HOME | DD
Chromattix — Test - Procedural Vue Planets
Published: 2009-03-13 10:30:44 +0000 UTC; Views: 13231; Favourites: 234; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
It may not be the most artistically breathtaking thing to show in your inbox, but don't under-estimate it - these planets were made using NO image-based textures at all! virtually made from nothing but clever use of filters and functions alone!That's right, 100% pure Vue work right here
The function editor (not that I'm pro at this challenging yet powerful aspect of Vue but have spent hours experiemnting recently) can be used to create some stunning materials as these here which when applied to a series of layered spheres, can make very realistic planets! So imagine how much cooler this would be if I did work my Photoshop magic over it, but that would defeat the purpose of my test here 
Some of the advantages of fully procedural materials include:
- Uses WAY less memory, each planet-object and their materials don't even use one MB of space (lol, bit of a pun in there)
- Dosn't get that "distortion" at the polar areas of the sphere that image-based textures do, so these planets can be rotated and viewed from any angle without weird "polar suction"
- Higher detail, since image-mapped textures lose quality fast as you approach closer, these do too an extent and become a bit blurry, but not in an unnatural "pixellated" way
- Easier to edit, rather than making a new map for a new planet all over again, the proportion of land to sea can be easily be changed, as can the colours of the planets, the level of cloud-cover and how swirly they are and so on.
This is a preview showing 2 of 4 planets I have made for a high-grade resource pack for Vue users that I'll intend on selling on Cornucopia (gotta get a store account first
) like most things there, it won't be expensive, but since this is an original idea that practically every Vue artist will wnat, hopefully it can reel in some pocket money for me, whilist giving Vue user's the best planets available to use in their sci-fi scenes (Most of the space-related stuff there at the moment is really dissapointing 
)A far bigger (and dearer) pack is in the making, it will contain these four planets plus a shitload more! things like Ringed Gas Giants, Suns and even nebulae that I have made directly in Vue - for Vue
Might move to scraps later, depends on how many faves it gets (I don't think it would get much
)
Related content
Comments: 163
Any resource recommendations on where I could learn more about the function editor? Or did you just learn through trial and error?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
The only worthwhile function editor tutorials I've heard of are the ones from Asile FX - an dthey are pretty expensive DVD's 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Wow, that planet looks way better than any trial or error I've managed to get by with. I'll have to play around with it some more!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Looks really nice, there! If I ever get Vue, I'll definitely have to pick these up once they're for sale!
I hope they sell well!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks, and I keep making the mistae you already have Vue 
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
looks great man! I love it. So many detail there! You should prepare a tutorial about this. Would really useful (at least for me 
Another advantage of procedurals are you can render them either 2000pix or 4000pix - textures will not look streched.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I intend of making some Vue tutorials, and perhaps a frew free resource packs in the future, but for really big and detailed things like this - I'd rather keep their creation secret, since I want to try and sell them over at Cornucopia 
But yes, Procedural materials are better for close-ups, of course, if one requires the effect of a planet even closer than this, they could probably simulate that effect high above a spectral atmosphere, but these will no doubt be useful for anyone wanting (good) distant planets
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
yea I read that on other comment - keeping secret and selling on Cornucopia thing. You should do that too - Cornucopia stuff are useful and pretty cheap, so nice library for Vue users. Also if I were you I track the steps of creations like this - would be a good resource for a Vue book someday.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Ohh, man! Your terraformed moon is great!
So you did this using pheres with textures...? <~<
If you did it like that then your'e just like me with Celestia. OwO
Anyway, this is awesomeness! ^W^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks, that's not really the Moon, in fact, in the 3D scene, the green planet is actually bigger, just further away, the fact that the clos eplanet looks like it has Africa on it is pure coincidence with the randomly generated shapes of the continents...if you saw the whole planet, you'll see it definetily dosn't resemble Earth lol
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thats not the Earth? O~o?
Ha, that really fooled me! -_- It really does looks like the part where Africa and S. America parted!
Thx anyway, and awesome as allways. XD
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I love the planets, I see what you mean by not artistically breathtaking, you can't do it all in vue after all, but like you said, go into PS and paint over them, add a bunch of details, that would be amazing.
What I do like is the background planet I reallllly love the colours about it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, Maybe I will do a similar scene one day WITH photoshop applied to make it more breathtaking
Yeah, the background planet was given a tropical theme, very green land and sea colour, in fact, all four planets ahve a slight colour variation, the closet one is just "normal" colours
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Wow, you did this in 3d?
Despite being your watcher for so long, I didn't know that your works are 3D. ><
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yep, this is one of the few deviations I have that's pure 3D with no Photoshop input
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I agree with you.
When I do 3D, I usually have to turn down the brightness. *It hurts when staring at it too long*
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Dude I don't know if u understand, but You are ...what's the word...awesomly fantasticly stupendouse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Lol, that's three words, not one 
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Awesome!
Will you make a tutorial? please?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I have Vue tutorials on my to-do list, but I'm afraid this is one thing I'd rather keep secret (since I'm counting on these earning me some cash off Cornucopia) Plus I pretty much forget how I made many of the functions for the materials since it was just something fun I wasn't taking seriously at first, but started to evolve over weeks, I even saved the materials etc since I knew I may not be able to do the same again
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I understand. But just tell me something: is this "function editor" in the "Edit Material" options? I'm more than happy to mess around myself but I don't recall seeing something related to functions.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
The function editor can be responsible for creating a the bumps, colour, or a few other things, so there's normally a patterned sphere in those parts of which you can right-click (or control-click, whatever) on it and go to "edit function" and then a graph shows up...It's pretty daunting though, so I don't make my own from scratch, I just edit ones close to what I want (like change the amount of turbulence, or the contrast between high and low values etc)
Anyway, a bit more info can be seen in my reply to =hoevelkamp 's comment earlier back
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ok found it (a little bolt button at the side of some of the parameters in the advanced material editor). It is daunting indeed. Thanks!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Yeah, that really is cool. I use Vue 6 and have since version 2 and that really is hard work to get it looking that good. I can do planetary stuff pretty good, but not space stuff...never tried, but I know it is hard. Great work on this, brother.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Cool, always good to have another Vue user on board, seeing how we make up only a tiny portion of the already small 3D artists on here 
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I should congratulate you for your magical hands
this is awsome
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Fantastic work! They look excellent.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
No base textures? 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Lol, never think I can't get awesomer
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh my, no texturing.. I wish i had big fancy programs, all i have is paint, but it works for my pixel art. I HAD paintshop pro 6, but the trial ran out, and i dont have enough money to buy it
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Wow, I don't run into many that had Paint Shop Pro 6 - that's all I had for like - the first four or five years of my digital art life
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I think i'm in love with you matt...
no seriously... YOU"RE AWESOME!
:lust:
I've been playing around with vue and i've got the opportunity to work with a client (EA Design Group) on a project in the future because of it... probably sell the Vue stuff on a per image basis instead of my "hourly rate" like i normally work for.
again... 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks, and that sounds like a fun project *jealous* it does make me think of the fact that if I sell these 3D planets as a resource that some users might use them in such projects or animations and so on and I wouldn't get any extra cash or credits, but I suppose that's a risk - they will hopefully still bring me some spare money, plus it will be fun to see what most "regular Vue hobbyists" that buy them make from them 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
haha yeah i've looked at the planets thing too with vue and it's pretty cool, although... as far as skill goes... getting a planet to look good like you have, is more challenging than placing a planet in the background where it's faded out and the LOD is quite a bit lower *level of detail*
Mate... if I get a big contract from a vue image i'll pay for a flight for you to come to bris for a few days to hang
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, that's another problem with the provided Vue planets...though they fade into the sky realistically, as if they really are far away, they are quite low-res (since they are based off images of the Solar Sustem) and definetily aren't any good for close-ups and outer space scenery like this 
Oh, and Brisbane will be awesome, I was near Surfer's Paradise early this year,but didn't actually go to Brisbane, so it's been a few years since my last visit
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
well hopefully your next visit should be around christmas time
What sort of tools do you use in a matte painting? I've always liked the idea of taking 3D stuff and making it look a little softer (3D is so harsh imo) but i've never really known much about how to...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, no point going now that Winter's on its way, can't enjoy the beach when it's cold.
Matte painting usually involves an even mix of Photo and digital painting, and sometimes 3D, but since I have Vue, the need for photo's is less urgent so for landscapes, I can often make my own Photos in Vue and render those before turning it into something more dramatic later in Photoshop. And I could have done the same here to and make this more interetsing, but since I wanted to show what can be done in Vue alone, I had to resist the temptation to digitally paint over it
What I really want to learn is how to matte-paint cities, since you have to be ultra-accurate when buildings and such are the dominant feature, and some future-city artworks are just incredile
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
hrmm... yes this is true, however I have heard of a few ways you can "photo-match" photo's so they have the same field of view and perspective... I haven't needed it so far but I know that max does and photoshop has an element to do it but again i haven't needed it so i have forgotten what it is...
Anyway, bud I'm off to bed. had a big day at uni and a big match tonight...
Also have to write and essay this coming week on Dawn of War II or FEAR 2... hrmm, which one... damn what a hard life I have!!! HAHA have to play a game and write 1000 words on the games major elements... okay so it's not that simple but it's freaking easy.
ttys
PS: I have my 2 dual core computers rendering an animation from vue... fking 6.1Billion poly's and it's at 3.65% after 8 hours!!!!!! it'll take about 7 days.
ciao bud!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Ok... You're going over the top of being good now... WHY ARE YOU SO AMAZING!?!?!?!?!? 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Lol, well I've done better artistically, but technically - this is a breakthrough to me and I'm pleased with the results, just a lot of hard work and experimenting (yeah, I hate that answer too, but it's the truth
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're very welcome my man! 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh yes, there will be more of those Galaxy-worlds,and more floating islands too...But I'm so crammed with original ideas that I often keep putting them off...I have a bad habit of "saving ideas"
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I pretty much know nothing about vue, but I do know is how lovely that image turned out. Sometimes simplicity is best. Great work!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, the world of 3D art is enourmously different to 2D illustarting (which I still like more, this is just showing some successful experiemnts I made without needing PS at all, which is hard to do
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
New and interesting approach in the field of plant creation. Me like it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, it's true that for a more "formal" and "artistic" space scene, I'd make the planets, or at least their textures in Photoshop, plus I find it more fun that way too
I never tried exporting procedural material-maps before atually, especially not 3Ds Max since I don't even have that, but there are actualy two cloud layers (so it's two spheres, one only just inside the other) and that's how I got a nice mix of feathery cirrus clouds on one and dotty cumulus clouds on another (but later I figured out how to get almost the same thing on just one sphere, but oh well - two gives those who will end up buying it more control over the look of clouds I guess
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, I did that with my planets as well, using more than just one sphere for the clouds. Pretty nice results that way. But, there are very few high res cloud maps and to create one that looks realistic is insanely hard and boring work. So, if there's a way to do this with procedural materials (which hopefully can be exported to max) that would be a real kick. I'm gonna try that today.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
<= Prev | | Next =>