Send your Roll Call entry here

[Onkel Neal]

Ahoy maties,

We are putting the finishing touches on the 2008 Submarine Almanac, and we will be including a few pages of Roll Call, like we did in the last book. I invite you to submit your entry in the book. Here's how you do it:

Send an e-mail to subsim@subsim.com (subsim@subsim.com) with the subject: Neal, here's my Roll Call entry.

In your e-mail, write a short paragraph. It can be

about yourself
an cool moment in your subsim gaming experience
some observation about one of your favorite or first subsims
or some general thoughts about submarines, sub games, or the Subsim communityThe 2007 Almanac featured guys discussing "how they found Subsim", so in this edition, I would like to feature your thoughts on sub games, sub history, and submarines.

Keep it short, 150-175 words max.

I want to include as many as I can, and it will be best if you can include your real name and Subsim nickname. Of course, if you're in the FBI Witness Protection program or hiding from an ex-wife or three, you could make up a real name, I won't know. But if you want to show the book to your kids, friends, or family, your real name will make a better impression.

thanks!
Neal

Here is a sheet from the 2007 Submarine Almanac to give you an example
http://www.subsim.com/almanac/index_2.jpg
http://www.subsim.com/almanac/index_3.jpg




http://www.subsim.com/almanac/just_for_fun2.jpg

[Kapitan_Phillips]

That last pictures messing with my mind. Its one of those "Thats computer generated." "But wait.." :dead:

[Letum]

That last pictures messing with my mind. Its one of those "Thats computer generated." "But wait.." :dead:

Oh yes!
Thats rather good! I didn't notice it was CGI until I read your post.

Max and Vray?

[Onkel Neal]

How can you tell it's CG?

[fatty]

How can you tell it's CG?

Lighting is a little unnatural, the books seem a little flat, and there are some jaggies on the model and pencil. It's pretty good though :up:

[d@rk51d3]

Jaggies on the lounge arm backs, and the cup looks a little out too.

Mind you, you need to look twice.

[Letum]

How can you tell it's CG?
The AA is a little too sharp and this is made worse by *.jpg compression.
http://www.b3tards.com/u/57a418c694bc7c6296b3/aashapr3.jpg
Suggestions:
Render in higher res then re-size in a good graphics program? <most effective
Use a wider AA filter?
Less *.jpg compression?


The Gloss on the chair isn't right.
http://www.b3tards.com/u/57a418c694bc7c6296b3/gloss.jpg
Suggestions:
Is it false gloss or a golssy reflection? Does your renderer support reflective gloss?

The bump map looks a little strong. This dramatical changes the gloss.

Is there any texture on the chair material? It looks a little like you have used a bump
map to make up for lack of a detailed texture.

*edit* Did you use a real bump map or just a noise generator?


Looks like some clipping on the chair arm?
http://www.b3tards.com/u/57a418c694bc7c6296b3/clipping.jpg
Also on the back of the chair.I could be wrong about this, but even if I can't tell for sure; if it is clipping or a bit of
a low polly count then it will make the image look less real, even if you can't tell for
sure.

Floor meets wall too neatly.
http://www.b3tards.com/u/57a418c694bc7c6296b3/floorwall.jpg
Suggestions:
Try moving the floor a few mm away from the wall
Use a dirt texture to slightly darken the floor or wall at the bottom

Mug model to fat round the rim.
Even the biggest are not quite that big.

Shadows too Dark.
Shadows in a lit room rarely go below 20:20:20 (Red:Green:Blue) in photos.
Your shadows are twice as dark even tho the scene is well lit elsewhere.
If you use indirect lighting:
Bump up the multiplier
Use reflective gloss in more materials if your renderer supports it
Use a bounce count above 2
Be sure to have lit objects behind the camera
If you do not use indirect lighting:
Decrease the shadow intensity

Books could use a subtle, large scale bump map and some gloss.


Please not that I am being ultra fussy and I may be wrong about any of these.
I had to do a lot of guessing because I don't know what software you used.
I go for artistic effect rather than realism in my 3d images.

It's all in the tiny details that give a image away of course. Always remember that
you can't have enough source images!

*edit*
Did you use a slightly yellow colour for the light?
Some studio lights are 100% white, but most are off white.

*edit2*
The wood on the table legs looks a bit plastic. Not sure why.

*edit3*
The semi-tori round the table legs look like they are clipping the table. Either bevel the join or use a curve on the join between leg and semi-torus when drawing the spline for the leg. (if you made it via spline lathe)

*edit4*
Something 3d from me
http://www.b3tards.com/u/57a418c694bc7c6296b3/seasub.jpg

Thr spot light on th ring is too bright and does not light the water correctly.

*edit5* Sorry, you have taken me way off topic! :doh:

[Kapitan_Phillips]

Who made that picture anyway? (The Almanac one)

[Onkel Neal]

Mighty Spence, artiste extrodinairre.

And for the record, the jaggies don't give away anything, that's simply a result of shrinking the pic down to web size.

[Letum]

And for the record, the jaggies don't give away anything, that's simply a result of shrinking the pic down to web size.
Yes and no, that's only part of the story.

Here is a render with no textures from a surveillance camera from a project I started
yesterday.
I have rendered the whole image 3 times with different settings on the render resolution and AA filter.
I have then optimised the images very heavily for web use. Like in the image you posted.

Worse:
This one looks jagged because the filter was too sharp and it was only rendered to
800x600. Sharp filters do not work well at low res and they usually react badly to
*.jpg compression.

Fair:
This one looks better because a wide filter was used. Wide filters work best when
the finished product is low res and/or is going to be web optimised. There are still
jagged edges on the left.

Best:
This one has been rendered with a wide filter at medium/high res (2048x1536).
Post render it was re-sized and then optimised the same as the other two images.
The result is far smother.

To show the differences the samples have been cropped and then re-sized by pixel
resize by 150%.

http://www.b3tards.com/u/57a418c694bc7c6296b3/aatests.jpg

*edit* I know the deform on the corner is a little off.

[kiwi_2005]

Blokes can start a conversation about anything, the thread starts of with an invite to add yourself to subsim book then gets further down the page and we're talking about jagged edges.

"Jagged edges"

:D

[Onkel Neal]

Yeah, I know what you mean. At least it got a slew of guys to send in their Roll Call piece, I thank you for that.:yep:

[Letum]

Seeing as this topic isn't in use for anything.......
Getting there, but I still need lots of work on the details.

http://www.b3tards.com/u/57a418c694bc7c6296b3/ingsocsm.jpg

[Onkel Neal]

Seeing as this topic isn't in use for anything.......
Getting there, but I still need lots of work on the details.



Yeah, sure why not? :rotfl:

[Letum]

Seeing as this topic isn't in use for anything.......
Getting there, but I still need lots of work on the details.


Yeah, sure why not? :rotfl:

I'm loveing the topic titles!

[Onkel Neal]

Yeah, :) I have to keep people looking up here. If only this thread got the replies like the Curiosity kills the cat thread (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=122556).... :roll:



;)

[Skybird]

Just promise them sex and blood and free alcohol, and they will keep coming. ;)

[Letum]

Just promise them sex and blood and free alcohol, and they will keep coming. ;)


...............blood?

[Skybird]

Just promise them sex and blood and free alcohol, and they will keep coming. ;)


...............blood?
Circus. Bread and games. Gladiators. Violence. Public executions. Live reports from parliamentary debates. Political and religious discussions in the GT forum. Got it?

[Letum]

Just promise them sex and blood and free alcohol, and they will keep coming. ;)

...............blood? Circus. Bread and games. Gladiators. Violence. Public executions. Live reports from parliamentary debates. Political and religious discussions in the GT forum. Got it?

*bleeds*

[kiwi_2005]

I'm loveing the topic titles!
:yep: The title got my attention so i just had to come in to have a nosy.

Same thread different title!:)

[HunterICX]

I'm loveing the topic titles!
:yep: The title got my attention so i just had to come in to have a nosy.

Same thread different title!:)

:o Why I'm keeping beeing fooled into pressing the title and see the same thread :shifty:

D'oh! :damn:

[Onkel Neal]

Send me your Roll Call entry, I'll behave :smug:

[Letum]

I had been wracking my brains for a new title. You got it spot on. :D

[Onkel Neal]

Skybird has a genius for this kind of thing, you can't beat it.

[kiwi_2005]

Get me to write about someone i know then its no problem, but write about myself & my mind goes blank. :roll:

You could at the end of your book have a chapter titled "And now for those subsimmers that have no idea" Introducing Kiwi_2005

Hi, Kiwi here. Well um... um.... Sink em boys!:rock:

Regards
Kiwi

:rotfl:

[Kapitan_Phillips]

Same thread different title!:)

Reminds me of the last few Madden games.

Same game, different title :rotfl:

[Skybird]

OMG. Neal saw that resistance was futile and so was successfully skybirdised.

[Onkel Neal]

Get me to write about someone i know then its no problem, but write about myself & my mind goes blank. :roll:

You could at the end of your book have a chapter titled "And now for those subsimmers that have no idea" Introducing Kiwi_2005

Hi, Kiwi here. Well um... um.... Sink em boys!:rock:

Regards
Kiwi

:rotfl:

Doesn't have to be about you, personally, it could be some thoughts about sub games... :know:

[Onkel Neal]

I almost have enough entries... but I'm looking for a few more from some of the key Subsim guys... you know who you are... come on, let's go, fingers on the keyboard... you can do it!! :ping:

[HunterICX]

NEAL!!!!!!!!!!!
this is the 3th time I am fooled by this cheap trick of yours!
http://www.starsiege2845.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/slap.gif

:rotfl:

*Edit* ok, this made me send my Entry, happy now? ;)

[Skybird]

Same here, I just thought "oh, look, here we go again and Neal takes the lead..." :lol:

[Skybird]

Changed again, sober and precise the new title is. So now Neal tries to give the impression he's a Vulcan. :hmm:

[STEED]

Neal, I sent you my one feel free to scratch your head and wonder if my cheese has slipped off my cracker so to speak. :rotfl:

[Dowly]

Yeah, :) I have to keep people looking up here. If only this thread got the replies like the Curiosity kills the cat thread (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=122556).... :roll:

:hmm:




B ~ U ~ M ~ P

:up:

[JALU3]

Rather then someone writing about themselves, why don't we have everyone else right about that someone . . . that way it makes for interesting bathroom reading on a laptop . . . see what everyone else thinks about you in summary . . . see how close to the mark they really are.

[Onkel Neal]

Neal, I sent you my one feel free to scratch your head and wonder if my cheese has slipped off my cracker so to speak. :rotfl:

Thanks!!

[Camaero]

I sent one too... kind of odd but all I could think of really.

[Dowly]

Okie, finally got myself to write something, email sent.

[Chock]

Sent one a while ago, presume it got there.

:D Chock

[geetrue]

Neal, I sent you my one feel free to scratch your head and wonder if my cheese has slipped off my cracker so to speak. :rotfl:

I've heard of, "Who cut the cheese", but I've never heard of,
"Who dropped the cheese" :lol:

[AVGWarhawk]

I sent one in for you Neal. Help yourself if you need it.

[STEED]

Neal, I sent you my one feel free to scratch your head and wonder if my cheese has slipped off my cracker so to speak. :rotfl:

I've heard of, "Who cut the cheese", but I've never heard of,
"Who dropped the cheese" :lol:

I am a fruit cake, potty, nuts, jibba jibba. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: