[thelist] Three dimensional button with Photoshop

Casey Crookston casey.crookston at imibevcore.com
Tue Mar 19 15:28:01 CST 2002


Syed,

Photoshop is a great tool for web graphics, in fact it's the best
(imho).  But if you are thinking of doing Pixar type work (Monsters
Inc., Toy Story) then Photoshop does not even come close.  LightWave is
>one< of the tools that will get you there, but keep in mind that you
are now talking about serious money for both the software and the
hardware that can handle it.

If you want to see a butt-kicking example of what LightWave can do,
check out the short film "405" on www.iFilm.com > Action > Top 10.  It
was used to make the DC 10, the LA freeway on which it lands, and the
jeep that it almost crushes.

Here's a snipet:

---------------------

So you want to make a movie about a commercial jet crash-landing on the
busiest freeway--a.k.a. the 405--in Los Angeles. Think you need a real
DC-10, or that you need to shut down a real freeway? Think again. You
don't even need a soundstage: Just ask Bruce Branit and Jeremy Hunt,
whose "405" debuted on IFILM in early June.


Wire-frame image
Although they work as professional visual effects artists on shows like
"Star Trek: Voyager" and "The X-Files" by day, Branit and Hunt created
"405" entirely at home in their spare time, using only the high-end
consumer level hardware and software that already resided in their
desktop computers. While it's true that not everyone's home PC is loaded
with 384MB of RAM, or 3-D effects and compositing programs such as
LightWave and Digital Fusion, Branit and Hunt insist that each of their
systems was pieced together over a period of several years for less than
$10,000. "We were more than willing to spend money on this project,"
says Branit, "but at the end, we looked at each other and realized we
hadn't spent a dime, except for a few CDs and a couple of
pedestrian-on-the-freeway tickets from the highway patrol."

---------------------

HTH,

Casey


-----Original Message-----
From: Syed Zeeshan Haider [mailto:zeeshan_paki at yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2002 3:03 PM
To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
Subject: Re: [thelist] Three dimensional button with Photoshop


Hi Phil,
Thank you for replying in such detail.
Your perception about me is quite right. But there is something which
exists beyond showing talent and skills to others, and that thing is
satisfaction and internal gladness of being able and talented. You are a
talented man and I hope you have enjoyed such satisfactions and
happinesses. One point to be noted: Do you mean Photoshop 6.0 does not
have ability to do such high quality 3D art work? Keeping the budgets
aside, which application or plugins would you suggest me for this work?
Thank you, Syed Zeeshan Haider. http://syedzeeshanhaider.faithweb.com/

----- Original Message -----
From: "BT Bigpant" <bigpant at btinternet.com>
To: <thelist at lists.evolt.org>
Subject: RE: [thelist] Three dimensional button with Photoshop
Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 09:55:37 -0000
Reply-To: thelist at lists.evolt.org

>You will see some planets floating in the heavens of imaginary worlds.
I
>just wanted to create such planets but I am too ignorant. I want to do
>all this with Photoshop 6.0 because I am familiar with this software
>better than any other.

To create artwork like this, you really need to be looking into 3D
applications such as 3D Studio Max. Sure, you can get some pretty
amazing effects in Photoshop with the myriad plugins available, and you
may well achieve the result you are after. But I feel it would be trial
and error, and may take some considerable time.

I know many of the 3D applications can be expensive, so shop around. I
suggest you ask the artist what (s)he used to create images. The price
tag usually reflects the features. For example, 3DSMax supports a whole
list of features you may never use, but you might find the particle
systems and volumetric lighting worthy of the investment. But there a
dozens of high quality apps that cost a fraction of 3DSMax that may well
suit your budget. Computer Arts magazine often comes with trial/last
version 3D apps, it might be worth getting that.

Above all of that, I can see why you want to emulate these graphics,
they are quite stunning, and obviously represent a great deal of talent,
hard work and a detailed knowledge of a graphics application. If you are
really struggling to achieve the right effect, it might be worth asking
the artist if you can use his/her graphics, or if (s)he would design
buttons for you. While this won't help improve your skillset, it will
help you get your website up and running more quickly. It all depends
what your priorities are.

HTH
Phil Parker





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