Greyscale model making

[BillK]

Not sure if this has been explored before, did a search and didn't see anything exactly like it.

I'm a Mechanical Engineer and not an artist and I like to understand the Engineering behind art because some times there is a lot of it.
I first mentioned using an iPad to help balance out light and shadows in some photos that I used here to make this stained glass project. viewtopic.php?f=29&t=33911&hilit=stained+glass

So I decided to make a test pattern on the iPad, it's the Engineering thing to do, just going across a grey scale of colors from white to black. Here are the results.

greyscale pattern

resultant texture scale to .5" high

So as you can see, black is low, white is highest and greys are in between depending on their shade.

Then I decided to see how I might apply this to model making.
Here is a nice outdoor picture of a handsome seagull who was very happy to pose for me one day for a close up photo.

seagull photo

Here is the resultant model just by bringing in this photo for a texture file.

texture from photo

Without a ton of modifying in Aspire, you can tell that is not going to make it as a nice carving. The shadows are killing most of it and the seagull coloring is killing the rest.

Then that's when the idea comes into make the greyscale picture of this scene.

This is my first attempt. Not quite there, still feeling my way as to the shading.

1st greyscale

1st greyscale texture

An encouraging improvement for sure. Now I can see the range of grey may not have to be as wide spread to make this model.

[BillK]

Now on to improvements, refinements to the drawing and just a few in Aspire.

And now to the level that I like that I think will make a nice carving element.

Then finally wanted to see what a quick attempt to make a piece of rough wood would look like. 5 minute greyscale drawing, 5 minute Aspire file and this would make a nice element for a background carve.

grey picture rough wood

resultant model

So that's art to a non-artist. Breaking it down to what Aspire might understand best. I always have experienced my best models that I make come from drawings. This is just an attempt to turn photographs into drawings with the control by hand. Apple iPad Air, Apple pencil and AutoCAD Sketchbook were used to create the drawings.

Thanks for looking!

[highpockets]

Great breakdown Bill. The results are very good indeed.

I tried getting an "artist" interested in exploring the grayscale height mapping in Gimp and putting out a tutorial, but he was off on other projects and I just couldn't peak his interests. I think Ted did some experimenting with grayscale a while back. I tried it, but my artistic skills were way too poor.

You may have inspired me to give it another try.

Thanks for sharing...

[TReischl]

Yup, I did quite a bit of work with grey scale via Corel a long time ago like years and years.

There are some really interesting effects to be had using the blend tool in Corel.

These days I would look at something like the bird picture you provided and the very first thing I would do is crop the heck out of it. Then I would delete the bird entirely and remodel it. What I noticed is subject matter like the bird usually has issues for all the reasons you pointed out. But the backgrounds are usually pretty darn good so there is every reason to use them. Also, by cropping out the bird you gain better control of the background.

I am engineer like you, so it is highly doubtful I will ever become an artiste'. The engineering education always gets in the way. But I have figured out a few things, like concentrate on the subject of the carving, not the surroundings so much. Something that has helped me a bit is doing hand carving and studying it. I may ruffle a few feathers here, but. . . . . If I am creating a relief carving I go with the bit that will produce the best shadow lines for the intended viewing distance. I don't care how long it takes to carve, I am not in a race and I have learned how to hit Pause on the machine and restart it the next day. As has been discussed often in this forum and elsewhere on line it is really tough to make money with 3D carving. If I am carving something it is for a friend or relative so the important thing is to produce the best looking carving possible. And no, I am not a fan of watching the machine run for hours on end so I get out my tablet and cruise the internet or read a book while it is carving. Oh, one other thing, I am not above breaking out the carving tools and fine tuning a cnc carving. The point is to make a good carving, no prove that I can do anything a hand carver can do on the machine. The fact is, no one can, period.

[BillK]

Ted, I agree with that. There is a point of diminishing returns with working on the models. Sometimes making final refinements can drive you crazy and make you want to start over. I have some carving tools but I reach for the sharp flexcut carving jack to clean up a few spots or add some deeper detail. And as you say that viewing distance is important. You don’t need a 4% stepover if most people won’t see it from less than 2 feet. But if something that will be handled up close and something you want as close to perfect as possible, then its worth the extra time. Long carves are when I get out the broom and put away the tools off the bench top.

[Adrian]

There are some threads in the PhotoVCarve forum about using greyscales in a similar way (from Ted). Before 3D machining was added to VCarve it was the only way to do it for custom models without Aspire.

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