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Dune - Sand Worm WIP

ZBrush Artworks
#1

I think my first post of this either didnt go through or was deleted…
Anywho, this is my current WIP!

I have a ton WIPs but this one I plan on finishing along with a sweet comp in photoshop. This sand worm is from the older movie Dune. I remember the first time I saw it I was in complete awe of the gigantic sand/spice worm. Im aiming to try and roughly recreate a scene from the movie, kind of where the worm is busting through the sand with the moons in low orbit.

I tried to search for online references but I was able to collect about 6 or so, all the same basic angle. If anyone knows the creature a bit better, I am open to suggestions for sculpting. As always, C&C always welcome!

Originally I sculpted the two mouth pieces on the same model, but realized that it would be difficult to get the seperation.
duneworm1.jpg

Attachments

duneworm2.jpg

duneworm4.jpg

#2

Nice start needs more defined lips though.

#3

Great idea, I love Dune. Goodluck with your sculpt!

#4

if your looking for more sand worm referances the dune book covers have some great depictions of sandworms

#5

macattack - Thanks, I agree about the lip area. I was waiting to find some better references before really digging in so its as accurate as possible. Looks like Ill have to buy the DVD :slight_smile:

Wozrush - Thank you for the encouragement!

twigdamnyou - Thats a good idea, Ill check that out.

#6

hey this is a nice start, are you basing it off the movie or the tv series?

could someone out there explain the relation of the spice and the worms to me, do the worms eat the spice or are they themselves the spice and therefore protect the burial grounds of other worms when people mine for spice.

#7

spaceboy412 - Thanks! I am baseing this off of the original movie (1984) and not the tv series. I havent seen the tv series yet, sadly, but I did see the sandworms from it… I personally like the original sandworm better but the tv series’ is pretty cool too…maybe Ill do that after this one is completed.

As for the worms and the spice… from what I understand from the quick reading I did on wikipedia, the spice is a byproduct of the sandworms or their life cycle. They are also extremely territorial so when the harvesters go out, the worms attack.

#8

Very nice go out of the gates.
Looking forward to more on this one.
The worm has been on my to do list but can never decide on old school or go with the new worm.

#9

After nearly an hour of looking, I found Dune in my collection stock pile of VHS movies. I quickly glanced through it and theres a ton of great views of the sandworms so I should be able to get a lot done this weekend :D. Painting the model might be a bit of a challenge for me because of the color layers the worm has. The main color based on the movie is dark grey/black but the sand overtop illuminates the creature. Hopefully photoshop postwork will help out for the final comp.

Unless anyone has any suggestions?

#10

I’m deffo buying Dune on DVD tomorrow, really want to see it again after viewing your thread. Looking forward to what you come up with! :slight_smile:

#11

AARON, i would think you could do the sand reflection with lights or even a matcap. I did some searching too looking for the old toy, i figured it would have the correct colors, they seemd to make it more a tan with very large dark brown/black bands.
thanks for the info about the spice/worm connection, i also just read that water is harmful to the worms, so doesn’t that mean at the end of the movie the worms would be dying? hmm…
you can also make it look like this :lol:

Attachments

cat-dunecat-lg.jpg

#12

Wozrush - Glad I could bring back the memory haha. Im considering the same…VHS after 10-15 years sucks.

spaceboy412 - Yes the lighting, materials and painting techniques are going to be something that Ill have to play around with. I didnt know they made a toy…I want it now. I suppose the worms at the end would be dying…never did think about that. Thats a great pic, it would be humorous for giant cute kitty-headed-sandworm to be crushing and eating everyone :lol:

#13

I hope I havent lost anyone’s interest for not updating frequently…:o

I worked on it some tonight, mostly texturing. Im not sure if I over did the texturing, but the material/shader kind of emphasizes it a bit. I think I will start working on the rest of the scene to get the gears moving again. Im planning on having this worm blasting out of the sand, kind of off in the distance, while a Fremin is pointing at it. After looking at the second picture, I think I might make a comp of Fremin running as the worm chases after them…or the Harkonin Shock Troops. Oh the possibilites! :smiley:
I think painting the teeth will be a challenge, they arent subtools. I used the SnakeHook tool to pull them out…

duneworm5.jpg

Attachments

duneworm6.jpg

#14

Looking cool! I always loved those beasties! “The Spice…and the worms are one…” -Paul muadib

#15

:smiley: Thank you, skullbeast! Ill post more as soon as I can.

#16

looking great man, for the future i would suggest using a material that has no real specularity, the worms didnt really shine with all that sand and spice. also don’t forget to make the segments, you know the ones that paul stuck that pike into and the worm rolled over.

#17

After watching Dune again last week, I seem to remember the worms had plates running down thier bodies? Yeah that’s right cause Paul jams that big fork thing in there to get himself to the top of one.

…so yeah, no plates?

#18

Thanks for the comments, spaceboy412 and Wozrush. Thinking back, I do agree on the material. I do have segments sculpted into the body, but they are a bit further back and the texturing kind of erased them. Ill have to go back with some masking and redo them. Trying to decide if I want to texture the whole body (what you see in the pic is probably 1/8 of it), my final comp wont be showing a ton of the body since the head will be bursting through the sand. More updates soon!

#19

Thank you pointing out the segments, it looks a bit better now. I dont know yet if Ill make them more defined sculpting wise, or if Ill do that when I paint. I also added more teeth and a bit more texturing on the tip of the mouth pieces. Still not too sure what material to use, I spent some time going through a lot but couldnt find any that hit the stop. Low spec and high cavity. Slowly but surely Im getting there.

duneworm7.jpg

Attachments

duneworm8.jpg

#20

hey looking a lot better, i just spent the last few minutes trying to make a shader for you but zbrush crashed. so try this, take the basic mat2, and turn spec all the way off, then take the diffuse curve and blow it up, like takign up most of the space. then at the bottom turn the ambient occusion to somtihng like .15. i’ll play somemore later and maybe upload what i’ve got. really liking where the model is at right now.