Anim8or Community

Learning by trying is the real trick in this program... This is a good little "first ever" model.

I know that every time I start something I learn some new technique just by experimenting, and then end up many times starting over and making something a little better than the previous attempt.

I look forward to seeing your rework, because I think it'd be cool to compare it with the first, and make for a more meaningful display of "see what I learned?"

As for anatomical preciseness, I would say you go with what ever looks "cool!"  And what's taking shape already outdoes the original sketch! The way the leg, claw and head are more pronounced proportionally, and as for the chains-idea, the whole thing's obviously made for the "mean and rough", not the "what works most practically"... so go for it all the way!  In fact, if anything, the chain links should be larger, thicker, to put a real "Heavy Metal" attitude.  After all, this thing's taking on a definite look right from a "Heavy Metal" magazine cover!

Alright... I realized this was taking an entirely too "realistic" shape... the original idea was to be more whimsical, "toon'ish," so I'm scrapping the above work and starting anew. Working from the "end product" outward, meaning putting together the "burger basket meal", and will branch out from that to the whole diner.  So here we go, starting with your bare necessities - ketchup and mustard, and the starting of a food basket!


Note, these are fatso-bottles, for extra "gotta squeeze it" effect!

yeah... I mussed up... my bad...
fixing

A long time ago I had a wild idea for doing some things tied in with my favorite Seattle area radio station... I've decided to re-start these... and starting with "The Noon Diner".  Here are the "inspiration images" for doing the exterior:


...and here's the model W.I.P. so far... I wanted to get the windows all sorted, and will begin working out the walls, roof and entrance from this framework...


Once the exterior is done, I'll be going on to work the interior details... something along these lines...


Let the doctor know I have my stool sample ready? 


I made ketchup and mustard bottles but can't find them now. Will just have to make them again (no big deal).

Wow!  That's wild! The general shape, textures, and the whole composition is really powerful and plausible!  Except, as stated before, the feet look a bit too dainty... I'd expect to see some pretty big "toes" to balance that mass of tonnage!

Thanks, Floyd... Will work that and see what is to be seen when I get back home this weekend.

I don't think I mentioned, I borrowed tthe eyeball design from another one of my models - this goblin that some may have seen before...


I was IMing with EricAug this morning, and talking about the way the eyeball is made.... He thought of a great way to make "expanding/contracting irises"... with the iris being concave, all I'd need is a flat black panel on a bone that would slide forward and backward, and there you have the illusion of the black iris "hole" shrinking and expanding as the panel surface moves back and forth.  Hadn't quite got to the point of animation work, but definitely a bonus reason for the concave iris!

One thing really screwed up after the subdivided of the head... there's a blobbing effect below the nose, hard to see in these screenshots, but I need to do some rework there... and am not entirely happy with the nostrils, so need to do something with those as well.

Have you ever seen SimCity 4? I originally got involved with 3D modeling because I was interested in making custom models of structures for SimCity 4... using a freeware program called gmax (www.turbosquid.com)... gmax is a lot like 3ds-max, but without the animation and such features... strictly "still models".

A couple of the SimCity 4 fan forums:

http://www.simtropolis.com/  Featured a project where the members worked together to create an entire SimCity 4 mod with Mars for its theme.

http://www.simcitycentral.net/