LATEST UPDATE…
Whilst I’m learning Blender and its rigging and CA set, I’m currently working on an entry for CGTalk’s Hardcore Modelling Challenge, which is the tribute to Ray Harryhausen. I was a bit hesitant to put it here as well, as I’m not using Blender for the modelling phase, but I figure I will be using Blender for rigging and animation later, so here I am with the Rhedosaurus from 20,000 Fathoms.
Any thoughts are welcome, and the more honest the more welcome - even if they are harsh! 
Um, so here is my first update…
Another update…
Thought I would work on the second most difficult piece of the body before trying my luck with the head. Not great, but I’m happy I’ve managed to keep it 100% quads…so far.
The creature looks very interesting, I can’t wait to see how it will turn out in Blender considering how it would allow you to give it a believability that’s far above the reference.
What? Ace Dragon that reference is epic! Shot with a Canon 5D I think. SamusDrake, all quads? You’re about to put a six-sided limb on a four-sided shoulder I think. 
Rigging a four-legged creature that moves right is way beyond my tricks. Have fun and thanks for sharing - I’m looking forward to the progress.
while you are learning, your model is not bad and keep up with it. I am looking forward to the progress. Good job on it…
Guys, you are the best. Coming over to Blender wasn’t an easy decision for me, due to peer pressure, but the community here is so wonderful that I felt this was a nice place to settle in.
Here’s another update before I dash off to work, mainly just attaching the leg to the body, and indeed making sure there are enough cuts to add it…
I had some feed back on CGTalk for retopology around the shoulder so here is the next update…
Looks like you got good advice. Extra verts there isn’t something I would have thought of so soon before posing or animating. Why the variety of colors?
Good question, Hola. Low-poly modelling can be confusing after a while and so to make topology issues easier to spot or track, I use different colours for different parts. For example, the red patch at the back of the model indicates where I shall attach the legs. The gold, green and blue were actually on a photoshop(I assume) paint-over given by a friend over on CGTalk as to how the polygons should be flowing. A good example of this is on a Glen Southern vid on Youtube, where he maps out edge loops on a demon’s head. I had never thought to use different material colours for individual faces on a mesh! o_O
Oh! Another update!
Working on that back leg a bit more…
Sod it, here’s another one before bed time…
Just figuring out how to attack the head, so the only “update” I can offer at this time is a topology experiment with a focus on the eyes and mouth. Obviously I’ve no serious effort to model the actual Rhedosaurus head, but anyway…here it is…
Decided to go back and tidy up a glaring topology issue with the front leg shoulders, on the main body. I think I might need to do a bit more with the edge loop here, so I’m going to hold off on the head for a little longer. Working backwards is something I just don’t like doing…
Just a quick sub-d view of the Rhedy with a few tweaks here and there…
Having given some thought to learning Blender further, I’ve decided to pursue another model straight after this one has wrapped up: the Nostromo Space craft from the film ALIEN. I have a great love for that film, and having recently obtained a copy of the Alien Vault, I was overjoyed to have found a blueprint pull out for the original model. With such great reference, I feel its a lovely opportunity to give Blender’s modelling tool kit a fair chance, and to see how well I can adapt to a new software. In a further twist, I shall be obtaining a Belkin “Nostromo” to aid me in mapping shortcuts to its programmable buttons. Very much looking forward to this forthcoming project…
It’s really coming along nice, I’ll look forward to watching your progress. I think you’ll find a nice community here. Just curious…what program were you previously using?
Thank you for your kind words, Harley. I am looking forward to getting this model ready for animation at least and hope to share more of this character in the near future.
The community here is wonderful. Being on CGTalk has disappointed me as to how it tars the whole Blender community as “fan boys”. Spending some time here has proven otherwise, and has also proven how ignorant they are to the software.
For years I have been using Silo for my modelling, and 3dsMax for Rendering. Previous software I have used in my time are Real3D, TrueSpace, Cinema4D and Maya. Out of all those packages, my absolute favourites are Maya and Silo. Sadly, with the stupidity in Autodesk’s pricing system, I’m forced to look else where.
Silo has been the best software purchase I have ever made. When I switched from modelling in Max(a respectable modeller in its own right) to Silo, my workflow doubled in speed and made modelling a pleasure, whereas before it was a painful chore. £85 well spent.
Whilst Blender isn’t my favourite software, I do have a respect for it. Can’t wait to put its modelling tools to the test in my next project…
A more serious attempt to block out the head, from a side view at least…
A bit more work on the head…
Yay! I now own a Nostromo gaming pad!
That merge command in Silo was really pissing me off(Ctrl+M) so that was the first short-cut to have a button macro. Although its cool, the Nostromo still requires some careful planning of which buttons to assign: some packages have a single button shortcut for certain commands while it may require multiple presses in another…
Still, this is a lovely piece of kit, I must say. It will certainly help in adjusting to Blender on the Nostromo project.
