A Palpable Hit

[Imatk]

A Palpable Hit

[Carbon71]

no comments?
Well, I don't have any critiques. It's just awesome!. Those models are great! Nice detail. the lighting looks terrific and I really like the grain/noise you put on in post (I assume). Wanna tell us anything about it?

Carbon

[Imatk]

Thanks Carbon :)

Actually I didn't add any grain. The radiosity I used just put it in there fore me :)

As for post work I did add a little blur and color correction.

This is a frame of an animation I'm working on now.

[webfox]

Wow... it looks great.

I feel like you've reached that unenviable point where it looks real *and* it looks like an illustration.

Should there be heat plumes and/or fiery thrust showing from the 3 working engines? Something seems too clear about the lines in the foreground plane, but I'm not sure.

In your scene, is the camera moving along with the near plane or is the motion all done in post? Many action scenes are done with still cameras which give away the staging of the shot.

It's really very well done. I am just grasping at ideas that would make it indistinguishable from reality.

It is quite, quite good nonetheless.

[asmith47]

How did you do the clouds? Were the planes comped onto a background plate?

[Abigor]

wow... i think its great man. the only thing that sticks out to me is the missle on the side of the plane. it looks a little flat compared to the great metal going on on the plane body. besides that... fantastic.

[Rei]

I like it, but the blur and DOF just dont seem to flow smoothly, blur seams to stop and start on certian sections of the plane.

Otherwise nice action shot.

[Imatk]

Yes the planes are comped onto a background plate.

[asmith47]

Thanks! Great work bud! Lovin it.

[adboy]

love it
everything looks great except the trail of black smoke that looks slightly blobby but appart from that its movie quality as far as i'm concerned

nice work:D

[j0SH]

damn...that is some mean 3D...the surfacing is great

[wongchoy]

it's all good :)

[Dave3D]

Very cool image, can you tell use where u got the background image from as i am looking for something of similar quality but never found anything. ta

Dave

[antwik-2]

dam you are good!

[SHIV]

It's great apart from the smoke trail.

It look as tho the smoke has recently started pouring from the engine and given the speed the plane would be moving at I would expect the smoke trail to be far longer.

If the trail is so short because the planes only just taken a hit then there should be some evidence of the actual hit taking place.. a small ball of cloud at the base of the trail where the missile hit it. A trail from the missile even..

[pixeltek]

First of all, this is really, really excellent and pops the viewer right into the action. The Sukhoi (SU-27, right?) was either hit with a Sidewinder (AIM-9), or the gun. Since I still see both AMRAAMS in their fuselage launchers, my guess is the AIM-9. Being a heat-seaking missile, it would have gone straight for the engines, plus, it's used for close to mid-range action.

Again, outstanding image/POV!!!

Having flown in fighters and on many other military aircraft, actually, the view is really crystal clear up there, even when we were playing and pulling g's (except when you "red-out") :rolleyes: . However, somehow the grainyness does not harm the image, and seems to make it interesting to most viewers.

Since I was the guy who did the AMRAAM - F/A-18 integration at PMTC (Point Mugu, CA), I still have an F/A-18 3D model in my (near) future. Seeing this, gives me an idea of what is possible, and I thank you for that. This is very inspiring to me. Thanks for sharing.

Karl
http://www.cosmic-pearl.com/

[Imatk]

Thanks guys for the comments :)

And wow thank pixeltek... you have done what I have only dreamed of!

I would love to have had the experience of flying in one of these... amazing... and am honored that you dig the picture thanks man :D

[Imatk]

oops messed up... :)

[pixeltek]

You know, I have no problem with the modelling portion, but can you tell me a little, public or private, about the texturing? Where did you get them? Or, rather, how did you make them? Are they all UV? Anything you might want to share :) .

Karl

[adrian]

Actually make it public please as I'd like to know how you did that awesome texturing as well!

Adrian.

[pixeltek]

I must say, after drooling over the rest of your portfolio, that i find the other aircraft images are equally impressive.

http://www.samjam.com/HTML/PortFolio.html

Karl

[Marcia]

Great image, very dramatic and well composed. Thanks for the pointer to his portfolio, Pixeltech. Really excellent work!

[Imatk]

The texturing was all done in Photoshop. None of it is UV textured. I generally try to avoid UVs like the plague unless I have to use them... but that's just my personal preference.

All of it is planar mapped.

[pixeltek]

Thanks, that's interesting and helpful. Since I am struggling with getting UVs to work, even with UV Pro, that NewTek had so kindly provided, I just as soon work without them as well, until I have a solid handle on those things. I'd love to see an UV Pro tutorial. That would help. I've used them occasionally, but feel that when they worked, it was more luck than anything.

Again, thanks, and BTW, your portfolio would make any professional proud.

Karl

[bolo]

awesome ! now when you say no uv's but used photoshop i'm not sure i understand ? i thought you have to export a uv map so you can paint it in photoshop, how do you texture without a uv map using photoshop? sorry to be such pain, im new at this..

[Dave Davies]

Great image. I agree about the smoke, plus I don't see any empty missile rack - what did he shoot with?

Dave

[pixeltek]

1. Dave: to most of us it is obvious (and as I already stated in an earlier post) that the F/A-18 used a Sidewinder (AIM-9 heat seeker) from one of its wingtip launch rails. Before you criticize, get familiar with what you are criticizing first. It also goes along with the point of impact - the engine. This missile will always go for the heat source, and that would be the engine exhaust. :rolleyes:

2. bolo: FYI - here's where you will find all the help you need. A four-part series on texturing in LW, written by Leigh van der Byl ("Texture Goddess"). Download them all, and maybe even buy her book and all will be revealed!! :D

Go down to where it reads SURFACING BASICS:
http://members.shaw.ca/lightwavetutorials/texturing.htm

Here's a link to her book too (it's also LW-specific):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1556222858/lightwatutoriaon/104-3677059-8970340

Hope this helps,

pixeltek
http://www.cosmic-pearl.com/

[Dave Davies]

Oh, settle down, for pity's sake. I said "Great Image!" (that's a compliment, if you on't recognize it), then I ASKED about the missile. If you take that sort of thing as criticism, then you're too thin-skinned to post in here!

Dave