SWAMPUS DRAGON! (update image in page2)

[Lyceon]

Hello Everyone!
This is just a little project I’ve been working on a little project known as Swampu Dragon… so far I’ve done the head. It’s technically supposed to be a big worm-looking “mutated” dragon that lives in the swamps. I plan on using it in a movie some time (If I ever have the time lol!). In case you’re wondering about the extra 2 holes… they’re actually eye sockets (that’s right, it’s got 6 eyes!.. creeeeepy) I’m trying to go for a lizard/dragon/creepy swamp creature mix… which is why the eyes have that very sick yellow color and have no pupils (kinda like a fly, except instead of tiny insect eyes… imagine more of a big gooey yellow blob for eyes… unfortunately I don’t know how to get that effect on the eyes right now)

Lately I have improved my modeling skills since my last 2 projects, (lizard and dragon) But I want to hear anymore critiques before I move on to the body… If I finish it the way it’s supposed to be… I’ll make a cool animation as reward for your criticism

Anyway, here are the images.

[HEADCHEESE]

really wierd. Osa needed.

[Dbugged]

It looks like a hand puppet to me. I’d like to see it when it’s finished.

[Lyceon]

Yeah I started messing with the OSA last night and gave it somewhat realistic looking scales… unfortunately I pressed something I wasn’t supposed to, now I have to go to a previous file I saved before it got messed up lol!

If you think it looks weird… wait till I put a big crest of black hair (instead of putting horns) hehe

[Kansas_15]

It’s pretty weird already, don’t forget OSA.

[Lyceon]

Hi again you guys
I know I haven’t posted any updates lately, but school has been getting in the way >.<
the dragon is going along nicely I must say ^^ I’ll post a pic or a link as soon as I can. But first I need to ask a couple of questions that can help me finish it.

1.) I finally figured out how to make a believable lizard skin looking texture using Cloud-Voronoi Crackle mixed with other textures, under the materials section, I went to the “Map To” tab and messed around with it to see if I can actually “Bump” the skin and make it look like real skin.
This is the result of the head

http://gallery.mudpuddle.co.nz/tanidwen/swampushead

Unfortunately, I’m not very convinced that it looks like good quality skin. Any ideas on how I can modify this to make it look more like good quality lizard skin?

2.) As mentioned on the first post. I plan on giving the creature a good creepy crest of dirty hair rather than give it horns like a regular dragon. I checked out this website for help

http://www.dedalo-3d.com/index.php?filename=SXCOL/makehuman/articles/volumetric_hair_in_blender.html

But, when I got to the part where it said
“Once out of edit mode enter face (f) mode and UV map a black and white”

I froze. I didn’t know what the author meant, let alone how to UV map the mesh… can any of you tell me in simple terms what the author means? or post a link to another guide that explains it in better detail? (in other words, one that explains everything in simple layman’s terms)

I would really appreciate it ^^

As I said before, other than these 2 obstacles, the dragon is coming along nicely, and I hope to post a decent pic sometime soon. out of all my projects in my album, I’m prod of this one the most because it actually looks more organic than the previous. And if all goes well, it’ll look like something worth putting on one of the many short film ideas I have heh.

If you want to check my album for my other projects and compare, check out this link:

http://gallery.mudpuddle.co.nz/tanidwen

[BlackMage]

thy jaggies doth seer mine eyes… use OSA lad.

but overall good start

[Lyceon]

did you check the new link? it’s right above ya

[BlackMage]

ahh ok sry

[Lyceon]

no comments or criticisms? come on guys, I could really use some help. Here’s the link again. Please, I really need the questions I posted earlier answered.

here’s the link again of an updated version
http://gallery.mudpuddle.co.nz/tanidwen/swampushead

[HEADCHEESE]

for a good lizard skin turn down the sec and turn up the hard. and in the textures buttons press NOR for bumpy skin.

The hair: Use Particles. static. dont turn up the NOR slider there but turn up RAND and DAMP and just apply a good hair material.

HOPE IT HELPS
HC

[Lyceon]

Wha about the method they mention here?
http://www.dedalo-3d.com/index.php?filename=SXCOL/makehuman/articles/volumetric_hair_in_blender.html

reason I as is,

1. I could use it for future projects when dealing with human characters.

2. I read on this link that Static particles dont really move or bend. I want to be able to bend the hair as if for example the wind was blowing (take in mind, the hair on this dragon is going to be long, like a horse mane) and this link says that using this method I can easily animate the chunks of hair.

3. I’d like to learn how to UV map like they say here, but this link doesn’t really give good detail on how to UV map

please, I really need this help

[HEADCHEESE]

yeah if u want that use FIBER 2.03 here is the link
http://oregonstate.edu/~dennisa/Blender/Fiber2/
when u run it first run Fiber2.py nothing will happen, then run the FiberGUI.py and that will bring up the sliders. mess with the setting and then hit estimate faces while u have the intented hair mesh selected then hit create. Repeat till u get something ur happy with.

Email Me if u need more help

[email protected]

[Lyceon]

I’ll check it out, though I’m not sure yet if those are the results I want in the hair… In either case, I did finally find a link that teaches basic UV mapping so I’m happy about that and I’m chugging forward… already finished the teeth (simple ones for now) and will be posting a link soon (hopefully) I updated the link at the top. It will take you to my latest one so far… and here it is again just in case

http://gallery.mudpuddle.co.nz/tanidwen/swampushead

NOTE: if you check my pic album, there are 2 more pics of the same updated version, only in different angles

[nico]

You should be more courageous concerning the head shape. Looks more like a wooden toy - too blocky.

If you want to have it creepy, make the eyes smaller. Check out Doom 3 - THAT’S creepy. The Cacodemon may be something to inspire you.

Big eyes cause some kind of attraction reflex to humans - that’s why we like babies and we hate spiders for example…or something like that.

[Alltaken]

yo lyceon, you do know that you are allowed to hotlink.

I.e. right click on your image and gets its URL (rather than copying the one from the top) then put it in the [ img] [ /img] tags.

just a heads up.

your work is ok.

however i have one crit, it feels to square, i mean things look like they have been moved eitgher up, down, left, right, forward, back.

in a organic model i find you need to work organiclly to get a good effect. this means no middle mouse button, no ctrl button, and these things that lock you into anything. just use your eye and do things freely i think.

keep it up.

Alltaken

[Lyceon]

Thanks to everybody for your crits.
However, there’s still something that I don’t get…
Most of the crits I’ve received say exactly the same thing… it looks too boxy… yet, after having smoothed out the snout to give it a round shape, after I made the wrinkles between the eyes, pulled the lip edges a little to make it seem more organic and actually gave some depth to the nostrils (If you remember my previous projects you can see that my nostrils sucked big time)… I still don’t see where you say that it looks boxy or blocky… if it’s the neck, don’t worry I haven’t started on the body to start worrying about that… please, when you say it looks blocky… tell me where so I know where the heck I’m supposed to focus on… cuze honestly, I don’t think it looks blocky (at least, not in comparison to the previous projects I did) and I went to great lenghts to do so.

So please, it doesn’t help me improve when stating something as vague as “it looks blocky/boxy” I need specifics.

I don’t mean to criticize your criticisms nor do I mean to sound offensive… it just that it can be irritating when you get vague criticism… almost as bad as someone saying “It sucks” and not telling you why.

Note: About the big eyes crit. I can see where you’re going and I agree. However, I’m actually considering using the mesh after I’m done and redoing the eyes… However, I still want to use the big eyes for this project. When I’m done I’ll redo the mesh and replace the big eye with a small eye, among other things I plan on adding (spikes, horns etc.) It’ll have to wait until I finish this one. I want to make it a separate project in whcih I simply use the same mesh. When I sketched this dragon I liked it too much and I’m too much into it right now to change the appearance.

Here’s another image in which I added a tongue and some teeth… Yes I know that the teeth do look a little “blocky” but I made these really quick so I could see what the dragon would look like with teeth, the teeth will easily be replaced once I decide what type of teeth are gonna go in.

Maybe with this pic you can see what I was talking about when I mentioned the rounded snout, lips, the wrinkles between the eyes and the depth in the nostrils.