Cute Baby Groot

allknighter

Hey

Current state:




I've been working on a 3d model from an awesome concept i found:

Though i have taken a few design liberties.

heres what i have right now:




oh. and im kinda struggling with the arm and hip joints. Not quite sure what i should go for...
And also. should i always model in T pose, to be able to add detail(which is problematic in the pose he's in right now), or do anyone have any tips on maybe dynameshing the body into one piece and then keeping/adding details?

I would love some comments and ideas:)

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WesleyArthur

Awesome! It looks great so far.

In terms of your 'design liberties', have you altered the character's personality? The original seems quite innocent and curious, whereas yours looks more mischievous and a tiny bit menacing. I think it's his eye sockets, but if that's intentional then that's fair enough!

I particularly like the cracks in the top of his head. Very well sculpted!

allknighter

thanks guys!
about the joints, my thought is basically that right now i have a socket to stick the legs in. But maybe i shouldnt have that, and just have a connecting body...

@WesleyArthur
It was not actually my intention to alter his personality. I'd like to preserve the innocent personality Groot also has in the movie. So, good eye
i fixed his eyesockets a bit, to make him less mischievous. And i havent quite decided how to handle his mouth, in these terms. The zigzagmouth from the concept has turned out more like something from a haunted movie, so im not gonna do that at least:P

Brian "Panda" Choi

Give him a smile.

allknighter

heres a visual update.
I have fixed his shoulders and hips, like ive been so unsure about. But it gave a better silhouette. But also a very hexagonal butt. We cant have everything :P



@JadeEyePanda its coming

i would love some feedback on the bodys proportions. he doesnt look quite right yet.

Neox

how close do you want to be to the concept?

Rektum

I feel like the width of the head in the concept balances the hips. Your head is quite a bit narrower which makes him appear older and may be responsible for the 'chunkiness' of the legs.I like how the hands turned out. Looking forward to this guy!

allknighter

its been far too long since ive updated for this. (ive gotten a lot further, and taken a lot of choices)

but anyway. here is some of the progression, ive decided to go with a different painting scheme than what im showing here; where i stay more true to the concept. Maybe too true to it, but hell, thats how itll end up.

bumpviewermat:

colorized: (though as mentioned, im going a different direction with it, just havent finished enough to post)

Leon_Raven

Looking very good! One thing I'd say need more work is the texturing near the cracks on his body. I think it would give more depth to the skin if the wood near the crack was darker. Maiby also add some more cracks on the face, like in the reference concept. Face and cheeks looks a bit to smooth now!

allknighter

heres an update on the head.
this is what i mean by different coloring scheme:

blackdragonstory

Kinda like the mouth on the image more than the one on the actual model

allknighter

gonna be staying up tonight to get an early finish to this project. He feels very close to where i want him to be atm. At least for now. I'd love to texture him better, but this is the limit to my painting skills. so..at least for now

bumpviewermat:

flat:


Comments/critiques are always welcome

Brian "Panda" Choi

What are you rendering this in? The shadows seem absent.

allknighter

this is in zbrush. but as i rendered it flat colors, there is no nothing but the paintjob
thats why you can see the shadows in the black and white bumpviewermaterial.

Brian "Panda" Choi

I think you can bring a little more variety to the wood carving by digging certain cracks a lot deeper than the others, especially where it's darker in the concept. Right now, it seems a little to flat at a medium-detail read.

allknighter

you're absolutely right. I also found especially the body to be a bit bland; but hoped some sexy lighting would fix it :P
good eye!

Neox

my question remains, how close do you want him to be to the concept? as right now you are pretty far off. Its cute but much weaker designwise than your reference.

allknighter

I honestly felt that the concept, with its somewhat lack of perspective and design, seemed to be a better fit for 2D.
I have also experimented with a closer to the original concept design, (especially the mouth), but i found it to ruin the cute look, which this concept was going for. The zigzag mouth became too much, and the shape of the head ended up like a subtle arch, and not a roundish shape.

so the short answer is: meh. close'nuff

allknighter

testrender in a studio setup with high poly detail:


I have also been speculating on making a lowpoly render of this model as well...any thoughts on that btw? is there a point to it?

I appreciate all comments and critiques, as always