My take on Samus Aran

ZimK · Jan 2015

So I've been working on this for a few months. She's my third human character and by far the most complicated thing I've ever attempted. Also my first time trying out Unreal Engine 4, so the lighting isn't very complex. She does have SSS maps though. A few people have commented that there's something "off" about the face, but no specifics about what it is.

The next three are the "Justin Bailey" which is a secret in the first game. Nintendo hasn't ever acknowledged its existence as far as I know, but I included the sprite for it in the bottom right.

BobtheGreatII · Jan 2015

Ha ha, nice touch with the Gerudo symbol on her arm. This looks really great. I would say though that I don't feel the renders are showing off the model very well, but hopefully someone else can actually explain why, because I can't quite put my finger on it.

Joltya · Jan 2015

I agree with Bob. It might be the harsh red background.

ZimK · Jan 2015

Is it the darkness of the red that does it do you think? Or maybe the saturation. I'm really not sure what sort of environment to use.

Joltya · Jan 2015

As a general rule, it's a bad idea to use vivid colors like red, orange, and purple as backgrounds. Those colors are used to draw your eye to a location, and when it's everywhere, it gets confusing to look at. In addition, they are really hard on your eyes. It hurts you even more because Samus's armor is red and orange, so she blends in with the background and it's harder to see her. You probably want something that could compliment her colors well and that are easy to look at, like maybe some dull blues. If all else fails, you can never go wrong with a dark grey.

I'm also not a fan of the sudden gradient you have at the top of your renders. If you want to put in a gradient, have it go all the way across the image. Leave it subtle. As it is, it's way too noticeable and distracting.

You said this was in UE4; now, I haven't played with that too much myself, so I don't know what kind of restrictions you have to abide by, e.i. if you can render out alphas, etc. You might want to look into Marmoset, it's literally built for presentation, and I feel it maybe a lot easier for you to create better renders from that.

I agree that the face looks off. Anatomy isn't my strong suit, but I'll give it a shot. The main issue with it seems to be the entire bottom jaw area. I think her mouth is too high and her nose looks scrunched up. It looks like she just sniffed something rotten. I think her lips are too big as well, and the nose might need to be protruded a little bit further. Might need to make the chin a bit pointier as well.

From what I can tell, the armor looks pretty solid. I like the whole x-ray thing you did with it as well; but presentation is 50%. If your presentation doesn't look good, it can really, really hurt your models.

Heather.Hughes · Jan 2015

She looks a little short compared to her usual image (see below). I think it's the proportions of the legs vs torso.

I agree with what others are saying about the presentation as well. I'd probably try to get an actual image that doesn't distract from the models or use colors that are more neutral and less attention-demanding.

Edit PS: Nice to see someone else giving Metroid some love.

Maybe you should have her face off against my little Moto when he's done. LoL

KazeoHin · Jan 2015

The colours are WAY too bright, other than that, it looks quite good, but you only have a handful of shots with her armour fully rendered, and I can't quite get a handle in wether I like it or not. You haven't presented the armour well in the shots you have chosen. The zero-suit looks awesome, and you are obviously doing quality, professional level work. So, present it a bit better.

ZimK · Jan 2015

Changed the face based on feedback I got, and swapped out the shots for ones with more neutral backgrounds. Also decided to simply go 1 for 1 with armour and x-ray shots. I hope it's an improvement?

The gradient is an exponential height fog. Should I get rid of it?

My take on Samus Aran

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