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Sux2BeMe β Mollymawk Concept Model
Published: 2014-02-09 03:55:17 +0000 UTC; Views: 2244; Favourites: 57; Downloads: 33
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Description
After nearly a month of planning & modeling, it's finally...almost...done.The reason it took so long is due to three things:
1 - There is also an interior, featuring a spiral staircase, furniture, etc.
2 - Most of it is animatable. The landing gears fold up, the hatch on the bottom opens, the chairs in the cockpit are squishable...
3 - I've also been working on the crew. Making space suits, modeling faces...these are not as easy as one might think.
I'm posting it unfinished as I'd like to get some feedback, and maybe try to get some name ideas for when I decide to christen it (yes, this will be a scene I'm planning to render).
Made with Cinema 4D, Adobe Illustrator, and ONE bump map made in Photoshop (and a teensy bit o' post-process).
It will be featured in lots of upcoming scenes, but in the mean time, please check out its first one.
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Comments: 36
Fantastic, finished or not. Β Thanks for sharing.
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This is an amassing peas of work.
I realy like it.
Hence...
I'am missing a sort of railway, or tube, from the main body to the truster-tubes...
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I knew I forgot something! They're there...I just forgot to turn them back to visible for rendering. Kind of embarassing.
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Looks gorgeous! I love all the Nouveau detail and the landing gear is elegant and clever.
My one critique might be the copper is a bit too clean and shiny still, especially since the main hull looks hand-tooled. But it is a work-in-progress so I'm sure you have some cool texturing in mind.
I was thinking it could be named after George Melies, the silent film director who made From The Earth To the Moon. I dunno. :Γ
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Not a bad name...along the lines of calling it the Riou, after Jules Verne's first Illustrator, or the Goble, after Wells' same.
The landing gear was the first thing I designed on this, so I'm really glad someone noticed them. The art nouveau is the one part where I'm a tad disappointed. I was hoping to collaborate with a friend of mine on that, but he's gone kind of MIA. He's quite literally on the other side of the planet, so I've no idea what's going on there. Since I couldn't use his work without his permission, though, and nobody responded to my requests for a collaborator, I just winged it. I'd still prefer to redo it using designs from someone who knows what they're doing.
The copper is definitely a work in progress. I was considering retexturing it for VRay, but haven't totally learned that program just yet. Plus, I'd need to remake EVERY texture. It's certainly an improvement over C4D's default copper however.
I left it shiny on purpose, though. The way I figured it...it's a totally impractical piece of technology anyway, so we get to make up our own rules for how it would work. A bit like how you kill zombies and vampires...since they don't exist, you can use strawberry Jell-O to kill them if you so choose. Just as long as you don't break your own rules, you're usually fine.
My rules were based on a short story with a pretty simple premise: There is no conceivable way it could break into orbit on its own, so it would need to be build in space, or launched from high altitude. As such, it wouldn't ever really find too much in the way of oxidation, which would lead to a loss of luster.
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Sounds good; I like where a lot of the decoration is at now, but no reason you can't push it even further.
Ah yeah that's one way it could have gotten into space. Or in a nod to the silent film, it was fired from a cannon (while encased in a streamlined cocoon).
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Well, that wouldn't be so much of a nod to the film as it would be to the book. I wrote a short story (not really fit for the eyes of people with the ability to read just yet) about how it could have been launched.Β I may try to make the launch scene...which involves an intricate network of ropes, pulleys, hooks, and hot air balloons...of course, that also means I have to make some circa 1860s balloons...headdesk.
I kind of pulled a Peter Jackson maneuver on myself on the extant details, however. I spent a few more hours modeling some more scroll work for the neck of the vehicle, and making a few modifications to the console in the cockpit. Then, the first render I make and post of it is at an angle where you can't see any of it! But I know it's there...
I think my next trick is going to focus on characters inside the craft. Since I spent so much time working on the interior, I figure I should make a few renders of them. There's actually so many other elements that you can't see in either this or the new render that I spent a lot of time modeling, I could just be making modifications and new renders for quite a while. I just need to keep from getting mistaken for a one-trick pony.
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That's a lot to show off for a single design...! (when I was faced with the annoying task of showing off an exterior and interior design, I split the difference and turned it into a Star Wars-style cutaway diagram)
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I really like the texture; it's shiny and reflective but not completely smooth.
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Thank you for noticing! I spent well days studying copper made products, and then several hours making the texture behave exactly like them. It was actually one of the more labor intensive parts of the project.
The tiling is the only part for which I used Photoshop. I tried multiple times to make it procedural, but it never worked properly.
I still think I need to smooth out the solid copper a bit more on the panels...right now they're somewhere between old and pebbled and brushed...but that middle area's in the valley of "I don't like it."
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Β Like most steampunk designs, it fits neatly into the "awesome but impractical" category. Brass and copper are heavy. It's why deep sea diving rigs are still being made from them, but airplanes still are not. Β
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I have to admit that till I read your description I thought this was a real item and was going to suggest a different gallery for it to live in...
Good job!
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Thank you! I've been working hard at creating a material library complete with actual refractive indices, along with some hyper-realistic lighting. The lights are based on Greyscale Gorilla's lights, but I've added my own twist to them, making them 100% procedural. The result is just what you see here.
I'm glad it looks realistic now since, as I mentioned in a previous comment, the render buttons aren't yet all turned on. Plus, I'm also still using C4D's native rendering system. I'm planning to switch to VRay, but that means the aformentioned material library needing to be completely redone...so I'm dragging my feet a bit on that one. Might do it for my next project, though.
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You are welcome 
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Well, VRay's also a tad expensive...so I have to wait until I can get a couple commissions or a 9 to 5 so I can afford it. Probably gonna be a while.
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It's a shame all the good stuff is so expensive
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True, true. It is meant for professionals, however...which would offset the cost. Even make it deductible. But I need to start getting some commissions before I can really call myself a pro.
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That would certainly do it. I hope you get the work you need so you can do this
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Generally speaking - great work!
I've got only one thing to mention - if you look closely the shadow directly under the ship, it is a bit "grainy"... Not enough samples? Or some problems with shader?
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Oh, definitely not enough samples. Since this really is a WIP, I didn't turn on all the buttons.
Took 45 minutes to render as-is. All the buttons, along with the edits I'm already planning...probably closer to 3 hours.
Plus, I'm not planning to leave it in a studio setting like this. This sucker needs scenery.
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Uuu.... So I'm waiting for more. ^^
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I love it!
it reminds me of a tea kettle though~ and I have no idea about 3D art, so I can't give you any real feedback, sorry :S
it does look very real, and I love the light and the texture of the metal it's made of!
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That ...was partially intentional. When I was very little (like 5), my grandmother had this old copper tea pot, that my cousin and I used to borrow without asking and use as a Death Star. So kinda full circle, here.
I actually prefer feedback from people who don't know 3D programs. Eventually, I want to work on movies and TV shows, and 99.9% of the audience that will scrutinize and critique every last detail won't know the programs, either. So, by all means, critique away! And don't worry about trying to be polite...if everyone tells me I'm doing a great job, I'll never be able to improve!
I am very glad the texture turned out well, though. It took a lot of work to get the copper to look just right. I was also really worried about using an actual bitmap for the tiled copper plates...it may not hold up if I zoom in too close. But overall, I'm pretty happy with it.
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it's so interesting to see how you always tie your art to your life somehow!
and sounds to me like you had an intriguing childhood.
I see, that is a fair point! I just have no idea WHAT to criticize, as in which criterions...Β
and yes, honest negative feedback can be more helpful that many positive ones.
the copper really caught my eye, because the texture looks amazing, and those little dents add to the realism of it...
I want to see how you designed the inside!!!
and I can actually imagine this in a TV show, so I think you did greatΒ
Β
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All of my artwork is drawn from my life, yes. The science fiction side of it tends to come out stronger, since it's the source of a lot of happy memories, and I often associate it with other happy memories.
I could go on for a VERY long time (which will sound like droning if I don't cut myself off here) about why I went into digital art, and why steampunk became kind of my sub-genre of choice.
The interior shots are coming along, but I want to incorporate at least one of the crew members I designed along with it. Those...are taking a while. Skin is hard to texture properly. The models look good, but the skin still looks very artificial.
Hopefully, when they're finished, I'll get accused of doing photomanipulation instead of hard 3D modeling.
And thank you so very much for that! That's one of the best compliments I could have hoped for with my work.
Now, if I can just get one of the networks to say the same thing...
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How exactly does science fiction had such a tremendous impact, though?Β
did you read many books?
actually, i would love to hear about it. I often wonder why people work digitally, and I guess there is a good story behind the steampunk genre that you draw~
like in many games - it looks human, but the skin immediately ruins the impact...Β
good luck with that~ is there a cool story to it as well? will you do a comic/visual novel?
haha that's a good wish!
I am glad~ and I hope you'll get there soon!
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I'll answer these one by one...but I'll start with the science fiction thing first, since it's the topic of my masters thesis.
You can effectively round up all of the genres of entertainment and popular culture, but never find one that is quite so self-fueling while still remaining wholly fictional as science fiction. First, consider the sheer percentage of hard scientists who openly state their reasoning for getting involved in their profession to science fiction. Rocket propulsion theory, cellular technology, and much of modern medical practices all stem from inspiration derived of science fiction.
Hard sciences, chemistry, physics, engineering, biology, etc...are among the most important elements of society, and what pushes the human race forward. Social elements can be equally important, and even its limits are frequently tested by science fiction. Sci Fi pretends to be about aliens or the future, but like so many other things, it is actually about current human issues. Science fiction often speaks to either a utopian or dystopian future, showing the rewards or consequences of actions we perform today.
One title in science fiction has led the pack, and cannot be ignored as a quantifiably dominant presence in the arts. An equal number of technological and sociological advancements were made in regard to Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. The original run of the show featured elements depicted as fiction, though inspired many to realize as fact within the creator's lifetime. Automatic doors, microwave ovens, advanced vital function monitors for hospital beds...all inspired by Star Trek. Additionally, the first interracial kiss on television, the first integrated cast with no regard to race or stereotype, as well as the first "no smoking" signs on television (a huge step, considering TV stations were owned by tobacco companies in the 60s) appeared on this show.
In regard to the concept of being a self-fueling genre, the other half of the cycle is also true. Hard science pushes science fiction as well. Art imitates life, though sci fi is, by its very nature, meant to stay ahead of current technology. As such, writers, artists, and filmmakers need to work to keep their creations ahead of the current levels, while still keeping them relevant and accessible to audiences. It is a complete cycle that constantly and continually pushes forward with no discernable end in sight.
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that is a very interesting point of view. I never actually thought about it,
but I agree - there seems to be a cycle there that pushes humanity forward by inspiring us and make us aspire to be like in that specific genre.
also, I really like to think art has it's part in that development as well.
Is that why you make sci-fi related art?
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It's part of my reasoning. I also make it because I love it more than chocolate.
I'll admit that there are other genres with near equal important works within them, (the movie Crash, for example, very unapologetically gave everyone a stern lesson in the expanse and dangers of prejudice, and hopefully improved the behaviors of at least some of its audience), sci fi tends to ignore the barriers and imagine a world without them.
As I said, I'd like to take the thesis to its fullest extent. If successful, I'd be able to make a legitimate argument for artists and scientists to start working together. Maybe get that trip to the ISS I've always wanted.
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in "loving it more than chocolate" you mean you LOVE chocolate, but you love doing sci-fi art more,Β
or you don't really love chocolate and wrote it as a nice analogy?
aI wish all the luck with that. I believe you have what it takes - I can feel your passion even through out conversations here!
so for what it's worth - good luck!
also, artists and scientists already work together on some projects/experiments. it is actually interesting!
I think that a lot of people (if not all of us) want the world to be a more fair, more beautiful an a magical place. that is why we are drawn to those genres-
we wish for a world like that!
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