Cartoon Tiger- Game Character

Artwork Works in Progress
#1

Hi all, starting a new project for a client, MtnTiger here on the forums.

We are going to be modeling, texturing, and rigging a cartoon tiger that will be used to make sprite sheets for a game. The plan is to make this little guy super cute and cuddly, almost like a plush toy.

He will walk on two legs mainly, but he may be able to go down on all fours as well. So far I have completed the first draft of the torso. I am attaching a screenshot and the initial sketch (which may not be followed at all).

Attachments


tiger-progress-torso.jpg512×511 48.4 KB

#2

Small update to the Tiger. Blend file attached, this file is copyrighted and not to be used for any purposes other than your personal education.

References from client:
Here are a couple of other pictures of the tiger to give you ideas.
http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/28/2c/tiger,whimsical,cartoon-282c617fe27c3a372779569430bc5c9f_i.jpg
http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/ec/e6/tiger,whimsical,cartoon-ece691f24a7a436e288fe45fc964dd04_i.jpg
http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/2b/cb/tiger,whimsical,cartoon-2bcb20836055223a7163b4f83aaa6203_i.jpg
http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/29/4a/tiger,whimsical,cartoon-294abc8fb27cc4597e22f68e934f0e46_i.jpg
Note: we are leaning on these potentially copyrighted designs for inspiration only.

Here is a picture of a standing cartoon tiger that may help with the snout so perhaps some merge between this standing tiger and the style of the other tiger. http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/122/9/a/9a9ee2f6b88004904d940d58d472f7a5-d3fgkes.png

The main actions that I can think I would need:
•Walking
•Talking
•Turning Head to Look at Something
•Pointing
•Bonus actions would be jumping, cheering, and perhaps some cute little roar.

Attachments


tiger-torso.blend (473 KB)

#3

Hi,
Here is my current model. I think it should have good topology and stuff, but if you have suggestions let me know. Critiques are welcome, or compliments. :slight_smile:

TigerCubLayoutSheet.jpg1920×1920 704 KB

#4

He looks nice, how many polys does he have?

#5

Hi, yeah, I think he might be a little high poly. It is probably OK though. He is 2226 poly, quad-only.

#6

He looks great. I don’t think it is too literal.

Getting him to walk on two legs is going to be a problem. However, lets experiment with rigging him and seeing how it works out. I’ll try to blend the two together (mine and yours) to see what comes out. We might end up having two versions, one that walks upright and one that is on all fours.

Overall, great work man! I really like him. We’ll wait and see what Christian thinks about it. Can you send me the .blend via email or some other method?

Edit: definitely not too high poly. The end use is as a sprite or still image. Polycount doesn’t really matter.

#7

Sure, I’ll get to you in a minute.

#8

Very nice :slight_smile: I like the model and the textures :slight_smile: In terms of how many poly you have, game engines always triangulates, so you actual in game poly count is 4452 triangles, which is a lot, almost next gen really. But with today’s technology it isn’t a bad thing really. Although I can see a lot of areas where you could save polygons, especially since it seems you are going for a non next-gen. All in all though, very nice, it has a lot of character :wink:

Happy Blending :slight_smile:

#9

That looks great. The nose/mouth seems like it should come off the face a bit. You can take a look at this model (http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/122/9/a/9a9ee2f6b88004904d940d58d472f7a5-d3fgkes.png) to get an idea of the nose/mouth shape. Also the white “side burns” probably could use a little bit of a hair cut. :slight_smile: I appreciate your help on this project as well and am excited to see the progress that both of you are making.

#10

Thanks a lot. Yeah, I see places where I could have cut down on the polys too. Luckily though, this is for a 2d game. It will apparently be used to generate sprite sheets. Anyway, thanks for the comment, it means a lot knowing you are such a good modeler

Hey, nice to hear from you. About the nose/mouth area. I can see what you mean. The reason I modeled it this way is because I was going for the real simple smiling mouth shown in the pictures. I’ll do a longer “snout” for you so you can see what you like. :slight_smile:
As for the hair, giving it a cut is a breeze. I can do that easily.
I’m glad I get to help 3Dementia and you on this.

#11

Thanks Christian! I agree, the snout should be longer. Overall the head is a little stubby, front to back. But Abraham has done a great job in providing us with our first real look at the tiger. I am going to get busy rigging this and modeling more on mine this weekend. I’ll have an update by Monday evening for sure.

@Jeannot, thanks for the critique. I really appreciate your input, as I know it is based in a lot of knowledge. :slight_smile: Just to reiterate though, the Tiger will be rendered out for use in a sprite sheet, so none of those polys will be loaded by the game engine, just the still images. I agree that 4452 tris would probably be too many otherwise.

#12

If at all possible would you be able to create a shot of the tiger in something along the lines of this pose?

This is a pose that I plan on using for the game title screen and would love to be able to incorporate what you guys have developed so far rather than using other placeholder graphics. If it would be difficult then I can certainly wait though.

As far as poly counts are concerned, 3Dementia is correct that the model will be used to generate sprite sheets for the game and so the poly count won’t cause any problems. If anything it will make the tiger look that much better.

@3Dementia - One thing that I’m not sure if I had mentioned regarding the rigging but having the tail articulated so that it can move add a ton of character to the tiger.

I am definitely impressed by the work that both of you have done and am thrilled to see the tiger come to life.

#13

Ok, here is my second version. I (hopefully) addressed some of the issues that were wrong with the last one. He is standing, but I think that he would be pretty easy to have on all fours. I gave his “sideburns” a trim, and gave him a longer nose. I tried to give him a slightly less “stubby” head also. Additionally, I gave him a bit more realistic paint job, for which I am wondering what you think. Overall, I hope it is pretty close to what you wanted.

TigerCub2LayoutSheet.jpg1920×1920 535 KB

Posing him like that for a still picture should be quite simple.

I’m not much of a rigger, but I think 3Dementia could do that easily for you.

#14

I think that looks great! The nose definitely looks a lot better as do the “sideburns”. The head still seems like it is a little stubby, but it is better than it was. I like the paint job but would it be possible to have the white underbelly stop before it gets to the lower legs? I think right above where the “crotch” would be ideal.

Don’t worry about posing him at the moment. I can continue with my placeholder images for the time being and would rather you guys work on the overall model instead of taking time to pose him.

Thanks again for all your help. It is looking amazing.

#15

Great! Glad you are liking it. About the head, would you like it a little bit more round? I can do anything you want. I can easily adjust his texture too. I’ll do a bit of adjustments to the head and paint job and see how you like it.

#16

Yea, I think that the head should be more round. I found this 3d model of a tiger (http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/cartoon-tiger-3d-obj/509787) that may be helpful. Obviously that model is a realistic tiger and I definitely want a more cartoonish look but for the shape I hope it can help. Making the neck a little wider as well might help with the look of the head.

On a side note, I’m not sure how it plays into rigging or the ability to go from standing to all fours but would it be possible to make the “hands” a bit more rounded? Obviously if the tiger was on all fours then the flat surface would be ideal but when standing it kind of looks like part of the arm was amputated.

#17

Hey guys! Great to see that you have been busy Abraham! Looking good. I agree with Christian’s suggestions, head should be slightly rounder, and white area on belly more limited.

I’ve abandoned my model for the time being. Christian, I think Abraham’s got the model and texture covered pretty well. I’ve been spending most of today building the rig, I always underestimate the time that can be spent in this department. The rig is far from perfect, but it should work fairly well for the purpose of still shots. The eyes are…wonky, you’ll have to play with the file to know what I mean. But I got the tail rigged with spline IK, and everything else works pretty well.

Take a look.

Attachments

tiger-posed.jpg800×800 140 KB

#18

I think we need to not waste any of the time spent, and deliver two rigs/models. Both the upright, and the four-legged version. What do you think?

We are not going to be able to have one rig meet both requirements. If everyone is amenable, I think Abraham should refine both models, making sure they are similar as far as the head goes, and then I will rig both. I have spent about 5 hours on the project so far. Finishing another rig, plus refining the one I have may be the best use of my time, rather than duplicating Abraham’s efforts. (which have been top-notch, thanks)

Just a side note, I’m starting to think that I don’t like the elongated snout. I like the original head that Abraham did the best. I don;t think the side profile can be much different, and keep the cuteness and style of the original.

#19

Wow!!! That is looking great! I am certainly amenable to two models if that is easier than trying to create one that would be able to both stand and walk on all fours. I imagine that if the head is made more rounded then maybe the snout doesn’t need to be elongated. 95% of the use of the model is not going to be from the side profile anyways so I’m not terribly concerned about it. I agree that the eyes are just a little bit off. Maybe making them a little smaller might help and perhaps ringing them with a little bit of black? Most tigers have a bit of black around their eyes but I’m not sure exactly how that would look on a cartoon version.

Overall though I love the work that you both have been doing! The screenshot above is amazing. My only other critique might be on the pivot point for the front legs. The back legs look perfect but the front look “stubby” because it looks like they are pivoting at the chest rather than at the shoulder?

#20

Another quick thought… on the nose I think that it might look better without the nostrils… Something maybe like this: