Beast of Burden - Character - 3DZealot

#1

Well, I’m diving into this challenge with great fear and trembling. So much amazing talent around here…

Anyway, I’m going to focus on my modeling, and hope to learn a whole lot in the process.

Ok, after some thought, I figured this might be really cool:

At some time in man’s history, certain people believed that the earth was carried through the heavens on the back of a great turtle. I thought I could use this concept and twist it abit to fit the guidelines for this challenge. Here’s a fifteen minute sketch of what I came up with. Note that this will change quite a bit, and that I’m working on my 2d drawing skills, so the sketch kinda sucks…Hopefully you will get the point:

#2

oh shit - that’s a good idea!

#3

Heh, reminds me of the discworld books by Terry Pratchett (theres about 30 of them now) he has this kind of setup, the world is carried on the back of four elephants, which in turn is carried on the back of a giant turtle, great books, worth a read :slight_smile: (funny fantasy) be nice to see your version, its a nice twist on it

Regards,

Doobeh…

#4

Hey, I’m doing a turtle too! (but not such a mammoth scale!) Yours is looking way better by the sketch. Dang it! :scream:

#5

Hehe, thanks guys. You know, it’s funny, I’ve never seen discworld before…interesting. That’s an awsome cover. I gotta check that out.

erilaz: Yeah, I saw your entry about ten seconds after I submitted mine…It’s kinda cool that we are both modeling turtles. Can’t wait to see were we both go with this.

:buttrock:

#6

Okay, guys, here’s a little update. Just started the shell, and only have a few hours of work on ‘em, but I’m starting to get the overall look of his head. I’m kinda going for old, stoic, and pissed off…Let me know what ya’ think if you somehow find this thread.

:wink:

#7

I love all the modeling you’ve done so far. very clean. But I’d like to see the mouth a little more “beaky”. Great interpretation of the picture though. So far so good. :thumbsup:

#8

wow! man you really got the look of it!

nice subd work :slight_smile:

you working in MAX aren’t you ?

newya …really nice job on the head so far, we can already see the expressions and fatigue in it’s face !!! :slight_smile:

i really likE!! :slight_smile:

#9

Wow, thanks guys!

Zr0-1: Thanks, and yeah, I agree about the mouth…Just haven’t got there yet…BTW, you just made a new word…I will now forever refer to the front of his face as “beaky”…lol.

JinMTVT: Thanks, and yes, I am using MAX 4.2 with meshtools and Cspolytools. Hope to make him even more tired and strained in later posts…

I’m in the process of adding lots of strained senew(sp?) tendons and veins. More wrinkes, and some loose flesh around the underside of the neck. I’m departing somewhat from the correct anatomy of a turtle in regards to the head and some of the body. The mouth, nose, and eyes are a combination of a few different types of turtle.

Any suggestions on how I should make the earth? I’m thinking about how to get around using a bump or displacement map…Don’t think It would violate the guidlines, but just to be sure…

Thanks for the encouraging posts!

#10

nice wire !
good reference and much work in perspective ! :))
:surprised

THIS IS GOOD START ! i think U model well …

#11

Hey, thanks, stereo! I think you model well too!

As for the discworld cover, I would like to mention, that I am not using it as reference, and Terry Pratchett in not the originator of this legend. Therefore, I am not ripping him off, but instead am ripping off an ancient and respected culture…Um…wait…

Anyway, I’m hoping to add a whole lot of ornamental detail to this guy, to link him to the originators of his legend.

Still trying to determine how to pack all this detail into him when the final render is such a wide shot…Just getting the chains to not obscure the earth will be a trick…

Guess they don’t call it a challenge for nothing…

I’ll keep ya’ll posted. Thanks for the views!

:thumbsup:

#12

Just a small update…

I’ve gotta work alot on the “beaky” area. And he, of course, still needs a mouth…

Crits welcome!

Thanks!:smiley:

#13

Oh man, I was actually thinking about scrapping my concept and doing this exact subject matter.

I thought of Atlas holding up the Earth, but I would be violating directive number 5. I remember loving a Hindu cosmology illustration when I was a kid. It was a tortoise holding four elephants that were in turn carrying the world (not a globe, but more like Mount Mehru surrounded by some rings of land). I did some research yesterday, and the tortoise was named Chukwa, and the elephants were Muha-Pudma, or something like that. As you mention, there are plenty other cultures (Native American for instance) that have similar concepts.

Anyways, I’ll be lucky to have time to finish my very modest design as it is, so I’m glad I saw your thumbnail - gives me an excuse to be realistic about my time and abilities. By the way, the Terry Pratchett illustration looks very close to the Hindu…

Great work, by the way! You’ve already got a great look; stoic, pissed, and tired, just like you said.

#14

really cool model, i like how its coming a lot. Discworld was awesome. i played that game and got all the way to the end once until my brother erased my memory card, once. :buttrock:

#16

Just another little update. Have’nt had much time to work on 'em as of late. I expect to have the body fleshed out by next week, and then I’ll start on the detail pass. The head proportions will change slightly, to reflect the fact that he is indeed a turtle. I just wanted to get the emotion and “character” of the model out there first, so I can weave that into the rest of the project.

Thanks for all your responses, as they have been keeping my spirits high.

I am struck by how many different peoples of the world at one time believed this legend…

Anyway…

Crits always welcome.:slight_smile:

#17

very nice work m8 and thx for your help
but i would like to chat with you (cause the forums are hard for some things if you have the time for it)

#18

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