Anybody got any tips to make my final piece look better?

Artwork Focused Critiques
#1

I just about finished adding everything to my Portal Gun, anybody got any feedback that could improve the quality, I would greatly appreciate it.

Final Portal Render
Final Portal Render3840×2160 370 KB

I have a turn table animation in my scene, anybody got any tips on how to render animations really quickly?

I tried rendering an animation in college, it took around 6 minutes, it got to frame 300 and I thought it was finished because nothing was happening, so then when I opened the avi file the full 5 seconds worked, but then when I closed it, it didn’t anybody know why this happened?

Willing to talk more, peace

#2

Realism notes:
The aperature logo is a bit skewed i think

The green glow could use some filtering or maybe some noise distortion.

For the rendering best practice is to render in image sequences (tiff,openexr,png) so you never get surprised at the end by a failed render and you can restart from the last frame. For playback of image sequences i sugget djv viewer (i think thats the name its open source and free)

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#3

Do you think you could explain filtering, noise distortion and image sequences a bit more or know any good tutorials about them?

#4

Basically if you used and emision shader you can get some variety by adding a noise node to the strength property. Also adding a color ramp to the color node and if you want you can add another noise node to the fac property of the ramp node.

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#5

When I add a noise node I get this horrible green effect though.

capture1.PNG
capture1.PNG1231×810 130 KB

#6

It is not strong enough now. The noise map ranges from 0 to 1. You can use a map range node after the noise to remap it to something higher.

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#7

Hey, I will attach a blend file that I made to show the node setup.

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#8

You can add a small bevel to all the black parts (except the cables), they will render nicer.

In the final image you have a lot of black parts over a black background, that make the shapes a bit hard to read. There is a lot of different ways to fix this, you may change the background a bit, or add some rim light to enhance the separation, to name a few.

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#9

Thanks for the help guys but in my report theres a what went less well section so I think I’ll keep anything that doesn’t look that good in and rendering animations is a bit mind boggling for me, I finally got a rendered animation of my model, so I don’t want to mess anymore with it.

However after I submit my assignment, I’ll definitely try and improve my model with what you guys said and get back to you.

#10

Yes, learning CG and 3D can be a bit overwhelming, there is a lot of different stuff to learn and that can take some time. Eventually you’ll get better and really enjoy making cool stuff !
Anyway, it’s a good choice to leave these improvements for latter and secure what you need for your assignment.

Does your studies are related to CG / Video-games ?

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#11

Yes I am studying a level 3 Extended Diploma in Games Development, everybody else in my class uses Autodesk and Adobe but I find it too confusing, also when I am eventually out of education I would have to pay for the software myself or get a non commercial license.

So I thought that the best way forward is to learn to master the Open source programs.

If I pass this course I will be able to go on to the HNC (Higher National Certificate) and I will be able to study it at college instead of going to University which is great for me, because I don’t want to travel far or pay for train or bus tickets or anything.

#12

Cool ! Open source software become more a more a good alternative, and blender is also more and more used, it’s clever to start using it. Anyway, you also have a great opportunity to learn different software, especially in big studios chances are that adobe and autodesk products are going to stay for a long time, it’s great to have a little knowledge of them.
If you want to stick to indie or small sized projects open source is more likely to be used, or it’s easier to use another software on these productions.
If you aim for big projects / companies you may have to adapt to the software they use. They’ll have a much more complicated pipeline and may not allow you to use software you want.

But , that’s just how it tends to works now, maybe in a few years it will be different.

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#13

I’m a huge Blender fan, but everywhere I have worked used Maya for 3d and Adobe Photoshop for 2d. Substance Painter is used a lot for texturing. Yes, they are complicated, but if you want to get an industry job, it’s much easier to be successful if you know those tools.

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#15

Sounds like one of those Anime protagonist, well, we all protagonist anyway.

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#17

That’s straight up awakening right there.

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