Steampunk Myths and Legends Entry: Alan Tinsley

[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1227459526_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1227459526_large.jpg)

The Afanc is a legendary Welsh lake/river monster. It is said that when he got angry his thrashing caused huge floods and devastated local villages. (In one version he floods the whole of Britain!) The legend goes that it was a Welsh minor deity, Hu Gadarn, with his two giant long-horned oxen that eventaully dragged the Afanc from his dwellibg after he was subdued by a fair maiden. In the process, one of the oxen strained so hard that his eye popped out! The Afanc was either killed or dragged to another lake in the mountains where he was imprisoned. Read more here : http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Wales-History/LegendofRiverConwyAfanc.htm .

In my version of this the oxen are Steam-oxen, Hu Gardan is the adventuring inventor/bounty hunter, the Fair Maiden is his steam-ship used to chain up the Afanc, and rather than losing an eye the second ox sort of explodes :)

Oh, and my scene sketching skills are crap but you get the idea of my initial concept...

Cheers,
B

[recce]

Your concept sketch/ colour composition looks really interesting and I think you have chosen a great story, not one I had heard of before, but thats a good thing :)

I'll be keeping an eye on your entry, I am very interested on how this progresses :thumbsup:

[blakeo]

Thanks for taking an interest recce. I'm not sure on the colour scheme yet - it'll probably be a little darker, if I get as far as a final image... :)

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1227475020_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1227475020_large.jpg)

Here's an update. I've worked on some ideas for the SteamOx. The top sketches are just based on a cow, thinking how it might be made mechanical and the colour exterior. I then used PS liquify tool to push it around into a more powerful looking bull and redrew the inner workings...

Next I'll block it out in 3D.

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[Azrail]

Interesting idea :)
I see we both have a similar approach and I'm very curoius what will come out at the end ;)
Good luck!

[orcun]

I really like the story. Good luck! images/icons/icon13.gif

[blakeo]

Thanks azrail & cd-designer. I Like what you guys are doing too.


Here comes an update... :)
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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1227487260_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1227487260_large.jpg)

Here's a beginning at modelling the SteamOx. Mostly just blocking out the shapes, but started the detail on the front leg.

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1228088625_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1228088625_large.jpg)

It's been so long :) Not got as much time to spare as I'd like but here's a small update to the SteamOx model.

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[stylize]

Really cool mechanic you have there dude:) keep it up:beer:

[mrpeace]

Wow...love the mechanics of your charcater. The story also great...and to comment about your image>

Thats one hell of lot things going on in an image! Make sure you pose everything right.
A main fact which comes common is that when too much detail is provided in the image,
the eye competes for each detail! Thus it may lead the viewer to confusion.

So it should be simple and dynamic without endangering the story's essence.

Good Luck!

OPERATION KRAKEN [top secret] (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=278&t=696253)

[blakeo]

Thansk for comments Stylize & mrpeace! :)

mrpeace - good advice. I'm constantly thinking about how the final composition will look and I was hoping to go for a classical painting style but I've yet to make my mind up :) Time will probably dictate that I simplify the idea anyway...

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230512926_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230512926_large.jpg)

It's been a long while - I have been periodically working on this but, as usual, life is getting in the way :)

Here's an update to the steam ox...

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[Gord-MacDonald]

I like this!

[stylize]

nice style u have:) keep it up bro

[blakeo]

Thansk for the comments. Here's some more updates...
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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230595394_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230595394_large.jpg)

Couple of updates - added support for the fly wheels; started the panelling that will cover the workings and done brackets the the rear pistons.

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230595582_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230595582_large.jpg)

More steam Ox

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230685598_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230685598_large.jpg)

More modelling on the Ox - blocked out the boiler and some piping, added internal brackets for the cams, adjusted the front leg joints and added some detailing on the flywheels and rods.

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230858633_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230858633_large.jpg)

A compilation of various views.

[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230858790_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1230858790_large.jpg)

More work on the Ox - added more piping and worked on the legs to make them appear more organic and powerful - not totally happy with them yet but looking better I think :)

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231030610_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231030610_large.jpg)

Added pipes for the leg pistons - front and back. Spent a lot of time trying to get pivots points right on the groups in the front leg.

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231115731_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231115731_large.jpg)

Gouped/set pivots, etc, on the back legs ready for posing - but not rigged as such.

Started refining the head.

All shaders/colours are temporary.

Thanks for looking.
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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231202876_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231202876_large.jpg)

Decided to try and get a composition test done. As time is pressing my original, over complicated scene has been reduced in scope... :)

The Ox on the right will still explode though...

The green box will be the Afanc (lake monster).

All crits welcome.
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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231290503_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231290503_large.jpg)

Decided to push on with the original concept and get the Hu character involved...

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231290630_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231290630_large.jpg)

Hu character matt render.

The body I'm using is the Justin avatar from trueSpace 7.6 but I'm only using it as a reference to build the Buckle Body, an inspiration from RObert RanKin novel :) The head I modelled a couple of months ago for a speed model challenge. It was Doc Brown from BackToTheFuture!

This is the guy who owns the oxen and in control of them ...

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231462172_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1231462172_large.jpg)

Mostly finished the main modelling of Hu and applied some temp shaders.

One level of SDS on everything :)

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1232383077_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1232383077_medium.jpg)

Software: Truespace,VRay

Here's the final model of the steam ox - almost all shaders in place. (some funy stuff going on with the red bits!)

Final image almost done - I've rethough the composition again. Will post in a couple of hours.

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[blakeo]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1232409376_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16868/16868_1232409376_medium.jpg)

Software: Photoshop,Truespace,VRay

I found this old photo whilst browsing through some old 'Legends' material I found in my grandfathers attic...

It seems to fit with the theme - Hu Gadarn is apparently a killer of lake monsters, famously capturing and seeing off the 'Afanc'

:)

Blakeo.

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