Pots, Roofing and changes

Current render of the scene. I have applied basic coloured shaders to simulate what the image would look like. I have used some of the paint effects in the visor to create temporary foliage in the scene.

Brackets for the Canopy/Roof type object

Not a huge update. Just a model of the fancy brackets in the scene

The difficulty of trying to match proportions and shapes from a photograph

It has proved very difficult to try match the image shape to shape for the overall scene. I think I have the camera roughly in the right place and now some of the geometry is working. However some doesn't match up quite so well, so I might just have to adapt it to make the image look interesting enough.

Current state of the scene

Finished Birdcage

So I finished the birdcage. Was having some issues with the textures but thankfully fixed them. It isn't perfect and the normal map could be a tad better, but overall I think its turned out great. Might be a bit over exposed just because of the physical sun and sky.

Normal Map version to left. Diffuse, Normal, Spec and Transparency Map to right 

I have also had trouble trying to match a similar camera angle from the reference photo of the main scene, to the maya scene.

For now I have made a quick blueprint of the rough layout of the scene and will use this in maya to build up the environment with changes here and there.

The green is an approximation of where foliage will be.

Birdcage Midway

More texturing on the birdcage. Added the legs so it is actually standing on something. Need to do the sphere shape on top now using some of the existing shapes for the texture.

Modelling and Texturing of the Birdcage

I started working on one of the assets for the Tunisia scene. The bird cage is immediately striking as quite a large in interesting object in the scene. It also looks quite complex.

Reference

 I decided to not individually model the spirals and chose to make a base mesh of the cage and then apply a diffuse texture, with transparency to see through. A normal map to give all the spirals a bit of depth (it might need exaggerating more with a displacement). As well as a specularity map to give it a glint of light on some of the edges. Obviously still a work in progress, but I am looking forward to the finished result with all the blue links on as well.

Render

Blocking

I have started mocking up a very quick scene to get some of the proportions right. At this stage it is extremely crude, but it's helping to lay the foundations of the area. Some objects don't fit together properly or match up with others. But its there as a template, I need to fine the camera angle more to better match the reference photo.

New Project: Tunisian Courtyard

After finishing my underground project I needed something else to get my claws into. I am starting a new project and this time it challenges me some more.

A year ago I visited Tunisia with my lovely girlfriend. A lot of the scenery is quite nice and some of the ruins at Carthage had some great texture to them. However it was in Sidi Bou Said, where I discovered some real gems. All the buildings were painting in white and blue which sounds quite odd but makes the place look really pretty and uniform.

In this one particular area is a museum of traditional dress, furniture and architechture and a nice courtyard. Its here that is the project.

This is my favourite image of the courtyard and I intend to recreate it in 3D. I might extend the right of the image to incorporate something original but still fitting with the image.

I also have other reference images which I will use to create statues, tiles, chairs, tables, signs, bird cages (They have lots of birdcages in tunisia)

What looks like a glorified rotoscoping of the images, is actually a visual guide to help with polygons in the scene. Which areas will be dense, which areas are quite sparse. It also helps to work out compromises and also just generally break down the scene into its different components.

I think the challenging components for this project will be the plants and foliage (something which I have little experience with) and also I think it will be harder to craft the realism compared to say indoor images. Things like the statues, pottery and plants will also help me to become better with the pipeline between Maya and Mudbox for sculpting and hopefully try some texture painting.

Finished Underground Scene

I have posted this nearly everywhere else, so I may as well post the finished result here.

If you want to see a higher resolution version, it can be seen on my website here:
The Underground

Close to Finished

With feedback from close friends and the CG Society Thread I post to, I have developed the scene more and more. Details are really making it pop now. The scene looks unfinished but it is to be edited in Photoshop to really bring it to life.

I would also like to take this opportunity to plug my own website for anyone that doesn't know about it. Its recently had a few changes so it looks a bit sleeker now thanks to the new logo.

Liam Kirkman 3D Artist

You can also follow me on Twitter for updates on my work.

Liam Kirkman on Twitter

The difference between a render and post production

This is a current render of the scene without any additional post work

This image is very close to the final look I am after for the shot. It is looking very moody and I am liking some of the lighting. Although there is still a bit more work to be done in Maya. As well as rendering out a few different passes (which will be a small challenge in itself) for Main Diffuse, Material ID, Specular, and Depth for creating effective blurring at long distance and for dust and dirt in the air. 

Getting there...

Some significant changes since my last post. I have been away for at least a week so I'm ready to carry on with this project and finish it. Most important things to do are the Train shaders/textures (I would say most difficult to get looking right) and finishing the lighting so all the details can be seen.