Cinema 4D

In the time since my last Props post I have converted fully from PC to Mac.  Actually, it's a Hack-a-Mac, but it's virtually the same thing.

That created a bit of a problem.  For 3D purposes I trained myself to use Rhino 3D fairly well.  I liked the program, but there wasn't much support for it out there in the way of tutorials, user community, etc.  Not like with 3DSMax, which has a HUGE user/support base, but is technically kind of a mess.  The problem is that neither of these programs are available for Mac (a problem I've encountered more than once).

So I needed a new Mac-based solution - one with the ease-of-use and intuitive GUI inherent to Rhino as well as the online community of 3DSMax.

Enter Cinema 4D.

I've been playing around with it for about a week now and decided it was time to try my hand at a tutorial.  As easy as the thing is to use, there's still a bit of a learning curve.  So I picked the intro tutorial over at Greyscale Gorilla's site and here are the results:

(click to enlarge)

Basically, it's a 3D render of a bunch of randomized spheres.  I cranked up the anti-aliasing, saved it as a TIF, then ported it over to Photoshop and added a slight vignette and adjusted the curves.  Now that I look at it again I probably saturated it a bit much.  But I never was that good with curves.  Guess I need some practice.

So that's it for now.  I'll continue playing around with this software.  If I come up with anything interesting I'll be sure to post it here.

UPDATE:

The next tutorial was all about Gamma.  The idea is that the default gamma in Cinema 4D is set at 1, but most monitors are set at 2.2.  So you have to adjust your render settings to reflect this.  It all has to do with lighting and falloff, which as a result affects reflection as well.  Take a look:

You can see that it opens up the light quite a bit.  The decreased falloff increases the strength of the light over distance.  It also allows for more realistic color reflection.  Note that the reflected spheres are purple-ish in color. 

Keep in mind that there isn't an actual "light" element in the 3D file.  Everything is reflecting the background sky, which in this case is a simple studio setup with  a couple of kinos opposite each other.

Tutorial: Great Prop Photos

The following is a cut-and-paste from Boba Debt's excellent (and now defunct) prop site:

Let me start by saying that I am not a photographer nor have I ever had any formal photograpy training.

A lot of you ask me how I get such good pictures of my props for my web site.

Here are some methods that I use to get good pictures.

THE BASICS

1. Buy a good digital camera. I use an Olympus D-450. I splurged and bought a macro lens set, rechargeable batteries, a tri pod and Flash Path floppy adapter for reading the smart media. 

2. Shoot against a white back drop. Here is my set up. I pull the sheet tight with clamps. 

3. Use white light to get rid of shadows. As you can see in the picture above I have 1 light pointing behind the blaster. This eliminates the shadows that the front lights create. 

4. Use SHQ to get a prep shot. This is a smaller file size. Once you have the right picture with the correct lighting do tip 5.

5. Use TIFF format for the final shot. Large file but very detailed and easier to edit. 

6. Use the time delay if you have it. Even a slight shake will blur the photo. By using the time delay the camera will have time to settle before it takes the picture. 

7. Move the front lighting during the time delay. I have found that even a slight variation of your lights will change the picture. During the time delay you will be able to manipulate the lights to get the optimal picture. 

EDITING TIPS

I use Adobe PhotoShop Deluxe. 

1. Edit the photo in its original size. Don't reduce it until you have it looking good when it is big. 

2. Cut the object out of the background with white lines. It may be tempting to use a fill tool but this will give you fuzzy edges.

3. Eliminate the entire background with pure white. I cut and paste a white block from Corel Draw to use as my back ground color. This ensures that it is not tinted an off white color. Then I make sure that I eliminate all of the back ground with this color. You can use a line that is 100 pica wide to get rid of most of it, then use the brush for the small areas. 

4. Reduce the photo to a manageable size. 

5. Rotate the picture a few degrees back and forth to blend lines. Sometimes the picture will look edited once it is reduced. If you rotate it a few degrees and them rotate it back to the correct position it will blend the picture and make it look more natural. 

6. Make sure you use the Sharpen tool if you need it. 

7. Save your work constantly. 

That's it, never had a class but I can take pictures all night long until it looks good.

3D Mugs

I've been going through as many tutorials as possible in Rhino 3D. Sometimes the results make me giddy, as is the case here.

The tutorial I was working emphasized color, ambient light and reflectivity. Basically, it involved changing the surface values and transparencies so that you see the difference between, say, a milky, ceramic mug and one made of glass.

Here is the result of changing a couple of values. I had no idea my software was this cool. (Click for a closer view!)

And here's what happens when we lower the lights and change the light emission values on the mugs. Coffee, anyone?

Yeah, I know. It's just a bunch of mugs. But it's a bunch of mugs that I made in my computer! Trust me. This is all leading up to awesome stuff. Baby steps.