HMC #16 - Predator unmasked

[WyattHarris]

Man this is weird topology. It reminds me of the "Animals in Motion" challenge and doing something close but not at all human.

For the last challenge I built the entire thing in ZBrush. This time I'm shifting back to basemesh in LW and detail in ZBrush. I guess I do like the precision of poly modeling after all. We'll see.

He reminds me of a crab so far. I plan to add the dreadlocks and fangs afterwards.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.1.jpg

The back of the head and the width of the neck are a total guess right now. Those areas mostly won't be seen so I guess it doesn't matter too much.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.2.jpg

Now comes the manibles, fun! :D

[Kevman]

its looking pretty good man. I have been busy with school, haven't brought mine into Zbrush yet.

[Sandking]

Excellent ref images! Where the hell did you found them?!? I also try to model mr P but with mask on since I'm not too sure about my modelling skills :]

[namnocilis]

wow! good start! i too wanted to know how you found such great ref images..
although i won't be participating, i will be watching the progress.. so i can be confident to try for the next HMC atleast..

[WyattHarris]

Hehe, thanks guys I get lucky sometimes. While I was checking out the Iron Bat thread Shocklate posted a link to an Iron Man toy at Sideshow Toys. Wandered a bit more and found the Aliens/Predator section and they've got full 1:1 scale busts of the Predator with reference photos.

Try this search link, all 80 toys ordered by license. http://www.sideshowtoy.com/listing.php?status=all&cat=Alien|Predator|Alien%20VS%20Predator&order=misc48 (http://www.sideshowtoy.com/listing.php?status=all&cat=Alien%7CPredator%7CAlien%20VS%20Predator&order=misc48)

I particularly like the 360 degree Quicktime VR shots.
Enjoy! :D

[WyattHarris]

Like I said before, weeeirrrd geometry.

1. Added the outer skin for the mandibles.
2. Copied the outer most edge loop to another layer and worked the mouth area there.
Extruded the lower mandibles.
3. Constructed the mouth and extended the throat area.
4. Combined geometry from both layers.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.3.jpg

Best part, it actually imported into ZBrush! :bounce:
I was a little worried with this odd geometry as the first attempt said it was corrupted and wouldn't load. Not sure what caused it, I removed some tris from that version but this one also has tris and loads okay, IDK.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.4.jpg

[ConceptStingray]

I think its going to be kickass,keep it up!

[Deepam]

pretty interesting wire structure !

which software you are using for base mesh ?

coz I have faced problems regarding normals while exporting from Maya to zbrush in some complicated models.

[sanketpro3d]

hmm ... coming out nice ... keep it coming ... all the best..

[WyattHarris]

Stringas2000, Sanketpro3D: Thanks guys!

pretty interesting wire structure !
which software you are using for base mesh ?
coz I have faced problems regarding normals while exporting from Maya to zbrush in some complicated models.

I'm using Lightwave v9.3.1. The first mesh that had problems had tris in the eye sockets that I couldn't convert to quads. Since it was the eye socket and wouldn't be seen I simply deleted the tris and it imported okay. I don't really know what caused the issue because this latest mesh has tris and no problems.

[cresshead]

looking good...''come on''....[predator whisper!]

[harshdesign]

Like I said before, weeeirrrd geometry.




Best part, it actually imported into ZBrush! :bounce:
I was a little worried with this odd geometry as the first attempt said it was corrupted and wouldn't load. Not sure what caused it, I removed some tris from that version but this one also has tris and loads okay, IDK.



One way of dealing with that is make the base case fairly low and then subdivide the mesh once in your modeling software(in your case LW) so that it changes all tris and 5 sides into Quads automatically. And then import it into ZB.

Looking good so far.

[Locusta]

Wow! That will be a killer of a Predator. Looking foreward for this one. Great facemodel by now. Very movie accurate.

The advise of harshdesign with subdividing the basemesh one time to get rid of the tris is very good. I have no experience with LW but in XSI is a possibilitie to to find and then easily get rid of problematic tris or N-gones.

Thumbs up!

[WyattHarris]

One way of dealing with that is make the base case fairly low and then subdivide the mesh once in your modeling software(in your case LW) so that it changes all tris and 5 sides into Quads automatically. And then import it into ZB.

Looking good so far.

That's a great, simple idea and the poly count on the base was 600 so I divided as soon as I was in ZBrush anyway. Might as well do it in LW. Thank you sir. :thumbsup:

cresshead, Locusta: Thank ya thank ya, I hope I can deliver. I usually procrastinate and never have enough time to do the model right. No excuses this time.

[WyattHarris]

Umm around 40k at this point I think. That last pic from ZBrush was just an import and bump-up. These are from the real sculpting.

I am particularly thrilled with how the eye area is coming out.
http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.5.jpg

The back of the head will have the roots for the dreadlocks at the top and the forward edge on the side. Everywhere else will just be basic bumps. Without the Predator parts he's starting to look like a Star Trek alien lol.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.6.jpg

The mandibles have some odd twisting in the geometry but I think more polys will clear that up... I hope.
http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.7.jpg

And just for the heck of it I painted in some fangs and dreadlocks. :D I think this is gonna work.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.8.jpg

Take it easy.

[kumarC]

Great going Dude. He is starting lool pretty mean already.
Are you planning on the complete body ?

Rock on

[namnocilis]

Nice Progress! coming out very good.. :thumbsup:

[Locusta]

One word: AWSOME!!

Great Idea to make a quick paint over for teeth and dreads. This one will be soooo mean ;)

[speakerwizard]

this is great, really looking forward to seeing the final renders.

[Thyme]

This is turning out pretty wicked! My anticipation is great!

[WyattHarris]

kumarC: Thanks, that is the plan. The neck piece fits pretty tight so the head will stay a separate model from the body and rest inside the neck.

namnocilis, speakerwizard, Thyme: Thanks guys, really appreciate it!

Locusta: Thanks, yeah he was looking too much like a Mimbari or some random Star Trek alien so I had to get a glimpse at what he's going to look like. You know, bad ass.

Thank's everyone for the encouragement. I know its pitiful but I do much better when people are interested in my work. So please let me know what needs improvement.

[Tasp]

Wow, the paint over really does fix the whole mimbari look (the dread stubs did sort of look like the bone crest). The model's looking great so far, I think once you add a little more of the finer details (like the ripples on the inside of the mouth along the cheek) it will really start to come together

[burningman]

Looking pretty darn swanky mate!

Are you gonna keep him symetrical or go asymetrical?

[WyattHarris]

Tasp - Thanks mate, that's the part I'm getting antsy about. There's a certain level of detail that throws me for a loop everytime. I hope to overcome that this go around.

Burningman!!! Good to see you bro and hopefully I won't be on the business end of your mini-gun tonight. I'll keep him symmetrical for a few more levels then switch once I start on the finer details. I rented Predator the other day (mandatory for this challenge) and the pose doesn't quite match the reference I'm using so I'll transpose a bit and get it exactly right. Or maybe make it a bit different just so it's not a straight copy, IDK.

[WyattHarris]

175k polys. Refined the ridge and added the indentations for the dreads. A little more checking and I noticed the back is pretty smooth except for the divots the dreads fit into.

Oh and added some real fangs. :D Me like the way they are looking.

I've got the whole day to work on this so I'm trying to finish the head today.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.9.jpg

[mesklil77]

nice progress man...

[bowly]

that looks great man! Are you going to do the tendrils/ hair/ stuff in zbrush or your 3D package?

[Deepam]

pretty nice updates so far !

Fangs are really perfectly shaped and positioned. Check out the curves around eye area, you can give the eyeball feel there. Plus, those top poly borders are asking for more subdivision.

[WyattHarris]

Fangs are really perfectly shaped and positioned. Check out the curves around eye area, you can give the eyeball feel there. Plus, those top poly borders are asking for more subdivision.

Now which are the top poly borders, do you mean around the eyes? The entire eye area is black so its a little difficult to make out but I'll give it some TLC soon. Oh you must be referring to the ridge around the head. Yeah it's pretty fonky right now. One more level should straighten it out. I'm doing a broad detail pass then I'll go up a few levels and start on the small stuff. Should be plenty of polys then.

Thanks Deepam.

[WyattHarris]

So it sounded good earlier when I said I'd finish the head today right? Yeah, not quite. Too many kids running around the house today to really concentrate.

But did manage to finish all of the fangs. And had to do some major adjustments to the mouth. It was too far down in the jaw so I rotated and moved it a bit.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.10.jpg

A bit closer to the detail.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.11.jpg

[TimCallaway]

Man, this is gonna look great, I can see it now. Great job so far =]

[nmcelmury]

Damn Wyatt, that's looking great. This is shaping up really nicely :)

[WyattHarris]

Update:
More detail and a bump up to 700k.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.12.jpg

[bowly]

Very nice!!I can't give any crits on this so far it all looks great, tbh I was a little unsure when I first saw this but now you've erased all that doubt keep it up! :D

[oliveira]

great start ,love the mouth area

Alex Oliver

[Locusta]

Yeah! The wrinkles around the mandibles look great and very life-like.

Btw, do you plan to make him animatable?

Great progress. Thumbs up!

[WyattHarris]

bowly, oliveira: Thanks guys!

Yeah! The wrinkles around the mandibles look great and very life-like.
Btw, do you plan to make him animatable?
Great progress. Thumbs up!

Thanks Locusta. That's the best I could get them to look at the last sub-division so I should be able to finish them off now. I would love to animate him but I've learned by now to just aim for finishing the model and see what I have time for at the end. :D

Not a real update, just testing shaders. Was tied up most of the afternon so I left my PC to churn out renders. Those last 2 are a couple of my own goofy materials. First is Strawberry, second is Nuke.

Take it easy. :D
http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.13.jpg

[Deepam]

That Strawberry is looking really yummy :p . . you should try that one on a strawberry model too.

I like the second row more, they have that skinny feel in them . . . looking pretty good. Are you going to model some chest part as well ?

[WyattHarris]

That Strawberry is looking really yummy :p . . you should try that one on a strawberry model too.

I like the second row more, they have that skinny feel in them . . . looking pretty good. Are you going to model some chest part as well ?

Gummy Predator anyone, lol.

I think I'm done with the head for now. Only hairs and dreads left, those should only take an hour but I'm waiting to get the pose in place before I commit to their position. The first two pics are rendered at 700k, the second two I bumped up to 2.8M. No reason, just figured might as well. Thats why the sub-d's are more apparent in the first.

On to the body. :buttrock:

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.17.jpg

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.16.jpg

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.14.jpg

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.15.jpg

[TimCallaway]

fantastic detail so far, I can't wait for the body to come!

[Tasp]

Tasp - Thanks mate, that's the part I'm getting antsy about. There's a certain level of detail that throws me for a loop everytime. I hope to overcome that this go around.

Well I have to say you're quite humble then my friend and I feel that you've definitely overcome that worry.

You've done an amazing job, and the level of detail your working at is lifelike. Can't wait to see more.

[wanyi]

amazing details!keep on it!:thumbsup:

[Locusta]

I soooooo bow down :bowdown: ;)

Great work!! I love him. He is perfect and I can only imagine how great the body will look like.

Nice Zbrush mat you got. I like alot to play around with them, too. I love the Strawberry. Great color.

Cheers

Markus

[matsman]

really nice, inside of the mouth and thin skin especially, love the top of the head shot, very menacing :)

But are the brows this flat in the real thing too, it just looks so much like smeared clay to me?

Nice work, very believable, can't wait to see the body.

[headfirst]

wyatt, im impressed man.
for me, the best part is the skin around the mouth. The skin stretch looks very good, and natural. Im really looking forward to the hair, i think it will just take it to the next level.
looking forward to your progress.

-Ray

[WyattHarris]

Thank you everyone very much, I really appreciate it.

really nice, inside of the mouth and thin skin especially, love the top of the head shot, very menacing :)

But are the brows this flat in the real thing too, it just looks so much like smeared clay to me?

Nice work, very believable, can't wait to see the body.

No, they are definitely not that flat. I tried getting down to this level yesterday for the wrinkles but I couldn't get it to look right. Even at 2.8 million it was getting that aliased look. Seems like it should be possible with that many polys. Does anyone have a good method for adding details like that? Or is HD the only answer.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/closeup.jpg

And since you brought up the brows matsman, I looked a little closer and the brows are definitely too thin. Thanks for the heads up.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/closeup.right.jpg

[WyattHarris]

So I had a little free time at work today, figured I might as well put it to good use.

Just a little base work before I go all out on the dreads.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.18.jpg

[farazmobin]

WyattHarris this is looking great ...no crits keep going dude

[hakanpersson]

So I had a little free time at work today, figured I might as well put it to good use.

Just a little base work before I go all out on the dreads.



Sweet progress so far. He looks really menacing from the top down view:twisted: The eyelids deserve some more attention though, otherwise I am happy.

[WyattHarris]

Beginning the body. I've got an idea how I'm going to progress with this. I'll let you know how it works out.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.19.jpg

[namnocilis]

Great Progress Wyatt! it is looking awesome.. nothing to crit, just waiting for more updates.. Great Job!

[SinisterUrge]

Its a bloody hard character to model isn't it. Has to be the toughest of all the Stan Winston characters. I'm working on the Predator as well and it seems to be taking forever, so much detail to get done. You nailed the head and the on the right track with the body.

[WyattHarris]

Thanks namnocilis

Its a bloody hard character to model isn't it. Has to be the toughest of all the Stan Winston characters. I'm working on the Predator as well and it seems to be taking forever, so much detail to get done. You nailed the head and the on the right track with the body.

I concur with that. Just a big combination of hard and soft surfaces. I never realized before looking at all of the references just how much crap the predators carry on them. Their hardware is one thing but then there are all of the trophies too. Lucky for me by this point in the film he drops his mask and plasma cannon and I guess he doesn't carry his trophies into battle.

Good luck Sinister.

Fun fact, I do not look good making that pose, lol.

[Antropus]

It's coming along nicely man. I think you can improve it by looking at the references and trying to match the size and distance between his eyes. Also, before you add more details, it's worth revisiting the structure of your model to make sure the bigger forms (primary forms) are matching the reference as well. An last, the amount, thickness and distance between wrinkles will define the overall feeling of thickness of his skin. Right now the skin looks very thin.
It looks great anyways. Just trying to help :)

Keep going man.
-Kris

[WyattHarris]

It's coming along nicely man. I think you can improve it by looking at the references and trying to match the size and distance between his eyes. Also, before you add more details, it's worth revisiting the structure of your model to make sure the bigger forms (primary forms) are matching the reference as well. An last, the amount, thickness and distance between wrinkles will define the overall feeling of thickness of his skin. Right now the skin looks very thin.
It looks great anyways. Just trying to help :)

Keep going man.
-Kris

Well, I based it as close as I could to the reference but I'm sure I missed something, specifically which part of the eye do you mean? The socket, brows etc.

I gotcha on the wrinkles, thanks. What's a good technique for adding details like that? I'm still getting bad aliasing when I try to add wrinkles at 2.8 million. Or do I just need more polys as in HD?

[PredatrHuntr]

I am a HUGE Predator fan and I gotta tell you - your work is stunning so far. Keep up the awesome work and I'll be sure to keep watching this thread...;)

[vizard2605]

I'm new to zbrush, just got it today (AFTER finishing my alien model:banghead: ) and think on the newer zbrush 3.1 you can save ram (and all current progress) by subdividing PARTS of the model at a time. Not shure if this helps but then again I am just beginning on ZBrush 3.
(I'll upgrade as soon as I learn the program).

[Antropus]

Yeah, I noticed you're following the blue prints but you always have to eyeball some stuff. About the eyes part, I don't know if the size of the eyeballs inside of his head are too big but they look very flat in comparison to the reference that you posted, which has very visible rounded eyeballs. Because of that, the eye socket ended by looking flat as well, instead of a deeper hole where the eyeball rests. Once you have this relation nailed, then will be easy to work on the volume of the eyelids, that are always tight to the eyeballs and fallow the same curvature, with the obvious thickness on top of course.
As for the wrinkles, you can work with bigger volumes instead of lots of little ones. This just to define the secondary forms, meaning the second more important volumes, including those big heavy wrinkles. Just at the end, you can add the fine details on top, including the fine wrinkles, but just as a texture, not very deep, to avoid those forms getting confused with the secondary ones, making the skin to look too thin. Dunno if this makes any sense :)

Hope it helps. Looking good so far.
-Kris

[WyattHarris]

Yeah, I noticed you're following the blue prints but you always have to eyeball some stuff. About the eyes part, I don't know if the size of the eyeballs inside of his head are too big but they look very flat in comparison to the reference that you posted, which has very visible rounded eyeballs. Because of that, the eye socket ended by looking flat as well, instead of a deeper hole where the eyeball rests. Once you have this relation nailed, then will be easy to work on the volume of the eyelids, that are always tight to the eyeballs and fallow the same curvature, with the obvious thickness on top of course.


Aha, I see exactly what you are saying now. Yes, I will need to address that.

As for the reference problem I couldn't figure out why it was so far off because it lined up perfect in LW and then I read a bit on ZBrushCentral about how badly ZBrush can distort the perspective of an image. Since the final render will probably come from ZBrush I went ahead and adjusted it to line up correctly in ZBrush. It's not exact as the subdividing caused a lot of compression but this is as close as I'm going to get it I think.

The below image is a week old I've just been sitting on it while I worked everything else out.

(1 & 2) Reworked the eyebrows to give them some actual volume.

(3 & 4) Brought in the eye sockets and adjusted the eyebrows to match.


http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.20.jpg

Thanks for your help Kris, after staring at the screen so long it all starts to look the same. :D

[TimCallaway]

seriously doing him justice! can't wait for the paint to come =]

[Locusta]

He looks sinister and evil!! Love it.

Great detail rework Wyatt, but keep going with the body. Or have you proceeded on that one? I for myself stick sometimes a bit too long on some details, which I could solve later. But maybe I just wanna push you on, so you can do elseway with me too. I don´t dare to look my timeplaner anymore.

Go go go goooooo Predator!! ;)

[Antropus]

Thanks for your help Kris, after staring at the screen so long it all starts to look the same. :D
Ha! I know the feeling! That's why I'm working on multiple models, just to refresh the brain :D
Yeah, it's much much better man. The eyebrows look fleshier and the general eye region got a good improvement as well. About ZBrush perspective, I hear you. I import my model into Maya at all times to check what's wrong. That fake perspective in Zbrush helps, but it's not precise AT ALL, so don't trust it. Import the model into any real 3D application and use that as your reference.

Keep up the good work!
-Kris

[WyattHarris]

Sorry for the lack of updates. I really have been working on it just haven't had anything to show.

Allow me to whine a bit. :D
Holy Crap, its almost impossible to find consistent reference material for this guy. I've decided to model all of the armor pieces separately,then assemble and work the body underneath once I've got everything done. (This is sort of like how DDS did Pele, trying something new this go around) Anyway I've spent the last week on just the right guantlet, the one with the blades. I thought I had good refs but I needed some other angles. I start looking some more and looky there, these new pieces look nothing like what I've been working with. I had to scrap my first and second attempt because they were so bad off.

Whine mode off. (Sorry bout that)

So, I finally found some official shots, some really good screen captures from the movie and shots from a making of documentary with Kevin Peter Hall wearing the suit. So now I can compare my refs to those and figure out which ones are from the movie and which are just someones interpretation.

1. My second attempt in LW (first was so bad). Its been a looong time since I've done any real hard surface modeling and I've gotten used to ZBrush banging out the crap in my base meshes so this one, based off of crummy refs, is lacking in polys and detail.

2. As you can see in ZBrush its looking quite fonky and adding detail to it was painful.

3. My third attempt in LW. After getting movie refs I was able to see the actual details and where everything falls. Some shots looked like a heap of greebles but the real movie props look much more functional like a real piece of hardware. The prop that Hall wore was actually in 2 pieces so I modeled the top and bottom sections seperately. It gives both guantlets a modular look because a similar piece is used for the left guantlet and the detonator sits on that with the flip top.

4. Subdivided fine in ZBrush so I'm back at it again.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.21.jpg

Hopefully this is the last major hurdle. Now that I've got a routine down for the armor I should be able to bang these out. I'll finish the right guantlet and blades tonight.

[WyattHarris]

Okay, right gauntlet done for now. The 2 pieces could use one more detail level but this will do for the time being. I'll revisit them once I get everything finished and decide what needs to be tweaked.

After the basic shapes where down it was pretty much just greebles after that.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.22.jpg

Had to try 'em with the blades in place. Just the beginning stages so far, I'm starting to fall asleep so I'll have to finish it up tomorrow.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.23.jpg

Using Meats Myers' Sculpty material. I like this look, may use it as a base.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.24.jpg

[TimCallaway]

Looks like a real good start, lots of nice edges. =]

[WyattHarris]

Was out looking for pics as usual and came across the original Siskel & Ebert review of Predator. I thought it was interesting but man, Siskel didn't like it at all. I'm glad I never listen to these guys.

Siskel & Ebert (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P7TNc2o5s4)

[Vincenzi]

Wow, great job so far. I wasn't aware someone was doing a full body (since I chose that as well). can't wait to see how it progresses.

[WyattHarris]

Thanks Vincenzi.

I want to finish this guy but something has literally blown up on the radar, that would be Hurricane Gustav. I hope I can continue... of course I also hope I have electricity come Monday morning. We shall see.

Anyway finished the blades today.
1. Started with a closed curve
2. The massive point count after freezing the curve
3. After point reduction
4. Extruded to a solid mesh and made quads of the large n-gons.
I've made a lot of weapons in the past but never brought one into ZBrush. Luckily this seemed to work fine.
5. Pulled out the sharp bits and added the guide rod on the bottom. Export to ZBrush

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.25.jpg

The final result in ZBrush. On to the next piece.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.26.jpg

[WyattHarris]

Base mesh for the neural-control center for the left gauntlet.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.27.jpg

The first test in ZBrush is the base mesh itself after 2 divisions. The second test is after 1 smooth divide in Lightwave then imported and divided twice in ZBrush. I was liking the first one but I think the second came out perfect. Now for the details.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.28.jpg

[GhostmanZombie]

This method is interesting.
It becomes reference very much.
Thank you for the explanation.
Great job！

[Itsgallus]

Hello WyattHarris

Nice Modelling dude, cool details, the mouth is GREAT...
the blade modelling is excellent

here is some reference:

http://helderalves.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/predator-ref1.jpg
http://helderalves.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/predator-ref2.jpg
http://helderalves.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/predator-ref3.jpg

hope that helps...
Keep going.... dude...
//cheers

[WyattHarris]

Thanks Ghostman, I've modeled many bladed weapons over the years and this is the basic method I use for them. The only real difference was bringing it into ZB I had to convert the n-gons to quads. Normally I would leave them as is, LW renders them fine. Plus not being able to make extensive use of LW Boolean functions takes some getting used to, that used to be my favorite tool. :D I understand Boolean doesn't work so well in other packages as I've not heard good things about it.

Nice Modelling dude, cool details, the mouth is GREAT...
the blade modelling is excellent

here is some reference:

http://helderalves.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/predator-ref1.jpg
http://helderalves.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/predator-ref2.jpg
http://helderalves.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/predator-ref3.jpg


Thanks Itsgallus, that explains how they fit so much blade into such a small compartment. There is also that one scene in Predator 1 where the blades fold outward to spear Arnold's head to the log that I can't make out how its supposed to work but ah well. I appreciate it. :thumbsup:

[Umoc]

Your model is coming together nicely. :thumbsup:The sculpting on the head is great and you nailed the mouth down great. About the arm accessory with the blade, do you freehand sculpt that detail or mask parts off and use stencil shapes. I've never done any hard surface/mechanical sculpting in ZB before and that arm peice is looking realy nice. Great work keep it up.

[Sirhcnait]

Nice work. I love the rants too. This being my first challenge, its great hearing other artists work through their challenges (ZB perspective,finding reference, going from ZB back to 3rd party app for hard surfaces and its effects on the brain and the mesh.) LOL!

[WyattHarris]

Your model is coming together nicely. :thumbsup:The sculpting on the head is great and you nailed the mouth down great. About the arm accessory with the blade, do you freehand sculpt that detail or mask parts off and use stencil shapes.

Thanks Umoc, what you see in the ZBrush pic is just 1 divide and that's all. The base in LW is what made the difference. I didn't do enough detail on the right gauntlet so I modified my technique for the left and really went after the detail in LW. I'm starting to get a better picture of what ZB can and can't do.

Thanks Sirhcnait, I'm glad you like the show, I'm here all week. :D I'm strickly a hobbiest right now as the market in Louisiana sucks for CG. I can definitely say that this is my most complicated piece to date. Well, piece that I have a chance at finishing that is.

Finished the left gauntlet. If I have the time I may light it.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.29.jpg

Threw together a quick comp to see how things are coming along. Yes I know, the blades aren't out in this scene, I just like em better this way.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.30.jpg

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.31.jpg

Take it easy!

[WyattHarris]

Thought I was done for the night but I guess I couldn't go to sleep. Trying to get as much in before the storm hits.

Don't laugh but I've never actually textured an object in ZB at least not using materials. I had no idea it was that easy. :banghead:

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.32.jpg

Lol, only gorilla is a standard mat. The teeth are a Predator material I made that needs more work and I finally found a decent use for nuke!

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.33.jpg

Goodnight

[Sirhcnait]

Didnt put it together that you had the storm to deal with. Stay safe out there man.

[Locusta]

Wyatt, what a great update!! Wow! I love the Nuke-eyes ;)

The details on the face pop out even more and they are stunning! As well as his sinister look. Bring it on!!

And keep safe from the storm, ok?

Markus

[WyattHarris]

Howdy folks!

Well as you probably have seen on the news Baton Rouge got blitzed by Hurricane Gustav and I've just been able to stop hustling long enough with some power and an internet connection to pop in and give an update.

Gustav was the strongest hurricane to hit Baton Rouge since Betsy which was back in 1965, so it was bad. I've been without power since the 1st Monday morning, 8 trees have fallen in my yard with dozen of trees being snapped at the top (these are 60-100 foot trees btw) and I've been either hiding, hunkering, hauling wood or sawing wood. Phew, what a week.

Anyway suffice to say I will not be finishing this challenge. I feel good about the work I did on this project, this is definitely the best I've ever done. I feel pretty strongly that I'll be finishing this project eventually but first I've got to move about 1000 tons of wood. :D

Good luck everyone!

[TheNeverman]

ah man, sorry to hear the news Wyatt...
awesome work on the predator, glad your alive and well...

hopefully see you in some TF2 games in the near future...

[cresshead]

us brits moan about the 'rain'..
you lot have hurricanes to deal with!

blimey!

you'll need the strength of a predator to haul all that wood!

awsome model so far, you take care out there ya here!

[StevenEgan]

Wow Man, Sorry to hear that. We just got through getting hit by Hurricane Fay down here. we got totally flooded. But everyone was OK, and that's the important thing! And I'm gland to hear you & Co got through it in one piece. Trees can be cut up and carried away, water can be drained... You know what I'm saying ;)

Predator looks great. I hope you get the chance to finish it in the future.

[Antropus]

Dude, sorry to hear about that :(
I hope you're doing well. Those challenges are up all the time but your safety is waaaay more important. Keep us informed.

Take care,
-Kris

[Umoc]

Hey man, sorry to hear about the bad news. Glad to hear you guys made it through safe. Best of luck with the cleanup. Take care.

[Locusta]

I´m happy to hear that you guys do fine and you are unharmed. Sorry to hear, that you are not able to fiinish in time......but wait, there will be time again and I´m pretty sure you will pick this piece up again and brush him ready, or not?

You did stunning work by now and I now that this one will be an wonderful piece to your collection. And it will allways be your personal tribute to the man, whom creatures we love so much.

Tumbs up and I wish you all the best and a lot of energy for your wood-working ;) (so no reason for a gym)

Looking foreward to see and hear from you, maybe in another challenge.

Cheers :beer:

Markus

[WyattHarris]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the sentiment. Especially today now that Hurricane Ike is going to throw more rain and tropical storm winds our way. I can't imagine there's a tree left standing that needs to come down but you never know.

Roberto question, I want to continue this project but I notice no one ever continues these things on the HMC. Should I just move it over to the WIP section?

[RobertoOrtiz]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the sentiment. Especially today now that Hurricane Ike is going to throw more rain and tropical storm winds our way. I can't imagine there's a tree left standing that needs to come down but you never know.

Roberto question, I want to continue this project but I notice no one ever continues these things on the HMC. Should I just move it over to the WIP section?
For now, keep updatig it here.
We can move it later if you wish.
-R

[Sirhcnait]

Glad to hear you're ok after Gustav. Hope all is well (as can be expected) after Ike too. Prayin' that's the last storm you've got to deal with for a while.

[WyattHarris]

Sorry for the bump, I never posted my final entry and I wanted a record of it.

ARTIST NAME
Wyatt Harris
BEAUTY RENDER
Beauty Render:
http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.beauty1.sm.jpg


HIREZ RENDER LINK (VOLUNTARY)
Link To Hi Rez:
Beauty 1 (http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.beauty1.jpg)
Beauty 2 (http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.beauty2.jpg)

ORTHOGRAPHIC RENDERS

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.front.jpg

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.side.jpg

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.top.jpg

WIREFRAMES
Wireframe:
http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.wirefront.jpg

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.wireside.jpg

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.wiretop.jpg

DESCRIPTION
Method:
Lightwave for base meshes, ZBrush from that point on.

Description:
Tribute to Stan Winston. Until I delved into this project I never really realized just how many iconic films and characters Stan was involved with. You could list Predator, Aliens and Terminator and have said enough but the list goes on and on and on. Thanks for all of your great, inspirational work Stan, rest in peace.

Well, in case you hadn't heard my tragic tale. My original goal was the complete shot of the predator unmasked. Hurricane Gustav slammed into Baton Rouge (my home) creating havoc in every way. My whole yard looks like it's covered in downed trees. 10 days without power and having to scrounge for basic means changed my plans for this project quite a bit. At first I thought, "Ah well, good try Wyatt, better luck next time." Then I stopped and realized, "Hold up, I've got a nice bit of work done, let me tidy it up and get it out the door. Don't let all of that time go to waste." So that's what I did and my full character turned into a bust. So screw you Gustav! :D

This is probably the best thing in CG I've ever created. I studied quite a bit before the sports icon challenge and in that one I put everything into practice that I'd learned. This challenge was the advancement of all of that practice and even more study. I still need to dig deeper into polypainting and quite a few other topics but I'm loving the results so far.
Lagniappe:
Figured I might as well throw in the gauntlets since I did finish them.

http://www.wyattharris.com/cgtalk/hmc/16-swt/pred.wristsbeauty.jpg

Fantastic competition everyone. Coming to this forum everyday was the inspiration and motivation I needed to keep on truckin' and as usual I learned a heap from everyone.

Congratulations all!

[PredatrHuntr]

I'm blown away by your work. Its truly incredible what you have created here.

If you need any pictures from the movie, I took the time to screencap all the clear pics:

http://www.thehunterslair.com/index.php?showtopic=4824

[WyattHarris]

I'm blown away by your work. Its truly incredible what you have created here.

If you need any pictures from the movie, I took the time to screencap all the clear pics:

http://www.thehunterslair.com/index.php?showtopic=4824

My friend, your thread and the thread from the 22 min documentary are the main ones I used for this project. Finding references using typical Google searches didn't turn up much but then I found The Hunters Lair and I was set. Thanks so much for taking the time to post all of those screenshots, they helped tremendously.

I meant to make an account on the site to say so but you found me anyway.

Thanks,
Wyatt Harris

[PredatrHuntr]

I'm glad you were able to make use of them...;)

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