Major Motoko - Dominic Marco Style

[tweetytunes]

My flat mate just got quite a good training kit and uses a image from Dominic Marco. Looking though his stuff I am lovin it. So I am going to give a character a shot in his style. Guy is very open to people using his work as jump off points. Anyway I`m going for a character a love - "Ghost in a Shells" Major MotoKo.

This is not so much a modelling project - more a final image one. The tut starts with a base mesh that gets tweaked to match what is needed then the details are added and posed. I will be using the base mesh but will be doing a lot of tweaking and every thing else to try and get this looking like the image. I have forgotten alot of the basics in alot of other areas of Maya - so a type of refreshers course so I can fin of my new Dinobot.

[tweetytunes]

Ok base mesh tweaked and posed quickly - some areas will need further work but will do that while making the cloths.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/417719_10150646657359743_816789742_8839060_1621638 077_n.jpg

Started on the cloths

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/418192_10150646657629743_816789742_8839061_1706759 914_n.jpg

[tweetytunes]

Needs jacket, fingers, gun, hair and shoes.
Then alot of body tweaks.

But I`m liking where this is going


http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/426745_10150646936704743_816789742_8839673_1440991 755_n.jpg

[bullet1968]

nice work tweety...she is HOT gggrrrrrrrrrrr

cheers bullet

[leonlabyk]

bloody sweet matey,

will be keeping both eyes on this one for sure.

Keep at it

[daverave]

Looking good tweety dont now if it matters but the legs are to long for the reference............dave

[tweetytunes]

She is far from sexy yet. But Cheers ....

Yes the legs too long - but in Ghost In a A Shell - the major was always quite a tall character so going will that, but may change it when I get to the end.

Its also been fun to do - total different way of working for me.
Going to create some base meshes (or dig up some old work to store as base meshes) to use as jump off points from now on - it makes so much sense - hands and feet are a must - hate always making them.

Next 7 days I`m in work so progress will be alot slower but thinkin I got me Maya loving back hehe

[tweetytunes]

Half day in work means some more work done - starting the gun now.


http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/423653_10150649844749743_816789742_8845819_5505363 03_n.jpg

[tweetytunes]

Ok here is the gun - next is to sort out the head and hair - the mouth is well of and the angle of the head needs tweaking. Once the boots done the main body is fleshed out just need to tweak, tweak , tweak

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/428005_10150650104714743_816789742_8846236_5218124 82_n.jpg

Oh yer tweaked the trigger finger so its straight but cant be bothered redoing the wip image

[bullet1968]

Looking good mate...good to see you back in the saddle. I agree with the base mesh...I will never get time for quite a while to do humans etc...I bought a male from turbosquid...cost bugger all. Now I have a blank to play with in Maya and Z...until I get enough time to learn the process..ESPECIALLY hands and feet LOL. Keep up the good work mate

cheers bullet

[tweetytunes]

Got some spare body parts if you need them bullet (been going though me files)

Fighting my conflict with the manga character look over Dominic`s and have gone slightly of dom`s with the hair. Gone for more the look from the Stand alone complex box set I have sat here but yet still cartoon-ie in nature.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/426471_10150650865019743_816789742_8847479_2106868 44_n.jpg

Just starting the boots and that the bluck of the blocking out done

[bullet1968]

LOL I will yell for them mate dont worry. Jeez its been years since I saw the fillum...might rent it out next week when Im back home...loved it.

cheers bullet

[tweetytunes]

Fully blocked out now

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/423188_10150654079534743_816789742_8854641_1529101 745_n.jpg

Going to start tweaking like hell now - starting with the gun and the hand and work my way round.

[tweetytunes]

Quick render just to look at her from all angles - thought I would share

Motoko Maya Project - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHaFQAnQC48&feature=youtu.be)

[leonlabyk]

Really great work, am looking forward to seeing some textures on this.

[tweetytunes]

Yes as I said at the beginning of this thread this one is more to do with the final image than the modelling process - Although that`s what I`m still doing - adding little details not in the ref image (mostly so far on the jacket)

[tweetytunes]

Thats it - I`m done with the model - Now on to textures ....

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420852_10150662103054743_816789742_8875586_1654310 326_n.jpg

Simple light setup

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/404517_10150662103459743_816789742_8875591_1051986 587_n.jpg

[daverave]

Looking good Tweety but the knee on the right leg looks wrong or is it me.........dave

[stwert]

Not just you... there's something funky with that knee. The kneecap should be more or less in line with the foot.

[tweetytunes]

Not sure - That is the back of the knee - the front is face away from image not to the side of it in the images - have a look at the video and tell me what you think.

[daverave]

I looked at the video and the leg looks to me to be at a funny angle............dave

[tweetytunes]

Ok tweaked the angle of the leg - both the Knee and foot facing the same way - Leg is fully stretched out with foot on a slight angle.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/401481_10150662486694743_816789742_8876455_1947891 893_n.jpg

[bullet1968]

Its the angle you have taken the shot at tweety...that is the depression of the back of the knee giving a false light for a positive instead of a negative space. It threw me out too...still looks funky cos of the angle. Nice work man

cheers bullet

[tweetytunes]

I wanted the shot to honer the concept, even though I have divered slightly from it.

But he was also right about the funny angle of the leg - glad I tweaked it - always good to get another set of eyes on something you have spent too long looking at ...

[tweetytunes]

Another quick test

motoko.flv - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wtm6bVW67o&feature=youtu.be&hd=1)

[bullet1968]

sweet...where is there a tut on how to fade in from lo poly to colour to hi poly to AO and wires tweety?

cheers bullet

[stwert]

Just render each of the passes and wipe transition them in AE or another video editing program. Not too tricky.

[bullet1968]

Sounds tricky stwert...Im a dumb Surveyor remember LOL...I will have a crack on the weekend...cheers mate.

cheers bullet

[tweetytunes]

Its not even that complex but I use Première as AF does my head in when using sequences that follow each other (instead of sitting on top of each other). Although I think its very similar in AF.

1) Render out the different passes making sure the length and size are the same.
2) Place the files on top of each other on the time line.
3) Key the opacity of the one you want to fade in/out. This is done by selecting the clip and pressing the diamond shape in the layer box to the left then setting with the yellow line or the in effects box.

And thats it - simple`s

[stwert]

Maybe I'll do a vid tutorial sometime when I get my voice back from this cold. Unless someone beats me to it.

[joverall22]

So tweety just a quick question did you model her in that pose or did you rig her and then animate her into that pose. Just curious. Either way excellent work on your modeling looking forward to seeing her textured.

[tweetytunes]

Was a t-posed base mesh that I put a very simple rig in and posed then deleted the rig annd cleaned up.

[bullet1968]

That would be great stwert if you get the time mate.....fantastic offer thanks mate...thanks for the tips tweety...

cheers bullet

[stwert]

Just remind me sometime cause I already forgot :P

[bullet1968]

stwert....dont forget the tut...bahahahahaha

[tweetytunes]

Taking this in to mud-box for the texturing - but do you guys think it would be better in small pieces (E.G. - the leg is made of the boot, clothing, bare upper part of leg and then groan) or to combine the whole model. The Mesh all flows so no extra work would be needed

Progress has slowed as going though some training on mudbox.

[daverave]

I would combine thats the only thing I dont like about mudbox zbrush subtools are much better.............dave

Edt:You are using just 1 UV texture?

[tweetytunes]

Yer but Zbrushs interface gets on me tits - just playing about with it in bits seems to be working well (apart from the normals somehow got flipped on swimsuit

[tweetytunes]

Looks like my model not as clean as I thought. Mudbox will not take in the hands or alot of the hair (the hair and gun I left out as they don`t need tweaking in mudbox) So currently cleaning them up.

Anyone got any ideas how I am going to Texture this. I think I can just paint the model in Mudbox - but I`m stuck on what type of look to go for. Do I do it toonish like the concept (if thats the case do i bother with mudbox at all) or go for a more realistic look. The model has no uv`s and setting them up when the model is posed like this is harder than I thought.

[murambi]

why dont you use the toon rendering workflow in maya? it should get you pretty close to the final anime look

[daverave]

I was going to ask about the UVing, I did some thing simular for the toy challenge were I posed the figure before UVing and it was a pain in the butt, if you have zbrush you can let UV master do its thing but I must confess I do not like it.............dave

Edit:I found it very hard not to model real for the toy challenge I wanted to model the men like real not like toys or model toys

[tweetytunes]

why dont you use the toon rendering workflow in maya? it should get you pretty close to the final anime look


Yer I did that with my "vanship" project awhile back, Was not overly happy with the results.


I was going to ask about the UVing, I did some thing similar for the toy challenge were I posed the figure before UVing and it was a pain in the butt, if you have zbrush you can let UV master do its thing but I must confess I do not like it.............dave


Thats just what I have spent the last 2 days doing - I split the model up in to lots of little bits and took them in and used it to get the job done. As well as a few more tweaks. Must be said thats my fav part of Zbrush.

Going for a more real looking final result while keepin the unreal body shape. Been setting up the final lighting before starting on the textures/shadders. Two light setup - with the rim lighting just that little bit more than it should but liking the way it looks.

Going to setup "fast skin shadder" for the skin next. Just reading up on it now ...

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420941_10150674221474743_816789742_8920365_1350877 9_n.jpg