Mythocentric
Extraordinary
Terrific stuff Ken! Looking forward to them hitting the store! 
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Nature's Wonders Sneak Peek Thread
- Thread starter Ken Gilliland
- Start date
In nature, they only come in various shades of amber like honey. The coloured ones are artificially fed with with coloured syrup (green syrup: green ant, blue syrup: blue ant, etc.).I like those Honey Pot Ants because they're so colorful.
Here's a cool video about the catapult behavior of Trap Jaw Ants
Carey
Extraordinary
Absolutely amazing! Didn't know this about ants.
Stezza
Dances with Bees
Scientists have discovered a new type of 'hell ant' - a species with terrifying spiky mouth parts reinforced with metal and used for drinking the blood of its enemies.
That's an ant!
Story here
That's an ant!
Story here
Carey
Extraordinary
Why do I see yet another remake "jurassic Park" in the near future. ... Ants that know how to forge needles...man..lol
Frustrated with getting the 3delight materials right for the ant sets, I moved towards my supplemental set ideas...
With 12 different species of ant and 30 individual characters (different subspecies, soldiers, workers, etc) in the set, I decided that additional items should be grouped into another set or as "Sweet Deals". My additional plans are prop based ant lines and groups, an ant hill environment (that could blend into my habitat sets), a giant ant Dawn/Dusk could ride with conforming ant wings (that will work for the small ones too), food/seeds/more leaves and the item I worked on yesterday, "My Ants House" (wip shown). There are numerous ant habitats out there-- I tried to pattern my model after the "King" (Ant Farm), but at a distance most competitors have taken to avoid trademark issues. It appears that the "farm" background is the key identifier in "Ant Farm".
This will probably be a character-based prop since the feeding plugs and top frame are built to be removable. The sand texture could be replaced with a "gel" one-- the latest fad in ant keeping. I'lll probably add, via a displacement map, the name "My Ants House" to the base piece. And, yes, the tunneling is different on the other side.
With 12 different species of ant and 30 individual characters (different subspecies, soldiers, workers, etc) in the set, I decided that additional items should be grouped into another set or as "Sweet Deals". My additional plans are prop based ant lines and groups, an ant hill environment (that could blend into my habitat sets), a giant ant Dawn/Dusk could ride with conforming ant wings (that will work for the small ones too), food/seeds/more leaves and the item I worked on yesterday, "My Ants House" (wip shown). There are numerous ant habitats out there-- I tried to pattern my model after the "King" (Ant Farm), but at a distance most competitors have taken to avoid trademark issues. It appears that the "farm" background is the key identifier in "Ant Farm".
This will probably be a character-based prop since the feeding plugs and top frame are built to be removable. The sand texture could be replaced with a "gel" one-- the latest fad in ant keeping. I'lll probably add, via a displacement map, the name "My Ants House" to the base piece. And, yes, the tunneling is different on the other side.
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amazing ants you did...love all the details!
Here's the completed Ant's House (rendered in FireFly), plus the Argentine and Army Ant (rendered in Iray). You'll notice first of all that I've added the promised displacement maps to the Ant House with the logo and silhouetted ants on the base, as well as some leaves stamping on the trees and ridges on the removable feeding caps. I also smoothed the geometry on the ant tunnels a little and added SSS to the sand (note the feint light/shadowing coming from the tunneling on the opposite side).
On the Iray renders, I think I've hit upon a couple good formulas for for larger and smaller ants. A good 3Delight material set is still eluding me, but I'll get it.
On the Iray renders, I think I've hit upon a couple good formulas for for larger and smaller ants. A good 3Delight material set is still eluding me, but I'll get it.
Carey
Extraordinary
way cool!
I've now completed all the materials and promos for the main Ant set and the Ant House... I'm moving towards the prop ant lines and clusters. Beyond that, I'll be doing the giant ant materials and a conforming ant wings (for both giant and small ants). Most of these supplemental items will be either be combined into one set or offered as "Sweet deals".
Here's the Iray version of "My Ants House" (with some extra materials shown including using gel instead of sand for the habitat (one of the latest innovations in ant farming).
Here's the Iray version of "My Ants House" (with some extra materials shown including using gel instead of sand for the habitat (one of the latest innovations in ant farming).
they will have a nice house to be!!
Keeping busy as my ants, I've embarked on the next phase of my ant projects... the Ant lines. While they are technically a grouped version of the single ant model. I've selectively reduced polygons (by about half), while keeping the species shape and not making the UVs go crazy. They still a little polygon heavy but that's the best I could do and keep a good close-up resolution.
Here's a few examples of the ant lines.
Here's three lines props of Red Stinging Ants, using a couple of the 50+ morphs in this ant line prop. I created this in literately under a minute.
and here's 7 line sets of Argentine ants that pretty clearly show the diversity you can get in each prop from the morphs to make a realistic and non-repetitious ant line
Here's a few examples of the ant lines.
Here's three lines props of Red Stinging Ants, using a couple of the 50+ morphs in this ant line prop. I created this in literately under a minute.
and here's 7 line sets of Argentine ants that pretty clearly show the diversity you can get in each prop from the morphs to make a realistic and non-repetitious ant line
Yup, soon you'll be able to ruin Dawn and Dusk's romantic picnic or dinner lol
Have you been reading my mind sir?