Competition #14 - Lord McGoat

[Lord McGoat]

Hi all,
It's been a long long time since I showed any work on a forum, but I'm coming into this challenge late and without much spare time, so I figured a wip thread would force me to keep putting stuff up.

The bug I've settled on is a grasshopper, mainly because they are so alien, so beautiful, and have enough detail to make the modelling a challenge.

Because of that though, I did find myself very reluctant to mess with the form of the insect too much, so my design (at least for now) is pretty simple.

It's an artillery insect, firing goopy stuff out of its abdomen. Holding the abdomen in place is thick spider webbing. I reckon I'll keep the design as organic as possible whatever direction it goes in.

Anyway, enough blabber... here's the concept and what I have of the high res so far. I think I'll just make the high res true to nature because I think there's a lot to learned from studying it, and then I'll deform and pose it later on.

[Slip]

What a coincidence, I just started on my own grasshopper today mainly because nobody else was doing one. They are very beautiful while at the same time mean looking things. Great concept and hi-poly, good luck.

[shinbone]

This is looking fab! Really great work! I love the legs!

[Syren]

Might I ask...? What program did you use to create that high-poly grasshopper?
I would have sent a message but sometime people don't check those regularly. ^^"

[Lord McGoat]

Thanks for the responses, sorry I've been slow to to update/respond, work is making it tricky to spare too much time.

Anyway, in response to Syren, I'm using Zbrush. Well 90% zbrush, sometimes I pop into maya for stuff.

I've pretty much finished the unposed high res, which has been a great learning experience in terms of learning about the anatomy of these crazy bugs. Next step pose and texture, and do the add ons.

I've changed my concept a little bit, but haven't sketched it out, hopefully I'll post an update of that soon. He's (actually should be she since I modelled a female...) now gonna fire something from his mouth, but the fuel for it will be fed from the abdomen, so I'll keep that C shape to the design, and a couple of pipes/tubes will feed from the abdomen to his mouth.

I wanted to do a flamethrower but I don't think I can spare the poly/texture space, so I'm open to ideas. Also still considering what colour to go with the texture. I'll probably just go red/green, but any thoughts on that would be interesting. Try googling for "colourful grasshopper", the range of colours that they have is absoloutely mind boggling. Like if I textured it like that people would think I was going over the top...

Anyway here's the progess. I should really upload some pictures of grasshoppers so that there's something to judge it by, maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

[XyroXtreme]

This is pretty impressive.
I'll keep watching this thread.
gj!
grtz

[Harry]

sexcellent work on the sculpt. I like how youve detailed all areas, not just those you'll see in renders.

[crazyfool]

really nice sculpt, cant wait to see your normal maps from that bad boy

[Lord McGoat]

Thanks for the replies. Not sure how the normal map is going to come out of this, I think 1k texture space is enough to preserve the details, but 1k polys is going to be a bit on the tight side for this amount of detail. I'm planning on doing a higher detail LOD after the competition though.

Update coming.. hmmm... soon hopefully. Too damn difficult to find time during the week.

[seanv]

Really nice zbrush work. Good concept too! Success to you in the coming final days.