T H E M A CH I N E D R E A M S . . . . .(WIP)

[Mentat7]

Hello All! I hope this evening finds you all doing well!! This project once it is complete will find itself being used as a wallpaper for a friend. Below is the first post showing the head from various viewpoints. It is meant to look mechanical and the next post will find it with various and sundry bio-mechanical parts as well as several additional attachments. I will be using alphas to drive a bump texture as well as multiple textures. The Multi-marker will also be employed as this will be comprised of many different parts. Eventually there will be an upper body and possible one arm and hand which will be incorporated into the final pose. I have been working on several alphas as well as texture enhancements and am anxious to put them to work here. I am toying with the idea of using some sort of gem tool (just for you Stonecutter!) and am anxious to give that a go as well. Until next time...Zee you all later!

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1013049828jge.jpg

[DeeVee]

Nice start, I am looking forward to viewing it's development. Thanks for the background thinking behind the image you plan to create.

[Stonecutter]

Great start, Mentat!!
Here's a little something to help out... http://www.3dlapidary.com/Home.htm

This will take you to a site with accurate gemstone models in DXF format...
Looking forward to your updates, Bro', and you have a great image in the making here!
:tu: :cool: :tu:

[Mentat7]

Thanks Mike! I didn't know such a site existed. Those gem models are cool. I've already downloaded a few and am trying them out. Thanks again!

[Stonecutter]

No prob, Mentat!!
Here's some of them in use...
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1013053869ref.jpg

I would encourage others to check this site out...The models are put together by a nice lady named Rosemary, and if you use them, give her an email...She loves to know people are using them, and would enjoy seeing your work with them! ;)

[filament9]

Great start, Mentat. I await more as you go along with this one. Keep that title!

[drjjwow]

looks like another wonderful project.. i cant wait to see what you can come up with..

[WingedOne]

It looks great so far! BTW, thanks for the link Stonecutter, it's got my wheels spinning.

[jibberish]

you wanted it to look michanical? well i say it looks pretty darn robotic. great work, this guy is off to a great start. can't wait to see him with all his parts and textures and all. again, fantastic work.

josh

[Mentat7]

Here is the latest in the development of this piece. I have added several parts and began tinkering with the lighting. I am working on yet more materials and have a few more alphas to try. Everything was done in ZBrush except for the alphas which I grabbed from some clip art I had. The next phase will include many more pieces- a lot of little details including more wires, actuators, tubes, eye pieces (possibly even eyelids). In the final picture you will see the upper torso from the pecks on up and most of the right arm. I have several plans for the background image which will bring to light the reason for the naming of this piece. This is getting fun!


http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1013197713txr.jpg

[Stonecutter]

Nice lighting, Mentat, and that eyeball is positivly eerie in that mechanical head!

[Ron Harris]

lookin good...have to agree with SC about the eyes....very kewl....and I love the metal coloring you are choosing to use on this piece...keep us posted for sure :tu: :tu:

[drjjwow]

looks like this one is coming alone nicely..thanks for the update.

[robotalk]

The update picture is GREAT :tu: :tu:

[Muvlo]

Looking great Mentat. The robotic-organic feel is very strong. :tu:

[Mentat7]

Hello all! This is a pseudo update. Part of it is an update and part is a problem- below are two posts. The smaller image has a part A and B. I am experiencing problems with the rendering engine. Not sure what happened but everything was going fine until I opened my document and began working on the project again. That's when the problems happened. It seems that the document will not render the way it was previously. In sample A below you can see that the lights are showing the way they should- look closely at the red light reflecting on the right side of the image. However to do this I have to click the Render>Flatten Layers Button. When I do this I lose the transparency on the brain case and eyes. So I make sure Render>Flatten Layers is unchecked when I render. This is where it gets dicey. It only renders the transparency correctly when I select the layer containing the brain. If I chose any other layer the glass gets more opaque. Also when choosing the Best Render mode sometimes it renders the image sometimes not. You can see in image B it is not redering correctly in Best Render mode. I can sit there and click the render buttons (all four different settings from best to flat) and it renders differently everytime! Sometimes it loses the lighting sometimes it loses a part of the image and sometimes it just stops halfway through! In the large picture below everything ALMOST rendered correctly but the best render mode did not pick up all the lighting (the red lights are gone) and it created a weird shadow on the tubing in the left side of the picture. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong? I assume I am mucking something up here but I haven't been able to track it down. Any ideas from anyone

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1013232375lyq.jpg

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1013232450bhc.jpg

Okay....I did some more digging and found the answers to my own stupid questions...It was all in the layers and how they were interacting. (actually I was H.I.A. positive- Head In Ass!) I was working with nine different layers and they were mucking with each other so I merged all of them except for the glass layer. After changing the Speculariy Curve on the glass material and brain material I was able to get the result I wanted. The result is below. I will probably change the lighting again (I am fickled about that) and the eyes possibly. I have much more to do now for this piece. Does anyone have any comments or suggestions for any improvements? Gotta get some sleep now.....


http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1013237720lla.jpg

[drjjwow]

this is turning out really cool.. i love the brains.. very cool effect there buddy.. thanks for the update..

[s o u t h e r n]

Amazing to watch this one develop. You are inspiring me.

Glen

[Mentat7]

Thanks Glen and Dr. J. This piece will contain theological undertones and will incorporate imagery from Michaelangelo and his masterful work in the Sistine Chapel. Thought I would share that with you before someone else one-up's me on it and beats me to the finish line. Ciao!

[cneofotistos]

:)

I can see it developing, and can't wait for you to finished. you know WHY ;)

:tu: and DON'T go easy on the theology. Better make them OVERtones.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> anything that induces emotion, whether positive or negative, is art <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Darksprite - The Art And Design Of Christos Neofotistos (http://www25.brinkster.com/darksprite/)
my renderosity gallery (http://www.renderosity.com/gallery.ez?ByArtist=Yes&Artist=cneofotistos)

[Muvlo]

The updated look very interesting, the transparency effect is working nicely. :tu: I like the brain too. :)