Need VFX advice

[Mike Insane]

OK so I'm looking to do a quick 20 second shot of a couple of starships firing missiles at each other in space. I'm hoping to load MAYA on my system next week but I at a loss on how to create the scene.

I'd love some input on how to create ...
1. small missles and track them across the screen.
2. planets that look real.
3. how to make it all match the resolution and feel of the stock hvx200.

Thanks.

 

[Mattykins]

A new learner to Maya and you are planning on that stuff?

Learning the UI will be the hardest. There is a lot there and it will pretty much suffocate you from the get go. Missiles aren't that bad. I remember seeing a video online. If not I might try and make you a tutorial on monday when I have the day off? (Might is the operative phrase there) Planets are mostly dealt with shaders. Real is a little tougher.

Matching it to the HVX is in compositing.

 

[Jason Miller]

in maya you can do this, for the realistic planets, I would suggest finding a copy of renderman and learning it,

for comping it, Shake is the program for you, its cheap now and amazing.

manly you'll have to match color and grain, color should be pretty close already as you have access to that while creating the textures or shaders for your 3d objects and fluids particles.
you may also have to do some roto depending on the shots.

Jason Milller

 

[Mike Insane]

WOW nice! Thanks!

I'm familiar with principles but never the actuasl application. My original plan was to comp everything in motion 3 from photoshop images and then somehow figure out how to make the missiles. I still may go that route but I'm assuming the missiles need to be created in 3d somehow.