m1kclark's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[Bedroom]

There's an anti-aliasing problem: left window's lower edge, the chair in the right-back window, and the lights over the bed, for examples.

Otherwise, DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE!

<deleted> responds:

Mostly because of over exposure, but yea. I didn't bother using any advanced AA, thus the low rendertime :)

But it goes away if you downscale the image, thus the large size :)
And so on ... But thanks!

[Park apartment]

Ooh! I really like this. And I really REALLY want to give 5/5 stars, but there's something off. It's so elusive that I can't even say exactly why I get a funny vibe from this pic, but it's there and it's bothering me. The word that flashes in my mind is "disjoint".

But I can't tell why. The lighting matches the background photo really well; the specularity and even radiosity seem right to me; the colors in real life wouldn't clash; all the textures seem to have the same level of attention; even the shag carpet is awesome. There's nothing that I can point to as a flaw, per se. But for some reason, different quadrants of the image feel like they are from different images, like they were rendered on separate engines or something. I don't know if you can see what I mean (or really, if it is even there). For example, the aura around the chair, ottoman and carpet just *feels* different from the aura around the marble table, and again different from that of the bookshelf and pillows on the left. ::shrug::

It's almost an "uncanny valley" effect for non-character objects: so much of it is so realistic that whatever isn't the same level of realism is all the more jarring. HTH. And btw, glad to see your newest stuff!

<deleted> responds:

Thank you mate. I dare say you've earned a place in my heart for reviewing most of my work :) I want you to know that I really appreciate that someone spends free time to comment upon the work of others! I will keep posting. And if you would like to see more varied artwork and more test projects, I suggest you head over to my blog!

www.carlfindahl.net

[minda pinup]

Oh! That's her BUTT?

Sorry, I was horribly confused at first, thinking she somehow had two sets of boobs, one of which was tiny and the other was incredibly droopy. All other features are awesome, though.

megadrivesonic responds:

yeah i understand the confusion. her spine is very out of place

[Steampunk revolver]

I see three amateur mistakes in the 3D modeling.
(a) The image isn't anti-aliased. You can see it most clearly on the blade and the handle.
(b) You only have one light and it is WAY too bright. Cut the brightness by half, and then add two more lamps that are much dimmer and don't generate shadows. Those lights will fill in the details that the primary light misses.
(c) The model isn't high enough resolution in terms of polygons. I can see the polygons in almost all of your round edges, particularly at the handle and the base of the blade. And here's the advice I give to almost half of all 3D submissions on NG: BEVEL YOUR EDGES. The rectangle under the hammer, the triangles on top, the barrel, the gears, the handle; so many places in your model have those infinitely-sharp edges that are unrealistic and reveal the fact that it's computer generated. Edges on real objects are just *slightly* smooth at the corners.

I have no problem with the concept and design, but LegolaSS already made recommendations for you that you might want to employ. Keep trying. 3D art is like algebra; you have to do 20 steps exactly right or the whole thing can fall apart.

whatthemeh responds:

Again, just threw this online quickly for use elsewhere, I used newgrounds outta laziness really, it's not a complete frickin master-piece. I understand it's not tip-top standard. I was learning at the time.

Also the brightness was an aesthetic choce, sorta like in a museum or something.

I probabely sound like a bitch no accepting constructive criticism but you know, context and stuff.

[King Of Ages]

As always, great work. But this one looks kind of plastic. I think that more randomly-arranged color spots in the face and perhaps adjusting the specular colors/brightness. I hate to criticize something that's 95% perfect.

tlishman responds:

Thanks! Crits are always welcome! I admit I got lazy with this one and just kept symmetry on until the final bit, so the lines will looks kinda symmetrical. Also the material I used is actually trying to replicate a metallic surface. I was kinda intending on making this guy a statue iron bust or something like that.

[Kitchen and Dining Room V1]

Three main comments:
(1) Good object design, where minimalism meets realism.
(2) Turn up the anti-aliasing. The edges are a little pixel-y, for example on the fridge door.
(3) The lighting doesn't seem right. There's a sense that the light comes from everywhere, instead of from the lights that are visible in the image.

SkillZombie responds:

Yeah, I had noticed that. Some of the primary lighting from the V-ray engine was a little distorted in the design.

Thank you for the input.

[Warthog]

I'm going to guess that this isn't for a game, based on the high resolution of all the circular objects and the reflectivity on the front surfaces. I will offer critique with that assumption.

PRAISE: The overall geometry is excellent, with good color choices and a nice framing of the object for the picture. You've got decent lighting that really emphasizes the details of the model, and the angle of the vehicle is also appropriate.

CRITIQUE: (In order of simplest to most complex.) The object isn't centered in the image, which is distracting because we expect to be looking for something in the over-emphasized left side of the background. The materials need more work; the reflective surfaces (like the hood) are too mirror-like, the non-reflective surfaces (like the tires) have too much specularity, the gun barrel simply isn't dull enough, and every single color could do with just a little bit of "noise" with a similar color so it resembles a realistic colored surface (like paint). Right now, the color looks like an intrinsic material property (like green quartz or bare gray steel). Finally, and this is the challenging part, BEVEL your edges. Nothing says, "I'm a 3D render" like those infinitely-sharp edges on the gun-scope, on the tire edges, and on the gray support structure over the cockpit.

Overall, it's an excellent model for a beginner-to-intermediate level, and certain advanced-level refinements could *really* make it shine.

Killm4nu responds:

Wow... Thank you very much for this critique :o
I find the materials too reflective too but I'm really bad with materials, I'll try to make something more "rusty" and I smooth the pieces that need it (and center the warthog)
Anyway, thank you really much :)

[Songkran]

Okay, so your water looks like its still running in rivulets, as if she had just *seconds* ago emerged from a pool. That doesn't match with the smile and the pose that we see, so instead of dripping water, my eyes see cracked skin at first. It doesn't have to do with your technique, it has to do with what I (as a person in the audience) expect to see. I would actually love to see the top image with water-beads and a slight sheen to the skin, as if she had gotten out of the pool a minute ago and was posing for a picture before toweling off. Bottom picture is also nice, but I encourage you to revisit the water.

Blud-Shot responds:

Thanks for the feedback. I hadn't seen "cracked skin" at first in this image. What was bothering me was the thought of veins lol my mind couldn't decide whether to label the "water" as veins or not. I modified the image and added the glow to the skin. Also worked on the water a little more. Going to upload it later.

[Dragon]

It looks ancient and immensely powerful, as a dragon should.

sketchnfx responds:

Thanks! :p

[Frozen Death]

Looks like a nice use of Blender's tools. Good ambiance. It would be better, though, if there were a frame of reference: a building, a character, an object. At the moment, those spikes could be one foot or one mile and we can't really tell.

bluemagma responds:

Thanks dude, I really appreciate the CC. You are right about the frame of reference, though the background seems to imply that this is somewhat large when I look at it. I'll make it more obvious next time though, maybe add some water spray.

Yeah, The main tool I used in blender was it's Multires tool. That allowed me to detail everything. Also, the cocktail of shaders was made using a hairball of nodes. Definitely wish nodes were on more programs. :D