defending the Universe!

[jpappas]

Hey hashers,

 

Like the announcer in the show says "Voltron was needed once more..." so I had to model him. I learned so much about mechanical modelling by tackling this. Now I've got to learn organic modelling and I'll feel like I know what I'm doing.

 

I had to keep it quiet for the last few weeks since he was in the Image Contest. I think it took me about 20 hours or so, working a little bit each night over a week. Each Lion has separate models for their own legs so the lions can easily come apart and stand on their own.

 

Also, I've never rigged anything complicated so I gave it the most basic skeleton -- just so I can move it around, it's so basic it's pathetic, just a few bones on each limb and one for his hip, but its workable.

 

-Jim

[Rodney]

Great work Jim!

 

I could tell you had put some time into your entry.

As the model was pretty small it left me wanting to see more (so... that's good I guess).

 

There are a few things I thought would be nice to add to showcase your model even more.

With little more effort you might have added the toy box Voltron came in for instance. That would have allowed you to show the model in a dynamic pose or two, from different angles, highlighting the separate components, etc. Even a wireframe image on the box as a blueprint-tyoe image would have looked really cool. Other objects like that would also contribute to the sense of scale... you know... how big is this toy anyway?

 

Added: The table is a good start but there really isn't anything that clues the eye into how big the table is.

If its a kitchen table... thats a really big model. If its a lamp stand perhaps not as big.

Throwing in a comic book, crayons or other objects to create a sense of scale can really pay off dividends.

 

Regardless of my piddly opinion... you done good!

I'd love to see more detail of the individual components.

 

Congratulations!

[jpappas]

Hey Rodney,

 

You're absolutely right, my original idea was to have a box on the table, a poster on the wall, maybe even some extra lions on the table behind him, to setup a little fight scene, but alas, I ran out of time! I was finishing the Voltron model right up until the very last moment. Literally, kids were coming up for Trick or Treat, and there I am handing out candies with the laptop and Voltron on the side!

 

The face itself was the most difficult part since it's the most organic. I followed the Cooper tutorial for the first time but applied it to Voltron's type of face. The result works for this toy model but you would never want to use it for facial animation!

 

Now that I've modelled him I'm thinking of ways to use him, maybe an attack on the floating city from the SciFi contest!

 

Here's a larger quick render which shows more of the detail.

 

-Jim

[trajcedrv]

I voted for this one! Great model!