Work Work and Reading

I am working on the scene of the post apocalypse character for the CG Hub Challenge. I am toying with using the creature I sculpted. I need to perfect the sand and play with the lighting. I am planning on using this character in my reel when I have the whole scene finished.

Yet another reel piece, I am toying with the environment for Rosa, and I am perfecting my animation as best as I can. And I have revisited the Zbrush model cleaned up the anatomy errors. I have a new pose in mind for her Zbrush model, if I can get it to look right I will used that instead of the one she has now.

I fixed her hands and cleaned the feet up on the this model (this is the old image and pose) I am thinking about putting her in a whole semi-scene like I had her riding the crab from the first concept I had.  

I am putting the Djinn to the side, not because he isn't good or unfinished, I think it would be better to perfect what I have. I am still modeling more characters but I am spending time fine tuning the ones I have. I am rigging the Djinn still and given my animation skills I may ask someone to animate him, if the rig is good enough. I want to show that I can do a little bit of everything, lighting, rigging, animation and some compositing.

Most people would say "don't put it on your really if it isn't great", then when I say "I can animate on a pre-viz/pre production level" they'll ask "why don't you have animation on your reel?" The catch 20-20. Though I am may be over thinking somethings I am still of the opinion it is better to prepare for the worst and pray for the best.  Anyway,

I have a pose of the Deity, I am really proud of how the hands turned out on this. The leg arms and the back ones I really like. I want to get all of those intense feelings into the whole body. A feeling of loss, anger and defeat. I need to do the fibers/fur still and the background but its coming along. I might have this on my reel but I don't know if having him would be a good idea. I am trying to show a variety of characters; I might have him as the creature but I'm not sure yet. 

Also along the same sad, emotional line. I read Batman and Robin #18, and it was inspiring. It is a silent comic, no one said anything and I didn't even notice that till I read it again. I loved this panel because it hurt so much; I never read the issues when Jason died but I saw Under the Red Hood and it was really really sad, and they ended it with Jason saying "This is the greatest day of my life" when he was a young Robin, tore my heart out. This comic just ripped my heart out and turned into the tiny pieces of lint you find in your pockets. I also love the panel when Batman is in the shower and his suit is covered in blood and he looks so broken. All I can think about when I read this comic now is "Pity the Grieving man, Fear the Grieving Father"

Batman Model

So I have a semi finished model of Batman.
I figured out a great way to use the UV master plug-in in Zbrush. Mask out the chunks of the model and turn them into there own groups.

For Example: I divide Batman's Chest, Back and Padding into different groups and different Subtools in Zbrush and then used the UV master on each one.



Body and Cape Diffuse Texture Map

So my UV's were made and then I exported the Subtools out and rearranged the UVs in Softimage XSI to get a better layout so I could easily edit them when I baked them in XNormal.

Left: Lower Model Right: DanielAraya's Concept

I reduced the amount of polygons from the Zbrush model and used the Softimage Biped Rig to do some quick poses. I need to go back over the model and fix some of the Weight Painting on the hips, they seem to follow the bone more than I want and it made the hips wider. When I posed it, it looks great but if I do more poses then I am defiantly going to have to fix the weighting.

I Googled "Batman Throwing a Batarang" and I saw the screencap from the Gotham Knight: Deadshot and it caught my eye right away. I was looking at the ones from Arkham City and from the animated version of Batman all the way to The Batman; but I wanted to do something more dynamic.  

Images from Google search

From: http://buildingbatman.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html

So I went with this one. I believe this particular animation was done by madhouse and they also worked on Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (great movie and really good books).

I model a quick batarang based on the Arkham City designs. Batman's design is from http://danielaraya.deviantart.com/art/JLA-CG-Concepts-Batman-180836600.

 

I can see a future CGI JLA movie, especially if Beware the Batman and the Green Lantern show stay a hit. The style for Beware the Batman is done like the Green Lantern show so they would be the over all style. I kind of wish they would do a female show like the Birds of Prey for something different.

Last I heard the writers for Beware the Bat were focusing on the Batman's detective skills and using lesser know villains. I wonder if they will do Hush, I have only seen Hush in the DC universe online and in Arkham City; though I am sure the whole man cutting his face up and making himself into someone else thing may be a little to much for some. At least The Batman had a really really creepy Joker in Batman vs Dracula: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIzcIKEAB9w 

Left: Batman from Beware the Batman Right: Hal Jordan from Green Lantern the Animated Series

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I mention Arkham City a lot because it was one of the last video games I have played and it was really good, wished it was longer though. But I just got Zero's Escape Virtues Last Reward for the Vita; amazing puzzle game, I loved the first one 9hours 9doors 9persons. If you really want to get your brain working and learn some interesting things get it.

Weekly Update: Red Robin DC Comics, Hester





Here is my most recent work on Red Robin. I am still working on his feet and head. I have been using  I am working with Transpose Tool in Zbrush to get the poses.


My low poly version of Hester is now rigged and animated. I made her textures using XNormal and RoadKill.

Currently, I am working on putting together a new demo reel which will showcase all my latest pieces. I already have a number of them completed and am getting really excited to put new stuff out there. Stay tuned!