Sci fi Cannon

Moodboard:

 

Notes from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL7nV7WwJKg

1m20: Adds colour texturing to model. Material looks like a phong/blin

1m35: Adds downward directional light around base and underside of the model

1m53: Renders model and takes over to Photoshop

2m: Adds details such as decals

2m07: Adds panel texture in new layer

2m08: Skews texture to fit lines of the model

2m10: Uses line lasso tool to select part of the texture which needs further skewing to fit around the object then erases unneeded parts of the texture

2m27: Adds brushed metal texture and uses the line lasso tool to cut around to fit the rough scale of the cylinder then skews it to look cylindrical (while using the skew tool the inside lines are look rounded)

2m39: Redesigns barrel area by painting over it.

2m47: Adds more textures using overlay layers

2m52: Adds details

3m23: Uses dodge tool with a large soft edge brush to add highlights

3m35: Adds detail, highlights and shading to the panels from the texture

3m41: Adds multiply layer at 80% opacity and uses the eraser on a low opacity on the shadows making them lighter

Maya WIPs:

 Created two cylinders and five boxes then positioned them into the rough shape of the cannon from PlanetSide2.

Added edges, scaled and moved edges to add more shape to the cannon. Brought in an extra cylinder and boxes.

Added extra details and adjusted some parts

Used the boolean tool on difference to cut parts out.

Added basic colour textures. Ended up copying the cannon from Planetside2 more than I intended to. I was going to base it loosely off the model but ended copying it. Made some things different so it wasn't identical.

Lighting:

Set up 3 point lighting using an ambient light for back lighting, a point light for front lighting and a directional light underneath it.

Render:

Light seems a little odd, could of probably done with a backlight.

 

Photoshop WIPs:

Added textures to most parts of the cannon using the skew tool

Covered all areas with textures. Used warp to texture the cylindrical parts

Added extra shading to some areas and highlights and shadows. Added some detail

Used dodge and burn to add more highlights and shadow.

Final:

Added a gray background, a line in the distance to show a horizon and put some orange smokey stuff around it as though its in a dust storm. On reflection I don't think doing this has created the best effect and I could of made the cannon look much better if I spent more time on the background and shadow to give a better sense of surroundings.

Alien Plants

Moodboards:

First moodboard is of carnivorous plants and the second are fungi, chose these plant groups as I think they look the most alien and are pretty weird.

Sketches:

Studies of some plants from my moodboards

Ideas: First one is like a reverse normal plant the roots being green and more like a normal plant while the actual plant is like roots sprawling, it would live on a planet with no gravity. The second is based on red cage fungus and somewhat a weeping willow, doesn't look very plant like. Third is based off a cobra lily but with a group of them combining into a single plant which makes it look hydra-like.

WIP:

Started off using mudbox but it seemed impossible to make anything so I attempted making it in scupltris and then exporting it.

Rough scupltris model, couldn't get it to import due to problems with the mesh. Going to attempt one of the other designs in Mudbox

Started with a tree trunk and edited it. Tried to make it tree like but ended up making a blobby brainish coral thing.

Sending to Maya and exporting to FBX then opening in Maya didn't work so I had to make do with the default directional lighting in Mudbox.

Looks nothing like a plant and is really awful, hate it. Hopefully it looks alienish at least.

 Made a new model in Sculptris and exported to Maya and then rearranged into a scene, lit and rendered

So, so, so much better than my previous one. Painted over the render, added a gradient for the sky background then used a Photoshop brush to get the background nebula, added some dust to give the impression of a desert-like planet with the plants being cacti based. Used levels to get the right amounts of light, midtones and shadow; hue-saturation, colour balance and a blur filter so one plant was in focus.

Wrinkles

Moodboard:

Sketches:

Final:

Sculptris model, decided to make a freakishly wrinkly dog

Paint over. Changed the forehead wrinkles to make more sense as the previous ones were strange and illogical.