041 - IFX tutorial - 3D aid
This tutorial was written for ImagineFX magazine Issue#25.
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3D aid.
What can you do to keep perspective correct for complex scenery when you find using normal vanishing points is too simple?Using vanishing points and basic knowledge about perspective can get you a long way, but sometimes the task of getting the perspective right on more complex scenery can be a bit too demanding.
This is especially very noticeable when you’re pressured to finish a complex piece for a deadline on request as there is no “easy” way around using normal vanishing points.
However; creating a 3D environment with simple mock up models of the scene you want to paint can really help you out, and especially if there’s a client who is expecting something special.
This technique is usually most helpful in situation when advanced angles to massive environments or similar are required. The perfect usage of this technique would for example be by using basic boxes as mock-ups when creating massive cityscapes.
It doesn’t have to be complex at all. A simple box can even help you getting the angle and perspective of human anatomy more correct.
You don’t need to be a 3D artist to create a simple 3D scene like this. All 3D packages ranging from expensive and advanced ones until simpler, free ones, all have custom basic shapes you can easily put into a 3D scene and modify to create some kind of perspective aid to your art.
Get the wire-frame 3D scene up.
Use any free or commercial 3D package to set up a rough mock up. The bonus with a 3D scene is that you can experiment with different angles for viewing and before settling on the one that suits your idea the best.
Including a nice grid of divisions on flat surfaces helps you to keep track of perspective, so make sure to render it with both and without wire-frame.
Break it down and start painting
Trace the main shapes of the simple 3D objects onto a new layer. Do the same with the background but separate the different elements into different layers so that it’s easier to handle them separately when you start the painting process.
Here I put all the buildings and the air ship into two different layers. Use the overlaid wire-frame to aid you, especially on flat surfaces.
Flesh it out
Remember that you can always change the crop of the image, or even move elements even if you have used a 3D scene which is “correct”. Here I decided to change the crop of the image, and raise the air-ship a bit.
By separating the different layers of houses and blur them more the further away they are I achieved some depth of field and also saved some time on detailing the houses at the back.