WIP ... critical comments needed

and practical ones as well

Friday, February 22, 2008 by RickyMaveety | Discussion: Docks

Here's the situation.  I'm doing a set of Object Dock icons.  Originally, I was just rendering them at 128 because I thought that would be big enough.  Now I'm seeing that some dock icons are done at 256 .... so I'm thinking that should be the size of the render.

However, rendering at 256 is about 45 minutes for each render .... so before I take the project much further, I want to see if any of you have comments or suggestions that I should be incorporating in order to make the icons look as good as possible.

The final icons will, of course, be transparent around the steel rim with a drop shadow.

Also, where is the best place to post icon requests?  I'm not talking about asking for someone to make me an icon.  I'm talking about having people send me actual *.ico files so that I can turn those into dock icons.  There are a lot of programs that I would like to be able to add to the eventual package, but I don't have icons for all of those programs.

 

24 Reply 7 Referrals
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eieio
Reply #1 Friday, February 22, 2008 4:54 PM
On your first question, IMO 256 would be better as that is the max size for ObjectDock icons. Even if the end user only sizes them up to 128 on zoom, they will still look good, as opposed to zooming a 128 png up to 256 which can look a bit pixelated.

bilbo1930
Reply #2 Friday, February 22, 2008 5:47 PM
yeah 256 look more better..nice glass look indeed!

vStyler
Reply #3 Friday, February 22, 2008 6:02 PM
well done although i'd like to see it over a lighter BG.. hopefully you have some dropshaodow going on. The glass is great.. the outer metallic area not so defined. Definately shows some potential. Btw the way.. all the Icons ive done.. have been 512. I reckon that's a preference though.

Lookin good.

  

ZubaZ
Reply #4 Friday, February 22, 2008 7:28 PM
well done although i'd like to see it over a lighter BG.. hopefully you have some dropshaodow going on.
The final icons will, of course, be transparent around the steel rim with a drop shadow.


 

zakai1369
Reply #5 Friday, February 22, 2008 8:01 PM
Btw the way..


I think he's having an off day Zubaz   

RickyMaveety
Reply #6 Friday, February 22, 2008 9:54 PM
Thanks, Zubaz. Yes ... the eventual finished product will be a on a transparent background with a drop shadow. This is just the primary render, and I don't want to go any further than that until I have all (and I do mean all) the kinks worked out.

I know what you mean about the metal not being well defined. I was trying for a brushed metal look, one that would have a light interaction, but with very little reflection. However, I'm working with Bryce (which has limited lighting effects), and I am not the best with lighting anyway.

So .... I think I'm going to see if I can add the definition to the metal in Photoshop. Perhaps by doing a series of renders of just the rim and then using them in layers to get the effect I would like. If anyone has any suggestions, I would be glad to hear them.

The way I've got it lit at present ... well, if you look at Tiggz new K-TEK wallpaper .... you see that window reflection in the central blue ball?? Well, I'm trying to get icons (and rivets etc) that are lit the same way so that they all fit with that wallpaper. Really making it more for myself than anything, but I plan to post and share them after I'm done.

But, also ... as mentioned ... who do I beg for icon files?? I'm rapidly running out of icons for programs I actually own.

ZubaZ
Reply #7 Friday, February 22, 2008 10:01 PM
But, also ... as mentioned ... who do I beg for icon files?? I'm rapidly running out of icons for programs I actually own.
I'd go through the ObjectDock icon gallery or the Misc Icon one and see what you want to update.  A PM to the artist might cover any one or all of the icons they have produced. 

Again, welcome to the club!  Hope you are having a good time, I appreciate yoru efforts (both in the artistic creation and the "fitting" in with us all).    

RickyMaveety
Reply #8 Saturday, February 23, 2008 12:20 AM
That's a great idea. If someone else did a dock icon, then they must have access to the original icon. Duh .... why didn't I think of that?

Still pondering how I'm going to get the effect I want on the metal, if I turn up the reflectivity, then I lose the brushed look, but if I turn off the reflectivity, I also lose a lot of the dimension .... grrrrrrr.

You watch ... this will make me so crazy, I'll have to ask for Cinema 4D for my birthday.

I.R. Brainiac
Reply #9 Saturday, February 23, 2008 1:31 AM
45 minute renders? on 256...I've never used Bryce but something sounds way wrong there...I've got a mid range pc and my first attempts at hdri renders were much larger and only took a few minutes.  

RickyMaveety
Reply #10 Saturday, February 23, 2008 1:46 PM
Bryce is notorious for very long renders. I've had renders that took days. Also, Bryce does not have HDRI. In order to get an effect that is something like HDRI, you have to jump through some hoops, and the render time is really increased.

Of course, Bryce is also a much cheaper program. So .... you work with what you have until you can get something else.

In any event, I think I found the solution to my steel rim problem (in a dream last night no less ... and yes, I sometimes dream in wire frame). So, here, maybe is my final test render.

Please note ... the final dock icons will be transparent background, so please don't tell me it would look better with a transparent background.


RickyMaveety
Reply #11 Saturday, February 23, 2008 1:53 PM
Also, before anyone else thinks to mention it .... as I look at the new render (on the right), I think the outer edges are a little too rough, so I am fixing that as well.

But on the whole .... I think it looks better.

ZubaZ
Reply #12 Saturday, February 23, 2008 1:59 PM
I think the outer edges are a little too rough, so I am fixing that as well.
And I have to edit my reply to your #10 

Nice work.

RickyMaveety
Reply #13 Saturday, February 23, 2008 4:23 PM
Zubaz, you have to edit your reply and I have to correct myself entirely. Apparently I have zero skills in estimating time.

Brainiac, Bryce is slow .... but not that slow. I took a stop watch and timed one of the renders. It only took 15 minutes.

What is it they say ... a rolling stone never boils??

I'll post the absolutely completely final render after I get back from the Post Office.

I.R. Brainiac
Reply #14 Saturday, February 23, 2008 6:03 PM
You might give Blender a try...its free and I've seen people get good results with it.15 minutes is better,but still much too long for such small renders.(I would go goofy waiting that long)  

HG_Eliminator
Reply #15 Saturday, February 23, 2008 6:09 PM
I would go goofy waiting that long


well that explains alot

RickyMaveety
Reply #16 Saturday, February 23, 2008 6:53 PM
And who says I'm not goofy??

Eh .... I've been using Bryce for so many years, I'm not sure changing to another render might not just push me over the edge.

Xiandi
Reply #17 Saturday, February 23, 2008 7:01 PM
You might give Blender a try...its free and I've seen people get good results with it.15 minutes is better,but still much too long for such small renders.(I would go goofy waiting that long)  


A free program I don't have?? How'd that happen? I'm off to find it.  

RickyMaveety
Reply #18 Saturday, February 23, 2008 7:14 PM
Oh gosh, Blender?? You never heard about Blender?? Xiandi ... where have you been? You need to sign up over at Renderosity, you would find out about so many free (and nearly free) programs, it would knock your socks off.

I updated the picture .... and except for some very slight edge tweaking, I think it's done. And, once the transparency is up, the edges won't really show up at all against the background (unless someone is really anal and has a completely white blank desktop. Eeeech.

I.R. Brainiac
Reply #19 Saturday, February 23, 2008 7:54 PM
Only crazy people have white desktops.  

Xiandi
Reply #20 Saturday, February 23, 2008 8:09 PM
Oh gosh, Blender?? You never heard about Blender?? Xiandi ... where have you been?

  I've only been skinning for about 8 months, got my first computer shortly before I joined this site...I've been in the dark ages!  


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