Space Trooper Update

[Camillo]

Did some refinements on a Still from a previous posting.

Started some aditional models and started Story board,

 

 

Camillo

 

 

Thank you for comments

[Joe Gamblin]

Overall, I really like them, but I assume that you don't want people to just pat you on the back so here's a few questions/comments.

 

First, where are the engines on the shuttles? They don't have to have rocket exhaust and all that, but even Star Trek adds nacelles with a nice glow (bloom?) that suggests some sort of inner workings. Plus, any kind of running lights, engine glows, etc could easily add a sense of movement thru motion blur, or just smear on a glow in post. As the piece stands now, it feels more like the ships are falling rather than flying.

 

Second, this is just a personal taste thing, but both pieces are pretty unsaturated and with the earth-tone heavy palette it leaves them a little too flat for me. Both could also use an increase in contrasts. I'd like to see stronger lighting in the space scene (unless the sun's a dwarf) For example, you could add a greenish nebula in the space scene could add a little color without overpowering the whole piece, and the contrast would add some punch.

 

Third, the atmosphere line is way too harsh in the planetfall piece. Yves has a really great tutorial on three different techniques you might want to search for. However, your clouds are excellent.

 

Fourth, on the landscape, I don't think the profile fits the texture. The form is like sand dunes, but the texture is rocky. Displacement maps could fix that without too much trouble.

 

Fifth, I like the shuttles overall design. Nice and simple with some nurnies/greebles without overdoing it. How did you do them? Modeling, bump, or displacement? Love the gun, so-so on the sensor array. The ship's texture is a little strange. I don't know if it has a faint camo paintjob or if that's supposed to be dirt. If it's dirt, the placement seems random, and too uniform. Quick question, how does the crew get out? I don't see any ladders, and the cargo door in the back doesn't look like it would get near the ground without some sort of telescoping. Also, the windows would look really cool if they were mirrored, letting us see a glimpse more of the landscape

 

Sixth, some notes on the robot-bug thing. The pose is really stiff and I have no idea if it's friendly or going to tear the ship in half. It looks like a tourist posing for vacation photos right now. Also, unless I'm misreading the scale, it's freaking huge! If the door on the ship was built for humans, that would make the bug at least twenty feet tall.

 

There ya go. All and all, they really are pretty hip and my suggestions are just nitpicking.

[robcat2075]

Nice models. There's a "planet glow" material around somewhere that will soften the atmosphere on the plant shot.

 

On the second one a non-shadow casting backlight might help separate the model from the background.

[Camillo]

Thanks for the comments,

 

I am having trouble with the planet glow, have tried several things.

Still a work in progress.

 

The bug robot is very big compared to the Star Troopers (Still under construction)

and it is stiff because I havent rigged it yet, Just wanted to see what it would look like in the scene.

 

I'll poist more as I progress. Comments are helpful

 

Thanks Again,

 

Camillo

[bentothemax]

for planet glows i would try a few spheres layered on top of each other with gradients from transparent to the glow color.