Greed

[Mancubus]

Hello,
It's been quite long time since I posted something. But lack of time was my best excuse. I decided to work on my reel for 2008 and I got allready first piece completed. Now its time for the secon piece.
I decided to make WIP here to get some feedback, critics and motivation.

This piece is called greed. The life of a noble knight that fought many battles and monsters, completed numerous quests, and dangerous tasks, finaly came to an end.
And he wasn't defeated by enemies, sword or claws of evil monster. He was beaten by his own weakness - greed. After slaining the monster and comming back with the tresure chest he stuck in the swamps. With the chest full of gold he was too heavy to move, and starts slowly to sunk into swamps, but he decided not to let it go, and died from exhaustion, but still holding his treasure.
This is the story, and I will try to recreate it by making a little 360 diorama that will show my hardsurface and organic modeling skills and texturing
I won't have much time, so the updates will be quite small, but it will be defenetely finished.

This is the latest update:
The work is FINISHED !

[Mancubus]

Here is really quick concept sketch (really bad, but I wanted to start modeling as soon as possible).

And there are some renders of low poly proxy that I made for quick composition. Dead knight holding a chest in the center and different bugs/insect and rats around him.
The base will be half transparent /watery gooto make it look as it is sunk in the swamps.

[Mancubus]

First pass of modeling - the helmet.

[Mancubus]

Left arm :

[MrNoooo4realz]

wow man great piece of work !!!!
amazing modeling 4realz,nice details and luved the arms chains in particular,keep on coming wit great workzz!!
gratz bro

[Warlock 279]

Hey, looks great so far. Awesome idea, and great start to the modeling. I like the rats and bugs crawling around, really adds to the feeling of the piece.

My only quibble is that it doesn't read to me that the treasure is pulling him down, he's holding it rather casually. If you either made him hold it tighter, maybe pull it up to his chest more, showing that's is precious to him and he's valuing it more than his own life. Or if you extended his right arm behind him so it looked as if he was trying to drag the sinking treasure out and conversely the treasure was dragging him in it might read better.

Also, the head position as it is now, reads more as surprise with him looking down at the ground, maybe the head tilted back/up some would show more of a struggle to be free. Edit: or even looking back the treasure as he tries to pull it free.

Anyway just my two cents on the matter. You're an excellent modeler so I know this will more than likely turn out to be an excellent piece, you're off to a great start and I'm already looking forward to seeing this finished.

[Mancubus]

Thanks guys,
Thank you Warlock 279, In my concept I want to make him dead and lifeless.
The problem with posing is, the armor - the parts of it are so stiff, that it is really hard to make relaxed pose. I wonder how they fought in so unconfortable suit, I think when they died in battle , they were still standing, because it is so hard to bend

Anyhow, I'm still working on the pose, maybe rotating the head as you sugested to make him look at the treasure will do, but relaxed pose in stiff armor is a hell - I placed his "chin" on the brestplate, so he is looking down now, but it is still not convicing dead enough.
Maybe I will put a snake or centipede comming from between the helmet and breastplate to make him looking defenetely dead.

After I finish first phase of modeling I will check the pose again, and try to fix it before I will do the detailing.

Some more updates for today, the body, neck and started working on the other hand. Chainmail is done using ClothFX, It worked out pretty well.

[MrNoooo4realz]

Speechless!!!

[Vader]

Hw r u doing that chainmail>?

[tobian]

This is superb!

I take it you used that trick Proton put up, with the hardFX linker/cloth FX effect? I will have to try that sometime, it looks cool!

The results are gorgeous! I can't wait to see your finished surfaces, you're an excellent painter, though I do recommend putting in soft-blurred reflection in this, to really make the metals sing!

[TeZzy]

Wow!.....very impressive, I like how the modelling is very clean aswell.

[mathius]

awe inspiring work.

[Mancubus]

Thanks guys,
I don't know this method of HardFX+ClothFX.
I just used just ClothFX simulation for the chainmail. Of course, because it is quite heavy for sim, I used low poly proxy of the chainmail and low poly collision object and metalink it to hi-poly chainmail.

Not much update for today. I was lucky enough, to spend the whole day in the woods instead of sitting in front of computer
But here is something. I made the second hand. Next to do will be :
- leather belt
- weathered and ripped shirt on the top of the armor
- detailing of the armor (proably I will go for templars/crusaders symbols)
- (*optional) bandage/piece of cloth on the one of the arms to break up symetry.
Then I will work on the shield and the sword (also crusader style).

[safetyman]

Amazing work. Can't wait to see the finished piece.

[Kuzey]

Super work

What's polygon count so far ?

Also....can we get a close up of the chainmail round the arms, did you model those by hand or is there a plugin to help.

Kuzey