Herophile Fantasy art

[Jkeown]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

I also do critters.

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Nice stuff Guys... I need to be handing out some rep I'm thinking.

JKeown.. I really like your style.

Propes to everybody else too

[Jkeown]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Here's an Elemental Beast... as I've said before... I'm ramping up the cheddar in the Homebrew...

[Jkeown]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

One More... Last one... The late Emperor was born a mere six months before this titanic Fire Beast was summoned to destroy his home. To this day, the summoner remains at large. As for his pet...

[arcady]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

The differences?

 

It's possible to make recognisable pictures with relatively little skill using 3D art. Things come more pre-packaged. So you could say the starting threshold is lower for 3d computer art.

Kind of like photography, but with a bit of drawing and sculpture mixed in if you make original textures and models.

 

Anyone can go down to the local corner store and buy a $5 disposable camera and snap off some naked pictures of their girl/boy-friend. And that's about where 80% of the Poser community comes in...

 

Likewise they can use that same camera and photograph the local woods, street corner, or whatever and get the results of about 50% of the Bryce / Vue / Terragen community.

 

However only an idiot would deny that there are true artists among photographers. Some of them work for Playboy, and some of them wander out into the woods and become the next Ansel Adams. As in, it's not the medium that makes the difference.

 

You can scan through renderosity.com and find some very highly respected users of Poser who, however, are little more than the guy with the $5 camera. Likewise you can find complete unknowns who are cross-comparatively better than Ansel Adams.

 

Popularity in the Poser communities is usually driven primarily by two factors, the same two factors that drive popularity on most of the internet:

 

1. Putting up pictures of naked women

2. Claiming to be a woman who looks hot naked.

 

Generally though, if you look at the facial expressions of an artists work you can tell a lot. Also, how 'canned' is what they do. Do they work in prepackaged poses, expressions, textures, lightings, camera angles, render settings, and so on, or do they actually do something that has its own particular emotion?

 

 

Given some of the above, I don't look at it in terms of how is it different from drawing, I instead compare it to photography.

 

You have more control than you do in photography, but then, you also have more control than you do in photography.

[Fitz]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

I find 3d apps most useful as models -- cheap models that you don't have to pay by the hour -- for hand-drawn stuff. I can play with lighting, perspective and point of view, and generally do a whole lot of the stuff I'd used to do by means of preparatory sketches. It can be a real boon, especially for sorting out tricky perspectives: my mad perspective skillz are far from l33t, so being able to draw from a model scene rather than have to work out perspective mathematically is great.

 

One of these days I might even get a copy of Poser so I can start using figures more lifelike than a collection of boxes and spheres

[Curufea]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

As an added bonus, once you have created a model, you can use it for MANY scenes. Not only that, but it is very easy to do different angle views, print them out, and create paper miniatures.

(I refer you guys to my stuff over on Paperworlds - although unoriginal, it does the job)

[Barwickian]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Given some of the above' date=' I don't look at it in terms of how is it different from drawing, I instead compare it to photography.[/quote']

 

That's an interesting comparison. I'm relatively new to 3D, but have been taking photos for years, so while the way 3D programmes work (lighting, cameras, settings etc) has obvious comparisons to photography, I hadn't realised the way the community works.

 

My own skills are far from advanced. I'm a basic user, only just beginning to break free into the realms of original posing, lighting, rendering and so on, but then, I've only been rendering for a few months (including a four-month hiatus following a hard-drive crash).

 

I got into Poser to make character sketches and cardboard figures, as an alternative to 2D character sketchers like Profantasy's Character Artist.

 

I feel I'm only just starting to realise the potential of what it can do. But now I realise, the sky's the limit.

[Markdoc]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

I find 3d apps most useful as models -- cheap models that you don't have to pay by the hour -- for hand-drawn stuff.

 

Yeah, but you were one of the people I was thinking of who DOES have that elusive ability to compose an image fully in your head and then transfer it to the medium of your choice.

 

 

Bastard.

 

 

Cheers, Mark

[Warp9]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

This is the first time I used multiple shots in a single pic. It seems to have come out OK.

 

(Do these count as fantasy art? I've more I can post if y'all like...)

Yeah, that's cool Bill, I'd like to see more. . . .

[Warp9]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Hey thanks for the feedback on the 3D vs Traditional medium stuff (thanks to all of you) . There was a great deal of useful information there.

 

There is one aspect I’d like to focus on:

 

for 3d rendering, you rely on models. If you have models that suit your needs ("a knight", for example) then you can put it together, set up your model and voila! Not only can you play around with how the figure is posed, lighting and so on, but you can save it for later reuse/alteration. That makes it easy to do (for example) a series of images using the same characters. But this is also a weakness - if you DON'T have the model you want, then you either have to learn how to make it (a time-consuming art and quite different from making images - imagine if painters could only paint things they had sculpted...) or scrap the idea. In contrast, once you have mastered basic drawing/painting skills, your imagination is only limited by your technical skills, not what you have in your toolbox.

This subject is of interest to me because I do both traditional work and 3D stuff. However, my experience seems to be a bit different than that expressed here in this thread.

 

With my approach there is much less difference between the traditional methods and the Computer 3D modeling approach. Of course, there are still factors like the undo (as Markdoc has pointed out), but the basic underlying process is the same (traditional and 3D).

 

It seems like the key difference may be that I do not use any third party models. I personally create every last polygon, and every texture.

 

In order to paint a subject, I’d first do some initial sketches, and break it down into simple shapes. After that I’d refine the shapes into deeper complexity as the work continued. That is pretty much the approach I’d use with sculpture. And that is how I approach 3D modeling.

 

In making 3D models I normally start out with a pencil sketch, then I make a basic model, then I refine the model. I’ve attached some examples below (the pencil sketches and the resulting models).

 

The advantage to my way of doing things is that I can produce pretty much anything I want. The disadvantage is that my models are often not as good as those produced by a professional third party studio.

 

Since I make all my own models, I’ve never been limited by not having the correct model, and I have no real idea about how much of a problem that is. So, how limiting is that factor?

[Markdoc]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Damn! That's actually exceptionally good! What software do you use for modelling?

 

To answer your question, the ability to make your own models is invaluable. Relying on other people's models is a significant limitation: it means you are essentially limited to reusing what's available.

 

Although I am working on them, my own modelling skills are pretty limited. I can now do a reasonable job of reworking other people's models where useful (to make a troll out of a basic human model, for example). I can make basic static props without problem and do a lot of texture work myself (the helmets, swords, belts, jewellery and most of the textures in the attached image are mine, for example). But I have not yet mastered the art of handling organic-looking models nor rigging them, which means new figures are off the agenda, as are complex clothing items, for now.

 

I'm trying, but I am a long way from there yet.....

 

cheers, Mark

[Warp9]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Damn! That's actually exceptionally good! What software do you use for modelling?

 

To answer your question, the ability to make your own models is invaluable. Relying on other people's models is a significant limitation: it means you are essentially limited to reusing what's available.

 

Although I am working on them, my own modelling skills are pretty limited. I can now do a reasonable job of reworking other people's models where useful (to make a troll out of a basic human model, for example). I can make basic static props without problem and do a lot of texture work myself (the helmets, swords, belts, jewellery and most of the textures in the attached image are mine, for example). But I have not yet mastered the art of handling organic-looking models nor rigging them, which means new figures are off the agenda, as are complex clothing items, for now.

 

I'm trying, but I am a long way from there yet.....

 

cheers, Mark

Thanks I am also still learing, but it is good that you like my work. (And I should add that I like your work very much as well)

 

 

 

What software do I use?

 

Actually the modeling software is something that I created.

 

Right now, I call it Andromeda Studio. Eventually I'd like to do a commercial release, but there are always more features to add. (and if anybody is interested, it would be good to have more testers)

 

One of the reasons that I find this issue ("build your own models" vs "use third party models") important is that I may eventually be trying to sell a program that allows you to build your own models.

[teh bunneh]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Here's some more from my files...

 

This is a demoness (I hope it's board-safe. If not, let me know and I'll take 'er down). The backdrop is from the Queen's Palace sub-cave in Carlsbad Caverns.

[teh bunneh]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

A wizard...

[teh bunneh]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

A mighty paladin... (I love paladin-types).

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Great work all around, guys. I wish I had the patience for this kind of thing.

[ThothAmon]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

I'm liking Archamus' stuff very much. More please...

[Barwickian]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Actually the modeling software is something that I created.

 

I was impressed when I saw your render. Now I'm amazed. Take some rep.

 

One of the reasons that I find this issue ("build your own models" vs "use third party models") important is that I may eventually be trying to sell a program that allows you to build your own models.

 

I'd dearly love some affordable modelling software. At the moment, I'm limited to what I can produce in freeware programmes like Wings3d and Blender, niether of which are ideal (Wings3D is fairly easy to use, but only handles subdivision modelling; Blender is more versatile but its interface is a nightmare).

 

At the moment, I'm seriously considering buying Truespace, but at around $650 that's a major investment.

 

What would attract me to your modeller over one the established ones is (a) price and ( versatility - it should at least be able to import and export OBJ and 3DS meshes without an add-on.

[Warp9]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

I was impressed when I saw your render. Now I'm amazed. Take some rep.

Thanks! I can never have too much rep.

 

I'd dearly love some affordable modelling software. At the moment, I'm limited to what I can produce in freeware programmes like Wings3d and Blender, niether of which are ideal (Wings3D is fairly easy to use, but only handles subdivision modelling; Blender is more versatile but its interface is a nightmare).

 

At the moment, I'm seriously considering buying Truespace, but at around $650 that's a major investment.

Strangely enough, I have a little story about Truespace and costs.

 

I have been curious about other modelers, and originally my modeler was very primitive, so I was interested in Truespace at one time.

 

I had the makers of Truespace send me a demo disc of the program. Once they sent me the demo disc, they put me on their mailing lists. In their mailing list they notified all registered users that they could upgrade to the current version for a very low price.

 

I called them up and asked them if the offer applied to me. The lady on the phone said that it did not apply to me (since I was not a registered user). That was the response I'd expected, but I pretended to get upset anyway (they had bugged me about this offer several times, both in e-mail and snail mail). After I yelled at them a bit, they finally gave in and sent me the full version of the program for a tiny fraction of the list price. They also took me off the mailing list.

 

I can't promise that such a tactic would work the same way for you, but it might be worth a try if you'd like to get Truespace for a much lower price.

 

What would attract me to your modeller over one the established ones is (a) price and ( versatility - it should at least be able to import and export OBJ and 3DS meshes without an add-on.

Thanks for the suggestion

 

Right now my program exports to 3DS, but it does not import from that format. And it does not do OBJ--yet. However, I have a book about 3D file formats that covers both of those formats (and a whole lot more), and I intend including all of those as standard features (both import and export, no add-ons necessary).

 

Your suggestion is definitely helpful, and any other similar suggestions you might have would also be very welcome.

[Onyxclaw]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

wow, these are awsome. I'm not too good at drawing people...But I'll humbly submit my first roleplaying character...which happend to be made in herosystem

 

Her name is Zekari and she's a young electrical dragon...makes for a fun game ^-^

 

[Onyxclaw]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Oh, this is another pic I did for my lithography class. I'm now using it for one of my NPCs in the fall. His name is Koshken, and he's a leviathan. A rather dangerous but benevolent king of the deep ^-^

 

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

Nice litho work Onyxclaw. You do damn fine fell beasts. I fully expect that any problems you have with people are more a lack of practice than a lack of skill, based on what I'm seeing here.

[Onyxclaw]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

thnx ^-^ My people aren't really that bad I suppose. I have had a figure drawign class. Just less interest I suppose.

[Markdoc]

Re: Herophile Fantasy art

 

I'd dearly love some affordable modelling software. At the moment' date=' I'm limited to what I can produce in freeware programmes like Wings3d and Blender, niether of which are ideal (Wings3D is fairly easy to use, but only handles subdivision modelling; Blender is more versatile but its interface is a nightmare).[/quote']

 

One suggestion - I use Carrara. The reason is that it combines a reasonably user-friendly interface, with a decent toolset, yet is reasonably cheap. It's not Truespace or Maya, but now that version 4 is out, I picked up version 3 for 69 bucks.

 

cheers, Mark