T-Recks

Dudeman95

Hey guys long time no see.


It's been a while since I posted here, but let me assure you I have not been slacking on my 3d work. I worked on an indie project for a couple of months, but then I decided to refocus on my video game project "Wreckage." I finally got around to doing a redesign for the t-recks after I took a dinosaur sculpting class with david krentz along with participating in a couple of other zbrush workshops.


For those of you who haven't seen the original t-recks check out this link: http://eat3d.com/forum/work-progress/t-recks
I started on the redesign on wednesday and I tried out a new workflow that came to my mind. I started out using dynamesh in zbrush and getting my main shape in there and then exported to blender where I built the low poly base mesh. I then exported to zbrush again where I am currently doing the rest of my sculpting.


Hopefully you guys will show me the same level of support you did on the original sculpt and I would all love your feedback on this new design. I still have to finish getting the legs and arms to look right so don't critique on those just yet.


Alright guys enjoy! I also posted the old low res sculpt to compare.

Dudeman95

Update!

dpaynter26

you've been working in this thing for over a year...

Lazerus Reborn

Still looks good, but its lacking finer details across the mesh. Skin, Scales, a little more muscle definition an you'd on to a great thing.

Great work so far!

snow

why is it called t-recks?

Dudeman95

dpaynter26: The first one I worked on for a year. That was my first serious sculpt in zbrush and the concept that I was working off of had some anatomy issues, so I had to constantly go back and rework several sections of the body. Once I was further in sculpting I thought a couple of other certain features would look better and I just get reworking and reworking. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but at least I was happy with it in the end.

Lazerus Reborn: I know I will add all those later in sculpting.

snow: This guy is called the T-Recks because with this game project I'm working on we are trying to reinvent dinosaurs since they are on an alien planet. Since the designs of the dinosaurs are reinvented I thought it would be cool to do the same to their names.

Anyway here is another update guys!

Dudeman95

Update!

Snowfly

The base version looks cool, but your surfacing hurts the model imo. They don't really reinforce the underlying forms and just come off as noise.

It looks like you're trying to hand-sculpt everything on a mesh that's not dense enough to support these details. Why not use alphas?

Hope you don't mind if I post some refs.

http://www.icollector.com/Full-scale-male-T-Rex-head-display-from-Jurassic-Park_i8632843

Dudeman95

Snowfly wrote: »

The base version looks cool, but your surfacing hurts the model imo. They don't really reinforce the underlying forms and just come off as noise.

It looks like you're trying to hand-sculpt everything on a mesh that's not dense enough to support these details. Why not use alphas?

Hope you don't mind if I post some refs.

http://www.icollector.com/Full-scale-male-T-Rex-head-display-from-Jurassic-Park_i8632843

Hey there Snowfly! Thanks for the refs, but I'm trying out a new technique for scales. It is a technique that Cesar Dacol Jr. uses for his dinosaurs and it contains the style I'm looking to achieve with this guy.

Here's an update!

Dudeman95

Hey guys! I made an idea sheet of 4 possible neck designs and I need some input from you guys on which one I should go with. I personally like the bottom left one the most, but your input will be taken into consideration.

BenHenry

Just curious, are you purposely trying to spell "t-rex" like "t-recks"? might want to fix that
Also, great work! keep it coming!

Dudeman95

BenHenry wrote: »

Just curious, are you purposely trying to spell "t-rex" like "t-recks"? might want to fix that
Also, great work! keep it coming!

Well this is a creature I am creating and it is a alien that resembles the t-rex. Since this is like me reinventing the t-rex I decided to reinvent the name as well. Yes I am spelling t-recks on purpose.

Dudeman95

I decided to go with this neck.

Dudeman95

Another update!

Dudeman95

Update!

chrisradsby

It's not finished yet, you started in October 2010? O_o You're re-doing things too many times I'd say, just stick with a decision and go with it. You'll never finish it otherwise.

Right now I'd say you're putting in detail onto the back that don't doing anything major for the silhouette just making it a harder job to re-topo later. It'll be really hard to get a decent normal map out of that as well, the edges are just way to steep in some areas.

Stop mucking about and make sure that most of the t-rex is up to the same detail quality before moving on to micro-detail things. It'll be easier to decide where to go from there.

Other than that, good work so far! And keep working hard!

Arthur Ramazanov

I agree with Chrisradsby
It will be hard to retopologize if you are taking this into a game engine of coarse. If you're just showing off the sculpt then that's cool - I think its really good so far.
Makes me wanna bust out a dino myself.
But it is going to be hard to sell those spikes through a normal map

Lookin good, keep up the good work

Malloy

Tesselation bro!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkKtY2G3FbU&feature=player_embedded"]Hardware tessellation with DirectX 11 (Unigine "Heaven" benchmark) - YouTube[/ame]

wester

Yeah you've been working on this project for a very very long time. You'll never learn and grow as a sculptor if you stay on the same project for a year.

As far as the modeling goes you are trying to focus too much on the finer details too soon in the modeling process. I would suggest you sculpt out the muscle groups and skin wrinkles (on the finer parts of the skin) first.

Also reference! I've never seen scales like the ones you have on the back. THey just look too blocky and not enough like rough skin. Find some good dinosaur reference.

Check this guy out. http://swordlord.cghub.com/images/

Robbyh

well done. stay close on zbrush forums for some typs on scale brushes.

also change the matcap..

preferably green matcap or metal 4

Dudeman95

lol guys I have been working on this guy since last wednesday and I've done plenty of projects since my original dino. :P

I will try and fix the the scales a little bit and I have already sculpted out the muscle groups and I will redefine those after I sculpt the scales.

seth.

show us what you have been up to dudeman, it would be nice to see something other than the dino tbh....I admire your determination to nail this piece, I would have thrown in the towel a fair few months ago.

Dudeman95

http://eat3d.com/forum/contests-and-challenges/high-poly-vehicle-dudeman95-final

Baddcog

Well, maybe you were working on the T-recks for too long, but that's one mean looking bastard!

Dudeman95

Update time!

Dudeman95

Update!

dpaynter26

the scales on his back just look unnatural like they're mounted armor not part of his skin, there are places that look good though, i like the roughness around the nose and facial area, also somethings up with the top front teeth, i understand he's a t-rex and didnt have braces of course but if he bit into something with teeth pointing out like that they would get ripped out eventually, they wouldnt stay in his mouth long, especially if they were on top of another tooth with teeth that large

Dudeman95

dpaynter26 wrote: »

the scales on his back just look unnatural like they're mounted armor not part of his skin, there are places that look good though, i like the roughness around the nose and facial area, also somethings up with the top front teeth, i understand he's a t-rex and didnt have braces of course but if he bit into something with teeth pointing out like that they would get ripped out eventually, they wouldnt stay in his mouth long, especially if they were on top of another tooth with teeth that large

Well this isn't suppose to be a natural looking dinosaur through out. I'm just trying to make a fantasy/sci-fi dinosaur that looks monstrous. I fixed up the teeth a little bit as well.

uncle

Also he could constantly recycle teeth like sharks.

Love it, tho I second the critique concerning back scales.

AtomicClucker

sorta feel the flow of spines could be used on the legs as well, 'cause the dino looks like he's wearing a vest.

Dudeman95

hey guys do you know how I would make these back/neck scales look more like apart of the body? Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Dudeman95

Better?

Sharky85

Hey i really like the concept and the feedback is helping your model a lot. I would just like to add a bit about his tail, its way too long and out of scale checkbout a refrence, if u look trex has a tail length about 1 body length, yours is more like 1.5 to 1.75 body length. Just tone it down a bit and it will look a little more natural, atm the tail is really throwing off the scale imo. Otherwise i think its coming along nicely

Dudeman95

Here is an orthographic view of the side so now everyone can make their comments and critiques about the scale of this guy.

Stinkhorse

It's more of the sudden transition from the rest of the flesh to the highly organized look of the back plates that's making them feel artificial. That combined with the square edges they have, when nothing else is so geometric, and the randomized spikes below, makes that whole area on the critter's back feel very out of place.

The scale and the body weight look good, as does the hatchet nature of the critter's face. You've got this started well, you just need to solve this problem and it will be clear sailing.

Dudeman95

Hey guys I just came across an awesome t-rex sculpt today and I as wondering if I should apply these types of scales to my dino. What do you think?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1cAyfpsMJ4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL"]T-REX_Making05 - YouTube[/ame]

AlanSMitchell

holy crap nice render looks figgen sick

jordan.kocon

That's a sweet looking render! Could you post your settings?

dirigible

I'm pretty sure he's saying that he found that t-rex sculpt, it's not his own. It doesn't really even look like his t-recks, guys >.>

jordan.kocon

dirigible wrote: »

I'm pretty sure he's saying that he found that t-rex sculpt, it's not his own. It doesn't really even look like his t-recks, guys >.>

Wow huge fail on my part... Well your dino is looking bad ass too! It's nice to see where this new one has gone. Your old one was looking nice, but this new one is definitely an improvement. Now just match the render

Dudeman95

Glad everyone is liking my dino. Also that dino render is not mine, but just a render I was drawing inspiration from.

I got around to doing some redesign work to the neck today. Tell me what you think.

LtChicken

very impressive, thing looks like a damn alien land shark. those teeth man.


however I'm not sure of your ultimate goal. Is this just crazy sculpting practice or do you intend on making a low poly at some point? those spikes are going to make retopo a bitch.

Dudeman95

LtChicken wrote: »

very impressive, thing looks like a damn alien land shark. those teeth man.


however I'm not sure of your ultimate goal. Is this just crazy sculpting practice or do you intend on making a low poly at some point? those spikes are going to make retopo a bitch.

I'm going to make a lowpoly and yes it should be interesting to retopo haha. Here's another update.

specsowl

I am finding several problems with this alien dinosaur that could be fixed. One, the alien looks quite noisy around the face and incredibly bland around the legs and tail. Also, like other posters have mentioned, the face has relatively no musculature. It just looks like a pile of spikes and scales. Next, if the dinosaur is supposed to be alien, it doesn't quite look alien enough. It reminds me more of a Carnotaur or some other Theropod that could have existed on Earth.
Lastly, I find the name not really fitting. The original T-Rex was the Tyrannosaurus Rex meaning Tyrant Lizard King. The name T-Recks literally means nothing at all. If you want to name it something cool, think of other movies with aliens in them and their naming conventions. For example, the aliens in Alien are called Xenomorphs which is generic, but gets the ideas across. Avatar also is filled with several well-named aliens like the Hammerhead Titanothere whose name accurately describes the Hammerhead-like behemoth. I hope this helps, and I am impressed with your sculpt, it just needs a bit of work.

Dudeman95

specsowl wrote: »

I am finding several problems with this alien dinosaur that could be fixed. One, the alien looks quite noisy around the face and incredibly bland around the legs and tail. Also, like other posters have mentioned, the face has relatively no musculature. It just looks like a pile of spikes and scales. Next, if the dinosaur is supposed to be alien, it doesn't quite look alien enough. It reminds me more of a Carnotaur or some other Theropod that could have existed on Earth.
Lastly, I find the name not really fitting. The original T-Rex was the Tyrannosaurus Rex meaning Tyrant Lizard King. The name T-Recks literally means nothing at all. If you want to name it something cool, think of other movies with aliens in them and their naming conventions. For example, the aliens in Alien are called Xenomorphs which is generic, but gets the ideas across. Avatar also is filled with several well-named aliens like the Hammerhead Titanothere whose name accurately describes the Hammerhead-like behemoth. I hope this helps, and I am impressed with your sculpt, it just needs a bit of work.

Thanks for your critiques there specsowl. I named this guy the T-Recks because basically this dinosaur is the t-rex reinvented on another planet, thus the reinvention of the name. Also I don't really see my dinosaur lacking muscular structure on the head. Could you maybe do a paint over or make some suggestions how how I would improve the muscles on the head?