On real domes, the horizontal grooves on the spun aluminum create extremely anisotropic highlights, like you've got, but the spinning process itself is sort of "wavy" and not perfectly uniform, so even the map you use to drive the anisotropic stretching needs to have some organic undulations in it, like soft fractal noise. On top of that, you may want to have the spin lines themselves.
Before adding any dirt or surface gunk, the underlying clean dome really has to have that x-factor, which I've found seems mostly to exist in multiple layers of anisotropy with varying degrees of roughness, to help approximate the weird spinning artifacts. Surface dirt is always isotropic, and varying levels of roughness for that (grease is shinier than dirt, for example) is what can often lead to the misleading isotropic highlights/reflections sometimes seen on real domes. Also, I kiss the very edges with an isotropic reflection like you might use for carpaint - another thing you can see prominently on real domes. At the edges, its a mirror, whereas face on, it's quite diffuse and anisotropic.
I have to test my dome aluminum under many environments and lighting situations to be able to see it properly, but it looks like you're definitely closing in on it! Give it some .hdr environments/lighting to double check!
Overall, you're making obvious, and steady, improvements, no doubt! And don't worry, it really does take this long to figure the little guy out. I'm still doing mine
Hey Mike, hope you had a good old time in Japan (or are still having ).
Yeah the dome, a real pain in the ass for sure (and dont get me started on the blue paint).
Thanks for the feedback, that is unbelievably helpfull :thumb:
Going to strip the dome back to the base metal; and continue to work on the various types of reflections (who'd have thought the little fella would have so many things going on in one bloody material ). Although at the moment I am missing the spin lines (not factored these in at all), so they definitely need to go in.
Once it has the x-factor (although I have a feeling I may get as far as a w-factor, and the 'x' being something I tackle for next year's Artoo ).
The dome is running at 3 layers so far (although the dirt is not a seperate layer at the moment, it is part of the metal texture so another bit I have to play with).
Ok off to play I go!
Although I am working on a Star Destroyer hangar for Order 66 at the moment; which is well overdue so Artoo may have to wait a few days
Here is a render with a hdr map and a sky light (no other lighting).
Trying to get the reflection kick in the edges, and can also see with the harsher lighting that other materials are not working too well, the blue paint for instance (bah).
Don't give up on yours, ... Smoke & Mirrors Chris .... Smoke & Mirrors .... Mike provides the smoke ... so anyone trying to follow gets lost in translation, ... While Wiz got the Mirrors finding his way through the smoke, ....
Just sit back and enjoy the show, ... Then when they've finally figured out that's its not blue paint at all, .. but some Secret Lucasfilm Sauce mixed in .... they can set out on their quest for those eleven herbs & spices to finally nail it, along with that elusive dome material ..... Then grab the recipe and slap it on yours !!!! .....
Until that day .... I'm enjoying the updates :cool:, ...
Ah the elusive Bluepaint, its the quest for the Holy Grail I tells ya... and I think my mirror is broken
Hehe, come on Chris, you cannot give up on Artoo, like I said, he will not let you, everytime I think I am out, he pulls me back in... damn that little astromech droid
More updates soon, well as soon as I can figure out how to factor in the spun aluminium (so many layers, so many maps... ).
I have just been out to our works xmas party and had a great night and I just wanna say thanks to the 99th Imperial Garrison for being there and making a fantastic night The 99th Imperial Garrison were the icing in the cake.
Great Pics Wiz !! :thumb: ..... In the second pic, .... You're either the height of an Umper lumper, ... or that guy behind you in the black top is the height of a wookie ... bloody tall .... heh .... Looks like you had a great night :cool: ...
yeah had a great time, and I even won the breakdancing competition...
39 and still spinning on me head (its like watching your dad dance only worse):P and the video of which is doing the rounds here at the office... bah... humbug
Wow, that looks like a great night out! hehehe, nice dancing by the way ; )
Was that in Manchester? (i'm guessing from your avatar info). You're lucky to have such a cool company to work for to have that kind of xmas party, i'll be fortunate if i even get a handshake next week : ( Are you in the design business btw?
Well I have bored you enough with my party shananigans... now back to Artoo...
Nothing really new new on him I am afraid; I have my new PC and this is just a test render to see how it performs!
This render which would have taken an hour or so on my previous machine just took 15 minutes on my all new shiny Alien Aurora beast (an xmas present to myself, and the house gets a new kitchen so everyone is happy)
Easy on the clearcoat for the blue paint! Also, the underlying blue has an anisotropic highlight, and it's the clearcoat that gives any isotropic highlights.
Excellent, thanks Mike, I cannot wait to get home now to play with my dome some more (oo-er)...
Your real Artoo is just magnificent, the weathering work on it is outstanding. I especially like the metal unpainted panel on the back, a very nice touch. Was it the Artoo heading to the Falcon in ANH which sported such a panel?
Posts
and, yes, R2 ROCKS! (oooh might give him a guitar... worser things have happened
On the note of Rocking everybody get out and buy LEGO Rockband! :P
On real domes, the horizontal grooves on the spun aluminum create extremely anisotropic highlights, like you've got, but the spinning process itself is sort of "wavy" and not perfectly uniform, so even the map you use to drive the anisotropic stretching needs to have some organic undulations in it, like soft fractal noise. On top of that, you may want to have the spin lines themselves.
Before adding any dirt or surface gunk, the underlying clean dome really has to have that x-factor, which I've found seems mostly to exist in multiple layers of anisotropy with varying degrees of roughness, to help approximate the weird spinning artifacts. Surface dirt is always isotropic, and varying levels of roughness for that (grease is shinier than dirt, for example) is what can often lead to the misleading isotropic highlights/reflections sometimes seen on real domes. Also, I kiss the very edges with an isotropic reflection like you might use for carpaint - another thing you can see prominently on real domes. At the edges, its a mirror, whereas face on, it's quite diffuse and anisotropic.
I have to test my dome aluminum under many environments and lighting situations to be able to see it properly, but it looks like you're definitely closing in on it! Give it some .hdr environments/lighting to double check!
Overall, you're making obvious, and steady, improvements, no doubt! And don't worry, it really does take this long to figure the little guy out. I'm still doing mine
_Mike
Yeah the dome, a real pain in the ass for sure (and dont get me started on the blue paint).
Thanks for the feedback, that is unbelievably helpfull :thumb:
Going to strip the dome back to the base metal; and continue to work on the various types of reflections (who'd have thought the little fella would have so many things going on in one bloody material
Once it has the x-factor (although I have a feeling I may get as far as a w-factor, and the 'x' being something I tackle for next year's Artoo
The dome is running at 3 layers so far (although the dirt is not a seperate layer at the moment, it is part of the metal texture so another bit I have to play with).
Ok off to play I go!
Although I am working on a Star Destroyer hangar for Order 66 at the moment; which is well overdue so Artoo may have to wait a few days
Thanks again mate!
Wiz.
Trying to get the reflection kick in the edges, and can also see with the harsher lighting that other materials are not working too well, the blue paint for instance (bah).
Chris
Don't give up on yours, ... Smoke & Mirrors Chris .... Smoke & Mirrors .... Mike provides the smoke ... so anyone trying to follow gets lost in translation, ... While Wiz got the Mirrors finding his way through the smoke,
Just sit back and enjoy the show, ... Then when they've finally figured out that's its not blue paint at all, .. but some Secret Lucasfilm Sauce mixed in .... they can set out on their quest for those eleven herbs & spices to finally nail it, along with that elusive dome material ..... Then grab the recipe and slap it on yours
Until that day .... I'm enjoying the updates :cool:, ...
Bring on the Spun Aluminum Wiz :thumb: !!!!!
Jas
Ah the elusive Bluepaint, its the quest for the Holy Grail I tells ya... and I think my mirror is broken
Hehe, come on Chris, you cannot give up on Artoo, like I said, he will not let you, everytime I think I am out, he pulls me back in... damn that little astromech droid
More updates soon, well as soon as I can figure out how to factor in the spun aluminium (so many layers, so many maps...
Just model it, how hard can it be?
Thanks guys!
Photos coming soon!
A few familiar faces made appearences
Obviously I am the one of the left! Beep!
Some other friends from a Galaxy far far away...
Asking Vader to get me a whisky and coke was a big mistake...
The Empire showing us their skills on Beatles Rockband
Jas
He is fondly referred to around the office as Chewie
Chris
39 and still spinning on me head (its like watching your dad dance only worse):P and the video of which is doing the rounds here at the office... bah... humbug
Definition of Breakdancing past 30 is how many bones get broken, rather than dance moves ...
Jas
But I didnt give it a bad shot...
YouTube - Break_Dancing_Wiz.mov
Some of you may recognise (or rather his voice) the DJ who is Mike Toolan.
The video straightens itself out, so bare with it, and if you last to the end you may even see me crack me head on the floor
There are other videos, but this is the least painful one to burden you all with
Was that in Manchester? (i'm guessing from your avatar info). You're lucky to have such a cool company to work for to have that kind of xmas party, i'll be fortunate if i even get a handshake next week : ( Are you in the design business btw?
Thanks. Yeah, we had it at the Urbis in Manchester, we are a games company, and have worked on several Starwars games; hence the costumed characters
We are based in Wilmslow (well my office is, and HQ is in Knutsford ((or over at Warner if I go with the bigger picture))).
*Edit: Meant to add, love the Snowspeeder; you are doing a great job on it mate!
Nothing really new new on him I am afraid; I have my new PC and this is just a test render to see how it performs!
This render which would have taken an hour or so on my previous machine just took 15 minutes on my all new shiny Alien Aurora beast (an xmas present to myself, and the house gets a new kitchen so everyone is happy)
Well a few more tweaks to the dome metal, scratch layer should be more visible now as well (although staying still subtle).
R2-D2 (Artoo Detoo)
Look at photograph 57.
Closing in on it!
_Mike
Your real Artoo is just magnificent, the weathering work on it is outstanding. I especially like the metal unpainted panel on the back, a very nice touch. Was it the Artoo heading to the Falcon in ANH which sported such a panel?
And Mike, you not only have an R2, but you get Danica McKellar to assemble it?! I hate you. :mad:
yeah ... what happened to Threepio ?:D