3d art

Scene composition
Laying out the scene
k
10 Camera angle and pose
Frank Frazetta’s painting Death Dealer V provided inspiration for mood and composition, with
its lower view angle and stark backdrop. I start with simple polygon shapes as proxies to
help position and pose a copy of the body mesh from Part one. I then use a low camera
angle and the Deform/Flex tool to block out a pose that feels aggressive and dynamic j.
j
11 Create flow
I use background props to help frame the character and add
to the mood and atmosphere. Each of the elements is placed
to help lead the eye to the main point of focus, as well as
support the model’s pose. All the elements are at angles to
keep everything dynamic k.
j A strong, dynamic pose
helps to lend life and
purpose to the character
k The props and camera angle
are adjusted to best fit the
pose and composition
l Creating ivy vines in An Ivy
Generator on the imported
pillar base
m Shapes in modo with several
preset materials that help to
quickly establish surfaces
n Area lights are just enough
to illuminate the model
l
12 Add the props
With the basic composition established, I start to replace
the background proxy objects. The rocky base and columns
have detail added with piles of rocks and clumps of grass.
Lastly, I import and modify vines ‘grown’ in a freeware
application called An Ivy Generator (see http://graphics.
uni-konstanz.de/~luft/ivy_generator/) l.
m
13 Set atmosphere
Using preset materials included with modo, I apply a Skin
material to the body, Sandstone to the pillars and rocks, plus
Wrought Steel to the weapons, then I turn to lighting. I
switch off all lights, turn on Global Illumination, then import
an HDRI image into the environment to serve as the primary
light; it works particularly well with metallic reflections m.
92
Shader effects
The shader networks in modo work from bottom to top,
much like layers in Photoshop. By using layer masks it is easy
to combine different software shader effects on top of one
another. When setting up shaders, I like to have a reasonably
finalised version of the lighting as well as a simple light setup
with only Ambient Occlusion and the default light set to
Sunlight, to make sure the shaders look accurate.
14 Let there be light!
With the HDRI image set up, I add a few lights to add colour and pick out form. To add dark
blue to the shadows, I insert a low-angle Directional light that casts no shadow, a blue Rim
light at the back and an Area light to emphasise and fill in the top half of the body n.
n