From an old character design...

[ReplicA]

This is my latest model, mostly done in ZB, with the armored bits done in Max. He's pretty far along, but he was fighting me everystep of the way, and I didn't want to post another thread for something that goes absolutely nowhere. There's still a good amount of stuff to work out on him, so comments/crits/suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

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[Drummer]

Cool model !!!
I like video game style :cool: :tu:

[TomLong74]

Those are some snug fitting pants there. I think you may need
a bigger dance floor (HINT: The BALLROOM). My jeans are not
as baggy as your guy's but my inseam starts about were my
fingers end when my arms are at rest. It looks like his starts
about his wrists.

And his arms seem to have biceps where there should be triceps.
Triceps rap toward and around the arm to the bicep side. They don't
work/look the same as biceps.

Other than that nice modeling. :tu: :tu:

Cheers,
-TL74

[ReplicA]

Great point,TomLong74, I never thought of that. I'll definitely remember it from now on though. :D I'll get on it the next time I open ZB. Thanks. ;)

Drummer; Thanks a lot, I'm glad you like him.

[ReplicA]

Ok, I think I fixed the pants problem. Let me know what you think. Thanks. ;)


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[vivien]

i like the thingys he has on his arms!:tu: :tu:

[cosmic*f00l*]

good looking model you gonna rig him up ? :tu:

[ReplicA]

I was thinking about trying to rig him. Unfortunately, I can't get Max's version of mental ray to do displacement that look remotely like the displacement map, so what you see here is the full mesh exported from ZB. That means it would be a HUGE pain to rig him, but it doesn't mean I won't try. :D

Does anyone know how to get Max's version of mental ray to do displacements? I've tried to do it myself, I've checked out every tutorial I can find, and none of them work. I checked out the displacement in external renderers thread here, and couldn't find any info that would work either. The only good tutorials I can find on the subject are for Maya's version of mental ray, and that doesn't work for me. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[ReplicA]

By the way, TL, I just re-read your post, and I was so happy to learn something about modeling clothes, I didn't see what you said about the arms/triceps. It's hard to judge from the angle of the pics, but the triceps do wrap around his arms, and they don't look like biceps. I think his elbow pads were also fooling the eye. Here's a shot from the back,and without the elbow pads to give you a better idea. And if I sound insulted here, I'm not, I just wanted to make sure you had the best possible view so you could really see what I've done so far.

Thanks for that in-seam suggestion, though, I had really never thought of it, and it will help me a LOT down the road. I always model the in-seams where the crotch of the character ends, not where the crotch of the pants are. I'll remember that one. :D :tu:


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[bluemoon]

good work.but i see the character legs sculpting too high :D;):tu:

[TomLong74]

Nice Triceps ;) :tu:
-TL74

[ReplicA]

Thanks, TL, I appreciate that. I would have had more updates today, but I've been fighting with Max all day. I guess it just didn't feel like accessing the available memory, so I got nothing but out of memory errors. :mad:

bluemoon; I'm not sure I understand what you mean, there's something wrong with his pants still? Could you be a little more specific? It's getting close to texture time, and any flaws I can hammer out before that would be great. Thanks.

[ReplicA]

A quick update, his pistols. I'm pretty close to done with the modeling, but if anyone can offer suggestions on how to improve the design, I'd love to hear it. If not, then it's time to go into the texture phase. Thanks for looking. :D


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[shivmoo]

currently they look like they would fall out if he ran or jumped....(correction. i just saw that part of it was connected to the holster :o)
its very good modeling on them tho. did u use sbrush for them??

[ReplicA]

Thanks, it's always to hear when someone likes your work. Yeah, it's kinda hard to see the straps, especially since I didn't the snap that would hold them place either... :D They'll look better when I texture them.

I did the pistols in Max so I could make them a bit more efficient, poly count wise. I'd love to be able to do more with my modeling, if anyone can help with displacements in Max's version of mental ray, that would be nice. Thanks.

[ReplicA]

Started in on the textures today. There's still a lot to tweak, like his forehead shininess, but I thought I'd go ahead and post what I've got so far. He's going back into zbrush for some more texture tweaks on the cloth parts next. Let me what you think, thanks.

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[Moochie]

Your model is coming on really well. What were your plans with the mask? At the moment it looks 'painted on' because it follows the contours of the face. Is that the intention?

[ReplicA]

That actually was intended, it's made for him, and him only. It's supposed to be some sort of plasticy, rubber type substance I'm not sure of. It's from a design I did about 7 years ago, so not everything makes sense. :D I didn't think about certain things, like movement, or breathing back then... :lol:


A little further along on the textures. More later.


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[ReplicA]

Ok, I wanna ask people something. Do you think there would be more attention given to my work here if the designs were different? I know this design doesn't have a lot of detail bells and whistles, so it doesn't exactly captur the imagination, but would something more intricate be more likely to get more responses here?

I'm wondering this because my last 2 threads kinda slipped into obscurity pretty fast, and I really don't think it's my modeling skilld that are the problem. I think the problem is the designs aren't catching peoples eye enough to wanna take the time to reply. Just check out the work and leave for the next one. I'm genuinely curious about this, because that's something I can fix. If it's something else that's keeping people from responding, then tell me. I'm really looking for feedback with every WIP I put up, and I'm not getting what I'm looking for.

Anyway, this is the latest update if anyone still cares. There's still a bit to do around his boots, and his belt, holsters, and handguns. I'll post that when I get them done. Thanks for reading this.

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[shivmoo]

the cloth bit just below his neck is awesome... i really like the way you have done it :tu:
also the texture on the boot is v.good.

i dunno about "bells and whistles" catching the imagination... i just dont post much on here anyway... this is a very cool and clean character.. theres no really big problems with him... that might be a problem with poeple not replying :D they might think you dont need crits...
only crit i would have is the hair looks very matted.. kind of.. well it dont look right.. ime no good at anatomy so i couldnt mention that,... but it looks fine..
the arms are v.good i like the armour round it...

maybe you should pose him and put him a scene as is... with lots of problems with it.. so poeple can crit it.. and feel like they know something you dont :lol:

[ReplicA]

Thanks for that, I'm glad you like him. I wanted to rig him up and pose him, but I can't get diplacements to work, so he stays like this.

Oh yes, the hair. Modeling hair has been a pain in my butt. Granted this is only the second time I've done it, but I found it hard both times. :D

If it's true that nobody has anything to crit, or comment on, I guess I'm just not chalenging myself enough. Maybe if I try something that has a lot more detail, and a lot more going on in the design, I can have more of a chance to screw things up and start a conversation on it. :D Maybe I'll give it a try. :lol:

[shivmoo]

no problem... just dont let that model get left in the deep of your hdd it is sweet :tu:

i have never done hair before... i might try it some day..
ime so bad at texturing ....:lol:

[Moochie]

Well, you've had the common sense to ask rather than throw a hissy-fit, so here's my take on it. Can only speak for myself, of course ..

1.. The board is pretty quiet. Most of the active members are also participants and, as you know, this creative malarkey takes up all your spare time. That's a double-edged sword. It means you're rubbing shoulders with highly talented artists, modellers and fx guys and that's the best way to learn. It also means they won't have much time, or inclination, to crit every work that appears. They're looking for inspiration too!

2.. Nicely modelled guy in sci-fi suit in a static pose. Not animatable. No interesting facial features or expression. Completely symmetrical. No background or dynamic lighting. To be frank, there's definitely a 'ho-hum' factor about such themes.

3.. Unless you've got a problem with a model, or you're doing something ground-breaking, I think it's a mistake to post WIPs. I fully understand the temptation to share what you're doing as you're going along, but once people have seen your first render, you've rather shot your bolt. How much can change in subsequent versions? A tweak here, a change of material there. Doesn't really capture the imagination. OTOH, if your first post is of a fully created, post-worked picture, it'll have much more impact. Can't promise you'll get any more response, of course. It's different at the top end, of course. We can all learn by watching the masters as they work through the creation of their latest masterpiece.

4.. Some ideas for more dynamic themes: I assume you've got some art theory in your background (if not, get down the local bookshop this weekend). Do something cranky with the 'rule of thirds' or colour layout. Turn off X symmetry on your next model and create it 'posed'. If 'organic' is your thing, try an animal instead of a human or alien. No-one ever seems to attempt creatures with fur. Do something with strong perspective. Try an abstract. Test your modelling skills by trying to create a lookalike of your favourite musician or film star. If you want a real challenge, create a pretty lady's head. I've got all of the above on my list of 'things to do next', plus hundreds more. Combine two or more in a picture. Surprise is the key.

Bet you wish you hadn't asked now. Good luck. Nice model btw.

[chadtheartist]

Well, as far as getting attention with your work, I've found that if you do a detailed head, you're bound to get more responses than if you go all out and do a whole character. At least on these boards that is. I don't know why that is, but I'm assuming that it's because a head has more life to it.

Another thing you might want to do is ask specific questions about your WIP. If you don't like something, see what other people think. If you ask, I'm sure someone will answer.

As far as your character design goes, I don't think that really matters. Well, maybe if you do an orc or something like that, I think that will be bound to attract more attention to what you have here. That's not saying your work is bad though. It's just not as normal to see here. Why? I don't know.

My advice is to keep posting. If you want more critiques on your work, bump the thread with a question, and possibly update to your work. I don't think anyone here would object to that.

So keep posting your work!

[shivmoo]

i will reply... because i like your work :tu:

[ReplicA]

Wow, I was not expecting this. I guess it comes down to each individual board looking for something different. I'm looking for work as a character modeler, so of course I model characters in poses for rigging, and maybe do some textures. No more, no less. Admittedly, that's not very exciting. It seems to me, I could be wrong here, but it seems like people here want something finished. something posed, textured, and composited. A nice complete still image, or anaimation. Of course that's not all people here are looking for. So what interests me, doesn't necessarily interest the masses at this board. And with the amount of people doing amazing work here, it stands to reason, that my static pose, and perfect symmetry are dull by comparison.

I think I get it. It's nothing against my modeling skills, there's just a lot of finished stuff that looks a lot better. Thanks for that, I think it's starting to seep into this fat cranium of mine. :D

And thanks, too, for the comments on my model. It's much appreciated. I think it is time to raise the bar for myself, and make something more exciting. Now I'm getting jazzed up at the idea of doing something like that. Thansk everyone. :D :D

[Moochie]

Oh, I think we're talking at cross-purposes. If the reason you create and post is to find work in a specific field, then you shouldn't dramatically change what you do. Instead, you should be asking yourself how you could get attention from the limited number of visitors and members who may be in a position to help you. That's a different proposition to simply bulking up the number of responses you get.

So what would they be looking for? At a guess .. uniqueness of design, efficient poly count, good layout around the joints .. that sort of thing. So wireframes would be useful. And you could be asking those who know how to get the poly count down, or the best way to distribute vertices.

Presentation is still key, though. Half an hour spent on a bit of background would make your work (which clearly has merit) stand out from the crowd. IMHO.

But take my gabble with a huge pinch of salt. I'm just a hobbyist who makes pictures for fun.

[cosmic*f00l*]

good tip for you to get the feedback you require is to title the thread to your targets eg: this model imo is a gaming model / rigable figure so to get people who have idea's, crits and helpful hints give them a thread name to aim at when browsing the boards jm2c ;)

btw i agree wireframes on this would be a must

[ReplicA]

Alright, I'll remeber that. So since I'm looking at doing hi-res models for normal maps, it would only make sense to do the low poly stuff, and post that with the normal map as well. God, reading back through this makes me feel like an idiot cause it's so obvious. Ah well, I'll get it on the next project, as this one is pretty far along. Thanks everyone. :D