Carrara Challenge # 52 - Carrara Cryptids WIP thread--Entries Ended

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Comments

  • CbirdCbird Posts: 493
    edited April 2020

    Stezza, Bunyip, and Diomede, that you for the great watercraft! so many possibilities

    Stezza, I think Leon is safe with the Banana Splits (I love the colours), but you should draw the line at H.R. Pufnstuf  :-)

    Diomede, nice creepy feel with the sub scene

     

    I had to hunt through my monsters for one that could get his thumbs near his ears. Valandar's Kaiju did the trick.

     

    G'mic bokeh gave me a bubble effect, and Retro Fade provided a nice grainy monitor effect

    Title: The One That Got Away

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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,168
    edited April 2020

    Clever concept and great execution, CBird.  Looks like my last Zoom meeting.  wink

     

    I promised some screenshots for my lake monster and sub project.  Here is how I made the lake set.  

    I inserted a terrain object.  I wanted some good stretches of smooth bottom interrupted with underwater canyons and mountains.  But it needs to be below the shoreline.  That U shaped terrain was created with a combinaiton of two filters: zero edge, and invert.  The flat portions of the lake bottom were created with the plateau filter.  I tried to get a murky bottom by using the scene tab.  Under atmosphere there is a menu option for "cloudy fog."  Don't know that I had ever used it before.  I played with the fog color and settings to try to get a murky bottom.  Still appears too patterned to my eye, so I may experiment some more.   I got the lake surface with the ocean primitive in the regular replicator (not surface) set to grid and covering the hole.

    I am posting a screenshot of the final terrain model.  Some earlier steps are attached if you want to look at some terrain filter settings. 

     

     

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    bb02 detail of fractal generator and it is paired with plateau.jpg
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    bb03 invert to get cool canyons.jpg
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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,168
    edited April 2020

    And here is the scene setup and the settings of the "cloudy fog" option in the atmosphere menu.  Any fog tips would be most appreciated.

    bb06 settings for cloudy fog atmosphere and grid for ocean replicated as surface of lake..jpg
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  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,602

    Diomede - excellent work on your Nessie, darkness is fine for me, as the deeper you go the less light there is.

    Cbird - awesome render, the only thing I would have differently is I would have had Mike's eyes wide open almost popping out of his head !

  • CbirdCbird Posts: 493
    Bunyip02 said:

    Diomede - excellent work on your Nessie, darkness is fine for me, as the deeper you go the less light there is.

    Cbird - awesome render, the only thing I would have differently is I would have had Mike's eyes wide open almost popping out of his head !

    Thank you, Bunyip, I was torn between having him see it, or just sleeping through the whole thing. I thought it might be funnier if he never knew he'd found it. For some reason I like the idea that cryptids are out there making fun of us. laugh

  • CbirdCbird Posts: 493
    Diomede said:

    And here is the scene setup and the settings of the "cloudy fog" option in the atmosphere menu.  Any fog tips would be most appreciated.

    Diomede, that terrain looks fantastic. The fog baffles me. I usually end up grabbing a cloud object, scaling, and shining a light on it to get fog, but I don't think that would be the right kind of murkiness for underwater. I'm hoping to learn about cloudy fog from your experiments.

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,168

    Thank you for the kind comments, Bunyip and CBird.

    Flipping through the TV channels I came across a TV show called "Strange Evidence."  The episode was about 'America's Loch Ness Monster.'  Champie, for Lake Champlain.

     

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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,168
    edited May 2020

    Project #3, woodland elf maiden

    Pretty simple.  Dart's woodland environment kit.  Woodland dancer outfit for G2F.

     

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  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987

    ha ha 51 new since I was here - brilliant work really enjoying the monsterous brains that carrara attracts :)

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987
    edited May 2020

     

    Minotaur Photo Bombing A  Fairy Ring Session

    Unpostworked image attached 

    Still cant get an V4 obj to export in a daz scene to come into Carrara - so updated to P3do Pro - great value combined with Poser 11's new runtime search gizmos they become great plugins for finding carrara content 

     

     

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  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    Diomede said:
    EDIT:  Is this too dark?  Looks a little different to me now that I see it on the forum.

    Not too dark.  It looks too dark because of the white Carrara forum BG.  If you click on the render, it looks fine.

    Nice highlights and mood.  The creature side fins look a bit odd to me, and the sub might look more interesting if the windows had some faint light.  But definitely looks creepy already.

     

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    Cbird said:
    G'mic bokeh gave me a bubble effect, and Retro Fade provided a nice grainy monitor effect

    Title: The One That Got Away

    Cbird, funny and clever.  Plus, I would have never thought of using Bokeh like that.

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    Diomede said:

    And here is the scene setup and the settings of the "cloudy fog" option in the atmosphere menu.  Any fog tips would be most appreciated.

    Great scene, Diomede.  I wish that I could offer fog tips, but I always forget and have to go back and look at Phil's video to do actual fog rather than clouds. :)

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    Headwax said:

     

    Minotaur Photo Bombing A  Fairy Ring Session

    Unpostworked image attached 

    Still cant get an V4 obj to export in a daz scene to come into Carrara - so updated to P3do Pro - great value combined with Poser 11's new runtime search gizmos they become great plugins for finding carrara content 

    Wow, wonderful as usual, especially the textures.  What is P3do Pro?

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987
    edited May 2020
    Headwax said:

     

     

    Minotaur Photo Bombing A  Fairy Ring Session

    Unpostworked image attached 

    Still cant get an V4 obj to export in a daz scene to come into Carrara - so updated to P3do Pro - great value combined with Poser 11's new runtime search gizmos they become great plugins for finding carrara content 

    Wow, wonderful as usual, especially the textures.  What is P3do Pro?

    Thanks :) P3Do is a program for sorting through Image files, poser files and Daz studio files. It also does some stuff with Carrara but not as much as with poser - though the developer is asking for ideas for carrara, 

    You can organise poser runtimes with it . I have mainly been using it to sort through image files in the past but just brought the pro version.

    I see it will show you obj files and cr2 files, you can drag and drop them onto a carrara assembly room.

    But it opens them in a new file unfortunately. (off topic I seem to remember you could drag things from one carrara file to another ??? but cant get that to work - can copy and paste objs though)

    Basically it's jhandy for sorting out your runtimes I guess - still exploring it though.

    There's a page here about it https://www.senosoft.com/carrara_file_manager.php

    Not sure how to get it recognise my carrara runtimes though - it just picks up scenes directory and datata dn preferences.

    ....

     

    see also https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/220441/p3do-explorer-pro-features-for-carrara

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/45843/how-can-we-change-thumbnails

    scroll down this page https://carraracafe.com/author/admin/page/15/

    not that I will use this feature ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Q1fisuxrOBQ

     

    edit just use the poser runtimes to access Carrara runtimes :)

    edit - you can also add runtime folder or character folder to a favourites list so you can easily access certain folders quickly and drag and drop figures or props etc into carrar 

     

     

     

    Post edited by Headwax on
  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987
    edited May 2020

    Here's a variation on The Stymphalian Birds  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stymphalian_birds ;

    Made with m4 - cut his head off - stuck a cranes head on - the feet are pinched from a pigeon

    The wings are ??? universal  back wings?

    Feathers on body are alphammapped planes reproduced on M4 body suit.

    I fixed them in post as they were patchy

     

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  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,602
    Headwax said:

    Here's a variation on The Stymphalian Birds  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stymphalian_birds ;

    Made with m4 - cut his head off - stuck a cranes head on - the feet are pinched from a pigeon

    The wings are ??? universal  back wings?

    Feathers on body are alphammapped planes reproduced on M4 body suit.

    I fixed them in post as they were patchy

     

    Looking great !!!

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 8,054
    Headwax said:

    Here's a variation on The Stymphalian Birds  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stymphalian_birds ;

    Made with m4 - cut his head off - stuck a cranes head on - the feet are pinched from a pigeon

    The wings are ??? universal  back wings?

    Feathers on body are alphammapped planes reproduced on M4 body suit.

    I fixed them in post as they were patchy

     

    great kitbashing for that great dung throwing Stymphalian Bird yes

    that should keep the murder hornets at bay! surprise

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,168
    edited May 2020

    Thanks for the comments, UB, HW, Stezza, CBird, and Bunyip.  Will try to add a little vibrancy to the lake monster.  Appreciate the feedback on the brightness, UB.

    HW - minotaur photobombing, gave me a much needed chuckle.  Wonderful idea.  Appreciate the P3DO info. 

    Stymphalian bird is scarying the bejeebers out of me (thats a good thing).  With news of Asian hornets expanding their range into North America, stuff with wings makes me nervous.

     

    Cyclops

    My next project will be a cyclops.  Here is a preliminary model.  I took one of the early meshes used in the development of my Brash figure and deleted the edge loops that surrounded the eyes.  I then extruded inward to get a single oval for a center eye socket (with a few other adjustments.  I popped in a new eye sphere and modeled some preliminary eyelids to fit.  Here is a WIP with simple textures.  

     

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  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987

    thanks Bunyip 02 et Steaaz and El Ted :)

    Sorry I havnt been commenting on images. Had a three hour surf today - am stuffed...Copuld hardly open my beer.

    Great work on the monoeye there Diomede. Wonder what happens to the optic chiasma in this case? Ha ha and that poor stereo vision would make it hard for him to play tennis. Dang!

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987

    Here;s my guy in Sity. In 'reality' Hercules had a bow and arrow and there was more than one bird. But Legends are made to be bent. Its a 4000 pixel image if you want to see the fleas

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987
    edited May 2020

    Here he is pre post - I used a carrara fog in this one and a fire primitif as well. Ptimitive pass attached. You can see hos you could use it to increas the fog /fire effect or dull them down by inverting the layer and using a multiply parameter.

     

     

     

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  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,602
    Diomede said:

    Thanks for the comments, UB, HW, Stezza, CBird, and Bunyip.  Will try to add a little vibrancy to the lake monster.  Appreciate the feedback on the brightness, UB.

    HW - minotaur photobombing, gave me a much needed chuckle.  Wonderful idea.  Appreciate the P3DO info. 

    Stymphalian bird is scarying the bejeebers out of me (thats a good thing).  With news of Asian hornets expanding their range into North America, stuff with wings makes me nervous.

     

    Cyclops

    My next project will be a cyclops.  Here is a preliminary model.  I took one of the early meshes used in the development of my Brash figure and deleted the edge loops that surrounded the eyes.  I then extruded inward to get a single oval for a center eye socket (with a few other adjustments.  I popped in a new eye sphere and modeled some preliminary eyelids to fit.  Here is a WIP with simple textures.  

     

    Great modelling !!!

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,602
    Headwax said:

    Here;s my guy in Sity. In 'reality' Hercules had a bow and arrow and there was more than one bird. But Legends are made to be bent. Its a 4000 pixel image if you want to see the fleas

    Love the feeling of action. Poetic licence used on the legend, probably had lots of variations as it was passed down through the ages !!

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987

    Thanks Bunyip02, good point!

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    Headwax said:

    Here;s my guy in Sity. In 'reality' Hercules had a bow and arrow and there was more than one bird. But Legends are made to be bent. Its a 4000 pixel image if you want to see the fleas

    Another terrific image.  Great textures and lighting as usual.  You also have an innate ability to put meaningful stuff in the background, adding richness rather than clutter.

  • UnifiedBrainUnifiedBrain Posts: 3,588
    edited May 2020

    Wesen

     

    When Cbird first proposed this Challenge topic, my first thought was the TV show Grimm.  The premise in Grimm is that since the very beginning of human history, there has existed a parallel species, called Wesen (VES-sin).  Wesen appear to be human, but have an animal-like nature that can only be seen by humans if Wesens choose to reveal it.  Mostly they keep their secret hidden, but mistakes happen, and they are seen occasionally, resulting in the cryptid legends such as Yeti, Anubus, Chubicabra, etc..

    The Challenge seemed perfect for exploring the various creature creator packages that have been gathering dust on my hard drive. :)

    The characters, from left to right, are G2M, G2F, M4, V4, and Genesis.

    The Wesen species are, from left to right - Skalengeck, Bauerschwein, Hundjager, Hexenbiest, and Aswang.

    Note - In the show, famous people have sometimes been Wesen.  I had fun imagining Sherlock Holmes as a Hundjager.  Also, the Aswang on the show looked almost exactly like Undead Fiend, to the point where I wonder if the show's artists actually just lifted his image directly from the Daz character. :)

    Carrara processes include hair, text, clouds, bulge modifier, and aura.

    No postwork.

     

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  • CbirdCbird Posts: 493

    I'm loving these pics!!

    Headwax, your Stymphalian is altogether terrifying. I think it is the head you've used and the pose. It's like a reminder of birds' origins in dinosaurs. I'm a dedicated birdwatcher and love birds, but there are times they can be a bit alien and scary. I once had a chance to go into an enclosure with a bald eagle and at about six feet away, he was all sorts of scary!

    Diomede, can't wait to see how this progresses. This is one of the best cyclops I've seen in dazland.

    UB, I love Grimm!! You've captured so many of the characters and the text fits perfectly.

    I think I'm trying a Waheela next :-)

  • DesertDudeDesertDude Posts: 1,235

    Lots of cool images coming in folks!

    Diomede - Holy smokes, the Carrara Bible for Carrara 1 - awesome! That submarine model is adorable! smiley And the underwater scene looks great - I've never tackled an underwater scene. Creative use of cloudy fog - don't think I've ever used it. Thanks for the explanations and settings. "That U shaped terrain was created with a combinaiton of two filters: zero edge, and invert." - that's a great tip. Cyclops looks like he's coming along well, can't wait to see what comes next.

    Stezza - "Leon & his cryptid friends"  Nice image. Curious about the lighting - does each of the figures have their own "bounce" light, or is it a texture effect? I see nice colored lighting on the shadow side of the figures but doesn't appear global, more localized and color specific for each figure?
    The background for Leon & Thingee lookin' cool!

    Cbird - Great concept  - he's gonna be mad when he wakes up and watches the video. Just turn your head for a second and you'll miss the cryptid!

    Headwax - more very rich images. That Stymphalian Bird is wicked looking. Thanks for the link - poisonous dung, yikes! Thanks for the tip about the Primitive pass.

    UnifiedBrain - a gathering of Cryptids! Looks like a fun crowd. Not familiar with the show but that Aswang thing is pretty freaky.

  • DesertDudeDesertDude Posts: 1,235
    edited May 2020

    Here is the latest progress on the Woofus. I had a couple of my usual false starts.  Currently I'm experimenting with strips of polygons in curls for his fur. Still a total WIP.

     

     

    Last few days were spent trying to understand how bird wings close up and fold under. Finally got it to work, I think, though this is bare bones example:

     

     

    Wish it was an elegent setup but the feathers folding up are 'brute forced' rotated indivudually. smiley  Not so difficult, there aren't that many. I'll provide an explanation later how it all fits together. Feathers on the model are just a quick temporary texture, they will be replaced so as not to be all stretched out. Also, he's missing the rest of the feathers - they're coming. 
    Eyeballs and lids were all modeled circular and spherical. I then created a morph for the eyesockets and stretched them on the z axis and tilted them slightly inward at each other (for more goofiness). The eyeballs and lids are separate objects, grouped, and stretched along the z axis to match the empty morphed sockets. By creating a Group for the eyeball and lids, one can stretch the object and when rotates it behaves as if it is spherical and won't tumble' from end to end.

    Scene is still evolving but probably gonna be a picnic / tea party deep in the forest.

     

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