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Dominance War II - EricElwell

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EricElwell insane polycounter
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  • Rhinokey
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    Rhinokey polycounter lvl 18
    having to post cause i hate seeing a thread with actual concepts go ignored while people hype all over threads with no art

    good work so far, but they all seem to have "beast" over intelligent killing machine
  • popawheelie
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    popawheelie polycounter lvl 12
    I agree with rhino, Good concepts nevertheless. I wonder if u could put a human rider and add some techno bits on some of these beasts.

    pop
  • Emil Mujanovic
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    Emil Mujanovic polycounter lvl 18
    I'm a big fan of the two in the bottom left corner. The one holding the big boulder above his head and the one with the spike/horn shoulder pads (this one the most though).

    -caseyjones
  • Clint
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    Clint polycounter lvl 18
    that would be the bottom right corner wink.gif. I have to agree though. the one with the spiky shoulder pads is easily my favroite. id like to see you take that one further
  • Dr_Graevling
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    Dr_Graevling polycounter lvl 11
    Indeed! Spikes, chains and skulls are definitely signs of evil. wink.gif
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    hmm yeah... I am definitely aiming for something more of the slobbering/clobbering variety... Though I need to keep feeling around for something that doesn't feel completely unintelligent. Trying to find little tidbits that will help push the character.. skulls, chains, spikes.. I liked the idea of auxillery mouths with some kind of arms that could shovel peeps into them, but I don't want to force it too much. Though, the humanoid form seems to help the intelligence factor.

    Anyway.. I am totally open for ideas, comments, suggests, or money
  • gauss
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    gauss polycounter lvl 18
    Eric!
    great to have you along now... what a difference a year makes, eh? crazy to think about how much progress you've made, particularly. you usually get out only as much as you put in, and you have definitely been putting the time in, and it shows.
    though you still have a predeliction for cartooning (not necessarily a bad thing), these thumbs have a good strong "snap" to them, which is great to see. i'd like to see you do more beasties, generally speaking, they seem to suit you well.
    as for this compo: i ran up against much the same issues myself last year, with some of my designs--wanting to create some real clobbermonster but still making him count as a "general", which is to say it needed to seem intelligent. yes, general physiognomy goes a long way in indicating it, as does the various accoutrements you give the character, but i'll tell you one of the most deciding factors for the appearance of intelligence:
    eyeglasses. no, just kidding. but it's related--it's all in the eyes. think of the scale of animals as they relate to humans, and how much or how little we tend to identify our own emotions with them accordingly. cats are generally, but dogs much more so--they have very expressive eyes that people read a lot of emotion into, a lot of human intelligence. and, of course, monkeys score the highest for non-humans, because they look so much like us, and so do their eyes, generally.
    it's both the eye itself (pupil size and shape, presence of iris or the 'white' of the eye, etc.) and how it sits on the head that does it. the further apart you push the eyes, the closer to the sides of the head, generally, the less human/less intelligent they'll seem. horses are an obvious exception here again, because of their eyes themselves are very expressive and more human-friendly. so about the least expressive to humans, and therefore generally the least intelligent-seeming, are fish, snakes, and insects. it's a tough gamble, but there are ways of getting the otherworldly qualities of those kinds of species to seem endowed with intelligence, but you'll likely have to make some tradeoffs with reference to how hulking your character is, if you want to go that route.
    whew... ok, so now that the dissertation is over, suggestions or crits. personally, i'd like to see you play with the multiple mouths thing, even the point of doing a character with multiple heads. like a very snakey looking lizard character, except with multiple heads with the secondary heads' mouths acting as hands.
    you could further evolve them by making mouths that have certain hand-like abilities, which could be a very interesting possibility... just some ideas here. but i'm picturing a beast similar to some that you have drawn--long tail, kinda hulking body, but with a slew of heads that hang parallel to the ground... one main stalk, and a number (2?4?) of tertiary headstalks that function mainly as arms. then you could run with a very unusual looking set of tactical webbing/equipment slings for this creature, to accomodate its mouth-hands. most fighting, of course, it would do directly, via venom and bitey-time.
    just some ideas, mang. just keep the burner on high and you'll have some cool stuff going in no time.
  • indian_boy
    i like the concept, and the creature does have an aura of "evil" around him.. but i think the creature needs changes to make it seem more futuristic. right now it seems like a tamed creature (like a troll or something) who is lead into battle.
    also, i think u (anybody in general) should keep away from small arms. They would mean that the shadow loses many capabilites that require small adjustments of dials/wires/switches etc. I mean... imagine a T-Rex trying to disconnect a wire in a computer... yes it could stomp the shit out of the computer (and make alot of noise). But it could never move its hands in and just pull the wire...
    I know it's just a collection of small thumbnails, but... laugh.gif
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    did a concept, not really what i am going for.. chopped a bit off of my thumb last night, so that's my excuse for being lame. *sigh*
    Dom2c1.jpg
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    still drawing..
    Dom2c2.jpg
    Dom2c2b.jpg


    by the way, Gauss, thanks a ton for the crits, I really appreciate it. Feel free to be harsher and tell the truth like it is, I want to keep refining until I nail something solid. Thanks
  • zenarion
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    zenarion polycounter lvl 17
    Nasty monster you got there wink.gif
    Agree with the "tips" you got for yourself. The thing has to look biologically-probable to function. Not just awesome, but "realistic".
  • IronHawk
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    IronHawk polycounter lvl 10
    Cool stuff so far Eric.

    I like the spiked forearms but they need to be bigger and more free to do damage IMO. Right now the center of balance is in a n odd place as well for this beast to really dig in with those.

    kinda reminds me of Duriel.

    duriel.gif
  • MisterGoid
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    MisterGoid polycounter lvl 18
    Eric, nice step up with these.

    The one thing I would say is in terms of color. Im not sure if its intentional or not, but the magenta form along its back opens my mind to the possibility of this thing being exotically colored. You're still hashing out the form, but surface properties are probably a good thing to let sit in the back of your mind and stew.

    Again, wicked nice work pal.
  • Shady-D
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    Shady-D polycounter lvl 17
    The first from the 2nd row would be cool!
    LOL Funky Monkey!
    Keep up the good work, I really like your style!
  • Mr Delish
    this one is my favoreet.
    Dom2Thumbstiny.jpggrin.gif
  • Dread_Reaper
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    Dread_Reaper polygon
    Bah, Duriel WISHES he were this cool. them maybe he wouldn't have been so righteously stomped by some random adventurers. I concur with Delish on my favorite, but the sketch you have so far is awesome. They seems so much like dinosaurs from hell or something. Very great progress dude.

    -Dread_Reaper
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    playing with heads:
    Dom2c3b.jpg

    thanks for the comments, I haven't given up on that sketch. I am just feeling around a lot.
  • rooster
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    rooster mod
    cool stuff- looking forward to seeing this guy in 3d..
    speaking or pior- where is he in our time of need! the nearest french polycounter has some pressganging to do..
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    I was thinking the same thing. Someone's gotta drag him into this NOW!
  • gauss
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    gauss polycounter lvl 18
    cool stuff Eric, and i'm glad i've been of service... i gotta get going out the door right now, but here's a quick point to consider: like i told KP, i think you're getting caught up in rendering, which means you're commiting resources too early on... you need to be thinking about the forms, so try busting out pencil/line only (can be digital or trad) sketches at this point. all grayscale, no color. a good concept rocks ass at its bare essentials--lines with no shading. when you star adding too much to it early on (color, shading, etc.) it can blind you as to whether or not it's really worth developing. so keep coming up with ideas, but do it with lines and you should be in better shape.
  • Dread_Reaper
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    Dread_Reaper polygon
    Ooooh, nice heads! Definately stay with the more monstrous ones you have, the second and third one. The human feautres just don't seem to fit with the hulking dino body you have going.

    -Dread_Reaper
  • PeterK
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    PeterK greentooth
    I like the design, how is the mesh coming along?
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    hey Peter, haven't started 3d yet, I'm not satisfied with the design.

    Gauss, definitely going to do some line work tonight to try to nail this guy down, I've just been busy with various things.. but hey! this is WAR! I'll get to it
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    no time lately.. bleh
    Dom2c3c.jpg
    not sure if i like him with or without the mid level arms.
  • Kovac
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    Kovac polycounter lvl 18
    hey man I really love this new concept angle, really brings life to the lower half. on that note I'd personally say the lower torso is definitely the way to go, but the top might need a few more revisions. it looks like you were trying to keep balance by having the smaller head which is good, but it looked like you shifted a bit away from the more menacing face of the top half (maybe because big eyes seem more gentle and lively). keep it churnin man, I'm gonna try to do the same this weekend as I have no plans yet.
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    Dom2c3d.jpg
    little update... I'm fairly satisfied with the anatomy, definitely will get some tweaks on the model rendition, but I am more concerned about armor, tidbits, and various devices before I start the mesh... hum de dum...
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    some mouth variations... some pretty uninspired stuff but whatevs
    dom2mouth1.jpgdom2mouth2.jpgdom2mouth3.jpgdom2mouth4.jpgdom2mouth5.jpg
  • Japhir
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    Japhir polycounter lvl 16
    cool! I like the top mouth most!
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    installed the mudbox trial tonight... tinkering around with it.. I probably won't end up using this at all, just trying to get a feel for the workflow
    Dom2MB1.jpg
  • squatedbug
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    squatedbug polycounter lvl 18
    I'm liking this alot, first had my doubts about the 'head nipples' but seeing how you are fleshimg things out, yeah I can imagine this to work all very nicely.

    Now I must admit I haven't read every comment, but what immediately came to mind when I saw the later concepts that it might be nice to have one head show intelligence, and the other more bruteish. (sp?)

    That way it kind of gets this 'rider and beast in one' feeling which might work really nicely here. (maybe even think a bit schizophrenic?).

    Oh well, I seem to ramble, so far really digging this!
  • MisterGoid
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    MisterGoid polycounter lvl 18
    loving the new concepts man.
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    thanks guys, I agree with the head nips.. they're pretty gay, I was just fooling around with filler, and that was a poor biproduct.. I'm currently having some probs with importing meshes from Max, which would be ideal, but for now I will keep playing with MB.. another fiddle... kinda orcish :-\
    Dom2MB2small.jpg
  • Dread_Reaper
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    Dread_Reaper polygon
    That head is the best of your concepts, but it seems to not exude the same malice as the concept. The eyes I think look tired.

    -Dread_Reaper
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    nothing special, just showing my progress slow as it is. Finally got some time to start on the base mesh last night
    Dom2mesh1.jpg
  • rollin
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    rollin polycounter
    looks nice and clean as far as i can see it smile.gif

    .. and now speed up a BIT tongue.gif
  • EricElwell
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    have not had much time at all, but I WILL have a complete entry for this contest! (must quit jobbie or something)
    Dom2mesh3.jpg
  • Clint
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    Clint polycounter lvl 18
    Wow thats lookin hawt. The model gives off a great sense of bulk and mass. You better get a move on! grin.gif
  • jgarland
    I love all your concepts and thumbnails, and the base is coming along nicely. The high-poly mesh is gonna be sick! Now get a move on. wink.gif
  • squatedbug
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    squatedbug polycounter lvl 18
    Yep, yep, still very excited about this bad boy! Finish eeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!
  • PeterK
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    PeterK greentooth
    Nice topology Eric. You've really come a long way.
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    Thanks guys

    enclosed the mesh tonight,
    Dom2mesh4S.jpg

    will start the highpoly later tonight or tomorrow morning before I go to work.

    Still a ton of work to do, such as armor, maybe a weapon, tidbits, and of course the texture
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    Dom2meshhigh1s.jpg
    Borrowing my brother's machine (more RAM, better video card) w/ the Mudbox trial. I ran the trial out on my own machine. :-\

    screengrabbies, masking off some areas for (3d) texture effects, and decided to set the color and play around a little to get some inspiration for when I get to the (2d) texturing phase.
  • rollin
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    rollin polycounter
    this is getting hot! smile.gif
  • tremulant
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    tremulant polycounter lvl 17
    holy cARP heh, thats lookin nice bro
  • gwad
  • squatedbug
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    squatedbug polycounter lvl 18
    shaping up very, very nicely!
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    dom2smooth.jpg
    dom2uvw.jpg
    That's a pretty sweet half done UV map huh? :-\

    been sick and trying to rest, trying to find time to finish

    gonna be quite the weekend
  • rollin
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    rollin polycounter
  • EricElwell
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    EricElwell insane polycounter
    Dom2vertexcolor.jpg

    Laid down some vertex colors, and played w/ the UVs, and R2T stuff.
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