Cerbera

Yeah, lovin the wheels :)

Got first texture pass done. Still quite a lot to hoik out of symmetry and texture uniquely, but as far as checking the overall texture look and feel, it's goin' OK. Added some grass to the front lawn, and spent a bit of time with physical sky getting something that didn't annoy me too much. This was rendered using Physical / adaptive / automatic / 10% and took 8 minutes, including the hair grass (600,000 hairs). Next up, hedges, trees, flower boxes, and miscellaneous plants / foliage while I'm deciding if I can be arsed to also model the gatehouse, and the not inconsiderably difficult main gate itself. CBR

Correct. Waste of time creating FAQs. Users have manuals, and search, and generally don't use either before posting their questions !!! CBR

Very nice job so far ! SSS particularly rewarding... You know I'm gonna have to ask to see the wires, right ? :) CBR

That's not jumping ahead - I finished modelling !!!

Texturing has commenced. Using R18's inverse AO to good effect for concrete damage...

Occasionally I repost what I think are supremely helpful tutorials, and oh look, I'm doing it again. We get asked about if C4D can do snowy mountains every so often, and usually sub poly displacement is the answer. But eminent C4D avenger @turboniko has made a really very helpful video showing how to get the absolutely the best from the landscape primitive and the terrain shader to get a pretty decent result, AND it remains parametric. And there's a good bit on height maps at the end as well, so flagging it here as useful to everyone... So do give that a watch, and a like and let's encourage him in his excellent work ! :) CBR

Probably just color/bump maps - but textured the roof early to confirm scale and to see if I thought I needed to model individual tiles (I dont'!). CBR

I know, and the amount of people who use likes is about 10% !! :) But no need to rant, you need the CBR approval / response system ! :) If I help someone, and they don't respond, that gets noted, and they get one more chance next time they ask, and if they still don't say anything nice, then they go on my cafe ignore list, never to be helped again ! Likewise if I think they are using their dodgy crack copies, or send me demanding private messages just assuming I'll help and have infinite time in which to do so, that's also a shortcut straight to my lists :) But on the whole I don't need to block people very often (apart from the crack thieves who I usually spot at a rate of 3 every day !) But most people are quite nice, and some people really go out of their way to say thank you - occasionally I get sent random paypal cash or 'beer donations'. And always remember, if you don't get thanked, who cares really - you did a good thing, and that in itself puts you in a morally good place you can be pleased about independent of anyone else agreeing ! :) But thank yous are nice - of course everyone likes appreciation for their hard work, so your thoughts are entirely understandable... CBR

Cheers bob :)

Quick update - got most of the front fascia main structures done, but still a lot of smaller detail to add. We're now at 3854 objects, and 8 mill subdivided polys. Still 100% quads. Viewport performance totally fine ;) CBR

That modelling you've done there is really very rewarding :) And your work with hair is pretty great too ! Lovely job all round ! CBR

Hail the mighty Vectron ! Sorry - couldn't resist :) Great stuff as always, GI V...

Thanks guys - appreciate the comments. I'll keep going on this; got the exciting roof sections to do next ! CBR

Cheers. Nope - eyeballing it all the way... CBR

Hey Cafe Thought I needed something a bit architectural in my showreel, and inspired as I have been in the past by the typical 3D sort of ultra-modern, simple houses with a pool we see all the time, I decided I wanted to do something old and complicated. And preferably a bit scary. And then I found Harlaxton Manor, Grantham, UK, set of the dodgy 2005 horror film 'The Haunting', and thought 'there's a challenge', but I did have 500 hours to throw at it. So here we are, the first 100 odd gone, during which I have modelled just the bell tower, its minarets, and its main entrance. And there's still a fair bit of detail to be adding to those. My grim reapers aren't finished, for example - still need to build them a wall of skulls for their alcoves, and add some more stoney detail goodness to the side towers. I am going for rewardingly high level of modelled detail, which will be extended to the rest of the mansion as I complete it, and its grounds. The small section done so far has given me 2495 objects, and 5 mill subdivided polys so far. Fortunately the rest of it isn't quite as detailed / elaborate, but should still make for a fairly impressive CG enterprise when it's done. Here's some screenie wires for those of you who (correctly) like that sort of thing ;) CBR

If anyone is wondering what extra buttons you get with the Pro, they are: Shift, Esc, Ctrl, Alt, Undo, Redo, Spacebar, Mode Switch (points, edges, polys), Move, Scale, Rotate, SDS on / off. It's a hell of a lot to have under one hand ! CBR

Yeah ! Lookin' good, but @SIgor's right - we need the wires for full modelling appreciation :) CBR

Good move, @Simmy ! :) I second that - I have the Space Explorer Pro, which has the advantage of 15 modifier keys as well, so you rarely need to take your hand off it to input keyboard commands. Definitely the easiest, nicest way of navigation in C4D. Makes laptop use considerably less frustrating. Can't recommend these enough - mine is still going 7 years after purchase, with no problems ! CBR

Or XParticles can also do it pretty well (and arguably better than metaballs) with its spline mesher or skinner.

Nah, you want single unconnected splines in metaballs to get that effect. So rather than use any font, which has an outline and the inside, you have to trace the middle of each letter with single splines. Then you need a metaball tag on all those individual splines, and set that to line mode. That should get you a lot closer. CBR

There's a lesson there ;)

Never used it myself, but have heard glowing reviews from people that have. CBR

Well, I can only tell you what my problems with it are. I want to own my software, not have my software owning me. I want to buy something and have it work forever, and pay for updates to it when I can afford to, and when I need to - IF the new product can justify the expense. And if it doesn't I don't see any reason at all that my old software should ever stop working on the OS for which it was intended. All the work on it has been done and paid for. An MSA seems like the fairest way of paying for the latest work. There is nothing like the security of knowing your software will still work even if the internet is down for 3 months. So like Autodesk and Adobe before them, Arnold has just ruled itself out of renderers I will consider. A great shame. CBR

Public beta hey ? Who'd have thought... Nice to see some further evidence that MAXON ARE listening. We've been asking, and this is another improvement in their communication / interaction with the userbase that is very welcome with me... CBR