Lol ya I started thinking about that 20 is alot and optional would be good 
Well done RayVelcoro!
Thx y’all!
Well done!
Hello everyone,
I hope you had Happy Holidays.
Sorry this is going to be a short one, being gone for a few weeks really put me behind at work. I usually try to read what everyone is doing with their image in the entries thread. This time I didn’t, sorry if I missed some things.
Flying Banana – Cue Smithing
At 1st glance I thought this was a photo, Great job modeling and shading. I know time is an obstacle, some wear and tear will really enhance the photorealism (if that is what you wanted to go for). Great Job!
Fcharr – On the verge
I love the colored fan blades. (Just went to Google to see if computer fans like this exist, they do, I want some now). I am currently “on the verge” of building my new computer. Nice Job!
ARC9 – Blender
… and what a great tool it is. I love the colors, Reminds me of an old Video Copilot tutorial I saw many years ago. Simple and well executed. Good Job!
3dnotguru – Best Tool
Haha definitely hit the nail on the head with this. This is by far the most important tool. It took me a minute to see what the carving in the wood said. It would be just a little easier to read with the camera tilted down a little. Good job.
OLG – Super Power Tool
Oh my, this reminds me of a NETFLIX doc I saw a couple years ago. I think it was called “the bomb”. It shows all the declassified footage of Atomic / Hydrogen bombs, underground, above ground and atmospheric test. It incredibly frightening. Good job on the image.
RayVelcoro – Swiss Army Knife
Beautiful model and render. I saw what you wrote about lighting and I could not agree more. Another thing I would like to note about photorealism is imperfections. I think some smudges and small grime would help the image tremendously. Great job. Congrats on the win.
Sid_J – A needle for a hundred pins
Good job on the shading, I like the plastic cover and how the pins are arranged. Did you use physics or did you manually place them?
Purbosky – Concentric Apparatus
I really like this scene. I love the rolled up paper and the small Blender logo on the eraser and ruler. Not much to critique, I think you did a great job.
Maelys031 – The ultimate tool
Yes I agree money just might be the ultimate tool. I think the picture is a little too dark, also some back lighting might help things pop out a little more. It’s a little hard to tell what is going on.
Atomvar – Optical Mouse
Haha I like the pun. That mouse seems scary to me. I think I will stick with my normal boring mouse for now.
Peacful whate – weekend challenge
Nice job with the keyboard, I really like the lighting on the side of the buttons. To help the image a little more I would add a back wall and turn down the glossiness on the wood table. Good Job.
David Speer – Stage for a new dawn
I love when you do scenes like this. Great mood lighting and again looks like something that I would print and hang up. Great job.
Green3d – man of tools
Good job with the modeling. I recently got my 1st tool box and some tools for Christmas. Its funny how things you could care less about as a kid become your favorite thing as an adult.
Midnightcpu – creation from 3D
Awesome job with the modeling. I like how the printer is printer Suzanne. I see its printing Blender 2.8, was 2.8 used for this scene?
Millani – forbidden knowledge
Beautiful atmosphere. I love the idea and the execution. I would love to see your portfolio. Do you have a website or ArtStation?
Vaukalak – Toos Case
Ahhhh yes, this is very close to all our Tools for the job. I love the cup of coffee (in fact brb going to get some……. ) Ok I am back now, on to the critique. Great job with the modeling and shading. I really like the smudges on the glass. Good job.
Nitram_2000: Eveolution or war tools
Nice image, and very scary to see how the weapons advance over the years. Wonder what the next super weapon will be?
Helge – Im a doctor
I don’t understand the title but I love the image. I really like the stitching and the mood of the image. As always great job.
Photox: Crafted
I am not saying this is my favorite image of yours but you really seem to be getting better and better every challenge. I love the wood shavings, fantastic job, I am curious of your technique. I tried doing a similar scene and I couldn’t get the shavings as nice as yours. Was a particle system used? What about the big clump of shavings?
Robert T – Flat head dread
Very cool trippy image. I always love your color schemes. I am curious at what point in the process do you decide on the colors you’re going to use? Is this decided before you even start the image?
Sorry this was so short, I will give some better critiques next week. Now I just have to figure out what I am going to do for “My Hometown”.
Cheers.
6 Likes
It was mostly 2.8 had to use 2.79 to get the bolts because I can’t find them in 2.8.
To think of it I might be able to get the bolts in 2.8 by importing the script from 2.79 won’t know until I try. 
Bolt factory is a add-on for 2.79 so I’m thinking import the file as an add-on like all the other add-ons I only did a little scripting so I only know like the basics I don’t know if it will work
Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for taking the time (again) :-).
It is my version of an old plague doctor’s mask, which was in use when the Black Death was spreading all over Europe. The title is a popular reference to Star Trek - The Original Series. 
1 Like
Thank you, I hope the meaning of the knife came through.
I do have a DeviantArt account, but I post basically my entries of the weekend challenge there 
(btw, why are your comments out of order? oO Do you follow the entry thread?)
Yes and No, I try to write down what I am going to say as people post their images, but with WIP’s and people changing their idea’s, it makes it tricky. So my “rough draft” is from the entries thread and then I “polish” it on the voting thread. So things will be out of order from time to time.
and I am sorry, I do not get the meaning of the knife. I think I have an idea, but to save myself from embarrassment I will just ask for its meaning.
Well, if you look through the window you can see some bars. That is supposed to be a fence. Some of the bars are bent, which is a sign that someone got in without the key to the gate. The knife, stuck on the wood, is supposed to be a threat. I wanted to make a letter below it, but didn’t have time. That’s why the entry is called “Forbidden Knowledge”, since the person practicing alchemy was annoying the wrong people.
1 Like
@icyou520 thanks. Yeah I hoped to have enough time to unwrap and texture pain in some wear and tear on the lathe. Along with some shavings and other cue parts. But skipped the shavings as photox’s would have made mine just look like noise. But I am currently unwrapping and getting ready to start the wear and tear then maybe put it up on my artstation page or at least the finished works threads here.
2 Likes
Thanks for the comments and your question!
I often decide early on, in terms of the overall “look” of a piece.
It’s probably more accurate for me to say that the piece itself (once I have a strong concept/visual in mind) tends to decide where it wants to go, if I’m allowing things to develop naturally so as to allow the visual to find its own final form rather than force it into something less than it could be.
I do find pre-visualization (just in terms of lengthy imagining, before doing anything) can really help a project come together and perhaps, at times, even achieve some kind of appreciable holistic energy, conceptually and aesthetically.
Even so, I do often try to maintain some experimental stance throughout nearly every project and across multiple live previews/renders.
Sometimes the final appearance can take quite a while, with a lot of adjustments (material, lighting, world, etc.) and “failures” until everything gets to where I want it, and other times (not frequently enough) a piece can come together fairly quickly
I also enjoy developing monochromatic pieces on a periodic basis.
For this piece, I wanted something of a borderline “queasy” / uneasy dreamy yet nightmarish surreal palette, with somewhat of a slight nod to Dali with the wavering / bending screwdriver (a la Dali’s melting clocks).
RobertT
2 Likes
Thank you for your comments
Thank you for the kind words. Really pushed my poor computer with this scene but happy with it.
They are frightening tools of statecraft.
First, I coded a script to do the following:
- duplicate a pin, choosing ball material randomly from some preset;
- randomly assign position above the box (so that pins do not permeate);
- repeat 100 times.
Then I used physics to drop them in the box. Finally, I had to remove those that reached unrealistic/really awkward positions. Also the top of the box has been placed using physics.
1 Like
Thank you! I had a lot of fun making this one.
Honestly I was a bit worried trying to bring the colors of night and day together without having the traditional dawn transition colors to balance it.