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WillowRaven's latest model/product requests: Legend of the Seeker outfit

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  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,787
    edited June 2013

    M F M said:
    *eesh* I suck badly at this sort of modelling (>_<)... hopefully this'll inspire one of the better modelers to leap in and produce something... however, in the interests of having something concrete to talk about (haven't finished the 'thumb' bone yet - just wanted to get something up quickly)...</p>

    ... I suspect that if the "split" is "half way down" the bone, then your pose is going to require the hand to be lowered somewhat.

    Since the final POV will only be a torso shot, I really hate to lower it. I kinda think, the way the author described it to me, that we have a little wiggle room, and he'll edit the text to match any artistic translations ... :)

    M F M said:
    Any clue whether the staff can be swung offensively? does it need to look like it is weighted for swinging as well?

    No, it's a magical talisman, not a fighting weapon. Think wizard/Elven-ish. How would it look if the drgon forearm staff was a lot longer and narrower? Think walking stick, other his head and thinner.

    M F M said:
    Should it taper to a point at the ground (as if snapped off, or shattered), or be made of something vaguely like a thigh/elbow bone?

    I am assuming a dragon's bone structure is similar to our own forearms. I wonder if it's possible to take just the forearm from the http://www.daz3d.com/creatures/the-bone-dragon model, and adapt that? Or maybe just looking at the thumbnails will help? If you think the model will help, I can buy it for you :D

    The thumbnails look as it the joint section, what would be what touches the ground, is somewhat narrow. The part I am looking at is the middle part of the wing, the part before the tip are that looks like phalanges.

    Presumably it's light enough to be carried one-handedly... but the crystal (and claw) at the top would need some extra weight at the other end to balance it (I guess?).

    The cryatal can be smaller, too. Again, think wizardy.

    Would the "carved in an intricate pattern" be something that's done on the surface of the bone, or an actual 3D all-the-way-through carving? (celtic knots etc I'm envisaging...).

    Either could work. I like the knotwork idea :D

    Post edited by WillowRaven on
  • M F MM F M Posts: 1,388
    edited June 2013

    AidanaWillowRaven said:
    No, it's a magical talisman, not a fighting weapon. Think wizard/Elven-ish. How would it look if the drgon forearm staff was a lot longer and narrower? Think walking stick, other his head and thinner. ...

    ... The cryatal can be smaller, too. Again, think wizardy.

    Okay, yeah, I was definitely channeling something more "club"-like. Will shrink it down to be more 'walking-stick-like" later (not quite sure how strong a bone would be, being that long and that thin... also, as a "walking stick", it would be hard to have a split in it, unless it was a man-made split - eg soaking the bone and working it "outward" to make a space for the fingers - but then, presumably you'd have leather bands or something to keep the split from getting any bigger...). I have the bone dragon already (thanks for the offer ^_^) - I'll check it out. You'd probably need to ask Sequestrian for permission to use it directly (maybe they might be interested in modelling the whole staff for you? v(^_^)v)... so I'll just look at it as a proportions reference only.

    AidanaWillowRaven said:
    The thumbnails look as it the joint section, what would be what touches the ground, is somewhat narrow. The part I am looking at is the middle part of the wing, the part before the tip are that looks like phalanges.
    To avoid confusion, could you post a quick thumbnail of the image, with the part you have in mind highlighted?

    The other problem with "bone"... is that the bones that make up claws / paws / "hands" are (usually) connected with tendon and cartilage when the dragon is still alive - which presumably has been soaked/scraped off in the creation process of the staff (otherwise it would start to rot). So - either the claw bones are all connected with something like a wire running through each "finger" (in much the same way skeletons in museums are strung together)... or the "hand" around the crystal ball has been carved/shaped out of the existing bone ivory. The latter was what I was thinking of/heading towards... but maybe it's the former?

    When you say "it's a torso shot"... I guess there'll be _reasonable_ scope for seeing detail on the staff here...

    Would the "carved in an intricate pattern" be something that's done on the surface of the bone, or an actual 3D all-the-way-through carving? (celtic knots etc I'm envisaging...).

    Either could work. I like the knotwork idea :D
    The patterns on the surface would be a lot easier (for me), because that could be left to the diffuse/bump/spec map (ie you :P). The "3D" carving would look more spiffy though, but would (greatly) increase the polygonal 'weight' of the staff... (`.`)>...

    Post edited by M F M on
  • M F MM F M Posts: 1,388
    edited July 2013

    Claws make everything cooler (^_-)... even my lousy "organic" modelling <(^_^).</p>

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  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,787
    edited December 1969

    M F M said:
    Claws make everything cooler (^_-)... even my lousy "organic" modelling <(^_^).</p>

    This is looking great :D Do you think the hand hole should be bigger and a bit higher, maybe?

  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited July 2013

    Looking good. Reminds me of a dragon claw necklace I had in highschool. They look just like that holding the sphere, but the necklaces have 3 fingers.

    Post edited by Lissa_xyz on
  • M F MM F M Posts: 1,388
    edited July 2013

    Thanks for the compliments <(^_^)... I think Aidana posted something above about the dragons in that world having five "fingers"...</p>

    ... moved the hand-hole higher, larger, and made some semi-random 'squiggly bits' ... doesn't look too strong now... but it's "magic", right? (>_<).</p>

    ... I might clean up the "carving" tomorrow... make it a bit more 'chunky' (and not just take the eight stubs and twist them around the z-axis on the way up X)... not sure - what do you think? Do you want something more like Gandalf's white staff in the movie (essentially, like a bird cage / fish net), or something that looks more like surface carvings?

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  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited December 1969

    M F M said:
    Thanks for the compliments <(^_^)... I think Aidana posted something above about the dragons in that world having five "fingers"..</div>

    That she did. I was just stating the difference between them, not saying you should use 3 fingers. =)

    I really do like that. Do you by chance to wood carvings? I'd plop that in my living room in a heartbeat. =P

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,787
    edited December 1969

    Vaskania said:
    M F M said:
    Thanks for the compliments <(^_^)... I think Aidana posted something above about the dragons in that world having five "fingers"..</div>

    That she did. I was just stating the difference between them, not saying you should use 3 fingers. =)

    I really do like that. Do you by chance to wood carvings? I'd plop that in my living room in a heartbeat. =P

    No kidding! I would pay good money for a real one of these ... lol ... I'd pay good money for the 3D version, too, lol, and have offered every time you make something for me MFM. I love your models :D.

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,787
    edited December 1969

    M F M said:
    Thanks for the compliments <(^_^)... I think Aidana posted something above about the dragons in that world having five "fingers"...</p>

    ... moved the hand-hole higher, larger, and made some semi-random 'squiggly bits' ... doesn't look too strong now... but it's "magic", right? (>_<).</p>

    ... I might clean up the "carving" tomorrow... make it a bit more 'chunky' (and not just take the eight stubs and twist them around the z-axis on the way up X)... not sure - what do you think? Do you want something more like Gandalf's white staff in the movie (essentially, like a bird cage / fish net), or something that looks more like surface carvings?

    I'll let your creative juices flow, at this point :D

    You are so awesome at this :D

  • Carola OCarola O Posts: 3,823
    edited December 1969

    That staff is amazing... oh dear, suddenly I sort of wish something like that in my runtime.. and a necklace, bracelet and other stuff to go with it *laughs*

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,787
    edited December 1969

    Carola O said:
    That staff is amazing... oh dear, suddenly I sort of wish something like that in my runtime.. and a necklace, bracelet and other stuff to go with it *laughs*

    MFM has made some wonderful jewelry and weapons for some of my book cover projects ... so amazing to see them evolve :D

  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited December 1969

    AidanaWillowRaven said:
    Carola O said:
    That staff is amazing... oh dear, suddenly I sort of wish something like that in my runtime.. and a necklace, bracelet and other stuff to go with it *laughs*

    MFM has made some wonderful jewelry and weapons for some of my book cover projects ... so amazing to see them evolve :D

    Yes he has. I still have the Pentagram he offered up as a freebie after he made it for you.

    Now if he releases this, maybe he'll make the staff/top separate so they're compatible with http://www.daz3d.com/staff-pack
    *cough* /wishful thinking lmao

  • M F MM F M Posts: 1,388
    edited December 1969

    Vaskania said:
    ... Now if he releases this, maybe he'll make the staff/top separate so they're compatible with http://www.daz3d.com/staff-pack *cough* /wishful thinking lmao

    Hey, that's a good idea (^_^)d. I'd forgotten I had that product - I'll install it and check it out for "fit" on the weekend. Oh, and if you want any of these things I'm making, please ask Aidana for a copy - she's the drive for me getting down and actually _doing_ something >_<. She may or may not want elements of her covers being used as-is in other artwork... v(^_^)v.</p>
  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,787
    edited December 1969

    M F M said:
    Vaskania said:
    ... Now if he releases this, maybe he'll make the staff/top separate so they're compatible with http://www.daz3d.com/staff-pack *cough* /wishful thinking lmao

    Hey, that's a good idea (^_^)d. I'd forgotten I had that product - I'll install it and check it out for "fit" on the weekend. Oh, and if you want any of these things I'm making, please ask Aidana for a copy - she's the drive for me getting down and actually _doing_ something >_<. She may or may not want elements of her covers being used as-is in other artwork... v(^_^)v.</div>


    Oh, heavens no! Everybody can have them ... :D Why not post them on rendo, or something, M?

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited December 1969

    Share CG is the best place to share things on.

  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited December 1969

    M F M said:
    Vaskania said:
    ... Now if he releases this, maybe he'll make the staff/top separate so they're compatible with http://www.daz3d.com/staff-pack *cough* /wishful thinking lmao

    Hey, that's a good idea (^_^)d. I'd forgotten I had that product - I'll install it and check it out for "fit" on the weekend. Oh, and if you want any of these things I'm making, please ask Aidana for a copy - she's the drive for me getting down and actually _doing_ something >_<. She may or may not want elements of her covers being used as-is in other artwork... v(^_^)v.</div>

    Let me know how well it goes if/when you try this out. I'm always looking for stuff I can mix/match with other things.

  • M F MM F M Posts: 1,388
    edited December 1969

    Didn't really achieve much today... worried about that crack spreading... slimmed the lower part of the staff to about 75% diameter - it was getting a bit heavy <(^_^).</p>

    ... @Vaskania: I had a look at that staff set - it looks like it just loads the pieces at a certain offset from the origin (and at a certain scale). I can certainly ensure my pieces load at the same scale/offset (^_^)d.

    btw the reason I don't put my stuff on ShareCG is because they aren't really "ready" for the General Public - MAT-poses, DUF files, proper textures, proper paths and filenames, testing in Poser, readmes, etc etc >_<. They go to Aidana (or whoever wants them) with a "some further work required" label, but the advantage is I can always make customisations on request. I don't really have time to do that "in public"... v(^_^)v.</p>

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  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited July 2013

    Nice. Thanks for taking a look at that staff pack. =)

    I can't model to save my life, so if the model is good, and with any luck uv mapped, I'm fine with textureless. I'm a shader nerd 9 times out of 10 anyways. lol

    Hey, there you go. You can release it as being optimized for shaders. Then not having professionally done textures won't matter. =P

    Is the ball a separate object by chance (I'm assuming it is)?

    Post edited by Lissa_xyz on
  • DaremoK3DaremoK3 Posts: 798
    edited December 1969

    The staff is looking really good, M F M.

    I've been following, and I knew you would get it there. Love the detail work under the claw.

    Can't wait to see the finished product. Keep up the great work.

  • M F MM F M Posts: 1,388
    edited July 2013

    @Vaskania: yep, it'll certainly be UV-mapped - that's one of those challenges that I find rather enjoyable... "Now, what would be the most useful way of unwrapping _this_ `.`...". Yep the ball is separate (and will definitely have a separate material)... ditto the strap (if you want to hide it). I suspect that when I "chop the staff up", the claw will come apart from the latticework as well - I have a few more "lattice work" ideas I want to try, so having them interchangeable is a goal for me.

    @DaremoK3: hey welcome back (^_^)/... what's new? Thanks for the compliments - missed seeing you in this thread though... I'm hangin' out for the "old days" when we all used to sit around shaping stuff and comparing notes under Aidana's patronage -_-...

    Post edited by M F M on
  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited December 1969

    M F M said:
    @Vaskania: yep, it'll certainly be UV-mapped - that's one of those challenges that I find rather enjoyable... "Now, what would be the most useful way of unwrapping _this_ `.`...". Yep the ball is separate (and will definitely have a separate material)... ditto the strap (if you want to hide it). I suspect that when I "chop the staff up", the claw will come apart from the latticework as well - I have a few more "lattice work" ideas I want to try, so having them interchangeable is a goal for me.

    Not many people think that far ahead and create their stuff with the user in mind and what they may or may not want to do with it.

    I think I love you. LOL

  • M F MM F M Posts: 1,388
    edited July 2013

    Okay, I think I've gotten _that_ out of my system >_<... the weekend's work will probably be trying to work out how to unwrap these things (o.0).</p>

    (I started trying to do a three-strand plait... but it kept on turning out irregular... so settled for a four-strand plait instead).

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  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited December 1969

    Holy crap those are amazing.

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,787
    edited December 1969

    I think these are down right sexy, MFM .. lol ...

    I wish I would have been notified sooner about new posts to the thread. I don't seem to always get the email notices. :grrr:

  • M F MM F M Posts: 1,388
    edited July 2013

    Blah... still not really satisfied with any of these (>_<)... am I getting too fancy? not "3D" enough? weakening the staff too much?</p>

    ... I call that one on the right my "ice cream variant" ;-).

    EDIT: ok, I think I have a better idea - some simpler inlay work coming up tomorrow...

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  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,787
    edited December 1969

    M F M said:
    Blah... still not really satisfied with any of these (>_<)... am I getting too fancy? not "3D" enough? weakening the staff too much?</p>

    ... I call that one on the right my "ice cream variant" ;-).

    EDIT: ok, I think I have a better idea - some simpler inlay work coming up tomorrow...


    These are looking great :D Can I get a plain one, too? With no threading between the hand hold and the claw?

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,787
    edited December 1969

    For another project, entirely, I need a lead on where I can download some free cuts and scratches I can apply in Photoshop. Ideas?

  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited December 1969

    The best I can think of is digging through Deviantart's stock images. It's up to each individual creator how their stock is used, so be sure to find usage rights of some sort.

    I've always loved these guys: http://resurgere.deviantart.com/
    They have A LOT of packages uploaded now so it can be quite a pain to dig through them all, but if you find what you need, you can guarantee it's quality stuff.

  • WillowRavenWillowRaven Posts: 3,787
    edited December 1969

    Every once in a while, I see a really cool forest scene render with rays of light shining down to the forest floor, but I can't find a light set in particular that does that in a search. Any ideas where I can get one?

  • M F MM F M Posts: 1,388
    edited December 1969

    *still working on sizing up staves and inlaying*

    It wasn't this one by Dreamlight was it?

    http://www.daz3d.com/rays-of-dreams-for-enchanted-forest

    (a lightset for Stonemason's Enchanted Forest...).

    Otherwise, I believe if you look closely in the pre-supplied Shader Presets / omnifreaker / UberVolume section, you'll find a bunch of "light cone" shaders - UberVolume cloud, UberVolume dust, and UberVolume smoke. Disclaimer - I've never used them before, but I've read about people having some success doing "god-ray tricks" with them. v(^_^)v

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