Hi Cedric, impressive work, never thought you could push the limits on hard surface modeling on zbrush, but, once again, you did it bro!. 
I’m assuming that you used a lot of masking and alphas for this characters, but, is it possible that you could post a little video with some examples of your workflow when working with hard surface modeling and detailing?
Congratulations!
Lots of character in your characters. Really like the designs. 
The work is visual impressive and I love the overall shapes and style. But its completely ruined for me when I try to imagine these characters moving which is simply just not possible.
Great sculptures but next time to try and make things actual work. Right now the red armored character cant bend his legs. and if he was to try and walk the metal would cut off his toes. The little fat guy is encased in a metal tomb as well. Motion was last on the list for these I take it? I guess this must be some future flex metal or something.
I look forward to seeing your next characters. Maybe the next ones might actually be able to walk 3 feet.:lol:
What a hater… why are you trying to clown his designs…I saw your stuff and I have to say…well really I don’t have to say anything…
if his work was “non” functional or not able to move so the heck what!!! thats not what we’re trying to critique here… or what we are commenting on…
we are commenting on the concept and the artistic use of zbrush in his pieces. He shouldn’t be ridiculed on whether or not it can move.
no one says this kind of stuff to anyone who sculpts a head from a sphere…cause that couldn’t move either without retopology, right?? we don’t say "Hey you plan to retopologize that? cause its nonfuctional, it looks good but nonfuctional for animation… We don’t say that cause it doesn’t Matter…this is a zbrush forum…
So… Stop hating…only suckers do that… and you’re not a sucker are you???
Selah
I love the tubes.
Great presentation!
these are some great models with some amazing character to them. very stylized proportions on a couple, but not too far out there.
regarding selahpoetic’s comment about Renier’s comment: i happen to think that functionality is important to art… if you were sketching a part of the human anatomy and had it wrong, i would say, “that doesn’t look right” - and there’s a reason incorrect anatomy doesn’t look right - because it wouldn’t function properly. it’s easy to tell when something doesn’t look like it would properly work and it makes the piece look off or not finished to me.
the same goes for this imho. i love these sketches, but when i see the backs of the knees (and other pieces that would not function) i think, “not finished”.
i realize that if you’re just looking for something that “looks cool” then you might not give a rat’s ass about functionality and that’s fine, too. but functionality is important in art because sometimes if we can’t see how something works then we don’t believe that it’s really possible.
To each its own… Its not impossible that he could get these guys moving with proper rigging and weighting…but how can one say its not functional, when none of us has ever seen anyone in a metal suit with wires, and tubes hanging out ? (I suppose we have engineers and metal supply makers that frequent these forums 
) who really knows?? that’s why its art…Concept design. seeing how it functions would be great but not every piece of art can be interpreted that way.
Besides that guy was purely hating, major difference.
Anywho again Ced66 Keep pumping them out!!! Great inspirational work. Its cool to see what other things can be done in zbrush.
sweet
I skin and rig characters all day long, including stuff like this. And I could make it work properly, and easily, using multiply divide nodes, or expressions, with set driven keys,… etc… and move them to fit by adding bones or whatever.
From a rigging perspective, there is always a little back and forth, which is where I come in. I make small geometry edits so things fit. Reset the rig, and skinning bind pose weights, and it all works.
Every pipeline works like this from film to games, and I have done both for over ten yrs.
The design rocks. Ced… keep up the great work, and keep desregarding comments from people who don’t know what they are talking about. 
Great detailing, thanks for sharing the process. You mentioned :for renders, it was done with FinalToon, half percent max material, half percent FinalToon material… FinalToon allows you to do that. You can have very good balance between quality and speed… lest than 1 min to render a 300 dpi picture. And it fakes in some way the GI."
Could we see a screenshot of the Finaltoon setup, i have used in in Max before and I was wondering how you are using it…Thanks
Always loved your work cedd
Awesome work Ced, and thanks for the workflow.
~k~
against all of my better judgement, i am replying. i’m not a ranter so please don’t take this post that way. my curiousity has been severely peaked. nothing in this comment is in any way sarcastic or rhetorical.
first (as i said before) these are awesome sketches and this comment really has nothing to do with the quality of work as it is amazing. and i’m not dogging anyone at all with these questions. as some one who has barely touched zbrush (and admittedly has never posted work on these forums) just about every one here would own me in the world that is zbrush.
i am an animator/set-up artist. i have been working in the game industry for 3 years. i visit this forum because i am in awe at the work of some of the artists on this forum. i totaly realize that there is always a little back and forth - especially in everything that is game dev.
so my question is this… BetaRayBill, how could you make Franck’s hips/upper leg/buttox area function without deforming the metal pieces? how about his metal forarm? his knees would even pose a believability issue from what i see. i would love to see a set-up of yours for a character like this - with as much back and forth as needed. this is a serious question that i would like to know an answer to. it would not only be “nice to know” but, as a set-up artist that falls far short of a decade in the business, it would help me to better my career.
thanks.
Who said those pipes were made of metal? they look kinda like rubber piping to me…
waves Hey people, looking forward to joining this forum…
Oh…and thanx to this thread, i’m gonna give z-brush another go now…i’m a 3dsmax guy though… couldn’t get efficient at z-brush a while back, it’s very different… But i’m gonna try hard this time!
it is tough, i’m not used to z-brush’s way of working - not used to only being able to work with one object at a time, it’s weird when the model “snaps” into the background…
Great work, Frank is the Best one!
Love everybody’s work!!
Good day everyone.
I would also have to say against my better judgment that I'd like to clear up what seems to be misunderstood feedback on Ced66 lovely sculptures. I will try to keep this short and if any follow-up response is still taken as an insult then I will simply not respond as it would disrespect the work being done on this forum. I am not a ranter either and won’t allow myself to spoil Ced66's topic.
Greetings Selahpoetic.
“What a hater… why are you trying to clown his designs…I saw your stuff and I have to say…well really I don’t have to say anything…”
Hater, why would you say that? I was quite clear in my post that I was deeply impressed by the visual quality and style of the work itself. It’s the technical non-functionality that ruined the design for me. But I still look forward to seeing more of his work in the future that both nail this visual quality AND is fully functional. Then they will truly be undisputed master pieces.
And as for my “stuff” well if you feel like rating me by my sketch thread which I started ages back and did not complete to somehow void my feedback then feel free to. That is entirely your own opinion to have.
“if his work was “non” functional or not able to move so the heck what!!! thats not what we’re trying to critique here… or what we are commenting on…”
I AM purely commenting on the technical functionality of the designs themselves. For me Aesthetics and functionality go hand in hand. If Ced66 had requested feedback purely on the artistry of the work then I would have honored that. But as this is an open forum I felt the need to give my opinion on the fact that I can’t see how FRANCK and ADAM would be able to move properly without bending and distorting all the metallic parts around all the linear “elbow and knee” and ball jointed limbs “shoulder and hip joints”
“We are commenting on the concept and the artistic use of Zbrush in his pieces. He shouldn’t be ridiculed on whether or not it can move”
I would have to disagree. Everyone has their own opinion. My comments are more technically focused and by on no way invalid or uninformed. I’ve been rigging characters for both games and CG for year now. I could not help but notice that rigging these characters with proper shifting metal plate that don’t bend and stretch is currently not possible as the design stands right now. :confused:
In this case I would have to stand with WaterandDusts same request. I’m not saying that I know everything and I am always open to learning new techniques and tricks. If somebody can show me how to make these characters move with the current design then I am all ears and sitting ready with pen in hand to absorb the knowledge. ;)
<i> “no one says this kind of stuff to anyone who sculpts a head from a sphere..cause that couldn't move either without retopology, right?? we don't say "Hey you plan to retopologize that? cause its nonfuctional, it looks good but nonfuctional for animation... We don't say that cause it doesn't Matter..this is a zbrush forum...”</i>
They don’t? I must be visiting the wrong forums. So what if this is a Zbrush form. That’s just not a good enough reason to sensor or berates other people’s feedback. Again if you feel like commenting on my sketch thread feel free to. Though mind the dust as I haven’t got around to adding anything new to it in the last 18 month. :D
<i>So.. Stop hating...only suckers do that.. and you're not a sucker are you????</i>
Nope sir not a sucker that’s for sure. I don’t hate as it takes far too much concentration and effort to actual HATE something. I'm just direct and to the point.
Regards and thanks for your time everyone!
Keep up the awesome art Ced66
<i>Renier.</i>Awesome work Cedric !
Fantastic work as always Cedric !
Don’t think it’ll deform well though 
This is great work!!!
Triple thumbs up!
But I just happened to see the knees and now and realize that, comments on this forums get to the point…
I agree with the functionnality issue, when it’s hard to think hows’ a knee going to bend if it has an unbendable metal plate behind it.
I happened to have the same issue with one of my characters. Just had to free the back of the knee from any “stiff” material. Take a look at any medieval armor, the knees and elbows are always free from any cumbersom, unflexible objects. That way they can always move fluently, or so to speak.
Great design by the way!
Amazing!