WIP: Squirrel Mage

Ziodyne

Hey, Polycount! Been working on a new character this week, based off one of those nifty Character of the Week entries over on Conceptart.org. Currently the number of tris is 3,287, and getting to the point where it could definitely use a critique.



And a wire frame:



Have at it, please!

Ziodyne

Here's the original art work, done by the talented Pseudobiotic:


Added in the staff:


And a look at the head:


3535 tris now!

Mtg_kirin

I love it. are the planes under the tail going to be fur?

stimpack

fun looking piece! i like squirrels! you will probly want a few more loops in the shoulder area. That looks like it would collapse and not look good once you rotate those arms down. The legs are a bit chunky and squarish. Try just grabing all the verts and doing a relax on them. That will help soften it up and average out your polys.

Ziodyne

Thanks! I'm still getting used to making animate-able characters so the advice is really appreciated! I'll see about doing both of those things!

Joopson

aren't the ears a bit rabbit like? the squirrels I know have kind of roundish ears (http://www.billybear4kids.com/animal/whose-toes/squirrel1.jpg)

Zephir62

Joopson wrote: »

aren't the ears a bit rabbit like? the squirrels I know have kind of roundish ears (http://www.billybear4kids.com/animal/whose-toes/squirrel1.jpg)

Pointy ears still look cool.

Ziodyne

Good point Joopson; I should show which squirrel I'm using as a base for this. I'm going with the Eurasian red squirrel, which has these odd, feathery ears.







ETA: Oh, and yeah Kirin! Those planes are going to be fur.

Ziodyne

Check it out, more loops around the shoulder! And some relaxed verts on the legs.

Ziodyne

Whoo, moving into textures!

Baddcog

Very cool concept character. Nice model and tex too.

I agree with the ears thing, first time I looked I thought rabbit, but since the concept looked the same I let it slide. But as far as that red squirrel goes, it has tall fur sticking up, but not rabbit ears, it's ears might be large but are still round.
So if you're going more for matching the concept I say great job, but if you are going for the red squirell you need to shorten and round the ears, then have fur planes sticking up high.

Speaking of fur planes, I think the ones on the tail (most of all) really bring the model down. They look like sporadic feathers, not fur.
You be much better off I think making them wide enough to overlap each other.
I'd also make the tail come to a curly point like the concept, your's is kindof stubby and doesn't quite look right.

I think you are trying to rely on the alpha fur too much, the problem is reshaping the mesh just a little and getting rid of the alpha planes altogether would do it alot more justice IMO.

J Randall

the soft light kinda makes the crotch on it look funny. I'd add more fury wisp alpha planes in the tail.
I like the layout of your website, cool stuff.

stimpack

soft light is much nicer!!! much like the word implies. Its softer on my eyes, i enjoy it.

Ged

soft light looks great, looks like a book illustration or something I like it

Ziodyne

I definetly think that I'll be sticking with soft light; it's very different from what I've done before, and I'm having fun making it look more artsy!

I'm going to get cranking away at solving those alpha planes and the area along the pants, too. I really want that tail to look good.

Oh, and thanks for the website compliment, Randall! Good to know the layout is working.

Ziodyne

Texturing continues. Soon, it shall be complete! o.o9