Last year I made a series of 5 environment shots, all done in 3D and focusing on various depictions of nature. Recently I was asked to create a 'Making Of' each of those shots, and the urge to revisit and revamp each of those images is just too great a temptation. I decided to start with this one, Asiza, and applying what I know now compared to last year, hopefully improve it for the better.
For anyone that is interested in the process of how this was made, I'll give a brief synopsis of each step:
Modeling
The modeling was all done in Maya using simple box modeling methods. For the leaves, I started by modeling just one leaf and then using deformers to create an array of different shapes and bends from that original leaf model. From there I created a single 'branch' of the leaves making sure it had a believable randomised feel to it. That branch was then duplicated and positioned many times over to create the composition that is seen in the image.
The Coke bottle and the butterfly are also both box modelled from a simple polygonal cube.
Texturing
The texturing was all done in Mudbox mostly using projection painting for the diffuse channels, with stencils and such used for the other channels such as Bump and Reflection. For those who may not know what Mudbox is, it is a 3D painting and sculpting application that allows artists to paint their models in 3D space.
Lighting
A 3-point lighting setup was used in this shot with the addition of a very dim Light Dome to give it a slightly better overall lighting effect. I like to approach lighting from the angle of making something look as good as possible using as simple a setup as possible. I also don't like to rely to much on post-production work to create a desired effect, so in order to create the soft lighting effect in the scene, I shifted the primary light source to my rim light, using my key light in more of a 'suportive' role and my fill light adding just a subtle contribution.
A 3-point lighting setup was used in this shot with the addition of a very dim Light Dome to give it a slightly better overall lighting effect. I like to approach lighting from the angle of making something look as good as possible using as simple a setup as possible. I also don't like to rely to much on post-production work to create a desired effect, so in order to create the soft lighting effect in the scene, I shifted the primary light source to my rim light, using my key light in more of a 'suportive' role and my fill light adding just a subtle contribution.
The Importance Of Hair
Many leaves and plants have a fine hair growth on them, this can play a role in the everyday functioning of the plant or it could be for protection, depending on the environment that the plant grows in. From an artistic point-of-view, I felt that the addition of a fine hair layer would help to sell the overall feel even more, as well as having the added benefit of creating a rim light effect on the leaves themselves.
Many leaves and plants have a fine hair growth on them, this can play a role in the everyday functioning of the plant or it could be for protection, depending on the environment that the plant grows in. From an artistic point-of-view, I felt that the addition of a fine hair layer would help to sell the overall feel even more, as well as having the added benefit of creating a rim light effect on the leaves themselves.
Dust and Atmosphere
Whenever I am creating a shot, I always think of the atmosphere as a separate element that needs to be created over-and-above everything else. For this shot, some fine particles of sorts would be nice to add that feeling of magic in the air. To do this, I simply used Maya's nParticle system to rain down some particles which I then added a shader too. A very, very simple technique but one I feel is quite effective.
Whenever I am creating a shot, I always think of the atmosphere as a separate element that needs to be created over-and-above everything else. For this shot, some fine particles of sorts would be nice to add that feeling of magic in the air. To do this, I simply used Maya's nParticle system to rain down some particles which I then added a shader too. A very, very simple technique but one I feel is quite effective.
Camera...This One's A Big Deal
I have noticed quite a few 3D artists, animators and such that don't pay any special attention to the actual camera that they are rendering or shooting with. For me, this is where the magic begins, with a solid camera setup. As a personal preference, I like to use a physical camera for my work, with ISO, shutter speed and F-stop values that are adjusted to my lighting setup. I also adjust the exposure of the camera to create either a warm or cool overall appearance. This also allows me to define a proper Depth of Field and bokeh effects for my render. Yes this can be achieved in post, but for a still image that has an 'easy' deadline, I take satisfaction in acheiving it through my camera instead.
I have noticed quite a few 3D artists, animators and such that don't pay any special attention to the actual camera that they are rendering or shooting with. For me, this is where the magic begins, with a solid camera setup. As a personal preference, I like to use a physical camera for my work, with ISO, shutter speed and F-stop values that are adjusted to my lighting setup. I also adjust the exposure of the camera to create either a warm or cool overall appearance. This also allows me to define a proper Depth of Field and bokeh effects for my render. Yes this can be achieved in post, but for a still image that has an 'easy' deadline, I take satisfaction in acheiving it through my camera instead.
Nuke It
I render the image as a multi-channel .exr file with a pre-defined list of render elements, much of them custom made. My compositing package of choice is Nuke. Once I have it in there, I split the channels apart using a shuffle node and apply edits to each one as needed. They are then merged together and outputted as the final render.
I render the image as a multi-channel .exr file with a pre-defined list of render elements, much of them custom made. My compositing package of choice is Nuke. Once I have it in there, I split the channels apart using a shuffle node and apply edits to each one as needed. They are then merged together and outputted as the final render.
And that's that. For anyone interested in the technical details, I rendered the image out of Maya at A4 size (2480 x 3508px) using DMC sampler set at min/max of 1/8. GI was enabled with my primary bounces set to Irradiance Map and secondary to Light Cache. The image took 39 hours and 23 minutes to complete.
If you have made it this far...wow, thanks for reading! Hope this helps, or inspires, or at the very least just brings a small bit of joy to your day. Untill next time.
