Some more tests with XGen archives and spheres. This time with a bit more color. I basically use a texture map to ‘drive’ the length and color of an XGen primitive. These primitives can range from spheres, splines or as in most of the examples below, cube geometry that has been exported as an archive. I then use expressions with XGen in Maya to modify the length, size and orientation of the archives.
Finally, I use the Arnold software renderer to create the final image. Arnold is able to realistically render millions of these pieces of geometry very quickly at high resolutions without any problem.
A tutorial that goes through the process can be found here. All of the images are rendered with Arnold for Maya. Click here to view my initial tests without color. Click here to view more XGen tutorials.
Many thanks to Pedro F. Gómez for his assistance with XGen. Featured on: Daily Planet Show, COLOSSAL, GIZMODO, THE VERGE, theCreatorsproject, CREATIVE BLOQ, 3dtotal, BEHANCE, SPLOID, LESTERBANKS, CG RECORD, ronenbekerman, CGFeedback, DIGITAL PRODUCTION.
Its nice to see that my work has inspired other artists to also have a go. Please share your results with me!
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/BWX06
http://cgterminal.com/2014/09/01/cinema-4d-colorful-abstract-x-particles-tutorial/ http://paessel.com/blog/2014/08/24/converting-pixels-to-voxels-in-blender-with-pythong.html http://bertrand-benoit.com/blog/2014/08/07/griggles/ https://www.facebook.com/beeple/photos/a.10150428845566781.356955.95211636780/10152255873401781/?type=1&theater http://vimeo.com/104469156 http://paulsheehy3d.blogspot.com.es/2014/08/xgen-primitives-in-maya.html http://vimeo.com/103107232 http://www.ronenbekerman.com/forest-pack-texture-distribution/ http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/making-colorful-abstract-with-x-particle-in-cinema-4d/ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152449739139775&set=gm.680935698642325&type=1&theater http://community.thefoundry.co.uk/discussion/topic.aspx?f=8&t=92074 http://lwtoa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=33&sid=bdcd15e55399adb78bc5af6b96a8e346 https://www.behance.net/gallery/38001119/Chroma-Landscapes
http://www.lovbomb.com/ https://www.behance.net/gallery/19418997/Texture-Distribution http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/tutorials/fast-3d-topographies-in-cinema-4d-tutorial/ http://2014.blendermonth.com/?p=1607 http://forums.newtek.com/showthread.php?143497-mutated-ladscapes http://community.thefoundry.co.uk/discussion/topic.aspx?f=8&t=92074 http://www.3rd-floor.org/portfolio/abstract-landscapes https://www.behance.net/gallery/20212217/Abstract-Scapes-I https://www.behance.net/gallery/19971111/3D-Topography-Design https://www.behance.net/gallery/19853135/Tiny-World-Pt2
http://pookhaohima.net/portfolio/scattered_landscape-high-res/
http://community.thefoundry.co.uk/discussion/topic.aspx?f=8&t=93404
https://www.behance.net/gallery/51043461/Cinema-4-D-Arnold-Render-x-particles-inspiration
https://www.behance.net/gallery/20674173/Particle-worlds-created-with-MODO
https://www.behance.net/gallery/40573705/Nike-Nature-of-Motion
http://henri-hebeisen.com/article14/abstract-landscape
https://www.behance.net/gallery/20793935/Hex-arts-collection
http://dominikraskin.com/2014/09/28/digital-landscapes/
http://www.cutsquash.com/2014/08/abstract-landscapes-blender/
https://www.behance.net/gallery/23382679/Paint-Landscapes
https://puntocubo.wordpress.com/portfolio/paisajes-extranos/
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?346181-Colored-primitives
https://www.behance.net/gallery/19971111/3D-Topography-Design
http://www.swirlypillow.com/sparkly/
https://www.behance.net/gallery/23522235/Lee-Griggs-Look-Free-Cinema-4D-R16-Hair-Scene
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Crater-481208172
http://davidjohnrobertson.co.uk/343541/4658061/gallery/lee-griggschris-schmidt-enspired-blocks
http://www.kenottmann.com/2014/10/topographic-logocube-animation/
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CuGmgXdWcAAGwNW.jpg:large
https://www.behance.net/gallery/24994453/cubical-micro-worlds
https://www.behance.net/gallery/25113233/Pflow-with-Max
https://www.behance.net/gallery/20115791/3d-Topology
https://www.behance.net/gallery/26101253/CGI-Griggscape-Motion
http://www.maximeroz.com/abstract#2
https://www.behance.net/gallery/28196961/3DPixel-Landscapes
https://www.behance.net/gallery/26030711/No-More-Skulls
https://www.behance.net/gallery/27298905/ABSTRACT-LANDSCAPES
http://mareyuspictures.com/nebula-cinema-4d-arnold/
https://www.behance.net/gallery/29808675/Primitiv-Substances
https://www.behance.net/gallery/31343787/Particle-Planets
https://www.behance.net/gallery/30237591/Macro-Land-Evolving_Nebula_Data-Print
http://www.fubiz.net/2015/12/05/abstract-landscapes-digital-manipulations/
https://www.behance.net/gallery/33290511/Basalt-Columns
https://www.behance.net/gallery/33946786/Cube-Landscape
https://www.behance.net/gallery/20970997/1-000-000-boxes
https://www.behance.net/gallery/50671661/HoudiniMantra-Renders-inspired-by-Lee-Griggs
https://www.behance.net/gallery/36680811/COLORS
http://armieri.deviantart.com/art/Lee-Griggs-Tribute-537141643
http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/15488/creating-a-scene-with-huge-amount-of-geometry
https://www.behance.net/gallery/37647493/Abstract-landscapes#comments
https://www.behance.net/gallery/37073011/curvy-curves
https://www.behance.net/gallery/37163337/Pixelwaves
https://www.instagram.com/legible/
https://www.behance.net/gallery/20605983/CGI-CG-PHOTOGRAPHY-CG-EXPERIMENTING
https://www.behance.net/gallery/35630233/RND
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CstMbmBXEAAajXE.jpg:large
http://paulsheehy3d.blogspot.com.es/2014/08/xgen-primitives-in-maya.html?m=1
https://www.behance.net/gallery/42063703/Sedimentum
https://www.behance.net/gallery/38582991/Topological-cubes
https://www.instagram.com/_waarp_/
http://www.maximeroz.com/#/new-page/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKGlmOyh–o/
Amazing work. Thanks for making these available for download.
Render these huge and you can sell them on canvas as art
Nice idea. I wouldn’t know where to start. Got any suggestions on how to go about it?
Try here: http://www.artflakes.com/en
If you find a way, let us know, I’m interested.
Amazing stuff, really innovative way of using the software 🙂 I especially like the last one, look like dot art but made with 3d, Great.
If you made a real physical model of these at a large scale they would make amazing wall installations. Add some cool up or down lighting as well!
Saw this on Colossal this morning… wow, these are utterly enchanting. I’m really glad I saw them. Great work.
Thanks a lot Tom. Appreciate it.
simply spectacular!
Wow! They look so alive! It looks like oceans and coastlines with cities. Is it possible to wrap this around a globe? That would make for some beautiful planets!
These are amazing!!!
Reblogged this on I'm real 22two and commented:
WOW!
Hi Lee,
Amazing work. Very inspiring.
I’ve been playing around with xgen and I am wondering if there is a way to map a texture image sequence to xgen attributes.
Thank you
Thanks Perseu! Its a very good question 🙂 As far as I know XGen uses a single ptex image file. If you find out, let me know!
TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH YOUR WORK Dude!! Well Done!:)))
Hi Lee,
I’ve been trying this for fun but I’m a bit stuck at the step where you assign the aiStandard shader to XGen – what level should this be applied at? I’ve used the Outliner to select the top level XGen Collection, with no luck, and have also tried the Description level. I get to see the shader in the Node Editor and can connect the aiUserDataColor node to it, which I then name and create a map for in the XGen window, but I think I missing the step which applies the JPG image I’ve chosen to the primitives. Whatever I do, the primitives come out at the default colour when I render. I’ve even ended up with the image on the underlying plane a few times, but never colouring the primitives!
Hi again Lee – I figured it out. Unless I’ve done something wrong in an earlier step, I think there’s one step missing from the “apply colour to primitives” tutorial. You have to bake the colour map into the PTex by clicking the save button next to the Custom Shader Parameter on XGen’s Preview/Output window, otherwise the colours won’t be applied to the archive primitives.
Thanks for sharing all your wonderful work with us, by the way – it’s inspiring!
Thanks for the feedback and glad you liked it cebegebee! Will update the tutorial..
Thanks Lee for post the link of my humble work! 🙂
No problem. Good stuff!
Hey man,
thanks for sharing such nice things.
i have a question.
when i use archive objects in xgen as custom objects arnold does not render it.
i don’t know why?
i assign aiStandard material to description too, but it does not work.
when i set it on sphere arnold render them nicely.
can you guide me in this problem?
i could not find a good answer for it even in arnold website for xgen tutorials.
thanks
Were the Arnold Render Settings open when you exorted the archive?
Hello master
however i asked this question long time ago, but i remember that i test both, i exported a cube, that had aiStandard, and rendere had been set to arnold.(it didn’t work)
and a cube that does not have aiStandard, and renderer was not set on arnold , and didn’t work again.
can you explain this? a little video on a simple cube.
thanks again
It should work. Are you getting any error messages?
Hey man
thanks for your attention
I can explain it for you in this way:
1.
I create a cube in origin
set renderer to arnold
save the scene
export selection as archive
Destination folder: Local Archive
Export
create a new scene
create a plan in origin
create a description
Custom Geometry/Archive
in Archive file added the cube archived (without material)
set renderer to arnold
save the scene and hit render
it does not render
2.
I create a cube in origin
don’t set renderer to arnold
save the scene
export selection as archive
Destination folder: Local Archive
Export
create a new scene
create a plan in origin
create a description
Custom Geometry/Archive
in Archive file added the cube archived (without material)
set renderer to arnold
save the scene and hit render
it does not render
Any error messages? Are you using the latest version of MtoA? Which version of Maya?
no, there is not any error

Arnold 1.2.5.0
maya 2016
this is a screenshot from my scene
Is the renderer set to Arnold in the Preview tab?
no
in render setting i set it
now i install arnold 1.2.7
it does not work yet
thanks man
i’m checking
do you think you can capture a simple video for a simple scene with a cube as archive?
i think i work in right way
Do splines work? Here is a video:
You could also try emailing support@solidangle.com
i watched the video
it is not related to my problem.
i’m watching cubes as archived in viewport but they are not rendered.
i say that it is not related to mentalray installation?
i don’t have mentalray on maya.
just asking.
and in your work there is a workflow, i think i do one step wrong.
i’m confused
spline,
guide curve, even spheres, will render, just archived geos don’t render
and another question is that, it is not related to triangulated faces?
it is not odd?
for rendering with arnold we should have mentalray.
did it fixed in maya 2016 extension 2?
do you know!?
i installed mentalray, i should set it in any step or just loading the mentalray plugin?
oh, anyway it does not work yet
yes xgen Toolkit.mll is loaded
i think to it that the model that we want to use as archive, should have especific attributes?
for example should be triangulated or have aiStandard material? or …
hey man
i did this:
i set renderer to arnold rendere
turn on xGenMR.py plugin
and then try to export my object as archive object:
(i have installed mentalray for maya 2016)
it give me this error in log file:
API error detected in plugins\mtoa\extension\ExtensionsManager.cpp at line 571
: (kFailure): Unexpected Internal Failure
Maya 2016 importing module pymel 1.0.7 (C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2016\Python\lib\site-packages\pymel\__init__.py)
Failed to create attributes of jlCollisionDeformer node
Successfully registered renderer ‘arnold’
and did not create any xarc file from my object.
in simplest form i create a cube on scene and save the scene, (without setting arnold as renderer) and does not set xGenMR.py to on in Plugin manager.
it give me a cube.xarc file
and i can use it in custom type of description, and it will show the cube on viewport, but don’t show anything in render (with light), just show the plan.
make sense?
Hello again
after a long time RnD i find the problem of Archiving geometries for xGen
maybe you know this but i find that this, was my problem
for creating Archive objects for xgen we have to set renderer to Arnold before generate it,
but when i did it, pythonInterpreter cause error and stop exporting geometry.
i found that we have to have this line of python code before running maya:
import pymel.core
so i put this line of code in userSetup.py and give its folder path to pythonpath.then run maya in a bat file as wrapper script.
i hope it help people that looking for it
thanks for all