HARDCORE MODELING CHALLENGE: Ray Harryhausen Tribute: Grand Lunar

#1

Hey everyone:)

Here’s some screen shots of the model I’m working on for the Ray Harryhausen hardcore challenge…I picked the “Grand Lunar” from “The First Men in the Moon”. I never modeled an insect creature before so I thought it would be fun and something I could squeeze into my schedule…and I found some pretty good references and pieced them together in Photoshop to make backdrops for modeling…I can post them if anyone wants to see them.

I started modeling in 3dsmax and plan to move to ZBrush after I add a couple more levels of detail.

#2

Here’s a quick post of the refs and backdrops I’m using for the Grand Lunar model.

#3

I did a little more work on the model and I also attached a couple stills I took from the movie. Depending on how much time I have after finishing the Grand Lunar I may re-create the scene in the stills.

#4

wow. the model matches nice! this is going to be cool to watch!

#5

Thanks… I’m using some pictures of the other Selenites for references as well because there really isn’t a lot for the Grand Lunar and him being in a force field in the movie doesn’t help either, but I have “The Art of Ray Harryhausen” and found the image I’m using for my main reference in there. It doesn’t have pinchers, but the other Selenites do…so I think I might keep them on my model. The joints and feet don’t appear to be complete so I’m going to use the other Selenite images I have as reference for those.

#6

I had some time to add a little more detail.

#7

I finally got this guy into Zbrush and started adding details.

#8

wow. very nice detail. looking better every time! what else do you have planned?

#9

I got him back in max now and started to work on the textures.

#10

looks great, by the way, wich soft did you use for the color?

#11
  • Thanks…aside from creating a cavity map in Zbrush, I used Photoshop and did the render in 3dsmax.
#12

Yeah, that’s looking really cool now, love the textures.

#13

Thanks!..there’s some seams I need to clean up and some issuses with the veins on the back of his head I have to deal with as well. Next time I think I’ll keep the head seperate to allow more detail in the displacement map. This was a Zbrush learning experience for me…I never actually worked a model to completion in it before.

#14

Ooh, just saw this. It’s looking really nice, very authentic. Nice one.

#15

Looking at the refs, I think you could make the hands more defined, like exoskeleton plates of insects, they look rather lumpy and vague ATM.

#16

Thanks.

Yeah…I agree, I had a little more detail in Zbrush, but I lost some going back to max. I’ll see if I can refine them and make them more like plates…that is, if I can without messing the mapping up.

#17

Looks excellent. I like the colors on him. Very nice render there.

#18

Well, here he is, The Grand Lunar. I’ll be posting links to the renders tomorrow in the main thread. Good luck everyone.

#19

Congrats on a great final model cjewell. I’m not sure I recognise the Grand Lunar, which film does it feature in? I’ll have to check it out.

#20

Thanks Cameo …that’s part of why I chose him, I wanted to show off one of Ray’s models that people weren’t familiar with.

The Grand Lunar was in the 1964 H.G. Wells movie " First Men in the Moon"