What a day it must have been for you, especially being able to watch part of the archive of one of the greatest sci-fi movies in world cinema industry.
It's an unusual combination of wood (raw-wood-paneled flooring, and wooden/metal storage racks) and this ultra-pure, perfect humidity/temperature controlled sterility. I've never smelled a place quite like that... funny you should ask because it was so distinctive. By the way, while I was stepping backwards away from the full-size Speederbike to get a better look at it from the side, I backed right into the Ark of the Covenant and slid it about six-inches along the floor. My bad. Nobody said anything though... but then again, nobody was saying anything about the used Coke can that somebody had left literally sitting on top of the stack of all the original set blueprints for Star Wars, which were in a pile on a card table. Truly surreal experience.
We unpacked 3 R2's from their crates Here, just to rub it in:
jealously building up... envy building up... must hold it back...
but seriously that must have been a very very cool trip, you know, next time you need some assistance to take photos at the ranch, just give me a call!
See no matter how much into CGI any of us are it's the real world stuff that we all go loopy for, the more CG advances on the more the stuff in that archive becomes film history.
Lucasfilm saw the previous version I had online, hired me on that basis, and were happy to use that one, but I asked to be allowed to improve it; they agreed. So I went to the archives at the Ranch and spent a couple of days taking reference photos, measurements, etc. In addition to the external body, I also did a number of internal components, arms, lenses, etc.
The man I worked with, Don Bies (ILM modelmaker, R2 wrangler and former custodian of the archives) actually had my old R2 as his desktop wallpaper for about a year before we even met - so it just goes to show you, you never know who's watching
And yes, it was rendered in Maxwell. It was rendered at 6k resolution in 8 hours.
_Mike
Your model: gorgeous!
Your render: unbelievable! (Looks more real than reality!)
Your story: FANtastic! I mean everything from how ILM'ers saw your work and hired you to the trip to the fan-dreams-realized-Ranch!
(The whole thing reminds me of those "priceless" commercials!)
R2 Model on desk: $142.49
Maxwell renderer: $995
Taking a trip to Skywalker Ranch and being paid to model something from your all time favorite movie: Priceless.
Guy makes model, model is good. Pros notice and the guy gets to frolic amongst some of the most holy relics known to sci-fi. Fellow forum-users rip the guy limb from limb in an incandescent fit of jealousy.
Guy makes model, model is good. Pros notice and the guy gets to frolic amongst some of the most holy relics known to sci-fi. Fellow forum-users rip the guy limb from limb in an incandescent fit of jealousy.
Yup, its the same old story.
There is only one little flaw in your perfect history, Mike was already a professional!
I downloaded the Blueprints of R2 from R2-Modelers (spell) ... I will use them for my X-Wing-R2 ... but as I always said ... there is no better reference then the original
LOL, just revisited your website and checking out your (great) work, and noticed Looney Tunes BIA.
I worked at a developer's producing the game for Warner of the film license on the colour GBA, and your account of the processes with WB for feedback and approval brought back many happy (cough) memories...
One of which was the most surreal conversations I have ever had, in which, in depth, we discussed Bugs Bunny's feet size, ratio, etc. etc. that was a fun day....
We must have redesigned the game around a dozen times (during the games development process right up to pretty much the final hour) sounds similar to some of the fun you had
So many fond memories...
Anyway sorry for going (a little) off topic there, I just bought "The Star Wars Complete Visual Dictionary" and WOW!
That wasn't the game from Warner Interactive was it? I did a moving WB shield logo for that game...
_Mike
OMG!!!!
It's a small world
Warner Interactive, if I remember corrently was the newly formed games division of Warner, or part of it (opening with amonst others Martix) and what you did must have been the animated splash screen we were supplied for the boot-up of the game (also used on the Ps2 version which we also did)
I have been runnning round the house trying to find my old GBA to check, kids have an amazing knack of hiding things lol.
Just remembering back as well I think your trailer may have been one of the first (if not the very first) we were supplied by Warner
Yeah, if I remember, it was a gold WB shield, where I replaced Warner Bros. Pictures with Warner Interactive and then flew the camera into the shield between the W and the B as it was twisting. I think that's the same opening I did for the trailer, come to think of it. I dunno... long time ago, and I did about a billion projects for WB...
I do have a farm, but this shot only took a couple of hours to render. There are some notoriously computationally-intensive things going on with some of the materials, like complex .ior data/dispersion/refraction and a lot of indirect light bouncing in the environment. So far, Maxwell's speed has not been a factor in my production pipeline. In fact, it's been faster than mental ray, with vastly superior results, with setup times being only a mere fraction of what they used to be, as well.
The mental ray renders of R2 I used to do were 7-9 hours for a 1280xX render, and didn't look anywhere near as good, light-propogation/GI-wise, to say nothing of the fact that those materials were not physically accurate by any means. And that was without DOF, which here is physically accurate, and there was certainly no caustics, dispersion, or even the ability to reference complex .ior data for the materials in those renders. Last night I did a full 2k render of R2 that was ready in 6 hours. Eventually, I'll show a side-by-side of the two engines under similar strain... suffice it to say, I haven't actually loaded mental ray in 6 months. However, the paychecks keep coming, I notice... and isn't that the bottom line?
Eventually, I'll show a side-by-side of the two engines under similar strain...
That would be interesting to see if you ever get the chance, Mike...
Just had a look at your progress on the A New Hope restoration mate...Impressive work...Maybe you can run that one by ILM too...Maybe they'll release that as the Uber Special Edition DVD release.
BTW - I was reading about your troubles confirming the colour of the rebel troopers shirts in the Tantive IV scenes...You didn't happen to stumble across the real things on your recent tour did you?
I didn't see those costumes, no... there were a ton of costume things in cabinets along the back wall, but honestly I was too distracted by the props, models and matte paintings; plus about a billion lightsabers and guns just piled up on this one shelf in the back.
Posts
What a day it must have been for you, especially being able to watch part of the archive of one of the greatest sci-fi movies in world cinema industry.
Take care.
_Mike
jealously building up... envy building up... must hold it back...
but seriously that must have been a very very cool trip, you know, next time you need some assistance to take photos at the ranch, just give me a call!
(and oh yeah, the R2 is great too!!
Nahh he is going to take me, I am much more important!
you and me both, brudda
Your render: unbelievable! (Looks more real than reality!)
Your story: FANtastic! I mean everything from how ILM'ers saw your work and hired you to the trip to the fan-dreams-realized-Ranch!
(The whole thing reminds me of those "priceless" commercials!)
R2 Model on desk: $142.49
Maxwell renderer: $995
Taking a trip to Skywalker Ranch and being paid to model something from your all time favorite movie: Priceless.
Hey, did you ever get any further in your re-mastering of A New Hope? Last I saw you were working on the corridor shoots of Tantive IV...
Pleazzzeee post some of it here!!!!?????!!!!?? :help: :help:
Guy makes model, model is good. Pros notice and the guy gets to frolic amongst some of the most holy relics known to sci-fi. Fellow forum-users rip the guy limb from limb in an incandescent fit of jealousy.
Yup, its the same old story.
There is only one little flaw in your perfect history, Mike was already a professional!
And there is good and bad jealousy.:flippy:
Take care.
_Mike
Fantastic work mate! Absolutely awesome, nothing more I can say that hasnt already been said!
Please for the love of God dont continue work on you Tantive IV corridor or I will never get that finished either :P
<Opens up Max, sobs to self and tries harder...>
Wiz.
...'fraid I have some bad news... :devil:
_Mike
extreme awesome!
I downloaded the Blueprints of R2 from R2-Modelers (spell) ... I will use them for my X-Wing-R2 ... but as I always said ... there is no better reference then the original
Greets
Chris
Hehe.
Wiz.
I worked at a developer's producing the game for Warner of the film license on the colour GBA, and your account of the processes with WB for feedback and approval brought back many happy (cough) memories...
One of which was the most surreal conversations I have ever had, in which, in depth, we discussed Bugs Bunny's feet size, ratio, etc. etc. that was a fun day....
We must have redesigned the game around a dozen times (during the games development process right up to pretty much the final hour) sounds similar to some of the fun you had
So many fond memories...
Anyway sorry for going (a little) off topic there, I just bought "The Star Wars Complete Visual Dictionary" and WOW!
More renders!!!!! Please!!!!
Wiz.
_Mike
OMG!!!!
It's a small world
Warner Interactive, if I remember corrently was the newly formed games division of Warner, or part of it (opening with amonst others Martix) and what you did must have been the animated splash screen we were supplied for the boot-up of the game (also used on the Ps2 version which we also did)
I have been runnning round the house trying to find my old GBA to check, kids have an amazing knack of hiding things lol.
Just remembering back as well I think your trailer may have been one of the first (if not the very first) we were supplied by Warner
Wiz.
_Mike
O btw I watched your animation with r2 on your site a while back, and my jaw was on the floor the whole time!
The mental ray renders of R2 I used to do were 7-9 hours for a 1280xX render, and didn't look anywhere near as good, light-propogation/GI-wise, to say nothing of the fact that those materials were not physically accurate by any means. And that was without DOF, which here is physically accurate, and there was certainly no caustics, dispersion, or even the ability to reference complex .ior data for the materials in those renders. Last night I did a full 2k render of R2 that was ready in 6 hours. Eventually, I'll show a side-by-side of the two engines under similar strain... suffice it to say, I haven't actually loaded mental ray in 6 months. However, the paychecks keep coming, I notice... and isn't that the bottom line?
_Mike
That would be interesting to see if you ever get the chance, Mike...
Just had a look at your progress on the A New Hope restoration mate...Impressive work...Maybe you can run that one by ILM too...Maybe they'll release that as the Uber Special Edition DVD release.
BTW - I was reading about your troubles confirming the colour of the rebel troopers shirts in the Tantive IV scenes...You didn't happen to stumble across the real things on your recent tour did you?
_Mike