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Can't Draw? You Need The Inkulator 9000.
NTK was kind enough to point out the Inkulator 9000, software to render pen-and-ink style drawings from 3D meshes. NTK also points to a number of other handy tools and papers.
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I think you would need very high poly counts on your mesh to achieve a level of detail good enough to look like professional cartoons. If it's just to do an image (or a few), I don't think its worth the effort. For animation tough, it looks like a wonderful application!
But nothing will ever beat SouthPark characters... so simple, and so much personality!
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The title shouldn't be "Can't Draw? You Need The Inkulator 9000", it should be "Can't Draw, but you can create complex 3D meshes, and are somehow unable to figure out how to color them? You need the Inkulator 9000" The pictures looked really cool, until I realized that you had to do a LOT of work to make them. This looks like it is much more for the real artist than the average computer geek.
I didn't just do this post, I also did Yomomma!
It mentions on the website that it uses obj files and works really well with ones created using Poser. The funny thing about that is Poser already has a function to render to 'hand drawn' or 'cartoon' type pictures.
:)
But I guess if you are using some other rendering program that doesn't have any of these features, you could also run a simple sketch filter in Photoshop(or whatever your favorite imaging program is) . Either way, I'm gonna give this program a try to see how well it stacks up.
DEAD DEAD DEAD DELETE ME
The open-source community just discovered cell-shading? I'm ashamed.
Some free advice boys and girls: NEVER attempt to market something called "inkulator" in Spanish-speaking countries!
I can
I feel for ya, buddy, those of us that *can* draw (with, like, their hands and stuff, with a pencil and paper or a rock and a cave wall) are rapidly becoming obsolete. Very sad, isn't it.
In my expirence drawing and modeling are related. I havent seen a good modeler who couldn't draw well. But then it does vary on the type of modeling. Some poeple can handle technical type modeling but not organic character modeling.
Knowing how to modeling is just knowing how to use the software. Other skills dictate how well you will be able to model. Such as your ability to take what you see and acuratly reproduce it.
In America we are imprisoned by our fear of them.
Actually, we can already emulate 2D with 3D easily. The software is there, and has been for many, many years. It's finding talented animators (as in any situation, including 2D.)
If you have actually done any animation, you would know that creating 2D cel-shaded style cartoons in 3D is far faster and far cheaper than the traditional, 2D style. The best part is, you can easily go back and change things without having to painstakingly redraw everything.
"Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day; set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life
Do you have to be able to draw to be able to sculpt? Is everyone that's good with oils also good with acrylic? Or an airbrush? They're different mediums altogether.
Also, I don't see anyone claiming this is a revolutionary technology. While the method is different from most, toon shaders have been around for a while. This doesn't make a freely available implementation any less interesting.
'Standards' in computing only impress those who are impressed by things like 'standards'.
The "mistake making" feedback loop is still in place. Its the user. Creativity is enhanced by new techniques, not diminished. Photography hasn't obsoleted painting or sketching, but it has made imaging popular for the masses. For good or bad, anyone can have candids of their children and pets now. Soon, anyone will be able to generate semi-pro appearing political cartoons. Its a brave new world ;-)
watch Chasing Amy.
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...why everyone is so negative. I found this project at SourceForge.net a while ago, and I thought it was quite cool and started to follow it's progress. Just because the commercial XYZ app already can do something similar, I don't understand why we need to bash this project down.
I demand the Cone of Silence!
"I feel for ya, buddy, those of us that *can* draw (with, like, their hands and stuff, with a pencil and paper or a rock and a cave wall) are rapidly becoming obsolete. Very sad, isn't it."
No, you're not. I'm a 3D artist, and the best thing that ever happened to my career was learning how to draw. The reason why surprised me. Anybody can pick up and use a 3D app. Serious, they're not that hard. Few, though, can actually design with it. Drawings are far better for cooking up interesting new ideas. Not to mention, it's far quicker to cook up a drawing and get approval on it than it is to get a 3D model built and ready to show.
In short, the explosion of 3D rendering on the market has dramatically increased the need for pencil and paper artists. It isn't killing them at all.
"Derp de derp."
"If you can't even draw.....then how the hell are you going to create realistic 3D meshes?"
Simple. Good reference. Drawing is not a requirement for 3D models. As a matter of fact, I bet you've seen CG work that has stunned you that was created by a person with no drawing skills.
"No, this sort of software is actually much more useful for people who _can_ draw and/or sculpt, or who at least have a well-developed sense of proportion. "
I'm not sure I understand this comment. This software is for people with 3D models that they want to appear 2d. It seems they wouldn't find it so interesting if they were capable of doing the inking pass on their own.
"It's hardly a new idea."
Where was "this is a new idea!" advertised? What's 'new' about it is that it's free and it uses a well supported format (.OBJ). Plus, the results aren't half bad. It's a pity, though, that it has a painfully bad interface. I tried it and I can't get much out of it without jumping through a lot of hoops.
"Derp de derp."