Book Concepts Work in progress.

[McGergs]

A friend of mine is writing his first book and soon to be trilogy. He has asked me to draw and model his characters and weapons in the book. I figured this would be a good opportunity to take these character and weapon descriptions as if I were working on a production in the movie or game industry.

Project Webpage Link: Validen Book Series (http://validen.christopherwcook.com)


He was tall with a muscular build and square jaw. He wore completely black armor of steel plates fastened to a chainmail backing. His helm had thin sheets of metal riveted together hanging from the back to protect his neck. Similar plates hung from his shoulders to protect the tops of his arms. His hobnail boots reached the top of his calves and extended higher in the front to protect his knees. More of the same plates were strapped to his thighs and forearms. If he were facing any other man, he would have been a menacing sight.

Hiss weapon of choice wasn’t a typical battle axe. On one end of the four foot shaft was a single, large blade. On the other end was a mace head in the shape of a skull with sharp spikes protruding from it in every direction. The entire thing was forged from black steel and was of the highest quality. Used properly and with the right training, it was a deadly weapon. Mordrin had more than enough training and knew how to use it well.


I am going to put my work in progress screen shots here to share and get feedback.

-Each piece will have concept sketches based on the descriptions in the book.

-Then I will model the basic mesh and UV layout in Maya 8.0

-From there I will move over to Mudbox for sculpting and texturing.

-Then back to Maya for displacement mapping and rendering in Mental Ray.

Here goes... wish me luck!

[McGergs]

This is a battle axe of the main bad guy in the book. He is one of the first characters introduced. Plus this weapon description intruiged me right off the bat.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_sketch1-1.jpg

[McGergs]

Here I am starting the modeling of the axe blade. Since it is symetrical I am modeling one side and miroring.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/axe_blade_modeling1-1.jpg

Finished basic mesh

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_simple_shader.jpg

UV layout of axe blade.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_UV_step1-2.jpg

UV Map in progress. I am using UV range -1, -1, 1, 1 with multiple shaders. The empty space is for the Skull UV map when I start that.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_UV_step1-1.jpg

[McGergs]

Okay I am onto the spiked skull modeling part now.

Since I am going to be moving to Mudbox and it uses the Quisi-Monti Carlo subdivision alogorithm I am modeling this whole thing in Quads.

If you are ever looking for some good references for modeling and texturing a skull, this is a good link. You can even learn the names of the skull parts.

http://www.gwc.maricopa.edu/class/bio201/skull/antskul.htm

Phase 1..Forgot to do a screenshot of the jaw modeling. Will put it up soon.

--Picture Here--

Phase 2 - Basic modeling the skull.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_skull_modeling1.jpg

Phase 3 of modeling doing the eye sockets and nasal passage.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/axe_skull_modeling1-1.jpg

Phase 4 - Mirror and smooth with 1 subdivision
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_skull_step1-2.jpg

Phase 5 - Applying mount for base of skull
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_skull_step1-1.jpg

Now comes the UV mapping of the skull... Stay tuned

[laxman]

looks good so far, can't wait to see the finished model in high res.

[McGergs]

I need a quick recomendation. Should I model the spikes in Maya to get a better UV map or try to sculpt them in Mudbox and save some time and possibly not as good a UV placement? I am lazy.

[McGergs]

So realizing I needed a good UV map for the spikes I went ahead and did them in Maya. I just created one spike UV mapped it and duplicated and moved. Deleted faces and snapped verts.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_spikes_step1-1.jpg
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_UV_step1-3.jpg
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_UV_step1-4.jpg
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_UV_step1-5.jpg

[papa]

nice work!

[McGergs]

Thanks Papa :)

The Mudbox adventure has started!

This is my prelim test with the teeth and spikes. Mudbox works much like Zbrush but has layers to it. I can tone down the sculpting I did later and not effect any future sculpting.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_mudbox_step1-1.jpg

[Shogunato]

Hey, very nice !
This is really cool to share with us how you work.
I'm very surprised by the way you did UV. This seems so easy for you.
A nightmare for me..

good job again !!

[DjVoyager]

Awesome work. One question; do you want the spikes to have bumps on them? If you're going for an organic look then it works, otherwise I'd suggest having the bumps only on the bottom part of the skull.

[Nojoy]

Agree with Shogunato very clean uv work there. I kinda hate it myself. The model looks great I have to say. I too stumbled over Mudbox over on Deathfall but wasnt sure to look into it since Im a Zbrush fan. Plus the screenshots didnt make the best impression of the software in its current stage. Glad to see you having such great results with the software. Incase I'm not mistaking and if I am correct me please, but isnt the software freeware? Maybe I should find a day or two to give it a look now that I see what possible. Thanks for Sharig McGergs and keep us posted would love to see that thing textured. :)

[McGergs]

THanks guys. Much more to come.

Mudbox has been released out of beta to version 1.0 now. You can get a 15 day trial I believe. It is not that expensive though.

Mudbox 1.0 Basic is $299
Mudbox 1.0 Pro is $649

HEre is the version comparison. https://mudbox3d.com/featurechart.html

Hands down it takes what Zbrush does times ten. The controls are a mix of Maya and Photoshop. You can create layers so you are being non destructive towards old sculpting. You can mask parts of a layer just like the layer mask in photoshop. You can model on multiple objects at once. You can subdivide a selected region instead of the whole model.
The coolest of all, you do not need to go into projection mode to use alpha stamps and templates!

[Nojoy]

Sounds Great, Ill have to take a glance at it I think. Just read on their website from its developers. The names alone made it intresting. Thanks for the info.

[danlefeb]

Looks good so far McGergs. I'll look forward to your updates on this. On another note, when can we buy the book? :)

[McGergs]

He is working on trying to get it published. it is really good. He finished the first book and is half way through the second book already. It is a fantasy style book. I am trying to talk him into making the first book a free online read with my illustrations to get a fanbase and then move onto getting it and the next books published.

[danlefeb]

The free read isn't a bad idea - especially if its his first book. Or even if he were to publish it himself as an eBook on his site until it's picked up by a real publisher somewhere. I've seen some authors that have done that.

[laxman]

Thats a great idea, If you set up a website with forums and get some nice concept art out there (off to a good start i'd say:)) it will generate a lot more interest. BTW, i'm really impressed with your UV skills.

[McGergs]

Thanks guys. The UV skills comes from many thousands of hours learning what happens when you do it wrong. ;)

I mentioned to him that we should do a website. TIme to break out the flash skills. Muahahah

Well that is enough sculpting for me tonight. I have the skull pretty close to where I want it. Going to put some stress cracks in and such from long abusive fighting. I am trying to get across that this is a forged solid iron head. A lot of pinch marks from the forging and welding that made the final model.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_mudbox_step1-2.jpg

[dude5487]

Looking very good! :cool:

[McGergs]

Okay I posted the exact book description of the Character wielding the axe in the first post. Hopefully it will help in envisioning the character and his weapon.

[McGergs]

SO I am working away sculpting in my new Mudbox heaven. So excited how my model is looking. Two hours of sculpting into it my anti virus program kicks in with its nightly scan at 2 AM. DOh!
Mudbox locks up.... Being so happy and free with how easy the program is too use, I forgot to save. All I could do was get a screenshot of the section I was working on at the moment.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_mudbox_step1-3.jpg

[danlefeb]

Haha, I don't know how many times my virus scans have told me its time for bed by freezing up my system :) Looking good so far, you're making me want to play around with Mudbox!

[devilman13]

looking good

[McGergs]

Well I think I am going to take a break from the skull part now and finish the axe side.
Here is some screen shots of what I have done on it so far.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_mudbox_step1-6.jpg
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_mudbox_step1-5.jpg
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordred_axe_mudbox_step1-4.jpg

I have started texturing the axe blade in photoshop. SHould have some rendered screenshots up some time tonight.

[brandeil]

Very nice work u are doing, great job !!

[McGergs]

Sorry about the delayed progress guys. Had to do normal life stuff this weekend and make my woman happy.

I have been working on the texture map for the axe blade. I have created three maps so far. Color, Specular and bump. I have decide I will be doing 2 more. Specular Color and reflection color. THis way I can make the embedded blood metal look like hot metal. Plus I want the axe blade to reflect like polished ground down steal and the rest of the the axe to be a dull blurred reflection.

Here is a sample render I did with a standard spotlight and a simple final gather light shader plane above. I still have alot of wear marks in the color map to create and some tweaks in the bump depth (currently .5). I will probably bring it down to .2 or .1.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordrin_axe_render_test_01.jpg

More to come tomorrw. Off to bed I go.

[McGergs]

I am still working on the blood metal inlay but I thought I would show my progress from my last test render.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mordrin_axe_render_test_03.jpg

[brandeil]

very nice :thumbs:

[laxman]

nice, i'd suggest making the red veins a bit darker in colour. They look fake. Check out clips from Lord of the rings and stuff, the blood on swards looks better when it is really dark, yet reflective.

[McGergs]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Yeah the vein design is my next focus. I think I am going to make it look totally different. It was more so an experiment to see if I could put something in that area for a design. I am going to make it look a little more realistic now.

[McGergs]

Webpage section is now created. I put it in the first post of this forum blog.

I rendered out a quick concept of the splash page. Hoping to do the actual webpage this weekend.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/general_art/validen_logo_sample.jpg

[Bizrad]

Work faster noob :D

I can call you that cause you know where i live.

[laxman]

looks good, I think the last image would look better if you made both elements interact. What I mean is make some indentations along the edges of the metal parts in the background so it looks like the is attached to it almost like a button.

[tallacus]

all very cool McGergs

[Shogunato]

yeah nice work

[McGergs]

I think I am done texturing the axe side and handle. Here is a test animation rotation I did.

Axe Rotation Animation (http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/axerotate.html)

I will be moving back to the skull mace end now. Almost done with this thing.

[dude5487]

Good work! I really like the texture and specular :headbang:

[McGergs]

I know some people are interested in the texture maps I used. Here are a few of the ones I used on the axe blade and handle area.

Axe Blade V1 U1 Color
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/uv_maps/axeBlade_u1v1_color.jpg
Axe Blade V1 U1 Specular Color
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/uv_maps/axeBlade_u1v1_specularColor.jpg
Axe Blade V1 U1 Specular and Reflection
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/uv_maps/axeBlade_u1v1_specular.jpg
Axe Blade V1 U1 Bump
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/uv_maps/axeBlade_u1v1_bump.jpg

Axe Bck V1 U-1 Color
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/uv_maps/axeBlade_u1v-1_color.jpg
Axe Back V1 U-1 Specular and Reflection
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/uv_maps/axeBlade_u1v-1_specular.jpg
Axe Back V1 U-1 Bump
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/uv_maps/axeBlade_u1v-1_bump.jpg

[McGergs]

Well after a long hard battle I finally got the displacement map to work right out of mudbox to Maya.

Here is a quick render I did of my final displacement render test in mental ray.
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/displaceRenderTest1.jpg


Here is the displacement map I generated in mudbox.
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/uv_maps/axeSkull_u1v1_displace.jpg

I am a little tired but I am going to put the process and settings I used in both Mudbox and Maya here tomorrow.

I am off to bed.

[laxman]

That skull looks amazing. In fact it looks so good, you might have to get a displacement map for the axe:)

[dude5487]

Great work! I think laxman is right. Displacement map for the axe is a must have :)

[McGergs]

Yeah I agree. The axe looks like a video game model now lol. What I love about this first mocel is the experimenting I am able to do with it and the level of detail I am realizing I can reach.

[danlefeb]

Just out of curiosity, are you going for any sort of stylization or is it going to be photorealistic or photorealistic with some sort of stylization? :)

[McGergs]

I am kind of in limbo right now in that area. The more I play with it the more it looks real. I think I want to take it in the direction of close to real but with a fantasy style.

I think it will fall into place once I start working on the other weapons and the characters. But now that you bring it up I need to lay a foundation or each character will just be an improvement upon the other and they may not have the same style.

[danlefeb]

Yeah, I'd probably come up with the style before you get too much time involved :)

[laxman]

the hyper realism they have in the new movie 300 should be something to consider.

[McGergs]

Oooh good idea Laxman! I like how you think.

As promised I am posting the settings I used for Mudbox and Maya.

-------------------------------------------------------------

STEP 1: Bake settings from Mudbox for Displacement and Normal Map. Make sure you set for Maya in advanced so it uses true black to white displacement map. Also edge bleeding depends on texture map size.
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/mudboxBakeDisplace_normal.jpg

STEP 2: In Maya Plugins make sure you have Floating Tiff plugin on.
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/maya_plugin_manager1.jpg

STEP 3: Select your wiremesh and apply a mental ray approximation subdivision setting.
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/maya_approximation_editor1.jpg

STEP 4: Edit your approximations settings with the following highlighted areas.
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/maya_approximation_editor2.jpg

STEP 5: Create a file node in hypershade and attach it to the displacement on your shader. Keep the file node color balance alpha values to default since mudbox exported the displacement map for Maya to read.
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/maya_hypershade1.jpg
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/maya_hypershade2.jpg

STEP 6: Select your mesh and turn off "Feature Displacement" in attribute editor.
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/maya_attributes.jpg

STEP 7: Check your render settings in Mental ray to production for a test render and render.

------------------------------------------

Final Render With a few more shader and light tweaks
http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/displaceRenderTest2.jpg

[McGergs]

alrighty I did a test render animation to see how it looks moving.

LINK: SKULL DISPLACE TEST ANIMATION (http://validen.christopherwcook.com/forum_images/mordren/animations/skull_displace_Test.html)

[danlefeb]

I'll look forward to seeing it when I get home! :)

[dude5487]

Looks fantastic! Great work :)

[chard]

Great work McGergs!! im learning a lot from this thread!

[devilman13]

McGreg you need to put this on DVD. I would buy it. Can't wait for the finish project.

[McGergs]

This project is going to make a drastic turn. I have entered in the cgarena.com "punishment" 3d competition. I am going to render out the First Chapter death scene of Validen's father Tomis.

I need to fully model Tomos, Mordrin, A few of Mordrin's soldiers and a dark night scene with a building on fire.

Here is an excerpt from the book



Tomis Character Description:
Tomis was truly a sight to behold in his armor of steel plates attached to a chainmail backing at all the places that didn’t hinder his movement. The armor was old and worn but of a high enough quality that it was still functional after all these years of use. His helm was cone shaped with a horse hair plume on top and a square patch of chainmail hanging down to protect his neck. Slung crosswise on his back were his two swords and their ivory pommels could be seen over each shoulder. Validen knew just as well as most people in these parts that any man unfortunate enough to give Tomis reason to draw those swords didn’t live long to regret it.

Mordrin Character Description:
He was tall with a muscular build and square jaw. He wore completely black armor of steel plates fastened to a chainmail backing. His helm had thin sheets of metal riveted together hanging from the back to protect his neck. Similar plates hung from his shoulders to protect the tops of his arms. His hobnail boots reached the top of his calves and extended higher in the front to protect his knees. More of the same plates were strapped to his thighs and forearms. If he were facing any other man, he would have been a menacing sight.

Hiss weapon of choice wasn’t a typical battle axe. On one end of the four foot shaft was a single, large blade. On the other end was a mace head in the shape of a skull with sharp spikes protruding from it in every direction. The entire thing was forged from black steel and was of the highest quality. Used properly and with the right training, it was a deadly weapon. Mordrin had more than enough training and knew how to use it well.


The Death of Tomis:
Tomis was sitting on his porch, reading an old manuscript. He enjoyed reading tales of war and battles far away. In some ways, it reminded him of his old life and kept him connected to that.
He had once been a soldier but left that life behind and settled down on the frontier of the kingdom. Tomis had never once regretted that choice. In his mind, he was saved from that life, not stripped from it. He was a different man then and had no desire to return to it. Now he lived for his son and did his best to mold him into a good man. His only regret was that Validen’s mother wasn’t here to see it.
Tomis was pulled from his thoughts by a loud rumbling in the distance. He knew all to well the sound of armored horses advancing at a steady pace-and it sounded a hell of a lot like this. Without wasting a second, he was out of his chair and inside with the door barred and donning his armor. Once he had all the hooks and buckles fastened, he slung his swords on his back, grabbed his bow and headed upstairs. He kneeled by the window and waited for his opponents to come in range.
Tomis preferred to use a much heavier bow than his son. While Validen’s was fast and could be fired very rapidly, it lacked the power and the range of Tomis’. A lighter bow was great for hunting or going through leather armor but to pierce anything stronger, you needed something more.
A dust cloud had formed in the distance and he knew it was a matter of minutes before the fight began. He had no clue how many there were or even who would be attacking him. He would worry about that when the time came and, for now, just try and stay alive.

Mordrin and his men were advancing in a line towards the cottage in the distance. The plan was simple; surround the house, set it ablaze, draw Tomis out where he could be killed. That was the only way this would work. If Tomis stayed inside, he would pick them off with his bow and if anybody went in after him, they would meet a swift death. Tomis was just too damned good. He needed to be drawn out where they could surround him and Mordrin would have the advantage.
As the horde of men closed in on the house, the left and right flank advanced ahead of the center in a horseshoe formation. This would make it possible to surround the house faster and keep everyone out of range as long as possible. Once in range, they would accelerate to a full gallop. Until then, they would conserve their horses. By Mordrin’s calculations, they still had at least 50 yards until they were in range.
Just then, a man on the right flank fell back from his horse. Only seconds later the man next to him fell to the ground as well. His calculations were wrong.
Damn, he’s good; Mordrin thought and ordered his troops to accelerate to full speed. By the time they had reached the building, twelve men were already dead.

Tomis was firing one arrow after another-taking out as many as he could before they surrounded him. He figured they’d set fire to the house once they reached it to try and draw him out where they could overwhelm him by sheer number. His only hope was to kill as many as he could before it came to that.
Crossbow bolts were coming through the window but they proved to be very little threat. Tomis simply switched windows and released as many as he could before being fired at again. The bolts did little more than slow his progress but that may be all it took. Once they reached the house, they set it ablaze.
He still had time though and continued to rain as many arrows down on his attackers as possible. Tomis had managed to kill six more men before the fire grew too high for him to stay inside. He decided that there were fewer people on the eastern side of the building and that’s where he would make his exit.
He ran for the window on that wall and dove through onto the overhang. He rolled to a kneeling position and fired an arrow into the neck of the first man he saw. He then rolled off the edge and dropped to the ground-knocking another arrow and firing it into another victim.

Mordrin was losing far more men than he had expected. He thought Tomis would have lost his edge from age and years of provincial life. In truth, he was better than he ever was. That wouldn’t matter for long though, the house was burning and Tomis could hardly see through the flames and smoke, let alone hit anything. Now it was just a matter of where he would come out.
Most of Mordrin’s losses were on the eastern end of the building so he figured that to be the likeliest place. Tomis would take a couple more out with his bow during his exit and then try and attack the middle of whoever was left and use the horses as cover from crossbow fire. This was the only option Tomis had. Any other course of action would just get him killed faster.
Mordrin’s theory was confirmed when a horse came around the eastern edge of the building with no rider. He ordered his men to move to that side and form a large circle. The end was finally near and Tomis would soon be dead.

Once Tomis was on the ground, he was too exposed to last long. He decided his only choice was to rush into the small group of riders in front of him and use them for cover. Then he could mount a horse and ride for the tree line. He drew his swords and charged into a group of three men-making short order of them as he slashed and spun in a whirlwind of death.
Just as Tomis was mounting a horse, four crossbow bolts buried themselves in the neck and side of the animal and it fell to the ground. Before he could mount either of the other two, they were riddled with bolts as well and Tomis was surrounded. These men weren’t ordinary mercenary rabble. They had the attack fully planned out and every contingency covered. He never stood a chance. As a man in black armor rode into the center of the circle, Tomis knew why.

When Mordrin rounded the edge of the building, he saw Tomis frantically trying to mount a horse. This was expected. Tomis would try and ride for the forest where he would be able to get away or even counterattack. Mordrin had told his men what to do though and they unloaded their bolts into the horses-leaving nothing for Tomis to ride. Once the horses were dead and Tomis was hopelessly surrounded, Mordrin rode into the center of the circle.
He was tall with a muscular build and square jaw. He wore completely black armor of steel plates fastened to a chainmail backing. His helm had thin sheets of metal riveted together hanging from the back to protect his neck. Similar plates hung from his shoulders to protect the tops of his arms. His hobnail boots reached the top of his calves and extended higher in the front to protect his knees. More of the same plates were strapped to his thighs and forearms. If he were facing any other man, he would have been a menacing sight.
“Hello Tomis,” Mordrin said in a deep voice as he dismounted his horse. “It’s been a long time. I have to say, you’re not an easy man to kill.”
“I’m not dead yet Mordrin,” Tomis replied-swords still drawn and poised to defend himself.
“True. But I don’t expect it to be that way much longer. Look around you. You have no chance of surviving. That doesn’t matter though. I’ve decided to at least let you die like a man. So let’s see if you’ve still got it.”
Mordrin pulled his axe from where it hung on his saddle.
Hiss weapon of choice wasn’t a typical battle axe. On one end of the four foot shaft was a single, large blade. On the other end was a mace head in the shape of a skull with sharp spikes protruding from it in every direction. The entire thing was forged from black steel and was of the highest quality. Used properly and with the right training, it was a deadly weapon. Mordrin had more than enough training and knew how to use it well.
“So this is what it has come to,” Tomis said. “After all those years of fighting side by side-shedding the same blood on the same battlefields. So be it.”
He surged forward-swinging his swords in a blur of steel.
The ensuing battle between the two warriors was an epic display of skill. Tomis attacked with near inhuman speed but Mordrin still managed to turn aside everything thrown at him. At the first sign of a break in Tomis’ onslaught, Mordrin spun to his left, twirled his axe overhead and launched a flurry of his own-striking out with both ends of his weapon.
As Tomis dodged a powerful swing of Mordrin’s blade, he saw an opening. He rolled to his right-diving under the swing and placing himself behind his attacker. As he rose to his feet, he sliced upward with his left hand and cut into Mordrin’s back. Just as he was about to slash across his neck with his other sword, he heard the distinct thunk of a crossbow being fired and spun to deflect the bolt with his sword.
Mordrin wasn’t about to miss an opportunity and swung his axe in a powerful upward arc. Tomis was ready for this and spun once again to dodge the blow. Unfortunately, not even Tomis was quick enough to get around in time to avoid the next bolt that struck him in the back. Mordrin used the momentum of his swing to turn and thrust backwards with the mace end of his weapon-hitting Tomis square in the stomach. Blood was seeping from around the bolt in his back and now from small punctures in his abdomen as well but it wasn’t enough to stop him.
He slashed with the sword in his left hand across Mordrin’s right bicep and began to swing upward with the other just as another bolt lodged itself in his side. Two more followed-each one hitting him in the shoulder blade. A third struck him in his left bicep and forced him to drop his sword. Two more pierced his thigh and Tomis was on one knee. With barely the strength left to lift the weapon, Tomis made a feeble attempt at stabbing Mordrin in the chest.
Mordrin spun his axe and chopped straight through Tomis’s wrist. His sword flew to the side with the severed hand still grasping it. Mordrin shifted his grip on the weapon to the lowest part of the handle and leveled a huge, powerful swing at Tomis’ neck. His body fell forward and his head rolled to Mordrin’s feat.


I know some of you will say he is putting to much detail into the book. He is doing that for a reason, the book is focused on fighting styles. Validen and his father both master a fighting style similar to the Gun Kata style in "Equilibrium". Being able to anticipate your oponent or oponents every attack and movement.

I am doing some armor sketches tonight for Tomis and Mordrin. I will be posting them sometime this weekend.

[danlefeb]

I like the style. Sounds good so far! Although as I was reading it, the imagery I saw in my head looked more like the paintings from Fable than what I've seen of 300 but that may be more because I haven't seen 300 yet. Food for thought. Looks good though!

[McGergs]

Realizing I need to get the website done, I wipped up this book model today.
Here is some angle shots and then the top shot I plan to use. I will be animating a page flip for the transitions in the webpage. This will be a Flash based website using a content management system.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com//forum_images/general_art/validenBookPerspective1.jpg
http://validen.christopherwcook.com//forum_images/general_art/validenBookPerspective2.jpg
http://validen.christopherwcook.com//forum_images/general_art/validenBookTopview1.jpg

Test animation coming soon. I will also post the wiremesh and my workflow.

[McGergs]

Okay I have the page flip aniamtion done. I am rendering the animation over night. Should have it up tomorrow.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com//forum_images/general_art/validenBookPerspective3.jpg

HEre are some screens of the wiremesh.

http://validen.christopherwcook.com//forum_images/general_art/validenBookWire1.jpg
http://validen.christopherwcook.com//forum_images/general_art/validenBookWire2.jpg

I am off to finishing the axe and doing some sketches for armor now.

[dude5487]

Looking great :yes

[McGergs]

I have started a basic Male wire mesh to move to Mudbox. I will use the basic wiremesh to sculpt the bodies of both characters. From there I will bring them back into Maya to build the Armor around the body shapes.

Here is what I have started tonight.
http://validen.christopherwcook.com//forum_images/tomis/body_build/body_build_wiremesh1.jpg

[Shogunato]

The body looks good so far. All quads ?
The book is made with nurbs ?

good job again :)

[McGergs]

Yep all quads. That is what I love about the polygon smooth proxy. It makes sure it stays quads for me so when I import to Mudbox it subdivides cleanly.

The book is polygons. Except the flip page itself, it is a SubD surface.

[chard]

Yep all quads. That is what I love about the polygon smooth proxy. It makes sure it stays quads for me so when I import to Mudbox it subdivides cleanly.

The book is polygons. Except the flip page itself, it is a SubD surface.

hi McGergs
what do you mean by "it make sure it stay quads"?

[McGergs]

The polygon smooth proxy tool will subdivide any numbered surface to equal 4 faces. A good demostration of this is in the Zbrush to Maya integration CD.

http://www.digitaltutors.com/store/product.php?productid=967&cat=29&page=1

[laxman]

No matter how many edges a face has, when you hit smooth, it will be divided into quads.

[McGergs]

Well my friends. I will finally have time to work on this project again. I know some of you were probably thinking it died. Well siggraph is coming next month, so I need some good demo real work to crank out. I should be posting some more work at the end of this week.

[Shogunato]

Hey, for a long time you don't have posted updates.
Can't wait :)

[danlefeb]

I look forward to seeing more! Taking a reel to Siggraph, eh? Looking for a new job?

[Nojoy]

Please do, I aswell would like to see some more, wish you lots of fun at siggraph and success ofcourse.

[McGergs]

K guys I started a new thread.

It is a new creature in the book.

I decided I will do this for each character concept of the project and just link them in the first post to each other.

http://www.digitaltutors.com/chit_chat/showthread.php?t=5198

[Kyle_Studios]

wow dude! nice work! this is a really cool idea you and your friend are doing. You sure a quite the sculptor. This is really talented work. The book description sounds like it could be on the back of a freaking sweet videogame and if i read that i would just buy it there haha. Im sure it is a excellent book. If the book is as good as the artwork i am seeing here than it is very good. haha keep it up!

[McGergs]

Thanks Kyle,

Yeah this is a project that has been on hold for myself. My friend has already finished book 2. He is still trying to get a publisher. Hopefully if I find the time I can venture back into finishing up the characters.

[Kyle_Studios]

no problem wish him luck for me!