So, what you’ve all been waiting for, more screen shots!

Went to Stockholm about two weeks ago to be a part of shooting a project we’re working on together with Jakob Dahlström. Things did, to say the least, not go according to plan. The 3D part didn’t have their models ready, none of them were on site to do renders, advice and such. Hence I had to step up to do those things with my very, very limited knowledge in Maya.

Things ended up even worse, they quit the project entirely and that is why I’m writing this. I got asked to take a swing at making the 3D, from scratch, with about one month of experience in Maya all together. Since I was asked, I’ve been plowing through tutorials on Maxwell Render, trying to get a grasp on that one, modeling and light tutorials and basic knowledge in and around 3D. Now I’ve actually gotten around to starting the modeling and this is how far I got tonight.

Bare in mind these are only screenshots of quick renders, hence the high amount of noise, lack of textures and only sunlight.

Started out with making the stairs, which was one of the worst parts of the last model. Thin and tiny stairs with an inclimbable angle, if that’s even a word. Ended up being easier than I thought.

Somewhat finished staircase. I kind of like it with no railings and such, just bare steps but we’ll see how it turns out.

Basic outline of the building after an image plane drawn by our photographer.

Walls, windows, quickly drawn pillars and some smaller details coming together. There now is another floor and a roof with the same basic layout, which wont be used for much except providing believable light from upstairs.

A few quick renders of various angles, feels like it’s coming together alright. Still not looking forward to the UV mapping part since I have yet to learn anything about it, but it’ll hopefully go together in a buzz. Last picture shows the later design of the pillars.

Maybe it’s the thrill of something new, but this feels more me than holding a camera.

So a full weekend in the studio with Jakob and Isabelle + models, makeup artists and stylists. 2 shoots and a bunch of issues later we’re done-ish. I had to step up to being in charge of 3D and after effects and with that part of the retouch. Tried to kill my macbook with Maya, After effects and PS running simultaneously but I did not succeed.

Now we’re on hold for the ”real” 3D artists to finish the rendering. Hopefully they’ll pull through.

Can’t say I’ve done much of use this weekend, but at least I’m learning something. Some basic modeling in Maya, yay a swiss army knife… No texturing or lighting yet, but at least it’s something remotely real.

Lots of that going on right now, but that doesn’t mean there’s no time for play. Quick capture and retouch of my beloved one, snatched the camera while she was shooting Axel Bergendorff for her exhibition picture.

Wrapping up the last loose strings before our exhibit, working with Stadium and their penny-blossom-rush and some more work ahead. Things are moving along at a great pace, sadly no time for 3D but I’ll have all summer to do that I suppose. I’ve got 45gb worth of tutorials when there is time…

Nothing fancy, but it seems that I’m at least starting to grasp the basics of Maya with the help of Lynda.com Essentials tutorial and some various ones found on the net.

Hell yes, it has finally arrived.

I got all nostalgic and started thinking back on when I bought my first computer back when I was 12 I believe. I say bought because that is what I did, not a gift from my parents nor anyone else. It was an Acer, laptop with 128mb RAM and 40GB harddrive if I remember correctly. I remember before that whenever I saw someone coming out with a computer from an electronics store, I thought they as I had saved up for that for a long time and were quite happy with their purchase. Perhaps not quite the truth of most people but that’s what I thought back then.

Eeh, anyway. Installing the CS5 suite, Maya and all of those nifty little programs you never think about having installed but they are a pain when a new computer arrives. My desk is feeling rather crowded now, but in a good way! Bluetooth mouse and keyboard was a good investment at least. Now all I need is an SSD and two internal 1TB drives and I’ll have what I need for the next couple of years I hope.