Thomas had the standout entry this year and all the judges were in agreement that he should be awarded to the top prize.
Bogdan Toma, who ended up coming 4th really impressed the judges with his entry so was awarded an additional prize!
A slick demonstration of X-Particles constraint systems with a mix of very pleasing transitions makes this piece one of my favourites in this years challenge. - Mario Tran Phuc
I like the technical execution of the elements. - Mike Batchelor
This one is my honorable mention for difficully points. Tons of different techniques going on with this one. - Nick Campbell
First nice volumetrics I've seen someone do in XP4 besides Insydium staff ;) - Dino Muhic
Nice use of EFX! - Jon Bosley
Well executed - didn't award points due to reliance on Houdini - that's cheating in my eyes :) - Brandon Parvini
The rendering and colors are really nice, I like what they are doing here. There isn't enough originality to put it in my top, but I do really like it compositionally. - Casey Hupke
Andrew's entry stood out to me because he's learnt a lot to get to this result, and the X-Particles Challenge is about nurturing an interest in both Cinema 4D and X-Particles. If you read Andrew's blog, you'll appreciate he put in the time to dig in to unfamiliar territory so I want to congratulate him for that and hope to see another entry in 2018! - Andy Needham
Dmitry used the X-Particles Demo and rendered out the result using Cinema 4D's Hardware Renderer. Great job!
If you don't have X-Particles you can download a 30 day demo here.
Prizes from the list below were awarded to the Top 5 Entries and to the Honourable Mentions and a special prize was given for the best use of the X-Particles Demo.
Show them what you'll create!
Andy is the organiser of this competition and a London-based freelance motion graphics artist and an author on Lynda.com and LinkedIn Learning
Mario is based in Frankfurt, Germany and is a very experienced VFX Designer who won the first competition - he lives and breathes X-Particles.
Nick makes learning more accessible and effective over at Greyscalegorilla by creating easy-to-follow tutorials and training.
Brandon is a freelance motion designer and director based in Los Angeles. He placed 2nd in the 2015 challenge and is a welcome addition to the judges panel.
Casey is a freelance digital content creator who has been working in the live visual, and commercial field, for over a decade. He has contributed work to major tours for U2, Lady Gaga and Deadmau5.
Mike is the product manager for INSYDIUM LTD the creators of X-Particles and Cycles4D and has a passion for Motion Design and VFX.
Based in Hanau near Frankfurt, Germany, Dino is a freelancer who specialises in motion graphics and visual effects.
Jon has been using Cinema 4D for 12 years. Currently freelancing, he has a wide variety of industry experience in Visualisation, Motion Graphics and VFX.
I thought this entry was really creative and fun - it embodies the values of the X-Particles Challenge. - Andy Needham
I really like this fresh piece. - Mario Tran Phuc
This entry was done with X-Particles v2 (so an old version) but still delivers in animation and in style. - Dino Muhic
While the actual use of X-Particles wasn't as advanced or involved as some of the other entries. I thought it was one of the strongest pieces as far as camera and overall aesthetic and tone goes. It stood out as feeling like one of the most complete pieces submitted. - Brandon Parvini
Great exploration of fluids and geometric forms showing the diversity of X-Particles as a graphic tool. - Tim Clapham
Great use of fluids and the composition is nice and clean. - Mike Batchelor