At first, hi all Renderosity comunity! Let me introduce myself first just in few words   I am 22,student of Riga's Technical University Power industry faculty(Riga is capital city of Latvia, one of Baltic states in East Europe) but here I should better be taken as animation enthusiast or, as I like it more to put, "yet-to-become" animator. I am not a professional CG artist for now and neither I have a job related to CG for now. I bee for a while here on this forum, although for quite a time I sort of "dissappeared" from this and some other forums once started this project which by the way isn't the only one. For the first time on this forum I would to introduce WIP of my current 3D project that I am already working on for a many months already, probably some 7-8, can't say exactly now. As many others probably, I always have to deal with all sorts of distractions coming from outside and so on. This project originally and till this moment was intended as test to my character rigging, skinning and animating skills which attracts me most in 3D. Why I didn't mention modeling? That I left for other time, not this time although model and everything I indeed done by myself. Alien model was created by me following to very cool, awesome and clear Video Training provided on other forum [http://www.3dbuzz.com](http://www.3dbuzz.com/) which could be downloaded for free until their site has gone huge changes. Their training was awesome! and that lead to take steps further with my first ever created character and to skin him and put into action. And that's where we come to my project  Since first shoots it grown in it's own rights, ambitions and scale. It will be sort of musical 3D short, where this Alien fellow plays his guitar and gives a real kicking out a Jam  He will be playin' one of Monster Magnet rock band songs but let this be kept in little secret which exactly. To make things straight I should mention that animation won't be long - approx. minute and half long without credits and intro. When project gone into production I once realized that Alien is alone and he kinda feels like that. And here we come to Plankman. This 2D character appears from time to time. It was intended as an 2D and 3D integration. 2D Plankman + 3D Alien Rocker = 5D Space Jam  As I mentioned above, this project already gone quite long road and that's why I have to mention this - since many frames rendered, much of time and effort already spent, project gone it's own way I decided not to change anything. I know that some or many people could easily point flaws in Alien model or skinning flaws. I am still learning many stuff and that's my first rig and skin after all. I hope, I very much hope that community won't take this statement as my unwillingness to hear critics !  Not at all. It's just a matter of how things go around me and how much time I have on this project, hard to explain everything and no need..... My desire to post WIP here was driven by my wish to introduce this project to wider public. It's already is in 3dbuzz.com WIP but I am here not to distract people from one forum to another, at no point! Quite opposite, I decided that probably this project could rise some interest and maybe even some inspiration in this community also. One more thing you should excuse to me - for more intrigue I rarely post rendered shots or videos. I hope you accept that  After all, everybody will be able to enjoy this animation for free, needless to say, so I keep my rights to little intrigue  Okay, now for my final word of my "short" introductory some tech specs. Software I use include this: for 3D I use 3ds max 2008. All renderings are done in Mental Ray with some Final Gather and Motion Blur usage. For Alien skin I used MR Skin material. There is also cloth simulations included. In first shots Alien is wearing only T-Shirt but later trousers appears, that's where things goes more interesting but also more computation-heavy. Alien is approx. for 50 000 polys. For 2D Plankman and few more stuff I use Anime Studio 5.5 Pro - awesome soft. For 3D scene background videos and some composite stuff I use AutoDesk Combustion 4. Video edit I do in Sony Vegas Video 7.

Ok, with having said all this looks like I am done. Oou, just one more. If anyone is interested, here I post link where people can watch my previous 3D works.

http://www.youtube.com/Intars1986

Enjoy!

One old screen from rig, bone setup. Rig isn't complicated. It mixes simple rig techniques which I learned after reading book of Michelle Bosquet "Character Rigging and Animation with 3ds max 7" and spine rigging method presented in max manual. This is the way I went

Screen of work on UWV UNWRAP modifier

One of very first animation sequences went on

One of first sequences goes on in which Alien appears alone playing his guitar

Here, for very first time appeared Plankman

First Plankman scene gone into Combustion for some compositing stuff

In days will post all other "making of" pictures which I took back than

Keep us posted.

<strong>bandolin</strong><br />
[Former 3DS Max forum coordinator]<br />
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Yup, that I will do : ) So here goes bunch of pictures. Here we see shot with Alien Rocker and Plankman together.

Work continued and after few initial shots Plankman sort of "transitioned to another place" where he continues singing. Here I draw Skull Mountain on which he  stand and sing with a cosmic landscape in background to appear

Here's the Skull Mountain itself with fearsome, handsome and awesome in the same time Mister Plankman :D

Work went on to other sequences. With Alien Rocker now being surrounded with video background plates all things went more tricky and work-time consuming. Video effects for backgrounds I created in Combustion using it's cool Particle engine, had a fun to play with particles.

This shot captured moment while doing camera tweaks for first scene with those new background plates. Sometimes camera takes a lot of time.

Some tests. I found working with trajectories quite useful for specific times. It gives capability to see and correct camera's or any objects movement trajectory in viewports

Sometimes happened this sort of stuff - collapse of 3D. Max simply went nuts!

Some other scene of Alien and Plankman went in progress.

In one scene, after quite a few shots I imagined once that perhaps trousers is what Alien wants to feel even more comfortable on scene. So, I decided to insert "trousers appearing scene". That added complexity and simulations of cloths became more time consuming

Scene where trousers will appear

Scene with trouser appearance will incorporate little composition effect

This snapshot captured moment of work in progress on usual Alien scene. Before cloths goes to simulation all movements of Alien fellow are refined until I found them satisfactory

Another scene with Plankman. Planet Venus(at least that was intended) in background

Typical work routine on Alien cloths.  By the way, texture for trousers I created in Gimp

Quite often after simulations there is still some work required on cloth's. With case like this where only minor cloth - mesh penetration appears I found that adding Edit Poly modifier to cloth and moving appropriate cloth's polygons does the thing

Cloth to cloth simulation completed in one of scene. Every simulation gives slightly different results. Slightly minor changes in parameters in end gives different result - undeterminism, chaotic behavior.  Oou, doesn't that sounds familiar? Wasn't this E. Lorenz talking like that on subject of chaos theory? Cool, 3ds max inhabit the spirit of chaos theory : )   Okay, that's for joke but than again, looks like it's not...

Snapshot from other Plankman cutscene

In one shot there's once again changes in video backgrounds. Planets, few asteroids emerge from darkness and surrounds Alien Rocker scene

Wireframe of scene with already simulated cloths

This snapshot captures moment of work going parallel all the way - video editing of rendered sequences and preview animation to establish feeling of animation and further sequences. It slowly grows longer and longer : )

Some render goes on. Renders include Final Gather calculations

 One shot from actual animation footage

 Work went on and this snapshot captures yet another changes in video backgrounds and overall feeling of scenes.

Another render goes on while Alien keeps rockin'. Some scenes includes interesting Mental Ray camera distortion shader.

Routine work on one scene

Cosmos all around

From yet another scene. Alien movement refinement

All starts with trouser simulation.

In few scenes Alien morphs his face in various ways. Face morphing done using Morph modifier

All cosmic background all-around

In some scenes Alien eyes changes their coloring. Omni lights "attached" to eyes do the thing. Lighting preview check using 3ds max 2008 new viewport lighting preview tool

Shot from another Alien scene

Plankman's  shot

And here comes snapshot from latest Plankman's shot that I currently had done. You can consider this as a real "meeting point" since this is where I stand with my project. Slowly, as progress goes I will guide those who interested with further snapshots. Enjoy!

You're kicking ass, man!  Great work.

SinnerSaint, thanks! But let's make a deal - good words save for later time when animation is done. If you will really like it, if Alien and Plankman will really "kick an ass" then you just give some feedback in form of personal meesage or whatever. I will be happy if that's the case :)   After all, it's not about me, it's all about Alien and Plankman. They are giving performance :)

 Okay, some progress update.
New scene with Alien "giving some tune" out of his guitar is in progress. Blocking animation

Minor scene changes, some "move it little bit here, little bit there"

Some lighting stuff working out

And again, cloth simulation

T-shirt simulated. Scene soon to be rendered