Airman

[fak0r]

excellent landis! :) looks like he doesnt want to goto Iraq

[Alice]

great and cute little modell, not realy anything to mark on :)
I do hope you get time to do the animation.

[iNFERNiS]

hah, great model! He has a lot of character.
Love the logo to, nice! :buttrock:

[Landis]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

iNFERNiS,

Here is a larger view of the logo or title screen for the Airman.


http://www.landisfields.com/TITLE.jpg

[soundwav_]

I like it a LOT, and I do hope you would make an animated short! or an animated long! :)

I love the logo as well... though I think it might look better if airman would be closer to the "R", and the "A" would be closer to him... it just looks a bit -- detached.

Great model! How about some poses & maybe a wireframe? :beer:

[D7X]

:applause: as i said on 3DT, "holy sugarmuffin, there is a god"

[Landis]

Here is a the concept art and a test render of the Airman's supervisor, the N.C.O. (Non Commisioned Officer).


http://www.landisfields.com/ncoconceptart.jpg



http://www.landisfields.com/nco.jpg

[LoneLobo]

aaahaha, great concept and visualization !:applause:

[Landis]

Oh I almost forgot...... here is a test render of the N.C.O. strapped into his prop, the "SHAFT-O-MATIC".

http://www.landisfields.com/ncoandshaft.jpg



http://www.landisfields.com/shaftomatic.jpg

[SGT.Squeaks]

Very nice and well done, some of the best blender work I've seen. :applause:

[Landis]

Here is an updated version of the Airman (desert goggles, laced boots, completed ears) along with a sneek peek of his deployed location "Tent City".


http://www.landisfields.com/airman2.jpg



http://www.landisfields.com/tentcity.jpg

[ryguy]

Very nice concept. Great to see you're taking full advantage of Blender!

~Ryan

[swadepgh]

Great concepts! I really like the NCO character.

Can't wait to see the short!

:applause:

[FLOw]

excellent

good luck! :D

[wgreenlee1]

hahaha Love this guy..
He is like "WTF...?IRAQ!"....

[kotter]

This looks great :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

can't wait to see the final animation :buttrock: :buttrock:

[Totitch]

Great great work!

Funny Characters! Good stylisation and proportions!

Just one critic...Eyes of the soldier are really too big for me....

The bad one is really nice! :D Make me think to the strange movie "Vibroboy" because of the strange weapon! :surprised
"Vibroboy" ...Strange movie (http://wwwusers.imaginet.fr/~jkounen/vibro-html/indexvo.html)

Agian...Great work!

[Landis]

Here is a look at the developement phase of he dumpster.....


http://www.landisfields.com/dumpster.jpg



.....this is a brainstorming sheet.



http://www.landisfields.com/brainstorm.jpg

[Entangle]

I am sooooo diggin this. It looks hella cool, whens the anim out?

[Gentle Fury]

WOW!!!!!!!!!

This is truely an example of what the right person can do with a confusing and poorly created 3D package.........this is some high end work coming out of blender!!!!!

AMAZING!!!

I have never seen someone use that package so efficiently!

This is a great lesson to those artists that try and blame the canvas for their inadaquacies!!!!!!!!

[piajartist]

thats too funny!:applause:

[TheVision]

Just Amazing...Hopefully one day I'll be able to create something so good. Keep us updated with the actual animation (can't wait). :)

[Landis]

Here is the B.D.U. (the opposite of the desert Uniform) version of the Airman that I have been working on.



http://www.landisfields.com/airman3.jpg

[lmc]

Good job, great concerp and i likw the bad guy more....coz its really seens good in charaterlistic and propotion....good good, keep posing....thanks:beer: :thumbsup: :applause:

[OpTiX]

i like the little guy.. this otta be a grrrrreat anim, keep it up.:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :beer:

[Landis]

Here is the some N.C.O. concept art.........


http://www.landisfields.com/ncoconceptart.jpg



........and here is a test render of the inside of the latrine A.K.A. "The Sh****er Tent"



http://www.landisfields.com/latrine.jpg

[xLonewolfx]

man i like that dude!

he is cool, very nice work

i think it will look great in a game, rayman style?


:applause:

[caffeineman]

Whoa dear! that shaft o matic is quite phallic! quite humorous!

[blackwulf360]

I am still tripping over how cool the characters look! That's one CO I don't what to piss-off. Great work!

[MaDeuce]

Sweet! Fantastic character developement. Feet may be a little large(hard to animate?) I like the proportion of the sketch a little better. But you obviously know what your doin. KEEP DOIN IT!!:buttrock:

[MVP]

I hate to do this because it is picky as hell but I agree that the AIRMAN logo definatley needs to be tighter together. Apart from that crit I think it is absolutley fantastic and would love to see an animation. I hate it when really good CG people can draw brilliantly as well!!:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Landis]

I am very sorry I have been away. My base just finished up an excersize and that takes alot out of you so you can imagine that the only thing on my mind for the past couple of weeks has been my bed! However, if it were not for difficult times like these the Airman would not have been born....so.... I like to fool myself into thinking that it will all make for great material in the long run.
Now....while I have been away from my computer for the last few days, my mind has been engulfed in animaton. My lovely wife recently purchased 2 new books on animation for me to study...one of which is by Preston Blair. If I am going to do it I am going to do it right. Unfortunately until then you will all have to settle for an updated, little bit brighter, almost fully rigged, version of the Airman.
Cheers all,
Landis
http://www.landisfields.com/airman5.jpg

[aenema]

i love your work landis, it all looks great :)

[Landis]

Ok.....I havent posted in a while.....sorry I hope you will all understand. Lately I have been working with Yafray (a raytracer). Its very exciting for me since I have read quite a bit about it and have always wondered what the Airman would look like raytraced. This is what I got so far.....

http://www.landisfields.com/airman_yafray_006.jpg

...just trying to get familiar with the lighting overall. I am going to start on textures today I think....that or work on the shitter truck a little bit.

Cheers,
Landis

[FallenSwordsman]

This looks excellent, Landis. Very imaginative concept and great characterization. I love what I'm seeing so far. No crits, just excellent work!:applause:

[Landis]

FallenSwordsman,

Thank you for taking the time to view my work.
Take care.

Cheers,
Landis

[blastzone]

hey landis good to see u finally posted this i was watching the post on elysiun before i was worried that airman had joined the biggest category of anything there is, unfinnished projects

be good to see him animated

[Landis]

blastzone,

Thanks! unfinifshed......not at all! This little guy means to much to me for that to happen. I have been working on texturing inside of YAFRAY....figuring it out and becoming pretty comfortable with it I might add. Heres a sneek peek of the little guy with a textured face.

http://www.landisfields.com/airman_yafray_007.jpg

I will keep you posted as more developes. I havent leaked much since this pic so you can count on some more very soon.

Cheers,
Landis

[Orbitronio]

he is so freaking cute. Fantastic job. I really admire your skill in 3d and drawing. Keep it up :applause: :applause: :thumbsup:

[Blackhorse]

Landis: above all, your idea and the skill are very excellent. Thank you to share the prosess of the project. I've learn a lot. this from the concept to screen work is not easy. I am also doing another work by myself.

keep on posting.

cheers:applause:

[FallenSwordsman]

Landis - its great to know you're still working on this project - I think that one thing that defeats most people in this happy world of 3D is a loss of motivation or they get stuck on a point and then don't go any further but this project is showing itself to be a real gem - I really have enjoyed what I've seen so far. The characterization is great. Best of luck with it all.

[Landis]

I have just finished a long and painful struggle with YABLE (a script for Blender that exports the scene to an .XML for use in YAFRAY). This image might not seem as much but I am curently learning to create layered shaders (color, spec, bump, etc.) inside of YAFRAY which is not supported inside of Blender itself so it is a little new to me. I have been struggling with the re-texturing of the entire model (since I textured him using Blenders native procedural method initially). Anyways here it is, hot off the processor:

http://www.landisfields.com/yafray_closeup.jpg

And here is some additional stuff used as a reference while modeling the wrinkles as shown in the YAFRAY render:see below

http://www.landisfields.com/wrinkles.jpg

This is a very rough test render so be ready for more on this VERY soon.

Take care.

Cheers,
Landis

[kotter]

good to see your'e still working on this :thumbsup:

verry nice start on the helmet, waiting for more...

[Hollis J Wood]

this is looking awesome.

[Landis]

Thanks for the feedback:wavey:

[Landis]

LOL....well....I have been playing around with the lights inside of blender again...man Blender is a nice app. Anyways...I am trying to see if I can come up with a YAFRAY style render using Blender...I actually am utilizing what Blender lacks in my favor...realistic lighting! The key is exageration. I am still trying to play with the mood of the pic. He (the AIRMAN) is still very much a work in progress! Anyways here he is...let me know what you think:

http://www.landisfields.com/airman_new_blender_render.jpg

I am sure that with some practice I could nail the lighting inside of YAFRAY as well but I am just so comfortable with Blender that everything just seems to come naturally. Blender is such a good application. I am also working on a way to fake the light being captured in an object (the phenomenon is called BFDR...BDRF or something...I cant remember but I am sure that some of you are familiar with it). For example: when looking at someones ear in front of some type of light source, the light seems to be captured inside of the flesh, showing off all of the veins,etc.

Cheers,
Landis

[FallenSwordsman]

Looking good, Landis - he's coming along very nicely and I'm glad to see that you're still going with this project after so much time! The lighting is certainly looking very nice on him. Needs more of a background to him if you want a proper mood in there but still I can see where you're trying to take him. :applause:

[Sceme]

fantastic.....awesome stuff...frontpage material if u ask me...even this is still a WIP...:thumbsup:

[Landis]

First things first.....

FallenSwordsman,

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you following my work. You seem to always have some feedback and as you may have fusured out...this is my passion....not just this particular project but 3d in general. I get soo excited while reading my animation books that I can hardly keep myself away from the computer...DISCIPLINE....I HAVE TO STAY FOCUSED...lol....anyways thanks again for everything man.


Sceme,

Thank YOU for the compliment as well.:) They too are appreciated.


Now......tonite I have been working on his personality a little. I will post a series of new poses for him. Hopefully you will all be able to identify with him soon. Anyways here is what I got so far. Again just playing around with some ideas:

http://www.landisfields.com/airman_010.jpg

More to come....

Cheers,
Landis

[kotter]

he's looking really good now.

Are you planing to give him a gun and a ditch somewhere? :thumbsup:

[nobrain]

I really have to say this is the most interesting wip on the forum.
A huge amount of creativity here equalled by fantastic 3d skills.
I'm inspired, the first 3d prog I ever got was blender, but all I could do was model a meta sphere.

Its cool to see someone make use of such an ugly and not so user friendly 3d program that has the only the bare essentials of 3d modelling and rendering, I don't they make afterburn and final render for blender.

Great Work man!!!

[Landis]

kotter,

Well...it is going to be...how should I say...:rolleyes:...very realistic. I have already modeled some guns and I plan to introuce them with the character VERY soon. I hope you will all enjoy what I have in mind.

nobrian,

Yes....Blender does lack some of the tools present in some of the more "indistry standard" applications of today, however, there are plenty tools to make your dreams come true and that tool box is constantly growing due to the many motovated programmers and artists from the user community. "Afterburn and final render"? I assume these are renders...well...Blendr does have YAFRAY (the raytracer used mostly by the Blender community). It is VERY powerful, although a little difficult to work with if you are unfamiliar with raytracers like I am. If you read some of the posts prior to this you will see that I am currently trying to become more comfortable with this application.

I would like to thank you both for taking the time to view my work.

[Landis]

Well...lol...here's some more:


http://www.landisfields.com/airman_011.jpg


It looks sooooo out of place which is exactly what I want! Does'nt he look ackward with that damn thing...it just does'nt look right at all does it? Exactly.

Perfect.

Cheers,
Landis

P.S. More to come.....maybe even some animation ;) .:)

[ppself]

this all great stuff :buttrock: cant wait for the animation.

[Landis]

Playing around with different postures. Now...this one is actually more natural and I thought of it immediatley, however, I want to give the impression of the weight of the rifle. It is very heavy to him...and I really didnt want him to be able to lift the rifle without straining...nevertheless, here is the image:

http://www.landisfields.com/airman_012.jpg

Oh, by the way...I will be adding a strap to the rifle as well...it would just be too easy to animate without it so why not :eek:...I am a psycho....what am I thinking!

Cheers,
Landis

[ppself]

lean his shoulder with gun then and bend the knee some very easy

[Landis]

Thanks! I will try that....as soon as I get home from work...I have to go in right now...until then here is a better relaxed version of him:

http://www.landisfields.com/airman_013.jpg

Cheers,
Landis

[ODIN_6]

This dude is tight man... most pilots have flight vest they wear
instead of the "LBE" he is wearing... a side arm would look good
on him also....


I like it ,, I like it alot

[kotter]

LOL :thumbsup:

Looks like the sarge just gave him that big gun and told him to shoot someone :scream:

[Landis]

ppself,

You are absolutley right. Thanks! I am very sorry about that . A couple of buddies of mine from the Blender community (beatabix and broken) brought this to my attention as well. :shame: I see it now. The rifle is heavy...he is having to essentlially pullllllll it closely upward to the inside of his body which would actually result in his left knee beeing straighter than the right one!

:lightbulb The more I think about it, it has to be close to the torso of his body becasue if it is indeed heavy, he simply could not hold it out very far from himself due to his lack of strength. I tried mimicking this in the mirror. His right arm would be tight to the side because of the strain due to the force he is pulling on his left...it makes ALOT more sense now. Once again back to the drawing board :shrug: .

Thanks everyone! More to come very very soon.

Cheers,
Landis

[Landis]

Ok.....it still needs a little work especially his grip on the rifle itself and his facial expression...however I have to GO to work...so...this is what I got:

http://www.landisfields.com/airman_014.jpg

Now go ahead and critique the hell out of it till theres nothing left! :annoyed: .

Cheers,
Landis

[Joss]

you know... that's the bad thing about posting stills. everyone can really get picky.

I think when your character is moving and speaking lines then it won't matter.

we'll just be focusing on motion. :scream:

oh yeah, it's another sunny day in FL. :cool:

[Landis]

Joss,

Yeah....I agree...to an extent...I am a VERY picky individual...if I do end up working in this industry, that will be the one problem I have...trying to get everything "just right". If it were up to me in a production, I would edit each frame individually inside of phtoshop until its perfect! I understand that probably MOST of the time this just isnt very realsitic, however, this is what I intend to do with a small animation test using him...I want everything to have perfect rythym, placement, ...everything! To tell you the truth I am VERY unhappy with the latest post of him...I think that I either have something VERY out of place...or I rREALLY over did it....I cant quite put my finger on it but I have all nite so I will definately come up with SOMETHING before the sun comes up tommorow. I am going to try and find something a little closer to what he is lifting and stand in front of the miror again...last time I used an old antique cast iron theatre chair that we have in our house...it was definately ackward...but I am not sure if that is the right way to go. Anyways...until I get to the bottom of this, here is a wireframe of my latest mistake:

http://www.landisfields.com/airman_014_wire.jpg

Cheers,
Landis

[Fossor]

Wow! Great stuff, Landis! :)

This guy reminds me myself (i'm solder just like you and him, but in Israel Air Force).

Air Fores Rulez! :buttrock:

[Landis]

Fossor,

Really! That is awesome man! Yeah....I have about nine months left and my time in the military will be done. I am 24, and am married. My wife and I will be moving to San Francisco so that I can attend the academy of Art college. I will also be scoping out places to work, although I already have my scope set on one particular place but nevertheless, things change, so we will have to wait and see what happens as far as that goes. Do they have any graphics schools there? What do YOU plan on doing? Do yo have a project? If so feel free to post a link in my thread.

Take care Fossor, and thanks for taking the time to view my work.

Cheers,
Landis

[Landis]

Ok...here is a "fun size" update for you all....I eventually intend on maybe having the brass actually falling from the rifle while its being fired for an animation but for now you get the aftermath....I know...he doesnt really look like he just shot that thing but I am working on that now. Anyways, heres what I got:


http://www.landisfields.com/airman_012_brass.jpg


More to come soon!

Cheers,
Landis

[orozimbo]

Congratulations Landis. While I appreciated your work I wonder how you made the militar stuff with so many details. I say that ´cause the cartoon style doesn´t need it and you done, and that make the diference!

When you mention you are in army I realized that the details in militar stuffs aren´t what got my attention. The expressions in all characters did it for me, I´ve been in army ten years a go, and that was what I saw!

That´s a really great work!

Inté,
Guilherme Lopes

[Troy]

Wow, this is brilliant. I'm very much looking forward to an animation.
He looks as if he doesn't know what he's fighting for or why he's there...

It's suprising, the number of people in the military on this forum.



Peace out.

[Fossor]

This is funny Landis, we have so many things in common. :beer:

I'm 24 too. Three years ago i have graduated from technological college, software engineering department. I have two month left to end my military way of life, then will have to search for the job, do not know in which branch. Currently i'm studying 3ds max at home (the good thing about israel army is that you can be at home more time than in army :D ). Regrettably 3d is not advanced in Israel Universities, but the internet is good source of knowledge. All that is necessary to know, it how to study. :)

Well here is the thread (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=88129) i've started several days ago.

And this is my homepage (http://www.geocities.com/fossor_online/)

Keep going with your works! :applause:

Pax vobiscum!

[Landis]

Ok...I still need to do a little more to the mask as far as the garment that hangsdown from it covering the shoulders and some other stuff as far as straps and such but I just wanted to show you guys before I go into town. I will be back tonite with some more updates. Anyways, here it is:

http://www.landisfields.com/airman_013_gasmask.jpg

Take care.

Cheers,
Landis

[Landis]

I added an ammo can to the rifle render and tweaked the colors a little to match the the look and feel I am going for down the road:


http://www.landisfields.com/airman_012_ammocan.jpg


I am also working on the gas mask render right now so I will have some changes for that render probably here in another hour or so!

Take care.

Cheers,
Landis

[Landis]

Here is anotehr gasmask test render with the eyes as they would be with dark anti-glare lenses...let e know on this because I am a little hesitent. Also, added the mask straps (below HIS right ear there is one that is visible) and the microphone texture map (which I am still working on).

http://www.landisfields.com/airman_gasmask.jpg

Cheers,
Landis

[Landis]

Here is a hooded version of the gasmask render...not sure if I like it much though....but again...its just a test render:


http://www.landisfields.com/airman_gasmask_001.jpg

More to come...in the morning...time for bed now...damn....I have to be to work in 5 hours....man...I DEFINATELY have to land a job doing this when I get out or I wont last past 30.

Cheers,
Landis

[FallenSwordsman]

I haven't looked in for a little bit and this character has really progressed. The accessories are adding a lot to him and just add weight to the expression on his face. The gas mask is quite a contrast to his helmet - the helmet having a very beaten up look to the gas masks sheen rubber. There is a part of me that thinks you lose a bit of his character by covering up his face, particularly his eyes with the gas mask, but I suppose that's what gas masks do anyway.

[Landis]

Excellent of you to notice such detail...so I guess that I am not so crazy after all. Yeah, I dont intend on using the gasmask all of the time...just a prop....I am hitting on different tests to see what I have to work with. The mask would only be a temporary thing, I just cant hide a face like that....really worked on that expression quite a bit...too much to cover it up. Thanks for your feedback man. I really appreciate you following up on my work. It means alot.

Cheers,
Landis

[DrEvils]

hey dude cool stuff, but ain't it 2003? you got copyright2002 on there. But that's just being too picky..... The guy looks sweet,those are some sweet eyes he's got too, very sad.......cool....

[Landis]

How exactly does the copyrighting work...do I have to change the copyright notice at the bottom of the page each time I update it (if ofcourse the year has infact changed;) ) or do I update it automatically every year?

Thanks ahead of time.

Cheers,
Landis

[orozimbo]

Ei Landis, I agree with FallenSwordsman but I don´t think you have to give up the mask. If the character will need it in the story, what about leave with transparent glasses. Like first mask update. It´s just a thought!

Inté,
Guilherme Lopes

[Landis]

.

[Landis]

Ok....here is the start of my expression studies. This is derived from an article I once read in 3D World magazine which discussed some of the tactics used by Ardman Animation Studios (creators of Chicken Run) in regards to thought expressed through eye behavior. Psychologists once studied the direct relation to eye movemnt and the thought process. The result was a basic breakdown in which I plan to use as a foundation of the AIRMAN's expressions. Anyways...here is ummm....my uh...thought sheet?


http://www.landisfields.com/closeup_charactersheet.jpg




Cheers,
Landis

[FallenSwordsman]

Yep this is absolutely right! I learned the same thing during my Psychology degree. Its also apparently used as an interrogation technique to find if someone is actually recollecting past sounds or events or just making something up. Eyes are very much the windows to the soul as they say. I like the "talking to himself" one. You can just imagine him standing there or sitting there looking down like that and just muttering to himself.

[Landis]

FallenSwordsman,

It is good to see that someone else appreciates such a study...when I first saw it I couldnt beleive the potential there...a very powerful tool if you ask me....especially when used in conjunction with other expressions!!

Anyways, here is a closeup shot of him:


http://www.landisfields.com/airman_closeup_002.jpg

[inglis]

born to kill ahaha

thats fine work landis :)
great facial expressions.

[Landis]

Here is a sneek peek at the AIRMAN's friend..."BROX". He is the reason why the AIRMAN throws all of his money away on gym supplements. His last name is "Broxon" (pronounced "brocks-in") but the AIRMAN just calls him "Brox".


http://www.landisfields.com/brox_001.jpg

[FallenSwordsman]

Interesting character- this opens up things nicely as you've got a nice idea for a secondary character and you've already got ideas regarding the relationship between the two characters. Sounds like the kind of guy Airman wishes he had a body like but just can't manage. Not quite sure about the cheekbones on this guy yet, but maybe its just the angle we're currently seeing him at. I just have a feeling that they may be overshadowing his ears a tad which might look odd in the front view. The design looks consistant with the Airman though which is a good thing. I think its probably all too easy to get a design inconsistancy that can throw out the whole look. I'll be interested to see how this character develops. Kudos to you!

[Landis]

Here is the latest on the modeling phase of Brox. I still need to add the other webstrap to his belt, a chain to hold the dog tags and a key to go on that same chain that goes to a lock that keeps what is important to him safe while he away from his tent. Only some of the items are curently textured too but I should have the rest completed here in the next couple of days including the rig thanks to Blenders new auto skinning...that is considering the armature deforms correctly...have had some problems with it but will have to see. Anyways, here he is so far:


http://www.landisfields.com/brox_002.jpg


More to come very soon....

Cheers,
Landis

[Landis]

...here are some angled views...


http://www.landisfields.com/brox_003.jpg

[Landis]

...and last but not least here is some facial expression shtuff I have been working on...


http://www.landisfields.com/facial_001.jpg

[Landis]

Now....here is some small thumbnails that I have created regarding how Brox would probably walk given his size and character analysis (which I need to post for both characters very soon). The first pic represents what I am aiming for right now and the second is nothing more than a sillouette of that one. The third one on the other hand is a sketch I did after having created the first one. I sketched the lines in the direction that I felt they flowed in order to get a better feel for the arcs within the body itself...I know it may sound strange but I do things like that. Anyways, here it is:


http://www.landisfields.com/brox_004.jpg

[JeBuS27]

My God this is amazing work! Your ability to create both the 2d and 3d work so similarly is just jaw-dropping. You have done a very good job on this, I hope you know that. When you finally rig up the facial animations I'm sure this will be something people will be talking about for a long time.

Keep up the good work.

[EricCartman]

Yo Landis,

This kicks ass!

BTW... what does your g/f say on you spending all the time behind the computer? :)

[_The_Paladin_]

dude it looks awesome, keep up the good work.

[Meka]

Very impressing and inspiring work!!! This is great material for a noob (and others too i suppose) as i am as it shows the entire creation process... thank you very much for posting all this :)

I'll be definitly keeping an eye or both on this thread...

[FallenSwordsman]

Hi Landis:

Brox is coming along great - plus you're giving us glimpses of his character - a key to keep what is important to him safe? That adds a bit of intrigue to the whole Airman project.

I'm slightly concerned about Brox's shoulders at the moment in that he doesn't seem to have much of them especially with his arms raised as they are. From your wireframes it looks like the arms are completely separate entities from the rest of the body and just overlap. Is this how its meant to be or are you eventually going to connect up the arms to the body? Is his shirt going to have buttons as well?

[Landis]

Well....I havent been around much but you can thank my Algebra teacher for that. I cant even manage to day dream about my work in there....the information is like water to a sponge...it saturates my mind to where it cannot possibly hold anything more! Anyways, I do have some good news for those of you who also use Blender and others that may be relatively new to 3D in general. Due to the recent release of issue 46 of 3D World, I am happy to annouce that my "Blender Problem Solving" tutorial can now be accessed from the tutorials section of my site. If you have any questions please submit them to the tutorials support thread that I created over at the 3D World forums (the link is provided on my site right after the link for the tutorial itself). As far as any information pertaining to the AIRMAN project, I have about 3 weeks of Algebra left so until then I am sorry but no eyecandy, however, I promise I will make it up to all of you. Take care and enjoy the tutorial.

Cheers,
Landis

[Landis]

Well....algebra is over and I got an A .....ohh yeah baby! Ok, enough about that crapola, now for the goods.Just to give you all a little background, the AIRMAN, Brox, and I had a bit of an obstacle not too long ago which has been holding me back a bit.....and that obstacle was hair.

As all of you fine people know this has always been a bit of a problem technologically speaking (yuck) for some time now regardless of what 3d platform you are using. Now I knwo that Maya has "shave and a haircut" and there are many other 3rd party answers to this age old problem. As a matter of fact, Blender has had fur capabilities for a few years now, however, it is very resource expensive and very limited. I looked into a number of scripts provided by users of the community although, much like Blender, they too approached this dillema on a mesh level. What I was looking for was something fast and flexible while still proving itself acceptable visually.

A few months ago I got together with 3 gurus (another artist and 2 porgrammers) from the Blender community. We came up with an application we call "beast". Beast is a python script used as a plugin inside of the Blender interface itself. It is based off of what is known as "the card method". Basically a number of small planes (or cards) are duplicated along the surface of....ohh...lets say the scalp. An alpha map consisting of several tiny hairs is then applied to each card. The end result....hair, grass, feathers, you name it! Now, this could be done manually but as some of you may know, it can get pretty hairy pretty fast which is why we decided to automate it. Anyways, here is my latest render of Brox after beast got ahold of em'....

http://www.landisfields.com/brox_006.jpg

By the way, I am still working his textures (as you can se by the stuble of his "5 O'clock shadow" creeping up over his bottom lip...hehe). I will have more on this the next couple of days. Well, take care and thanks for reading my long-ass posts.

Cheers,
Landis

[Landis]

....and here is yet another render of the big guy....textures are a bit better now ....

http://www.landisfields.com/brox_007.jpg

Phew....off to bed...4 am...man I'm beat! Take care all...see you in the morning.

Goodnite once again,

Landis

[Typhoon84]

Hey, first of all I have to say that this is the most exiting thread I've ever read and I'm always curious about your next post.

crits: In my opinion the specular on the uppeer lip comes a bit to strong and I asked myself if you'll add eyebrows or lashes or if it's part of the cartoon like look? And I think bit more red around the ear- and nose area would look good.(To add the feeling of translucency)

Keep going man, your work is stunning!

Ps: I can't wait to see some motion. :-)

Typhoon

[Digimatrix]

Landis, LOVE your work.
I was also in the AF, got my line number, then got out. I am sending some of your pics to friends who are still in, as I am sure they will identify with the airman, and the situations that you are putting him in. I was rolling when I saw the NCO and his gadget.
Is Brox a SrA? Are you going to add more characters?
Send us MORE!!! :D

[XxBrianxX]

Simply amazing.... Ive spent the past hour reading the posts on each of the 7 pages and seeing this character develope is very inspiring.. I too get very excited when i read about 3d and i want to run out and create something but i never could get the program, but this x-mas i got it and im just starting out and i have to say that this is just a heaping pile of inspiration... I have but only one question... how long have you been working on this character... you may have mentioned it earlier but it prolly go tlost amongst the mass of posts i read... great work and ill be looking forward to your next post.

[Digimatrix]

@ xxBrianxx
I think the program that Landis uses is free, anybody correct me if I am wrong.

http://www.blender3d.com/

[XxBrianxX]

Oh i had never heard of blender before i started reading this thread... all i knew of was 3dmax lightwave and maya... after being on this forum ive learned of several different programs...
say for instance i had no idea there where so many renderers that you could use... but its too late now :) ive got my educational version of max and have started to learn that.

[BgDM]

I think the program that Landis uses is free, anybody correct me if I am wrong

Yep, it's free and growing by leaps and bounds every day.

A great app for the price. ;P

BgDM

[shadowman99]

He not only works with a free modeler, he's creating extentions for it in the Python scripting language.

His other project is a plug-in for Blender called "Beast", which is going to kick ass.

[Landis]

Well what can I say.....it has been a loooooong time since I opened any AIRMAN files....too long! So, I've decided to take a break from my self portrait and play around with some of my old friends. Here are a couple of facial tests for Brox using only 2 keys and no eye movement (see below).


http://www.landisfields.com/brox2_blog_001.jpg


Now the AIRMAN's thought sheet was derived from eye movement EXCLUSIVELY where as this test was exactly the opposite. Just think how cool it will be when I combine all of my notes into one....it will actually start looking like the characters are alive!

[Landis]

....

[XxBrianxX]

Sweet your back to AIRMAN... I was hoping it wasnt going to disapear... sweet job with brox.. ill be watching for more updates now

[mimo8]

cool that u continue - hope you keep it up!

I love the way you work and the researches and documentations (like the psycho-eye-directions) you are comming up with

hope to see more

brox expressions are good
I like his hair a lot
still a bit stiff in the eye region - perhaps you have to animate the iris as well - cause for your characters the eyes seem specially important

[obelisk]

landis, this is beautiful. your knack for characterisation and attention to detail will take you a long way. please be careful so close to the end of your service. a talent like this should be excluded from the military on principal...

[FallenSwordsman]

Landis - are you still working on this one?

[Landis]

Absolutley! I have something else that sort of augments this and that will make a bit more sense soon after I complete that. Basically heres the scoop...

I have my orientation today for the Academy of Art University here in San Fran. My classes start Jun 14th and that is when I will unleash a new creature from under my belt. I plan to use this new creature for some of my foundation animation classes and once I feel I have a decent grip on what I have learned I will then apply that to the AIRMAN. Up until that point I will be rebuilding the AIRMAN from the ground up inside of MAYA. Dont worry...he will still look the same as before, the major changes will be at mesh level. His current topology state is simply unacceptable...especially for animation. This is understandable though since I created him as I was learning 3D essentially! Hell, mostly everything I learned at that time was because I needed that knowledge to use for something on him! Anyways, I plan to fix this topology issue on my own time after school since most of my classes at first will be animation and traditional based. Ultimately I plan to use the AIRMAN as the basis for the majority of my studies at the Academy.

In short, I should have something to post soon though so please keep checking in. You are one of the few that always follow my work and I appreciate that....its people like you who keep myself and other artists going which is impressive that you take that time out of your day since you yourself are busy as an artist. Speaking of which, got any new projects yourself? I would love to check em' out! Please let me know. Take care bud. Gotta go...runnin' late!

Cheers,
Landis

[andrewmartin]

Landis...

This is INCREDIBLE!! Your 2D and 3D talents are outstanding. Your character design, attention to detail and constant research is a huge credit to you. I will be keeping a close eye on your work.

Your a true inspiration!

[FallenSwordsman]

Sorry for not getting back sooner, Landis! First off, I'm going to have to say congratulations for getting into university. Sounds like you're going to have a lot of fun with the Airman in the future and I'm glad that you haven't lost your enthusiasm for this project. Big kudos to you for learning as much as you could with Blender before moving upwards. Looks as if you pushed the boundaries of what you had to work with in terms of the software you had at the time and I'm sure animation will be a lot easier once you've got to grips with Maya. As for me, my current project is a female satyr - having real difficulty getting the back muscles right, but I'll nail it in the end. I've only got until the end of the month to finish her though as its for a competition and I have a lot to learn before then! But as the saying goes, calm seas do not make good sailors. I'll show you some stuff once I've got something tangible.

Looks like you've won another fan too :)

[Landis]

andrewmartin,

Thank you for your kind words....I truly appreciate it and the inspiration it has given me.


FallenSwordsman,

Yes I hope to have fun with all of my characters here. I have been making a list of concepts and techniques that I want to learn while attending the academy and I have to say that the majority are animation based.

Maya definatley is a strong tool. I really enjoy what I have already learned simply dabbling around on my own!

Anatomy is key man. You are on the right track...that is what I have been concentrating on alot lately. I am looking to approach my current character (more on that little guy soon) with a STRONG emphasis on anatomy. I want to have the perfect subject ready to learn animation with and then later apply that to the AIRMAN as said before.

calm seas do not make good sailors.

Excellent quote. I will remember that one. My dad LOVES sailing and so do I...h has a really nice boat....I will have to send him that quote.

Well, time to roam the city. Take care and good luck. Keep me posted!

Cheers,
Landis

[BgDM]

Landis - Congrats on the college entry. Sounds like a great opportunity for you.

Sad to see that you will not be continuing on with this project in Blender though. You have been an inspiration to us over in that group and I hope you will continue to come back and let us know how you are doing.

Keep up the great work Landis.

I'm a huge fan.

BgDM

[Landis]

Thanks alot bud. I will.

[shadowman99]

I'll echo what BgDM said. You'll do great work in any software, but you sure set a great example for alot of Blenderheads.

Will you be handing Beast development off to another developer?

Good luck at school. Post your work on elysiun even if you are working in Maya. Everyone likes hearing from you.

[Landis]

Thanks man. Yes, beast will live on in the hands of ezual as it has been for a while now. I will definately be posting some of my work from the Academy as soon as I get on my feet. I told Robert that I plan on comparing techniques between Maya and Blender through project discussions. It will be very interesting but that wont be for about 6 months to a year. Anyways, thanks again man. Take care.

Cheers,
Landis

[maitor]

I know i'm a bit late to say this, but NICE work Indeed
i really love the work-flow, very impressive.
and since this is a WIP, i think there will be a lot more to see.
Good luck :thumbsup:

[barter frog]

whatever happened to it?

[smocc]

Yeah, last post on 06.12. Thats a great work.
WE want to see more! Persist in!

[BgDM]

Landis was accepted to school for CG and is currently learning Maya.

All the Airman images you see in this thread were done with Blender. He is currently learning Maya and will redo the entire Airman in Maya.

It will be back. Just not in the very near future.

I can't wait to se it either.

BgDM

[Landis]

Thanks BgDM. Yes I have been pretty busy getting up to the point where I will animate the AIRMAN but in the mean time you can watch me learn animation by checking out my site...I post quite often.....working on my first 3D take right now:

http://www.LandisFields.com/

As for recent news on the AIRMAN, he has been selected for print in the 3D Total Digital Art Masters book so he's still going strong while he waits to be animated. As of right now I am still learning animation as well as Maya...LOL! If I am going to do it I want to do it right. Take care evryone and thank you all for your support.

Cheers,
Landis

[FallenSwordsman]

Best of luck, Landis! Sometimes we do need to take that step back to find our feet in a different way.

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