Three head images - Thanks!

[Mik]

I'm trying to take a bit more time over my images searching for that elusive 'professional' look in anticipation of my purchase of 1.5(in the new year!).
Please feel free to slate or commend as you wish. :)
Thanks

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1038223681gtz.jpg

Mik

<font color="#949494" size="1"> November 27, 2002 Message edited by: Mik </font>

[ztevie-rae]

The effort you made to take your time ,
was well worth it Mik .
Your image as....clarity ,focus and intensity .
121 :The eyes could do with a bit more shadow for depth, especially the eye on the right that's in shadow.

Great peice of work bud,keeping on this road
,and I'm sure you'll reach your goal pretty soon. ;) :tu: :tu: :tu:

Stevie_rae.

<font color="#949494" size="1"> November 25, 2002 Message edited by: ztevie-rae </font>

[The Namek]

it looks really good , Mik
Only the alpha bump on his chest at the bottom left is a bit weird. Not sure why it's there.

[Mik]

Thanks for the comments guys, I'm on a bit of a roll today, here's another.
The base primitive was a spherinder 3D.
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1038233570vsp.jpg

Again please nitpick, i'm on a bit of a self evaluation here.

Mik

[The Namek]

now that is one ugly fellow. :)
I'm not really sure what could be changed about him , maybe some more variation in skin color (especially on the forehead)

[TVeyes]

I like the first image, the colours fit nicely and the modelling is also great, most of the detailing is good but i'm not overly fond of the bumps on the shoulder. Either it's because they are too small or because they are not equal in sizes ( comparing left and right shoulder) I prefer the bumps on the right side of the picture. But still a really good picture with excellent focus. :tu:

I like the eyes/facial expression in the second image and the details are great looking. But as was said the colors are a bit to uniform.

Great images nonetheless :tu: :tu:

Can't wait till you get a handful of Zspheres to play with ;)

[Mik]

Thanks for the feedback, it really does help a lot.
Here's one more, a lighting test:
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1038323932ncz.jpg
Cheers
Mik

[JOHNVQ3]

:) nice light effects on this 3rd image Mik :cool: :tu:

[Mahlikus The Black]

Excellent Lighting Mik!
Awesome! I have noticed a big step up in your search for the 'professional' look in these man. Good Job.
I tell you what, when you do get 1.5, your going to cry at how beautiful the ray and ap settings make your image lighting that much more realistic. I never really noticed until I started playing around with them.
I cant wait to see what you do with 1.5 buddy! ;) :tu: :tu: :tu: :cool:

Okay, one thing I noticed for some 121. Do use the anti-aliasing featire in your renders pallette? If so, do you have the color adjustment turned on for best render? The AA at best render doesnt apply unless this is turned on. I also like to set the AA to blur-30 : edge-100 : sample size-3. But then again, working in AA-Half Down mode lets me turn Rendered AA off..lol.
I bring this up because I think I see jaggies though I dont know if it is jpg compression or what.

<font color="#949494" size="1"> November 26, 2002 Message edited by: Mahlikus The Black </font>

[s borg]

Mik,
I know how you feel,man.
I got them 'aint got ZBrush 1.5 yet' blues :)
Still, the excellent 1.23b demo makes up for it till then, how many other apps demo let you save out the finished image? not many i guess.
Your 3 images?
all very cool,
the 1st one.... i like the coloring/texturing.
the 2nd...very cheeky little monster.
the 3rd..moody lighting.
i look forward to seeing more.
keep pushing it dude.

[Denture Cream]

Mik,

The detail in the first image stands out from the other two. The face is the most refined (great textures, especially the teeth, and very few jagged edges.)

The characterization in the second one is great (he's Yoda's abusive stepfather. "What I did tell you about the force using it, hmmm?") The top of the eyes might have too much shadow / blur applied to them. In the images by The Big Showoffs (Ken Brilliant, Le Discot, Marcel, Southern ... The crispness of detail is everywhere. When you have 1.5+, you probably won't need to use the the 2.5D brushes for touch up work as much.

The third image has good, creepy lighting. The eyes seem flat, though, (like painted on rather than using a 3dSphere) and suffers from those annoying jaggies (again, something that is less of a hassle with 1.5).

I think you acheived that professional look you're after with the top image.

Spending more time sharpening the detail in the Yoda Beater's eyes, and smoothing the edges of the third picture, should help polish these offerings up as well.

Also, my favorite images in the ZBrush gallery are typically scenes, and not just heads and bodies posed. I remember your "One Man Army" submission to the ZBrush 1.5 Contest, and was impressed with the amount of attention you put in the setting. Very cool!

I feel characters interacting with or existing as a part of a complete environment are what push images from well done to professional.

Of course, by the time all the elements are modeled, textured, and snapshot to the canvas, the overdose of monitor and CPU radiation will make your eyes bleed and your hair fall out onto the keyboard and cling to the left button of your mouse, but, hey, all in a months work ;) . Which, incidentally, could be one of the reasons professionals are such a reclusive bunch, seemingly obsessed with finding beauty in the grotesque -- it's how they deal with the side effects of working on a machine all day.

Just be careful what you wish for . . .

Anyway, enough of that. Thanks for sharing these images :D :tu:

<font color="#949494" size="1"> November 26, 2002 Message edited by: Denture Cream </font>

[Mik]

Thanks for the feedback people, very helpful indeed. :tu: :tu: :tu:
I've always been missing that killer 'wow' factor from most of the images I post so i'll take all suggestions on board with gratitude.

ZTevie: It's always nice to get some feedback from a master, cheers (the tenner is in the post!)

Mahlikus: Thanks for the AA info (not Alcoholics anonymous I hope!) it's something I've rarely used (figures!) but will have to investigate.

Denture Cream: LOL, Yoda's abusive stepfather, i'm cracking up!! I agree about the complete scene, i'm building up towards it. I'm glad someone liked that competition entry....... :D :D
I'll have to work on the eyes, I usually just put them on a seperate layer an paint straight on.

Thanks to all again!
Mik

[Stargo]

Great images, Mik :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:

stargo

[DM]

1 and 3 are excellent work, time well spent, and great progress. :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:
Dave

[picsas]

keep up the good work, i like the details that you have put into these images, the lips, the hair. Sometimes to make an image better you just, keep going at it, adding more and more details, books like inquis exterminatus, can give you loads of ideas for that.