Learning KeyShot 7

This past evening I have been learning KeyShot 7 - and I've really been liking it!  It's a quick and comprehensive software for both shading and rendering models, and reads mb files as is! (Which is always a bonus!) Below is my first shot at trying out the software. I only used default shaders and no textures; just to get a feel for how the process works and what rendering times look like using their render settings.

I liked how quickly it was able to render out glass, and the default metal shaders look nice. I'd love to have tried texturing the headlights in particular since when I modeled the car originally there was just a card for most of the light, but I will be trying that in the future!  Another test I did was modeling and rendering out a Galaxy S8. This was a great opportunity for me to try out a texture as well as using a label on the same item to practice using their move tools and layering system. Below are those renders.

I think it is a great tool to use that was quick to pick up. I can see using it in the future for more hard-edge modeling and texturing practice!

Space Environment

One of my current side projects is creating an environment based off of a concept image and creating it to look as close to the original as possible.  I think it will be a great exercise in studying lighting and model placement.  So far I have modeled the environment and matched the camera.  Soon I plan on texturing and lighting the environment.  The concept art is by Joakim Olofsson and can be seen below.

This concept in particular was all mechanical elements, and this allowed me to focus solely on my Maya modelling ability, as well as allowing me to practice lighting that feels more cold and man-made rather than any lighting that may come from natural sunlight.  Below is the current progress of modelling in both flat lighting and default Maya lighting with the matching camera 

The only thing I need to complete left before continuing to texturing will be to create all of the loose wires scattered throughout the environment.  So far this has been a very enjoyable project, and I can't wait until it's completed!  Below are some close-ups in Maya of some of the aspects of the environment.

Past VFX Practice

Here are a couple breakdowns of past VFX I have practiced.  I thought it would be fun to add, and maybe add to it later to see how I have improved over time! 

This was practice with nParticles following a curve and scripted to change through blendshapes to simulate a zombie virus taking over.  I wanted it to be toony and fun.

This is a test where I wanted to practice collisions with a meteor hitting the ground with surrounding impact.  I was inspired by cel-shaded art and having a bordered style in 3D.  I replaced the nParticles with a sheep I had recently modeled and hadn't had the chance to use!

Created in Realflow 2014 as a test for liquid sticking to a wall. I wanted to see if I could shoot liquid and have it stick vertically on a wall, and this project ended up being a lot of fun! I ended up choosing the show Dexter as the theme for it because I thought it was a good fit for the test. The show Dexter and all associated images do not belong to me, and was used for educational use.