Oz Wips

[Paul Forwood]

I'm starting a new thread for my Oz wips so that I don't clog up the Movie forum with my stuff. Plenty of room there for other people to post their ideas though.

 

This is still a rough walk cycle but it's close to the tired trudge that I was after. Not quite but close.

 

Still playing with dynamics, still need to sort out the stiffness of the walk and fix the way the backpack reacts. No facial rig yet, that's the next step.

[Fishman]

Man that is one stiff wind he's walking into!

 

I like the knapsack over the shoulder. Maybe a few more cycles to get a better feel for it, but as you said there is still stiffness to work out.

 

Keep up the great work!

 

Scott

[Paul Forwood]

He's still limping badly but here he is with his hat, and no hair.

[Kamikaze]

Paul,

 

Nice character, the limp looks intensional...are you saying it's not suppose to be?

sure looks good for a linp.......

keep it going..

 

Michael

[robcat2075]

Heel action. Even if he's tired he's gotta raise the heel to push off into the next step with the balls of his feet.

 

I'd suggest contstraining the back pack to the topmost spine bone and maybe offsetting it slightly during the walk for the overlapping action.

[Paul Forwood]

Kamikaze, No, he isn't intentionally limping. I'll fix it tomorrow.

 

Robcat, the heels are lifting but from some angles you can't see them. I'll try pushing it a bit further and moving the backpack constraint up to the next spine bone.

 

 

Thanks.

[KenH]

You have his heel raising but it's just for two frames before his whole foot moves off the ground. Usually the heel starts to raise as the leg "passes below" the body.

 

How are his eyes done? Are they spheres or some other method?

[Paul Forwood]

Robcat and Ken

 

Yes, you're right! His toes should stay on the ground longer and push.

 

His eyes are just spheres at the moment but I think I will try modelling some better eyes with dilating pupils at some point.

[KenH]

Paul: It seems like his hips have an un-needed keyframe in the middle of the animation. He kind of jumps forward. The rest is great. I particularly like his arm movement.

[Gerry]

This is looking good Paul. No crits in particular, but nice progress on the various tests.

[Paul Forwood]

A very minor update. The hat and it's constraints still need fixing but I am currently experimenting with mouth rigs so that will happen when it happens.

 

Sorenson3, 344Kb, 4 seconds at 24 fps, VGA

[John Keates]

Hey Paul,

 

This is really nice stuff. At this rate you will have completed your own version of the movei before the rest get there

[Paul Forwood]

Oh, yeah. I need to fix the strap too.

 

Walkin'... walkin'... walkin'

 

( 1 second, Sorenson3, VGA, 90Kb )

[Paul Forwood]

Paul: It seems like his hips have an un-needed keyframe in the middle of the animation. He kind of jumps forward. The rest is great. I particularly like his arm movement.

 

Thanks, Ken. Yes there was a lurch forward when he took the weight on his left leg. This was caused by me over emphasizing the weight he is carrying on his shoulder. I've smoothed it out a bit but still needs work.

 

Gerry and John, thanks for the comments. An offshoot in the making, 'Woots Further Wanderings in the Land of Oz' with outtakes on the extended DVD.

[Zaryin]

Hey Paul, this is really turning out to be a great walk. I love the way he's holding the pack. Ar eyou planning on giving him facial textures on not just leaving him a base color? Same thing for the clothes? I think that's really going to add to bringing this character to life.

[Paul Forwood]

Thanks, Zaryin, (Jeff). Yeah, I'm looking forward to spending some time experimenting with textures and adding some finer detail but not just yet.

[NancyGormezano]

He really is a cute little guy - perfect face, very endearing, innocent - you're doing a great job

[trajcedrv]

Great character!

 

Lovely model, I think that good textures will really make him alive!!!

 

Keep on good work!

 

Drvarceto

[KenH]

I just noticed now.....the sides of his nose seems quite wide and undefined. I think a cute little button nose might do wonders for him.

[Paul Forwood]

He really is a cute little guy - perfect face, very endearing, innocent

 

Thank you, Nancy. I have deviated from Neill's illustration in order to make Woot more appealing and innocent and I'm pretty happy with this version so far. I considered making his legs shorter, so that he was not much older looking than a toddler, but decided that I would compromise and reach some balance between the illustration and an infant.

 

Lovely model, I think that good textures will really make him alive!!!

 

Thank you, Drvarceto. Yes, hopefully I can find the time to do some texturing soon. Woot's skin will not receive much in the way of texturing though. Perhaps a subtle bloom to his cheeks, some bumpmaps for his lips and some detail to his hands but he is very young and unblemished in my mind. His clothes will be fun to experiment with though.

 

I think a cute little button nose might do wonders for him.

 

Thanks, Ken. Hmmm, maybe. I'm going to keep it as it is for the moment though.

This model is based on a child of about 6 or 7 years of age. It is a super light model and would probably require a few additional splines if it were to actually be used for production.

 

In the meantime I have been reading more of the story and making very rough sketches of key scenes as references. I am following the original story and gaining additional inspiration from the script. Once the script has been finalized, at least in part, I will use the sketches to make an animatic of my own interpretation, which the directors can make use of or reject depending on their preference.

 

I'm going to refrain from posting examples here as I think others are being intimidated by the look that I have chosen to go for. Just because I have chosen a semi-realistic look doesn't mean that it is the best way to go. I would like to see a wide variety of personal interpretations from everyone.

[KenH]

Yes, I figured he was spline lite. If you're doing more stuff with him I'd like to see it. I don't know if your stopping posting will make anyone else contribute if they're not going to already.

I'm stopping doing my characters because I've brought them up to the point I wanted for the contest.

[Paul Forwood]

But just to demonstrate his nose:

 

[Rodney]

Don't stop Paul!

 

Even if your Woot were adapted or replaced it's talent like yours that really shows us what we should be striving for here.

 

You have created a most excellent Woot.

[KenH]

Uh-oh. Now I see his ears.

 

But no...his nose looks fine from that angle.

[Paul Forwood]

Okay. just one more. This one is just one frame from the walk cycle. Still lots to do to him but I've got other things to do at the moment.

 

Yes, Ken, his ears could use some attention but this model will only ever have very simple ears. I have given him pointy ears because he lives in a world of fairies, witches, giants, etc. and all my fairies have pointy ears. If anyone knows of a description of a Munchkin or Gillikin resident which describes their ears I would be interested in a link.

[KenH]

Yes, simple ears are the way to go I believe. I'll stop hounding you now.

 

Nice environment there. Is that a bell at the back of this hat?

[Paul Forwood]

Thanks for the encouragment, Rodney. Very kind words.

 

Ken: Yes that is a bell but I'm probably going to move it onto his hat band or remove it altogether.

[Paul Forwood]

Well, time marches on and it's about time I posted something new in here.

 

I've been modelling a few more characters and spent some time on a piece for the Oz stills contest, which is still not finished, and have been playing around with Tin Woodman's heart.

 

Here is a really, really, really rough montage of some elements.

 

(833Kb Sorenson3)

 

Edit: If the moderator would like to move this thread into the Oz forum now I would be delighted.

[ChrisThom]

A very minor update. The hat and it's constraints still need fixing but I am currently experimenting with mouth rigs so that will happen when it happens.

 

Sorenson3, 344Kb, 4 seconds at 24 fps, VGA

This one reminds me of hockey cause he did a little "hat trick" - get it!?!?! He had a hat on... it did a trick... aw, nevermind.