Hey peoples, here is my first post. This is a Japanese goban that I modeled in Blender, obviously, and then rendered in LuxRender. I would like you guys to critique it. I have some ideas about it, but I want hear your opinions.
Excited.
I’m a 2 dan player and have rendered a Goban scene before. The idea was to create a 3D SGF replayer in a realistic Asian setting. (Feed in an SGF file and it spits out a rendered animation of stones smacking down on the board.)
Some general comments and questions:
- The tatami mat has a wonderful texture. How ever did you do it?
- The blend of the ancient and modern is quite interesting.
- Kifu sheets are great.
- Showing a possible Go position on the board is cool. What joseki was played out in the corner? It looks far too advantageous for black.
- Having a sign on the wall can’t go wrong.
- The asymmetrical pattern on the screen is a wonderful mimicry.
- The cramped feeling of the room is very Japan.
- Nice lotus feet.
Some critiques:
- Kaya: http://kurokigoishi.co.jp/special/images/ea1001-01.jpg
- Make the bowls out of kaya as well (when purchasing a floor board, matching Go bowls are almost mandatory).
- Rotate the textures on the bowls so that they don’t look the same.
- Likewise, vary the textures on the tatami mats to avoid the “copy/paste” look.
- The short edges of the tatami mat are strange.
- Missing (kneeling) cushions.
- The light on the clock is distracting. Also, given that there’s a kifu and beginner book on the table and a fan on the goban, the clock itself is out of place – it looks like a study session, not a competition. (Typically friends do not use clocks.)
- The pieces look cheap and plastic. Black stones are made from slate, which is not shiny glossy, but matte glossy. White stones from clamshell, which has a much more subtle pink texture, and not very opalescent.
- Bowls are usually a bit wider at the top.
- The lids lack the typical depth for holding captures (in Japanese scoring, the captures are kept).
- Perhaps something a bit symbolic for the sign, instead of a picture of a Goban? (The picture of the Goban will only emphasize any unrealistic features of the 3D Goban.)
- “The Wave” (on the fan) is a bit over-done for Japanese images; consider a different image.
- The stones are too perfectly aligned. Japanese stones are made just slightly larger than the spaces on the board they occupy. This was done deliberately to give the game a visual texture (as was the board being rectangular, which you already know). When you have stones adjacent, they should touch and shift each other out of perfect alignment.
- What is the focus of the image? Right now, the clock and stool are competing with the board.
Ideas for the sign:
Over all, stunning, fun, and a picture any Go player would be thrilled to see.
After a bit more thinking about the image, here is a sharper critique meant to encourage, rather than discourage. The image, while visually accurate, is rather unoriginal. Here is my (also unoriginal) render:
Look over some of the old Japanese artwork involving Go. Many of the pictures have a message. Some of my favourites are the ones that depict Samurai fights. So think about the message, and perhaps consider adding symbolic, or just atypical, imagery:
- Katanas on the wall; perhaps one fallen, leaning on the wall, or a broken katana blade tipped over an old pool of blood.
- Mountains (Fuji?) to represent a physical challenge, as a metaphor for the intellectual might of Go.
- A “Chess for Dummies” book, ripped up and discarded.
- The dark side of Go: bangneki… a gambler’s game in the dingy alley ways of South Korean cities.
- The pinnacle of Go: an abandoned game played within a Chinese imperial courtyard, with W “obviously” losing (by a few points); takes place in the autumn, with colourful leaves.
- A dragon, on the wall.
- Perhaps even two dragons playing Go! (Now that would be something to behold.)
- A pile of slain dragons, from the point of view of a Samurai Go player.
- A statue with its two eyes slightly emphasized.
- Read Invincible: The Games of Shusaku. Learn about the game’s history in Japan and take something from the book that inspires you.
- Read First Kyu. Create an image from the book.
- Use flat jade stones, ancient Chinese style: dark jade and light jade.
Think about the place. Go has a rich history, so much deeper than two bowls on a tatami. Honestly, the quality of your render far outstrips my measly attempt. Both images, however, are without a point, without a statement.
Think about the feeling. Perhaps try to capture that feeling that we’ve all had. The feeling of getting stronger, of vanquishing opponents in the purest of intellectual games. The exaltation of victory. Or perhaps a bluesy, rainy, outdoor scene that symbolizes the feeling of loss on two levels: the personal loss of one game and the decline of Go in the modern era.
Thank you for your reply. It was very encouraging. I too have the opinion that the image does not appear to have any focus; I just couldn’t figure out a better way to include all of the scene’s components in the render. I also agree that to Go players like you and I, the idea of a professional game, and then an instructional book off to the side, with a fan lying right on the board, just doesn’t make sense.
As an American I don’t know everything about Japanese culture, and I was slightly worried that my translation of “game of a master” would be reading from the bottom up on the poster on the wall.
The game on the board is the first 21 moves of a recent game between Lee Sedol and Gu Li. Though I am only 8k, I enjoy the magic of professional games.
BTW you said that you are 2 dan? Is that amateur or professional?
The tatami texture came from CG Textures, and I was quite pleased with it.
Thank you for your comments. Pretty cool to come across a 2d that does graphic art as well.
2d going 3D I see. 
Scene’s looking good, materials look good but the poster looks fake for some reason. And I don’t think you need “no” in “masta no ge-mu”.
Looking forward to your next update.
JoolsMcFly: It depends: do you want to say “master game” or “game of the master(s)”. The latter needs “no”. Also, the lines lengthening the katakana words should be vertical (since the text is from top to bottom). Otherwise it’s read “ichi” (as the kanji for “one”). If the whole text was horizontal, then the lines would be too. (sorry for nitpicking, I lived in Japan for a year…)
The modeling and texturing look really nice, though I’m not so sure about the camera angle. I’d place the camera a bit lower, and closer to the goban (since I guess it’s the main focus).
Really nice work overall
If the scene is a study session, perhaps toss the clock under the stool and turn it off? Try placing the fan on the stool. Also, play with shadow and light a bit more. Watch anything by Andrew Price, but especially this:
http://www.blenderguru.com/videos/how-to-create-realistic-outdoor-lighting
Another idea: cast the shadow of a Samurai holding a katana through a stream of bright volumetric light.
I am Canadian, but I’ve been to Japan twice to study Go. I am 2 dan (KGS) amateur. (While studying in Japan, I was around 4 dan KGS.)
Also, where did W play next? It is good that you study professional games, even at 8k.
The game record for this game is here:
Good stuff.
I think I’ll adjust some things, including the camera angle and add some DOF, and re-render it. Once I get that done I’ll post the render.
Thanks, guys, for noting the characters on the poster. I was fearing that they would read something whacky like “master leaf-raker.”