new dog

[Shelton]

I wanted to model a dog for a while. I was looking on the cd and found the Dalmatian. I started looked at it and I used it as a reference. I have completed the body and I going for a fun loving comical dog. Here it is!

 

Steve

 

Here is a wire frame. Still have to tweak the legs and other areas around head area.

[thejobe]

wow awsome

what you going to use him for?

anything specific?

[Shelton]

I am working on a little video that has a horse a dog and a cow.

 

Steve

[Dhar]

Great start Steve. Looking forward to your video.

[Shelton]

Thanks guys for the comments!! I will have an update tomorrow. I love using AM Paint

 

Steve

[Shelton]

Here is a quick update put the correct paws on the dog with claws.

 

Steve

[the_black_mage]

oh i see a hair material coming!!!!

[Shelton]

Sometimes life happens and I have been able to give an update. I finally started painting the dog. Here is an update. I have also reworked legs neck and head.

 

Steve

[the_black_mage]

it needs fuzz !!!!!!

[Shelton]

I sat the dog off to one side for a couple of days and when I came back to it last night I found I did not like the head. So here is a complete redo of the head.

 

Steve

[jakerupert]

>I am sorry to say I liked it better as it was before.

Maybe its just that the neck now seems to be too long and thin?

 

 

;>) Jake

 

 

I sat the dog off to one side for a couple of days and when I came back to it last night I found I did not like the head. So here is a complete redo of the head.

 

Steve

[Krazyman]

I agree, the neck does look too long.

The model is good, but there is a problem with the modelling of the mouth. You've given it an elongated human mouth, if you look at a dogs mouth, you'll find it has a flap of skin that hangs from its nose centre, all the way to the corner of its mouth called its muzzle. This flap of skin, drapes over its teeth and down and over its bottom jaw slightly. The flap is normally heavier towards the front of the dogs jaw, hanging lower there. Then raising up towards the back of the mouth, you may need a bone or two, one each side to move it. If you want to animate it. Or maybe a few poses could do, like muzzle out and in and up and down for snarls, for animation purposes...

 

 

P.S. go to yahoo, click on image above the search bar and type in dalmation, there's a close up, front pic of a dalmation there that shows what I mean...

 

[williamgaylord]

Looking really good, especially the legs. The face has improved a lot. Here are a couple of pictures (not dalmations, though) that might help a bit with the face. Dogs jowls tend to drape over the lower jaw. They are usually "puffy" (rounded) near the nose and more lean (almost floppy) toward the corners of the mouth. When the mouth is closed the corners stick out a bit, as though the skin were folded (which it is actually). Usually a bit of an open loop at the back with the jowl sloping down toward the front. From the front the upper lip curves downward like a frown under the nose. Usually not much of a groove in the middle.

 

The nostrils are open along the sides, too, so the nose sort of has two flaps draped over the nostrils instead of two roundish openings at the front. From the front the nostrils spiral a bit.

 

Body tends to be more rounded at the chest and tapers at the waist, though you can't tell looking at my dog!

 

The eyes are a bit tricky (I still don't quite have the hang of them) because of the way the eyelids appear. The lower lids sweep in a smooth arcs down from the corners of the eyes (they are usually very prominant). The upper lid pulls back in more of an angle than an arc...it stretches sort of straight up against the bony ridge on the side near the snout and an arc from the outer corners or the eye to the top of the "angle". Makes the eye opennings look somewhat triangular.

 

All around great looking dog model! Good work!

 

Bill Gaylord

[williamgaylord]

Had to add this one just for Halloween!

 

Bill Gaylord

[Shelton]

Thanks guys for the critics!

 

Jost

The neck is too skinny and I have adjusted that. Thanks. I was looking at our standard poodle who does have a long and skinny neck.

 

There was a problem with the old dog and it was the rigging of the head was not going to well!! And from the front view the old model did not even look like a dog! hence the new head.

 

Kev

Thanks for the critic. I have changed the neck and if you will notice I have set up the jowls to overlap. I wanted to make sure I got the bottom lip in before moving the jowls over the bottom lip. I hope to have an update later.

 

Bill

Thanks for the note. I have a photo of a dalmation but as I stated earlier I was watching my dog and I think I modeled more to her features than the dalmation. I have made some more changes and should have an update later on the face. The model does have the frown you were talking about under the nose and the groove I did not notice as I think that was copy/flip/attach. I have corrected that. The nostrils have given my grief since the start. I will send and update later with that change.

 

If you asked to me to draw a portrait I can draw an eye with out any problems. But what ever the reason I can not get eyes to look right no matter what I am modeling. It has haunted me since I first started working with AM.

 

I have changed the chest as dalmatians tend do have more of a rounded chest as you suggested.

 

Once again thanks for the comments. It helps!!

 

Steve

[Shelton]

Ok here are two shots. I have filled the neck and chest out and have reduced the length. Also have completed a rework of the jaw and lower teeth. They now fit inside the upper lips as planned. I have not reworked the nose yet

 

Steve

[Krazyman]

Looking good... although I reckon the front section of its jowls, just under its nose, could be raised a touch. So you get a nice arcing curve, also... the nose of a dog isn't joined all the way on the outside, look at the picture...

As for your eye problem that you talked about, were you modelling it off a hungry dog. My dog used to look exactly like that, when he was watching me eating... no kidding. Eyes wide open, living in hope that you'll drop something...

 

I agree, eyes are difficult to do. I found the easiest way for myself was to model some of the eye and eyelid, using rotoscopes. Then to make a sphere and use it for an eyeball, lining it up with the real position of the eyeball, then pulling the eyelids into position. I learnt that off a Zandoria studios, modelling tutorial disk.

But as it is, you'd be only tweaking it. As it looks like a real fine dog, and it doesn't really need much doing to it...

 

[Shelton]

And now here is the corrected nose. I will order Will's cd as I want to look at the way he textured the hippogyraf.

 

Steve

[Krazyman]

That's done the trick, the nose looks spot on now...

 

I'll be interested to see the rig and the walk animation, if you make one. As a dogs knees are almost at stomach level, and their ankles are quite high up their legs, leaving them walking on their tip-toes.

 

[Shelton]

With the help of David Simmons the dog has come to life. Still have a long way to go but the dog is beginning to walk again

 

Steve

[Chad_Hunt]

looks great, my only thing is the ears look a bit thick or that line in the front of the ears is throwing me off but he looks fantastic.

[Shelton]

Thanks!! I think youare right. The ears are too thick. That is something I had not noticed. I had planned for the ears to flop over but it just looks thick I will change that.

 

Steve

[Shelton]

Having fun with the quad squetch rig

 

Steve

[Shelton]

Here is a quick walk cycle wmv format

untitled_1.wmv

[3DArtZ]

Hey Nice model.

I think its on OK start.

the steps are too short and choppy.

Also, try working the dogs paws into this more. the have ankles that bend too.

I've never tried to animate a dogs walk cycle, but I think thier walk is more fluid and timed close to front left/back right, front right/back left either in the air at the same time or on the ground at the same time....

 

Mike Fitz

www.3dartz.com

[Chad_Hunt]

I have two dogs, a Roti and a Boxer, When they are just walking around the house both right legs move forward at the same time with a small gap from when the Front one leaves the ground the the back one leaving. I know it sounds strang but I have studied this for some other 4 legged things I have worked on. Thier weight shifts to the side that has both legs on the grond and the body makes an S shape almost when walking. I hope this helps some, or Go to a park and watch them walk, trot and run. they are all different.

[Shelton]

Thanks guys

 

I was watching our dogs run around the house and Chad I think you are right. I had animated just off the top of my head, thinking I would not need to look at the dogs. I had never completed a walk cycle, so that is a first for me.

 

I will make some changes and upload later

 

Steve

[the_black_mage]

well heers a run cycle for a project i'm doing...its a dalmation running, that should help.

 

p.s. I WANNA SEE IT IN FUR!!!! i've been wanting to model my puppy but i don't have a digital camera so i can take pictures.

[Shelton]

Here is an update. What is causing the slide of the feet?

 

Steve

untitled_1.wmv

[itsjustme]

Here is an update. What is causing the slide of the feet?

 

Steve

 

It looks like he's moving too fast for that walk...I would make a single walk cycle Action with stride length and then just have that repeat as he walks along a path in the Choreography. Also, there's very little torso movement in what you have so far, the body should be moving up and down some along with some side to side "S"-like movement.

 

Hope that helps, Steve.

[Shelton]

Hi David

 

You are right about the torso. I have not gone into the action to add secondary. The legs were model off rotoscope of our dog walking. I had to slow down the leg movement twice to make it look believable. I will keep working on it.

 

Steve

[Caroline]

This probably doesn't help, because it's cartoon, but it's always fun to look at anyway:

 

Preston Blair Four Legged Movements

from ASIFA Animation Course

 

Also a couple of dog cycles from Muybridge:

http://bowlingsite.mcf.com/Movement/locoindex.html

http://www.cmp.ucr.edu/exhibitions/dogdays/muybridge.html

[Shelton]

That is awesome thank you Caroline!!

 

Here is where I am at now

 

Steve

Comp_1_2_1.wmv

[Caroline]

I hope you don't mind me critiquing, Steve - you've taken this a lot further than I could. I hope you get your action blend problem sorted.

 

I don't think that front and rear paws should leave the ground at the same time. Also, should the left front and left rear should be raised together? I thought the only animals that do that are the giraffe and the camel. I believe that at some point in the walk cycle, the left rear and right front are raised at the same time.

 

I've been watching my dog - he's an old Maltese with much hair, so is probably very different to a dalmation in his prime, but when he walks, I can't see a curl of his rear end - I could imagine that your sort does, though, and the base of his tail has a definite left/right motion, rather than an up/down. I think there's a sideways sway in the backbone.

 

And I love your dog!

 

[Edit]

I've been trying to find some video, but all I've come up with so far is:

http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid...594988272&q

which is a bit too blurry and fast. (I look for "Getty" + "dog")

 

You may have more luck if you go to The Getty Images Site and search for "dog" - I found a couple that had clearer dogs.

[Shelton]

Hi Caroline,

 

Thanks for the post and the critique. You are helping! I video "Peaches" our standard poodle walking at a fast pace. Now a I know all dogs have some of the same patterns to walking but what I found was that indeed at any given time as Chad suggested the back paw pushed off and within a two beat counts the front would then push off on the same side. I have been around dogs all my life and never noticed this. I have looked at the sheets you provided and will make some changes

 

Steve

[Shelton]

Here is a rough start on the playtime with a ball

dogplay.mov

[Shelton]

Smoother walk cycle with legs

 

Steve

Comp_6_3.mov

[Caroline]

That dog play is really cute.

 

I'm sure you have reels of footage from your dog, and I found this dog walk clip:

From Getty Images

 

which is very close to your's, except I wonder if there is a slightly longer delay in bringing up the front paw after the rear paw. But I was definitely wrong about the both legs on same side issue, and you're the director!

 

They're both looking great. Are you compressing the mov with Sorensen 3? It seemed quite a large file size for a short clip.

[Shelton]

Caroline

 

I used mp4 to compress. 2.64 was 7 meg, mp4 was 2.4 megs. All the rest were above 7 megs and I reduced the size to 320x240 for viewing.

 

The front leg could be slowed even more as I was watching a lab walk today. I use 4 frames to animate with and I could have made it 8 or twelve frames. I was watching our standard poodle walk and she does everything in fast motion.

 

Steve

[the_black_mage]

i fell like the dog walking should be a little looser...

maybe the tail needs to wag.

 

nice animation but...wheres he ball...i got it!!! you could use newton physics on the ball when the dog nudges it.

[williamgaylord]

Great work on the nose! Looks like you've got it licked! (Accidental pun...Honest!)

 

I've been studying my dog's eyes. The lower lid is fairly puffy and runs kind of straight across the eye at an angle from the tear duct up to the eyebrow. The upper lid is much less puffy and pulls up to follow the brow. The tear duct is actually fairly large on a dog's eye, extending out a ways along the snout. The lower lid connects at the bottom of the duct and doesn't move much up or down. The upper lid stretches the tear duct straight up along the side of the snout and eye as it raises, which is part of why the eye looks a bit triangular. Hope that helps.

 

I can't say I've got four legged locamotion completely figured out yet, but I have noticed that in a walk the back and front leg movements are staggered so that three paws are on the ground at a time. One back paw and two front paws, then two back paws and one front paw. Almost like two bipeds, one following the other, but out of step just enough that only one foot out of four is off the ground at a time.

 

Trots and gallops are much easier. Trot: depending on the animal, either two on one side, then two on the other side, or left rear leg and right front leg, then right rear leg and left front leg, two landing at the same time as it alternates. Gallop: rear legs push off in a leap; front legs land one slightly later than the other; then the rear legs catch up, again landing one slightly later than the other, close to the front legs; rinse and repeat. Also in the gallop one rear leg lands slightly forward (and later) of the other, then the same goes for the front legs.

 

Great progress!

 

Bill Gaylord

[Shelton]

Thaks for the comment.

 

I touched up the dog and submitted it for approval on the video and they signed off. The dog only has a small part as do the cow, and horse. I am rendering the horse tonight and the video is off to the dvd press on Monday. It has been a long 6 months but the video is over and the new one does not start until February

 

Steve