Scud Cel-Shading Tests

The "Scud the Disposable Assassin: The Kid with a Broken Halo" trailer was rendered with VRay using several different complex shaders to achieve a solid, semi-realistic look.

The end result looked good but was inefficient. The shot sampled here took four days to render. For the upcoming Scud web series, I had to find a new method.

Using 3D Studio Max's "Ink n' Paint" shader, along with VRay's "Toon" effect, I'm now using a cel-shading effect, which makes 3D "feel" like 2D animation. Futurama uses a similar method to animate spaceships.

This method has the advantage of taking far less time to render, as well as more faithfully adapting Rob Schrab's drawings.

In this video are six different styles for the project's cel-shading effect. The web series will utilize each of these styles, depending on which works best for which shot/scenes. Zip-a-Tone effects may be used mainly for backgrounds.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Scud
• Disposable
• Assassin
• Rob
• Schrab
• Animation
• Comic
• Book
• Action
• Guns
• 2D
• 3D
• Cartoon
• Metal
• Gear
• Solid
• Cel
• Shading
• Futurama

[bli1964]

looks great, I would apply some kinda random thickness to the lines too tho' to make it look more 'inked' than 'traced' like the difference it made in the old days between tracing with a dip pen and tracing with a rotring pen if ya get me --- yeah i was in aniamtion when we still had to ink drawings!

[Neuropolis]

That's a good idea but I'm not sure if it's even possible in consumer software. I've never even seen an effect like that used, I don't think.

One thing I'm interested in is rendering in passes so I can add thicker outlines in post to foreground objects and to emphasize characters. I think that might bring it a little closer to that hand-drawn look. It's not perfect but then after a certain point, you can only bring it so close before you accept... it's 3D. It's a style fusion, not a substitute.

[bli1964]

What are you using for the cel shading and line rendering?

I iused final toon on some of the stuff in my reel, the big blue toon robot and you can add weights to lines in that .. if you're using illustrate!, you can add weights to verts on the 3d mesh so that when that particular vert becomes an edge if you get me it changes the line weight ...

I used to also render out passes and post process the lines in premiere or afterfx or something similar

Good work tho' nice one

[Neuropolis]

I have been using VRay's Toon Effect in conjunction with Max's Ink n' Paint shader.

And now I'm looking at pages for Illustrate! and FinalToon and I really had no idea there was so much you could do with cel-shading. I think I'm going to get one or both of these and experiment. Thanks for turning me on to them. :)

[eddylarri]

amazing!

can i get the same results working with maya?

whats the main difference between 3Dstudio max and MAYA in cel shading?

im kind of new on this

sorry for my bad english

[Neuropolis]

Maya does have a toon shader. I don't know how good it is though. Max has something similar called the "Ink and Paint" shader, which I used here in conjunction with VRay's Toon Effect, because Ink and Paint isn't very good on its own. So you may want to look into getting VRay for Maya as well, but check out the toon shader first, just to see if it works.

[thedevo01]

Was this made in 3Ds Max?

If so, does VRay come with all of these presets?

I'd need the high contrast black and white one for a project.

[Suprem3Gamer]

yea how to make the render look cartoonish like ink ?

[CrownChanel]

In my opinion the first and third one were the best :3

[Thatgirlhasapoint]

this is the stuff im going to show my grandkids when i become an old mammy

[dawoof]

this is from a graffiti in LA

[flogmolly]

This is exactly what I imagine Scud would look like animated. Fantastic work, dude.

[Geeko85]

He shoots with his pinky out! That's classy ;D Very nice work and video!

[jweinrub]

Great work, very impressive!

[comiclander]

excellent

[SeymourDrayton]

This is wicked!

Looks freakin' awesome, I love it. Not only the Cel-Shading (you made a great use of it), but the overall style and animation quality. And the MGS music just fits prefectly. :O

Can't wait to see the episodes... I'm going to do it right now!