How to char a bone?

GlitchGirl · Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2005 12:49 pm Post subject: How to char a bone?

Not really sure where to post this one but here goes.

Working on an image (WIP render still a loooooong way to go) that has a burnt out husk of a building in it with a pair of corpses. The fire happened several days ago conmtinuity wise, so everything is cold now. Problem is, I'm having a devil of a time trying to come up with a texture for them that looks like charred bone. Right now, they look like garbage and I keep vacilating between trying to come up with something "chunky" (ie - bits of charcoaled flesh left on the bone using displacement map) and "smooth" (just sooty) and my online research for visual reference has been suprorisingly unhelpful.

Right now, I'm kinda looking for suggestions in what direction to take the texture and possibly some visual examples so I can try to maybe cobble something together in the materials room of P5.

Thanks in advance.

(sidenote: haven't given up on Batman Beyond yet, just ike to work on multiple imageas at once)
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Mizrael · Forum Member Joined: Jan 18, 2004 Posts: 258

What skeletons and textures did you use in that WIP? They look pretty decent ta me. :wink:

Better than the default Poser Skelly anyway.

GlitchGirl · Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2005 8:27 pm Post subject: Re: How to char a bone?

It started out from a set of procedural shaders created by Ajax. I think I got it off of R'osity. It was just an old bone shader, but I tweaked it to darken it up.
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Mizrael · Forum Member Joined: Jan 18, 2004 Posts: 258

I keep hearing about this Ajax character. Guess now that I have Poser 6 and can actually USE shaders I should go find his stuff. :wink:

Hasdrubal · Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:42 am Post subject: Re: How to char a bone?

Sometimes cremated bone has a glassy purple tint to it. It's pearly and translucent like the inside of a sea shell.

Sharby · Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:47 am Post subject: Re: How to char a bone?

Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 548 Location: NYC

IMHO, Any fire hot enough to strip the flesh that well would also incinerate the bone.

It would also do away with any ligaments and tendons that hold the body together.

Most likey the larger bones would be cracked into pieces due to the marrow ignighting within them.

For the conditions your skeletons are in to be 2 to 3 days old there would have had to have been active fire control. Community bucket brigade Etc, and it is most unlikely they would have left the bodies unburried if that's the case.

If this was the result of a seige event they would most likey be a bundle of black sticks huddled in a corner and not look very human at all.

They would have died of smoke inhalation huddled together in a corner and their fats would have acted as fire fuel causing an almost glossy area beneath them.

If you have some extremely skinny morphs for M3 or V3 they would actually make better vitums. The skin would tighten as the fat cooked out of it and they would look like a real skinny oven roasted chicken, with some pork rind action at the shoulders and other points where the fire touched flesh.

There would also be a soot factor. Dark Grey soot would have covered them compleatly after they died from the rest of the house burning.

GlitchGirl · Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 8:42 pm Post subject: Re: How to char a bone?

Rattler: The victims in this li'l render were killed first and the house set on fire. Hence the reason the bodies are just lying where they are instead of more "positioned". They were killed as an "example" while my lead was out of town so to speak.

(as if you haven't guessed, this is part of a larger story - it ended up spinnig off my last gallery image. go fig.

)

I did like your idea of using a figure with the skin still intact. The effect was pretty cool but unfortunately the body is getting lost in the debris and I need to make it stand out a little more for both the benefit of the viewer and so my protagonist can spot it quick. (WIP2 render lotsa little changes) The skeleton towards the foreground has been replaced with the charred corpse using a modified versin of OrcaDesign's Two Face burn procedural on a Mike 3 that's emaciated to the extreme. I'm not sure if a glossy area beneath the body would make it stand out enough so I may go back to tweaking the procedural some more or go back to the skeleton again and sacrifice true realism for storytelling convention.

Sharby: Unfornately I live in a small apartment without a BBQ grill so setting anything on fire is going to require some additional planning. Still going to keep that in mind the next time I have drumsticks for dinner.

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys. It's been a big help - think I'm getting there slowly.
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Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 548 Location: NYC

The chared body looks more natural, but you're right... it is getting lost.

I would change the color of the floor to a lighter ash color to make the bodies stand out.

GlitchGirl · Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 8:46 pm Post subject:

I think we have a winner. I lightened the ash on the floor and that set the bodies off nicely. (WIP3 Render, mostly there). NOw I just need to do the highres renders and post on it (though that may be a bit, this is supposed to be the second picture and I haven't finished the first yet).

Thanks guys. You've been a huge help on this.

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Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 548 Location: NYC

Yup that works much better. Glad to help.

Aremis · Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 10:44 pm Post subject:

Wow! Great job on the reposted version. Those bodies look natural and the feel is effective. Great job GG.
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GlitchGirl · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 11:42 am Post subject: Re: How to char a bone?

Thanks Arimis. Just finished the Postwork on it - here's a lowres preview of the finished product. I'm very pleased with how it's looking now and short of last minute tweaks while I finish the proceeding piece, I think it's good to go.

You know, now that I look at it on another monitor (at work instead of home) I think my bodies are getting lost again. How's it reading on your screens?
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Aremis · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 2:28 pm Post subject:

I looked at it on two different screens, and both look great, but youre right, the body on the lower left hand corner is barely visible to me. The second body can be seen really well, and the lighting (light streaming in) looks amazing. The image looks so serene and peaceful, then you notice the bodies lying there. Truly an amzing piece. Wish I had thought of it =).
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Ratteler · Forum Member Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 548 Location: NYC

Yeah.. you're loosing the bodies again.

I would try backlighting the bodies to cut them out a little more. With enough light int the room to cause the glare you have, they would have a pretty good halo around their edges.