well i got stalled on my last project, so i started working on my 
tribute to coffee and cigarettes while i let things /percolate/ ... used 
blender to make the pov logo and fix up the zippo model (case and 
innards didn't line up proper)

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James Holsenback <nom### [at] nonecom> wrote:
> well i got stalled on my last project, so i started working on my
> tribute to coffee and cigarettes while i let things /percolate/ ... used
> blender to make the pov logo and fix up the zippo model (case and
> innards didn't line up proper)

Nice!
I would like to see it in stainless steel with the logo in silver on a brass
base (Star Bust shaped).
Wear and scratches would be good. And optional would be the bullet dent where it
saved my life in the jungles of Nam. (True life story from a Louisiana redneck
driller.)

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On 03/05/2014 09:55 AM, Stephen wrote:
> James Holsenback <nom### [at] nonecom> wrote:
>> well i got stalled on my last project, so i started working on my
>> tribute to coffee and cigarettes while i let things /percolate/ ... used
>> blender to make the pov logo and fix up the zippo model (case and
>> innards didn't line up proper)
>
> Nice!
> I would like to see it in stainless steel with the logo in silver on a brass
> base (Star Bust shaped).
> Wear and scratches would be good. And optional would be the bullet dent where it
> saved my life in the jungles of Nam. (True life story from a Louisiana redneck
> driller.)

well funny you should say that ... after i posted paused for a cig break 
and my own zippo (older than my son btw) is brass with silver/blue 
squadron logo. it's been sent back to zippo 3 times in over thirty years 
for /free/ repair. i will be buried with it in my watch pocket. during 
times i did not smoke it served as a good luck charm

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On 05/03/2014 3:30 PM, James Holsenback wrote:

> well funny you should say that ... after i posted paused for a cig break
> and my own zippo (older than my son btw) is brass with silver/blue
> squadron logo. it's been sent back to zippo 3 times in over thirty years
> for /free/ repair. i will be buried with it in my watch pocket. during
> times i did not smoke it served as a good luck charm

Mine is about 30 years old. I bought it when single action lighters were 
banned on oil rigs. As I was walking away with my shiny chromed 
Precious. The said Tool Pusher told me how a Zippo and a Bible saved his 
brother's life in 'Nam. I was impressed :-)
I later engraved my initial on it and the brass shone through. I don't 
use it now as the striking wheel has worn a grove in my thumb. (Damn! 
having to cook 13*.) ;-)


*
Ref: Samuel R. Delany's Dhalgren.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

I solemnly promise to kick the next angle, I see.

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On 03/05/2014 05:40 PM, Stephen wrote:
> On 05/03/2014 3:30 PM, James Holsenback wrote:
>
>> well funny you should say that ... after i posted paused for a cig break
>> and my own zippo (older than my son btw) is brass with silver/blue
>> squadron logo. it's been sent back to zippo 3 times in over thirty years
>> for /free/ repair. i will be buried with it in my watch pocket. during
>> times i did not smoke it served as a good luck charm
>
> Mine is about 30 years old. I bought it when single action lighters were
> banned on oil rigs. As I was walking away with my shiny chromed
> Precious. The said Tool Pusher told me how a Zippo and a Bible saved his
> brother's life in 'Nam. I was impressed :-)
> I later engraved my initial on it and the brass shone through. I don't
> use it now as the striking wheel has worn a grove in my thumb. (Damn!
> having to cook 13*.) ;-)
>
>
> *
> Ref: Samuel R. Delany's Dhalgren.
>

well i don't have a life threatening story that goes with mine, but it 
has come back to me from being lost twice! once in the military ... made 
it back to my squadron from a /great/ distance, and once when i was 
living up in canada ... pissed off at something and fired it into a snow 
bank. searched for days and was sick about it! found it during spring 
thaw. i'd say it's earned it's stripes as a good luck charm ;-)

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On 03/05/2014 05:40 PM, Stephen wrote:
> I later engraved my initial on it and the brass shone through.

yep ... the brass case is way better. i also found a model of the 
coffin-nail but it didn't have any uv maps. i created uv maps for some 
of the cig elements and found suitable images (filter tip/paper and 
tobacco end) ... /finally/ think i'm getting the hang of uv mapping in 
blender :-)

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On 03/07/2014 08:11 AM, James Holsenback wrote:
> On 03/05/2014 05:40 PM, Stephen wrote:
>> I later engraved my initial on it and the brass shone through.
>
> yep ... the brass case is way better. i also found a model of the
> coffin-nail but it didn't have any uv maps. i created uv maps for some
> of the cig elements and found suitable images (filter tip/paper and
> tobacco end) ... /finally/ think i'm getting the hang of uv mapping in
> blender :-)
>

well a little progress ... the pack of cigs wasn't as easy as you'd 
think. sure the shape was easy but getting the uv maps to line up ... 
that was a challenge. i took an empty cigarette box and used a razor to 
flatten it out and scanned to get the images. while laying out the items 
in RL (to get scaling correct) decided to go with this pose as it hid 
some of the uv seams that were problematic. i certainly need to hone my 
uv mapping skill set before tackling a more complex shape! the coffee 
mug i'm using just did'nt look right standing up so it's out for now. 
thinking about turning the mug on it's side with a bunch of coffee beans 
spilling out.

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On 27-3-2014 15:58, James Holsenback wrote:
> well a little progress ... the pack of cigs wasn't as easy as you'd
> think. sure the shape was easy but getting the uv maps to line up ...
> that was a challenge. i took an empty cigarette box and used a razor to
> flatten it out and scanned to get the images. while laying out the items
> in RL (to get scaling correct) decided to go with this pose as it hid
> some of the uv seams that were problematic. i certainly need to hone my
> uv mapping skill set before tackling a more complex shape! the coffee
> mug i'm using just did'nt look right standing up so it's out for now.
> thinking about turning the mug on it's side with a bunch of coffee beans
> spilling out.

Yes, good progress. The only thing I would suggest is that the box needs 
rounded edges but that may very well disturb the uv mapping again ;-)

Thomas

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Le 27/03/2014 16:27, Thomas de Groot a écrit :
> On 27-3-2014 15:58, James Holsenback wrote:
>> well a little progress ... the pack of cigs wasn't as easy as you'd
>> think. sure the shape was easy but getting the uv maps to line up ...
>> that was a challenge. i took an empty cigarette box and used a razor to
>> flatten it out and scanned to get the images. while laying out the items
>> in RL (to get scaling correct) decided to go with this pose as it hid
>> some of the uv seams that were problematic. i certainly need to hone my
>> uv mapping skill set before tackling a more complex shape! the coffee
>> mug i'm using just did'nt look right standing up so it's out for now.
>> thinking about turning the mug on it's side with a bunch of coffee beans
>> spilling out.
>
> Yes, good progress. The only thing I would suggest is that the box needs
> rounded edges but that may very well disturb the uv mapping again ;-)
>
> Thomas

Golden Zippo, good image; instead of UV mapping, why not trying the 
cubic pigment?

Lionel.
-- 
Do not judge my words, judge my actions.

---
Ce courrier électronique ne contient aucun virus ou logiciel malveillant parce que la
protection avast! Antivirus est active.
http://www.avast.com

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James Holsenback <nom### [at] nonecom> wrote:
> On 03/07/2014 08:11 AM, James Holsenback wrote:
> well a little progress ... the pack of cigs wasn't as easy as you'd
> think. sure the shape was easy but getting the uv maps to line up ...
> that was a challenge. i took an empty cigarette box and used a razor to
> flatten it out and scanned to get the images. while laying out the items
> in RL (to get scaling correct) decided to go with this pose as it hid
> some of the uv seams that were problematic. i certainly need to hone my
> uv mapping skill set before tackling a more complex shape! the coffee
> mug i'm using just did'nt look right standing up so it's out for now.
> thinking about turning the mug on it's side with a bunch of coffee beans
> spilling out.

What a difference a different floor and I assume lighting (HDR?) makes. This
looks really great.

Sean

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On 03/27/2014 11:27 AM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
> On 27-3-2014 15:58, James Holsenback wrote:
>> well a little progress ... the pack of cigs wasn't as easy as you'd
>> think. sure the shape was easy but getting the uv maps to line up ...
>> that was a challenge. i took an empty cigarette box and used a razor to
>> flatten it out and scanned to get the images. while laying out the items
>> in RL (to get scaling correct) decided to go with this pose as it hid
>> some of the uv seams that were problematic. i certainly need to hone my
>> uv mapping skill set before tackling a more complex shape! the coffee
>> mug i'm using just did'nt look right standing up so it's out for now.
>> thinking about turning the mug on it's side with a bunch of coffee beans
>> spilling out.
>
> Yes, good progress. The only thing I would suggest is that the box needs
> rounded edges but that may very well disturb the uv mapping again ;-)

oh for sure ... this was more or less a "hey i can do it" attempt. i 
don't think it's going to be a big deal. instead of marking edges as 
seams (uv unwrap was too jumbled for me) i opted to generate individual 
uv maps for groups of faces. other than basic placement of the images in 
blender, i got more mileage out of poseray uv mapping panel (scale, 
clip, transform, etc)

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On 03/27/2014 12:53 PM, FractRacer wrote:
> Le 27/03/2014 16:27, Thomas de Groot a écrit :
>> On 27-3-2014 15:58, James Holsenback wrote:
>>> well a little progress ... the pack of cigs wasn't as easy as you'd
>>> think. sure the shape was easy but getting the uv maps to line up ...
>>> that was a challenge. i took an empty cigarette box and used a razor to
>>> flatten it out and scanned to get the images. while laying out the items
>>> in RL (to get scaling correct) decided to go with this pose as it hid
>>> some of the uv seams that were problematic. i certainly need to hone my
>>> uv mapping skill set before tackling a more complex shape! the coffee
>>> mug i'm using just did'nt look right standing up so it's out for now.
>>> thinking about turning the mug on it's side with a bunch of coffee beans
>>> spilling out.
>>
>> Yes, good progress. The only thing I would suggest is that the box needs
>> rounded edges but that may very well disturb the uv mapping again ;-)
>>
>> Thomas
>
> Golden Zippo, good image; instead of UV mapping, why not trying the
> cubic pigment?

hmmmm ... supposed to be brass. maybe i should tweak the color a bit! 
the material on lighter is procedural ... it's the only object that 
doesn't use uv mapping

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On 03/27/2014 01:18 PM, s.day wrote:
> James Holsenback <nom### [at] nonecom> wrote:
>> On 03/07/2014 08:11 AM, James Holsenback wrote:
>> well a little progress ... the pack of cigs wasn't as easy as you'd
>> think. sure the shape was easy but getting the uv maps to line up ...
>> that was a challenge. i took an empty cigarette box and used a razor to
>> flatten it out and scanned to get the images. while laying out the items
>> in RL (to get scaling correct) decided to go with this pose as it hid
>> some of the uv seams that were problematic. i certainly need to hone my
>> uv mapping skill set before tackling a more complex shape! the coffee
>> mug i'm using just did'nt look right standing up so it's out for now.
>> thinking about turning the mug on it's side with a bunch of coffee beans
>> spilling out.
>
> What a difference a different floor and I assume lighting (HDR?) makes. This
> looks really great.

the cigarette box was a bit frustrating so i set it aside for a bit and 
worked on the floor and the hdr dome while i gathered my patience. yes 
it does make a diff ... thanks :-)

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James Holsenback <nom### [at] nonecom> wrote:
> On 03/27/2014 12:53 PM, FractRacer wrote:
> >
> > Golden Zippo, good image; instead of UV mapping, why not trying the
> > cubic pigment?
>
> hmmmm ... supposed to be brass. maybe i should tweak the color a bit!
> the material on lighter is procedural ... it's the only object that
> doesn't use uv mapping

To me, it looks like the color of a bronze medal.  It could be a brass with a
high copper content.  It looks too reddish to be gold.

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James Holsenback <nom### [at] nonecom> wrote:
> well a little progress ... the pack of cigs wasn't as easy as you'd
> think. sure the shape was easy but getting the uv maps to line up ...
> that was a challenge. i took an empty cigarette box and used a razor to
> flatten it out and scanned to get the images. while laying out the items
> in RL (to get scaling correct) decided to go with this pose as it hid
> some of the uv seams that were problematic. i certainly need to hone my
> uv mapping skill set before tackling a more complex shape!

The perspective looks very weak--as if you used the orthographic camera.  I
think the scene, particularly the cigarette box, would look better with a wider
camera angle (with a closer camera location to maintain the composition).

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On 27-3-2014 19:50, James Holsenback wrote:
> oh for sure ... this was more or less a "hey i can do it" attempt. i
> don't think it's going to be a big deal. instead of marking edges as
> seams (uv unwrap was too jumbled for me) i opted to generate individual
> uv maps for groups of faces. other than basic placement of the images in
> blender, i got more mileage out of poseray uv mapping panel (scale,
> clip, transform, etc)
>
I understand from you that uv mapping in Blender is not that easy. 
Poseray then is a big help indeed. Interestingly, uv mapping in Silo Pro 
is very easy and straightforward. I wonder why this is not so in 
Blender. Must have to do with the basic architecture of the objects? Or 
the approach used?

Thomas

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"Cousin Ricky" <rickysttATyahooDOTcom> wrote:

> The perspective looks very weak--as if you used the orthographic camera.  I
> think the scene, particularly the cigarette box, would look better with a wider
> camera angle (with a closer camera location to maintain the composition).

I agree with Ricky regarding the perspective, and the box does have rather sharp
corners (it would look much more realistic just beveling those edges a bit). One
last suggestion - both cigarettes are identical (very noticeable in the tobacco
maps), but overall this looks great - I love the lighting.

-------------------------------------------------
www.McGregorFineArt.com

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On 03/29/2014 01:27 PM, Robert McGregor wrote:
> "Cousin Ricky" <rickysttATyahooDOTcom> wrote:
>
>> The perspective looks very weak--as if you used the orthographic camera.  I
>> think the scene, particularly the cigarette box, would look better with a wider
>> camera angle (with a closer camera location to maintain the composition).
>
> I agree with Ricky regarding the perspective, and the box does have rather sharp
> corners (it would look much more realistic just beveling those edges a bit). One
> last suggestion - both cigarettes are identical (very noticeable in the tobacco
> maps), but overall this looks great - I love the lighting.

well i managed to get the cig box edges beveled ... and indeed it does 
look better from quick renders. yep the camera parameters aren't settled 
yet, but i'm happy with the general pose of the scene. the lighting is a 
real wide spot/area light and hdr dome. maybe i'll reposition one of the 
cigs so the identical tobacco maps isn't so obvious ... thanks for the 
feedback

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On 03/30/2014 08:41 AM, James Holsenback wrote:
> On 03/29/2014 01:27 PM, Robert McGregor wrote:
>> "Cousin Ricky" <rickysttATyahooDOTcom> wrote:
>>
>>> The perspective looks very weak--as if you used the orthographic
>>> camera.  I
>>> think the scene, particularly the cigarette box, would look better
>>> with a wider
>>> camera angle (with a closer camera location to maintain the
>>> composition).
>>
>> I agree with Ricky regarding the perspective, and the box does have
>> rather sharp
>> corners (it would look much more realistic just beveling those edges a
>> bit). One
>> last suggestion - both cigarettes are identical (very noticeable in
>> the tobacco
>> maps), but overall this looks great - I love the lighting.
>
> well i managed to get the cig box edges beveled ... and indeed it does
> look better from quick renders. yep the camera parameters aren't settled
> yet, but i'm happy with the general pose of the scene. the lighting is a
> real wide spot/area light and hdr dome. maybe i'll reposition one of the
> cigs so the identical tobacco maps isn't so obvious ... thanks for the
> feedback

thanks folks! incorporated some of your feedback. dang ... not too bad 
huh!!!

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On 30/03/2014 5:17 PM, James Holsenback wrote:
>
> thanks folks! incorporated some of your feedback. dang ... not too bad
> huh!!!

Not too bad at all at all.
And just when you thought it was safe. ;-)

The fag box, (yes I know but that's what we call cigarettes here :-) ) 
is just too pristine. The surfaces should be less than flat. The Zippo 
would sink a little. BTW I want one like that.
And for added realism on the fags (a much shorter word than cigarettes). 
There is an overlap of paper down the length. You know, where you can 
lick it and tear it off, to extract the tobacco. ;-)

What! pip, pip. Bloody good show, old man.


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

I solemnly promise to kick the next angle, I see.

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