supernew newbie looking to dive into 3d need guidance

S

superiormediagroup

Member
Hi all long time read very new poster!

So Im looking to dive into this 3d world. Im looking to incorporate custom 3d objects which I plan to build in videos such as this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuJDaOVz2qY

I have read and read about the different softwares however narrowed it down to cinema 4d or blender. ( I have the demo of both and Cinema4d seems a bit easier to use) not being a trained pro I rely on tutorials and hands on to learn. I want a software that easily intergrates with CS5 suite as i have that and final cut. The world of 3d is really sparking my interest.

So the couple questions I have are

1. the video i provided any insight to what software would help me in the path to those results? specifically the incorporation of the water frozen, Dollars floating on plane scene, lighter floating etc.

2. Does C4D track data? If not I assume it has the ability to bring in tracked date if so what sofware do you recommend I currently have mocha. couldnt find that out

Beyond that any insight to starting out would be well appreciated. I want to incorporate 3d art and visual effects in my workflow and know i have some learning ahead of me but want the pros guidance.

Much appreciated,
Frank
 
1/ You could try both. I know C4D can do that. I'm sure blender can also.
I think blender has pretty good fluid dynamics simulation though if you were going to play with fluid sims.
RealFlow also has a free trial version (fluid sim) that you could play with.


2/
C4D doesn't track data but you can bring in tracking data. Isn't Mocha just a planar tracker? You would need a 3D tracker.
A free one is voodoo that you could play around with. I've used it a few times with C4D.

Triplej96 also has some tutorials using pftrack and AE. Check out his website in his sig.

The only other thing besides tracking and compositing that you would be need to learn is modeling, uv unwrapping and texturing. The latter you can often get by with basic materials.
 
looking at a finished product is and trying to guess which software was used to complete the job is like looking at a photograph print guessing which camera and software was used to complete it.

I'm not familiar with c4d nor blender but Gord.T is right. you need a 3D tracker such as PFtrack. On the 3D side I'm a Maya guy but the workflow is the same for all packages.

1. footage - you need to take measurements of you scene so you're working with real scale in 3d (a must have for flawless integration)
2. tracking - hopefully you have enough scene data and camera info/lens info so you can punch that into pftrack or other 3d tracker. By scene data I mean pixel information that the tracker can digest and figure out your camera movement. If the scene is (ie white wall or green screen) you'll need to put tracking markers.
3. dummy objects - put them where you're 3D object will be integrated, try to use real objects or something relatively close to scale or smaller that can be easily hidden by putting the 3D render of the object on top of your plate.
4. reference photography - take lot's of photos for lighting reference hopefully hdrs of the enviroment that you can use for reflections if necessary for you object.
5. start with something simple - like incorporating a gray shaded sphere into your footage. If you can light a sphere so it looks like it belongs in your footage you can light anything in 3d.
6. create 3d dummy geometry- and position it where the object would cast shadows for scene integration.
7. use compositing package - to finish the job and comp your footage together.
8. look at vfx breakdowns online of how vfx house brake down their scenes and you'll get a general idea of the most efficient way to brake your scene down.
9. don't get discouraged it takes a lot of time
10. everthing I learned is by trial and error following online tutorials even though I went to school here are few resources

www.3dtotal.com
www.cgtalk.com

cheers
 
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