REAL OR FAKE: These Computer-Generated Images Look Like Photographs

fractal

fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
afar28

afar28

Well-Known Member
Wow, if you just showed me those I'd think they were real. Technology is advancing more and more, seems like there is something new and wonderful everyday with technology advancements
 
M

maxairmike

Well-Known Member
Ummm...:eek:

So many of those looked completely photo-realistic. The only one that I would have picked out as being CG for sure was the destroyed/abandoned city scene with "the end is near" painted on the wall on the far right side. That particular scene was too much like a lot of current video games to not stick out. It was very convincing, but little things like that give some stuff away.
 
CP_alum08

CP_alum08

Well-Known Member
So cool! yeah you can tell the Breaking Bad one is CG, but it's still freakishly good CG! The only bad thing about high-poly renders like these is that even with super fast computers and render farms they still take hours to render. I've worked with 3dsMax a little and even the beginner stuff I was doing took a while to render.
 
NowInc

NowInc

Well-Known Member
Rainbow Dash said:
Autodesk: 3dsMAX with render settings on the highest possible quality level.
Click to expand...

Its actually a lot more complicated than that. First off...3DS max is only as good as the render engine it uses. The default scan-line renderer or mental ray that come with it are "OK" at best, but most people choose to load in a 3rd party render engine such as V-Ray or Maxwell renderer. Secondly...there is no "just set it and forget it" when it comes to CG. We spend hours upon hours making custom shaders (the things that make the polygons look like something other than a flat shape), setting up COUNTLESS lights, and adjusting various other settings such as smoothing, anti aliasing, light bounces etc etc etc.

Side note: 3DS Max is horrid for most CG Jobs. Thus why its mostly used for Games. For feature quality, its usually Maya running with a custom render engine (Renderman, V-Ray, etc), in conjunction with other tools such as Z-Brush/Mudbox, and Mari. The REASON 3DS Max is so "Popular" stems from a few things. Its one of the first CG Suites you learn if you go to college for it, and its also the most pirated CG Program in existence. The other reason its so popular is because it has a lot of "cheats" through the use of Plugins. Which sadly have a negative effect on the industry as a whole...a "one click" solution only shows you as being lazy and won't land you a job. Sorry..just ranting :p

LoL..give you a hint as to what I do for a living :)
 
Rainbow Dash

Rainbow Dash

Member
NowInc said:
Its actually a lot more complicated than that. First off...3DS max is only as good as the render engine it uses. The default scan-line renderer or mental ray that come with it are "OK" at best, but most people choose to load in a 3rd party render engine such as V-Ray or Maxwell renderer. Secondly...there is no "just set it and forget it" when it comes to CG. We spend hours upon hours making custom shaders (the things that make the polygons look like something other than a flat shape), setting up COUNTLESS lights, and adjusting various other settings such as smoothing, anti aliasing, light bounces etc etc etc.

Side note: 3DS Max is horrid for most CG Jobs. Thus why its mostly used for Games. For feature quality, its usually Maya running with a custom render engine (Renderman, V-Ray, etc), in conjunction with other tools such as Z-Brush/Mudbox, and Mari. The REASON 3DS Max is so "Popular" stems from a few things. Its one of the first CG Suites you learn if you go to college for it, and its also the most pirated CG Program in existence. The other reason its so popular is because it has a lot of "cheats" through the use of Plugins. Which sadly have a negative effect on the industry as a whole...a "one click" solution only shows you as being lazy and won't land you a job. Sorry..just ranting :p

LoL..give you a hint as to what I do for a living :)
Click to expand...
I only have experience with 3D-Max so I can't really write an essay like you did. xP Althought, just my opinion, I think that out of all of the programs that I've tested, 3dsMax was probably the easiest to navigate. (I just could never figure out how to add those dratted textures :I)
 
NowInc

NowInc

Well-Known Member
Rainbow Dash said:
I only have experience with 3D-Max so I can't really write an essay like you did. xP Althought, just my opinion, I think that out of all of the programs that I've tested, 3dsMax was probably the easiest to navigate. (I just could never figure out how to add those dratted textures :I)
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with feeling comfy with 3DS max..like with cameras..its just a tool. I've seen fantastic things come from it. Maya is substantially more "user friendly"...but not right out of the box. You need to learn it (Muscle memory). If you ever watched someone use it..you'd understand why I say that. Ideally you could run the entire program with no UI buttons (once you know how)..which makes the work flow fantastic.

It saddens me that Autodesk went ahead and basically eliminated most CG software competition by buying 3DSMax (From Discreet), Maya (From Alias), and XSI (From Avid whom got it from Microsoft). Basically they OWN the "big 3" suites, and that REALLY stalls any sort of progress there is. Granted there are tons of other solutions out there (Cinema 4D is gaining rapid popularity, especially with motion graphics people, and Lightwave will always have a dedicated following), but as far as industry workflow..its typically using the autodesk programs. I wouldn't mind so much if the 3 of them worked better together (They dont REALLY share a common file format..at least not seamlessly), but it just seems they are tying to triple dip on the industry.

...there I go ranting again..sorry!
 
Rainbow Dash

Rainbow Dash

Member
NowInc said:
Nothing wrong with feeling comfy with 3DS max..like with cameras..its just a tool. I've seen fantastic things come from it. Maya is substantially more "user friendly"...but not right out of the box. You need to learn it (Muscle memory). If you ever watched someone use it..you'd understand why I say that. Ideally you could run the entire program with no UI buttons (once you know how)..which makes the work flow fantastic.

It saddens me that Autodesk went ahead and basically eliminated most CG software competition by buying 3DSMax (From Discreet), Maya (From Alias), and XSI (From Avid whom got it from Microsoft). Basically they OWN the "big 3" suites, and that REALLY stalls any sort of progress there is. Granted there are tons of other solutions out there (Cinema 4D is gaining rapid popularity, especially with motion graphics people, and Lightwave will always have a dedicated following), but as far as industry workflow..its typically using the autodesk programs. I wouldn't mind so much if the 3 of them worked better together (They dont REALLY share a common file format..at least not seamlessly), but it just seems they are tying to triple dip on the industry.

...there I go ranting again..sorry!
Click to expand...
I've heard good things about Maya too. If I 'go pro' I'll probably buy that and ditch 3D-MAX.
 
NowInc

NowInc

Well-Known Member
The good news is that all autodesk made 3D programs have free personal learning editions (Max, Maya, XSI, Mudbox). FULL program..but with obvious limitations such as watermarked renderings, no support for outside plugins (I think), and I THINK a watermark on your viewport (not sure on that one). But you can even SAVE your files using them.

http://students.autodesk.com/?nd=download_center

and if you dont want to go that route, they all also have free 30 day trial versions.

Just remember, maya seems REALLY REALLY difficult when you first start using it. WATCH ONLINE TUTORIALS..especially regarding how to navigate using the hotkeys and how to use the hot menu. After that it just "works" the way you think it should. ALSO remember, there isnt a single 3D suite in existence that is bug free. Maya and Max are sadly the worst offenders. If something is acting funky..save your file..and reload the program..its probably a glitch.
 
Rainbow Dash

Rainbow Dash

Member
NowInc said:
The good news is that all autodesk made 3D programs have free personal learning editions (Max, Maya, XSI, Mudbox). FULL program..but with obvious limitations such as watermarked renderings, no support for outside plugins (I think), and I THINK a watermark on your viewport (not sure on that one). But you can even SAVE your files using them.

http://students.autodesk.com/?nd=download_center

and if you dont want to go that route, they all also have free 30 day trial versions.

Just remember, maya seems REALLY REALLY difficult when you first start using it. WATCH ONLINE TUTORIALS..especially regarding how to navigate using the hotkeys and how to use the hot menu. After that it just "works" the way you think it should. ALSO remember, there isnt a single 3D suite in existence that is bug free. Maya and Max are sadly the worst offenders. If something is acting funky..save your file..and reload the program..its probably a glitch.
Click to expand...
Thanks. =)
 

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