WIP - Final Year Project - Photo Realistic

Dazzer13

Hi there, I am currently fnishing of my degree [Bsc)Computer Games Design], I am using 3Ds max [Been using it for about 2 1/2 years now] and Vray [which i have learnt in the last month]. I am trying to create a scene of a decaded american west coast city bit like 'I am Legend'.

Here are some incroments of the scene.







I used 'Crazy Bump' to make the streets normal map and specular. I found this tool very helpfull. Can use Zbrush 3.0 as well and do plan on using it for some of the buildings.

In the last Version i have used the Vray Depth of feild so the Spec on the street is hard to see, also tried to get the relfections sorted. using maps on the building to create the hdri reflections.

Any comments thus far, i am currently tweaking the lighitng contrast of the scene. Will post up images asap.

Cheers
Daz

Tumerboy

Looking good so far. . .but it's hard to tell.

Is this meant to be a game environment? or just a single render?

If it's the latter I guess you're doing fine. If the former, then get rid of the lighting right now. (also don't worry about reflections & HDRI or anything else) Worry about the models and textures first, and only once those are in a decent state, should you start thinking about lighting. And when you get there, think about what you're trying to show off. The lighting you have now (looking into the sunset) means I can't really see any of your modeling and texturing. For lack of a better sentence, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" i.e. if you're going to be a modeler or texturer, then show those off.

Dazzer13

Okies firstly thanx for the input... Its going to be a single render/small animation straight from max using after effects. Currently, i'm still concertating on models but aiming more for texturing, atm there only some very basic textures, i reliease that the mood i am setting wont really show off the textures, i am currently trying to play with the lighting to increase the brightness but keep that contrast.

Daz

Michael Knubben

I think the second picture is much more promising than the third. The third just seems clutterd, and the trees/debris scream 'cg' in a very unpleasing manner.

whats_true

I can hardly see anything in the third one while the second one has more clarity.

And to be honest, that sun is very distraction.

BUT, its a Wip, so, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to uber it out.

Dazzer13

This is virtually my final image of my city. I have made a small animaiton and will upload soon. Sadly i can't do much more to it for a bit, or aleast untill after my deadlines.

danr

do you really need the lens flare? Or is the ocncept that the image is supposed to suggest a photo taken by a survivor (or something)?

Tumerboy

I agree, lose the lens reflections, but otherwise, quite a bit of progress, good job.

Slum

(as much as we all hate to admit it) Lensflares can add that extra touch to make something look like film, so I'd say leave it, just tone it way down.

dur23

It looks like picture or a movie still as he suggested. Thus i think he would need to have that lense flare in there. Instead of those cracks on the film i would do more of burn and the odd pinch.

pliang

I'd say tone down the intensity and perhaps shift the color of the lens flare a little bit....it does help suggest there are sun rays.

Jesse Moody

yeah if it was just for 3d sakes i would say lose the lens flare but since you are trying to simulate a photo or video then I would say you hit the nail on the head but like Slum said. Turn it down a bit.

Dazzer13

Cheers Guys i will reduce the effect of the flare. Will upload a video once i have tweaked the image.

Thanx. Daz

Panupat

Having sun in the shot is usually for silhouette shot. For a city scape with lots of details, don't include the sun in your shot. You're already losing almost all the details you want to be showing.

May I ask why you choose to do realistic render with Vray for a Game Design course?

Dazzer13

I know its a bit wired to be doing something like this that wont be used in a game, but i feel that this is the area that i want to pursue now. From doin the course i found i like two do things which is, Making Enviroments and textureing, however i really wasn't sure which one to focus on. When i first came up with an idea for my Final Year Project i wanted to make a game level but i only knew HL2 source plus i wasn't sure if i wanted to pursue that course, after 3 years of doing games design i find myself wanting to do special effects for films possibly. So i wanted to make a scene that look realistic. I think i will put this envrimonet into the unreal engine, also i am just doin somehting that will get my a good mark as weel

Here is a vid, the quality is amazing, i can only just see the rain. Plus i still having douts about the small movement i have added. Couldn't render out the scene from max cuz each frame took around 1hr. Shame think it would have made it look loads better.



Plus once it is finished, i mite upload my dissertation, although it probly going to be crap information compared to sum of ur guys on here. Also a ball ache to read with13k words.

Daz

Ged

nice work, I like all the compositing, it was hard to see in the video but the raindrops looked a bit odd, like they just spawned out of nowhere

Dazzer13

cheers. as for the rain, i felt that was how rain appeared on a lens, watch the beging of this vid and see how the rain just apears on the lens.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANDW4-tBxnw[/ame]

That one aint that good, but this vid shows it better, about half way.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmVuO-qQOn8[/ame]

Daz

Yozora

I like, but those rain drops dripping down the lens look kinda unrealistic. The examples you showed, the raindrops stay on the lens wherever they land instead of dripping down.
It should really only drip down when there is heavier rain, and it doesnt look like there is heavy rain going on in this scene.

Dazzer13

'Yozora' your completly true. I think once i have finsihed my report i will remove the amount the drops move and also i think i need to blur them over time.

Thanx for all the feed back.

Daz

moose

yeah, i didnt understand where or why water suddenly appeared on the lens and ran down. If it were static, i think it'd be more believable.

The running water down the lens w/o streaking water and bluring / distorting the scene through the water (water trails) make it feel less grounded. I like the idea *of* the water bubbles, just not them moving.

cool piece

System

Agreed on the water, those drops didn't spoil it just didn't make any sense.

My crit is the textures need alot of work for this to be sold as realistic, specifically the high towers and the grass/foliage need some serious attention.

Other than that it's looking nice and moody.

Justin Meisse

the lens cracks don't look right, try just white cracks maybe an overlay, rent Surf's Up and watch the special features they simulated different cameras through the whole movie and showed their crack overlay at one point.