Action Hero - Damage

[m0delista]

WOOON fantastic pose very dynamic !!! :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Thanks a lot guys.

SolidSnakexxx, thanks. The planning was done during the construction really, so yes, a lot of it but none done ahead of modeling, just lots of fun with Zbrush really.

Adroit.Jr, good to hear you like it so much.:D

Gohanf22, thanks for the encouragement, I need it as I'm struggling to find time to work on it recently.

KrakenCMT, he's having fun, lots of it. And the legs are very important to this pose, he must be assertive and in a fluctuating balance at the same time. One needs to strike the right balance.

Petekasim. I'm really pleased that you like the gadget so much. I really tried hard to give it some personality.

And thanks for pointing at the issue with the legs, you're right, there are issues that still need to be solved there and turning that foot could be one way to do it. I must do some fine tuning of the pose.
But some has been done, in fact that last image with the arrows is not anymore the current pose of the legs. Since that render they have been through one twisting and turning session. That foot is still in broadly the same position though, but yes, from some angles it still show some odd behaviour, although if you go back to the turnaround it looks ok from other angles now. I think there may be a case for going towards the way you point at but stopping just before he starts to look comfortable in it. I still see it an extreme position that shows his superior performance in holding his balance, and to be able to hold the foot in an uncomfortable position and yet to do this effortlessly is one way. It's got to be a position that's possible though.

Goldo-O, thanks, yes, action, action! Damage is an addict to adrenaline!!
And thanks for the opinion on the foot.

Thanks mOdelista, I like your sound!:D I am myself doing that whilst looking at Damage.

[GregStrangis]

Dude the glove is just amazing! Credit for doing that kind of work all inside Zbrush :tu: :tu: :tu: Looking forward to the adjusted pose :)

[maxinkuk]

Thanks GregStrangis, here's the pose with the suggested changes to that leg and foot.
I ended up touching quite a lot on both legs and also did some work to the neck.
Here's a render and a turntable, I left the wave out of the turntable to focus on the pose. Look forward to c&c.

progress-33.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27122899%27,%27progress-33.jpg%27,1,0%29)

Damage-limited-turntable-17th-Jan-2.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27122901%27,%27Damage-limited-turntable-17th-Jan-2.gif%27,1,0%29)

[Gohanf22]

the turntable and the final render looks awesome dude. your doing a good job. keep up the good work man. :D

[jp_smith]

Max - This is a fantastic pose, the gauntlet weapon is totally bad ass, and his expression is amazing. I really feel though that the body has kind of lost any real solid feel of muscle anatomy, it's hard to make out any distinct muscle groups other than his pecs and abs, through the pose process it just seems to have lost cohesion. I know you typically make more cartoony whimsical characters, so I'm not trying to get you to make him hyper-real or anything, I just feel like his anatomy could some some refinement and clean-up. He's a great character, with so much energy, I'm really digging it. :tu: :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Gohanf22, thanks mate. :D

JP-Smith, thanks for the kind comment, and for the very fair criticism too, you're right and I must do something about it.
This character came out out the posing with many muscles forms distorted and shapeless so it is rather fluid in places until it's reshaped.
The next step will have to be to sculpt those muscles back. Fixing the legs was the first step in that direction I think. As you understood, muscle anatomy is not something I ever had to do, I did a lot of life drawing in my life, but always with models that still wear their skins. The time to learn some anatomy has finally come.

[Moni-Poroni]

:eek: :eek: :eek: oh wow!!!!!! What a great update--- the pose is so cool and the weapon rocks!!
Another masterpiece :)

[maxinkuk]

Thanks for your very nice comment Moni. Motivates me to put in another hour before going to bed. Just having a coffee.:D:D

[Moni-Poroni]

You´re welcome :)
Oh...lol I know this coffe problem...But I prefer Red Bull :)
I don´t smoke .... so that might be ok :lol:
But there´s a big addiction everybody´s having here- Zbrush...
that alone keeps us awake :lol: :lol: :lol:
ummm..... lol...sounds Zick :D

[maxinkuk]

Yes Moni, it's a textbook addiction:D, I gave up smoking, I picked up Zbrush.;)
Anyway, I did a big muscle sculpting session. It's only the first but I think that some results have been achieved. The legs are almost ok now, I also did quite some work all round the body.
I recorded the whole process that I've uploaded on Youtube.
I also did this quick render where Damage shows that he's got much better legs than what he had even just a few hours ago.

progress-34.3.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27122943%27,%27progress-34.3.jpg%27,1,0%29)


mTWFrmJH2TY

PS: as I post this update the Youtube video has been uploaded but the good people of Youtube have not yet finished to processed it (or maybe they're sleeping). I'm going to bed now, but I'm quite sure I've embedded the right code and that it will appear before long.

[maxinkuk]

I just woke up to find that 8 hours after uploading Youtube has not yet processed the sculpting video.
I now uploaded it on Vimeo, it took me 10 minutes altogether, I cannot embed a Vimeo movie so if you want to see it, click here (http://www.vimeo.com/2868837).

[Moni-Poroni]

LOL...I gave up smoking, I picked up Zbrush :D
Would be a good commercial for TV :lol:
I´ve watched your videos...great how you´re working :) :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Hi Moni, glad you liked the video, it's just a first stage. I'm on a mission to define those muscles precisely, I really should us this as a golden opportunity to practice anatomy. I'm studying reference right now.

[wethand]

nice vid.
oh yeah. sculpting muscles correctly... one of the most difficult things, i think...

anyway, this hero will be so great! i like the style of your images. this very-closeup style. not much scene. primary the hero.
nice renders.

[maxinkuk]

oh yeah. sculpting muscles correctly... one of the most difficult things, i think... I think that too. Just watched the video back again after studying muscle reference and saw plenty of things that need adjusting. I am working on my real job now but I hope I'll be able to squeeze in an hour of sculpting at some point today.

[SolidSnakexxx]

Hey there maxinkuk really nice sculpting vid you share with us. Thank you.. :tu: BTW, I wonder why Youtube takes so long to verify..I have that very same problem.

[maxinkuk]

Hi SolidSnakexxx, good to hear you like it.

So your vids struggle on Youtube as well. I don't know why.
Have you done any compressing before uploading? I read on Youtube that they recommend to send uncompressed videos (lots and lots of unnecessary bandwith).
Yesterday I reduced the size using VisualHub. It was 64Mb out of Zbrush and I reduced it to a 38Mb .avi file (without any visible loss of quality) before uploading. Maybe that's the issue? The same 38Mb avi didn't have any issue with Vimeo though.

[mantegra]

This guy has some style, one of the most dynamic poses I have seen yet. I really like the caricaturist features he has as well. One thing I might mention though is that it would be nice to see the muscles a little bit more refined. At the moment they kind of look blobby and unshapely. A little extra refinement should help polish off this character.

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Mantegra, Damage is currently eating lots of eggs and working out to get his muscles into the shape they ought to be and soon he'll be on top of his form. I'm keeping an eye on him so that he doesn't get lazy.;)

[Marsyas]

The weapon looks really sweet. :tu: Coming along nicely.

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Marsyas. I'm really quite happy with what that thing looks.:D

PS: I just looked at your tutorials, some great tips there, thanks for sharing.

[Gohanf22]

im sorry max but this is my last post for you. *CRY* your doing a great job bud. i wish you well and i hope you win something out of this contest. you and some others ive seen deserve it. :cry:

[maxinkuk]

Best of luck man.

[SOLcreator]

Great video of your sculpt, thanks! :tu:

Don't know if you've checked my thread lately, but I've gotten into Knoweapon's costume design. Had a chance to look? Any feedback is greatly appreciated :D

- Cheers,
SOL

[Gohanf22]

back to normal.

[Finners]

great pose! the hand gadget looks awesome! Small crit, I think you could use the flatten brush to make your model look a wee bit less lumpy in places,and it might make give the model a bit more of the character of your concept sketch.

[maxinkuk]

Hi Sol, glad you liked the movie.

Finners, thank you very much. As you wrote about the muscles I was indeed doing just that and here's the result.

I left him bare naked here, only boots and goggles, so that all this muscle work is not obscured by his trappings of action hero. And also because I now need to fix his clothes again. There's still some work left to do for the final muscle sculpting session.


musclework.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27123310%27,%27musclework.jpg%27 ,1,0%29)

[SolidSnakexxx]

That's very clever of you to hide other parts and concentrate on the muscles alone. I think you can settle with his pose...Very dynamic..and produce high impact.... :tu:

[BARON_3D]

The pose is looking better !!! :tu: :tu: :tu:
________________
Gemini Creature (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?p=527743#post527743)

[maxinkuk]

SolidSnakexxx thanks, I'm almost happy now, there will be one more sculpting session, I need to detail his hands and a few unfinished business on the muscle system. Then there's the rest of his gear but that's nowhere as fiddly as his glove was. So in all it's one day of work and then it's texturing and all else. But I'm very busy these days so probably the next serious session of work on Damage will be this weekend.

Thanks for the feedback BARON_3D:D.

[Gohanf22]

the muscle groups look very well done. i can see the detail is well deserved. your doing a great job max. keep it up. :D :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Shane.:)

[Moni-Poroni]

maxinkuk...great update as always.:) :tu: altough it´s been perfect for me before you worked on it again

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Moni, to be honest I was not too bothered by it too, but since a few people commented in that direction I decided to do something about it. Nevertheless I tried to keep the general feel intact.
And I don't think that the final model will have a smooth sort of look though, very probably a substantial degree of roughness will be reintroduced, just that it will be there by design, not by mistake;).

[fluxist8070]

Hi Max,
The pose is looking nice. The boots could use some more detail, I think.

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Fluxist8070. I agree on the boots, I have been thinking of possible ways to improve them and I've come up with a few options. Recycled tyrethread is the frontrunner.

[dismantled]

I am liking what you have done..

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Dismantled :D .

Update!
I modified and retopologized the base, then another session of muscle sculpting, then adjusted his clothes, a bit of sketchy sculpting on his hands and finally recorded this turntable plus movie.

yZa9_WM99PA

To accompany the movie I did this render and then I just could not stop fiddling with Photoshop adjustment layers.
As you can see in Photoshop I ventured into cheesy territory but hey, this is an Action Hero, and cheese is only appropriate.

progress-stage-2-render-3.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27123723%27,%27progress-stage-2-render-3.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[SolidSnakexxx]

I like the way your Turn table shows.. as usual a cool character with unsurpassed pose :tu:

[JHK3D]

very dynamic pose! looking good!

[- FoOD -]

Cool pose - looking good :D:tu:

[maxinkuk]

SolidSnakexxx, JHK3D and FoOD, thanks, I'm glad you like the pose.

I actually also tried to do some tweaks to the pose, transposing the torso, arms and head, but I didn't succeed to in making it any more interesting, so it stayed as it was at the start of the process.

[wethand]

its getting better and better
i like the render quality very much!

[MrHappy]

That pose seriously rocks, I love it

[Captain Sensible]

Looking really nice! The pose rocks!! :tu:

[Gohanf22]

pose is good max. thats all im going to say. :( :tu: and no need to ask cause im not going to say.

[maxinkuk]

Wethand, Mr Happy, Captain Sensible and Gohanf22, thanks.

Here's another update, I sculpted the wave and I feel relieved because it was something I was quite scared of.
I studied quite a lot of reference images (thanks google) for about an hour and then I took the plunge.
I ended up with 15 layers and I used the the clay brush, the rake brush, the flatten brush, the displace brush and the morph brush. A number of alphas from the standard library were also used.
The only thing I haven't yet sculpted are the frothy parts because I think it's more efficient if I add those directly with colour at texturing stage.

Damage-on-wave-2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27123864%27,%27Damage-on-wave-2.jpg%27,1,0%29)

Wave-4-views-br.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27123865%27,%27Wave-4-views-br.jpg%27,1,0%29)

Here there's also a turntable of the sculpt as it stands now.

s--ga0aoduQ

[Gohanf22]

bravo max. very well done. this is one of my many favorites. :)

[SolidSnakexxx]

Well done, maxinkuk! This is coming along real well. :tu:

[KrakenCMT]

Beautiful! Every update is in a positive direction.

[jp_smith]

the water is looking great Max! :)

[Teyon]

Very Awesome.

[markrulz]

Stellar. Looks very stylistic and realistic at the same time. You should be proud.

[fluxist8070]

The wrist harpoon is really well done. It is all looking really clean.

[Moni-Poroni]

AAAAAAAhhhhhh maxinkuk...big update here :)
great new movies....and the water is
teriffic :tu: :tu: :tu: looks so wonderfull :)

[Gohanf22]

no more looking for an inspiration. i have found it bud. it was a plaque given to me by my grandmother. go read my thread and you will see what it meant. :D

[maxinkuk]

Gohanf22, SolidSnakexxx, KrakenCMT, jp_smith, Teyon, markrulz, flixist8070 and Moni-Poroni....smile...to you all. Thanks for leaving your kind words, they're a great encouragement to me.

Here's almost a live webcast as I'm recording small movies that I add as they come, so this here is what I was doing just minutes ago.
I'm doing the rest of the hard surface modeling today, the rockets and the fuel tanks.
Video updates to follow every hour or so all through the evening.

I started with Sphereinders that I retopolgized to get rid of the central pole, very quick matter, just a matter of deleting 4 edges at each end to remain with 4 polys rather than eight at each end. Then I thought about recording the process so here's the video sequel to that:

BWrhcuDIvmE

JvlB8D6Fpek

[maxinkuk]

Part 3. Adding elements to form a mechanism to rotate the rockets.

r23Ok5ES5bI

[maxinkuk]

Part 4.
A still image instead of a movie as I forgot to turn on the movie for this last installment, so instead of a movie here's a screenshot.
Anyway, more of the same as above, added swivel pivots for rotation. I used modified sphereinders for that purpose.

rockets-prog.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124081%27,%27rockets-prog.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[pitchepuck]

nice to see how you work,man !! and your hero has got so much character :tu: :tu: :tu: it is different but cool :cool:

[SolidSnakexxx]

Wow, that's a full load of making of, I'll have to go through one by one... but very generous of you! Thank you so much :tu: :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Hi Pitchepuck and SolidSnakexx, very glad you appreciate.
Here's another movie, it's on Vimeo because Youtube wouldn't let me upload no matter how hard I tried, so no embedding but click here (http://www.vimeo.com/2939122) to see it.
On the plus side the quality of videos on Vimeo is much higher than on Youtube.

There are two more videos that I will upload another time because it's very late now and I really need to sleep.
Anyway, I almost finished it! Here's how it looks now.

rockets.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124129%27,%27rockets.jpg%27,1, 0%29)

[Marsyas]

Love the modeling video. :tu: I make the mistake of trying to make most of the meshes connect to one another and then sculpting the little bits. I need to try your method some time.

Great progress. :tu: :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Marsyas. Good to hear that you find these of some usefulness.

Here there are two more videos:
Part 5 (http://vimeo.com/2941875)
Part 6 (http://vimeo.com/2942206)

[Moni-Poroni]

Very cool indeed! Thank you so much maxinkuk for sharing the making of
:) :tu: :tu: :tu:

[MindFX]

This is one of my favorite... love those gadgets... keep it up.

[Gohanf22]

nice work max. im loving the work your doing on damage. very good indeed. cant wait til its textured.

[maxinkuk]

Moni-Poroni, my pleasure.
MindFX thanks, good to hear that all this work on the gadgets is appreciated.
Gohanf22, I can't wait to see it textured too. Hopefully tomorrow the model will be completed and texturing can start.

Here's the finished rocket, added a couple of bits to allow an horizontal movement for the central bar too. This should now be able to move in all directions.
I've done these 2 renders of Damage wearing his detailed rockets and this turntable (http://www.vimeo.com/2948534) that I've uploaded on Vimeo.
I'll probably still add a few bits to the rocket but they're small things that can be easily sculpted on the existing geometry rather than added as subtools.

Damage-with-rockets-2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124232%27,%27Damage-with-rockets-2.jpg%27,1,0%29)

Damage-with-rockets.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124231%27,%27Damage-with-rockets.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[Y/Haüss]

Hey Maxinkuk!
Very Nice work with the render! The first one in blue tones is really great! Congratulations!

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Y/Haüss, it's just a matcap beaten to death in Photoshop really. I'm surprised by it myself, evidently I'm getting better at these tricks.

[Moni-Poroni]

Really cool render:)
Fantastic image :tu: :tu: :tu: ....

May I ask you something..because I have absolutely no clue how that works..:)
How did you get the blue colour ?
Can I change the colour of the light in Zbrush??
Never tried to :)

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Moni-Poroni.
Yes you can change the colour of the light and the way the materials react to it in Zbrush using the modifiers in the light palette and the material palette. You can also add fog and change the colour of that one too.

But in my image the blue colour wasn't done in Zbrush, it's the result of a series of adjustment layers in Photoshop. The original render out of Zbrush was a pink matcap on a white background as a result of fog. I don't know the name of the matcap because I have them all stored in the matcap library plugin and there you lose the names unfortunately.
Anyway, I exported the render and also exported an alpha of the render (alpha>grabdoc and then export alpha) and used that both as an alpha mask for adjustment layers and as a layer itself using it as base colour for layer effects (gradient and overlay colour).
The adjustment layers were color balance and exposure, and each of them was fine-tuned with the options window that comes out when you double-click on the right-hand side of the layer.

[Marsyas]

I love the second, sepia-toned image. Gives a good view of both his gear and anatomy. :tu:

Thanks for the videos!

[SolidSnakexxx]

Wow, great update and renders! I do agree with, Marsyas, the Sepia tone image does express the details real well...and makes the image look so classy. Great result! :tu: :tu:

[Moni-Poroni]

maxinkuk..great!! thank you soooo much for the explanation :) :) :)
didn´t know that :)

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Marsyas, I know that's a good view of his body and gear, unfortunately it doesn't give the best of his facial expression and this is a problem because the best of his expression comes out with a pose that it's not as good as it should as a silhouette. It's a while that I'm thinking about a solution for this problem. May do some changes to his pose, or change the expression, or a bit of both, or find another point of view, I don't know.

Thanks SolidSnakexxx, you're a man of good taste. I like that look too. The issue now is what elements of that render to bring forward.

Hi Moni-Poroni. I look forward to see some stimulating renders from you. A word of warning, fiddling with adjustment layers in Photoshop is highly addictive, it currently ranks very high among my time-wasting habits.

[Moni-Poroni]

Thanks for the warning..:) but..I don´t have photoshop lol...
Being addicted to Zbrush is way enough for me... lol ;)

[Gohanf22]

nice work max. your damage is doing great. oh and call me shane bud. i dont mind being called that on here. makes me feel better people know my name than calling me by my screen name. :)

[maxinkuk]

Moni-Poroni, what?! How do you survive without Photoshop?

Shane, I understand, and you guessed right, my name is not maxinkuk, it's Max, that lives in the UK, and inks a lot. Only that Max was already taken when I tried to register with my name here.

Another update.
As I found that in a view that's a strong candidate for the final still image the end of the crossbow and the rocket were overlapping in a way that I thought was rather confusing I decided that the rockets needed to take advantage of the mechanisms that govern their movement and so I moved them and the mechanism using transpose master.
I made two movies of the transposing that are now uploading, in the meantime here are some still images of before and after.

Damage-not-clear.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124359%27,%27Damage-not-clear.jpg%27,1,0%29)

Damage-potential-view-06.1.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124360%27,%27Damage-potential-view-06.1.jpg%27,1,0%29)

Damage-double-rocket.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124361%27,%27Damage-double-rocket.gif%27,1,0%29)

[Gohanf22]

nice work buddy. very nice work. i love how the is it rocket launchers that are on the back, well whatever they are i like the movement they are making. very nicely done. :D :tu:

[Moni-Poroni]

ooOO another modification..:tu: :tu: :tu:
great silhouette!
I like it :)

Hey.. you´re living in the UK.. why aren´t you sleeping :lol:
I´ve been sleeping from 23:00PM-2:30.... thats long enough.. I have to stand up usually at 6:00 AM
Now I´m waiting for your videos ;)

BTW- what´s the difference between movie/video lol?
I never know what I should write..

and regarding photoshop: lol..
Never needed it :cool:
The only thing I´m sad about -I can´t use Zapplink

[Gohanf22]

moni its not hard actually. do you have it installed on your program? :idea:

zapplink i mean.

[petekasim]

Great call on the rocket position Max, it's all come together beautifully :tu:

Gorgeous work on the wave, too. Brilliant also to see the antomy take form, looking both stylized and satisfying - just the way it should be :)

Regarding the angle, I was thinking the contraption on his arm won't be read so clearly by virgin eyes. Because we already know that's his hand, it makes sense, but to anyone who's unfamiliar with the sculpt, just seeing that angle could be confusing.

As a 3D object there's no argument though, tip top work

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Shane, good to hear you approve of it.

Moni-Poroni, you don't need Photoshop to use Zapplink, any program that opens a Photoshop file can be used as well. Try Artrage, it's phenomenally cheap and very good.
What's the diffeence between a video and a movie? And between a movie and a film? I'm getting a headache only thinking about it.
And why am I not sleeping? Because I look after my daughter during the day and I work during the night. I had my last good night sleep three years ago.

Thanks Petekasim, and you're right about the readability, I think that the issue may be solved in a few ways. One way is to use tones and lights to detach it from what's behind and make sure that the texturing sugests clearly that all that contraption is indeed just a big glove. So marking the fingers and so on. Another thing that could help could be to slightly bend the elbow, in that way the arm becomes more apparent, again it's not working perfectly in silhouette, but it can be made to work.

About the videos Vimeo is telling me that due to a high number of uploads right now the first one will be completely cooked in approximately 90 minutes, the second in 105.

[Moni-Poroni]

Thank you :) Hm... ok I´ll think about Artrage :) because I really want to use Zapplink..
And regarding the movie question...lol^^
It drives me crazy right now :rolleyes:
I think.. a movie and a film is100% the same thing
and a video is a movie too:rolleyes: ... but I think the word is mainly used for amateur movies?
One last thing to think about ^^:If I´m right and the word video is mainly used for amateur movies..
We can´t call yours a video any longer :D !!!

[maxinkuk]

Actually I'm just trying now if it works with Artrage and I can't seem to make it work.

[fluxist8070]

hey max,
It might be a good idea to have the right arm outside of the silhouette of the torso. That would really help the overall silhouette and make the overall image stronger, i think.

[maxinkuk]

Hi Matt,
yes, I'm on the case right now. I think that there are additional reasons for bending the elbow slightly. It shows that it's got weight, it's more natural and it may also suggest movement.

[SolidSnakexxx]

I do agree with fluxist8070, with the arm outside the main body...I think it's more readable in terms of the weapon details and stuff as well. As at the moment the body seems to hinder the great sculpt you did to the weapon.

[fluxist8070]

true, true :lol:

[Moni-Poroni]

Cool thank you for trying..:) :tu:
I´ll try to download the trial version.
Thanks again

[maxinkuk]

Here's the first video (http://vimeo.com/2960491) of the transposing of the rockets.

[maxinkuk]

And here's the second video (http://vimeo.com/2960708) of the transposing of the rockets.

[maxinkuk]

And here's the slightly bent elbow. I only bent it a tiny bit for now. I must now decide if that's ok or it needs to bend more. I'm pretty sure that it's better than before anyway.

elbow1.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124381%27,%27elbow1.jpg%27,1,0 %29)

elbow2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124382%27,%27elbow2.jpg%27,1,0 %29)

I also recorded this video (http://vimeo.com/2962615) of the high res transposing.

[Gohanf22]

nice work max. very good indeed. your progress and skill are without words to describe. its that good. :D :tu:

[spimmy]

Wow, great work dude!! Awesome pose and love the details :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Shane, Spimmy, thanks a lot.:D

Here's another update, I started to think that the pose was not completely consistent and turning it to find a good shot for a final still image I always ended up finding new aspects that I was not happy at all with.
So, radical change!
Things have moved and rotated in a way that makes the action that of a touch down, as if he had just jumped form one wave to another and he has a big splash behind. The wave will have to be resculpted but in the grand scale of things that's a minor issue.
Here's a quick render and a turntable. I look forward to hear comments on this.

Damage-limited-turntable-26th-Jan-2.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124572%27,%27Damage-limited-turntable-26th-Jan-2.gif%27,1,0%29)

Damage-potential-view-14.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124573%27,%27Damage-potential-view-14.gif%27,1,0%29)

[Gohanf22]

nice update max. im loving this guy. dang maybe i should be a fan of him instead of ironman.;)

[Etcher]

I like the new pose very much, especially the front views (in the turntable). :tu: !
__________________________________________________ _____

My sketchbook: http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=67208[COLOR=DarkOrange]

[Moni-Poroni]

Excellent work..:tu: :tu: :tu:
And really clean sculpt :) I love your style...:)

[maxinkuk]

Shane, Etcher, Moni-Poroni, thanks a lot for the feedback.

[fluxist8070]

looking nice, Max! The area of the knee is really well sculpted. cheers!

[SolidSnakexxx]

Really nice sculpt...man....I imagine it'd b fun riding the wave! :)

[maxinkuk]

Matt, thanks, that anatomy has been in a constant state of retouching for a few days now, I'm glad it's starting to look good.

SolidSnakexxx, have you ever tried surfing with two rockets on your back? It's the high adrenaline type of fun. ;)

[luis2008]

ive been watching your thread for a while. he came out really good. the movement you captured is great. nice job :D

[skullbeast]

Very impressive! the piece as a whole is phenomenal! :tu: :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Luis2008 and Skullbeast, thanks a lot for the supportive messages, much appreciated.:D

A little update, I started to shape up the new wave. I hope to finish it tonight after work.

front-and-left.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124790%27,%27front-and-left.gif%27,1,0%29)
back-and-right.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27124791%27,%27back-and-right.gif%27,1,0%29)

[Mysfyt]

Awesome pose! Very dynamic... you can almost feel the motion.

Very impressive model overall, especially those complex-looking props.

[brettSinclair]

Damn. This is probably one of THE coolest heros ever. His got all the cool stuff combined into one. haha. Love the pose. Great work. made me laugh :tu:

[Captain Sensible]

Hey Max, this is looking awesome! :tu: :tu:

[SolidSnakexxx]

I bet surfing with two rockets on your back..is something...for super heroes only..heheheh great update...the wave's coming along nicely! :tu:

[jempix]

Dynamic work. I like Damage's cartoon-style design. Great detail work on his arm contraption too. :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Mysfyt, brettSinclair, Captain Sensible, SolidSnakexxx, jempix, thanks a lot for writing such nice things here.

I finally found some time to sculpt the new version of the wave. I also worked a bit further on the expression of his mouth, to get his best view in the front shot as I think that this will be the shot for my final still image.

Damage-new-wave.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125134%27,%27Damage-new-wave.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[pitchepuck]

in germany we would say "herrlich" :D

[maxinkuk]

Danke! (I trust it's something nice)

[SOLcreator]

maxinkuk, looking great :tu: It's been a while since I checked in.. nice details on the crossbow and jet pack!

[SolidSnakexxx]

The new wave is awesome I like the tiny foam atop the wave.. :)

[maxinkuk]

Solcreator, SolidSnakexxx, thanks, I'll have to refine it though, especially the tiny foam.

Update, I got my teeth into textures and lights and render settings.
It took me forever, hours spent trying to understand what light was making what and so on.
I made a skin material, and I modified one metal for the harpoon, everything else is the fast material and the water is the water material made by Wethand (thanks mate) that I think I modified a bit and then I forgot to put back as it was (but I'm not sure of that, I fiddled so much everywhere that to be honest I'm not completely sure of what I've done).

Anyway, here's the render and a screengrab of my monitor just to show that I switched on 6 lights and I didn't use Photoshop.

The water texture is a mess at present, I used Zapplink to clone from photos and it was the first time I ever used it, I think I learned a lesson and next time I'll do it right (i.e. do one view at a time and don't paint on the edges).

ZGrab-Damage-Render-test-003.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125384%27,%27ZGrab-Damage-Render-test-003.jpg%27,1,0%29)

ZbrushRenderScreenshot.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125383%27,%27ZbrushRenderScree nshot.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[SolidSnakexxx]

I like the blue color tone you are going for. I think it fits his environment real well. Look forward to the final textured version ;)

[agrmrs]

wow nice sculpt dude :):):)

[maxinkuk]

Hi Solidsnakexxx, yes, blue is what should be, the night, the water, everything's blue and it's reflecting on him.

Thanks agrmrs:D.

Today's update brings in a further change of pose and a further sculpting of his body throughout. I'm sorry, I was not happy with what I had for both.
Now I have to fix his gear and the clothes just to be back where I was yesterday, only it should be better.

new-body-1.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125519%27,%27new-body-1.jpg%27,1,0%29)

new-body-turn.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125520%27,%27new-body-turn.gif%27,1,0%29)

[Moni-Poroni]

Aaaaahhhh :o :o :o
I´ve missed so much in your thread. I´m really sorry!
Everything´s awesome!!!
I loooove the wave!! Fantastic!! :tu: :tu: :tu:
Great image with the different views :)
And the pose is so cool..
I know.. I know...
I´m writing the same as always :D

[Gohanf22]

beautiful work as always max. i cant wait to see the final submission.:D:tu:

[maxinkuk]

Moni, Shane, thanks a lot, I was just not convinced of that pose. Hopefully this should be definitive.

I worked a bit more on the muscles but I'll post that progress tomorrow, after I've taken another look. Here's what I've done to his face.

mugs.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125538%27,%27mugs.jpg%27,1,0%2 9)

[jp_smith]

Love the pose and the face Max! :) I know it's too late to change it and I wouldn't want you to, but I've been thinking he'd look really cool in a surfer's "tube" dragging his non-weapon hand along the water. I'd take a look at re-sculpting his tricep, it's looking pretty weird in the turnaround.


in the tube.jpg

heh I found this one image surfing for pics...not what you wanna see out there. ;)


Lets-go-surfing.jpg

[SOLcreator]

Looking awesome :tu: Love the face!

[maxinkuk]

Thanks SolCreator, I had a lot of fun with that facial expression.

JP, thanks, I was hoping in some critique from some anatomy guru like you pinpointing at muscle groups that need more work. I'll work more on the triceps and post a good shot of them later.
The wave-tube, yes it's a bit late but could be done, fact is that I'm not too boiled over that pose, I had thought about it and decided not too for two reasons, it's too sporty rather than fighting and also the character isn't visible from most views in the turntable. If I would change the pose I would have him arched backward holding the back fo the board with one hand like in the sketch at the bottom right of my initial concept sheet.

[maxinkuk]

More muscle work.
Following JP's concerns on the triceps I took the bull by the horns and did another full session of muscle sculpting fixing all I could see that was not right or that I just thought I could improve.
Later on I may do some more small transposing, checking the pose in silhouette and making sure that I am completely satisfied with it before I move to the next stage.



Damage-more-muscle-123.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125585%27,%27Damage-more-muscle-123.jpg%27,1,0%29)
Damage-more-muscle-456.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125586%27,%27Damage-more-muscle-456.jpg%27,1,0%29)
Damage-more-muscle-789.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125587%27,%27Damage-more-muscle-789.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[AVTPro]

Great to see you pushing the envelope. Can you note what areas you made changes too. I got behind the progress.

[maxinkuk]

Hi Alonzo,

I gave particular attention to his back and the triceps but I've touched it more of less everywhere actually, that included shortening one lower leg that looked a bit long, adjusting the shape of his arms and torso at low subdiv level using the move brush, flicking between flat and fast render modes to judge at best and then just reshaping muscles mostly with the standard and clay brush.

[bryzol]

I like pedestal very much, nice wave detail :tu: I love all your latest screens. The pose is very dynamic and with ths wave pedestal it's looking great! Keep it up!

[AVTPro]

He looks very organic, lots of flow lines with rhythms to them.
Can you tell me how do you put the move brush to the bottom of the screen?
I understand that because of the transpose tool the move tool has been relocated but I would like like to have quick access to it without going through the menus.

I have seen other people have a tray of tools docked across the bottom. Any info on how to do this.

BTW, GREAT POSE, and I really like the character pose. Definitely the improvement are showing as a whole.
Love the RETRO !!

[Etcher]

Improving with each update! :tu: !
__________________________________________________ _________

My sketchbook: Etcher_Sketcher (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=67208)

[maxinkuk]

Bryzol, thanks, good to receive a nice comment form one's favorite artists in this contest.

AVTPro, thanks a lot, glad you like the retro style too.
There is a switch-layout button on top right of the screen, that's how that layout comes out. I don't actually use that, I have the spacebar key prgrammed on my pen button so that a contextual menu with brushes, alphas and a lot more comes out without me ever moving the hand.

Thanks Etcher, I can't wait to bring back the rest of the scene.

[AVTPro]

:tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :) :) :) :) :D

That was it. Thanks!! You da Man. !!

Yes, it would be nicer to have a keystroke or some very fast interactive way to get between the move and the standard brushes for sculpting.

[maxinkuk]

You're welcome.
As I said, it's quite easily done, go to the control panel of the tablet and assign the spacebar to the button of the pen. It makes things easier. But only to a degree because you really only unleash the power of the brushes adjusting the controls in the brush and alpha palette.

[maxinkuk]

More work, still muscle work but this time without looking at anatomical reference, a more holistic approach, counting on the fact that years and years of life drawing must have taught me something about the human body.
I moved his arm a bit more, did a bit of work on the face too and reshaped him all over again thinking more about the action and the character and less about his individual muscles.

Damage-more-muscle-session-2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125622%27,%27Damage-more-muscle-session-2.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[petekasim]

Hey hey!


Great stuff max, this guy's looking ripped to shreds!

I adore your life drawings, and I'm sure you won't dissapoint when it comes to this guy.

I'm a big fan of improvised stylized work, rather than slavishly sticking to reference, I think all your work benefits greatly from your experience and well trained eye for good design

[Webhead]

Great dynamic pose on this guy. He's really coming along. Admittedly, I haven't gotten very far with my guy, so forgive my small critique, but one spot that really stands out to me is his the skin folds of his lower back. That area looks more like loose skin, rather than tight, lean muscle.

back.jpg

[SolidSnakexxx]

Good update, maxinkuk. I like the hair orange...Look forward to the final render :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Peterkasim, thank you very much for your kind words, and you're quite right, we all have our own way to work and what works for one may not be the best thing for another. I am very happy that I worked on laying down the anatomy in a scientific way, of course that approach is a challenge to my traditional ways that are centred on life drawing. But it's good to challenge our ways, I learned a lot on human anatomy, got completely confused, made mistakes and then solved the issues. All very good.


Webhead, you're quite right, the folds should keep to the side of the body and not go on into the back, will fix. Thanks for the critique.

SolidSnakexxx, thanks, as you can imagine that was one of the hardest choices. But now we know, Damage is ginger!

[fluxist8070]

Hey Max,
The goggle design is really nice!
Anatomy is looking good too.

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Matt. As a keen swimmer I know how there aren't many things as sweet as a good pair of goggles ;) .

More fine tuning of the pose plus further adjustments to the muscles.
I think I'm now happy with the pose but I'll let it rest for a few hours and then see how I feel.

Damage-more-muscle-session-3.1.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125767%27,%27Damage-more-muscle-session-3.1.jpg%27,1,0%29)
Damage-more-muscle-session-3.2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125768%27,%27Damage-more-muscle-session-3.2.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[maxinkuk]

I did a few more changes and then reintroduced all the elements. I got away with the texturing I had done the other day because anyway it was very basic and no good in parts so better to start over again.
Going back to an untextured character gave me a better under5standing of the form and so I moved again his arm and then moved the whole character on the wave. I now think that maybe I'll have to slightly move his head and change again his facial features and expression to be completely happy.
Other things left to do before texturing and remdering are:
- his fuel tanks on his left arm;
- adding elements to his rochet pack as it seems a bit light now;
-redo those boots as they are lame.
And as there isn't a lot of time left:confused:.

Damage-BR-2nd-Feb-14.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125813%27,%27Damage-BR-2nd-Feb-14.jpg%27,1,0%29)
Damage-BR-2nd-Feb-6.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125812%27,%27Damage-BR-2nd-Feb-6.jpg%27,1,0%29)
Damage-BR-2nd-Feb-2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125811%27,%27Damage-BR-2nd-Feb-2.jpg%27,1,0%29)
TT2ndFeb.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125814%27,%27TT2ndFeb.gif%27,1 ,0%29)

[Harmonic]

Hey raising that arm a bit really helped, the silhouette looks so much better, I get a much better read on the arm. :tu:

[SolidSnakexxx]

Great update as usual, maxinkuk and the turn table's looking nice as well. :)

[maxinkuk]

Harmonic and SolidSnakexxx, thanks, glad to hear you think it has improved.

I have a crazy idea that I would like to hear opinions about.
It started with me thinking that the rocket pack needed beefing up, maybe with some kind of engine, showing valves and a radiator and pistons and then I thought hold on, he'll be like an Hells' Angel, let me try with a good moustache and goatee.
So here's the two options and I'm very keen to hear opinions on this one.

moustache-option.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125829%27,%27moustache-option.gif%27,1,0%29)

[threetails]

go with the stash, it looks like it would add a bunch of character. nice work by the way, it is a great looking piece.

[SolidSnakexxx]

Hey there.. I kinda like the Mustache...(Giving him an extra cool look) :cool: But the Rocket pack thing I'm not sure (Have to see what you come up with, but I think you still got some time to play with this cool character) as the current silhouette is already nice.

[- FoOD -]

Starting to bulk him up .....looking really cool body is coming along very nicely - great job maxinkuk - pose is very dynamic :D:tu:

[Agostinuke]

Hey Max thanks a lot for the visit on my thread.
You rock man, really comic style, great concept, dynamic, great pose
cya

A-

[Moni-Poroni]

Update alert :)

I´ve been so busy this weekend sorry..couln´t post earlier..

But I can just agree with the others.. GREAT work!

Hm..the moustache ^^ lol.. he looks a little bit like Hulk Hogan :)

I don´t know if it´s better with or without.

Looks totally different- in a good way :)

[maxinkuk]

Threetails, thanks, I think I'm going with it.

SolidSnakexxx, I know, it's nice(ish) as it is but I think i lacks substance a bit so what if it had a small V8 engine in the middle there?

FoOD, thanks, much appreciated.

Thanks Agostinuke, I have to confess, I am not aware of my style, it's just how I do things.

Moni-Poroni. Hulk Hogan is not an appealing propective but he's got his following I suppose.

Ok, tangent update, I haven't worked on it today but did a lot of thinking about his moustache and the whole direction that this character must take.
I think that as it is it's lacking some identity, it's a classic (all the way back to the 30's) inspired style like Rocketeer but only to a point, the backstory is more modern and the way I developed it made it rather mean.
Now, shall I go all the way and allow this emerging nature to prevail, give him a mustache, cover him in tattos and stick a V8 engine to his back?
And as I thought this my mind went to Motorhead's Ace of Spades (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ImrtZRrS70w), and I had a vision of a deck of cards scattered on the wave Damage is riding, half of them are face up and they all have are aces of spades.
So I thought, yes, every hero has its nemesis and so here is Ace of Spades, drawn entirely to justify the cards on the wave.
Captain Ace is the army's posterboy and the only successful clone of the leader of the military junta, as such he is supposed to be one day in the position of absolute power. In the meantime he serves as a commander of a platoon of complete fascists and his actions, as well as his high profile girlfriends, are the stuff of the army's propaganda always trying to lure more young men to join the army but effectively suffering from low morale procured by Damage's successful action.

Ace-of-Spades.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125934%27,%27Ace-of-Spades.gif%27,1,0%29)

[threetails]

i like the idea of adding a large motor on the back, but i like the flow of the overall piece and the ballance of the character seams to have been sculpted with what he's carrying right now if you add a large element back there, you may have to restablish the pose to make him look like he's carrying and supporting that much mass. i think you can do it, do you have the time?

[maxinkuk]

Threetails, you're absolutely right, a large engine on his back is a bad idea because it would throw him out of balance and I don't fancy changing this pose to accomodate that.
A way around that could be to have a motorized surf with the engine controlled by his left hand through a cable (push=faster, let go=slow down), that would give me the added opportunity to add tension to that arm.

[AVTPro]

Super clean work man. I love how smooth it is. Very professional.

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Alonzo.

Ok, following the recent brainwave I added the bulk of an engine to the surf, a basic propeller and a cable to control the acceleration, I moved the left arm into place, it's all still bobbly but the main pose is there and I think it's an improvement, it gives him something to do with that hand and adds tension to the body. It will knock another couple of days off as there's another load of stuff to model and the pose to fine tune (not to mention adjusting the wave to take account of the propeller) but I think it's for the best.
He is moustacheless but it doesn't take much to add them, I keep the option on the table.

accelerator.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125978%27,%27accelerator.gif%2 7,1,0%29)
Damage-engine.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125979%27,%27Damage-engine.jpg%27,1,0%29)
Engine-turn-1.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27125977%27,%27Engine-turn-1.gif%27,1,0%29)

[Seavannah]

ohhh love that gif of him flying around. Love the muscle tone on him too. Really great job. Good luck although I don't think you need it. Happy Zbrushing.

[AVTPro]

I really like the changes to the apparatus on his back and arm. Or I think the hinges. Hate to be the one he's pointing it at. I also like the layering you have.

[SolidSnakexxx]

Nice addition ....I think it makes the hero looks even more dynamic. You've got such a cool imagination for the character! :cool:

[Marsyas]

I love how the sculpt of the water turned out. Very cool stuff. I also think the 'stache might add some nice character. :tu:

[Etcher]

Great updates! Don't know about the box/engine thing on the board though; might restrict his foot/leg movement to much during combat.

:tu: !

__________________________________________________ ____________

My sketchbook: Etcher_Sketcher (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=67208)

[spimmy]

That's a great idea, looking very cool indeed! :) :tu:

[Captain Sensible]

Top stuff! You the man! :tu:

[Moni-Poroni]

:D What a great idea!!! :tu: :tu: :tu:
Very unique! Funny and really cool. :)
And it´s still adding more to your already phenomenal character. :)

[maxinkuk]

Seavannah, thanks a lot, moving gifs are instant gratification.

AVTPro, thanks (I couldn't get the hinges thing, can you rephrase please).

SolidSnakexxx, thanks, getting the character alive in my mind help me to develop it. I probably wouldn't function in any other way.

Marsyas, I've been doing a lot of thinking about that moustache and I think he'll have it but I'll also soften up his features to make him look a young man with a moustache rather than some kind of veteran viking as he styarts increasingly looking like.

Spimmy, glad you appreciate.

Captain Sensible, thanks mate.

Moni-Poroni, thanks a lot but I must really stop adding now and start finishing him up.



Don't know about the box/engine thing on the board though; might restrict his foot/leg movement to much during combat. Etcher, don't worry, he's very agile, and when he's out of the water he can also use it creatively, check him out:

Surf-wielding-damage-vignette.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126170%27,%27Surf-wielding-damage-vignette.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[Finners]

Nice sketch, like the style! Left arm pose is looking cool,forarms are a bitch to do! Altho I would move the deltoid in towards the head a bit, it looks a bit too far from the body maybe? Also I think the muscles at the nape of the back(dorsals i think?... not sure of the name) stick out a wee bit too much which throws off some of the other nice work you've done on the back. The technology all looks sweet!

[SolidSnakexxx]

maxinkuk, you've got amazing sketching skill, man...Really cool line work. :)

[fluxist8070]

max,
Nice sketch! Damage is looking good!

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Finners, I'll test your suggestions.

SolidSnakexxx thanks mate, I am so tempted to do more of these and do them properly. If only I had more time.

Thanks Matt, I can't draw him ugly, I like the guy.

[SirNeo]

Very good work, very good pose, i realy like your all process.:tu:

[Gohanf22]

still doing great work max. nice job. keep it up.

[entrop23]

I love the pose, and I love how your illustrative style comes through in your sculpting as well, particularly in the guy's expression! Definitely looking forward to more!

[maxinkuk]

SirNeo thanks, glad you appreciate.

Thanks Shane, it's hard to go the distance but we're almost there.

Entrop23, thanks, I am absolutely unaware of any personal style actually, but if so many people think I have one then there must be some truth.

Update! The surf has been fully motorized, I looked at a few engines and I worked this one out for the surf, the starting point was the engine for BMW motorcycles.
I decided to get rid of the fuel tanks on the arm, I want the arm to be more visible and I want to eventually use it as a space for tattoos, I then moved the wave so that now thanks to the propeller he's absolutely flying away in a take off.
I also sized down the wave but that wasn't a good idea, I look at it now and I find it too small, it'll be back as big as it was before.
I will also have to sculpt the twirls of water made by the propeller and I have in mind to sculpt that as an extension to the wave so that he's flying even more than what he does now.
But time is also closing in so it's also time to texture and render and that's almost one of those famous unknown unknowns.

Damage-motosurf.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126529%27,%27Damage-motosurf.jpg%27,1,0%29)
The-surf.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126527%27,%27The-surf.jpg%27,1,0%29)
Damage-limited-turntable-6th-Feb.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126528%27,%27Damage-limited-turntable-6th-Feb.gif%27,1,0%29)

[SolidSnakexxx]

Nice motorized board....Even without any paint job on the model, this piece is still rocking.

[Moni-Poroni]

Wow what a great board :) :tu: !
Where can I get it ?? ;)

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Solidsnakexxx, but it's starting to be scary now, I need to start painting. Can somebody help with babycare?

Moni, do you feel like riding that? You're brave!

Update on the wave (how many waves have I done now?) and slight twist of his right arm.

Damage-BR-6th-Feb-3.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126674%27,%27Damage-BR-6th-Feb-3.jpg%27,1,0%29)

Damage-limited-turntable-6th-Feb-4.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126673%27,%27Damage-limited-turntable-6th-Feb-4.gif%27,1,0%29)

[monstermaker]

This is looking really nice I love the movement in it.So many great entry's I am glad that I am not one of the judges.

[Ledux]

This is amazing job great work but the wave is still looking quite strane keep working on it . :)

[threetails]

this down the barrel image is cool, the wave is coming along well. lets get painting.

[Etcher]

Yep, the board's cool! Go, go, go! :tu: !
__________________________________________________ ______________

My sketchbook: Etcher_Sketcher (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=67208)

[spimmy]

Awesome board, and like how the wave is taking shape, very coooool :cool: :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Monstermaker, I'm enormously glad to hear you like the way this model swings.:D I now need to work hard now to try to raise all the other aspects of the model to a good level.

Ledux, that wave changes by the minute, as if it was made of...water. Hope you'll be pleased with the final result.

Threetails, it's time to paint indeed. But there are a few details left before that still. Hopefully tomorrow morning I start on the paint.

Etcher, you see, you were worriying about the bulk, it's sleek yet powerful. Just like Damage.

Thanks Spimmy, I'm quite pleased with that board, I still need to sharpen up the design of the exhausts, but all else is quite fine.

Here's a small update, I detailed the hand that grips the cable and mesh extracted a glove.

grip.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126704%27,%27grip.jpg%27,1,0%2 9)

[ravioli_rancher]

maxintheuk,

:eek:

Though you're probably sick of hearing it, the movement and energy in your entry is stupa . . . uh . . . stuperfyin'.

Beautiful work.

The new hands are awesome. Next stop, top row! :)

[Etcher]

Maxinkuk, that hand sculpt alone is worth a 3d print on a base! It's a classic piece of awesome sculpting! Right up there next to Witiko's hands!

Man oh man :rolleyes: ! :tu: ! This is to much for a saturday morning...

[wethand]

WOAH!!! what an awesome progress!!! the hand is brainkicking!!! awesome work!
i really love the idea with the engine. damn nice! :tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu:

[maxinkuk]

Ravioli-rancher, that's a great compliment indeed, in fact I've been really working throughout to achieve a sense of movement, as well as energy and keep the two balanced.

Thanks Etcher for making me feeling proud of my hands:D.

Thanks Wethands, glad to hear your unequivocal approval of the motorized board.:D

More on the wave, I really worked quite a lot on this as it's absolutely critical to have the right shape for both the final render still and the turntable.
So here I post a potential view for the final still as well as a turntable.
The overall shape of the wave is there, it only needs a final detailing pass.

I thought I would have started polypainting by now instead I'm still sculpting and I'm likely to do it for the whole of today, hopefully tonight before bedtime I start on the polypaint. There will still be bits of sculpting left to do all over the place but I can do that later.

Damage-Potential-final-still-01.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126770%27,%27Damage-Potential-final-still-01.jpg%27,1,0%29)
Damage-limited-turntable-7th-Feb.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126769%27,%27Damage-limited-turntable-7th-Feb.gif%27,1,0%29)

[wethand]

the overall detail is amazing man! :tu::tu::tu:
really, this glove... all. and the wave looks nice wavy! :)

[Etcher]

:tu: !

[Captain Sensible]

Looking great Max! I like the moody blue render too :tu:

[spimmy]

The wave is looking really great now!! :cool: The whole model and details are awesome, really like it :tu: :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Wethand, Etcher, Captain Sensible, Spimmy, thanks a lot, I really appreciate.

Update, it took me all night (it's 9:10am here), I changed the design a few times over, but finally here are his new boots, and they're not even finished actually. But it was worth it, they're made of tough rubber and bits of old tyres, just what Damage likes to chew.

tough-boots.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126852%27,%27tough-boots.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[petekasim]

Superb detail, Max. The most unique boots I think I've ever seen :tu:

You must be pretty tired after having spent the whole night doing these! The work's paying off though, keep up the intensity, there's not long left now...

[SolidSnakexxx]

Wow, you are working really hard on this..and the result shows through your model. I like the current wave as well. Excellent stuff as usual.

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Peter and Yong, glad you liked those boots, I'm really happy with them. In an ideal world I'd give them another day of sculpting, but that's not this world here.

Anyway, I started painting, I haven't even decided flat colours for everything but the wave has received a first round of priming throughout and it's looking not bad. Here's a fun but somehow incongruous composite of various matcaps renders, has to be good enough for now.

Damage-colour-render-1.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27126976%27,%27Damage-colour-render-1.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[- FoOD -]

Looking good maxinkuk - really like the water

[SolidSnakexxx]

Hey there, maxinkuk. Love the colors you are adding...staying int eh blue tone...and the water's looking splashing as well. :tu:

[3Point14]

He is about to loose his pants.....embarrassing for an action hero. :)

[spimmy]

Wow :eek:, lovely colours!! Really nice mate! :tu: :cool:

[Frenchy Pilou]

...with relaxation :D
:cool:

[threetails]

looking so sweet! great job so far. yours is going to be so cool.

[Captain Sensible]

Those boots are rockin! Very colourful work on your last render. I like it!:tu:

[maxinkuk]

FoOD, thanks, that water needs a second round of painting but it's starting to look good.

SolidSnakexxx, yes, I think that the palette will stay around that, I'm working towards a balance between some colour accents and a few distinctive theme colour.

Pride, I thought it was sexy to show some flash down there. Shall I cover him up?:o

Thanks for the useful feedback Spimmy.

French Pilou, relaxation is something I'm looking forward to.

Threetails thanks, I'm glad that the coolness comes out.

Captain Sensible, good to hear that all that work on those boots is appreciated.

I thought I post a turntable to show what's the shape of the wave now, and this is going to stay. Small touches, yes, big changes, no.

One think that I'm thinking to change is the rocket pack. Should he have some shooter of the machine gun/rocket launcher type there instead of propulsion rockets? If I had plenty of time I'd change it, at present I have to ponder before committing quite some hours to that.

color-turn.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27127083%27,%27color-turn.gif%27,1,0%29)

[Drakelot]

Most impressive updates my friend ... he's one cool Action Hero ... Top 3 for shure !!! :tu::tu::tu:

[Etcher]

Nice work onthe boots! Please pull up the pantz :D ! :tu: !

[Moni-Poroni]

Sorry..I´ve missed a lot! Great great update maxinkuk. :)
I love your new work on the boots, the polypaint is awesome! :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:
And the wave is so cool!!!!:)
Best wishes! :)

[SolidSnakexxx]

Wow, maxinkuk, the texture on the wave's looking really fantastic. Very nice :tu: :tu:

[Marsyas]

I love how the turntable is off center. Looks like he's surfing around. The colors are very fitting too. :tu:

[fluxist8070]

hey Max,
Looking good. I am not sure about the bare torso. It makes me wonder how the material on the shoulders and pecs is staying put. the textures look really great.:tu::tu:

[jp_smith]

Very cool, great progress Max. :tu:

[spimmy]

Looking really sweet, very nice man!! :tu: :tu:

[threetails]

coming along really well, love the paint so far.

[maxinkuk]

Drakelot, well, thanks a lot, I'm obviously incredibly glad to hear you hold this effort of mine in such esteem. Let me tell you this is really motivational for me, thanks again.

Etcher, maybe if you see a bit more flesh you'll be convinced that pants down work. ;)

Thanks Moni, see what a bit of colour does! :D

Thanks SolidSnakesss, it's starting, only starting to look good, I need to give some more love to that wave.

Marsyas, the off centre turn is just a lucky strike actually, but it's going to stay, I like it too.

Thanks Matt, the suite is made of rubber, which is heavy and just stays down, also he has the two strips that hold the rocket pack to keep it in place around his shoulders and armpits. Not to mention the adesive quality of sweat!

jp_smith, thanks man, you and some other monsters have set up the standard of this contest so high that I've been forced to work hard to at least put up a decent showing. ;)

Thanks Spimmy, it's coming along, and I'm still enjoying it.

Threetails, just started on the colours really, but they do cheer you up. I need to shift gear on textures now really.

Update, the last modeling update I think. This was a thing that was bugging me for a while. I was not happy with the rockets. I though about transforming it into a weapon but then I thought that a redesign would have been much better actually and would have kept a feature that I actually really like.
Even if now he's got an engine on the board he still needs to fly every once in a while. What action hero doesn't need to fly sometimes? And those rockets can still be fired when he really needs that extrra speed even on the board, as well as underwater of course.
So, I set myself to simplify and find a stronger design, here it is, I hope you like it.

New-rockets.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27127398%27,%27New-rockets.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[Moni-Poroni]

Oh wow max!!! This rockets are looking like sharks... :) :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:
combined with a wave. :)
Simply amazing! :)

[maxinkuk]

Thanks Moni, I knew there was vast room for improvement, what I had done was ok but looking at it with critical eye I decided that it was just a start and it needed a finish.
I'm actually still making some small improvements now, but only 10 minutes I promise, then I crack on with the textures.

[electricCAT]

Really like those rockets !!!


John
(War Eagle - Action Hero)

[SolidSnakexxx]

All models need some ZLove hehehe :lol: and the Damage gets a lot of that... :) Looking good as ever, maxinkuk.

[wethand]

damn! i really like your color sheme!
and the muscles look so nice with polypaint!
nice texture for the wave!

nice max! like your sculpt very much!! :tu: :tu:

[maxinkuk]

ElectricCat, SolidSnakexxx, Wethand, thanks a lot, I really appreciate your comments.

I've done some polypainting yesterday but the more I was working the more I was unconvinced by the pose, fortunately my sorrow was relieved by the fact that I was very happy with the rockets.
Anyway, I decided to grab the bull by the horns yet another time, and I'm glad to say... the last time, even becasue I'm finally happy with the pose!
From now on it's all polypainting, materials, render tests and all that fun.
Here's the turntable of the pose as it is now wich is also the way it will stay, apart from sculpting back some bits and bobs that as usual have deformed with posing, but fortunately there's very little of that this time.

turntable-last-posing.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27127564%27,%27turntable-last-posing.gif%27,1,0%29)

[threetails]

i like ware your going with all the paint its really starting to rock, keep it going, its got a great vibe.

[D Adami]

Hey man, don't worry about the pose, it's awesome.
The polypaint work is going very well.

[Moni-Poroni]

"but only 10 minutes I promise" :lol:
umm... lol you´ve said that before...something like that.;) hehe
However...Kudos to you max!
I don´t find the right words for it..
so here´s an AWESOME again. :)

[SolidSnakexxx]

I do agree with D Adami, the pose's looking fine.. In fact. I like it since you've decide to go for this pose.. Really excellent choice. :cool:

[jp_smith]

Rockin' rockets Max! :) I hadn't expected him to have a bare torso, I guess I was thinking wetsuit or something, but this works. Lookin' good man. :tu: :tu:

[entrop23]

I'm a fan of this pose as well, and the wave texture looks really nice! I'm eager to see the final images!

[Etcher]

The rockets are cool! Great painting too! :tu: !

[maxinkuk]

Thank you all guys, a collective thanks this time because I really need to crack on, I didn't get a chance to work on Damage so I really really really need to crack on.
I just decided that the last pose was after all not as good as the one before so not just today I didn't make a progress, I even managed to waste yesterday (pro wasting?).
Anyway, I think that this is the view of the pose that I like most and will therefore probably stay like that in the final etry.
I saw a few final entries already and they're scarily good. It's been an amazing contest, you've all been great company during the journey and now that it's time to pull it together I wish you all the best of luck!

wish-me-luck-2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27127780%27,%27wish-me-luck-2.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[pitchepuck]

he ! thanks and good luck to you too !!!!!!!
I love your hero !!!!!! his face has got the best expression here in this contest :D
later gator :)

[Moni-Poroni]

Yes, his face rocks! :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:
The view is great an I wish you of course all the best of luck too!
Well..:evil: you won´t need it. :)

[SolidSnakexxx]

I've been watching this thread since the beginning and I must say you have put tons of efforts to this and it shows. :cool: Thank you and best of luck to you as well.

[JUPITER]

Look's great!! nice colors..

[maxinkuk]

Action Hero: Damage - final entry.

Transpose movie:
v17494032nKA4SzB5

Turntable movie:
v17495733mDn4jkPS

Still image:

pose-1.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27128371%27,%27pose-1.jpg%27,1,0%29)

Additional renders:
pose-9.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27128372%27,%27pose-9.jpg%27,1,0%29)
pose-10.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27128373%27,%27pose-10.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[jp_smith]

Max, Damage has such a great style, pose, details...great work form day one through the finish line man. :)

[SolidSnakexxx]

maxinkuk, I love the character style and you've shown such fine dedication to the contest. :tu: :tu:

[Hamilcar]

Congrats! great work, and I really like those final renders:tu::tu:

[bryzol]

The final piece looks awesome! Congrats! Great work!

[wethand]

hey max,
damage is such a dynamic character. you gave this piece so many detail.

[Moni-Poroni]

Hey max, hope we see your model printed one day. I guess he´d look cool!
And thanks for all the help+support! :)

[Etcher]

Hi maxinkuk! I'm glad they reopened the threads, cause I wanted to congratulate you here on a job well done! :tu: !

[maxinkuk]

Thank you all so much. This is really healthy community spirit and support, I really enjoyed the contest and I learned so much from the experience.
And I'm really pleased to hear that you like the character.
Is this the end for Damage? I am not sure.

[ravioli_rancher]

maxinkuk,

Hey man, congratulations on the final entry. He deserves awards.

Also thank you for posting in my own thread. It kept me working on something I probably should have just flung and let stick to the wall. :D

You're a major part of this contest and community so thanks for all the effort and inspiration. :cool::tu:

[petekasim]

Congrats again on your wonderful work, Max

I really thought Damage was great, and I enjoyed following the progress you made more than almost any other entry. Keep up the good work and keep your style unashamedly bold

Will be great to catch up again on the forums. BTW, I'm very strongly considering a pop at DW4, what say you? Got the energy for another round?:D

[Captain Sensible]

Probably the most cool and stylish entry. He deserves his own comic book! Fantastic to watch your progress on this :tu:

[maxinkuk]

Thanks guys, sorry it's taken me so long to answer but now injustice has struck and Damage is back on his way, to put wrongs right!
He'll be back here with new and better renders, just because I think he's worth it.

And with today he's also on the turntable gallery, check him out!

[maxinkuk]

I finally did a new render of Damage.
This is going to be a page of my new portfolio I'm working on right now.

Damage-Portfolio-page-web.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%27144329%27,%27Damage-Portfolio-page-web.jpg%27,1,0%29)

[Marsyas]

Looking cool, maxinkuk. :tu: Might be nice to see some more detailed views of the gear--the sharpness of some of your previous renders really brings out the detail.

[Captain Sensible]

Cool to see you got round to doing your render. It's certainly looking good. I would say that his arm piece is slightly blurry and a bit dark too as Marsyas pointed out. It's much brighter in your previous render and almost draws your eye to it. In this version my eye gets slightly drawn away instead. Damn good stuff other than that :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:

Hopefully I can get round to reworking my one soon ;)

[maxinkuk]

Thanks guys, point noted on the softness, I don't dislike it though.
I didn't render it very big and as it goes into a portfolio with standard size pages I needed to resize to get to size I wanted for that page but I got in there all that I wanted, and I can live with that little softness, I like the feel it gives it actually. The dark harpoon is deliberate instead, I need a strong value there to make it work as an illustration, I don't want the harpoon to be the centre of attention.
But of course it's a nice feature and I didn't want to lose it, that's also why I added the props as icons on top, because I wanted to show the design work that's gone into them.
Anyway, when I have the time I give it another go and see if I can manage to re-do the thing with less softness and see if I like it more.

[fluxist8070]

Hey Max, Nice portfolio page! the material on the skin is looking really good!:tu: