Yes, I export a UV map for each object, and texture in Photoshop on top of the UV map. I stitch photos together, clone, etc...
_Mike
where do you find your "Star Wars" photos ... do you use photos from the original models or do you just have a huge photo archive and make them look like SW?
Sorry for my dumb questions ... I'm a semipro Photographer but I'm an absolutely amateur hobbyist in 3D and 3D Texturing/Mapping ... I'm learing
Well in this case, most of R2's textures came from photos of R2 himself. Ordinarily, I use any of several terrabytes of photos for my textures.. just tons of stuff, doors, airplane wreckage, rusty pipes, a huge variety. If there's an art to texturing, it comes from being able to see things like the bottom of last night's dinner pan as the source for, say, concentric anisotropic rings on a bearing.
This post / image more than any of the others really shows how great a model/render your R2 really is! This has been a very cool thread to follow for all the little stories about the ranch and all the great tips as well! :thumb:
So, thanks again for sharing it all with use here!
ps. your entry at the CGSphere is very a very good use of your R2 as well.
And by no perfection, I mean no perfection. There are no perfect edges, no perfect symmetries, no perfectly flat surfaces, no perfect angles. Everything is slightly misaligned; I usually do that post-modeling stage 1, but not always. Again, if your entire model is precise in a way that no real-world object ever is, you're already handicapping yourself.
That's very interesting... I'll think about it
I just have one question: on your comparaison picture, the "arms" (I mean the two blue things on front of the body, not the legs) look a bit different from the real R2. Yours seem to have sharper edges, where they make an angle inside. How come? how could you miss that? (or maybe the R2 you used as reference was different)
Yes, the R2 I used had different arms. No two R2s are alike, with tons of frustrating differences if you're looking for the "definitive" set of measurements: there is none. They're all pretty close, but... Lucasfilm's only stipulation, once it was agreed that I was going to re-do my R2, was that everything on him must be identical to some R2, somewhere in the archives. I had access to the blueprints, 3 originals, and a set of digital calipers, so it wasn't that difficult.
I just have one question: on your comparaison picture, the "arms" (I mean the two blue things on front of the body, not the legs) look a bit different from the real R2. Yours seem to have sharper edges, where they make an angle inside. How come? how could you miss that? (or maybe the R2 you used as reference was different)
Mike... awesome work and very interesting stories and philosophies too. Thanks for the inspiration. I'm glad your talents are being rewarded. Your attention to detail is fanatical -- I love it! Keep up the mindblowing work.
Excellent work Mike, by the way have you got any new music that you can allow us to listen to
Most of my music is owned by studios and networks, and I don't get much access to it outside of snippets for my reels, but here's the score I composed for the Star Wars parody fanfilm Return of Pink Five - which makes it sssooorrrrtttta on-topic for this thread, I guess. It's both tongue-in-cheek and legit... and it was fun.
Well... I mean, I didn't have anything specific to render for right now... is there something you were hoping to see (that doesn't have nacelles)? I mean, are you looking for a desktop wallpaper or something?
The image posted in the visual dictionary, are you allowed to post a hi-res version of that? Would also make a great desktop.
Also would be great and very much appreciated to see the make-up of the texture maps, would you mind breaking down and displaying the layers (for the dome for instance)?
I am tossing and turning with MR at the moment, so many bloody settings to play with, argghh.... But its all a learning process (well thats what I keep telling myself anyway )
I had a quick look at Maxwell, seems quite cool, and appears to be a lot easier to use than Mental ray (more user friendly), especially after reading what you have had to say about it.
Although having said that looking at Mental Ray in Max 9 they appear to have simplified it somewhat (finally) making it easier to use (from what I have read and seen so far - video tuts etc.).
I especially like the fact now that you dont have to wait for all the calculations to taken place before it shows you anything in the render window, very much akin to Maxwell(?) should save a lot of time.
I was a mental ray user for years and years and years, and believe me, you couldn't get me to go back to that engine now if you put a Winchester to my junk. Have fun.
ILM itself doesn't have the model - I was hired for a Lucasfilm gig, not through or by ILM for this particular job. And the Ranch is nowhere near ILM, either... In truth, it's not like they couldn't do it themselves, they just haven't, as yet. In any case, I've never been contacted about doing/submitting R2 for any future projects, but you just never know... It's certainly ready to go, though it wouldn't fit in a Renderman pipeline as it is.
ILM itself doesn't have the model - I was hired for a Lucasfilm gig, not through or by ILM for this particular job. And the Ranch is nowhere near ILM, either... In truth, it's not like they couldn't do it themselves, they just haven't, as yet. In any case, I've never been contacted about doing/submitting R2 for any future projects, but you just never know... It's certainly ready to go, though it wouldn't fit in a Renderman pipeline as it is.
_Mike
Hmmm ... didn't ILM made a CG R2 for Episode 3? ... for me R2 looks very CG in EP3 but ... ya know ... eyes are lieing
I mean, ILM doesn't have THIS model. They sure as shit used a CG R2 in Ep3 and it makes me cringe. Makes a lot of people cringe, I'll bet. Especially the dynamics used in his animation, like he weighs about 20 pounds. Let me tell you, I have a couple of full-size R2's in my house and he weighs about 200 pounds. If you shot him out of a spaceship like that, it'd be a real problem. So silly.
_Mike
P.S. Actually, come to think of it, I could easily rig up a dynamics sim of my R2 at 200 pounds and see what it really would look like. Might do that sometime.
You have serveral R2's? Sweet did you build these yourself? Any photos to show?
Yeah the one in EP3 was rather disapointing, not that I could do better (yet ).
Its mad to think that they couldnt see for themselves what was wrong with the R2 in the shots, especially when viewed on the big screen, Its not like they dont have the talent there to do a better job...
LOL... scarily just flicking the tv remote and AOTC is on sky/cable now,
oh god its the flying R2...
I mean, ILM doesn't have THIS model. They sure as shit used a CG R2 in Ep3 and it makes me cringe. Makes a lot of people cringe, I'll bet. Especially the dynamics used in his animation, like he weighs about 20 pounds. Let me tell you, I have a couple of full-size R2's in my house and he weighs about 200 pounds. If you shot him out of a spaceship like that, it'd be a real problem. So silly.
_Mike
P.S. Actually, come to think of it, I could easily rig up a dynamics sim of my R2 at 200 pounds and see what it really would look like. Might do that sometime.
I know I know ... yours is 300 tons better ... IMO ILM should give you a job
Posts
where do you find your "Star Wars" photos ... do you use photos from the original models or do you just have a huge photo archive and make them look like SW?
Sorry for my dumb questions ... I'm a semipro Photographer but I'm an absolutely amateur hobbyist in 3D and 3D Texturing/Mapping ... I'm learing
Greets
Chris
_Mike
Greets
Chris
This post / image more than any of the others really shows how great a model/render your R2 really is! This has been a very cool thread to follow for all the little stories about the ranch and all the great tips as well! :thumb:
So, thanks again for sharing it all with use here!
ps. your entry at the CGSphere is very a very good use of your R2 as well.
--Jeff
That's very interesting... I'll think about it
I just have one question: on your comparaison picture, the "arms" (I mean the two blue things on front of the body, not the legs) look a bit different from the real R2. Yours seem to have sharper edges, where they make an angle inside. How come? how could you miss that? (or maybe the R2 you used as reference was different)
_Mike
Main Titles and Stacy and DD Hit it Off
A Jedi's Burden and The Space Battle
Furry Friends and The Forest Battle
Yoda's Big Idea and End CreditsAll tracks (C) 2006 Mike Verta / Tudor-Ford Music (BMI)
_Mike
_Mike
thanx!!
The image posted in the visual dictionary, are you allowed to post a hi-res version of that? Would also make a great desktop.
Also would be great and very much appreciated to see the make-up of the texture maps, would you mind breaking down and displaying the layers (for the dome for instance)?
Many thanks,
Paul.
And that's it. Drop Reflectance (Color) onto the reflectance channel, drop surface roughness map onto its channel, and bump onto its channel.
_Mike
i HAVE all the renders posted so far!!! I need MORE!!!!!
I am tossing and turning with MR at the moment, so many bloody settings to play with, argghh.... But its all a learning process (well thats what I keep telling myself anyway
I had a quick look at Maxwell, seems quite cool, and appears to be a lot easier to use than Mental ray (more user friendly), especially after reading what you have had to say about it.
Although having said that looking at Mental Ray in Max 9 they appear to have simplified it somewhat (finally) making it easier to use (from what I have read and seen so far - video tuts etc.).
I especially like the fact now that you dont have to wait for all the calculations to taken place before it shows you anything in the render window, very much akin to Maxwell(?) should save a lot of time.
Cheers,
Wiz.
_Mike
Gonna start saving my pennies and get me Maxwell
For now though persistence will be the virtue (or madness, one or the other).
Im still trying to figure out the demo b4 i spend any money on the real thing. so far, i am impressed with the little i understand about maxwell
_Mike
Will get the demo version for now and will and be ready to go!
Cheers,
Wiz.
Thank you very much ... I'm pulling my hair out with MR material system
Greets
Chris
Glad to hear it isnt just me being a stupid (long term) newb with MR
Might drink less beer now hehe...
Mike, are ILM planning any further usage of your excellent R2?
Wouldnt suprise me in the slighest if Mr. Lucas replaces EPI/EPII and the EPIII R2 with yours for future re-releases of the films
Cheers,
Paul.
_Mike
Hmmm ... didn't ILM made a CG R2 for Episode 3? ... for me R2 looks very CG in EP3 but ... ya know ... eyes are lieing
Greets
Chris
_Mike
P.S. Actually, come to think of it, I could easily rig up a dynamics sim of my R2 at 200 pounds and see what it really would look like. Might do that sometime.
Yeah the one in EP3 was rather disapointing, not that I could do better (yet
Its mad to think that they couldnt see for themselves what was wrong with the R2 in the shots, especially when viewed on the big screen, Its not like they dont have the talent there to do a better job...
LOL... scarily just flicking the tv remote and AOTC is on sky/cable now,
oh god its the flying R2...
<scrambles for the remote>
Wiz.
I know I know ... yours is 300 tons better
Greets
Chris
PS: now eating and then sleeping