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[WIP] Ed - Cowboy Bebop (Need Crits)

Heartless
polycounter lvl 8
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Heartless polycounter lvl 8
Okay, Polycount masters. This is my second character. I've got a very basic mesh so far and would like some input before continuing, as I'm sure I've done fucked up. Some proportions are a little off, she's not as stringy as she should be. The goggles are just floating at the moment. I haven't added any edge loops for animation. Not sure how to go about doing her hair, I'm thinkin' that I'll simplify it and do most of the hair with geometry then the bangs with a few polys with an alpha mapped texture.

Alright, tear it apart. Come at me, bro.

22ni8j.jpg

6sgec1.jpg

Replies

  • Visceral
    Hurrm i find it that Anime characters can be especially hard to model since they often lack shading and therefore you cant get any depth references. Sorry if im having a hard time expressing myself in english but i hope you get what i mean ;).

    Anyhow you look like you have a good start. But try having your edgeloops mean something if you are to deform this char you might want to add some moore in the knee and armpit/shoulder areas. Also the elbow and mouth.

    However i cant say that much about it, since its anime style it will come alive in the texturing. Good luck!
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    Thanks, bro.

    Yeah, anime characters are a bit tough, the hair especially.

    I plan on adding some edges around the joints for animation. The face, however, won't have any sort of animation going on, but I still plan on adding a little more depth to it.

    My main concern is where the geometry of different parts connect. Feels like I've gone about it wrong. But it could just be I'm being paranoid.

    Also started a very basic model of Ein. Can't have Ed without Ein.
    9qaes6.jpg
  • Habboi
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    Habboi sublime tool
    Haha awesome. Make Bebop proud.
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    Habboi wrote: »
    Haha awesome. Make Bebop proud.
    Someone's gotta, 'cause Keanu definitely ain't.
  • Habboi
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    Habboi sublime tool
    If you have an up-to-date article I'm convinced it isn't happening anymore. The latest article I found (2011) had Keanu saying the movie would cost too much and the people in charge haven't got in contact about the script yet.
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    Habboi wrote: »
    If you have an up-to-date article I'm convinced it isn't happening anymore. The latest article I found (2011) had Keanu saying the movie would cost too much and the people in charge haven't got in contact about the script yet.
    Yeah I've heard that. It's possible the script will get revised.

    Hollywood has been making a living raping my childhood lately so I wouldn't be surprised if the movie is made.

    sidebox.jpg
  • makecg
  • attattattack
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    attattattack polycounter lvl 8
    Ein is my favourite character!
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    Minor update. Spent some time working on her face.

    If anyone has any good tips or resources for hair, let me know.

    10pvnsh.jpg
  • Cyrael
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    Cyrael polycounter lvl 10
    What's your target level in terms of specs? If you're going current(nextgen) Then I'd say you've got to add a few more edge loops and really get a nice silhouette going, but you're absolutely right that the proportions are off a bit. She's nowhere near skinny enough. Ed is almost supermodel skinny with that really loose fitting shirt, I'd try to hit that with the silhouette as well.

    Keep going!
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    My target is PS2 gen. I'd like to have it around 1400-1500 polys max.

    Here's the updated body.
    1q4vo5.jpg
  • Steve Schulze
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    Steve Schulze polycounter lvl 18
    She's going to be a tricky one.

    I'm suspecting you're not working from reference here. Get yourself some real anatomical reference as well as a bunch of shots of the character and you'll have a much easier time getting her looking right.

    I'm slightly leery of posting this, but there's a nude model sheet available here which should prove useful.
    http://rule34-images.paheal.net/_images/51cbf71e62f1da6c12c27fa6b4461243/326334%20-%20Cowboy_Bebop%20Edward_Wong_Hau_Pepelu_Tivrusky_IV.jpeg
    Lets reiterate that NSFW Nude Image

    If you're not going to make the mouth animatable (or even if you are), I'd give it a much wider default position.
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    I'm just working from a printed off paper with a few screen caps and some promo artwork.

    Thanks for the reference but it doesn't seem to have the right body type. It's too anatomically correct. Ed's body for the most part is just a tube. With slightly smaller tubes stickin' out for arms and legs. All very long and lanky with her bone structure only slightly hinted in places.

    488633_cowboy_ein2.jpg
    This figure is a pretty good representation.

    The polys I put for her mouth are really only for silhouette when she's viewed at a profile. The mouth will just be a simple line in the texture sheet.
  • Steve Schulze
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    Steve Schulze polycounter lvl 18
    Well even that model isn't all straight edges. She's still got distinct musculature on her arms and legs and that's even more noticable on the first image you posted.

    Regardless, the face still needs some development to get close the the necessary shape. She's got quite a distinct profile.
    Kawapaper_Cowboy_Bebop_0000037_1600x1200.jpg
  • Vailias
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    Vailias polycounter lvl 18
    Ok heres the largest most important tip for making anime models (or drawing them for that matter)

    The anatomical layout of an anime character and a regular realistic human are identical.

    The face detail is the only significant deviation, along with occasional proportion tweaks for characterization emphasis. Ie longer legs, bigger hands, etc.

    If you model your loops and major forms like you were going for a realisitc piece you'll get the proper look and feel of anime once the facial features and shading are dropped in.

    Anime is just simplified realism. Its not tubes sticking out of blocks, even on a lanky character like ed.

    Take a look at Brian Kenny's version of Monkey D. Luffy http://3dbriankenny.carbonmade.com/projects/2889007#5
    A similarly lanky character, but you can see how the overall layout is. Yes its a higher tricount than what you're going for, but the principle is the same.

    Specific crits:


    The eyes really dont need that level of detail on a character with that low a target tricount. Just leave the facial impression and let the eyes come through in texture.
    Neck is far too thick. Torso looks a bit long.
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    Thanks for the input guys.

    Here's what I have as of right now:

    jrch37.jpg

    Don't mind the hair, it's very WIP right now.

    I'll get to fixing up her body once I'm done with her head.
  • Der Hollander
    Hmm, updates have been happening while I've been slowly putting this together, but I'll post it anyway, see if it's of any use.
    First things first:
    PolyFlow.png

    Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'll attempt at some constructive criticism.

    Firstly, I'll play the broken record and tell you to grab reference, but I'll take it a step further and tell you to draw Ed. Nothing gets you familiar with a reference than working with it. Try and work out all the forms, figure out the hair, that sort of thing.


    Secondly, I would posit that making Ed in 1500 tris would be a challenge for the sole fact that how her shirt billows and sways is a big part of the character. I'd say 2-3k tris would be a better goal for that reason, especially if you're trying to build her body underneath.

    Lastly, but likely most important, low poly characters aren't easy to build. If you were headed to low poly because you thought it would be faster or easier, I'd seriously reconsider. To create a successful low poly object means you have to master the triangle, because you're working in a strict low-resource environ. You also can't ignore edge flow, it's more important to have a solid understanding of it so that you know where to put information and where you can save on triangle count. You also need to plan ahead and know what you are going to model, what is going to be texture, and how you can best blend the two together.

    Keep at it. Every criticism is an opportunity to learn and grow as an artist, and if you put the effort, the product will turn out and people will take notice of what you put into it.
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    Thanks, bro.

    I'm doing low poly because it's the best way to learn. Starting off modeling doing high poly would be a waste of time.

    You're definitely right about the flow of my model. It's terrible haha.

    Whenever I do anything, more so when I'm new at it, I tend to build/code/draw/model/etc. and just focus on gettin' from point A to B, which usually results in a sloppy result, but then I refine until it's good. Eventually I get less sloppy and have to do less tweaking.

    So I'll definitely be spending a lot of time cleaning up and fixing up the flow and other stuff when the geometry is pretty much done.
  • ceebee
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    ceebee polycounter lvl 14
    Starting off with your high poly isn't a waste of time. A lot of artists these days who aren't working on mobile platforms start their highs first -> retopo -> sculpt more -> bake diffuse/normal.

    Instead of spending 8 hours tweaking verts one at a time you can throw it in, get your proportions and anatomy right and have something to show that is more presentable than what you have now. And the good thing is for beginners is if you are doing a 1-5K character you'll be able to bake a nice looking AO off to overlay on top of your textures even if you aren't using normal maps.

    Practicing good topology during your retopo phase is just as important as building something from a box and learning that way.
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    It's not a waste of time if you are already fairly competent in modeling. For beginners, such as myself, starting off with a modern high poly workflow doesn't seem too smart. It'll just add complexity, confusion, and take longer to produce shitty results.

    I'll start doing current gen stuff when I'm no longer terrible at low poly.
  • jerry
    Heartless wrote: »
    It's not a waste of time if you are already fairly competent in modeling. For beginners, such as myself, starting off with a modern high poly workflow doesn't seem too smart. It'll just add complexity, confusion, and take longer to produce shitty results.

    I'll start doing current gen stuff when I'm no longer terrible at low poly.

    :poly142:
    Keep tweaking, and keep working on flow and form and you'll make a decent model, noone starts off making amazing art, it takes time and dedication. Keep it up man.
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    Thanks, Jerry.

    Here's an update. I worked a bit on her anatomy, unwrapped, and blocked out the basic colors and features.

    I did a pretty shit job on unwrapping. I made the mistake of mirroring UV's and welding them together before everything was properly relaxed. Lesson learned.

    2ztgi0j.jpg

    Wires
    2585h1v.jpg
  • UNCCheezy
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    UNCCheezy polycounter lvl 10
    looking better man. Porportions are still somewhat "off." And don't confuse "higher poly" with harder..."Extreemly high poly" maybe, but you might be making it harder on yourself by not adding a few extra ones here and there. Are you only doing low-poly because you think it's easier? Or is this for a game that needs low poly?
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    Thanks.

    When I say high-poly, I usually mean "current gen". So not just more polys but normal and spec maps and whatnot.

    This isn't for a game, just a project to learn with a self-imposed poly limit. I've been a little lenient on the limit though and right now Ed's sittin' at 1798 tris.

    I may try creating a more modern game character soon but right now I'm just focusing on getting the hang of the basics.
  • Rockley Bonner
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    Rockley Bonner polycounter lvl 12
  • Heartless
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    Heartless polycounter lvl 8
    I'm doing that for Ein. Human penises are so passe.
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