Hello.
I agreed to make a model and sculpt of a few Reindeer for Ulco, so I could practice at not sucking at modeling.
In this post I present the low polly model, before sculpting begins.
Please C&C and help me to not suck at modeling ;D
That is already looking magnificent, Michael! Never noticed that they had such 'prehistoric' heads/necks.
The structure and sizes of parts look good. But I would give the model a more relaxed stance (legs and head/neck tilt/curve. I think many models of animals like these have too stretched necks, so they look kind of rigid. I found some examples. One model from turbosquid having this elongated stretched look, which is not very nice, and give away it being a model. Two more real photo's where the necks are curved more relaxed. Nicer, I think.
Don't worry much about the pose, Ulco. I will rig and pose at the very end of the process. It necessarily has to be done at the end since I will use the same base shell I posted above for the other versions of the model. Its just easier to keep everything straight forward and clear for me.
The low polly you see above should make animating/posing the models nice and clean. Not sure about the high polly yet.
Before I move forward, I just need to build the inside of the deer; mouth, teeth, gums, so on. And do a little work on the muscle structure, and the tail as it is very ugly right now. Also the beard, have to decide if that will be fur/hair or sculpt, or simple polygons and texture.
The only problems I am having is the fur. Its not that I cant find out how to do fur. But that a version will have fur in Maya, but not the sculpt. So maybe I should sculpt the deer as if it had beed shaved or even skinned. And then add fur to that in Maya. Or attempt to sculpt the fur in mudbox. But I have not seen to many sculpts with fur from any software that look like photos.
For photoreal deer that will be a good distance from the camera, its no problem. But I want at least one model that can be in the camera's face and fool a untrained eye; Granted, a lot of that will be on the TG2 render though.
Also, I have a good amount of questions about how to do this in terms of importing into TG2. Again, the background deer are no problem. But up close, do to the issues with displacement, a very large file will be necessary (I think). Luckily, TG2 can deal with big object files with many many faces, very well! Vue sure cant from what I have read.
Still, I think all of the issues I am learning about from doing this project with you, I think will be solved when full FBX object support is up and running (as I understand it anyway).
Can lightwave read FBX?
You're way ahead of me with modeling, obviously. I never worked with 'rigged' models, and don't know what FBX is, so I'm no good advisor in that respect. I'll just give you thumbs up and you have all my confidence!
Quote from: TheBadger on February 27, 2013, 01:54:31 AM
...
Can lightwave read FBX?
Yes but as always in different file formats there are problems sometimes.
The objects that i tried were old ones. So you have to try guys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRewBck4QPc
Lightwave 11.5 is out now.
Look at the "Interchange" part for example:
https://www.lightwave3d.com/overview/
Thanks Kadri, I'm guessing those links are more for Ulco's benefit than mine. But I really enjoyed the youtube link. I hope TG3 will allow us to move through our terrains so nicely
Ulco, it looks like at least you can open FBX, with perhaps some issues as Kadri warns. But this is good news because I can get the models to you just as I make them in Maya, and you should be able to more easily open and alter them, before taking them into TG2
I will rig a simple deer (no uv's) and save as an fbx to send you. You can try to open it and see what you can see. Of course I'll pose the finals like we talked about, but this should give you a lot more flexibility to use the models and create many more variations for your populations in TG2.
By the way, just because... I am running into very strange things on google as I look for source images.
#1 the inside of a deers mouth is kinda gross. And #2, even a search on google for deer will eventually lead you to hard core porn. I am surprised that, that surprised me.
As to both...
[attach=1]
Finished the Low Polly, Ulco. I will get something to you to look at soon so we can figure out how best for me to finish.
Holy cow, that's low poly? Looks great already. I am beginning to understand how you guys work with the rigging of a model. You have this basic stance and you add some internal sticks that can move the feet, neck, etc. have to dive into that more, I guess. But time is so short to do all I want.....
Hmmmm. It does kinda look like a cow.
I think the mane and antlers, with a proper pose, will fix that though. ;D
Crap, just learned that Caribou are wild reindeer. But there are differences from breeding.
Caribou vs reindeer http://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/weddell-seals-in-the-ross-sea/journals/2011-02-24
I'm not sure if your getting reindeer models, or Caribou, Ulco.
Edit] Ahhhhh, so the the 2nd image you posted, Ulco, is a Caribou, and the 3rd image is of 2 reindeer. Looks like you are getting a Caribou Ulco. Cause thats what I have been using as a source image...
I guess I just learned something new.
I actually knew they were not exactly the same, but it was in the very back of my mind. Thanks for the link, very interesting to 'catch up'. The Caribou is just fine, as in those days (around ice ages) they weren't really domesticated ;). And they still might even have looked quite the same across the northern hemisphere, who knows....
Just learned that there's a herd on Georgia Island or something like that, near Antarctica. Food for the old whale hunters. But they want them out as they're introduced of course. Same with the millions of rats.....
Soon Ulco, soon :)
Wow! Those antlers are incredible! And so is the rest of course. Great job!
One thing; maybe you should look at the mouth and make it a bit more 'relaxed' ( http://journeyswithjoyce.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/caribou-head-up.jpg (http://journeyswithjoyce.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/caribou-head-up.jpg) ). He's kind of grinning a bit too much, IMHO.
Amazing work very impressive modelling.
Thanks mhaze
Dune,
I will probably close the mouth. I just wanted you to know its all there; Teeth, gums, strange hard plate thing on the roof of the mouth, because they don't have upper teeth, also the throat. The only thing not represented is the molars, it got tedious, and I got a little board. But it will be there if you want it.
Theres still a ton to do :-\
Very nice modeling. Keep at it!
Took a long break from this cause I was sick of looking at it. But just got back on it and finished the low polly.
Going to map it, rig it, sculpt it, paint it, and be done with it.
nice modeling badger. it will look a lot better once all the textures are on there.
It will probably even look better than the test I did.
looking good!
:)
Looks good but all the antlers are identical ;)
I sent Ulco a unfinished UN-MAPPED model to play with while he waited for the finished one. It looks great ulco!!! But it will look even better, because there will be more geometry for the textures and color to sit on! You did a great job with the color I think. I am sure you will be able to create a large number of variations. Sorry you had to map the test ::) The rest will come mapped for you ;D
I agree about the antlers all looking the same. I knew this was going to be an issue.
I am making a bull (the one seen in this thread) a cow, and a yearling. I will also make a young male. Which can also be used as a female since female caribou have antlers the same as young males. Each will come in several poses (action, rest, grazing)
But the antlers are still going to be an issue. They were the most time consuming part to make for me.
I will do at least one variation of the antlers for the bull. But it may be good if Ulco works up a few variations from the model he has now.
Ulco, just cut the antlers two or three polygons above the head and then alter them. Then you can just replace the antlers on a finished model. Just save them for later. I was never really happy with them as they are now anyway. They are ok I guess. But I had something else in mind when I started. The 2nd pair should be closer to what I wanted when I started.
These look nice:
or these
Were there wolves in the place you are making Ulco? I should make a wolf.
A otherwise worthless fact I learned while doing this is that, while Reindeer will flee a threat as one heard, caribou will flee in groups and as individuals.
No eyes. Thats strange. Its possible that I missed selecting them when I made the OBJ. Are the teeth there? I know the tongue is not because I forgot to make it, I just made it yesterday... Looks good. I was playing with it in Maya, making the deer stick its tongue out and lick its lips.
Then I got it in my head to make a pair of fishnet stockings and high heels, and turn him into a transvestite. I was going to edit a short number of the deer doing a sexy dance to music from the The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But then I got board with the idea.
I will tell you that deer look funny in red lipstick, and aqua eye shadow.
I swear Im to easily distracted. This is why I still don't have my demo finished. I really don't get it. I don't even drink or smoke pot. Maybe I should start? I wonder if I would be more creative and efficient if I dropped acid? Do they even make acid any more, or is that too "90's"?
Im getting old, Im too old to drop acid. I have a son, and a daughter on the way. I probably shouldn't be dropping acid then...
Maybe when I have a mid life mid life crisis I'll do it. How old are you supposed to be when you have a mid life crisis? IF we live to be a 100 I would guess I should have one when Im 50. Ill mark it down on this new 75 year calendar my wife got me... Every page has a different image of a kitten. I really hate it because Im a dog person. But I don't have a dog anymore because my mom was watching it when I was on my honeymoon, and she let it out off the leash and it got hit by a delivery truck.
I heard you can order pot online and they will send it to you via fedeX. Or UPS if you prefer.
You know now that I think about it I bet there is a audience on youtube for hard core fetish videos featuring animated 3D deer and other animals. I could do a video where a deer is smoking a cigarette and insulting the manhood of the viewer. I bet that would get a ton of views. I don't think I could do that though, Its not a very nice way to earn money. I bet someone will steal this idea though. People will steal anything. One of the people I know has multiple sclerosis and one of the people he knows stole his medication as a joke. But that person never brought it back, so it wasn't very funny.
It would be weird if anyone read this. I wonder if it took you longer to read this than it took me to write it. I wonder how long I have been sitting here staring at this deer. I cant be sure because I didn't note the time when I sat down.
I should probably get back to work now.
You are a fascinating character Badger. :D
- Oshyan
Sounds like he needs some sleep. ;D
I took this photo at the Milwaukee county zoo.
[attachimg=1]
I dont think there is anything wrong with posting it here. Its very natural and this forum is all about nature meeting technology. And I don't know of anything more natural then monkeys making love in a zoo in front of lots of school children on a field trip.
I'm pretty sure if I had saved the video I could post it on Youtube. I bet that would get a lot of views. People like monkeys. they think monkeys are soooo cute. I guess I do too. But its much nicer to watch a little person ride a deer like a horse rather than a monkey. Monkeys don't like to wear a saddle. It would have been nice if the monkeys were wearing clothing that day. But I don't think they earn enough money at the zoo to pay for clothing for the animals. They only charged us 11 dollars to park our car. and 10 dollars each to enter the zoo. I saw a monkey drive a car once, but he didn't get very far. At least I think it was a he. It would help if he was wearing clothes though. Boy monkeys should wear trousers, and girl monkeys should wear a dress.
You should write more, Michael. Makes life so much more fun. And regarding this
QuoteI saw a monkey drive a car once, but he didn't get very far
It was most likely a female :P
Michael...that is fantastic/funny/ironic!!!!
Please keep going!
Cheers
Jason
:))
Ps Ulco... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-22334530 ?
:))
You guys should not encourage my insanity. I am on the verge of crossing into total idiocy. I suspect it will not be pretty.
OK OK I just did it!
I just sent a jpg of my penis to every Congressman in the House of Representatives. I titled the e-mail " My weiner, Anthony"
And at the bottom of the image I put "Vote for me" in Photoshop type.
The Revolution has begun!
I hope it was comic sans!
::))
No. Helvetica, despite that I deeply resent it on a very personal level.
It was very small size too ???.. I mean the type.
Ulco,
What is the grass you used in your test render on page 2? Also, may I see a screen capture of how you set up the color variations/dead patches in the populations, please?
Hey Mike,
It's the internal grass, so very basic, with some PF's to vary it. I'll send you a tgc.