troc's CGPortoflio Gallery

Silent Spring

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 21:29:52 +0000

The Story:
May 26 th, 2009 - Malopolska - Southern Poland - Mid size ship carrier hovers over Wierzbanowa village - reconnaissance teams onboard of several small multipurpose scout ships are about to directly examine Earth's life forms and check closely the spot that was chosen for settlement of first colony base.
Scout Ships levitate thanks to antigravitational field generators. If you look on right corner, you may notice how ship generated force field interacts with environment - it lays down rye plants while ship approaches the ground - the filed force rises gradually and close to the fuselage it is hard as the steel although remains invisible - this phenomena is the reason why ships shapes are not very aerodynamic - aerodynamic of the hull does not matter, as it is completely sheltered by force filed.
About the scene:
Made with the latest e-on's Vue 5 Infinite 3D software
http://www.e-onsoftware.com/Products/vue5infinite/?Page=0
Aliens Ships modeled in Cinema 4D - this was the most time consuming part - I already have models of small ships, but I needed also a bigger one - as I decided to make it quite detailed, (here you can't see all details, but it will be better displayed on next scenes) so it took some time to complete this scene - however considering that I worked on it only on weekends and evenings after work, so two week preparation time is quite short.
This scene was born while I was playing with Vue 5 Infinite ecosystems - after I gained some experience designing simpler ecosystems, I decided to check if it would be possible to build much more complex ecosystem - whole village - with fields, trees, plantations, roads. I designed a simple grayscale seamless bitmap - different shades of gray controlled application of several basic ecosystem materials : Forest on hills, Pasturages on lower parts and village on lowland with Roads, Plantations, Houses
House ecosystem was build using several buildings modeled by Alain Gracia. I Applied on them special textures that randomly change color, depending on location of a house, so you can get more differentiated ecosystem with only a couple of houses.
I also used several small props from De Espona 3D Encyclopedia
http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/books/design/all/facts/03804.htm
Vue 5 Infinite ecosystems are simply unbelievable - in my opinion, this is the most interesting feature I ever saw in a 3D software, really easy to use - you apply ecosystem materials like simple materials - the only difference is that you don't get only a new material on your objects, but also ecosystem objects are placed.
Great concept!
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No One Was Watching...

Thu, 12 Aug 2004 15:33:13 +0000

"No one was watching..."
...their landing. Their first scout ships arrived at dawn, but only a handful of humans was still alive. Not on Earth, but far away, on the invaders mother ship - behind Moon's orbit. Lucky were those few taken 8 months ago. They were kept as specimens of a race that have to be slaughtered.
Invaders did not want to destroy Earth, its biosphere was just what they needed, it was the purpose of their long journey. They have only to get rid of potential thread posed by humans. Although primitives, but still dangerous. Invaders were preoccupied by thread posed by nuclear missiles. They have not being prepared to wage an open war with a technical civilization, and a single low yield nuclear warhead could easily destroy any of their ship.
They left their home planet over 20000 years ago, they knew their destination thanks to robots that transmitted them a very detailed information about Earth. However by a strange coincidence, no robot succeed to identify stone age humans as a specie that could quickly develop to technical civilization, which now posed a thread that have to be dismissed.
Just six month earlier, they started sending on Earth drones that spread deadly virus all over continents. Of course, drone ships were well protected against Earth's tracking radar systems. However, few malfunctioning drones crashed and remains of one have being discovered on hills surrounding Zaisan Lake. They have being even correctly identified, so humanity could learn the cause of mysterious disease that since few weeks proliferated at alarming rate. Yet, it was too late. Almost every human already have being infected by a masterpiece of genetic engineering.
Virus was extremely resistant so it could easily spread with dust or water, and was stealthy - it didn't kill its host during months, but very effective - after gestation period it quickly overwhelmed nerve system - a couple of days after apparition of first flue like symptoms, victims have being paralyzed, then fallen in coma and died. This was the best way to make place for new masters of Blue Planet - clean, quiet and effective. Other specimens of Earth biosphere did not pose a real thread to invaders. Therefore, they did not have to be targeted.
It was the darkest hour of human race, but the rest of Earth's biosphere could finally take a new breath after centuries of extermination imposed by homo sapiens ( sapiens ? - only this arrogant specie could name itself "intelligent").
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Fortunately, for you and me, it is only a fiction - I hope I did not scare you too much
This is my first post on CGTalk - previously I posted on Renderosity.
City blocks are from Ajax & Moebius fabulous DYSTOPIA CITY
Ships are from 3D Cafe, and "De Espona 500 3D Objects"
Harbor structures, Alien Scout Ships and Aliens are mine.
Sky is pure Vue volumetric atmosphere with only one cloud layer of my design.
I have to use many additional lights to simulate global lighting and some light reflects typical to radiosity, which Vue doesn't support (yet). Original scene was rendered in huge size 5400 pixels wide.
The story will continue.... (if you like it)
Cheers ! :-))
Robert

In Peace We Came

Mon, 18 Oct 2004 22:16:09 +0000

THE STORY:
It was during the late create era that Hrnian armada arrived into Solar System - they were peaceful explorers endeavoring interstellar trips only for one purpose - gathering of the knowledge. All their philosophy was based on learning about all form of life and exploration of different ecosystems. Probably it originated from their old religion, which imposed the research for origins. Hrnians did not evolved on the Hrn planet on which their new history begun - there was no clues, no records, that could suggest what happened, why they appeared on Hrn, when, and from where their ancestors came. Later, when they developed their civilization and discovered this fact, research for the planet from which their ancestors arrived became their obsession.
After arrival on Earth they established a colony.
High level of Earth's atmosphere oxygen was poisonous to Hrinians, that's why they were obliged to wear protection suites, which protect them also against all kind of microbes and parasites. On the left you can see a small landing ship - one of a dozen on which they arrived on Earth. In distance, on the right, you can see their colony. The picture was taken just a couple of years after the landing, so colony was still relatively small and served mainly as a base for small ships carrying scientific teams to all regions where research works were undergoing.
During next 740 years Hrnians prepared to next interstellar step, to a star distant of 35 light years from the Solar Sytem. They did not aim to stay on the Earth - after they renew and refueled their ship (which stayed on solar orbit behind the asteroid belt) they settled out for next trip.
ABOUT THE SCENE:
Scene was made & rendered in Vue 4.5 Pro - Hrnians and their ship were modeled in Cinema 4D, base was build in Vue from primitives or simple shapes made in Cinema. I used here many original plants that I made with Vue 4.5 Pro plant editor. Dinosaurs models are from Vue, as well as all rocks & terrains edited inside Vue. I made an original atmosphere - this is a standard model - but still looks good. As this scene was made with Vue 4.5 Pro I have to simulate global lighting with several additional lights (suns) Almost no postwork on the scene - only some reduction of color and blur/unsharp filter.
Hope you'll like it ! :-))
TroC (czarnyrobert)
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Thu, 07 Jul 2005 13:39:40 +0000

"The little steamer was already flapping her way eastward of the big crescent of shipping, and the low Essex coast was growing blue and hazy, when a Martian appeared, advancing along the muddy coast from the direction of Foulness.
Then, far away beyond the Crouch, came another, striding over some stunted trees, and then yet another, still farther off, wading deeply through a shiny mudflat that seemed to hang halfway up between sea and sky. They were all stalking seaward, as if to intercept the escape of the multitudinous vessels that were crowded between Foulness and the Naze. In spite of the throbbing exertions of the engines of the little paddle-boat, and the pouring foam that her wheels flung behind her, she receded with terrifying slowness from this ominous advance.
A vast iron bulk like the blade of a plough tore through the water, tossing it on either side in huge waves of foam leaped towards the steamer. Big iron upperworks rose out of this headlong structure, and from that twin funnels projected and spat a smoking blast shot with fire. It was the torpedo ram, "Thunder Child", steaming headlong, coming to the rescue of the threatened shipping. The "Thunder Child" fired no gun, but simply drove full speed towards them. It was probably her not firing that enabled her to get so near the enemy as she did. Martians did not know what to make of her. One shell, and they would have sent her to the bottom forthwith with the Heat-Ray.
Suddenly the foremost Martian lowered his tube and discharged a canister of the black gas at the ironclad. It hit her larboard side and glanced off in an inky jet that rolled away to seaward, an unfolding torrent of Black Smoke, from which the ironclad drove clear.
Another Martian raised the camera-like generator of the Heat-Ray. He held it pointing obliquely downward, and a bank of steam sprang from the water at its touch. It must have driven through the iron of the ship's side like a white-hot iron rod through paper.
A flicker of flame went up through the rising steam, and then the Martian reeled and staggered. In another moment he was cut down, and a great body of water and steam shot high in the air. The guns of the "Thunder Child" sounded through the reek, going off one after the other..."
H.G Wells (1898)
About the scene :
I modeled Martians and Thunder Child in Cinema 4D. The scene was assembled in Vue 5 Infinite. Sky is a bitmap made from several photos, water is a procedural terrain with "open ocean" function applied, smoke was made using numerous spheres with fuzzy material. Distant paddle boat is taken from 500 3D Objets Encyclopedia by De Espona/Taschen. Radiosity lighting was used in this scene.
My apologies to all my supporters for not posting scenes since march! Modeling of Martian War Machines and ship took quite a long time. But now I can use my own Martian Walkers for new War of the Worlds scenes - I hope you'll like this series!
You can check Hi-Res version of the scene in my gallery on Renderosity.
Take care & be prepared! They are coming!
With compliments to British Royal Navy!
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War Of The Worlds - Men Hunting

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 00:03:21 +0000

STORY:
And as the day came they became aware of a fighting-machine standing near by the Langham and looking down at them.
Seen nearer, the Thing was incredibly strange. Machine it was, with a ringing metallic pace, and long, flexible, glittering tentacles swinging and rattling about its strange body and the brazen hood that surmounted it moved to and fro with the inevitable suggestion of a head looking about. Behind the main body was a huge mass of white metal like a gigantic fisherman's basket.
Heaven knows how long he had been there. It must have given some of them a nasty turn. He came down the road towards them, and picked up nearly a hundred too drunk or frightened to run away.
Strange as it may seem to a human being, all the complex apparatus of digestion, which makes up the bulk of our bodies, did not exist in the Martians. They were heads - merely heads. Entrails they had none.
They did not eat, much less digest. Instead, they took the fresh, living blood of other creatures, and injected it into their own veins. I have myself seen this being done. Let it suffice to say, blood obtained from a still living animal, in most cases from a human being, was run directly by means of a little pipette into the recipient canal.
The bare idea of this is no doubt horribly repulsive to us, but at the same time I think that we should remember how repulsive our carnivorous habits would seem to an intelligent rabbit.
A Martian has only to go a few miles to get a crowd on the run. And I saw one, one day, out by Wandsworth, picking houses to pieces and routing among the wreckage. But they won't keep on doing that. So soon as they've settled all our guns and ships, and smashed our railways, and done all the things they are doing over there, they will begin catching us systematic, picking the
best and storing us in cages and things. That's what they will start doing in a bit.
Lord! They haven't begun on us yet.
H.G. Wells 1898 "War of the Worlds"
ABOUT THE SCENE:
If you want to learn how I made this scene, please visit "SCENES" section of my website (I am still working on the "Making of the Men Hunting" - so some elements are missing yet, and it may happen that page don't open due to transfer limits - if it occurs, just try later.)
To build the 1900 London I used mainly Alain Garcia's buildings (available at Cornucopia 3D), Poser 4 Low Polygon man & horse, narwik's bridge, Bernard Dumas Renault G, and some other stuff from the net (more credits & links on my website)
www.graphique3d.republika.pl
If there is something you would like to know about this scene that is not mentioned on my website's article, just let me know - as I said I am still working on "the making of", so I can add some further explanations.
I hope you will like this picture.
Take care :-)
Robert
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Striders Migration

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 21:20:28 +0000

THE STORY
This scene is continuation of the story started with my previous picture "Striders in the Sun" - Striders are considered by ET069 Planet indigenous civilization as sacred animals and festivities take place during yearly migration of striders. Striders occupy this special place in ET069 civilization culture probably due to its very important role in development of indigenous civilization. Huge cocoons produced by striders larvae are composed of a kind of polymer like plastic. Since antiquity, this material was used by natives to produce their tools and even as construction material.
ABOUT THE SCENE :
Scene made with Vue 5 Infinite - Most of modeling was done in Cinema 4D, Aliens were assembled in Poser from various pieces - among them excellent eazy pose tentacle by Ajax. The rest is Vue - plantation was done using Vue plant editor and ecosystems - ecosystem was used also for rocks, and aliens & striders herds. All texturing done from scratch in Vue, mainly procedural textures were used. I used radiosity lighting model with one main sun light and one additional sun light to simulate sun glow lighting. Two additional directional lights - one for Aliens, one for Striders.
Rendered with Vue 5.
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Striders In The Sun

Wed, 12 Jan 2005 23:31:46 +0000

THE STORY :
In the calm dawn of a fresh morning, striders reappeared. Those majestic & big but skittish creatures came back for feeding. Their planet is located in central regions of Milky way, where distances between stars are much shorter
than on galactic peripheries where Earth�s Sun can be found. In such highly crowded region, gravitational interactions between stars are frequent � since several hundred years striders home planet orbit started to shift slightly
as consequence of close passage of a star. It resulted in profound climatic changes and destruction of natural habitats of many species. Indigenous civilization tries to protecting their endangered species. In feeding generators synthetic organisms are quickly grown on hydrocarbon nutrient.
ABOUT THE SCENE:
Set & rendered in Vue 4.5 Pro - feeders were made from double terrains & boolean operations on primitives, alien plants were obtained by assembling of cactus & corals designed in Vue Plant Editor. Distant city was build from... tableware shipped with Vue :-)
(simplest solutions are the best!)
- 350 objects
- 4.5 mln polygons
- 15 lights
Credits go to :
Darkworld Designs for Land Strider model in poser format (I applied a totally new
texture)
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War Of The Worlds - Desolate Harbor

Sat, 13 Nov 2004 13:08:33 +0000

(Made with Vue d'Esprit 5.02)
At the end of XIX century an Italian astronomer Giovanni V. Shiparelli presents a map of Mars - it is very detailed; however, details on Giovanni map are rather effect of his luxuriant imagination than of a reliable scientific work. Giovanni puts on his map numerous straight lined "canali" which resulted in idea that Mars is inhabited by intelligent life forms who build such huge structures - this idea gets a strong support form another astronomer Percieval Lowell who presents even more detailed and fancy map with hundreds of channels... Inspired by those ideas, H.G Wells writes in 1898 his famous novel "The War of the Worlds"- about Martians invading Earth.
It must be noticed that Mars surface seen from Earth, even with the best XX century telescopes, is very blurry and shows very few details. It was 40 years ago (on November 28th 1964) that the American probe Mariner 4 was launched, and in July next year sent us the first detailed pictures of Mars surface. No channels, only craters on this cold desert world.
This is my first big project made with Vue 5.
During preparation of this scene I did a lot of work with texturing - especially I experimented with new Vue 5 function editor - I did a lot of mixed textures - bitmaps mixed with procedurals - ex. you take bitmapped bricks and you add some procedural fractal stains - it yields to fabulous results. I used radiosity lighting model and volumetric atmosphere.
This time I didn't model a lot - I rather used third part objects (which I completely retextured). I modeled only harbor, roads and of course, terrains. I also made the wagon model.
I used fabulous Alain Garcia buildings, lighthouse and ship.
Dogs and distant Martian Machine were imported from Poser,
Closest Martian Walker is from Derrin Proctor http://members.ozemail.com.au/~dproc2/martiantripod.htm
motorboat is from Helmut Shaub http://www.3dxtra.net/,
numerous small items are from Vue 5 object library.

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The Babylonian Rocketeer !!! (nudity)

Mon, 10 Jan 2005 22:13:31 +0000

STORY: According to terrorist's favorite news channel AlJazzira,Mighty Saddam - the proud continuator of Mandarin Wan-Hu cause - is about to achieve the dream of Icarus.
Saddam is going to reach heavens on board of his fabulous hussein mass distraction rocket tipped with a dirty warhead (eugh... even very dirty and stinky - what kind of paint did they use for the camouflage ???)
Saddam will continue the tradition started by Pioneer 10 space probe and will carry a plaque with a message to aliens. The image on the plaque depicts an inhuman character wearing a black hat and firing a shoot gun. Plaque will warn aliens against bad idea of visiting the Earth, as if they have a bad luck, they may finish like Alf, E.T. or even worse - as those poor little gray aliens from Roswell.
Saddam's shoot will be assisted by Coalition of Toonimals, because Saddam's original rocket team is actually unavailable - they are in Iran, helping Ayatollahs to build a perfectly peaceful atomic missile, which is intended for such nonviolent applications as "medicine". Ayatollahs are planning only a couple of chirurgical strikes against zionist disease - so perfectly peaceful - non military use.
Don't miss the direct broadcast of this memorable event!!!
First launch of two-stage rocket Saddam-Hussein only on AlJazzira TV - the chain which is not afraid to provide you with blasting video footages & thrilling stories from Wild East.
So who is the next candidate for another shoot?
Only in January sales promotion on space trips for tyrans & fundamentalists !!! Up to 50% !!!
World will be a better place without them!!!
ABOUT THE SCENE:
Set and rendered in Vue 5
Some objects modeled in Cinema 4D (Hussein Missile, Bamboo launch pad, Von Braun's book, lamp, torch, rope, bricks, pipe
Some others in Vue ("ODRA1003" Cyber-machine, Antgas tank truck, stool, flames (volumetric material)
Toonimals by DAZ3D
Free Ants, Deer & Moon by Ming
Mousemobile by ockham
Helmets & other small accessories from 3DCafe
Happy New Year 2005 to all CGTalk folks !
May the humour & creativity be with you !
:-))
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