DWIV - 3D - Synectikos - Demon Prince

[adriendebos]

I can tell that you miss working on the W40K universe ;) That's looking great man, can't wait to see all these pieces put together! :)

[Soggyclog]

Hey Shawn, good to see you posting!
I like the head on the left... looking forward to seeing more!

[Synectikos]

LOL, is it that obvious Adrien?

I'm actually really pumped to get back into this universe. It was a lot of fun to work in and open for creativity. I just hope I can dedicate the time required to finish!

I'll post more on the weekend.

[Synectikos]

Here are some thumbnails to workout the silhouette of the Demon Prince… very quickly done. I think I am going to stay away from full bat wings so that I can use the polygons in other areas. I'd rather have more "stuff" on him instead of giant wings.

Also exploring skull variations. The larger skull for the belt buckle and the interlocking skulls are for the shoulder armor detail.

I think the CG Society logo is pretty cool, so I’d like to incorporate that into the character as much as possible. It makes a great shape for weapons like the top of a staff with flames coming from the center where the dragons are. A spiked ball and chain would also be pretty cool in the other hand.

I roughly sketched the feeling I’d like for his head… very demonic and skull-like with large bull horns. I’ll post the full character sketch I am working on in a day or two and then its onto the modeling process by Thursday! :)

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Silhouettes.jpg

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Skulls.jpg

[Dargon]

Hey Synectikos, great to see you entering!

I agree on the wings, you'll eat up a lot there for just wings - unless you can think of something really cool to do with them, it's probably just a waste of polys/texture.

As for your silhouettes, I'm drawn to #1, and perhaps the massively reverse articulated legs of #9.

Good luck man!

Cheers,

Dargon

[Synectikos]

Dargon - Thanks for the feedback. I will be posting my sketch in progress next. I went with the 2nd/3rd silhouettes. I didn't want to cover his legs with all that cloth like in the 1st thumbnail. I would like to show as much skin for his chest and legs because the muscles can show a lot of detail in zBrush. :)

[Synectikos]

Full body sketch in progress...

I will hopefully complete the sketch tonight. It seems as I am naturally progressing towards a Fantasy style of character, which I am happy with. I have never done a full Fantasy realm before.

I am still working on the details around his waste and weapons. I blocked in a huge sword type of thing but I am not sure about that. One weapon will for sure be a Fire Staff featuring the CG Society logo.

I'd like to add chains hanging around his waste as well.

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Sketch_Step_1.jpg

[Stutts]

I am really liking the concept. :thumbsup: Can't wait to to see it in 3D.

[Synectikos]

Stutts - Thanks for the props!

Here's an update on the sketch I was working on. I wouldn't consider this to be set in stone... I just needed a clear direction to go so that I can start modeling. I know my proportions are off, especially in the legs. I'd like to use Photoshop's Liquify to play around with that now that I have a complete drawing.

The boots are both kind of different. I didn't know if I should go with side spikes or top spikes on the boot.

I'd love to hear your feedback!

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Sketch_Step_2.jpg

[Ferx]

Hey Shawn,

Cool concepts and studies! :D Like a lot your last update. Maybe a bit more huge arms, and a bigger boots for your character, to looks more "compact", only a comment :) Good luck and waiting for more updates!! :D Cheers!! :beer:

[Synectikos]

Ferx - Thanks for the comments. I have made a few changes to his proportions. I still don't quite like his legs but I can change that in the 3D model.

What do you think? Is this new image better?

(It's a bit blurry as I was using Liquify on the sketch)

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Proportions.jpg

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Sketch_Step_3.jpg

[Ferx]

Hey Shawn,

I prefer the short and stalky proportion, looks more stronger :D Cheers!! :beer:

(P.S. Perhaps one horn pointing up and the other pointing down, to put an asymmetric touch on the head, only a comment :) )

[Stutts]

I like the short and stalky one also you could also break one of the horns to break up the symmetry. Keep it up man

[Synectikos]

Ferx and Stutts - Thanks for the comments! I will keep this in mind as I work on the 3D model.

Not much of an update right now. I have started roughing in the model and will post that soon.

I've gathered some key references to use as a style guide for his head and skulls. To make him feel more demonic, I'd like his head to be almost skull-like with some Venom in him. I love Venom's long tongue. The skull tattoo is pretty cool. I like the eyes.

I added the the references from Gladiator to see how they dressed high rank people in armor. Since this is a "Demon Prince", I figure he should have signs of royalty/general. I like the fur and cape, and layered shoulder armor. I would like to keep his chest more open though, as that's a sign of strength.

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Style_Guide.jpg

[paratrooper]

cool. concept.
I like the way you researched the idea, all creative.
can't wait to see the modeling. keep doing the awesome works.
Cheers~

[Stutts]

nice references for the skulls and armor.
can't wait to see how the model is coming along!
:beer: (http://forums.cgsociety.org/misc.php?do=getsmilies&wysiwyg=1&forumid=0#)

[DTRAN]

Nice collection of sketches here Shawn! You totally have enough to get sculpting. I cant wait to see your sculpt!!

[Synectikos]

Finally, some time for progress! I was really busy for over a week there so I did not have time to post updates.

Lee (Paratrooper) - Thanks for stopping by!
Stutts - Thanks for the comments, you can see some of the skull progress below. Feel free to crit!
DTran - Thanks man. Yours is looking good too. Can't wait to see your next zBrush post!

Anyways, here is my latest progress done this Easter Long Weekend up here in Canada.
The low poly model needs work on the body.

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Low_Poly_Model.jpg

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Shoulder_Pad.jpg

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_ZBrush_01.jpg

The shoulder pad was my first test to get back into Zbrush. Its pretty rough but it has the interlocking skulls like I posted in one of my sketches. The idea is that the shoulder pads are heavy armor, made of gold or silver... shiny and hacked up. War torn. They feel a bit light in Zbrush as I lost some of the thickness as it smoothed.

Still missing: Fur on his back/shoulders, weapons, chains and shoulder strap.

[Soggyclog]

Looking sweet man! Great details so far.

[Synectikos]

Okay, sorry for the lack of updates. It was hard to get back into this but I managed to rough in the body. I played with proportions. Its a bit muddy at the moment. I got carried away with the detail brush after I laid down the foundation for the muscles. Some of his accessories don't line up so I'll have to fix that too.

I hope to get a lot done this week and will continue to post updates.

As always, feedback is welcome. :)

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_05.jpg

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_06.jpg

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_07.jpg

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_08.jpg

[DTRAN]

Hey Shawn, this is looking great. i know you are in the early stages, so i dont have any real feedbacks other then to try and retain his girth(sp check) from your sketch. :) This is looking killer! keep going!

[Synectikos]

Here's a further update on the head and horns. I also moved the shoulder pads up. The teeth are not lining up right now, I have to change that in 3D Max and re-import them since I made changes to the head and body shape.

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_09.jpg

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_10.jpg

[Soggyclog]

Great updates man! Nice to see you're back as well!
I'm quite liking the torso area, you cleaned it up really well... the horns are awesome too. I also like the reptile looking face, though are you still planning on smoothing/flattening certain parts of it as well? Could help to accentuate the facial features amongst all the surface wrinkles.

[Dargon]

Here's a further update on the head and horns. I also moved the shoulder pads up. The teeth are not lining up right now, I have to change that in 3D Max and re-import them since I made changes to the head and body shape.

Have you tried Transpose Master?

http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/downloadcenter/zplugins/

You can reshape your whole mesh (subtools or not) with this, and then it transfers the reshape to all the subtools. A life saver for me. I'd actually suggest going through that list and downloading anything that you find useful - it's all good stuff.

Liking this so far, like the chunky details, particularly the shoulder pads and the toonie-sized nipples. CRAZY!

[Synectikos]

Thanks guys. I appreciate your feedback!

DTRAN - I can't decide how big I like him! I started off leaner but as I added bulk, I was liking the direction it was going. He started to feel larger and more powerful like a Veteran Lord (Old, Large and Scarred) as opposed to a Superior Warrior (lean and mean). My concept isn't that great in terms of what I was thinking so it was more of a guideline. What are your thoughts?

Soggyclog - I still need to work on the face with the points you made. Once I get the teeth re-aligned I'll smooth out certain areas so he feels more skull-like with solid structure. I haven't done much with the arm muscles yet, so those are really flat and "zBrush mushy".

Dargon - I will have to checkout Transpose Master. I have seen cool things done with it. I was not aware that it transferred to subtools. If I have time, I'll read into it but with each day passing I just have to get this done. :)

[paratrooper]

Awesome! I like the scar on the chest. it make muscle to look solid.
I can't wait to see the texture.
cheers. :)

[Bri_Spencer]

That's looking awesome man! I really like the mix of hard surface and organic surfaces on this guy. I want to see this beast textured.

[Synectikos]

Paratrooper - Thanks! I hope the shoulder strap doesn't cover the chest too much. If it does, I may end up dropping the strap and have smaller straps around his neck to hold the cape.

Bri_Spencer - Thanks for the stopping by. I just finished my UV unwrap so I will be starting to bake the textures now. I know this is late but I still feel I can get it done by the new deadline! :)

Here's a new post. I've decided to go with the old giant ball and chain. I am well under the poly count right now so I can afford to have the sphere at decent resolution. I may add a secondary weapon like a short sword on his side.

I have also added more detail around his waist. These are just basic shapes as I will take them into zBrush to detail before properly aligning them to the mesh.

Currently sitting at around 6000 tri's even with the higher poly teeth.

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_18.jpg

[adriendebos]

Hey man! Nice progress on your character! :) That ball will break some badass skulls! :D
Maybe you can add a little bit more polys to the left hand if you still have 4K available. This is the part that looks the most low-res in your model.
Keep it up! 7 days extension woot!

[Synectikos]

Only a few days left. I hope I can pull this off!

I had a number of technical issues with my system at home so I've been staying late at work to try and get this done. No long weekend for me!

Quick and dirty texture projections... no cleanup yet.

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_24b.jpg

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_27b.jpg

[DTRAN]

Hey Shawn, this is looking great! The face looks pretty damn evil! AH YEAH! only a few days left! go go go go!

[Dargon]

Awesome to see you're still in it Shawn! Keep your texture work gestural and you should be able to make it. Gogogogogogogo!!!

[Synectikos]

Thanks for the confidence boost guys!

I am going to have to keep the texture work quite loose as your said. I think it'll be a lot of fun to see how fast I can texture, skin, pose, and render in the few days left. :)

[Synectikos]

Update: Texturing like a madman! 4 hours of texturing done today.

I'll updates more often until the deadline on Monday!

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_31.jpg

[Synectikos]

Small Update: I added leather shoulder pads under his shoulder armor to repeat the leg pattern for consistency. I like the repetition here. Starts to feel a little more like a Samurai warrior, but that's not a bad thing either.

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_32.jpg

[DTRAN]

HolyCRAP! you got alot done there, shawn! He's really coming together nicely. i love the face. i can't wait to see how that left arm turns out! Keep going!!

[Synectikos]

Update: Projected the normals and ambient occlusion for the boots... still need to texture. Added lots of spikes and teeth to the rest of the character.

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_33.jpg

[Synectikos]

Further update after finishing the boots and touching up a few other areas.

I'd like to spend more time on the texture but right now I need to get this guy posed... so that's next. After he's posed, I'll go back to texture weapon and fix his hands. :)

http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_35b.jpg

[Synectikos]

Here's a couple of angles of him posed. I haven't completed the skin weighting yet, I need to get the pose right first and then I'll get to that.

Which angle do you like better?

Option A:
http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_36b.jpg

Option B:
http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/Demon_Prince_37b.jpg

[Dargon]

Option A for my money

[Synectikos]

Done, with a half hour to spare!

Although I can't submit because the server is down. :(

Beauty Shot (wish I had more time):
http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/submission/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Beauty.jpg

Concept:
http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/submission/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Concept.jpg

Construction:
http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/submission/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Construction.jpg

Presentation:
http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/submission/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Presentation.jpg

Text:
http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/submission/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Text.jpg

Texture Sheets:
http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/submission/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Texture_Sheets.jpg

Thumbnail:
http://www.shawnwoods.com/dominance_war_4/submission/Synectikos_Demon_Prince_Thumb_Final.jpg

[Synectikos]

This site to post images to is down... now what?

[DTRAN]

Congrats Shawn! Crazy drive to get to the finish line! I love the final renders. thats one badass looking MOFO! Goodluck the rest of the way!

[adriendebos]

Congrats on finishing Shawn! Very nice work! I love the face, it turned out really nicely!
Now you can enjoy the rest!

I hope you found a way to upload your final renders to the website. Good luck!

[Dargon]

Great work, glad you finished! Hope you were able to get it submitted! It turned out quite good!

[Synectikos]

Thanks guys, it was a very busy long weekend to get this done! I finally got my pics uploaded. Looks like everyone overloaded the server at the deadline.

[DDS]

Best of luck man, he can definitely kick some ass!

[MR BINK]

Good Job Dude!

Now Go outside :)

[Synectikos]

DDS - Thanks for stopping by. Good luck in the contest!

MR BINK - Nice to see you on here Jacob. Next year you need to enter!

I had a lot of fun in this contest. I started off fairly well but then had a month in between where I couldn't do much. Next year I hope to front-load more of the work and leave more time in the end for improvements.

I appreciate all your comments and crits. Good luck to everyone!

Does anyone know the process from here? How long does the judging process take?

[Hexahedron]

Great entry man! One question though, what's the reflection map used for? Sorry for the question but I'm new to this (just finished art school last year).
Well, hope to see you entering Dominance War next year as well. Best of luck!

Cheers,

James

[Soggyclog]

Congrats Shawn, looks sweet! Glad you got it done despite being so busy.
Last year the judging took quite a long time, but hopefully it'll go a little smoother and quicker this year.

[Ferx]

Hey Shawn,

Nice work and great character design, like a lot his weapon :D and great expression in the beauty shot. Congrats for your finale!! Good luck !! Time for the tequila!! Cheers!! :beer:

[Synectikos]

Hexahedron - I used the reflection map on the armor, along with higher specularity to add some shininess to it. I also didn't have to texture as much in the diffuse map this way.

Soggyclog - Thanks for the info. Its too bad you couldn't finish, I was stoked to see your design follow through!

Ferx - Tequila? Any time! I would have liked to spend more time on the beauty shot but I finished everything with a half hour to spare... so next year! :)

[Ataulfo]

Great character. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Congratulations and good luck:beer:

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