SSS test #1

This is the first of hopefully a few (successful) posts on fake SSS alternatives.
This test uses an illumination map to color the ears as though they were lit from behind.

It looks cool (if not a bit overdone). I may post a close up render later, but I closed
The program after deciding to post :)

My next step is to make it a bit more dynamic...

The Wall (wip)

Just a work in progress of the massive sculptural background piece at the end of thesis animation.
these will all eventually be part of a giant wall relief carving (think of Rodin's Gates of Hell, but a massive wall instead of a doorway) here are a few sculptures that are already in the wall (pictures of the wall coming soon)

Stoneman Grab render2

I wasn't happy with the pose on the last, so here it is again with some changes...

Some thesis art renders.

I think I like the direction I'm going in with the backdrops. I'll need to mix in some more clarity among all this depth of field and fog :)

Stone men

Some renders of a few background objects from my thesis.

Some (W.I.P) Composites

I was doing some test renders to try and decide the feel for my animation. here are a few of them.

Later I'm going to do one still render for each scene in the animation.
I figure this will motivate me and help me work towards a cohesive look.

Oh-and ignore the bird I just made it, and couldn't resist putting it into every shot :)

cloth!

I'm in the middle of making a new shirt/whole outfit for my thesis character (the guy)

here are some wip shots of the new clothes (only the cloak thing is new)

One more eye shot.

One more shot of the guy with the eyes before I finish the lashes.
I'm also thinking about making a new shirt design for him.

Thesis Character with the new eyes installed.

I must remember to name these characters....

Anyway, here is the guy character from my thesis animation with the eyes from the
previous post installed + a bonus render of the eye ;)

**PLEASE IGNORE THE EYELASHES-they are a WIP.**

New eye shader

I made a new eye material today.

I'm going to replace the eyes I've been using with these.

They work well under any lighting conditions and have a faster render time!

(*images rendered in maya viewport 2.0; the mental ray version has reflection and all that good stuff, but I'm also impressed at how good the eye material looks in real time.)

Plant Composite Test

Just a composite test using these new plants I made for my thesis project.

StoneMan Pose

Cacti!

Some desert plants

New Eyes

I made new eyes for my thesis characters today.
The lighting setup is not the best, but I still got some shadows/ highlights in the eyes.

Which grass?

I must choose a grass to use... The top one is easier...

Stone Man wip

The third character (and final) character in my thesis animation is the Stone man.
He is a statue brought to life by an ancient curse.

Here is my progress:











I was super happy with how the leaves came out.

I decided to not use an alpha channel for the leaves;instead, I modeled the shape using 24 quads on each leaf.

I used a normal map on the leaves, but I added some funky depth in random places on the map to give the appearance of volume.
The do kind of remind me of banana leaves though :\