Mitsubishi Eclipse by Spindle

[Spindle]

Hey everyone. I bought the DT "Photorealistic Car Modeling in Maya" and the "Street Addon" Here is my progress so far. All the basic modelling is done.

http://members.aol.com/SpindleTec/eclipse_wip03.jpg

http://members.aol.com/SpindleTec/eclipse_wip04.jpg

http://members.aol.com/SpindleTec/eclipse_wip5.jpg

If someone could help with clay renderings in maya I would appreciate it. C & C welcome. Next update will include smoothed out surfaces via Sub-Ds.

Take care.

[sriram viswanathan]

hi ..

try downloading this GI JOE (http://www.highend3d.com/maya/downloads/mel_scripts/rendering/misc/1321.html) .... from highend..

uses default lights and sets up al of them for you and u can render much faster with the default software renderer ...

-hope that helps,

[Spindle]

A bit of an update. Lots of work was done. I just need to do the side skirts and rear tail lights before the modelling portion is done.

http://members.aol.com/SpindleTec/eclipse_wip07.png

[sunder]

It's looking real nice so far. Keep it going :)

[Yeoman742]

One suggestion, although I'm sure to be late in making it.. Keep a copy of the low polygon model that you made before converting to sub-d.. it will make it easier when you begin modifying it as the street racer.. Also, if you make any mistakes, it would be easier to go back to the low polygon model and copy the part you messed up one and try again..

[oldhippie_tom]

Yeoman, when you mentioned that it made me want to ask if when can us a BAKED map from the hi-res on the low-res. I know nothing about baking, but surely would want to keep the low-res for that, huh?

Just a thought.

[Jak_Carver]

One suggestion, although I'm sure to be late in making it.. Keep a copy of the low polygon model that you made before converting to sub-d.. it will make it easier when you begin modifying it as the street racer.. Also, if you make any mistakes, it would be easier to go back to the low polygon model and copy the part you messed up one and try again..


You dont necessarily need to make a copy and it is certainly not too late. He can always go and convert his subd to poly using the vertex option at level 0; thus giving him a 1:1 version of his original low poly geometry.

[Yeoman742]

I'll have to try that Jak, I'm still somewhere between beginner and intermediate levels so I'm not completely familiar alot of the INs and OUTs of Maya.. As for Baking Tom, sorry couldn't help you on that, I know NOTHING about baking.. Maybe Jak or a DT member could answer properly.

[oldhippie_tom]

Thanks Yeoman. I will look into it when I finish the Modifying tutorial. So many fun things to learn!!!!

[Jak_Carver]

Not sure exactly what your talking about when you say you want to bake your high and low res models. Sounds like you might be trying to say that you want to make a normal map of you high res model, but I honestly cant make out what your trying to say, sorry. Please provide some more info on this baking issue.

[oldhippie_tom]

Jak, you are right about a Normal Map. I had forgotten what it was called. I had just remember that it was Baked. My neruons have suffered a great loss over the years

[Jak_Carver]

Jak, you are right about a Normal Map. I had forgotten what it was called. I had just remember that it was Baked. My neruons have suffered a great loss over the years


lol yeah happens to the best of us hehe. Anyways, theres many ways to make normal maps. I have tried many, but not all are that great, for example Nvidia's free developer program, Melody, is very buggy and crashes al the time. I dont recommend using it unless you enjoy wasting vast amounts of time needlessly. I do recommend however that you try to use ZBrush2 for your normal maps. They have a great plugin for it called ZMapper which is one of the most useful not to mention efficient apps I have ever used. It just works exactly the way its supposed to with no problems. If you can't get hold of ZBrush2, then you can always settle for Maya 7's built in normal map generator called the Surface Sampler. I have tried it and it does make decent normal maps, but for a high quality one be prepared to wait forever as it is one of the slowest normal map generators that exists. ZMapper is better, high quality, and lightyears faster. You can check the Maya documentation by hitting F1, using the surface sampler is very easy. Although rendering normal maps in Mental Ray for Maya isnt. Good luck, and let me know if Maya gives you anymore grief, over time I have learned how to put Maya in it's place when it gets nasty lol.

[Shogunato]

DT has a great lesson for normal map

check this out
http://www.digitaltutors.com/digital_tutors/video_details.php?v=713

yes, normal map with zbrush provide exellent result.

[oldhippie_tom]

Jak, thank you for the explanation that you gave. And yes I do have Zbrush2 and it sounds like it will be the best for Normal Mapping. I surely will tell you if Maya gets an attitude with me, and you can help me put it in it's place. :-)

Zbrush is a software the I have been anxious to learn. But Maya has not ran out of avenues of learning, excitement, and fun. Seems I have a career of learning ahead. I am retired and have all the time I need. I have waited for this time in my life for along time. YES!!!!!!

Shogunato I did look at the video and it was a very good one. It showed me more of what I need to understand about Normal Mapping. When I start to learn it then I will better understand what benefit it will have in my projects.

Thanks to both of you!!!!!

[Spindle]

Test Render. Hmm whats in the background. :yes

http://members.aol.com/SpindleTec/eclipse_wip08.png

I plan to lighten up the render a bit, have chrome wheels with red spokes and get a good material for the tire.