NIN Sketch
Digital sketch from poster reference of Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor’s face.
Dark
The Making of Labyrinthine in 3DS Max
Labyrinthine.wmv (600×400, 1.5MB, WMV9 video)
Now:
It feels like it’s been too long since I’ve been able to work on a 3d piece. One of the last chances I had I was able to produce this, which suffers somewhat from a shortened time allotment but did give me a chance to work on moody lighting.
Shackles
Now:
Here’s a dark one, and I’m not just talking about theme. The thing I remember most about making this image is that it was the reason I began to think about monitor calibration.
This was probably around the time I started working the graveyard shift for a part-time job, and I hung up towels and blankets over the blinds in my room to block out as much light from the windows as possible. Having created, for the first time, a truly dark environment for myself (really just to be able to sleep when I got home in the morning), it started having an effect on the way I used my computer.
Occum’s Razor
Now:
The modeling has its problems, but what bugs me most is the lighting on this piece. The sky is pretty great, but the guillotine itself is rather poorly lit. Hindsight, I suppose.
Then:
Behind My Eyes: A Dark Poem
Webs painted behind my eyes
Sleep is forsaken
Devils dance behind my eyes
Skin draws tighter
Take another shot
Still they refuse to die
Cackling and taunting
I grow weary of fighting
Smoke rises behind my eyes
Dark haze with no escape
Demons grin behind my eyes
Intent on my suffering
Spines
Now:
I can still enjoy this piece as a 3d doodle. The simplicity and reasonable textures feel more forgivable than some of my overworked and under-designed 3d images. A part of me, seeing this again, wants to develop more simple, iconic 3d images and achieve better results on such a low level of complexity, before attempting more involved scenes again.
Hallway
Now:
A very simple piece, this is probably the most basic modeling I’ve used in a rendering. It might have been fine, but the materials and lighting don’t feel like they do enough to add significant interest to the basic modelig setup.
On the other hand, I think I still enjoy long perspective shots. This was made before I had experience using depth of field, and it might have been nice to see some of that employed here; I have to admit I have a soft spot for distance and compositions that pull the viewer into the frame with great depth.
