Steampunk Myths and Legends Entry: Nico Strobbe

#1

Nico Strobbe is entered in the “Steampunk Myths and Legends” update: View Challenge Page

Latest Update: Finished Video: Creation Of FrankAndSteam

#2

Well,

lets have another try at a big challenge.
At the moment i’m sill putting the last hand on the hardcore modeling challenge which is a steampunk challenge as well. So i could say i’m a little warmed up already.

good luck to all.

#3

I got a kind of first raw concept and want to post i before it’s too late!

it’s a cliché, but it’s called:

The Creation of FrankenSteam!

So, in a little more broad explanation: Frankensteam made a monster from various parts of steamy and non-steamy things. Creating a monster that can be seen as a custom built low-steamer.
It will have the characteristics of a low-rider (impala like) and mechanical arms, a monster of frankenstein looking head and a huge steam engine sticking out of the hood.
I kind of spoil the fun now, but the trailer will try to hide the complete creation.
It will be cartoony, fun, and short. So let’s sharpen the pencil and let’s get to designing this beast. Since i’m not a real rigger and skinner, i’ll make frankensteam as well as a mechanical character with much more simpleness.

cheers all and keep tuned

#4

I finally got my first Concept drawings online.

At the moment i’m doing much research towards the mechanics for the main character, to ensure he is a flexible one with lots of possibilities toward it’s riggin.

a Few notes:

  • Arms are very free and flexible and movements go beyond the shoulders.
  • Arms and Legs will be extendible to extreme lengths. (Still maintaining a cartoony feeling.
  • Flexible parts that will add interesting secondary motion to animations.
  • A few transformable items like the lights to build up a higher flexibility in animation.
  • Lots of lighting possibilities to ensure emotive expressiveness.
  • Steam exhausts to express style.

And much more.

#5

This is another more complete concept but still not exactly where it needs to be. Modeling will start very soon.

#6

If you put anywhere near the amount of detail you put in your steampunk starwars walker, you will do very well indeed.

Best of luck to you mate.

-Cheers

#7

Oh Nico, I’m subscribing to your thread

FrankenSteam I’m can’t stop laughing :stuck_out_tongue:

This is gonna be a good one, don’t forget the “It’s alive, it’s alive!!!” in your trailer :slight_smile:

#8

Thanks RageOfAges, i don’t think i’m gonna push the limit again with this modeling. Will be more moderate and will focus more on overall feeling. The walker gave me too many problems with software limitations.

Hey Gerard, it will be fun to say at least. Have already many little jokes ready in my mind. Won’t really tell them now but i hope i can use them. And this also includes the “it’s alive” sentence.
By the way, in the title of the last concept you can see i changed the title of the project to “FrankAndSteam Creations”.

This will be the name of the building as if it was a company. This way i move further away from the original story and make it a more interesting piece.

cheers

#9

Here is a progress render for the creation of FrankAndSteam so far.
Mostly this is still a mix between polygons and nurbs to make it easier to change certain shapes. As detail get’s added, nurbs surfaces get polygonized and adjusted as we go.

In this render you see the 4 main elements of the creature. The head proxy, the upper body (steam power) the lower body and the leg. The leg will be exciting out of 3 parts that extend the length of this lower part.
Most parts still contain little detail so still much to do.

cheers

#10

nice clean and detailish model,
I like the overall form of this machine also
keep up good works, :wink:
mim,

#11

Good start Nico, you lucky I had no time to work on mine.

#12

Thanks mim,

the overal shape will look a lot heavier with all 4 legs, but posed this will be a freaky beast. At the moment a lot of shapes and stuff look like animal inspired mechanical shapes. Pretty fun. With all four legs it looks like a libel. The back part is like a whale and the knee contains a snail like head.

Hey Gerard, yes, i am so happy you didn’t work on it :twisted:
Your last update was already a nice step forward. But even if this modeling seems fast, afterward i still have uv mapping to do and shading and texturing. Damn i’m getting depri even thinking about it. Just like i did with the Walker, i think the detail makes it easyer to just do shading and minimal texturing. Let’s hope it works.

cheers and detail is adding and adding and adding and becoming a possible problem later on.

#13

Some mere update on the detailing and progress is going a little slow i think. But i did do more work than meets the eye.
The lower part of the leg is already build in poly’s in 3 parts that fit seamlessly and are containing pistons.
Getting the surface smooth is a lot of work.

Still almost all parts for the upper part of the body are still nurbs so converting everything also will take a lot of time.

#14

Looking awesome, of course, nico!
Nurbs, though? ouch!
I have no doubt you’ll pull it off great. Keep it up.

-Joel

#15

Wow nothingness really good job on the modeling. Your imagination and creativity is something special. Heres some sugestions to help bring out the best.

  1. Color Scheme (this will make it stand out)

  2. Dirty Textures (this will make or break the design)

  3. Use reference (see what color & textures make for a strong piece)

Good luck, (ill keep my eye on this one)

Richard Falcon CGiMATE Animator :thumbsup:
http://hungryrich101@yahoo,com

#16

Sweet sweet modeling mate…unusual kind of steampunk stuff, like your quadripod of the hcr, you have a interesting style :thumbsup:

And, well, there are few other Belgians in the challenge, just that some of them don’t work actually in Belgium… you are the third Belgian “nico” here :smiley:
We’re not so rare over here :bounce:

#17

RageOfAges, thanks and yeah, nurbs, auwtch! :twisted: But once knowing it, it is an unmissable tool in maya. This is the main reason i hate learning other modeling apps.

HungryRich101, thank you too! I learned a lot for compositing so adjusting shading and textures in post-production will be very flexible. So be sure this one will have texturing and dirt maps.

Goul, wow, didn’t know there was another belgian in the challenge.
I hope this creature turns out as interesting as the walker. I’m glad steampunk has a broad variety of possible styles so i’ll just try to create my own and go as far as possible.

cheers all

#18

Awesome amout of details :slight_smile: I’m not quit sure how it moves, but i guess im gonna see that later on :wink:

Keep it up.

#19

Hey deje3D,

the leg had a way of moving like the arm. The first piston-part attached to the locomotive body part is like the shoulder, then you have the upper arm-part that also extends in length because it’s a piston after all.
The last part is something else. It mainly is like a huge under-arm, but the difference is that it is build in 3 parts that extend by the huge pistons built into it. When i finish it i will show it so you can see how it exactly is build.
Intention is to be able to do any kind of movement with the arms.

cheers

#20

indeed very good job with the steampunk elements!:slight_smile: