Personal Project: Volksrod- Vintage VW Bug Hot Rod Project PART II - Work In Progress 3D Rendering Exterior

 Low angle 3/4 Side view of my Volksrod. You can see the Ribbed Semaphore signal out in this render as well.

  Low angle 3/4 Back view of my Volksrod. You can see Kafer bar as well as the Vintage Hella Brake Lights with Rock guards.

  Low angle 3/4 Passenger Side view of my Volksrod. The re'pop 20" and 22" wire wheels really give it a good stance at this angle IMO.

  Low angle Front View of my Volksrod. You can see the partial beam in the refection I added in recently here as well as the new "face" with lighting changes.

  Bird's Eye View of my Volksrod.

  Low angle 3/4 Side-Front view of my Volksrod. You can see the performance pasts under the engine and trans-axle as well as the new jack points in this shot.

  A direct Side View profile on the Volksrod concept.

Personal Project

Volksrod

Vintage VW Bug Hot Rod Project 

PART II - Work In Progress 3D Rendering Exterior

Personal Project:  Volksrod- Vintage VW Hot Rod Salt Flat Inspired Custom

      This post is my second in a series on  my personal Volksrod project [ Vintage VW Hotrod]. This post is also a Work in Progress [WIP=Work in Progress] post too, so even thought I am near done with the exterior as well as many updates on the twin supercharged motor, I have yet to fully address the interior and I am still using the Herbie stock '63  parts inside for now I built many years back for the Advertising for Herbie Fully Loaded.

     I have moved into full colored renders for a few months as I finesse and continue to model, and I have spent most of my time on this Tuxedo black and chrome version. Also, I have spent a lot of time fine tuning the body parts as well as adding in details for placeholder objects from the earlier build as I did start with the 1963 Herbie I made and wanted more accurate parts.

      In my continued 3D Modeling in 3DS Max, I have focused primarily on the seen exterior, but I have also revised a lot underneath in both the front and rear suspension areas that are not fully seen in many shots but they are made more accurate for the real build at some future point in life. 

     On the front end, I rebuilt the Pan head where the torsion bar front suspension attaches to it, so I could mock up how the Ford Deuce rails would attach in there, and added some proposed bracing and attachment points. I also rebuilt the back Trans-axle Horns on the rear pan, as the Herbie mock up was not quite accurate enough to add in the Solid Mounts for the Trans-axle I also added. 

     Also while under there I added some Vintage performance parts, including a Modified 356 Porsche dual leaf-spring Camber commentator on the Swing Axle, as well as a Engine bar or "Kafer" racing bar on the engine itself. You will also see a vintage Gene Berg Oil sump in there now as well underneath.

    Since my last post I rebuilt the engine from the 40HP stock Herbie placeholder I had in there with a high displacement [ 2332cc] adding a proper fully equal length merged with stinger[must have!]exhaust system, along with adding in Dual AMR 500 Superchargers with a custom belt system with a custom center mount fan shroud.

     I fine tuned a lot of areas on the body smoothed out the top curve, the rear quarter window, and front quarter panel and added in the Zwitter crotch-coolers. I rebuilt the jack points more accurately, and adjusted the inner fender well louvered panels out front to line up better on the pan. I also took off the headlight eye brows and added 356 Porsche styled headlight grills with matching Hella fog lights with grills below them now. I also used that fog lamp build to add in taillights out back with grills as well.

     I also cut into the B-Pillar and added in early Ribbed type Semaphore turn signal arms into the build. I had to chop those a bit as they will need to be shortened for the real life build I plan in the future too. I love Semaphores, a must have on the build and the ribbed versions are available as reproductions so they are available along with most Split sheet metal from Europe.

     If interested , I run a Vintage VW's Chop Top group on Facebook for all types of VW chop Top cars, there is a permanent link on the side bar, and you can click here as well as it has some earlier renders in raw steel I did too HERE.

     Look for more posts as I continue with this personal project on the interior next with Porsche Speedster 356 seats on deck next.
 
     If you have a 3D Design , 3D Modeling, or 3D Animation needs on a  freelance basis, I am set up and and ready to go as I have been a remote studio for over a decade. All referrals are highly appreciated!

You can view PART I here.

        Cheers, THOM

Project Review: NOS4A2 -AMC Series 3D License Plate Logo Design for Key Art 2019

  This is a flat image of the final file PSD Layered 3D Logo[ originally sent at 5000 pixels ]

 In order to get the final Look I did a straight metal full color render as well as the painted render. This allowed the agency Leroy and Rose to adjust and shine it up as needed.

The Ambient Occlusion/ Dirt Render pass is to add grime and depth to the 3D render.

If required I can provide a Z-Depth[ Distance based grey-scale map] for post effect to the client. You can see the 3D dents in this render , and I use it in the final render as an overlay in Photoshop to enhance the image.

Back view of the AMC Cable Series NOS4A2 License Plate Key Art Model I built.

 A 3/4 front view of the AMC Cable Series NOS4A2 License Plate Key Art Model.

I rendered this in Cebas Final Render's GI renderer[ my choice!] and this shows my custom texture Maps I built , and the various ways I use them for both the texture and displacement in 3D for the geometry itself.

The base 3D Low Poly object has the base dents modeled into it as well as using N-powers Pro-Boolean in 3DSmax to output the file as a Mesh. I clean it up  a bit ,then used the shell modifier to give the model a slight thickness like a real metal plate would have.

For quick lighting I had Sub-D down to just 2 levels making the Pre-Lighting go quicker at the early dial in stage.

 The final renders were done with this Ultra High [ 10 million plus polygon] Resolution 3D Mesh since I used an organic displacement on it

 An image of the NOS4A2 3D License Plate Logo I created in the various ways it has been used. The One Sheet won a 2020 Muse Award, and that is linked here.

Project Review
NOS4A2 AMC Series

3D License Plate Logo for Key Art 2019

Client:  AMC via Leroy and Rose
Creative Direction:  Melchior Lamy 
Project Date:  February 2019.

     I was called in by Melchior at Leroy & Rose to design and build out a 3D Design of a car license plate used on the AMC Series NOS4A2 [ a.k.a. Nosferatu ] I love working with L&R , as I do hundreds of 3D Logos each year, but 3D illustration as a 3D Logo combines two things I love.

    I recently learned that the One Sheet Poster using my 3D License Plate Logo won the Muse 2020 Design Award, and that can be seen here.

      I deliver first with a low resolution render leaving off all post effects as well as turning off Anti-Aliasing[ a.k.a. AA ] so the render is quick for approvals, since this changes a few times each round. This saves time and budget for the client so it helps manage the project. Since I have been both a Creative Director , and Art Director, I am accustomed to managing costs from above, so below!.

     Once the low resolution render is approved I do a low resolution AA render to get a time estimate a for a final. As well as adding in the other render passes. This delivery is as a Adobe Photoshop Layered file, and a Smart 3D Image, so they automatically have an Alpha channel , saving the clients time and money as the object comes masked to the pixel perfectly. I also include a Z-Depth pass which is a depth based grey-scale mask for adding post effects [ based on distance from Camera. Great for Camera blurs , adding layers of fog or atmosphere], and an Ambient/Dirt pass which is a basic grey color with a dark dirt like material that 'finds the intersections' in the geometry and darkens them up adding either aging or just a nice shadow in the cracks.

    The final design is used for Posters, outdoor, online advertising as usual, but it is also used for the various books, Hard Back Sleeve, Paperback Cover, and Audio Book Key Art. It is also found on the Packaging Design for blue ray as well used by Home Entertainment Designers.

   As a Transportation designer I love all things automotive, so even the License Plate is fun the build realistically as a stamped aluminum plate. Denting and chipping it up having to create a custom set of texture maps for the material was also a part of 3D I really get to paint with too.

     If you need a bid for a 3D Illustration , or a 3D Model feel free to contact me for a quote. I am open to Hourly gig's , Work Retainers , Part-time , and Full Time opportunities [ Open to relocation ].

     I have worked for over a decade remotely, so I am ready to go in this Covid-19 situation with Back Ups and FTP and secure lines to transfer files to clients.

                                 Cheers, THOM

Personal Project: Volksrod- Vintage VW Bug Hot Rod Project - Work In Progress 3D Modeling PART I

 Volksrod Work in Progress 

3/4 Front shot shows the custom extended headlight buckets with 60's Peanut signal light on top.

Plan View directly from above shows the overall proportion of the chop. About 7" chop so quite a "Mail Slot" look, as I want that Bonneville Flats feel the Volksrod.

  Low Side View on the Cyclorama background stage gives a nice grounding to the blocking model with a simple dark surface with a lightly blurred reflective shader from Cebas Final Renders SE product.

  This underside view shows that the majority of parts have been blocked out. I recently rebuilt the rear trailing arms to be from an early 1957 VW, so all parts were modified from the Herbie blocking used earlier.

  Low Front view is one of my favorites I rebuilt the hood to add in the 54 louvers as well as adding a Safari windshield.

 

 Low Angle 3/4 Rear shot showcasing the newly built Early form 18" front , and 20" rear 30's styled Raw Steel Wire wheels and Pie Crust tires I plan to use.

 A High Birds Eye view a bit over the front louvered hood and Early Ford I-Beam front end.[taken from this model here]

Note: I will use a second set of doors to get the quarter windows to roll down using all stock mechanics, though they will be a 1-piece widow conversion and not have chopped vent wings like in the doors.

 A Birds Eye elevated Side view. Remember this is still a WIP[Work In Progress] so there is massaging of the virtual metal work to remove flat spots[ tops of door frames] and fix up the panel gaps[ Hood to front cowl] etc.

 A 3/4 view of the Side and Back showing the newly grafted in Split Window section and louvered Deck-lid. 

NOTE: the stock single 40HP engine in there is a placeholder for now , as I figure out the mill specs: Dual 48 IDA's , or maybe a DLI Supercharger, etc.

Personal Project

Volksrod

Vintage VW Bug Hot Rod Project 

PART I - Work In Progress 3D Modeling

     I have a few automotive personal projects I have tinkered with over the years along with many Business Automotive work. Being a Gear Head, and graduate from Art Center in the Transportation Design program I thoroughly love all things automotive, especially old cars and Hot Rods. Those who know me , know my passion for Vintage VW's as well. Having owned many cars with over a dozen being vintage VW's the subject matter is one that is very easy to get onboard with.

Link to Super Sized Image above is here on CG Society.

     Recently with the Covid-19 shutting down so much business, I have had too much free time , so when not looking for work, I am tinkering on my ongoing Volksrod project. A bit of history; I built a 3D VW bug [ 1963 Type 1]for the Herbie film 'Herbie Fully Loaded" while I was working as 3D Design Director at The Cimarron Group in Hollywood back in 2004. This was the first full model with interior and exterior as well as undercarriage and suspension I built. Since this model was rendered with cartoon shaders and used for both Print Posters , and 3D Animations in the TV Commercial spots it needed to have more than just the exterior skin built. 

 My 3D Herbie Fully Loaded work from a while back.

     I have since used this 3D VW model for two custom automotive projects, the first being my Bugster, which is a combination of a Porsche Speedster [ which I have also built in 3D here ] , and a Chop Top similar to the coach-built  Volkswagen Type 14A (commonly known as the Hebmüller Cabriolet of the late 40's. You can view PART I here , and PART II here.  The second is what I have posted today, the Volksrod.

 3D 356 Porsche Speedster [WIP]

 

 Bugster Custom VW
Hebmüller'esque with 356 Porsche parts.

     For those unfamiliar, Volksrods are a branch of the custom VW world that take their queues from the traditional Hot Rod world of the 1950's and onward. Similar to a Deuce Coupe, the cars are stripped of fenders customized with a Chop Top, or a Channeled Frame, and a sectioned body or a combo thereof. As with Hot Rods , you can find some are are High End customs , all the way to Garage "Rat Rods" some unfinished for life.

    This post is a WIP [ Work in Progress], so the work has many hours left on it. A few years back , I uploaded a short introduction video showing progress,and since then I have doubled my time into this personal project. 

     The purpose is to virtually build out the car prior to building one in real life , so I can work out the details before cutting begins. Think of this like a 3D Blueprint for the builder.

     If interested , I run a Vintage VW's Chop Top group on Facebook for all types of VW chop Top cars, there is a permanent link on the side bar, and you can click here as well.

Look for more posts as I continue with this personal project.

 

     If you have a 3D Design , Modeling, or Animation need Freelance, Part Time or Full-Time I am set up and and ready to go as I have been a remote studio for over a decade. All referrals are highly appreciated!

        Cheers, THOM

3D Prop Illustration: Props built for 3D Illustrations, Book Covers,and Theatrical Key Art and Advertisement.

 Sample Sheet of 3D illustrations of Props

NOTE: Blogger reduces Image size:

 Larger Size is here. 

3D Prop Illustration

Props built for 3D Illustrations, Book Covers,and Theatrical Key Art and Advertisement.

         Props and objects, or Products are the third area of design in 3D that I do a lot of work for. 3D Logos, and 3D Architectural spaces both interior and exterior are the other two areas I have covered before on my blog. Architectural spaces are filled with props and furniture , and beginning my career in Set Design, I worked next to Set Dressers and Prop Masters and really learned to see the vital importance of this craft in adding to an overall scene. Today's post covers a smaller sample of the range of props I have been called to build out over the years for a variety of clients.

       As a 3D Designer I am fully trained first in 2D design, and then trained in 3D after that. Good 2D principals of Design Proportions , Value Contrast , Staging , Lighting , and Eye Travel all will affect a design in 3D space . However, once the third dimension is added everything changes and gets exponentially more complicated. Tangents for example,  that do not appear in 2D will become a challenge in 3D since we can move around a design now and these will naturally come up, so spacial solutions are required to properly design something in 3D from the start.

       My prop design work began prior to utilizing 3D CGI for my clients back as a  traditional sketch artist from the start of my career. I had to design props for the commercials I worked on, as well as in Television Animation. I designed hundreds of props for The Phantom 2040 on ABC, all themed out for future time periods , as well as retro time periods for the series as Art Director. I also did a few seasons as Chief Prop Designer on HBO's Happily Ever After Series, so I have been designing out "smalls" for a while, and naturally do the same in 3D. 

      I have built 3D Props from just a photo or sketch  , or remake a 3D version of an  existing props like I did for Dreamcatcher. I especially love building custom one off props from films, as well as designing out props from scratch with no existing design. This is where Industrial Design training kicks in. Also a a longtime Thematic Designer, I am trained to extract the solution based on prop use,  features, and how close we will get to the 3D Prop, and it must fit the theme of the design it lives in.

I have well over 150 images in the sample above, you will see a good range of what I have been called to illustrate in 3D.

If  you have a need for a 3D Product or Prop, as a 3D Illustration or a 3D Model or a 3D Logo or 3D Architectural Rendering, contact me for a quote today. I am open to small gig's as well as retainers of Full-Time work. Prices are very reasonable!

I do sell pre-built 3D Models online here.

I built 3D Models while 3D Design Director at The Cimarron Group , and they are still for sale here.

                                        Cheers, THOM

3D LOGOS: PART V- Animation and Cartoon Styled 3D Logos and Icons for Key Art

Sample Sheet of Animation and Cartoon 3D Logo Designs

NOTE: Blogger reduces Image size: Full Size is here.

3D LOGOS

Part V Animation and Cartoon Styled 3D Logos and Icons for Key Art

      3D Logos Part 5 is my next installment on 3D Logos covering Logos for Children and Family movies, mainly Animation and Cartoon based work. I do logos for 2D work on Television as well as 2D and 3D for Theatrical Films. 3D animation is the largest area I do 3D Logos for, and TV Animation turned to feature film is where more will be found.

     Early in my Design career I worked in Television animation for the ABC series The Phantom 2040 , produced by Hearst Animation Productions. This was my first Art Director position and really was a great time , and helped get me into tune with Animation as a Film and Television genre.

     My first 2D Logo was for The Phantom 2040, the first 3D Logo  that I worked on also finished for Looney Tunes Back in Action. This was a big exploration in both Black and White format,  as well as full color. I grew up on Looney Tunes , so this was a blast to get to work on this, and it was an early finish that made it to the final posters. 

     Since then I have worked on dozens of films, mostly 3D Animation logos as they are the main staple in Theatrical Animation. Always a priority to make them legible as well as a design that can work on a light or dark background.

If  you have a need for a 3D logo, contact me for a quote today. I am open to small gig's as well as retainers of Full-Time work.

Prices are very reasonable.

Part I on 3D Logos: Can be viewed over here.
Part II on 3D Metal Logos can be viewed here.

PART III on 3D Distressed Logos can be found here.
PART IV on Transparent 3D Logos can be found here. 
My 3D Neon Lgos for Film as well as Environmental Graphic use can be seen here.


                                        Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Hair Live 2019 3D Logo Design for Key Art 2019

  3D Logo I built in 3D for Hair Live in a One-Line Version on Black

   3D Logo I built in 3D for Hair Live in a One-Line Version on White

   3D Logo I built in 3D for Hair Live in a Stacked Version on Black

   3D Logo for Hair Live as large Metal Extrusion in a Warm Color palette.

   This 3D Logo I built for Hair Live has Thick Neon up top with a Theater Marque sign with chasing Light Bulbs below. This is the Color Pass with Post FX added glows

   This is the Z-Depth mask that I can provided for distance based editing. 256 levels of grey-scale can come in handy for camera and saturation effects based on 3D space. Great for Fog!

   The Ambient Occlusion / Dirt render pass is a great post effect overlay for adding aging, , and gradients to the colors. By being a separate pass from the color-pass ,this allows my clients full control over the final image.
  

    A Screen Grab of the final render scene geometry with all Sub-D models with two levels of subdivision.

    Screen Grab of Low Poly Base Geometry shown in Hidden Line Render[ Solid].

 Screen Grab of Geometry in Full Color showing transparency in objects

[ You can see the second glow object inside the outer glass on my neon build]

Project Review
Hair Live 2019

3D Logo Design for Key Art 2019

Client: NBC via  Switch Creative Group Inc.
Creative Direction: Josh Mintz
Project Date: August 2018.

    Back in August 2018 Josh Mintz at Switch had me help out on the NBC Hair Live 3D Logo Design and execution for the upcoming special, that ultimately was cancelled.  I do hundreds of 3D Logos each year, and I do quite a bit of Neon.

     I love doing neon, I do a lot of it. I love building out all the clips and little bits, along with the various parts in the Neon build itself,  from the glow inside to the outer glass to the painted black connecting glass behind the clear glass itself.

     3D Design allows a fast way to build alternates as you can see with the above design I can do stacked one-line logos relatively quickly by moving around chunks of geometry.

     I also did one alternate 3D Logo design of big metal block going back into 3D space in a shiny warm metal material.

  I typically render out three passes minimum, with added renders always available as an option. 3D renders are Smart 3D Images, so they automatically have an Alpha channel saving the clients time and money.

     I also include a Z-Depth pass which is a depth based grey-scale mask for adding post effects based on distance from Camera.

If you need a bid for a 3D Illustration , or a 3D Model feel free to contact me for a quote. I am open to Hourly gig's , Work Retainers , Part-time , and Full Time opportunities [ Open to relocation ].

                                 Cheers, THOM

Project Review: The Curse of Oak Island 3D Illustration for Key Art 2019

The final delivered 3D Illustration rendering[ multiple passes] for Switch to use for the History Channel Key Art for 2019.

Here is a Z-Depth render pass. X. Y, and Z are the three dimensions in geometry , and Z is the distance measured from the camera in a 3D Scene from close to far. A very powerful mask , with many ways to use for a 2D Artist in Photoshop of After Effects.

This is the Ambient Occlusion [ AO ]/ Dirt render pass. I use this as an overlay in Post to add depth , dirt , or just a bit of gradient to objects. Sometime I render multiple AO passes as various setting so I can get light and heavy amounts of the secondary dark color for more options for a client.

A random 3/4 close up view showing the 11+ Million face scene. Those coins were not bump-mapped, but a real 3D  displacement so the geometry needed good resolution ,  so they were the heaviest pieces in this scene

The Camera View showing the Geometry aligned with the 2D Mock up[ a cut down version of an earlier taller design I did. I use the image as a back plate to build to the clients comp exactly.

A 3/4 Perspective view of the 3D Scene in 3D Studio Max show a long lens as well as the multiple light sources. I point out the fall-off  planes on the camera, I use these to get the Z-Depth mask tight to all objects.

This render was all main groupings separate out into parts to they could add to or build their own comp from pieces. The Alpha Channel in the file makes all pieces pre-masked to save cost on the project.

 Here is the Alternate version [ Original Design] with the Human Skull front and center still.

  A quick Google Image Search brought up a few examples of its use this season.

Project Review
The Curse of Oak Island

3D Illustration for Key Art 2019

Client: History Channel via  Switch Creative Group Inc.
Creative Direction: Josh Mintz
Project Date: September 2019.

     I was called in by Josh Mintz at Switch to design and build out a 3D Design using elements from the series to be used as a holding device or crest for the comp highlighting the main Cast members.  human bones were the big element , as well as treasure chests, old coins , and  a few digging tools. I love working with this client as I do hundreds of 3D Logos each year, but 3D illustration is what I love getting as well, these projects allow me to sketch in 3D and design pieces of art , especially ones with multiple elements , so off I went.

     When I create a piece like this for a client I first build out the various parts and mock up a basic layout. I do either a screen grab, or I do a low resolution render leaving off all post effects as well as turning off Anti-Aliasing[ a.k.a. AA ] so the render is quick for approvals.

     Once the low resolution render is done I to a low resolution AA render to get a time estimate a for a final. For comps needing client approvals it is usually half the finish size in pixel width , each agency, and client is different, and for this one History Channel needed a 2500 pixel render to approve. Once it went to finish the final was 5000 pixels wide.

    When I deliver a final layered Photoshop file, I typically render out three passes minimum, with added renders always available as an option. 

     3D renders are Smart 3D Images, so they automatically have an Alpha channel saving the clients time and money as the object comes masked to the pixel perfectly. 

     I also include a Z-Depth pass which is a depth based grey-scale mask for adding post effects based on distance from Camera. Great for Camera blurs , adding layers of fog or atmosphere, or de-saturation or saturation based on the object closeness. 

    The final pass is an Ambient Dirt pass which is a basic grey color with a dark dirt like material that 'finds the intersections' in the geometry and darkens them up adding either aging or just a nice shadow in the cracks and crevices. This adds to the photo-real style that can be adjusted better than in just a single render pass. This is a standard practice on my MGFX and AV work for trailers and 3D Animation.

   The final Image also was delivered with a version with a Human Scull front and center, that was deleted late in the process. I also did a render pass of parts, where i move the 3D objects out so the can be grabbed with the Alpha Channel, and do a render of this so the Creative Directors can use them to add more pieces or build their own design with the pieces. This project , only the no-skull version was taken to finish at 5K resolution.

If you need a bid for a 3D Illustration , or a 3D Model feel free to contact me for a quote. I am open to Hourly gig's , Work Retainers , Part-time , and Full Time opportunities [ Open to relocation ].

                                 Cheers, THOM