Post by Anthony on May 1, 2015 11:24:23 GMT
Step 01 – Search for reference images
You can mostly use Google for some free images, or Shutterstock for very high-res and high-quality photographs so you can detail the shaders as closely as possible. This is a very important step because you have to be clear about the direction for the materials you will be using, as well as the overall design of your assets.
Step 02 – Complete rough sketches
With all the references gathered, a clearer image of the whole scene should start to take shape in your mind and you can start to make some very rough sketches in Photoshop based on your early ideas. Also try making some basic shapes in 3ds Max and quickly arrange them to figure out the composition. This is also the step where you can create your camera and decide on the viewing angle. Of course, in the end there will be lots of things changed from the original sketch, but this stage will help you explore the direction of your scene
Step 03 – Begin working on the room
Use real-world scale for the whole scene and start to build only two walls: the one in the front makes the background of the still life and the one on the left, where you can also place a small window to have the main light source. The floor isn’t visible in the final image, but it’s important to obtain more natural light bounces and shadows.
Step 04 – Shape the wicker basket
For this element, start by creating a cylinder (radius: 18cm, 24 sides and 5 segments). Add an editable poly, select the vertical edge loops, as well as one horizontal edge loop, and convert them into splines. Next, make a shape as the cross-section of the wicker strand and use the splines you just added as a path with Loft (Create>Compound>Objects>Loft) to define the volume of the wicker. Now made another copy, vary both the wicker strands slightly and then clone them to create the walls of the wicker basket and the bottom part. Next select the walls and the bottom region and apply an FFD (2x2x2) modifier to give them a conical shape.
You can create the basket’s handles by adding a Twist modifier to 3 Splines, then a Bend modifier and finally edit these with and Edit Spline modifier to fit the rest of the wicker basket.
Step 05 – Make the figs
For the figs you should use the references, either gathered from Shutterstock or elsewhere, and pay close attention to them as you model. Begin drawing the contour on the reference image with the Line tool and use the Lathe option to convert it into a 3D shape. Next, apply an Edit Poly to refine the shape and make two versions of the fig – one cut in half and one whole. After this step is done, just grab the unwrapped UVs and export them as OBJs to ZBrush to create the tiny details. These can be used later back in 3ds Max as a Displacement map. In ZBrush you can use the Spotlight tool to project a photo of half a fig on the 3D model and then apply the Mask by Intensity option from the Masking dropdown menu. To finish the step, grab the Inflate brush, paint the unmasked areas of the fig and get all the details from the image. Clear the mask and hand-sculpt in some extra details where needed.
Step 06 – Add the pear
To model the pear, you can use the same workflow as for the figs: first drawing half of the pear in 3ds Max with the Line tool from shapes, then apply the Lathe option to convert it into a 3D shape. Again, you can refine the fruit’s shape with an Edit Poly modifier and at the end make it a UV. In ZBrush again, paint the textures (which can also be used for the shading process) and then grab the masking tools from ZBrush to get the fine details, as well as the overall shape.
Step 07 – Bring in the plates and cutlery
To model these objects you can just apply the basic techniques as for the knife, using an Edit Poly to model the rough shape, then importing it in ZBrush. Add the details such as little bumps and scratches, as well as the decorative patterns from a vector pattern. You can make this in Adobe Illustrator. For the plate, you can apply the same process, sculpting in the details by hand. For the cup, grab the Line tool to draw the outline and then use Lathe and Edit Poly to refine the shape a little. Find some decorative vector patterns from Shutterstock that you like and then paint the UVs in Photoshop to obtain a Displacement map.
Step 08 – Begin creating the grapes
Modelling the grapes was more complex because of the amount of objects. First I blocked out the shape of the cluster of grapes by making a sphere and cloning it as instances so when I modify one of the the changes applies to all of them at once. After I got a shape that I liked I added a noise modifier with very subtle intensity and a squeeze modifier to stretch the spheres a little. Then I started to make the leaves from a photograph. Here the are different approaches, the simpler one is using alpha map of the leaf and texture a plane with noise modifier to obtain at render time a cutout leaf. In this case I used the second method because it was a relatively close-up shot so you have to see the thickness of the leaf. So I drew with the line tool in 3ds Max the outline of the leaf photo and then an applied an editpoly modifier, then I added a subdivide modifier to increase the polycount without any of the problems that turbosmooth makes when you use it with an uneven polyflow.
Step 09 – Finish the grapes element
After that I applied a shell modifier and a turbosmooth modifier. Then added a bend modifier and a noise modifier to try and add more details to it. The following step was modelling the branches by drawing them with the line tool in 3ds Maxand gave them thickness. After that I exported the mesh to Zbrush, used dynamesh to make it a single continuous mesh and then sculpted all the details and create the UV’s with UVMaster, and export it back to 3ds Max.
Step 10 – Modelling the glass and ceramic wine canister
As the previous objects I used line tool outline and lathe modifier, then added a editpoly modifier to model the handle and the neck of the canister. After that I added a turbosmooth and a noise modifier to add a little imperfections to the glass. For the ceramic canister used the same technique but at the end added a displacement map to mimic the horizontal marks left on the clay when the potter models an object on the pottery wheel.
First I did some different experiements with different HDRIs for the reflections and lighting. I knew that the main source light came from the little window in the left upper corner that I presented in the modelling process. I just had to find the right hdri for the reflections.
Step 12 – Define the light sources
I usually try to avoid filling my scene with lights, I try to use as little light sources in a scene as it allows me to. Here I decided I will use only 2 V-Ray dome lights coupled with an hdri and a V-Ray rectangular light. After I decided on which hdri I will use I created a vray light source and selected dome type, loaded the slot use texture with the hdri I choose and then experimented with the intensity multiplier. And because I didn’t need the light from the hdri and just the reflections I unchecked affect diffuse from the option rollout. The outside the room in front oft the small window in the left I created a plane type V-Ray light as my main light source. I experimented a little with the position and intensity and I quickly found a satisfying result.
Step 13 – Texturing the figs and pears
In this scene was the first time to use zbrush’s spotlight for texturing. I first downloaded high res photos of cut in half figs and whole figs and I started projecting with spotlight on the 3d model. I had to subdivide the fig 3d model to around 3 million polys to obtain a crisp texture because the resolution of the polypaint depends on the number of polygons. The best part of the spotlight texturing is that you don’t have to worry about the seams. After this I transferred the poly paint to the texture by going to texture map rollout and using New from polypaint option. The pear was textured in a similar process. The shader for the cut in half fig was V-Ray SSS2, I chose the potato preset because it was close to the result I wanted to achieve and played a little with the scale. For the pear a used a simple V-Ray Mtl with the translucency set to hard wax and I created some bump and translucency maps from the diffuse map created in ZBrush
Step 14 – Creating the grape shader
I also created a grape shader in another still life scene. But I didn’t want to use the same one so I created a slightly different one. I used a V-Ray blend material where I combined 2 V-Ray Mtl. The first layer was matte, opaque and with a lighter colour and the second layer glossy and translucent. I mixed the with a dust map that I downloaded from Shutterstock.
Step 15 – Creating the shader for the glass container
For the glass container I made a simple glass material. I used V-Ray Mtl with a little greenish fog (fog multiplier =0.15) and for the dusty effect I used a dust texture that I loaded in the refract slot with a value of 20. I also added a bump texture to obtain some little details to enhance the imperfections of the glass. The fig wine was obtained in a similar way by creating another V-Ray Mtl and setting the diffuse and fog colour to a redish one and the fog multiplier to 0.1.
Step 16 – Creating the metal shader
For the metal shader first I made one version and then I modified it according to each object. I extracted lots of ambient occlusion and cavity maps from ZBrush with the multimap exporter and I used the to blend different materials with the help of V-Ray Blend material to create the dirt in the small details on the plate and knife. As for the cup I mixed several textures in a composite map.
You can mostly use Google for some free images, or Shutterstock for very high-res and high-quality photographs so you can detail the shaders as closely as possible. This is a very important step because you have to be clear about the direction for the materials you will be using, as well as the overall design of your assets.
Step 02 – Complete rough sketches
With all the references gathered, a clearer image of the whole scene should start to take shape in your mind and you can start to make some very rough sketches in Photoshop based on your early ideas. Also try making some basic shapes in 3ds Max and quickly arrange them to figure out the composition. This is also the step where you can create your camera and decide on the viewing angle. Of course, in the end there will be lots of things changed from the original sketch, but this stage will help you explore the direction of your scene
Step 03 – Begin working on the room
Use real-world scale for the whole scene and start to build only two walls: the one in the front makes the background of the still life and the one on the left, where you can also place a small window to have the main light source. The floor isn’t visible in the final image, but it’s important to obtain more natural light bounces and shadows.
Step 04 – Shape the wicker basket
For this element, start by creating a cylinder (radius: 18cm, 24 sides and 5 segments). Add an editable poly, select the vertical edge loops, as well as one horizontal edge loop, and convert them into splines. Next, make a shape as the cross-section of the wicker strand and use the splines you just added as a path with Loft (Create>Compound>Objects>Loft) to define the volume of the wicker. Now made another copy, vary both the wicker strands slightly and then clone them to create the walls of the wicker basket and the bottom part. Next select the walls and the bottom region and apply an FFD (2x2x2) modifier to give them a conical shape.
You can create the basket’s handles by adding a Twist modifier to 3 Splines, then a Bend modifier and finally edit these with and Edit Spline modifier to fit the rest of the wicker basket.
Step 05 – Make the figs
For the figs you should use the references, either gathered from Shutterstock or elsewhere, and pay close attention to them as you model. Begin drawing the contour on the reference image with the Line tool and use the Lathe option to convert it into a 3D shape. Next, apply an Edit Poly to refine the shape and make two versions of the fig – one cut in half and one whole. After this step is done, just grab the unwrapped UVs and export them as OBJs to ZBrush to create the tiny details. These can be used later back in 3ds Max as a Displacement map. In ZBrush you can use the Spotlight tool to project a photo of half a fig on the 3D model and then apply the Mask by Intensity option from the Masking dropdown menu. To finish the step, grab the Inflate brush, paint the unmasked areas of the fig and get all the details from the image. Clear the mask and hand-sculpt in some extra details where needed.
Step 06 – Add the pear
To model the pear, you can use the same workflow as for the figs: first drawing half of the pear in 3ds Max with the Line tool from shapes, then apply the Lathe option to convert it into a 3D shape. Again, you can refine the fruit’s shape with an Edit Poly modifier and at the end make it a UV. In ZBrush again, paint the textures (which can also be used for the shading process) and then grab the masking tools from ZBrush to get the fine details, as well as the overall shape.
Step 07 – Bring in the plates and cutlery
To model these objects you can just apply the basic techniques as for the knife, using an Edit Poly to model the rough shape, then importing it in ZBrush. Add the details such as little bumps and scratches, as well as the decorative patterns from a vector pattern. You can make this in Adobe Illustrator. For the plate, you can apply the same process, sculpting in the details by hand. For the cup, grab the Line tool to draw the outline and then use Lathe and Edit Poly to refine the shape a little. Find some decorative vector patterns from Shutterstock that you like and then paint the UVs in Photoshop to obtain a Displacement map.
Step 08 – Begin creating the grapes
Modelling the grapes was more complex because of the amount of objects. First I blocked out the shape of the cluster of grapes by making a sphere and cloning it as instances so when I modify one of the the changes applies to all of them at once. After I got a shape that I liked I added a noise modifier with very subtle intensity and a squeeze modifier to stretch the spheres a little. Then I started to make the leaves from a photograph. Here the are different approaches, the simpler one is using alpha map of the leaf and texture a plane with noise modifier to obtain at render time a cutout leaf. In this case I used the second method because it was a relatively close-up shot so you have to see the thickness of the leaf. So I drew with the line tool in 3ds Max the outline of the leaf photo and then an applied an editpoly modifier, then I added a subdivide modifier to increase the polycount without any of the problems that turbosmooth makes when you use it with an uneven polyflow.
Step 09 – Finish the grapes element
After that I applied a shell modifier and a turbosmooth modifier. Then added a bend modifier and a noise modifier to try and add more details to it. The following step was modelling the branches by drawing them with the line tool in 3ds Maxand gave them thickness. After that I exported the mesh to Zbrush, used dynamesh to make it a single continuous mesh and then sculpted all the details and create the UV’s with UVMaster, and export it back to 3ds Max.
Step 10 – Modelling the glass and ceramic wine canister
As the previous objects I used line tool outline and lathe modifier, then added a editpoly modifier to model the handle and the neck of the canister. After that I added a turbosmooth and a noise modifier to add a little imperfections to the glass. For the ceramic canister used the same technique but at the end added a displacement map to mimic the horizontal marks left on the clay when the potter models an object on the pottery wheel.
First I did some different experiements with different HDRIs for the reflections and lighting. I knew that the main source light came from the little window in the left upper corner that I presented in the modelling process. I just had to find the right hdri for the reflections.
Step 12 – Define the light sources
I usually try to avoid filling my scene with lights, I try to use as little light sources in a scene as it allows me to. Here I decided I will use only 2 V-Ray dome lights coupled with an hdri and a V-Ray rectangular light. After I decided on which hdri I will use I created a vray light source and selected dome type, loaded the slot use texture with the hdri I choose and then experimented with the intensity multiplier. And because I didn’t need the light from the hdri and just the reflections I unchecked affect diffuse from the option rollout. The outside the room in front oft the small window in the left I created a plane type V-Ray light as my main light source. I experimented a little with the position and intensity and I quickly found a satisfying result.
Step 13 – Texturing the figs and pears
In this scene was the first time to use zbrush’s spotlight for texturing. I first downloaded high res photos of cut in half figs and whole figs and I started projecting with spotlight on the 3d model. I had to subdivide the fig 3d model to around 3 million polys to obtain a crisp texture because the resolution of the polypaint depends on the number of polygons. The best part of the spotlight texturing is that you don’t have to worry about the seams. After this I transferred the poly paint to the texture by going to texture map rollout and using New from polypaint option. The pear was textured in a similar process. The shader for the cut in half fig was V-Ray SSS2, I chose the potato preset because it was close to the result I wanted to achieve and played a little with the scale. For the pear a used a simple V-Ray Mtl with the translucency set to hard wax and I created some bump and translucency maps from the diffuse map created in ZBrush
Step 14 – Creating the grape shader
I also created a grape shader in another still life scene. But I didn’t want to use the same one so I created a slightly different one. I used a V-Ray blend material where I combined 2 V-Ray Mtl. The first layer was matte, opaque and with a lighter colour and the second layer glossy and translucent. I mixed the with a dust map that I downloaded from Shutterstock.
Step 15 – Creating the shader for the glass container
For the glass container I made a simple glass material. I used V-Ray Mtl with a little greenish fog (fog multiplier =0.15) and for the dusty effect I used a dust texture that I loaded in the refract slot with a value of 20. I also added a bump texture to obtain some little details to enhance the imperfections of the glass. The fig wine was obtained in a similar way by creating another V-Ray Mtl and setting the diffuse and fog colour to a redish one and the fog multiplier to 0.1.
Step 16 – Creating the metal shader
For the metal shader first I made one version and then I modified it according to each object. I extracted lots of ambient occlusion and cavity maps from ZBrush with the multimap exporter and I used the to blend different materials with the help of V-Ray Blend material to create the dirt in the small details on the plate and knife. As for the cup I mixed several textures in a composite map.