Space for Spaceships

[Speedvark0]

Does anyone know where you can get space footage to use as a back ground for spaceships?

[AndyJ]

Do you want static space or 'moving' space?

[AndyJ]

If you just want a still background, do a search on google - if you want a bit of 'fluidity' to the shot of a still shot - film the sky on a clear night - worked for me some years back!

[Speedvark0]

Thanks, either method should work. Now if only there was a site that could show you how to make robot armor, lazer guns, and aliens then i'd be set

[BLUESPIDER]

Try going to the NASA website. They might have some images for downloads.

[Guest]

Burning pear spoftware has several photoshop pluging for creating space shots

[tumblemonster]

The site is actually Flaming Pear:

http://www.flamingpear.com/

The plugin that generates star fields is called Glitterato.

I would also suggest generating one in a 3d app. I use lightwave to create moving starfields.A Lightwave plugin Ive been meaning to take a look at creates some incredible starfields for 3d use:

http://www.ficatech.com/

good luck

-tm

[AndyJ]

Nice looking plugin - thanks tumblemonster! ;)

[Speedvark0]

These(plugins) work with photoshop? Are there any plugins that work in conjuntion with Premiere? I do realize you can use photo shop with Premiere.

[Bischofftep]

Two thoughts, and these will not only help you with the starfield but everything else Sci-Fi as well.

1) Blender. http://www.blender.org
This is a fantastically powerful open-source 3D modeling suite. It is completely cross-platform (you name it, it'll run on it) very actively developed, and has a feature set and quality of output comparable to most expensive 3D systems IMO.

2) Then, once you have Blender, you can use the techniques from this website (made for Lightwave users, but easily "ported" to Blender once you know Blender fairly well):
http://www.ap3d.com/betterspace/betterspace-tut-00.htm

Best of luck!

[Policar]

Some spaceships in a movie I worked on:

http://home.comcast.net/~wauhkies/random.mov

[AndyJ]

Policar, what 3D software did you use to make the ships?

[Policar]

3D Studio Max. Soft Image and Maya are good, too. Soft Image is best for the money.

[Speedvark0]

How hard is it to learn a program like maya? I have a friend who has the latest version ( I think it's 6 unlimited) do you reccomend any book titles for a beginer?

[Policar]

It depends how much you want to learn. It can take two years to get a full understanding of it, but within a month you can learn to model with subdivision surfaces, texture a model, and even animate it with bones and IK and create particle systems. It'll take a while for stuff to look good. I've been at Max for about a year now, and I'm still not great at it, but I use it very very rarely now due to college.

There's a good series for maya but I forget what it's called. It's expensive (hundreds of dollars) but it seems REALLY comprehensive and well put together. I think Alias-Wavefront makes it so check their website.

[dakotapod]

Bob Gundu from here has made a set and it's only $25!

http://www.alias.com/eng/education/learning_tools/maya_beginner/maya_beginners_guide_bundle.shtml

His post:

http://www.dvxuser.com/cgi-bin/DVX2/YaBB.pl?board=fx;action=display;num=1100237191;sta rt=15

[tumblemonster]

I learned 3d Studio Max, then Maya, and have settled on Lightwave. I like 3d studio, but as a mac user, couldnt continue when I left animation school. Maya is very strong, but has some features that make it somewhat daunting to learn. The Maya community tends to be more elitist for some reason. Lightwave, in my opinion is the easiest to learn, mostly because of it's intereface, which uses label buttons instead of cryptic icons. The one thing to remember is, no matter what 3d package you use, they all do the same thing. I would suggest downloading the learning/demo versions of all the major 3d software and see which one clicks with you. I know 3d studio, Maya, lightwave and cinema 4d have learning editions. No matter which you choose, 3d is very complex and takes time to learn.

-tm

[Brandt_Wilson]

Depending on the extent of the work you intend to do with your 3D software, there are other options that you might find easier than Lightwave, Max, Softimage or Maya.

I taught 3D for 3 years at a local art school, and after a year of teaching Lightwave, I settled on a lesser known program called Animation Master. It can be had for $200 from the manufacturer www.hash.com or for less via vendors.

A sample space scene done with AM from several years ago:
http://www.hashmirror.com/ftp/pub/gallery/0211.jpg

The typical disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with the program, and haven't taught it for a few years. I found the modeler to be easier to use than the other apps, but less precise in some respects. Motion is easy to setup, but can you can get lost in the motion and color channel editors really easily when you're first learning.

I've found it to be really fast to do 3D doodling.

Other apps have more complete toolsets, but if you don't want a lengthy learning curve, you might take a peek.

[AndyJ]

Thanks for the info Brandt, this looks like a really useful app! :D

[Brandt_Wilson]

You're very welcome, Andy. There are tutorials on the site you can review for workflow. The stuff I taught was more character related, but I may be able to give you some insight as well, if you have any questions.

You just getting up, or are you a serious night owl?

[AndyJ]

You just getting up, or are you a serious night owl?

;D No, I present a Breakfast show on a radio station on Saturday mornings!