Whitney Houston - WIP

I really wanted to develop my skills in Mudbox. After hearing about the tragic, untimely death of Whitney Houston, I decided to make a digital bust of her. So far I think I'm happy with it, except for the hair. Gotta figure out how to do that properly, and maybe I'll add flowers, to make it into a 'tribute'. Meanwhile, here's the progress. Enjoy! And may Ms. Houston rest in peace.



Modeled in Mudbox.

Plate Armor in Maya - Kushana

I'm still figuring out how to render the fur properly with Renderman, but here is what I consider to be a presentable render of the Kushana Blademaster model from "Monster Hunter" that I've been working on. Hopefully the fur will arrive soon, but otherwise, enjoy!



Subdivision surfaces in Maya. Rendered with Renderman (3Delight).
Original concept by Edayan; Original idea property of Udon Studios. Used without permission.

Plate Armor in Maya - WIP

*UPDATE*

Did a test render in Renderman, and I'm pretty happy with it. Actually, I'm very happy with it. Gotta add the fur, fix the ferrule at the top, add the other hand, and I think this will be all done...



*UPDATE*

Tweaked the details. Now to add shaders, maps and fur. Should be fun...



* UPDATE*

Added the head. Just a couple more details and I believe this is done. Although I do think the head looks a bit creepy right now...



I just picked up a copy of the "Monster Hunters Illustrations" book from a local bookstore, and the material in it is unbelievable. I have never played the game, so I am unfamiliar with the lore, but I saw a rendering of a Kushana and I thought I'd try modeling it. What an exercise it was. I'm still working on it, but it's close to completion. Here's the progress so far, and more to come very soon...



Subdivision Surfaces in Maya.

Plate Armor in Max

My attempt at modeling plate armor based out of the "Basic Plate" concept from "The Art of World of Warcraft" using 3ds Max. Here's a rough draft with the main details in place. In case you're wondering, it's a woman under all of that plate. More details coming, and a number of things I'd really like to improve on it. More on the way...



Modeled in 3ds Max using Subdivision Surfaces. (NURMS)

Sword

*Update*

I added some materials to the sword. Overall I think I'm pretty happy with it now.

I tried modeling in 3DS Max and came up with this sword. I actually used one of the designs from "The Art of World of Warcraft". Supposedly this is a level 4 sword, according to the book. For a first serious attempt with this program, I'm pretty satisfied. Maybe I'll do something more with it, although I am still sticking with Maya in the end.





3DS Max; Subdivision Surfaces; Rendered with Mental Ray.

Mudbox Elf

*Update*

I rendered this in Renderman (3Delight) and I was very impressed with the quality of this renderer! I posted it below to compare the two.



Rendered with Renderman (3Delight)

I just picked up Mudbox and started learning it for the first time. This is what I came up with after an hour. Everybody has a subject they obsess over when drawing or sculpting. For some it's cars, for others it's horses. For me, it's elves. I'm already loving this program! Let's see if I can make something really nice with it some time soon...



Modeled in Mudbox, rendered in Maya with Mental Ray. Subdivision surfaces.

Long John Silver

*Update*

Who am I kidding? The clothing looks like $&*#. I'll definitely have to tweak it up some more, as soon as I get all these updates to my comp working properly. :D

*Update*

For those of you interested, I posted a turntable video of the model below. :)

I'll just call it done for now. There's more I should be adding to my portfolio, and of course the more you look at your work, the more you'll want to keep adding to it. So here he is - Long John Silver from "Treasure Planet", done in subdivision surfaces in Maya. Overall I like it. I'll probably tweak it when my mind bounces back to it, but I'll just show these rendered images for now. Enjoy!


Perspective View



Head Gear shot



Hand Gear Shot



Turntable Animation

All modeling done in Maya using Subdivision Surfaces. Original design property of Walt Disney Studios. Used without permission.

Long John Silver - Nearly Done...

*Update*

Did a test render, so far I'm liking it...



*Update*

Going to see a movie tonight, and I had to help take care of some sick relatives, so didn't get to do much on the modeling today. Blah. Thought I'd post this just to show I'm *almost* done...



Still needs nips and tucks on his clothing, his coat and his left arm really needs some fixing. Almost there, though. I'm getting excited...



Perspective View

Long John Silver - The Hand Part 4

Done...?



Perspective View

Put what I've got together, and what do you get?



Keep moving forward...

Long John Silver - The Hand Part 3

Just wrapping it up. A couple more things to add and tweak and I'm done with this hunk of hardware...



Perspective view.

Long John Silver - The Hand Part 2

*Update*

I realized I was doing the wrong hand, (supposed to be his right hand, not his left) so I reversed it, and now I'm adding the 'shell'.



Perspective view

Slow, (very slow) but steady progress. A few things to fix, a lot more things to make. Progress is progress, I suppose...



Perspective view

Long John Silver - The Hand Part 1

So I'm starting on the hand now. This will really be fun. So many small parts involved here, but at least for me, I like modeling small parts. More on the way. Much, much more...



Perspective View

Also here's a portrait shot I took of the progress on his body/clothing.



Perspective view

Long John Silver - The Head Part 2

* Update*

I forgot to add a close-up shot of the headgear, so I added it now.

OK, so I added the headgear and the laser eye. I need to redo the hat, add the wiring that connect the headgear to the neck and fix some of those anomalies on the face. It's progress, I guess. Back to work for me, but here they are for you to enjoy...



Perspective View



Side View



Headgear - Close-up



Front View

Long John Silver - The Head Part 1

I loved Long John Silver from "Treasure Planet" (as a character). and I love modeling (among other things) in Maya. So I thought I would love modeling Long John Silver in Maya...and I do! It's tough, but it's fun! I have the head structure done. Now I have to add the headgear and his prosthetic eye...more fun ahead. Here's my progress for now. I did these exclusively in Maya in Subdivision Surfaces in my spare time; no Zbrush or Mudbox or anything like that. Although I am aiming to get a tablet soon so I can start using them. But anyways, back to work. enjoy!



Perspective view



Side View



Front View. Original design © The Walt Disney Company. Used without permission.

Shrimp Slicer

Yes, this is a shrimp slicer, or according to the plan I followed from the "Treasure Planet" art book I was flipping through.

This is just one of the many amazing tools that Long John Silver had in his mechanical right hand. Thought I'd give it a try and this was the result. Perhaps I will expand further on it soon. I can feel the urge to perfect it and model the full character growing strong. I'll have to make the time one day, but for now, enjoy! Modeled in subdivision surfaces in Maya.



Maya model preview.



Original plan from the book.

It really works...for now

Busy. That's probably the best word to describe me right now. I'll probably get back to finishing the textures on the boat, but I got sidetracked by a fun animation project I did in my spare time. Here is the rough animation I did on some audio I got from the 11 Second Club. Working on tweaking and polishing right now. But I must discipline myself to get this thing rendered...anyway, enjoy!

My Dream Ship - wip

*Update*

Added a basic color scheme. Painted textures are on the way, but I think this has a pretty good feel so far...



Rendered



Preview

Not sure which of these I like better...

*Update*

Adding ropes and pulleys. So tedious...



*Update*

Just added sails and started on the rigging. Ship building really is hard work...



Sorry about the delay in posting. So I was playing around with a bunch of cubes, cylinders and toruses. (is that a word?) This is the result so far. A lot more to be done still, but so far I'm pretty happy with it. Made with Subdivision Surfaces, for those who want to know. Well, back to work...



Autodesk Maya

The Best Years of My Life...

...are now over.

Probably the most intense experience I ever had was getting into and making my way through the Bachelor of Applied Arts - Animation program at Sheridan. It wasn't easy, and there were many times I felt I couldn't make it through, but somehow I did...

I'll always consider myself lucky for having the experiences I did, and I'm hoping that I can carry them through the rest of my life as a professional animation artist. I sincerely wish everyone I encountered during my 4 years in the program the best of luck for success, and a long, happy life. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I'm still alive after finishing the program.

I'll be starting a new blog soon, as my journey through school has come to an end. Now my journey through life begins. To celebrate, I modeled a cannon for a ship. It's going to be part of something bigger I'm working on for myself. But for now, enjoy. :) Please watch for my final post coming up when I create my new blog, as I'll be pointing it out to you once I have it set up.



Autodesk Maya - Subdivision Surfaces

Mr Cuddles - The Render

SURPRISE!!!

Here's a sample render of what my film should look like in the end. Coming soon. Very soon...



Autodesk Maya

Mr Cuddles - The Modeling - Bust Exercise

Shameful how much I've neglected my blog...anyway, I just got a new digital camera, and I thought I'd test it out on a bust I created with Super Sculpey a while back to work out character designs for my film. The final result is somewhat different, but I still liked how this turned out overall. New cameras are endless fun too!



Front View



Profile View



Side View



Back View

Mr. Cuddles - The Layout - Draft 2

*UPDATE*

I added a basic shadow pass, and it seems to be helping a bit...but still much, much more to be done.



Trying a basic colour test to see what pattern I should go with before I finalize textures. This is going to be a long, painful process...but here's the start.



Rendered with Maya Software renderer.

Mr. Cuddles - The Layout - Draft 1

Slowly, but surely...



Made in Maya

Mr. Cuddles - The Modeling - Props 6

A trophy for our champ...



... and the football that he earned it with.



Modeled in Maya.

Mr. Cuddles - The Modeling - Props 5

A power outlet. Cause every room has at least one.



Modeled in Maya