CGTalk MiddleEarth Entry

[Mentat7]

You have seen Kokoro's work on this challenge and her concept is progressing superbly. I just wanted to mention that we have a number of other ZBrush users engaged in the challenge at CGTalk. Among them are Pixolator, Grub, Kokoro, Zued and myself just to name a few. ZBrush is making its way more and more into the mainstream. I thought I would share my MiddleEarth challenge work with those of you here that do not frequent CGT. I am hoping to be able to work on this some more before the challenge ends this Friday.

Modeling Phases:
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1046282131tyd.jpg

First Concept Render:
http://myweb.cableone.net/ljsargent/CGTalk%20Challenge/Gar4A_Large.jpg

Second Concept Render:
http://myweb.cableone.net/ljsargent/CGTalk%20Challenge/ME2.jpg

I am going to try to get the time to at least get close to finishing this. Wish me luck.

[Mahlikus The Black]

Excellent work. Modeling is superb, texturing too.

Awesome stuff Lonnie!

You have my best wishes! Goos luck to you and all the ZBrush participants in the challange! I would love it if a ZB image won!

[drjjwow]

wow.. thats awesome lonnie.. cant wait to see it full blown. :eek:

[The Namek]

Hi lonnie , I saw your thread on cgtalk a while ago. nice modeling technique and creature.
I hope you get it finished an wish you a lot of luck with it :tu: :tu:

[Monkeyfarm]

Hey... Don't forget me (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39862&perpage=20&pagenumber=1)!

[Mentat7]

I knew there were more of us out there! :) Thanks for reminding me Monkeyfarm! By the way I love your renders on that character!

[kokoro]

i should have done what you did - mentat - mentioning all the other participants...

and its "her concept" by the way. i did not say that in cg-talk, since there are sometimes weird people around. but here i feel save, this forum is just great.

anyway, i hope you can finish your entry, i like it a lot. good luck

[MrBraun]

Great character Lonnie !!!! Simply fantastic !!! :D :tu: :tu:

[DeeVee]

Very well done Lonnie.. Impressive! :) :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :D

[Mentat7]

Well I reworked the model and before I knew it I had a new version. Needs more work around the mouth, eyes, hands and feet. Hope to get further into before the deadline ends tomorrow.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1046405899zvw.jpg


This is the untextured version...

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1046406123nac.jpg

[kokoro]

i like the new one much better - it really shows character. and the skin is superb.

[Monkeyfarm]

Cool model... a little 121 would be to try some more dramatic lighting on him.

Good luck in the Challenge!

[Mahlikus The Black]

wonderful Character lonnie.

The modeling and texturing are to die for...as always.

Goodluck! ;) :D :tu:

[MrBraun]

Great bro !!!! :D :tu: :tu: :tu:
Simply fantastic !!! ;)

[cameyo]

Hi Lonnie,
you don't need any victory in any contest...you are BIG ARTIST with or without any gold medal...
I love your works :tu: :tu: :tu:

cameyo

[Ron Harris]

Lonnie I like them both. They both have their own merits for sure. Maybe one could be the female of the species. Just a thought. At any rate they are very kewl looking.

[Mentat7]

I've been tinkering with the material and texture and did some work on the head...what do you think of this for a possible texture/material combo?

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1046453666ufb.jpg

[kokoro]

i like the previous one better ...

[Ron Harris]

though I like this one lonnie, if you remember the movie the fifth element, the baddies in it were alot like this one...but its still kewl looking though...what do you think?

[Mahlikus The Black]

Really nice man!! This thing keeps getting better and better!

[lildragon]

Damn! Mentat that's wild man. I've been thinking of ways to use my Zbrush license and I believe this is the right thing. I love the mapping and texturing I've seen come out of ZBrush, especially Pixolator and yourself. SO I have a question for ya. Say I modeled Rana here in Maya (hope you don't mind my posting it in your thread) http://www.cgchallenge.com/tmp/rana13.jpg and I want to add some kicka$$ textures to him. Can I import lets say an .obj model into Zbrush and paint away? then export that model intact with bump/spec/color maps with it and import that back to Maya?

Cause I've been playing with the Deep Paint 3D demo and it does just that, but I don't like the way DP3D paints right now for some odd reason. And I remember Pixolator flooring me at SIggraph last year with Zbrush prowess in that category.... do tell :)

salud

[sirquadalot]

Great Image! ZBrush only supports one texture map per OBJ. You will need for example to import just the body then texture it, then import the garments as a new object and texture them seperately. You might want to have a seperate texture map for the head, but I have not tried using two textures yet on the same object. Just keep in mind that this cannot as yet be done in ZB but it should be pretty easy to do with Maya, just group the body, minus the head. And import them seperately, then texture. I have not had the time to see how the two textures would then blend together, but I think you should be able to do it. As for the other maps, like bump, and specular, you would need to paint them seperately, or fudge it and convert the texture map to gray scale. I hope this helps. :)

[Mentat7]

I don't mind you posting that in my thread at all Tito. It is one of my favorites in the challenge! As far as texturing goes...sirquad hit the nail on the head...ZBrush does not support multiple uvmap texturing at this time. So you would have to import each piece in bit by bit or group it as sirquad suggested. OR you could generate a uv map and import the template into ZBrush and paint the texture flat utilizing all the various 2.5 and 3d tools at your disposal within ZBrush. This is something I have been itching to try. As far as displacement and specular maps etc go....multi level texture layering is not yet supported in zb.....but it is easy enough to create each map seperately as you create your textures.......create a texture map, then proceed to create each of the other maps one after the other. Of course it would be hard to tell how they interact working in ZBrush.....you would have to load them into Maya to see the final result. Cheers bud! :)

[Mentat7]

Well I didn't have time to finish it so I will continute to work on it here at ZBC. I thought I would give you the background for the creature....

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>And in the north Melkor built his strength, and he slept not, but watched, and laboured; and the evil things that he had perverted walked abroad, and the dark and slumbering woods were haunted by monsters and shapes of dread. And in Utumno he gathered his demons about him, those spirits who first adhered to him in the days of his splendour, and became most like him in his corruption; their hearts were of fire, but they were cloaked in darkness, and terror went before them; they had whips of flame. Balrogs they were named in Middle-earth in later days. And in that dark time Melkor bred many other monsters of diverse shapes and kinds that long troubled the world; and his realm spread now ever southward over Middle-earth.

Of the Maiar that aligned with him in the beginning Melkor did twist and pervert and when he had finished his foul task they were not of wholesome or recognizable form. From these the Gondraukar came, the Stone Demons. Formed with evil and malice in mind they had but one purpose; to thwart the machinations and planning of Aulë. For in all times that had passed and were to come Melkor did abide a great and terrible hatred of Aulë. The Horngrym as they were later named in the common tongue sought out the works of the Valar whose love was of crafting and stone and whose greatest love, the Dwarves, were of his own making. Thus the Horngrym sought out the Dwarven fathers and their peoples and forever hindered them.

The Horngrym stand nearly ten feet tall. Their bodies are as the strongest stone. They possess a mighty strength that can easily rend the strongest of Dwarven stone construction. And they pass through mountains of rock as if a fish swimming through water. They are sightless depending entirely upon a keen sense of hearing and an ability to feel the slightest vibrations emitting from rock. Such is their might that even the Storm Giants will not willingly cross their path. Yet the Horngrym do not feed upon flesh. What sustenance maintains their vitality can only be guessed at although it is known they have a proclivity for collecting gems of all sorts. Horngrym will go out of their way to waylay a Dwarven community.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


And a little update........

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1046531815aib.jpg

[rhom]

M7-beautiful-love the bone work showing through the skin-great eyes on the upper head-and lildragons' Rana is impressive.

[gummie]

Mentat, this just occurred to me, how did you get that model to pose so well? Did you take it outside of Zbrush to pose it? I run into some problems with the mesh behaving oddly and as well I manage to get the spheres out of proportion.

Nice work, btw. :tu: :)

[Mentat7]

Gummie...everything was done in ZBrush..no outside work. The model was created from ZSpheres then the ZSpheres were posed and skinned. The head, back fins, nails and such are seperate objects. One note of importance...the skin is a Unified skin and not an adaptive skin. The head was originally created as an adaptive skin and edited into a base form then it was unified skinned.

[Mentat7]

Finally got a texture more to my liking.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1046753641ica.jpg

And a close up...
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1046753666uap.jpg

[Monkeyfarm]

Looks great! I like the second iteration (vs. the one you originally posted on the CGC site) better. More natural, etc.

a little 121 would be on the fangs. They look like they are coming through the bottom lip. Perhaps you should try adding a little protrusion in the lip where the fangs would connect to the gums. Know what I mean?

[dOb]

Wow, Mentat truly great work... :tu: :tu:

I like "untextured" version...

I wonder...
Count of "ray lights"

And...

Would you like to share the material you used on "untextured" version.

I love it!!!

[kokoro]

oh my god - he really is great ! i like his skin very very much !

you did add these pebble thingies on his skin as extra models ? (sorry my poor english to describe this) i mean they are not painted ?

[MrBraun]

I have only one word...... GREAT !!!! :D :tu: :tu:

[Stargo]

Awesome model and images :eek: :eek: :eek:

Stargo

[Mentat7]

Thanks everyone.

Kokoro I created a stone tool out of a Sphere 3d then used spray stroke with DRAW>EMBED set to 1.25 to apply the pebbly texture.

Monkeyfarm...the teeth are questionable right now. I am not entirely finished with the picture so I may do away with the teeth at a later time...not sure yet.

dOb...I will post the material and light for you later this evening.

[The Namek]

very nice work , mentat , as always :)

[kokoro]

thank you Mentat for sharing. sounds like fun.