http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/ taron333's gallery of images en-us 120 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/548996

Software used: Artrage 2.5

Yet another still life study, this time I focused on refraction and reflections. I wasn't aware at the time what kind of pain it would be to try capturing them faithfully, since my method involves staring at it with one eye only and making invisible relationships between que-locations for proper proportions. Move your head just a little and the refractions and reflections give you another picture. So, yeah, it was tedious and even painful, but somehow rewarding. Took roughly 6 hours and was all artrage. At the end I noodled the colors a little bit with photoshop and gave a tiny bit of bloom, because I wanted to push the highlights to feel more natural (ironically) in terms of contrast and brightness distance to the rest.
]]> Wed, 10 Oct 2007 21:57:09 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/548495

Software used: ArtRage 2.5
(a little bit of photoshop vignette, slight contrast adjustment and sharpen)

After having made some still lifes based on real reference I decided to make a quick freehand doodle to see if I had learned something already. Except a bit of contrast revelation and some general color behavior I must say I havn't learned too much, yet, except that it's so much more fun for me to just doodle away. On this one I've looked at some anatomy, but other than that it's without reference, which explains the inconsistent lighting and other weaknesses, but hey... I had a blast.]]> Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:52:33 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/547771

Software used: Artrage 2.5
(I can't believe that Artrage is not in the list, yet! It's a major tool as far as I'm concerned!) ;o)

This is my second still life study with real life objects next to me as setup. Whether obvious or not, there was no photographic reference, but just my shirt, mask and cheap juggling balls I had flying around. All that underneath my desklight. After having realized that sunlight is extremely hard to catch while your still studying everything, I decided to stick to my desklight and the night. The focus here was on color hue and contrasts as well as bounce light, although this is not too dramatic in terms of bounce. I was hoping the deeply saturated balls would contribute harsher effects, but even that alone had been a great education for me.]]> Sun, 07 Oct 2007 23:53:59 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/381480

Trying to make brand new pieces for an upcoming book release, I've started to frantically create new, exciting and high quality images. After the first more traditional character image, which I had started by simply making the character and not worrying about a background I found myself having trouble creating one for it. So for this piece, the second one, I've actually made the background first: The castle!
Initially I thought about some semi serious piece, but when I threw some depth of field on it, it felt so beautifully toyish and friends of mine instantly said: Remember those old german puppet-shows from the 70s?! And I was instantly thrilled. Not only is it genius, but also super easy to make. So I quickly made the stairs in the front, the wooden head, the hands, the cape using Zbrush, instantly going to the highest quality before exporting it and posed it in messiah:Studio. Rendering out all the passes at once I went into AfterFX, through Frischluft's Lenscare "depth of field" on it, took it into photoshop and added the vignette and my sign on it, done. Then I laughed for a few minutes...and laughed again...and then just stared at it like a child "HOW fun!". I showed it to my friends again, triggering Romero to tell me of a bat flying through his apartment the other night. And I though...damn...that's brilliant, I have his story!
Vladimir explains to a bunch of kids a thing about allergies and how to get rid of them:"See, I have realized, bats only fly at night, because they are afraid of sun. So the problem really is only in their heads. I bite of head, bat now flys when ever it wants!"
...hence the bats...with no heads!


]]> Fri, 14 Jul 2006 21:09:18 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/284071

This image started off as a parade example for a 3d Sketch. After being asked to provide a new image for a VFXworld publication of an article with some of my quotes I thought of an image to quickly produce. The idea formed in my head over a cigarette and I went directly at it, starting with a simple geometry in Lightwave, export it to Zbrush, this time I even used Zbrush's own UVmapping, because I didn't plan on animating it. Then bring the exported level 1 low-poly cage into Messiah:Studio together with the displacementmap. But even more this time I used Zbrush, too, to make a relief type background, which I thought was a very quick solution to provide a fitting backdrop, to put it into the proper scenery. The backdrop itself was completely generated in Zbrush and then also exported with its displacement map into Messiah:Studio. The lighting is this time not even as simple as it may seem. I've tried to give it a type of minature set lighting, highlighting the relief with a light that would also influence the main subject. The first iteration that went also into the article took 3.5 hours and was truely just a sketch. But afterwards I really felt something more special about it and continued to add some more details to it and adjusted the anatomy a little bit more. It still should be considered a sketch, but to me it is a sort of labor of love, I guess. The speed and the intuitive nature behind it reflect to me a part of my original style in both its strength and weakness. It's one of the rare times that I don't fully suffer under the weaknesses behind it. They are almost the whole expression behind it all.
]]> Sat, 08 Oct 2005 21:16:02 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/480906

Software used: ArtRage2

Took about 5 hours altogether, but over several says. Here and there I would try to think of how this could evolve.

Here's the story it has grown into, but I must warn you, it's so deep! ( L O L ) ...nah, it's really just a funny idea and a lil' geeky:

In the distant future most of nature is lost and humans may have evolved into their own creation, meaning this is going to sound much like any cheesy sci-fi and suggests machines to be the successors of humans after global warming has stripped earth of most life. However, when the A.I. had mirrored human thoughts and were left to their own devices, they began to realize the need for worship and recognized nature, or what's left of it, to be a proper entity to address.
These old trees became rare enough to be looked at as idols.
So the machines build idols for the idols.
That's all.]]> Sun, 01 Apr 2007 07:19:25 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/479316

As I get deeper into Artrage2 I'm exploring different ways of dealing with the oil paints, while also exploring traditionally digital ways of dealing with layers within it as well.

I see that it isn't even listed in the "Software Used" choices, but it's actually exclusively made inside ArtRage2, except that I used photoshops jpg web exporter.

I've used no reference on this, which shouldn't be a surprise, since I hardly ever use any, but I'm mentioning this as an excuse, really. I need to study more photographs or real landscapes and learn a bit more about the contrasts and color choices. It's honestly very hard for me to decide to post this here, because it's certainly ridiculous compared to the stunning stuff you're all showing. But anyway... why not toss something I'm kinda proud of into the wolfpack, haha... argh!]]> Wed, 28 Mar 2007 05:26:30 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/247989

"Merlad Blord" actually went on his mission as the skipper on an inexpensive trading ship, more like a boat, when he suddenly encountered and fell for a mysterious woman, not knowing of her contageous condition!
For this image essential to me was the amount and clearity of details as they are ment to hold up to rather high resolutions. The full image is rendered at 2000x2737, although I made it to hold up even higher. To get these details I used Zbrush, after having modeled the initial cage in Lightwave. Eventually I brought it into messiah:Studio for rendering. The final render I color corrected using Photoshop to put a bit more drama into it. Although or even because it is ment to be rather comedic and not "real" for that matter.
]]> Thu, 09 Jun 2005 01:28:58 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/540398

Software Used: Artrage 2.5

This picture started out as a little cloud study somewhat inspired by Bob Ross, who is just too enjoyable to watch. Eventually I grew tired of making subjectless landscapes and wanted to add a little kick to it. After making a quick sketch of a seamonster I went through quite some iterations of shadings on it until I eventually looked at a photo of a cobra, which brought some fascinating revelations to me in regards to shading. But this is still super sloppy. Anyway, I thought it's fun enough to share it with everyone.]]> Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:05:54 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/431207

Modeled and textured with Zbrush 2.5.
Rendered with ZbornToy in After Effects 7.0.
Modeling time roughly two days.
Rendering time roughly 1 minute.

Image showcases new visual effects possible with the ZbornToy. It's made of two essential layers, a solid and a transparent layer, which features the caustic light projectsion as well. It's all made of three source images exported out of Zbrush2.5: 1 depth image, 1 surface color, 1 transparency map (also used for glossiness, translucency and alpha blending!).

I will post more quick renders later (10 - 15 seconds of rendering per frame!)



]]> Sat, 18 Nov 2006 21:49:37 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/381640

rendered in messiah:Studio (www.projectmessiah.com)
lowres cage modeled in Lightwave3d 8.5
displacement map in Zbrush 2.0

Frischluft's Lenscare-depth of field (www.frischluft.com)

Motive is very explicit to me, not sure how it's perceived or if anyone cares to look any deeper into it. It's the emergence of an idea, simple and organic, growing out of stiff and mechanical surroundings. Maybe a bit on the cheeseball side on first and second glance and somehow supervicially already outdated, because 10 years ago, this would certainly have had an impact in everyway, I think. But to me, if I look around, I still feel that people are a little shy with their own visions and try to cut their work into what they feel is accepted. With stiff and mechanical I actually don't mean it literally, but try to visualize the mindset and repetitions. I personally also liked the idea of making the organic element repetitive in a way, symbolizing simplicity in it's material, but the involuntary uniqueness of each repetition...it's a kind of irony, maybe even an encouragement in some way.

This image was initially a warm-up session to start going into the character frenzy for the book project I'm working on right now. I honestly went into a corner with this one and finally pretty much raped the image brutally and with very little mercy, considering my usual type of images. I have absolutely no idea what to feel about it, because in some way I just think it has something, but there's a severely strong chance that it's only something I see in it....that would make a great description.

]]> Sat, 15 Jul 2006 10:40:46 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/171178

A lose sketch started in openCanvas1.1 and finished in Photoshop CS. Also losely based on the martians in "A Princess of Mars" (Edgar Rice Borroughs)
]]> Mon, 20 Sep 2004 01:37:14 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/187263

Experiment with new tool to animate displacement maps with messiah:Studio2.0c. Displacement maps created with ZBrush2.0. The actual geometry underneath the displacement was modeled with Lightwave8.0 and consists of 340 polygons. The above collection shows the different displacement maps, bone deformations and morphs, controlled by expressions. Particularely interesting is the ears, which practically consist only of 3 polygons each and only the displacement brings out this vast amount of detail. Rendertimes for each head on my Pentium IV-2.6Ghz/2Gb RAM where around 11min, using volumetric translucency as well as radiosity. Except a mild bloom and a tiny contrast raise the renders are very much untouched!
pure geometry without displacement:

]]> Wed, 17 Nov 2004 09:31:49 +0000 http://taron333.cgsociety.org/gallery/166036

This image started as a speed sketch and simply compelled me too much to let it end that way, too.
It is my second go at a digital 2d scenario and took about 12h to make.
]]> Tue, 31 Aug 2004 08:14:05 +0000