Complex UV Layout in Maya
Over the last couple of years UV layout in Maya has changed for the better. In this course we're going to be taking a look at some of those changes as we UV map an entire character
# 1 12-06-2006 , 09:16 PM
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shrine on a deserted island

i've been working with maya not so long now... and i've been only doing it randomly between playing games.... but i've been trying to get something done now.... please be gentle and can some1 help me get the ground right??

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# 2 13-06-2006 , 01:57 AM
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Not too bad at all for a beginner! The temple itself looks very nice; the island could benefit from rounder edges, and maybe you might consider making the island a BIT bigger (adding a hill and placing the temple on top of that hill. Otherwise, Mr. High Tide might damage the marble! :-) )

About the only other comments I have concern lighting and texturing. You'll improve exponentially in both these endeavors with time! For now, try turning on shadows (the on/off switch is in the channel box and attribute editors for the lights) and turn down the intensity of the light inside the temple!

Keep at it, it's coming along just fine!


"Ad astra per aspera..."
# 3 14-06-2006 , 07:04 PM
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thanks for the nice comment, but can anyone help me get a nice texture for the ground, cause that just doesn't seem to work out right :S


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# 4 14-06-2006 , 07:19 PM
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First, I just want to say I understand you are new to the program, and Maya is very overwhelming at first. So this is great, but the depth is just so deep, and you have only scratched the surface with this render. Here are my suggestions for ya:

As for the sand texture, you might try to decrease the amount of repeats on the texture (same for the ocean texture), this is what is giving you the major monotenous pixelated look. Or try looking for something online that you can import into PS and make a bump map and texture with.

Another thought is to add some variation to the ground, such as hills and valleys, or some irregularities. Look online for some pictures of temples on hills and see what the area around the temple looks like. There will be build up of earth around the temple base, there will be variations. There will be tall grasses by the walls, and short around it. All these things can help add realism to the scene.

Also you might want to look into how you render the scene. For instance you have here a far wide shot of the temple, which should be the main focus and closer. By putting the temple close to the camera and on the right, leaving ground and ocean on the left can really add to the way the scene is laid out. Maybe add a boat off in the distance, or mountains...Just think of it like you are a camera man for National Geographic, what is the coolest shot?

Try using fur to add grass, maybe use an attractor to make it look like the wind is blowing. Maybe add a few clouds, or fog, toss in a lens flare effect. Render it in Mental Ray, try a vector render.

If you search the net for Maya+tutorial+(lighting, texturing, grass, lens flare, fog, camera angles, etc) you will get a lot of cool tutorials to help you learn the program. Just keep working at it, and you will get a lot of ideas to make the scene a lot better.


Last edited by esion; 14-06-2006 at 07:22 PM.
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