Red Star Tracer: "Privyet komrade, the Revolution has arrived." [Overwatch fan art]
high dynamic range
Hey Polycount,
I am very happy that Blizzard is making concrete steps toward expanding its franchise pool, and in my view, increasing the longevity of the company.
I have renewed interest in joining the Big Blue for Overwatch, among other things. But specifically Overwatch.
So looking at Tracer, I immediately began to think a Soviet Union reskin of the character would be a strong possibility, but to avoid legal teams in real life, calling it "Red Star" should be enough of a reference.
GOALS:
- Reasonably create a high fidelity, Overwatch-exaggerated human character
- Maintain/assert a strong Overwatch/Blizzard aesthetic style.
- Improve ZBrush and PBR Texturing proficiency
- Practice effective PBR texturing workflow.
- Understand Substance Designer workflow, maybe.
If you have any critiques about what is going on, I'd definitely would like to hear them . Learning is still happening for me, as it were.
== Current WIP ==
WIP 3
Gave her a more appropriate hat, jacket design, and color scheme.
I am very happy that Blizzard is making concrete steps toward expanding its franchise pool, and in my view, increasing the longevity of the company.
I have renewed interest in joining the Big Blue for Overwatch, among other things. But specifically Overwatch.
So looking at Tracer, I immediately began to think a Soviet Union reskin of the character would be a strong possibility, but to avoid legal teams in real life, calling it "Red Star" should be enough of a reference.
GOALS:
- Reasonably create a high fidelity, Overwatch-exaggerated human character
- Maintain/assert a strong Overwatch/Blizzard aesthetic style.
- Improve ZBrush and PBR Texturing proficiency
- Practice effective PBR texturing workflow.
- Understand Substance Designer workflow, maybe.
If you have any critiques about what is going on, I'd definitely would like to hear them . Learning is still happening for me, as it were.
== Current WIP ==
WIP 3
Gave her a more appropriate hat, jacket design, and color scheme.
Replies
WIP 01:
Preliminary sketches.
References I've gathered are primarily focusing on Cold War era Soviet military, Cherno Alpha from "Pacific Rim," as well as Tracer herself for element placement.
The overall shape dynamic I want to create as a foil to the existing Tracer design is boxy, geometric, and sharp. Little to no curves, and elements that refernce existing icons like a nuclear reactor, or reactive tank armor.
Also need to work on hair styles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZO0jA05vMk#t=1m21s
WIP 02
Doing thumbnail callouts for the backpack and hair/head/hats. Any particular ones that are working best? Or elements from specific ones?
I feel like the torso's basically set for me. Just really only adding a thick fur collar or scarf, still a leather jacket. I'll test color schemes in a final concept render.
Anyone feeling for any of these pistol archetypes?
on them as they are not particularly strong. Always remember form follows function.
[SIZE=-2]SPS Underwater Cartridge and SPP-1 Pistol [/SIZE](if thats not the epitome of low dps high damage)
PP2000 could serve as insipration for a futuristic design that people can relate to as russian design , but its more modern however
OTs-02 Kiparis
Ots-22 Buk
those are very strong soviet looking designs, and taking those as base will greatly upgrade your end result , you can still make them shoot energy and make those changes#
Many artists take inspiration from russian tanks(T-54) to design soviet era fiction. They take this bulky rounded metal for parts of the armor and so on
and that seems to work very well
edit: I also found these on deviantart at random
http://neo-creations.deviantart.com/art/Steampunk-Maverick-4-3-276724861
I'm going to see how I can integrate the PP2000's front grip, as opposed as it is to the sloped forward grip of the original machine pistols. I do like the PP90's cylindrical magazine design., I want to see if that works, both from third and first person review with you guys. Imagine it popping out and spinning around quickly during a reload.
Though, do any of the gun thumbnails stand out as the best design? Something to move forward with on more thumbnails of subtle variants?
You write this variant is supposed to shoot slower and have higher stopping power, but then you suggest variants with P90 or PP90M1 high capacity magazines. If those magazines suggest one thing, then it is high rate of fire with high capacity, exactly the opposite of what you wanted. So a cycling mechanism like a revolver or a high power pistol like the desert eagle would be your starting point, or maybe a machine pistol design with a not too long magazine, but definitely no high capacity magazine. The form language of the concepts is a very generic angled cut-off shaped sci-fi look that would not fit with the setting neither and could as well be in mass effect.
High power can be represented in various ways, it should maybe be a little bigger, should have a longer barrel, bigger ammunition and a smaller magazine. A grip would also imply higher stopping power (but probably you dont want to use it here)
The old russian things have often a very strange and for us partially unaesthetic look, if you can capture that in your form language then you won
Maybe try taking the PP90 magazine mechanic but with a short magazine, like a revolver cylinder, combining both implications. Sketch 1, with longer barrel and rounder shapes
The original pistol uses a cylindrical "core" that pops out to spin and cool down everytime a reload needs to occur. I wanted to maintain that same animated sequence, just for a different object in a slightly different way.
But dangnabit, I still want to keep the shapes from the PP90, etc. They're super cool, and super Russian looking.
?
#3 is like flipped vertical version of that.
Any of these pistol thumbnails sticking out?
Will be back! Forgot about that, Shrike.
Full Body Thumbnails
Probably would really need to spend a little more time on the fore arms for sure.
The plan for the chest reactor is for it to pop forward a little more than the original version, given the nuclear reactor visual.
Narrowing down the gun designs. Any of the three work best? Or maybe need modification?
cut those hexagons on the leg tho, why do you need hexagons for ?
You seem to be very inspired by bad sci-fi concepts, the pistols forms are in that same area
Really take a step back with the pistols. How does a real pistol look ? Compare the silhouette with one of yours. You can not just put a RPD handle on it or a AK front to make it russian and new, thats not how it works.
Look how different your silhouettes are.
Start with a real pistol. Choose a real pistol that you enjoy and has the looks you want. Cut that handle thing, no real pistol has it neither, it looks like cheap sci-fi. Dont overdo it with the strange extras, its just not authentic. If its heavy hitting start with a revolver maybe, that takes a lot of the implicative weight, so people know it hits hard. Then add your thing in a subtle and logical way. Give the revolver a Bizon frontal magazine, the revolver cylinder is similar already. Or replace the cylinder with a energy cell, but no silly "blue glow plasma stuff" put in a copper generator maybe. If your desired function is there, then reform the base revolver with the form language you desire. Make it a little more cheesey, give a low production value plastic grip or wood, round some forms, maybe increase barrel lenght, put some strong looking ironsights, tweak proportions to fit overwatch add some small details and thats it. Dont let all those bad implausible designs distract you. How would a pistol look if Tesla built it 50 years ago ? Avoid the hard edges and picantinny too.
VS
(Robocop Beretta)
Trust me, pistols in 500 years will not look nearly like in mass effect. Its just bad made up forms that do not follow any function, dont be inspired by that. The PP2000 looks far more sci-fi than any weapon from mass effect per example, and it is real and old. If you can show it an industrial designer and think he will not laugh, then its a good concept id say ; )
Here is a cool blogpost about what the starwars guys did, maybe inspires you
http://starwarsguns.blogspot.de/
dont search too far, simplicity is key. Youre no industrial designer, take elements from real guns . Saves work, better result, more reference , more relatable and plausible.
Shrike has some awesome and valid points, and I do not work with mechanical stuff but...
Some of what is being said here is subjective. I agree that you could strip some of the stereotypical sci-fi stuff to emphasize the retro-future russian (do not agree that the design aesthetic and implausibility of those guns is entirely a bad idea and stupid but lets not get into that).
The important thing to note about that is Tracer's guns do have the handle guard and chunkiness. I say keep that bit for iconic design language's sake. Do go back and revise with more plausible function in mind, but keep trying to think about the original, too.
Additionally, think about how those guns would work in first person. I know You're making this for beauty shots, but it's good practice. Design 2 with chunkiness seems like it would have an odd and boring/too chunky silhouette in first person, for instance. I like silhouette 23 the best as a base, but again I cannot speak for function so well.
Enough harping on that though.
This sounds awesome, looking forward to seeing that in action.
Gun action wise, I primarily was thinking, and hopefully this was communicated in the last image, the energy rod pops out and spins for a cooldown procedure.
As well, during each trigger pull, I want SOMETHING on the side to move like it's forcing out the bullet with additional force, like a magnetic rail gun. Thumbnail 1 has that idea quickly sketched out with those black silhouettes.
For instance,
That pistol from wolfenstein has that russian feel but its a little thicker on the bottom than the real ones.
A lot of your sketches are going in the right direction by adding the thick lower half like the pistols in Mass Effect do shown here
I think this picture sort of shows what a good combo of the two styles can look like.
The divots in the upper half that elude to the old style of barrel with the attached bottom half and handle give it that scifi shape. i think numbers 1, 3, and 4 are the closest to achieving this, but there's still some full separation in the upper and lower halves of the barrels that lose the sleek look that I think Tracer has.
That's my two cents on what you've got so far. Sorry if that was a little image heavy. Really excited to see where you go with this.
Doing some prelim work on the body sculpt since that's set in stone.
The hips are strange/incorrect right now. Take a squizz at these:
https://www.anatomy4sculptors.com/anatomy/xlarge-Torso-Secrets-221.jpg
https://www.anatomy4sculptors.com/anatomy/xlarge-Figure-Anatomy-features-175.jpg
Girls don't generally get that V shape that guys do, and beyond that it's actually sitting in the wrong spot right now (it would be above that hip protrusion). The transition from ribs>waist could stand to be a little more subtle, too.
The shoulders could be a touch wider/the neck a touch slimmer, and finally the knees are a bit too low (the legs are about the right length for something somewhat more realistic, just the thighs are too long and the calves too short).
Looking forward to seeing more.
Any of these thumbnails any better?
Bottom forward "panel" with the box cap on the sides compress hoirzontally everytime the gun fires, implying that it's some sort of rail gun.
Magazine is just a tube of copper wires that pop out and spins on reload to release excess heat.
And that's all I really intended. Something that makes the reload cool, and makes firing feel hefty.
Blocking in the Slug Pistol:
Workflow question: When you're trying to add in a complex shape into a basic form, like on the surface of it, is the way to go about it isolating the local area, building out that complex geo, and THEN reconnnecting the new piece to the "frame" of the bigger shape?
Also blocking in the clothing for the main body:
Somewhat like this?
Coming in close on a final concept for the body.
I think I have the concept done, minus beauty additions like color.
I would kinda like to see you do a material breakdown before you go any further. They're usually fairly quick and fun to do, and very helpful (you might even find some good textures to use). eg,
Concept by Mitch Mohrhauser, Breakdown by zicoV
Ryse Character concepts by Kaija Rudkiewicz
Assassin Concepts by Xinglei Xuan
Wouldn't mind seeing color scheme mock ups around this point, too.
WIP 07c
Working on the blocking out of all the clothing elements.
Can anyone help me make the shape I want to do? Hopefully this image explains it.
If it helps, I can jump on Google Hangout or Skype to go over the solution(s).