2014 Holiday Season Carrara Challenge (#14) - WINNERS ANNOUNCED - WIP Thread
Antara
Posts: 444
UPDATE -->: WINNERS ANNOUNCED! here: : http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/49155/
It's hard to believe we've had 13 amazing challenges already.
This time around I am honoured and happy to bring you an extra special
Holiday Season Carrara Challenge of 2014.
Because it's the Holidays, our amazing sponsor DAZ 3D is giving us extra prizes in this round and we'll also have a special new prize category.
AND we just got our wonderful PA Sponsor: Jack Tomalin!!!
AND for the Newcomer/New User Honourable mention we also have a copy of the just released PD Howler 9.5 generously donated by its creator Philip Staiger!
EDIT -->: The Entry Thread is HERE: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/49155/
EDIT -->: The Entry submission DEADLINE::
DECEMBER 24, 2014 11:59PM PST
EDIT -->: HOUSEKEEPING UPDATE: If you are NEW to this thread, don't get scared by the number of pages growing every day. Thanks to excellent efforts of diomede64 we have a frequently updated index of what's happening in the thread, organized by topic and following individual WIP's progress!
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/48769/
Visit the thread for if you are looking for specific topics, or to see the latest digest of WIP events :).
That thread is in the Commons, designed for the wider public, so if there is anything about this challenge that you'd like to share with DAZ community at large, please post it there!
Huge thanks to our generous DAZ 3D AND Jack Tomalin Sponsors for the special Holiday prizes:
1st place: $120.00 towards DAZ 3D owned item(s) & 3 products from Jack Tomalin's DAZ Store*
2nd place: $70.00 towards DAZ 3D owned item(s) & 2 products from Jack Tomalin's DAZ Store*
3rd place: $45.00 towards DAZ 3D owned item(s) & 1 product from Jack Tomalin's DAZ Store*
Honourable Mention: $30.00 towards DAZ 3D owned item(s) & 1 product from Jack Tomalin's DAZ Store*
AND
Newcomer/New User category Winner: $25.00 DAZ 3D Gift Certificate from me (eligible for anything DAZ store.) & 1 product from Jack Tomalin's DAZ Store* & 1 copy of PD Howler 9.5
AND
Newcomer/New User category Honourable Mention: $10.00 DAZ 3D Gift Certificate generously donated by SukyL
* All Jack Tomalin's products in his store are eligible to be selected as prized with the exception of Game Licenses.
I am still figuring our some possible additions to the prizes, so please stay tuned for more announcements. But, as far as I know, this is the biggest prize pool we've seen so far!
(See rules below for Newcomer/New [Carrara] User qualification and requirements.)
By now, I am sure, you all want to know what the theme is. So here it is:
Public space** poster on the theme of
Winter _____ Is Coming OR _____ Winter Is Coming
Since the completed sentence of the theme is also going to be the title of your image (although no text should be included in the image itself), I am also going to allow a variation of
"Winter ____ Is Here" or "____ Winter Is Here".
(My apologies to the Southern Hemisphere residents. But maybe, as you get ready for summer heat, the thoughts of winter would not be entirely unwelcome? Besides, there are some radical reversals possible with the liberal interpretation of the theme, as you can see below.)
You can fill in the blanks with anything you wish. Some examples (just to get you started and give you an idea of how wide the range of possibilities is):
- Winter Cheer Is Coming/Here (If you are in the Holidays spirit this season)
- Winter Hibernation Is Coming/Here (Maybe an animal themed image?)
- Winter Fun Is Coming/Here (or Festival, or Celebration)
- Winter Holiday Is Coming/Here (School themed? or Religious themed?)
- Winter Solstice Is Coming/Here
- Winter Lord/King/Knight/Queen/Fairy Is Here
- Winter Heat Is Coming/Here (Global warming extreme? or a whole different world/planet altogether?)
- Winter Fashion Is Here (from humorous to haute couture)
etc.
OR
- Hot/Warm/Cold Winter Is Coming
- Eternal/First/Last Winter Is Coming
- Winter Is Coming (if you want to show various creatures preparing for winter: from animals, to Santa and his Elves, to fairies, to aliens, to people or witches, etc, OR for the "Game Of Thrones" fans out there, but be mindful of the G-rated restriction, please.)
- New Kind Of Winter Is Coming/Here (if you want to get inventive about seasons)
- Nuclear Winter Is Coming/Here (for the less cheerfully inclined this season....)
etc.
**Public Space explanation and poster requirements:
I was riding the NYC subway the other day and as one of the stations was moving past my window, I was struck by the ugliness and sadness of the particular collection of ad posters in that station. And I was thinking, what if we had that public space decorated with the amazing art of Carrara artists instead. What if instead of ads, this space could be used to show something beautiful and inspiring to the millions of people who pass through it every day? (I know it's an Utopian idea, but it's almost the holiday season, and I feel like dreaming of a better world :). )
So I would like you to create an image with this idea in mind:
You are creating public art, designed for maximum visual impact and _beauty_ to brighten up an otherwise often unwelcoming looking public space.
Therefore, the image must be G-rated (no nudity, violence, offensive content, etc.).
If you feel like giving yourself and extra challenge, consider the following aspect: The image should be striking enough to impress at a glance (for those passing it by on the train), yet it should also have some interesting details to amuse those waiting on the platform.
The poster must keep to the following size ratio options (These are real NYC Subway station poster specs, by the way):
1) Final Trim: 46”h x 60”w
Live area:43”h x 57”w
2) Final Trim: 48”h x 62”w
Live area: 46”h x 60”w
3) Final Trim: 45.875”h X 89.875”w
Live area: 44.875”h X 88.875”w
NOTE: You do NOT need to create your images in the print resolution for such huge posters!!! Keep the ratios, but the actual pixel size is up to you as long as the height is greater than 800px , but your image can be as big as you want within the Forum limits.
Rules:
For everyone:
- Each participant may submit up to 2 images into the Challenge (but only 1 images per artist will be eligible to win a prize, if 2 images from same artist get prize-winning number of votes, the image with most votes will win the prize it's eligible for, and the second prize will go to another artist's runner up image). Votes will be counter per-image.
- The images must be new (previously unpublished)
- The images must be set up and rendered in Carrara or in the external renderer for which an intermediate Carrara plug-in is available (like LuxRenderer or Octane)
- Content use is welcome, but must be fully listed and credited.
- 2 (two) items must be created or significantly modified inside Carrara (*** Newcomers and New Users have a special spec for this rule, see below)
- There should be at least one instance of creative use of replicators OR terrains in the scene. (This is NOT required for newcomer category images, but everyone is encouraged to try and explore these features.) Examples: using replicators to set up lights, or create a single object out of small parts. Using painted terrains, imported image based terrains, or using terrain elevations to drive a surface replicator without actually showing the terrain in the image. Etc.
- At least 2 (two) WIP (work in progress) images must be posted in the WIP thread. At least one WIP image must be a screen grab of the setup of objects and lights in Carrara
- Postwork is allowed and welcome, but raw render(s) must be posted to the WIP thread (in addition to the 2 required WIP images) and the postwork must be fully described.
- The winner of the 1st place gets to host the next Carrara challenge, picking the theme and the rules to their liking.
Newcomer/New Carrara User category: Welcome! :)
- In order to qualify you must be participating in the Carrara challenges for the first time. AND/OR
- be new to Carrara, having either bought or started using it (I know some people may have had it for years, but never really used it for anything) within the last 3 months. (If you started using Carrara within the last 3 months, but jumped into one of the last 2 challenges right away, you still qualify)
- When posting your entry, you will have to specify that you are posting it into the Newcomer/New Carrara User category and give a brief history of your Carrara use (doesn't need to be longer than a couple sentences, unless you wish to share more.)
- ***In order to qualify for the 2 items edited in Carrara, all you need to do is play with the shaders of at least 2 content items you are imported to make them look better in Carrara - look at the shaders which come with Carrara for inspiration and examples of how a shader can be set up to look the way you want. You can re-shade your content items by changing some aspects of the shaders that came with it, or you can substitute the item's shaders with the shaders that came with Carrara and modify those. Ask for help and advice in the WIP thread if you are having difficulties.
(However, this is just to make things easier for people less familiar with Carrara! If you wish to try your hand at the more sophisticated ways to alter the objects you use, or if you want to create your own using Carrara's many options for doing so - then by all means do! Just because you are entering as a newcomer, you don't need to limit your use of Carrara!)
A Newcomer/New Carrara User image IS eligible to win ANY of the prizes, based on the votes. However, there will be 1(one) newcomer image selected for the newcomer/newbie honourable mention IN ADDITION to any newcomer images which may win in the usual nominations. Also, the newcomer nomination will not be decided by the votes, but will be judged by a panel of judges (to be announced later.).
Dates to remember:
Challenge WIP Thread Opens for WIP submissions: November 14, 2014
Challenge Entry Thread Opens: November 24, 2014
Challenge Entry Submission CLOSES: December 24, 2014.
Challenge VOTING period: December 25, 2014 TO December 30, 2014.
Winners announced: December 31, 2014.
If you are looking for inspiration, I highly recommend visiting our wonderful sponsor's DAZ 3D store. There are some excellent items available in the Winter category, and many of those are specifically FOR Carrara!
http://www.daz3d.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=winter
And our wonderful and generous PA Sponsor Jack Tomalin also has many winter-ready and holidays-related products, and even more of his products can be relevant to your own interpretations of the theme! His products are a great inspiration in themselves and I can also personally highly recommend them.
http://www.daz3d.com/jack-tomalin
Also, the new release of PD Howler 9.5 has some wonderful 3D features, such as advanced terrain creation tools, which can be exported out and loaded into Carrara. You can also create backgrounds, textures and effects using this program. So visit Philip Staiger's store
http://www.daz3d.com/staigerman
And watch some inspirational videos on his PO Holwer dedicated YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/pdhowler
Full of beautiful landscapes and inspiring workflow ideas.
If you know anybody who is new to Carrara, or who had it the software for some time, but didn't try it yet, please alert them about this challenge and the newcomer category we have especially for them.
Other useful links:
For Newcomers and New Carrara Users:
A collection of extremely useful beginner tutorials: http://carraracafe.com/tag/beginner/
(I especially recommend http://carraracafe.com/tutorials/what-is-carrara-intro-by-dartanbeck/ for people who are opening Carrara for the first time.) And there are more tutorials available at the Cafe: http://carraracafe.com/category/tutorials/
A comprehensive Carrara 8 User Guide: http://docs.daz3d.com/lib/exe/fetch.php/artzone/pub/faq/software_carrara/carrara/carrara_8_basic_guide.pdf
If you only have an older version, then here is Carrara 7 User Guide: http://docs.daz3d.com/lib/exe/fetch.php/artzone/pub/software/carrara/carrara7_user_guide.pdf
And of course, you can always ask specific questions in this thread, as learning together is what's this all about, so please don't be shy!
For Everyone:
Please look through the stores and support our wonderful PA sponsors of the past - they have some very useful products for this theme as well!
The AntFarm: http://www.daz3d.com/the-antfarm
Infinite Skills Inc.: http://www.daz3d.com/infinite-skills-inc
RingoMontfort: http://www.daz3d.com/ringomonfort
PhilW: http://www.daz3d.com/philw
HowieFarkes: http://www.daz3d.com/howiefarkes
Sadot: http://www.daz3d.com/sadot
MMoir: http://www.daz3d.com/mmoir
Age of Armour: http://www.daz3d.com/age-of-armour
DimensionTheory: http://www.daz3d.com/dimensiontheory
Dartanbeck: http://www.daz3d.com/dartanbeck
Some possibly theme-related images to get your ideas brewing: :)
- If you are looking for animal-related imagery: http://www.boredpanda.com/animal-winter-photography/
- if you want to do a preparation-for-winter interpretation:
http://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/book_images/cvr9781416937883_9781416937883_lg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bnitesR.jpg
- if you want to go into some more fantastical interpretations:
http://wallalay.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Beautiful-Winter-Wallpaper-10.jpg
http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/33100000/Winter-Fairy-wallpaper-cynthia-selahblue-cynti19-33116025-1024-768.jpg
- for the more sinister end of the spectrum:
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121004105938/facebooknations/images/thumb/8/8a/Nuclear_winter_1.jpg/600px-Nuclear_winter_1.jpg
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/034/6/6/nuclear_winter__apocalypse_by_nuclearsyndrom-d38q2ak.jpg
I imagine, you wouldn't need me to point out Winter Holiday themed imagery, as you are probably surrounded by them already in every store and on every website you visit - or you will be soon, anyway :).
PS. I am writing this up under the influence of heavy painkillers, so please forgive any mistakes or incoherences. Please point them out to me and I'll correct or try to clarify.
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Comments
t'riffic! looks like a great challenge Antara :)
love the idea for the newbie new people - very generous of you too !
edit announced here http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/21953/P150/#713495
and at rendorosity https://market.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/?thread_id=2886241
and at polyoop http://www.polyloop.net/showthread.php/21205-Nouveau-d
at Bryce forum http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/48711/
The real winter is my preferred season, I feels that this topic will inspire me…
The newbie category is a great idea. Very generous of you. Sorry about the painkillers. Hope you recover fully and quickly.
Aside - I will be traveling through Washington State, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota next week. Polar vortex, anyone? Should find a few inspirational moments.
Question: I noticed the following.
Is that a prohibition of using any text in the image at all? Or, is it just notice that the title of the image should not appear in the text?
Another fun theme.
Is that a prohibition of using any text in the image at all? Or, is it just notice that the title of the image should not appear in the text?
Another fun theme.
Excellent question! Thank you.
Answer: Since it's a poster, and some people might think that text is mandatory, I wanted to clarify that text IS NOT REQUIRED. And yes, the title should NOT appear in the image for it's own sake, unless it is internally justified (like you have a billboard or a store/company sign inside your image with some text on it).
I wanted the images to mostly speak for themselves. But if the image calls for some text based on what it is, then, sure, it should be used. For example, if it's a fake advertisement poster, then you might have some text in it, like product name, logo and ad slogan, but it wouldn't necessarily include the title of your image.
Also, since not everyone is comfortable with typography, and the challenge is about artistic and Carrara skills, I didn't want to make text a requirement, so people who are not experienced with it would not feel disadvantaged.
Does this clarify things or make them more confusing? :gulp:
Clears it up for me, thanks.
we are still in springtime here... 35C today.. can't wait till summer comes to get some serious heat happening.. takes the cold chill off our 20C winter days.. lol
but..
I do have an idea.. which is surprising so early on...
I just realised that non cararra users might not know that smile Carrara is on special t the moment ?? 65 dollars approx for PC members - so if you win the challenge then you are in front by almost 100 percent ;)
does it involve pigeons by any chance :) ?
If I read it correctly, we were invited to post a few inspirational pics. Here are a few random thoughts.
being NYC I'd reckon they would fit right in .. thanks for the idea HW ;-)
Just to clarify the minimum size in pixels would be around 1043 x 800 ?
we don't use inches in the southern hemisphere, it's all metric, makes things seem much bigger lol
Yes, you are absolutely correct! Thank you for those! Great images and ideas! if you find more, please keep them coming! :)
Very cool. Now, just to be straight, the image doesn't need to be holiday/winter themed, so long as the title fits correctly? I cannot divulge further, yet, but... is this true? Wouldn't bother me if I was incorrect, but I'd like to know before I begin working on my piece. I like that it must be an eye-catching G-Rated piece... sweet!
Thank you so much!!! I just asked Chohole if announcing it in the Bryce forum is a good idea, but you are way ahead of me, thank you! (I am posting-shy, it seems...)
(...it's actually challenge #14 already! :).)
Very cool. Now, just to be straight, the image doesn't need to be holiday/winter themed, so long as the title fits correctly? I cannot divulge further, yet, but... is this true? Wouldn't bother me if I was incorrect, but I'd like to know before I begin working on my piece. I like that it must be an eye-catching G-Rated piece... sweet!
Thank you for the kind wishes. The pain is the work in progress, but it's getting better, so hopefully I'll be back to normal soon.
Yes, as long as the title fits, it doesn't need to be winter or holiday themed. It could "Winter obliteration is coming" and be all about scorching sun and deserts!
Antara and Dart :)
The Bryce users are like us, left out in the cold by the rampaging Studio machine :)
They have amazingly active challenge threads , and produce brilliant work.
And all with what I imagine to be such a small user base?? (maybe I am wrong on the size).
they are always friendly when I venture over there, and if you ask for them to vote in our challenge threads they are more than willing
(I think it's chohole's big stick )
Agreed. They always welcome my questions and comments over there with the neighborly kindness and helpful intent.
Yeah, winter and me, we aint on such good terms right now.....
Once I get this Bah Humbug out of my ass, I'll come up with something. ;-)
Good idea - that's the sort of Christmastime we get in this part of the word - I haven't seen snow for like 20 years :)
Hello, quick question to the organizers of the 2014 Holiday Season Carrara challenge: are you looking for extra donations of prizes?
Am I reading this correctly - our entry must be wider than tall? When you say poster I picture the opposite, so I just want to make sure before starting.
I looked around online and found both (wider than tall and taller than wide). I'd post a link but every time I try the resulting link does not work. If you Google "new york city subway poster sizes" and look for a link for a PDF at TRANSIT / SUBWAY 1 SHEET POSTER - CBS Outdoor it lists several different sizes and shows some pictures.
Thanks,
Mark
Well done Antara!
I dont like winter but I love Xmas and this contest is great!
OOOoooOOOoooOOO.... Dogwaffle Man! :wow:
Great challenge, Antara.
New desk is being assembled by him indoors today. Some other bits still to come!
I can't wait to start working in my new chair. It massages and heats (not shown in image for some reason) and has very padded arm rests...YAY!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CA1DIGA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00
Since back operation I have been reducing painkillers, but still need some for long periods of sitting. Hope your pain is manageable.
:-) Silene
Am I reading this correctly - our entry must be wider than tall? When you say poster I picture the opposite, so I just want to make sure before starting.
I looked around online and found both (wider than tall and taller than wide). I'd post a link but every time I try the resulting link does not work. If you Google "new york city subway poster sizes" and look for a link for a PDF at TRANSIT / SUBWAY 1 SHEET POSTER - CBS Outdoor it lists several different sizes and shows some pictures.
Thanks,
Mark
Yes, you are correct, even though it's a poster, it should have a horizontal orientation, because most windows for posters located on the subway platforms are for the wide (landscape oriented) posters. And the idea is to create posters for that specific public space :).
Besides, we just had an all-vertical images challenge, so I think it's time to switch :).
I was hoping it would be wide enough for everybody to find something they could relate to :). I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
I have the greatest announcement to make!
Jack Tomalin has agreed to be our sponsor for this round!!!
http://www.daz3d.com/jack-tomalin
Please visit his store, as many of his products are winter-ready and holidays-related, and even more can be relevant to your own interpretations of the theme! His products are a great inspiration in themselves.
And, I've been using Jack's products in Carrara for years, and they work great in Carrara - all they might need are some minor shader adjustments. And that's part of the challenge requirement, anyway! :)
I am not sure my own skills can do Jack's products justice, but if you are curious to see how they can look in Carrara, then here are 3 of my images which use his products most prominently:
http://fav.me/d4ehita
http://fav.me/d86dfom
http://fav.me/d4pz41f
But I've really used them a whole lot in my work and they are always a pleasure to work with.
The main post has been updated with Jack's sponsorship announcement, so please check it to see the specific prize allocations - they are AMAZING!
WoW! Great Sponsor!!!!
Look forward to seeing the entries :)
Well I will have to give theis Awesome theme a try.
If we are lucky I may be able to get Chickenman into the scene.
I think the Newcommer prize is an exelent Idea to encourage us newcommers to participate.