Using the reference node to duplicate rigged characters in Maya

Tree scene with duplicated ice men...great to reflect back on some of the original inspiration and references for the icemen character - in this case the water woman in the Abyss...to keep a close eye on adherence to the original concept ideas.

I found that when I duplicated the iceman that the skin bind was lost...so in this scene I have one man directly in the scene (far right) and the others are referenced in (right click in an empty space on the Outliner and select reference). I created a stand alone scene file, with just a T pose iceman within it...this is the file that is referenced...

Test render, using the UV mapped tree, IBL lighting, directional lighting in Maya

Test render using Mentalray - showing the UV mapped tree with bark, IBL lighting, directional lighting and the model using 50% thin glass and 50% frosted glass settings.

Left: Render view    Right: Geometry and image plane in perspective view and a tear off 'shot cam' panel, which gives me a camera view at all times, regardless of the viewing angle in the perspective viewport

UV mapping a tree in Maya

Final UV map: layout created by the Bonus Tool, then repositioning, scaling and creating a high resolution texture in Photoshop.

    Left: Map   Right: Perspective View

Left: Test render with a bump map applied at a setting of 0.5   Right: Perspective View

Photoshop to create a scaled texture for Maya; using a UV Snapshot

Rather than having overlapping UV's or creating multiple sets, I am scaling and repeating the bark texture in Photoshop.

Left: UV map, rotated 

Right: UV map taken as a UVsnapshot (found in the drop down menu > polygons in the UV editor interface) - with the bark texture imge imported as a separate layer. scaled down and repeated. I have used the eraser on an airbrush setting, to blur out any hard edges. Each new segment of the texture, when created and copied by pressing (CTRL + ALT) automatically becomes a new layer. Once happy with how the bottom row of texture is looking I can then right click and merge all layers. The second row was a duplicate of the first, but rotated 180 degrees, airbrushed and tweaked to remove any visible hard edges or pattern repeats.

Tree with the new small scale bark image. Next step will be to adjust the UV map and figure out why a portion of the main branch remains smooth

In component mode I am able to select the faces on the geometry, where the texture is looking weird. I can then look at the UV editor and see which part of the map needs to be adjusted. I can use the cut UV tool and then smooth and optimise the map to reduce the distortion....

Using the settings in the UV editor to highlight the distorted areas

Applying a checkered/numbered texture so I can see how the pattern deforms along the branches...whilst the bonus tool was great to get the basic map, I've needed to adjust a couple of areas where the distortion was severe and the scale of the map so tiny that the texture was looking blurred and out of proportion. Whilst time consuming, this will be worth the effort in the long run...

UV mapping. Placing textures and normal maps onto a tree in Maya

 UV mapping the model using the UV Bonus Tool

Initial results in the UV editor

Applying a bark texture in the Hypershade UI

Initial test render showing the first results of a placed texture, using the UV map. I can then go back into the UV editor and play about with the scale of the map, to get the bark texture at a better scale. I like the mottled effect that this CG texture (free from CG Textures) is producing already.

Application of a normal map alongwith the texture. This render shot is before I've attempted any further scaling of the map.

Using the Maya bonus tool for UV mapping complex geometry

The start of creating a UV map for my tree, using the Maya Bonus Tool (download link, not a plugin) to create a fast UV map

I found this youtube tutorial link for using the bonus tool, to create UV maps for complex geometry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyhwoZTrB_s&index=31&list=PLR6NkeqscAx1r2b3gn0xPJqqfAe7tIEYy

Beauty and the Beast - 2017: Critical Review

Disney's Beauty and the Beast 2017.

Superb.

Having watched the original Disney 2D animation numerous times the new 2017 version manages to remain true to the original theme of the story, whilst catapulting it into outsnding 3D. The  lighting is stunning and textures. materials and CGI lighting utterly convincing.  

The editing pace, camera shots and story telling were efficient and action packed, and this is not simply a CGI visual $160 million experiment.

From a technical and production design vantage, the Baroque art direction managed to be stylised yet convincing and avoided any sense of pantomime. The colours of the opening ballroom scene reminded me of 'The Draftsman's Contract

The IBL lighting was inspiring and other than a couple of moments when the Beast was leaping across the towers, the CGI was invisible.

Absolutely brilliant film. Complete entertainment and CGI VFX and art direction craftsmanship..

Opening ballroom scene

 The Draughtman's Contract