Well, something i think we ALL here can agree on, is improving upon the past. Actually, thats really the only precise way to measure skill and experience, isn't it?
Well as you all may remember, about a year or so ago, i posted a Predator model here that i qas quite proud of. Now realizing it was crap, im a bit ashamed at how proud i was of it lol. After watching the AVP movie, i made the Alien model, along with the dropship and APC.
Now, after playing Predator: Concrete Jungle, im made the full circle back to modeling the Predator. The results of what i have so far, are incredibly pleasing. It's not much to look at just yet, but enjoy
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Oh and by the way, im using the Alien costume as a reference...Basically Scar from the movie AVP
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http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1369085288http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1172969912
For those who don't remember, or saw, my model, heres a picture comparing the old with the new
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1043277186
with mask, it weighs in heavily at
1703 pollies. I know its high just for a damn head, but i think its worth it. My limit restraint is set for 4000, and not one poly over
without mask, it still weighs in pretty heavy at
1276 pollies.
And for all of you who, i know, will ask for wire-frame, be appeased!
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1333058350
(Excuse the blur, i couldnt figure out why it did that)
I'm really looking for constructive criticism here. I dont want to make the same mistake and be blinded by the hours of work ive put into this. I really want this model to be good and something i should RIGHTFULLY be proud of.
DOWNLOAD:
http://www.surrogateinteractive.com/ScarPredator-DarthRevanII.zip
Replies
In most of pictures of Predator, he is looking down, give that sinister look you are trying to capture with the dome and dreads, but you modeled the rest of the head as though he is looking forward.
There are two ways to fix this: raise the dome and rotate it more horizontally from the side OR grab all of the face below the brow, and bring it down and back.
A few more quick ones:
Head appears too thin
round off bottom inside of eye socket, so it doesn't come down to a point like that.
round out the outside of the socket too.
bring in center vertex between the eye sockets just a bit to enhance the brow.
transition from dome to dreads is a bit sharp.
make the dreads thicker, and get rid of a bunch of the ones under the top layer.
Dark eye visors of the mask could be larger, and the ends brought back as far as the small cylinder.
Good start, keep it up!
Cholden: Lots of crits, thankx However, some of what you said im actually quite confused about. Could i bother you for a paint over/scribbled .jpeg so i can really see what your talking about?
Also, if i take the lower level of dreads out, it really wont have the same volume to it, and it wont seem as "real"
New render in about a half hour
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1123906710
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1361114551
(please excuse that blur. I'm really not sure why its doing that)
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1170471559
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I can never make up my mind. I gave him more chunk...good?
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1199311046
UPDATE
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1002943316
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1357451091
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I just cant stop myself...seriously...im going to bed now
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1388896189
Updates tomorrow, hope you guys like what you see
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1235608561
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1291975229
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1192109715
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1228998935
And a cool render i made with the non-finished model
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1024260121
Polycount: 4798
798 higher than i wanted...and i dont even have the plasma caster made!...I guess i'll either cut my loses and go on to 5000, or try and optimize it severely o_O
looks good. if i remember correctly, you've improved quite a bit. good job.
Definitely straighten up his posture, arched back, shoulders back, strong pose. You may consider beefing him up after you see him with this posture, as his actual height might make him appear thinner.
The head shape needs a lot of work. Predator's original design had to be a guy in a suit, so the head shape has a human skull under it all. It's like an American football player's helmet with the front cage shaped into teeth, and a dreadlocks weave. Predator has ironically similar proportions and armor/pads. If there was ever a 'trick' to modeling predator (or any space marine/armored game character), model an American football quarterback's proportions for profile.
http://chrisholden.net/pred2.jpg
This is what I meant by rounding out the eyes. Adds an organic, skull shape to the eye socket.
http://chrisholden.net/pred3.jpg
If you're interested in cutting polygons, drop the edges on the shoulders, thigh and shin armor, smoothing out the armor. The texture can take care of this detail for you. If you'd like to keep these edges, exaggerate them more. Try zooming out and rendering your character a flat color so you can see what shapes are actually effective at a distance. You'll want to clean up the polygons in the center of the chest too.
http://chrisholden.net/pred1.jpg
Good start with the body shapes, and you've captured the predator character in this model. It should be easy for you to make a great model out of this.
n30: Hah, thankx bro. I graduate this Saturday (FINALLY, COLLEGE!) So I'm definately going to have time to skin it. As i told you on AIM, i want to try and put a normal map on him. Wonder if you wouldnt mind helping me with that? :P Or at least a tut link would do
cholden: Awesome, thankx. Surprisingly, your Football Helmet analogy is actually perfect. The reason i made it skinnier is the fact that i didn't want to get the big head look that you see in the end of AVP. It really makes the Predator's look stupid, and i dont really want that. The helmet already seems kinda large, so I will mess with that, as well as the other things you said, thankx.
I think I'd rather keep the edges on those armor pieces, but you have a point about zooming out and all, ill test that when i get home
About the pose, im at school right now but i made a wicked vert pose last night. I'll post it when i get home.
thankx everyone...updates later
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1152552304
Im just waiting to talk to n30 because i dont know how to create normal maps, so i need to talk to him about the high poly version and answer a few questions
Also, 3D max is gaying me like no other...for some reason...my toolbar on the right is COMPLETELY gone, and all the buttons at the top are grey, wtf!?
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1154409152
http://www.cgnetworks.com/gallerycrits/86203/86203_1107394287.jpg
Can gives You some idea.
Going back to work on the high poly version now
I have been working on him, just nothing to really post, until now. Ive gien him more muscles, tried to fine tune things, and lengthened his hair. Im still finding a few glitches (like mesh through mesh errors in poses) So thats almost done, but I also am UVWmapping him. I am struggling greatly with normal mapping, because i suck horribly at high poly stuff. I am trying though =O\. Anyway, enjoy the renders! I took a different style to it this time
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1239971288
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1355884959
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1053031655
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1290930200
No face this time though, didnt want to spam renders
Please post your comments
[EDIT]
BTW, SDK should be out tonight if i can find a host...suggestions?
Enjoy...i really hope you guys like it. And please, I did put a lot of work into it, so do me a favor and DO give me hardcore crits, dont baby me :P
Feel free to skin him (please do!!!) And i'll try myself...but now...it is time of rest for me :P
Also, please post your comments on how you feel the model is, mesh flow, model in general, accuracy, if you think its good/bad, etc.
I love this model and i'll definantly be finishing a skin for him.
Early wip... but its getting really late so... I'm not so sure i like my skin tone for him. I'm thinking of pushing it to more of a tanish green color. I'll have to look up some lizards or something and pull colors from those.
the backer areas of the head and other areas on his body are very darker than certain areas. A good bumpy texture could help for that
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1335386412
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1213642502
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1061352164
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1335876909
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1228961649
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1094334595
Body isn't looking as good, but ill try and keep working on it
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1284203217
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1047709203
Here´s my go...old school colorsheme
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y106/Dropkick60606/0115.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y106/Dropkick60606/0113.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y106/Dropkick60606/0112.jpg
Couple of things though - I really don't like the proportions. The head is way too big, and the legs look kinda stumpy. I tweaked the max file a bit, made the head smaller, rotated the torso backwards and the head forwards a bit so he looks more balanced and aggressive. The legs look a lot more proportional when the head is reduced to about 80% of it's current size, and on the whole improves the model immensely IMHO.
The UV maps are pretty nasty. There's a LOT of wasted space, and it seems you've gone to extra lengths to make sections harder to paint. The "dreadlocks" could easily have been mapped straight with very little noticeable distortion, and would have resulted in a cleaner UV map, saving on space and easier to paint. There are also a lot of weird seams I think could have been avoided.
If I'd caught this earlier I would have really recommended a UV-map overhaul, but it's too late for that now.
I can post a link to the version of the mesh that I re-proportioned, if you want.
Should have some texture work to show later tonight, if all goes according to plan...
MoP
Slaught: Thats looking so sweet bro! love how did you did the eyes on the mask, looks wicked. If i can suggest though, he looks a bit too pale yellow, and the shadow on under his jaw seems too dark. Looks great though
Mop: I'm honored . You think the head is too big though? thats kinda odd...hardcore pred fans *coughskullsplitercough* and others told me the head wasnt big enough...80% shrinkage seems like way to much, but show me a render of it, maybe im wrong
I know, the UV's are bad, im sorry =O\. That is probly the area i lack in most skill, even worse than my texturing. I have a hard time analyzing the space, what hsould go on what maps, and how it should be. I always try to keep maps the same size based on everything else, and i think thats where my problem is. I tried to organize it as best as i could, but i feel i might have rushed it in urgency to skin it. As for the seems, i guess i do have some annoying seems. The mask bothered me the most, but ill work on it. Appreciate it though, ill look for those issues on my next model
Wow, thankx for the comments, crits, and skins to look at guys . I was getting kinda disappointed since no one was posting, but i dont have to be anymore, w00t.
I could use some more crits on my own skin though, something about it is really taking away from him i think.
Also if anyone wants to touch up my skin, PLEASE do. I'm trying my best but i dont feel that its doing it enough justice.
The large head on your model, coupled with the "slouched" pose, is making him look short, stumpy and "kids-cartoony".
If the chest is rotated backwards and moved back a bit, the head rotated down a little, and scaled down, the overall effect is to make the model look taller and much more powerful, less comical.
Here's a comparison of the simple changes I made... what do you think?
Personally I think my new version on the right looks much more aggressive and stylish. Opinions?
MoP
http://www.spawn.com/toys/movies/avp/scarpred/images/avp_scarpred_photo_07_dp.jpg
Now that you have pointed it out though, i think maybe his head does need to be made a BIT smaller, and his dreadlocks come out wider, but your version looks like he had an encounter with pigmey head shrinkers :P. I can't find any other pictures that look the way yours does
Also just found this link of Predator 1
http://ahp.yautja.net/movies/predator1-snapshots.html
The head still seems pretty large to me, but i guess its all a matter of perception.
Something ALSO needed to be put into mind, is i based my model off the AVP Predator. The Predator's in the movie werent even adults. They were teenage predators sent to the temple to prove their honor, and their body's aren't to full growth (least thats my opinion). It would make sense for their heads to be a bit larger compared to their body, assuming they are middle year teenagers
Not trying to trash your idea though Mop, dont take any hostility from it :x
As for my skin, i started work on the head a bit. I also took off the wire mesh thankx to TheGodZero's catch. I made it in haste anyway
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1335563825
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1000074134
and just for fun, heres this
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1306356265
Just a question...are the proportions on the arms correct? I really have doubt that they are
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1124903383
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1386004303
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1240639484
In your original version, the "plate" bit on the top of his skull (that the dreadlocks come out of) is the right size, but the face and jaw area is too big.
My version looked less like the original predator because I scaled down the WHOLE head, including the big cranial plate.
I reckon if you just scale down the "face" area, make it much smaller in relation to the cranial plate, it'll look a lot better. The awkward cartooniness is coming from the fact that his face is really big, but the face is not to the correct scale with the cranium part.
Does that make any sense?
MoP
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y106/Dropkick60606/000004.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y106/Dropkick60606/000007.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y106/Dropkick60606/000006.jpg
Great work Revan!
Looks really sweet.
Will there be a chance that we´ll see this one in UT2k4 when it´s done?
Slaught: Gah, you are putting me to shame lol. Looking real sweet bro, love the creative detail. Your colors are REALLY working well together, looks great.
Haven't worked on my skin all day. Guild Wars kinda took over my day, heh (w00t! im finally a level W/R20!). I'm really getting frustrated with my skin. I can't make my textures look any better, and im not doing it any justice...if anyone wants to co-op with me on my texture, i would love the help and would probly learn some things
new overlay texture filter, better color scheme...redoing a lot . Body looks HORRIBLE now. TRYING to detail the head, not doing so good, oh well
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1054671674
And to MOP's suggestion, heres a shrunk head
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1010476866
I didnt shrink it a lot, but theres definately a difference. If you cant tell, new one is on the right
http://www.n00bstories.com/image.fetch.php?id=1237241328
INGORE BODY COLOR
I'm also just making a start on my face texture for this guy. Still pretty rough at the moment, but it's turning out alright, I think.
MoP
I'm still trying to figure that one out on my attempt.
So far I've just been using the paintbrush tool exclusively.