Alien Cloudscape - Rafael Falconi

[rfalconi]

Hi everybody,

I have just entered the community and the challenge itself!´m happy and willing to share my work with you and I hope to have your feedback as well.

I´m a matte painter with lots of interests in VFX industry in general, specially 3D Environment and Concept Art.

I don´t know if its recommended here, but I´d like to post several WIPs/studies I´m doing inside Vue for this matte painting. I haven´t started painting already like most of you guys because I want to make it mostly in Vue to have a final image that can be animated later.

So... here is my first WIP, the 3D environment rendered in Vue.


http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

After some tests in Vue, experimenting with atmospheres, cloud materials and modeling, I realised it was time to set up the scene to use as reference.

So I went back to drawing the concept art to use as a guide. Now it´s in 8k and ready to be better developed.

I will make a final image using this concept art as a base and add high quality photography and 3D renders to it.

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[Yatzenty]

Nice to see you here Rafael. Gotta squeeze that Vue to the limits for this one hey? It's a though challenge but I will join you too. Good luck mate, nice progress!

[rfalconi]

Yeah, managing 3D to match 2D concept regarding animated atmosphere with realistic environment will bring me a nice challenge. Lots of previews, RAM limits exceeded and different cloud types to manage =/ Good luck to you too!

[rfalconi]

Another wip, rendered in Vue.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

Adding a more dissolved cloud layer to cover a little bit of the light source and create a contrast between the density and shape of the clouds.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

Boosting the details and playing with the scale of the main cloud material, and adding height the same layer to see if I can manage the concept basic shape. I hope I can manage those cloud "holes" right!

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

After several tests and experiments I came up with 3 different texture maps to control the cloud layers to follow the concept art of MPC.

This is the first one.

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

After struggling a lot with different cloud types, material and scene scaling to try to create one material that work out the cloudscape... I decided to work with several layers, each one with close characteristics, like density, opacity and cloud type. I still need to find a more detailed look to them, but the general mood will be like this.

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

Another wip... still need to solve the planets better, so as the "vertical" circles. Keep moving forward!

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[Scharb]

Hi, I like you concept with "bridges", I believe it has big potential. :)

[rfalconi]

Thanks man!

[rfalconi]

I´m going to post more cloud studies I´ve been developing this last week using Vue.

On this one I like the "negative" area shapes formed, and decided to share with you all.
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

Another material study, trying to find the right material settings to optimize the scene the most and use only one material and reach the concept art shapes...

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9879/aliencloudscaperafaelfab.jpg

[rfalconi]

Here I´m still playing with some cloud layers (4) to try to match the concept art look..

I´m using cumulus clouds and textures to cut down the shapes. I like the
turquoise blue fog, it gives me a sense of inspiration, but I don´t know how much is it affecting my relation to the concept art. I guess I´ll turn it to a dark blue later on and keep that way. Until then, I´ll use it because it gives a clear view and depth of the lower cloud planes.

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

I´m strugling with the level of roughness x amount of detail x scale of the clouds =/

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

Experimenting...

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

Added altitude in the curves that drive my lateral tall cloud layers...
They keep getting that cumulus cotton feeling if I put the density low, but if I turn it high it "loses" a lot of detail...

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

Added this thin cloud layer and changed some parameters in the other materials. Maybe it´s delivering too much that I´m using different layer types, it doesn´t look like it´s the same kind of cloud, but I´m working on it :)

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

Another tweek..

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

Lots of comparison with settings to find a better look.

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

Getting closer to the end of the 3D stuff, going to final details later on.

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/9308/aliencloudscaperafaelfav.jpg

[Yatzenty]

Vue is producing quite good renders. I wonder how long those render Rafael? Are you using custom atmosphere combined with 3d objects or just objects?

[Nacho_Thomas]

I started the concept work in Vue too, but I really felt it was too rigid for this challenge. And the render times for the 4k images were not too productive. I finally used vue just for the lower coat of clouds.
I am enjoying enormously your vue experiments, I hope you have the time to look over the small details!

[rfalconi]

Hey guys, about the Vue setup, I´ve used volumetric clouds for the background layer, (the most far away near the horizon), to control the shape a little better and match a little more the concept.
The holes, and "path" formation was made with cloud materials, basically using tiled textures combined with curve shapes to drive the clouds formations...

Well, the renders are taking more or less like 3hs in Broadcast quality,
around 15hs in Superior and over 40hs in Ultra, default settings. I´m combining different renders now in Photoshop to achieve my final look. I guess I needed more time to boost more details in 4k quality, but I got this brand new i7 pc just this final week :)

I wish I could make it all in one Vue scene, and now I´m doing a camera maping too. I´ll post them all soon.

[rfalconi]

Final lap...

Monochromatic version.

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/493/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.png

[rfalconi]

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg

[rfalconi]

I´m focusing on the animation right now, I´ll finish it in a higher quality after the contest. Here´s a preview of the main scene I did in Vue (and retouched in Photoshop and After Effects), without the sun with lens flare, and with a different mood.

Animation preview: http://www.rafaelfalconi.com/#!mpc-matte-painting-challenge-/cou1

Still image:

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1465/aliencloudscapepreviewa.jpg

[rfalconi]

At last, final submission :)

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/4319/aliencloudscaperafaelfa.jpg