Author Topic: 3d images (Read 17210 times)

CofkoCof · « **on:** August 21, 2008, 17:28 »

Any of you doing any renderings? I've done quite a lot of hobby 3d work a few years ago and now I'm learning again since renders are doing well on some sites. For now I'm just checking the grounds to see if it's worth it or not (maybe you can supply that info

). What programs are you using?

dnavarrojr · « **Reply #1 on:** August 21, 2008, 17:36 »

A lot of people do 3D renderings and upload the results to stock photo sites.

I've seen stuff made by every conceivable app, so you should use what you know and what you enjoy using.

For me personally, Cinema 4D, Vue, and Poser are my main 3D apps. I occasionally fire up an old version of 3DS Max I got years ago and the free version of Bryce that Daz gave away.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #2 on:** August 21, 2008, 18:06 »

I use Maya.

The big money is in laptops, with little lines between them, with globes in the middle and RSS symbols above.

CofkoCof · « **Reply #3 on:** August 21, 2008, 18:10 »

Yeah, I'm planning to do those, just need to find the time

Now I focused on concept shots with characters (one of them is in my avatar), just need to figure out what IS wants since atm they are rejecting most of my work.

michaeldb · « **Reply #4 on:** August 21, 2008, 20:26 »

Quote from: dnavarrojr on August 21, 2008, 17:36

A lot of people do 3D renderings and upload the results to stock photo sites.

I've seen stuff made by every conceivable app, so you should use what you know and what you enjoy using.

For me personally, Cinema 4D, Vue, and Poser are my main 3D apps. I occasionally fire up an old version of 3DS Max I got years ago and the free version of Bryce that Daz gave away.

I have done a few microstock 3D renders using Poser. But the Firefly render engine just does not produce quality results. IS won't accept Poser renders, at least not mine, and I don't really blame them (I blame them for a lot of things, but that isn't one of them). And Poser is so frustraing to work with in many ways. The content for it is cheap though.

Speaking of 3D content, is it still IS's policy to not accept renders which use 3rd party content, such as Rosity, DAZ? (I can never figure out what IS's policies really are from the forums, because they lock the threads, which then sink into oblivion and out of date, and their real policies seem to be mostly unwritten rules.)

I would love to have the Mental Ray rendering engine, but $3500 for 3DS Max is a bit more than I want to lay out at this time. Besides, the learning curve, I am afraid, would be a long one.

stormchaser · « **Reply #5 on:** August 21, 2008, 21:34 »

Quote from: CofkoCof on August 21, 2008, 18:10

Yeah, I'm planning to do those, just need to find the time Now I focused on concept shots with characters (one of them is in my avatar), just need to figure out what IS wants since atm they are rejecting most of my work.

IS does not like 3D renders. All of mine are hand modeled, custom textures. No canned stuff. Out of about 50 uploaded there, they have taken 5. One was Christmas, one was industrial, and one was a jewelry piece. The others I forget.So have gone back to photos only on IS.

I don't know, maybe they take 3D stuff from exclusives? Because I certainly see a lot of substandard 3D work on there. At first I was perplexed, now just don't waste my time loading it. The 3D does well everywhere else.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #6 on:** August 21, 2008, 22:05 »

There is plenty of 3d on iStock. If you want to back up your argument, you need to post some examples.

Phil · « **Reply #7 on:** August 21, 2008, 23:01 »

I don't use it or even do 3d etc but truespace is being given away at the moment

http://www.caligari.com/

Phil

Phil · « **Reply #8 on:** August 21, 2008, 23:02 »

and now that I wrote it I really dont know whether this was good news or whether I have just wow you get ms paint for nothing

oh well

Phil

dnavarrojr · « **Reply #9 on:** August 22, 2008, 06:54 »

Cinema 4D has a plugin for bringing Poser models into C4D and you can render them there, if you have C4D. Same thing with Vue.

araminta · « **Reply #10 on:** August 22, 2008, 11:48 »

My portfolio contains in fact a majority of 3D renders and the do very well, even on IS.

I've recently purchased Maxwell Render and my first tests are quite amazing: you can produce with this engine 3D renders which are almost like photos!

There is a plug-in in C4D and the workflow is quite simple.

But now I need a new computer to achieve high resolution pictures in a reasonable time

CofkoCof · « **Reply #11 on:** August 22, 2008, 17:28 »

Nice render, looks very realistic (just the dark part of the spoon is a bit wierd. I also need a new computer for renders

I might try to get access to a render slave at our college, but I think it's busy all the time.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #12 on:** August 22, 2008, 17:32 »

No way that is cg. Really? Did you do it? The texture on the cloth doesn't look like it could be.

CofkoCof · « **Reply #13 on:** August 22, 2008, 17:51 »

Displacement map probably? Btw, try this quiz (it's not that hard, they could have supplied even better renders

):
http://area.autodesk.com/index.php/fakeorfoto/

michaeldb · « **Reply #14 on:** August 22, 2008, 18:25 »

Quote from: CofkoCof on August 22, 2008, 17:51

Displacement map probably? Btw, try this quiz (it's not that hard, they could have supplied even better renders ):
http://area.autodesk.com/index.php/fakeorfoto/

Good link. I got out 8 of 12, "pretty good" according to them but I really thought I would do better. Maybe I better start saving my dimes to get 3DS Max after all.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #15 on:** August 22, 2008, 18:28 »

It doesn't look like displacement though. Those threads have roundness to them.

jsnover · « **Reply #16 on:** August 22, 2008, 18:40 »

I got 8 of 12 too - I thought that was pretty bad, but perhaps it'd be easier to get a better score if you could see the image at 100%?

CofkoCof · « **Reply #17 on:** August 22, 2008, 19:07 »

Quote from: sjlocke on August 22, 2008, 18:28

It doesn't look like displacement though. Those threads have roundness to them.

White is up, black is down. What happens if you create a blend in between them that passes from white to black exponentially? Like first its 0 then 10 then 20 then 40 ... all the way to black. You basicly get a rounded displacement.

Quote from: jsnover on August 22, 2008, 18:40

I got 8 of 12 too - I thought that was pretty bad, but perhaps it'd be easier to get a better score if you could see the image at 100%?

You can click on them and that enlrages them. Don't know if that's enough though.

cdwheatley · « **Reply #18 on:** August 22, 2008, 19:18 »

8-12 here to. Lucky guessing

pretty hard to tell the difference

I have a couple stupid questions:

I know nothing about 3d but find it interesting. it looks difficult? does it take years to learn or something that you can learn in your spare time?

Are the images created out of thin air or does the computer use an image for reference?

dnavarrojr · « **Reply #19 on:** August 22, 2008, 20:33 »

Easy depends on the software you use and what is available for reference and teaching.

Blender is an outstanding FREE program, but the support for it is considerably lacking compared to commercial packages. And I couldn't figure out how to do anything useful with it.

Finally, I bought an old version of 3DS Max off eBay along with a book and found a good site with video tutorials. Then I was able to actually use it. I was gonna upgrade to the latest version of 3DS Max, but I an AE tutorial I have also has a 3D component to it and showed how to set up Blender to look and act like 3DS Max, so now I'm moving into Blender.

That said, of all the 3D programs I've tried Cinema 4D had "the" easiest interface to learn and the workflow matches AE, so I found it very easy to work in. Until recently when the new v11 was announced, I was only really unhappy with the render engine, but their new engine was written from scratch and rivals that of dedicated renderers.

In my opinion C4D is easier to learn if you know how to use Adobe apps because they purposely designed the interface and workflow to be "adobe like" to grab that market.

3DS Max is better (at the moment) for realism and has more 3rd Party support (tutorials and such).

I've only used Maya and Lightwave at the local university because I can't afford either.

What will rock is when the Blender team is finished with the plugin to import Poser/Bryce objects/scenes and you can use the free Daz 3D/Bryce (or pay a few bucks for Poser) and have a really good free render engine in Blender.

cdwheatley · « **Reply #20 on:** August 22, 2008, 20:55 »

Thanks

I'll check out the free program and go from there.

araminta · « **Reply #21 on:** August 23, 2008, 06:59 »

Quote from: sjlocke on August 22, 2008, 18:28

It doesn't look like displacement though. Those threads have roundness to them.

It is indeed a displacement map

araminta · « **Reply #22 on:** August 23, 2008, 07:13 »

For me "Twelve out of twelve answers are correct"

Quote from: cdwheatley on August 22, 2008, 20:55

Thanks I'll check out the free program and go from there.

I've started doing 3D about one and half year ago as a hobby and I consider I'm still in the learning stage and I've spent quite a lot of time at it: 3D is definitively a complex thing, not because it is difficult, but because there are MANY thing to learn.

There are in fact several different domains involved in a 3D render: modelling, rendering, texturing, lightning and optionnaly animation, dynamics, hairs etc. Each of these domain do require quite a lot of work and you almost need to know all of them to create a good 3D render.

But I find it extremely interesting.

And the software do indeed add quite a bit of complexity. I agree with dnavarrojr: C4D is the easiest package to learn IMHO and it is also one of the best.

Quote from: cdwheatley on August 22, 2008, 19:18

Are the images created out of thin air or does the computer use an image for reference?

3D images are rarely created "out of thin air": a reference is otfen used for modelling the object and many textures do use photo.

In the picture I've posted above, the fabric texture and the wood texture are based on a photo and the coffee foam as well.

cdwheatley · « **Reply #23 on:** August 23, 2008, 11:30 »

Its pretty amazing. You would never know its not real unless someone tipped you off. Can only imagine how accurate software will be 10 years from now.

grp_photo · « **Reply #24 on:** August 23, 2008, 12:04 »

mmmh yes looks quite real but for real reality you have to add dust-spots (and noise, purple fringing etc.)

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