Her majesty the Queen

[locusta]

Hello all hivers ;)

I thought it is time, to show the experts, what I´m working on recently. Project name: Queen!

Initially made for a "Tribute to Stan Winston" challenge over at the cgtalk board.

After a short break, because me became father (ok, not the main topic now. Forgive me, my daughter, but to your daddy you are the main topic 24 hours every day in any case ;) ) I started to work on her again.

Not totally final by now, but I guess worth to show you, the decent Alien audience for C & C.

So, please don´t tear me to pieces immediately....LOL!

Here we go:







 
And some composed mood:



Cheers

Markus

[kitator]

Absolutely gorgeous.Is this a a pic of a repositioned Halcyon Queen painted in photo shop or what?Sorry,I dont know what c&c is.Also congrats on your new daughter.

[locusta]

Many thanks Kitator. I´m sorry, I guess I was mistakeable. This is work done in 3D. So just a virtual model. But as much fun as a model kit. But you where half right, cause the Halcyon Queen was one of the main reference during the modeling and (3D) sculpting process.

I hope I haven´t posted in the wrong place. But I didn´t find any other than this personal projects over topic.

And sorry for my lazy word-shortening. C & C stands for Comments and Critics. So, first critic to myself: write down decent sentences!

Here some pictures of several stages during the work process:

pure and undetailed geometry in 3D


First stages of head/crown part detailing and texturing


Unposed but fully detailed and textured rendering


Thanks again.

[adegregorio]

   That is some outstanding CG work Marcus...the colors look so cool!

AL

[Dan]

Wow, this is really outstanding! I love the glossy texture.

Can't tear anything apart here, man 

[servant38]

Awesome job! At first, I just couldn't tell it was 3d model. I thought it was the Halcyon Queen 

[nexus]

 

DUUUUUUDE SERIOUSLY, WHAT PROGRAM DO YOU USE FOR THAT AND CAN YOU TEACH ME YOUR WAYS

sorry for caps but thats firckin awesome

her highness would be proud of her loyal subject

[dave1978]

DUUUUUUDE SERIOUSLY, WHAT PROGRAM DO YOU USE FOR THAT AND CAN YOU TEACH ME YOUR WAYS

sorry for caps but thats firckin awesome

her highness would be proud of her loyal subject

Im with Nexus!  what do you use, can you teach us.   I was convinced that the 1st coupple of pictures were a painted model!
Posted on: November 26, 2008, 05:52:02 AMAlso im being a bit cheeky here but could you do a Warrior based on the Palisades statue?  How long does this take?

[locusta]

Guys! Many, many thanks for your kind words and very, very motivating comments! 

That´s a truly honest reward for all the many hours and some looooong nights in front of the machine.

I´m happy that you like her and I highly appreciate your "fresh" eyes. When you work for longer time on a model, especially in 3D, you really lose sometimes some self-critical point of view, which can lead to mistakes or missing details.

So, I know, that some areas need a bit tweaking still, as well as fixing up some final technical stuff, like animation cycles, facial expressions (if it can be called like that in her case. LOL)

About technical stuff: I work with Softimage XSI as main 3D package. 80 percent of the model is done there as poly-mesh. I take that one than over to ZBrush for high polygon detailing and painting the textures. Out of Zbrush I write (or technical spoken, I bake out) the texture maps and all the highly detailed maps, which are applied to the low-polygonal model back in XSI. The texture maps I tweak and fix in Photoshop. All final renderings are done in XSI and composed there. The only picture which got final touches in Photoshop, is the one with fog added.

Thanks for the comments about the gloss. Yeah, it is kind of difficulty to fake the slimy appearance of an Alien, which we love soooo much in 3D ;) Even harder in stills. Animated, it mostly looks much more believable, cause of moving highlights over the structured surface. So the glossy effect is managed via differently placed lights and a High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI). You can kill days, finding the right light composing and I´m still not final with that one......Uaaargh!

And Dave1978....you are not cheeky. I feel flatfered and can only say: I have to urge a bit your patience.....but things are coming. And they mostly come at night....mostly....

Again, thanks to all of you and here bit more bits and bites:

How all began. Low poly base mesh of crown:


First smooth test of same one


On the wire....Head added


Give me your tongue ;)


A feast for the dentist...or feast on the dentist?


Body takes shape. Wireframe on smoothed model


Now I can grab you!


BORN!!


High detailing of head/crown part



first texturing....


and first BITE! ;)



Thanks again and keep tuned.

Cheers

Markus

[kitator]

Thanks very much for showing your step by step.That is some amazing work.Even the raw images before it`s finished look nice.What other characters have you done like this?

[nostromo84]

OK apparently I havent been keeping up with technology by OH MY FREAKING GOD!!! 

I still cant believe its a 3D image...It looks..so real....

Amazing job mate!!!!  Well done, my congrats!!!!

[xalener]

Better than the GC one in the movies, that's for damn sure...

[srne]

I've worked in all of those programs a bit...   you've done them proud.  Very nice work.

[xalener]

I WANT XSI AND ZBRUSH GOD DAMN IT!!!

Why do I have to be an average middle-class teenager? God damn it. I DESPISE THIS SYSTEM THAT DEPRIVES ME OF STARTING MY FUTURE EARLY!!!

[locusta]

Thank you very, very much all of you. I highly appreciate your comments.

Kitator: Thanks alot. Yes, sometimes the pure geometry without the high details and the color maps give allready a very got impression of the end result. I try to fix as much as possible in this phase, so I don´t have to worry to fix proportions and main shapes to much after the detailing. It is possible anyway, but time consuming.
About my other works. As I am originaly an professional industrial designer, the latest years of work mainly contained technical stuff. So I manly made Automotive realted modeling as well as engineering stuff, machines etc. (yes, yes soooooooooooooo boooooring)
In character field, I started mainly to model for fun game related things. As a big Half Life fan I started there to play around with characters. But nothing super fancy, just to learn the programs, in that case XSI.

But stay tuned, for things to come.....soon ;)

Nostromo84, many thanks. Yes, you are so right. A few things have changed in the last years. And mainly the power of the PC´s to make it possible nowadays to do things like that without a high-End workstations for $$$

Xalener, many, many thanks. Hey, that´s too much honor ;)
Hey, and I don´t understand your anger. You say youre young. Perfect. I started 3d smthing about 8 years ago and I´m over the 30´s. And for the programs you get trail versions at their sites and a sh**load of tutorials and help forums online. So, if you realy want it: Do it!  You got my blessings ;)

srne thank you very much. I hope, you don´t stop to work on it either.


Posted on: December 02, 2008, 12:18:23 PMAnd here a quick new rendering.

I just call it: "Welcome to dinner!"



Cheers

Markus

[xalener]

Well, I've been doing 3d since I was nine...


....But It's the money that's the issue. So many mind-expanding tools that exist, and so little I can actually REACH. That's where the frusturation comes from.

[Animachina]

 

Incredible work!

[CAIN MKII]

  Fooking awesome. What an incredible work you did. The modeling is so detailed and I love the textures you used.
Boy this picture is so sweet. Is it possible to have it in a higher rez (like 1440x900), I want to use it as my wallpaper?
More pix pretty please 

[Faken]

WOW!!! This is just INSANE, nicely done!!!   

Man the most I can manage in 3DS Max is a cube and a sphere... I bow before your 3D awesomeness 

[locusta]

Animachina: Many, many thanks. Hey man, your Matrix work is still a standart to me in highy poly modeling. Allways loved it.

CAIN MKII: Thanks to you too. Yes, the details let my machine reach it´s limits. Technically spoken: Full Polycount in high detail render is about 40 million polygons!
                And about your wallpaper request: No problem, just see below ;)

Faken: Thank you very much. I highly appreciate. But to be honest, this queen, like nearly any other polygon modeling was once a cube too. That´s one of the insane things in 3D, that it allways starts sooooo basic. LOL.

Ok, here a few high res wallpapers for anybody interested exclusively on the HIVE. And only here!

Pace!

Dinnertime

Newt´s view ;)


Hope you like it.

Cheers

Markus

[CAIN MKII]

  CHRISTMAXX TIME BABY!!!!

Thank you so much Markus, you're da man.

Now I have one hell of a bitch.

[locusta]

Happy that you like it ;)

Stay tuned. Maybe there is some more X-Mass specials....

[The8thPassenger]

Fantastic work!  I'm going to pop one of those down on my desktop. 

John

[dave1978]

Happy that you like it ;)

Stay tuned. Maybe there is some more X-Mass specials....

Please let it be a warrior!   im trying to visualise what you will achieve with results as amazing as the above masterpiece.

[locusta]

Please let it be a warrior!   im trying to visualise what you will achieve with results as amazing as the above masterpiece.

;) and I think I will make you happy.......

Here a tiny sneak peek of what is to come. I hope that wife and daughter gives me a bit free time during the holidays to go on with that one:




And now......as a personal christmas goody to the Hivers, another Wallpaper of her Highness:

Be advised of big filesize!



Happy and peaceful holidays to you and your families! Cheers!

[Sabres21768]

AMAZING! 

That Queen is just perfect.

And I love the start to the Warrior. 

[Dan]

Sweet wallpaper! Thanks a bunch, man!

[Sabres21768]

NICE!

Damn cool way to use that one Dan. 

[CAIN MKII]

  So beautifull. Thanx for the xmas present bro 
Can't wait for the warrior to come. 

[dave1978]

Super stuff keep it coming     cant wait for the warrior in the new year!