Darkjedi

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"...
If you do the math, 20 Million Prestige's rent is 1 Million Prestige every 2 weeks...."

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It's actually 400,000, but who's counting?

Logged on. Madde a base. We have 75 members. We received no bonus

I didn't think we'd see our SG's prestige numbers until launch. Are you guys sure?

It was stated that rent doesn't start getting added to your base until you have over 1,000,000 prestige (at which point it's 1%). At something like 16,000,000, it goes up to 2%.

Also, I remember reading that "Instant Raids" would be disconneced for live. Not sure if that's the current plan, but I don't think they'll be up since it's a great way to scout someone you want to take an IoP from.

OOO sounds fun!

I added a bit, but you can still see the outfit and untouched screenshot.

Battle-Angel

VICTORY server

The next suggestion I'd make is to make his cowel a morph that comes right out of his face, then texture the head to fit the morph. It should be great for animation that way, and fairly quick to contruct. That also avoids the need to make an entirely new model with new bones... you can rely on the ones you already have.

You could handle his face cover (neatly avoiding the word cowel (sp?)) through texturing. Or, if you're brave, you could photoshop it in. I tend to rely on photoshop when I can't get the model quite right.

But I'm all about the final image and not so much into the strict modelling ethic.

/interrupt on

This whole line of discussion about procedurals on 200 figures in one scene cracked me up. I've done film and video-game work, and there's no way I'd use procedurals on a scene with 200 dudes in it! I'd probably slap a 1024x1024 on the guys and click render.

Unless it's a really specialized scene with an extreme closeup, you can get away with low-rez textures. And even if there was a single closeup, then toss procedurals on that one guy. But anything more than that will be lost anyways.

/interrupt off. Continue the great discussion

I agree with Augur; most Poser pieces are recognizable as Poser because they're rendered directly in the Poser render engine (which is total crapola). Poser's render engine is recognizable in an instant and doesn't have ray tracing, procedurals, or anything more advanced than shadow-mapping. It's for that exact reason that I take my scenes into other programs for rendering.

Additionally, most artists seem to skip what I consider the final and manditory step to completing a piece; postwork! Every 3D program has it's quirks, and the artist MUST correct those quirks before a piece can be considered complete, or they'll be haunted with the tiny little errors that keep a piece from being incredible. By quirks, I mean such nuisances as figures clipping through clothing, joints that don't bend correctly, shadows that are too dark, or too light, and hair/clothing that falls flat when it should be lively. Any Poser artist that doesn't correct these issues isn't done with their piece... and it shows.

As far as my preference, I'm a Vertex-pusher at heart. I love making 3D items and prefer Maya. I don't mind texturing and have created some pretty cool ones, but making the UVs line up is such a pain on a new model that I try to resort to either procedurals, or start with a pre-made object that's already UVed. I actively avoid that stage.

Ultimately, my goal is a finished piece of art. I use models from here and there, textures from the internet and friends, some items imported and some modelled native... whatever it takes to get to a rough render. Then I polish and tweak that render until it's a presentable piece. Whatever it took to get to that final piece should be unrecognizable - that's when the image becomes magic.

Like Kboc, I've recieved a lot of criticism for my use of Poser. Something everyone needs to understand is that Poser is a means to an end, nothing more.

To create a good image, you have to have technical ability to manipulate textures, lights, and figures. You have to have artistic ability to create dynamic poses, interesting angles, and strong lighting. You have to have patience and perserverance to get through the MANY quirks of any 3D package. You have to have story-telling ability to convey emotion, evoke feeling, and communicate a message.

Kbocs pieces do just that; each one is a 'story' of it's own. He did well, and deserves support.

To be close-minded enough to say they're not art just because he didn't make the base model is like telling a painter his art is invalid because he didn't make his own brushes. Poser is a TOOL used to reach the end-result of a FLAT, 2D IMAGE... just like a pencil is to an illustrator... a TOOL.

If Kboc was claiming authorship of the model, I'd see your point. But he isn't. He's only claiming he made the image... which is unique. It is HIS image. And which is art. And which is cool because it adds to the whole tapestry that is City Of Heroes.

I'm glad I DLed it. I don't have the bandwidth to mirror though. I've watched it like 10 times!

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How can your name be dark jedi and your avatar look like "Cher: The Musical"

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Click on the 'Digital Art' links in my sig and you'll see where my avatar came from. And no, it's not Cher... heh. As far as my name goes, I've been called 'darkjedi' for 15 years or so.

I've been here since the beginning. I'll be here til the end. I've LOVED every minute of it.

I've cancelled UO, cancelled EQ, cancelled EQ2, and cancelled SWG. Paragon City is my home now... I'm renting a place just inside Founders Falls. Feel free to stop by for beers... =)