesn't have to come across as costume-y... My bet is that some people will create some fantasy/sci-fi styled outfits and others will go for a more realistic approach. Both directions are fine and no particular style is preferred at all: up to you to chose whatever you feel inspired by.
Q: Are there any limitations when it comes to themes, time period, or styles for our outfit concept?
A: The idea is to give you guys a lot of freedom when it comes to concept. As long as you are not trying to model a copyrighted character (unless you are the one holding the rights to it), you are entirely free to create and outfit any biped humanoid you feel like. Wanna go for a samba dancer from the Rio Carnival? Go for it. Feeling more inspired by a badass-looking assassin from a fantasy universe? Show us what you got. Feel like creating a roman centurion on his way to the Battle of Alesia or a slick bounty hunter out of a sci-fi universe? Run with it.
Q: Are there any technical limitations when it comes to the character model itself?
A: The character needs to be a biped (so that it can be Auto-Rigged and animated easily via Mixamo) and humanoid (avoid several limbs, unusually oversized shapes, etc.) but can be aliens, creatures, demons, vampires, whatever you feel like modeling. We just want to see one head, two arms, a torso, two legs.
Q: Must the outfit include a lot of cloth or can we design something that will showcase cloth simulation in a more subtle way?
A: The winning designs will be chosen in part for their clever use of cloth simulation. Houdini's tech makes for impressive results so we're definitely eager to see you guys get creative and show off what can be done. Now, that being said, this doesn't mean that the longest robes, most flowy cloaks, or the more exaggerated uses of cloth sim will get a better chance at winning: Judges will be looking at the coherence and quality of the general concept, modeling execution of the outfit and of the character, the relevance of the motion applied to the character and of the cloth simulation, the quality of the beauty shot render, the quality of the video submitted, etc.
one little Question: what about the UV-Layout. Does it have to be one UV-Layout for the whole model (Character and Clothing) or are we allowed to use multiple UV-Sheets?
Thanks in advance
1) Is there any ideal or particular poly count limit for this contest? I try to keep a good budget of polygons anyways, but is there any particular neighborhood of poly count they'd like to keep the models at? (I can also work with a ballpark like "high-poly," "mid-poly," or "low-poly.")
2) I wouldn't use too many maps anyways, but I just wanted to know is there a limitation to what kinds of maps you can use? (Normal, AO, glow, specular, etc.)
Thanks in advance.
As for the animation, are we allowed to mix them with Mixamo or only to pick one? And is it fine to alter/trim it afterwards, or should it be used unchanged and to the full length?
Thank you
@Macrow: I-ninja is right. There are no limits on poly count at all. Go nuts!
About maps, this question has been asked before and I'll make sure to get the final word on that for you guys tomorrow and update the FAQ here as soon as I have it.
@I-ninja: Hell ya. We had the funniest time capturing this motion!! Tomas from our Content Team definitely showed us he's got rhythm:
[ame="
@kozlove: I believe that the requirement here is that the compositing/rendering be done in Houdini. (Their tool is pretty OP!) I'll reconfirm and update the FAQ accordingly tomorrow.
Regarding animation: You are only required to use one motion (we recommend a loop but not mandatory) from Mixamo, but if you have some more Mixamo credits that you want to use for additional motions, or if you want to use some of our free motions, you can definitely do that. Mixamo's editor allows you to customize motions and trim and sequence them, so feel free to play around with it. Additionally, if you want to tweak or add to your character's motion outside of Mixamo in a separate software, feel free.
@Elyaradine: Mixamo's Auto-Rigger is super straighforward so I'm sure you'll have no problem using it. 1) Upload your character; 2) Our Auto-Rigger might then ask you to point out where your character's chin, wrists, elbows, crotch, knees and toes are... then 3) it does its magic and bam! You're done. Your character is ready to go and you can pick any animation to apply to it.
Once you got everything you want (rig and motion), you simply download it in whatever format suits you best and do what you want with it.
Most people don't need to add anything to the rig or the motion once they ran their characters through Mixamo, but feel free to tweak or add more to it in a separate software if you'd like. As long as you've used the Auto-Rigger and at least one Mixamo motion, you're good to go.
Note: Remember to register to the contest so that we credit your account with a free Auto-Rig and free motion.
You are also more than welcome to include accessories for your character in your entry.
- No limitations for maps you can use.
- It is required that you use the Houdini Mantra Renderer for rendering your entry. When it comes to compositing, you can use Houdini but it is not required. Note: Winning entries will be asked to submit Houdini scene files for review to confirm that simulation and rendering was completed using Houdini.
The FAQ is updated.
The competition requires an HD video rendered in Mantra, whereas the (free) Apprentice edition seems to have a maximum resolution of 720x576 for both stills and renders.
Are we then required to purchase the 99 dollar Apprentice HD that unlocks higher rendering resolutions to be eligible for entering? :P Because that'd be kind of lame.
Every participant needs to register on the official page. Upon registration, they get access to Mixamo services and will also get a temporary Houdini Apprentice HD license to work on their project.
Since it might take a few days to receive the Houdini HD license, you can use Houdini Apprentice's free version to get started in the meantime.
Hope that helps!
@phrenzy84: You might have had to wait a bit for an admin to fully approve your registration before posting your own new thread. Could you try doing it now and pm me if you're still having any troubles.
@Skyerzz and @op3ngl: As long as the character model is of your creation (you own the rights to it), and as long as you follow the contest theme and pipeline (rig + animate in Mixamo, cloth sim and render with Houdini), you're all good to go. So feel free to pick up your characters where you left them, outfit them with something awesome, and continue with the contest.
http://on.aol.com/video/how-to-create-cloth-simulation---houdini-161793572
http://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini9.5/nodes/sop/clothcreateseam
http://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini9.5/nodes/dop/clothstitchconstraint
I was just gonna ask about it too! Thanks Teriyakistyle for doing the honor!
I've been trying to explore how to get the cloth sim to work, but the help files are outdated, there isn't a cloth shelf and the cloth related buttons are missing. I've only been able to do the simplest sim.
we'll really need some supplementary tutorials for the contest. hehehe
Once you run Houdini FX, then you should see the "Cloth" shelf, with the basic tools you'll need.
I tried uploading a simple base character I have into Mixamo and downloaded the fbx file. Once I imported that to make life easier I turned off the visibility flag, Created a new geo node, deleted the default file node, added a Object Merge and brought in the various pieces. Mixamo apparently breaks the single mesh I uploaded into around a dozen separate pieces. So to make it easy to import, I just added the line
"/obj/samba_dancing_4_fbx/Group*" into the Object1 box where you specify what node to bring in.
This gives me all the animation into one node and makes it a little easier to work with (again, assuming you're not going to fussing with the mixamo rig)
From here you can then use this geo object as you collision object for the cloth sim.
You need to run Houdini FX, not the ordinary Houdini. Only Houdini FX has the cloth sim shelf.
I also found that the local help files were much more helpful than anything I found Googling. There were several walkthroughs in there for working with cloth. Following those, I did okay, but the moment I deviated a little (importing an FBX and trying to use that instead of using the cylinder primitive that they used in the tut) things didn't work the way I expected.
Maybe you guys have better luck than I had. :P
Hope this is helpful. More to come in the days ahead.
@Edrice: Yes of course. Feel free to leverage our scripts for your project.
Weight painting you can do, though, so if that's all you need to do, you're OK to stay in Houdini.
You do not have access to this feature when importing in houdini. You have to change the scale after import, or adjust the scale factor on export from a different 3d package, if possible.