Anim8or Community

Nobody specified any criteria for judging.

This is absolutely true, I had no intention of saying how folks should vote and apologies if that's the way my post came across.  I haven't had time to comment in detail on all entries but I hope to do so at some stage as I am truly inspired by all of them.  The 'suitability' of each entry as a splash screen was one factor in how I voted but wasn't the only factor, I think 'Renegade' is not particularly suitable for the reasons I said in my first post.  It also doesn't highlight Anim8or's abilities as well as some other entries do, "Amplify your Vision" included.

... for such an auspicious event as the release of the long-awaited version 1.0...

This adds an interesting perspective to this 'comp'.  It's not about whose image is 'best', it's about which image works best as a splash screen for Anim8or.  Which image best exemplifies what Anim8or is, and what it can do?  If there's one thing the entries show it's how diverse a group of artists we are, and how wide the range of uses we all have for Anim8or is, and I'm not sure any single entry could possibly cover everything.  I have my favourite and I enjoyed taking part, and I'm very glad the decision isn't mine to make

I'm very pleased that the references to those other popular 3D packages weren't too subtle, you've absolutely nailed it regarding the narrative of 'Renegade'.  I only had a vague idea of the composition before constructing it, all I really had was the idea of the 'Anim8or ship', identified by its robin-esque colour scheme, and the Maya/3DS ships.  Since the 3DS and Maya logos are basically the same M/3 shape on different angles it was a no-brainer to build a ship that looked reminiscent of those logos when fore-shortened and rotated.  The Blender space station was great fun to build... and insanely satisfying to destroy.  There's definitely something Freudian in that...

FSS: Regarding your final, aside from the strong composition I think what impresses me most is how much like a hand painting it looks.  It can be really difficult to avoid the 'hard-edged' nature of CGI, your techniques in softening the background work wonderfully well in this image (I've seen your tutorial on the grass edge borders, the technique works perfectly in this image).  The rain ripples in the water and the fireflies are masterfully done!  This is an excellent piece of work with a delicate touch that belies what we know was a painstaking process to develop.

Thecolclough: Your final is a totally compelling image that is impossible to glance at, its crisp detail demands a detailed inspection.  I agree with FSS's points regarding the composition, I'm a sucker for dramatic angles and tilted cameras!  The palette is spot on and works perfectly with the Anim8or V1 workspace colour scheme.  Reflections can be a PITA to work with as they can introduce confusion and camouflage the prime focus, your expert use of glossy reflections in this image perfectly sidesteps this problem and gives a prestigious, 'expensive' appearance the 'Anim8or' sign.  I also love the dichotomy resulting from the combination of the abstract space within which the sign is suspended and the satisfying physical reality of the suspension rods.

WOW!

I second this "WOW!" and also apply it to fromsoysauce's entry!  It's the extreme difference in styles that impresses me most... that both were created using the same set of tools is testament to the versatility of Anim8or.

The idea with weights is that points mapped to a particular bone with a weight of 1.0 will not change their position relative to that bone.  So if the bone moves, those points will be effectively locked to it.  Points with a 0.5 weight to one bone and a 0.5 weight to an adjoining bone will be partially mapped to both, so if one bone moves and the other doesn't these points will kinda spread out or bunch up in an 'organic' way.

That's a bit of an awkward explanation.  To use an example, if you consider a point on your forearm midway between your elbow and wrist, that point is entirely locked to your radius bone (ignoring the mushyness of flesh and the fact that wrists can twist).  Regardless of how you bend your elbow or wrist, that point effectively maintains its location relative to your radius bone.  Consider another point midway between your elbow and shoulder, that is similarly locked to your humerus.  But if you look at your elbow, there are 'points' there that are kinda influenced by both bones, so the skin stretches on the outside and contracts on the inside when you bend your elbow.  The bone influence and weight painting functions simulate this by allowing you to define how (and how much) these 'intermediary' points should move when the skeleton moves.

So, when you're mapping your hand model, all the points that need to move 100% with, say, the tip of the pinky should be mapped with a weight of 1.0 to the pinky tip bone.  But those extra points that were added at each joint need to be mapped partially to that bone and partially to the next one down, so they find a half-way position when the pinky bone is moved.  No points on the fingers should map to more than one finger, otherwise when you move the pinky some of the points on the ring finger will move, which isn't what you want.  The 'soft gradient' that can be obtained with the weight painting tool should only be between points associated with two adjoining bones, so those points move in an 'organic' way when a bone is moved.

Love your work FSS! It's one thing to create great figures, as these are, but quite another to be able to pose them so well.  All your poses seem 'comfortable' and believable without the awkwardness that is so often apparent with posed CG characters.  True artistry, and it's a pleasure to watch these characters develop.

Kreator - There are some really cool models there, and I love how the top of the crane busts out of the Anim8or screen

FSS - I agree with your choice of pose, it's the most 'relaxed' and natural looking and reveals the details of the model well

davdud - The workshop concept, where 3D ideas are brought to life, is a really good idea!

Below is my final (I think) as I need to get back to other projects.  The brightness of the main ship is increased as far as I want to go without having it look too cartoonish, certainly it's much brighter than the original render, and there's a few minor compositional tweaks.