Pax Machina

[lt_ethe]

It's open forum. I need fresh eyes and third party prodding to make me go the extra mile. Cause without your comments and crits, I'd probably just call this good.

So let's hear somethin!

And thanks to all who have helped me overcome my rendering difficulties with this model previously

[lt_ethe]

And the concept sketch the above image was derived from.

[sparky]

I like the modelling. I think that the textures would be a lot cooler if the gold wasn't so shiny. If it were duller, slightly worn metal I think it would be awesome.

[lt_ethe]

Saw that one coming a mile away. Normally I'd agree, but since they're supposed to be angels... I figured super polished would be fitting for once. Neh?

[The Great Raja]

Are the wings fixxed ot do they flap. If so you might want to vary them for each "Angel"

[lt_ethe]

Fixed. They're more like sails then wings.The only real movable parts are the angel's head and the tentacles.

[cathuria]

Ya know, at first look, I didn't even notice the humanoid figures in there. It's as if they're masked out in low-contrast shadow. Perhaps you could increase their diffusion or give them a little reflected lighting from the reflective metal surfaces.
And just a hint of distance fog would help match the objects to the cloudy background.

[lt_ethe]

Excellent suggestions cathuria. I've never played with fog... So let me know what you all think about this latest pass.

[cathuria]

A big improvement :)
But something just seems a little... off with the lighting...
How are your lighting the scene & what are your ambient settings?

[lt_ethe]

Pass 3. Your comments on the lighting got me thinking... Found out that I left ambient lighting on accidentally.

This new one has no ambient lighting. There is a sun light behind the angels. A purple fill light from below. A key light in the camera's direction, and a second light at the key light's location which only affects specularity set to 120% to pull the spec highlights out.

[cathuria]

Better still (the ambient was really flattening things out)...
Hmm, are you saying the sun is also just a fill light? I'd always thought that the light by the camera would be the fill and the sun would be my key. Either way, if this were my image, I'd start rotating my key & fill lights around and make a series of low-qual test renders to see which angle gave me the most dramatic lighting.

[sparky]

I still think it looks a bit flat. I think there is too much light all around, there are no really strong shadows, and there's no negative space.


Those fin things have inspired me, I'm now working on a ship with kinda spikey fishy fins. :)


Hm... looking at it more...

I think the problem that I see is that the background is the same color as the highlights. If the strongest light is coming from the direction of the camera, the sky behind the angels shouldn't be as orange. Of course, maybe since it's not very earthly, that's what you're going for... I'm gonna stop rambling now.

[lt_ethe]

Another pass, taking in all of your latest suggestions. Also flipped the bg image so you could see the sun. It makes for a stronger composition as well I think. I'm trying real hard to pull the woman's figure out without making the lighting look real strange. I think this is closest to coming of that goal yet.

Glad my lunacy has been inspirational to somebody. Nothing like discussions on Jean Paul Sartre in ethics classes to stir an artists creative juices. :D