specs2's Bestiary

[specs2]

Here is a new creature from my virtual beastiary.

I made this symbiote for a german Star Gate fan film in the making. Started it on Monday.
Mesh took about 4 hours to model, UV 2 hours, rig approx. 2 hours as well. Textures took a day or so, since there was a lot of tweaking over the week.
I used bump maps, a fresnel reflection, SSS and several specular layers for it.

I plan to make a scene from season 5, where the symbiotes are swimming in a bowl, that is also decorated with symbiote statues on the rim.

[biotech]

Looks great.

Dont they have wings, or fins about half way down their body though?

[specs2]

haven't seen it on any images. but I also hope so, they don't have these :D don't want to redo everything :S

[biotech]

Remember the episode after the clip show where SG1 was tricked into thinking it was the future, and they were all wearing white suits, and this egyption looking guoald was tyring to put one into O'Neill, I'm sure it had wings then.

[biotech]

http://www.gateworld.net/omnipedia/races/graphics/goauld.jpg

Very small I know, but you can just about see them

[specs2]

yeah, the episode was named "Hathor". I actually used screens from that to create my symbiote, but none of them had wings on the mid of the body. there are only fins on the head to my notice.
but then again, humans don't look alike either, so it doesn't really matter.

[Aresius]

ugh...

Are you sure you 'created' him and not took a picture of a real one...

'nd why are your eyes glowing????
;)

Looks very good...

[ANCIENT ATLANTEAN]

I am every impressed. We'll be watching this thread with much interest!

[NickatNite]

good job on the symbiot. I have seen about 5 different styles over the ten years so the mesh you have sould work just fine.

[specs2]

the eyes are glwoing, because they did so in "Hathor". My assumption is, that's a visual for a certain mood, possibly anger, like humans get really red headed, when they are angry.

[Elowan]

I hate those little bastards. However - my mongoose loves them - al naturale':p

[aszazeroth]

Cool stuff.... great job. If you feel like more beast I guess you could try out a alien facehugger using similar techniques ;)

Keep up the work.

[JustinDixon]

that's awesome :D

[specs2]

Cool stuff.... great job. If you feel like more beast I guess you could try out a alien facehugger using similar techniques ;)

Keep up the work.

if you want one, gimme some good shots of it and I make you one ;)

[Spry]

That is so cool man!

More!

[aszazeroth]

if you want one, gimme some good shots of it and I make you one ;)

Cool... gonna dig out some refs during the weekend ahead.

[Trekcross]

Have you done the Ceti Eel from ST II? both the large and small versions.

[specs2]

If ST stands for Star Trek, get lost ;) sorry, but I hate it.

[meaty-btz]

don't the symbiots have 4 eyes? Or at least hathor's did, 2 on the upper side 2 on the lower side.

2 or 4, your symbiot though rocks. very nice.

[specs2]

you are right, hathor's had 4 eyes. anyway, I made a small animation with the monster.

Symbiote Swiming (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW3JY5nGm-k)

[lennier1]

Nice work.
Kinda reminds me of something:

[aszazeroth]

Cool stuff...

[specs2]

pretty picture, lennier. who did it?

[lennier1]

Found it a while ago when i was browsing deviantart. The link in the pic seems to be working but the portfolio page is written in finnish.

[Guerrilla]

Seems to be a one woman design company not too far from where I live run by one Marietta Ivanov. Click 'työnäytteet' for her professional portfolio.

[specs2]

he, she#s pretty, if that girl there is her.

[Guerrilla]

oh yeah, forgot to say this earlier. That's one mean looking symbiote. Good work. :)

[specs2]

doesn't seem to be good enough for a header, so what's missing?

[Dallidas]

very nice specs! I would almost expect the little buggers to swim alot more spasticly though

[Zac Attack]

nice work which season was that of

[specs2]

mmh, it has a bit of every season and some accents by me :)

dallidas, that spastical swim is propably caused by haste. I'm gonna try that kinda style later.

[specs2]

Here is a new figure, I'm working on. Took me 3 hours so far and now I'm stuck, since I don't have any body references. Does anyone have any shots from the recent seasons with a decent resolution?

@Mods: is it possible to make this a collectors thread for all my creatures and also change the name of it to fit it?

[Guerrilla]

What do you want the name to be?

[Tovette]

That looks like an Asgard ancient, not a Goa'uld.

[specs2]

What do you want the name to be?

How about "specs2's Beastiary"?

Yes, it's an Asgard. That's why I want this thread to be renamed.

[lennier1]

Interesting. Looks kinda different from the usual run-off-the-mill Asgard.

[specs2]

what's a "run-of-the-mill-Asgard"?

[Tovette]

That's why I want this thread to be renamed.

Thread renamed to 'Asgard'

Although it might confuse people when the post is an attachment of a Goa'uld. That image will show up in the 2Dwip forum thumbnail.

[Andrew March]

what's a "run-of-the-mill-Asgard"?

An Asgard who runs a mill obviously.

[specs2]

Thread renamed to 'Asgard'

Although it might confuse people when the post is an attachment of a Goa'uld. That image will show up in the 2Dwip forum thumbnail.

That's why I had that other name in mind. Or is it unsuitable? I mean, I intend to put in my Rancor and dragon as well. So, Beastiary sounds kinda suitable.

[lennier1]

Just the Asgard version of your Average Joe.
Your model has a shorter head, the eyelids are shaped a bit different, the ridge on his head is more pronounced, same for the "nostrils". That´s just a few differences. Also looks like he has an attitude.

[Guerrilla]

Thread name changed. Tovette's blunders fixed. :shiner:

[specs2]

well, I assume, that's meant as a compliment then? :)

thx @ Guerrilla.

[specs2]

K and here are my other two critters, that I've done.

http://www.scifi-meshes.com/forums/attachments/3d-wips/21810d1166185976-sw-rancor-rancor-mesh-test.jpghttp://www.scifi-meshes.com/forums/attachments/3d-wips/24237d1169461542-dragon-drache.jpg

[specs2]

raarg, can a mod change the big display? I have these images uploaded on this server already, but didn't want to do it again, so I tried to link them, but ain't working right.

[lennier1]

It definitely was meant as a compliment. Try to make the head a tad taller and you could sell it as an improved version of the Asgard. Maybe one of the improvements from their recent experiments in genetics to fight the problems due to the cloning process.

[specs2]

mmh, that's a good thought for a second version. though, I intend to finish the more known asgard first.

[specs2]

update on my asgard. roughly shaped the torso, the legs and the arms partially (only to the elbow so far).

[Spry]

Damn Specs, you do have a really good knack for organic modelling. This stuff is really awesome.

[specs2]

I wish, there would be more people, doing organics. right now, you cna count them with one hand.

[magyareagle]

I like it better than the screen cap.

[D.M.J.]

That Rancor is really nice!

[specs2]

k, i think it's time to show of a first impression of the meanest of all my beasts...she's female, one point, why it's mean... and she's ori.

this one has gone through a lot of reshaping already, but it's still not done.

[Digital I]

I wish, there would be more people, doing organics. right now, you cna count them with one hand.

Hmmm - I do organics (in C4D, too)... But I haven't shown them around here, because I considered this site to be more of a 'vehicular' lovefest...

I don't want to highjack your thread, Specs, but maybe I'll show a couple in a new thread - I just didn't think anyone around here would be interested.

Your critters looks great!

Cheers!

[specs2]

oh cool, I'm looking forward to that. just post a link to it here, when it's up :)

[Choo1701]

great work on the latest beasty so far specs. :thumb: Only crit is the eyes are a bit too big and the eyebrows need to curve (unless your going for a "cartoon" effect). Other than that, preatty fantastic ;)

Modeling people in 3d is hard as nails (first thing i did in max :( very challenging and time consuming) but i think you've got of to a good start.

(oh, and please don't set the Rancor on me! :shiner: :runs: )

[specs2]

k, i think, I'm almost done. only the dress texture is still missing. hard to find a suitable one :S

[SGA-3D]

Great work, specs! Absolutely nothing to crit.

[Choo1701]

preatty spot one. Fabulous Work Specs. :thumb:

What/Who is next on your list, Edward James Olmos??? :eek: :shiner: :p

[specs2]

that's it, now I set my rancor on you :p Seriously, you'll never see me do BSG stuff. Next thing to do might be Sam, not sure about it yet though. There is still a lot of stuff to come at work, including characters to be modelled :)

[specs2]

here is an update. finally found a suitable texture for the dress. it's the biggest texture I've ever done so far at an insane size of 6500x6500 pixel.

[SGA-3D]

I love the attention to detail, especially with the hair. The dress texture is looking excellent too. I know what you mean abou the size of the texture. My original texture on the piers of Atlantis were around that size, but I had to downsize them when Max freaked out.

[Choo1701]

that's it, now I set my rancor on you :p

*rumages around pockets as Rancor apporaches*....lets see...Bananna....jelly babies...sonic screwdriver....ah man...picked up the wrong coat!! :eek: :help:

seriously: Just wondering how long on of these "beasts" take to create with all the detail, hair and skin? (hours, days, months??)

And 6500 x 6500. Wow...thats...big. :eek:

Your insane specs. And preatty damn talented :cool:. Good to hear you've got a job out of it. Congrats :thumb: Oh, and i hope the rancor likes the dress!! :devil: :p

[Tovette]

It reminds me of the game portraits from Eve...

[specs2]

It reminds me of the game portraits from Eve...

odd, isn't it?

the summed up time so far is at around 2 weeks, I believe. the most time consuming part is, to get the textures and shape to look like the original. if you create your own imaginary character, that part is totally up to you and may take way less time.

[Choo1701]

the summed up time so far is at around 2 weeks, I believe. the most time consuming part is, to get the textures and shape to look like the original. if you create your own imaginary character, that part is totally up to you and may take way less time.

2 weeks?!? :eek: wow. thats good. My unfinished models were about a month or two (okay, the models were the first ones i built properly in 3DS Max, and i was only working on it for 3 days a week, but still shouldn't of taken that long). :shiner:

of course, if your doing something original its best to have a good idea of what you want the final idea to turn out like and to stick. to. that. plan... :shiner:

One day i'll understand it all :rolleyes:

[specs2]

well, just to inform you, the time span is over a month. but besides the work on adria, there is still real life and work, that's always there and needs it's share of my time. so the two weeks are only part of this month, i've been working on her.

[D.M.J.]

Congratulations, a human figure that looks like it should. The hardest and most sought after of skills :)

[specs2]

k, final image of adria, enjoy.

[D.M.J.]

Specs2, that's fantastic. Full congratulations. :thumb: It was this thread that got me to rebuild my head model. Your "young female skin" texture is just right, how did you get that soft finish? I chose a male to model because the skin texture is much easier, I've tried to do female skin in the past and it always ends up looking either like "young male skin", "old female skin", or plastic.

[specs2]

it's a matter of several aspects.
first thing, get some decent photo references. levius is offering some very useful texture resources for a fair price. All the Human Photo References and Textures 3D Artist Wants (http://3d.sk/)
next thing is, skin isn't just a texture, you also need to work out bump maps, specular maps and reflective maps. these all have their special features, that make the skin look more real. i.e. the specular map is basically a b/w image, with bright areas as shiny parts and darks for matte area. in this case, you need to add lighter areas on the brows, the nose bridge and peak, lips and cheeks (mine don't have that, because she's got make up on em ;) )
If you want a good book about digital characters, I suggest this book: Ballistic Publishing: d'artiste - Character Modeling (http://www.ballisticpublishing.com/books/dartiste/character_modeling/)

A few very talented and well know character modellers show their methods in creating a character.

[D.M.J.]

Thank you for the advice, I look forward to perusing those links when I get home (my browser at work declares that the site is "adult/explicit" and won't let me any further lol).

[specs2]

well, it sorta is. the first one depicts nude people, indeed. but you won't get around that, if you intend to texture humans. after all, a human isn't just the head, right?

[biotech]

Fantastic work on Adria!

I think you should make her mum first before Sam, for purely selfish reasons. :)

[Guerrilla]

Welcome to the header. :)

[Animaniac]

Congrats for the Header, Great Character-Work!:thumb:

[Choo1701]

wait...havn't you been on the header before? I think its a sign... :p ;)

on another repetitive note: Good Work. :thumb: :p BTW: how many polys is she?

[specs2]

thx for the header, finally :D haven't been there before.

the sub-divided mesh of Adria has only 22k polys. the hair is made up of ~32k hairs.

I've been rethinking my future character works. I've though of possibly making Rick. Would be a great pic for every Stargate fan :)

@Mod: I noticed, there is a typo in the thread title. It's "Beastiary", I think, not Bestiary.

[biotech]

I bet you'll get more demands to release the mesh of Adria than any other.

[specs2]

so far, none. i don't think, i'll release it, anyway. except, maybe to a few friends.
besides, the mesh isn't really done. she has the robe, but no hands and no feet. also, people with different application then cinema won't have any use for it anyway, since the hair doesn't export. it's no geometry and the 3ds export of cinema doesn't export splines, so that way won't work either.

[Guerrilla]

thx for the header, finally :D haven't been there before.


Always a pleasure. :)



@Mod: I noticed, there is a typo in the thread title. It's "Beastiary", I think, not Bestiary.

I'm pretty sure it's bestiary. I checked it when I originally changed the title. :)

[specs2]

ok, you've got a point :)

[Casperhead]

Bringing evil, and subduction into pixels. Nice work.

[Tovette]

That's a great render or Adria. Congrats on the Header.

[Coolhand]

she's nicely modelled and congrats on the header:) the skin though looks quite hard and plasticy to me, seems to be lacking translucence and surface texture.

[specs2]

yeah, SSS was a pain in the rear and almost killed my computer. the textures are there though, at least in the face. didn't pay attention to the seams, when modelling it and now, it's troublesome, to make the textures seamless. anyway, this is my finished artwork and I'm happy with it. to to go on to the next project :)

[Coolhand]

i just mean it's lacking 'texture', not textures... erm... I mean the actual textures you've made look good. But it's like there's no depth, no bump etc, so like it's somehow looking more of a thin layer of paint over a mannequin rather than skin.

Fair enough for not bothering with SSS though, and you could have improved it without using that type of shader. the translucence effect can be faked to a certain extent using a couple of layered shaders, it's still not an accurate method but it helps make the model look more alive.

[General_Zod]

i just mean it's lacking 'texture', not textures... erm... I mean the actual textures you've made look good. But it's like there's no depth, no bump etc, so like it's somehow looking more of a thin layer of paint over a mannequin rather than skin.

Fair enough for not bothering with SSS though, and you could have improved it without using that type of shader. the translucence effect can be faked to a certain extent using a couple of layered shaders, it's still not an accurate method but it helps make the model look more alive.

The image tone is nice. However the face appears too wide and the hair is to puffy. But nice work.:thumb:

[SGA-3D]

Congratulations on your first header Chris!

[Mauiman]

I hate those little bastards. However - my mongoose loves them - al naturale':p

Ricky Ticky Tavi???

[specs2]

who are ricky, ticky and tavi?

[specs2]

k, a new quicky character, more the comic type figure, inspired by the work of a Deviant Art user. You can find his gallery here: Extvia's DA Gallery (http://extvia.deviantart.com/)

[specs2]

2 new figures in progress, one is designed by ramiel. the thread can be found here: Dark Creatures Bestiary (http://www.scifi-meshes.com/forums/2d-gallery/22517-dark-creatures-bestiary.html)

The second is a project, I've been planing for my dads 50th birthday. It's our families crest.

[specs2]

Time, to resurrect this thread.

After seeing Col. Miller playing around with a water tank, I made a while ago, I think, it would be nice to have a fish, swiming around in it.
Now a normal fish would be boring, so we came up with the idea of making a wraith fish, so I started to form the basic shape this afternoon.

Now, I'll do UV maps and after that will bring it over to ZBrush to add typical wraith deformation to it.

[specs2]

K, an update. UV maps are done and I did the first displacement drawing. still need to do more detailing.
is anyone familiar with exporting displacement maps from zbrush? mine end up, having strange blac kand white teeth at the seams and the only idea, i had so far, was to paint them away in PS.

[specs2]

k, i finished the koi with all texturing and rigging. here is an animated swiming cycle.

[ANCIENT ATLANTEAN]

That is frikkin weird! I like it in a maccabre way. Great work!!!:o:o:o

[aszazeroth]

very cool work ! love the lava glow on the belly