i liked the golden better than the green..
i also agree about the lonewolf thing,
maybe have some ranks or other leadership-status-envoking symbols on him,
the 'luxurious' cape helps, he's rich and aloof, but it doesn't imply the army-war-ranking thing to me hmmm
Hey, thanks guys. Shotgun, I'll keep those in mind. Perhaps I can add some badges of some sort.
- - -
I've been painting in zbrush for about 2 hours, now, and I can't get the results that I want at all. You just can't do mechanical shapes in zbrush, even with the pinch tool. You just CAN'T. Unless there happens to be some amazing tut that shows you how to create exact mechanical shapes in zbrush, then I'll have to find some other methood of making this character's normal map. Zbrush is for organics only, from what I can see.
So, any ideas?
I was working on something similar not too long ago and ended up just doing some really rough proportional sculpting in Zbrush. I ended up sending the lowest resolution mesh back to max and just working with that.
For any of the smaller detail try floating it on top for the normal render or even creating the details flat and render it to a texture you can overlay in photoshop.
It's really quite simple, check the sub-D button(If you're in max) and start pulling verts. You'll have to exaggerate your shapes and double up some edges. Play around with pushing edge rows on corners closer and further apart, you'll quickly get how things work, it's all tension based.
It's basically low poly modeling with some extra care taken to stop "bleeding" of tension by placing extra edge rows any where where you want sharper corners.
I don't think you can convert polygons to subd's in Maya. Or can you? I may have to start from scratch. Not too big a loss, the polygon model only took me 3 hours.
I'm having difficulty finding a subd tut for maya on google. I'll keep looking, but if you happen to know of any just drop it on by. Thanks for your help, okkun.
EDIT: forget my last message, it IS possible to convert polygons to sub-d's. I'll be having some fun with this new stuff.
In Maya, the option you're looking for is under Polygons -> Smooth Proxy. I don't think many people use Maya's actual "Sub-D Surfaces", (but then, I wouldn't touch Maya's modeling either, it's obviously all up to taste .)
Yeah Makkon the workflow you'll probably end up using is doing Subds for the more mechanical areas and just zbrush the organic parts like hands etc. You should still take the mechanical bits into zbrush after you model them in subds to add pinching and nubbing up on seams, add cracks and such, zbrush is really good for that super fine detail even if it is on metals you'll just use a lot of the projection master.
Beautiful sketches Makkon. Btw, I'm with okkun in that you should probably just model this out in hi-poly to get a decent normal map, but as Asthane suggests, don't bother with 'true' subdivision surfaces, just use smooth proxy ( polygon subdivision ).
This is looking hot. I love the design, very regal, definitely command material.
For the color, and this may be a stupid suggestion, but instead of purple with green trim, what about a car paint-style shader? One of them pearlescent shaders, where the color shifts depending on viewing angle? Could be an interesting look, especially with the right hues.
Yeah if you're in Maya Smooth Proxy is the way to go. I've been using Sub-D's in Max since it's a simple toggle on the display of your polys and Max doesn't do the wierd Sub-d layers or lod's that Maya does.
Makkon, nice job! I'm here to say that our generals' silhouettes may be similar, but your concepts blow mine away. I wish I had your grasp of the easy highlights. Hell, I wish I had a grasp on lighting at all.
I think your model is great, but she could use more curves, of the womanly variety. The figure still looks too flat laterally. That, and the model helmet isn't qite up to the flared bulk of the concept. Did you draw out a model sheet? Still, I love those concepts. Can't wait to see the modeled cape.
that's a good start, I love the metroid-ish concept for that girl. though the model may benefit from the proportion you have in your concept, they may not be as realistic as in your model, but I think they are way more interesting and dynamic ( wider shoulders, more curves, etc)
I think I know how I can make her more of a general. I just made her a bit top heavy, and gave her some retro pads like the previous concept.
Question. When modeling pieces of her like those things on her torso and legs, should they be seperate from the mesh, or should they be modeled in to fit?
Those feet looks kinda small, I think she would have balance problems when standing still. You might want to lengthen the lower parts of her legs a bit. They look a bit short, even when you take the perspective in consideration.
Love the character, looking streamlined and sneaky. Very purposeful. But I still think that it needs a couple of more details to look more distinguished and like a general. You could resort to a discret insignia.
i think you're second guessing yourself a little bit. the keys to showing her generalship was the poise and bearing, combined with the ornate detailing on the armor, which were all pretty much nailed by the time you revised the first concept. so long as you're able to nail some of the more difficult nuances of those sketches with the model you'll be in great shape.
these new sketches seem like a step back, especially those retro pads; you've got a great handle on your forms and it'd be a pity to see you resort to such a universal cliche as ye olde shoulder pads. concentrate on capturing those first sketches in 3d and soon you'll be wearing gold plated diapers.
alright i normally wouldn't help the enemy but, our forums are down...soo i'm getting ancey. I did a drawover largely because your drawing shows such great proportional strength and yet the model was so lacking...it was a bit confusing but, i know there 2 different mediums so hopefully this will help a bit.
Cubik: I've always had that problem with the feet. It's a habit that carries over to everything I do.
Gauss and Tinman: I think you're right. I'll stick to the initial revision, as it seemed to get the job done. Thank you for preventing me from doing something stupid, I probably would have screwed the whole thing up.
Shotgun: Who's Mila Jovovic?
DarkSquirrel: Thank you, It's a very kind thing of you to step out of sides and help a fellow artist. I appreciate it.
===
Well, I think that I ought to save highpoly for a later project. I think I ought to just get to painting the texture, and so on.
I STARTED OVER
I did this one really fast, about 3 hours so far. It's my best mesh up to date. At this point, I don't care if it doesn't match the concept exactly, I'm running out of time (which is my fault to begin with). I'm going to attempt a simple highpoly, keeping a clean sleak look. I should start on that tomorrow.
Any proportion problems? I was basing her off of my second to last sketch, so she probably doesn't have a similar build from that of my first.
mmmakkonzzzz i think her boob loop should cut in a little sharper around the torso (unless it the uniform thing..)
proportions wise i think she's hot, i like her 'strong' build, her lower leg suspiciously plump on the front and shy on the rear, let's see more slick muscle defintion on the back there. oh and don't forget to make sure the foot supports it (it seems rather small as is)
That's probably the maximum amount of detail I'll put into this model all round, as I have no knowledge of any advanced methods of adding amazing detail.
BTW, what's floating geometry?
Oh, and was it wise to create a new object like I did for her chin? Will it show on the normal map without problems?
This highpoly stuff is cool, but very unfamiliar for me.
floating geometry is essentially just what you did with the new object for her chin - those little circular indents you have modelled in there, could just be concave polys "floating" over the top of your main mesh.
This stuff is so disorienting. I think I'm getting the hang of it, but it's still hard to get the results I want. Whatever, I'm keeping it simple for now so I can meet the deadline. After this lovley biomechanical woman, I plan to do a lot more highpoly from now on. LOTS more.
Replies
like kp said.. u've got da skillz
i liked the golden better than the green..
i also agree about the lonewolf thing,
maybe have some ranks or other leadership-status-envoking symbols on him,
the 'luxurious' cape helps, he's rich and aloof, but it doesn't imply the army-war-ranking thing to me hmmm
keep it coming!!
- - -
I've been painting in zbrush for about 2 hours, now, and I can't get the results that I want at all. You just can't do mechanical shapes in zbrush, even with the pinch tool. You just CAN'T. Unless there happens to be some amazing tut that shows you how to create exact mechanical shapes in zbrush, then I'll have to find some other methood of making this character's normal map. Zbrush is for organics only, from what I can see.
So, any ideas?
I was working on something similar not too long ago and ended up just doing some really rough proportional sculpting in Zbrush. I ended up sending the lowest resolution mesh back to max and just working with that.
For any of the smaller detail try floating it on top for the normal render or even creating the details flat and render it to a texture you can overlay in photoshop.
here's a wire chick
Btw, that's chick is amazing. Who made it?
It's really quite simple, check the sub-D button(If you're in max) and start pulling verts. You'll have to exaggerate your shapes and double up some edges. Play around with pushing edge rows on corners closer and further apart, you'll quickly get how things work, it's all tension based.
It's basically low poly modeling with some extra care taken to stop "bleeding" of tension by placing extra edge rows any where where you want sharper corners.
I'm having difficulty finding a subd tut for maya on google. I'll keep looking, but if you happen to know of any just drop it on by. Thanks for your help, okkun.
EDIT: forget my last message, it IS possible to convert polygons to sub-d's. I'll be having some fun with this new stuff.
For the color, and this may be a stupid suggestion, but instead of purple with green trim, what about a car paint-style shader? One of them pearlescent shaders, where the color shifts depending on viewing angle? Could be an interesting look, especially with the right hues.
-caseyjones
thats weird..
and it looks great
watch the foot to forearm proportion, it's too small (but it may be the perspective render?)
I think your model is great, but she could use more curves, of the womanly variety. The figure still looks too flat laterally. That, and the model helmet isn't qite up to the flared bulk of the concept. Did you draw out a model sheet? Still, I love those concepts. Can't wait to see the modeled cape.
/jzero
I've decided to improve upon a few details before I try modeling her again. Tell me what you think.
Question. When modeling pieces of her like those things on her torso and legs, should they be seperate from the mesh, or should they be modeled in to fit?
Love the character, looking streamlined and sneaky. Very purposeful. But I still think that it needs a couple of more details to look more distinguished and like a general. You could resort to a discret insignia.
these new sketches seem like a step back, especially those retro pads; you've got a great handle on your forms and it'd be a pity to see you resort to such a universal cliche as ye olde shoulder pads. concentrate on capturing those first sketches in 3d and soon you'll be wearing gold plated diapers.
good luck
Gauss and Tinman: I think you're right. I'll stick to the initial revision, as it seemed to get the job done. Thank you for preventing me from doing something stupid, I probably would have screwed the whole thing up.
Shotgun: Who's Mila Jovovic?
DarkSquirrel: Thank you, It's a very kind thing of you to step out of sides and help a fellow artist. I appreciate it.
===
Well, I think that I ought to save highpoly for a later project. I think I ought to just get to painting the texture, and so on.
I did this one really fast, about 3 hours so far. It's my best mesh up to date. At this point, I don't care if it doesn't match the concept exactly, I'm running out of time (which is my fault to begin with). I'm going to attempt a simple highpoly, keeping a clean sleak look. I should start on that tomorrow.
Any proportion problems? I was basing her off of my second to last sketch, so she probably doesn't have a similar build from that of my first.
proportions wise i think she's hot, i like her 'strong' build, her lower leg suspiciously plump on the front and shy on the rear, let's see more slick muscle defintion on the back there. oh and don't forget to make sure the foot supports it (it seems rather small as is)
good work!
you got her number? :O
That's probably the maximum amount of detail I'll put into this model all round, as I have no knowledge of any advanced methods of adding amazing detail.
BTW, what's floating geometry?
Oh, and was it wise to create a new object like I did for her chin? Will it show on the normal map without problems?
This highpoly stuff is cool, but very unfamiliar for me.
http://www.iddevnet.com/quake4/ArtReference_CreatingModels
Go there, it tells you in the "modelling your character" section, good practises for making high and low poly models for games.
i like how this is going, keep it up
And Makkon, that helmet is looking good. Have you done anything to the body as a whole?
And MoP, I thank you as well. That had some extremely valuable information. Things are starting to click for me. Thanks
Oh yeah, looking sweet Makkon but you better get a move-on, time's running out!!