As I was watching today Episode II (for the 30th time already), and seeing how there´s a widespread fever around the Forum for Star Wars related WIP, I decided this month´s competition might be centered around it.
However, you won´t be modelling any starship at all. Yeap that´s right, no X wings, no Falcons, but instead try to envision the Clone Wars Attack Vehicles, remember the AT-TE Walker? (if you don´t, don´t worry, I´ve got the image below).
The AT-TE is a walking marvel, envisioned by Concept Design Supervisor Ryan Church, featured at the Geonosian battlefields at the start of the Clone Wars. I for one, was stunned at such a design, and the way they would walk towards their targets.
This vehicle was based on a organic life-form, and they way it was translated to mechanical designs seems to be a great concept for this month´s Competition.
November´s Competition Theme will be "Envision an Insect Mecha".
You are to completely envision an Insect-like Vehicle (Can be a transport, attack, etc), basing yourself on an existing insect of your choice, creating a concept drawing, modelling the vehicle, and trying to work towards a final render (or perhaps an animation, if you want to go that far).
Recommended workflow for the competition is:
- Insect Choice
- Concept Art Imaging
- Modelling
- Texturing
- Render (lighting-backgrounds and such)
Some pointers:
- Try to pick an insect you feel confortable with, for example a beetle might be easier to translate to mecha, than a praying mantis.
- Insects can be mixed as long as they keep the insect-look we´re striving for.
- Flying insects? Why not?, just remember though, it´s not a spaceship, so try to have that could-fall-at-any-time-kinda-thinking going on.
- Pick a modelling technique you feel particularly confortable with, I for instance like NURBS a lot, but for this challenge I might pick Poly´s since they are easier to work with.
- Think in terms of mechanics, "How could this leg move?, Where should the gravity center be located?, Is it heavy? Is it light?, etc"
- For the people who like the challenge out there, you could even try rigging it, and perhaps even animating it. (For a tremendous rigging tutorial refer yourself to the VIP section)
- For the sake of clarity, try to post 600 pixels width images. The look better on the forum, they don´t disrupt normal viewing, and they´re easier on the 800x600 screen users.
- Another thing about posting, try to post in steps, where you can actually see how much the design is progressing, if you have doubts or anything, remember there´s other Forums as well, so if you have a doubt about modelling, take it to the modelling forum and such. (you get the idea, let´s keep it clean people)
Here are some resources I collected through the web that might help you on your search for the perfect-armored-destroyer-cockroach.
Insects.org
(Pick your insect here, but don´t go around posting images from this site, since they seem to be quite picky about it)
Prometheus Spawning Grounds
A great japanese Mecha drawing site, might get some pointers here.
Feng Zhu
Pointers on Concept Drawing and Planning
Concept Drawing Tutorial
More pointers on Concept Drawing
StarWars.com
Needs introduction? Didn´t think so.
Hope this is clear, If there´s any doubt at all, PM me and I´ll be happy to help you. Remember to state if it´s a newbie or a normal entry.
According to this announcement, if you´re a subscriber you might actually be eligible for more VIP points so be sure to give it a try.
Competition should finish at the end of the month, but if things seem to go nice, and there´s some pretty good entries we might as well postpone it to give it a chance of more development.
(as long as the boss agrees to, though)
) but I will take part to this mini competitions. :p
I´m sure you´ll make a great entry ...
