I have an explanation or a response for everything :) See my
comments. . . .
--- In SkunkworksAMA_at_yahoogroups.com, Scrapper Black Dragon
<scrapperbd_at_y...> wrote:
> Taking some serious time (not saying you're slow, just
> observing these things take much work), but we can see the
> lizard is taking a nice form. :-)
Ahh yes. Taking forever. I did take a break for a while. Had some
home improvement projects to do ( do they EVER go away? ) and a
distraction by the name of Splinter Cell. ( Great game by the way )
But I am back to working on it. Keep in mind the software package
I'm using is new to me ( Softimage XSI ) so I'm kind of learning it
as I go along. . .
>
> Fixed the eyes, that definitely look better now, though
> you've probably had these done for a while... >_< Does
> look better with the duller skin too.
Eyes have been done for a while. I changed skin color and dropped
highlights for now. I'm debating a slight scale texture for the skin
texture map and / or Jim's color scheme ( stripes ) for the final
skin maps though.
>
> You're probably sick to death of furs opinions and
> criticism, but this is what I see, though remember it is
> just this dragon's opinion, even if I am trying to be
> helpful. Some of this stuff you are probably aware of, or
> even working on, but while it appears to me, I'll put in my
> two cents worth.
I never tire of criticism. It's necessary to improve. Even when I
draw, when I think I'm finished, I'll put it away for the night and
look at it again the next day. What seemed perfect to you the night
before, becomes a glaring error the next day. Odd how that
works. . . :)
>
> Maybe taper the tail a little further up (increase the rate
> at which it narrows) to reduce its bulk slightly.
I agree here. It is a tad bit thick at it's base. Noticed this upon
creating the hole in her shorts for it. Will taper it down a bit.
>
> Hands appear a bit too wide overall, maybe reduce by about
> the thickness of half of Des' finger. Narrow the wrists
> slightly too. Shorten the thumb a little as it appears too
> long from the perspectives given.
Easy explanation for the hands. I originally gave Des a full five
fingers to play with. Didn't like it, so I culled one finger. The
extra thickness in the hands is the result of that. I will deal with
those when I start the hands / claws part of this.
>
> Definition / flat sides to the knees giving more definition
> to the knee cap and joint area.
Yep. This will be done when I modify the mesh for the neck area as
well. ( Pushing it in around the neck front and clavicle areas )
This is done with a type of weight mapping I'm not familiar with in
XSI, so it will take some experimentation on my part.
>
> Broaden and lengthen the toes and foot generally. You are
> still probably getting around to the claws, so this will
> change this perception as well.
The feet need to be reworked completely. I like the way the feet are
done in Des's rendering of herself ( the toony version ) but will
have to see what I can do with them.
>
> I could be wrong (all the way along!) here, and JMH is the
> best reference, but I think the lower jaw needs to be
> slightly deeper and squarer and probably accent the
> nostrils a little more (make them a bit bigger?)
In changing the lower jaw, I will need to rework the upper as well to
match. Jim's styles vary just slightly on Des. Some of them ( my
favorite being the yellow / striped version ) the jaw is squarish,
where in others it's slightly more pointed. Will need to experiment
with this as well. Nostrils should not be difficult to enlarge a
bit.
>
> Bet you weren't expecting to spend this much time when you
> originally conceived this project???
Believe it or not, I expected it to take some time. XSI is a monster
of a program. Has a learning curve that exceeds anything else I've
ever used and has little after market training materials available to
it. But, in the right hands, it is extremely powerful and is capable
of some amazing things.
>
> You're doing damn well so far, don't let me deter you.
Few things bother me these days. War, traffic, and the wonder of
getting laid off at any moment is about it.
>
> What's you're system specs these days? Gone out and
> upgraded to some totally nailing graphics card to assist
> with Des Rendering?
My system specs are nothing spectacular, but adequate to run the
programs I use. I run a 2GHZ processor with a gig of Ram stuffed
into it. Geforce 3TI 500 graphics card. ( FX's can't be found yet,
and the pro cards are $1300 and $2000 respectively ) I won't bother
upgrading my main system until we hit the 5GHZ range. I picked up a
laptop ( 2GHZ ) that lets me try ideas when I can't get to my main
system, but of the four systems in the house, these two are the
fastest.
>
> Scrapper, Black Dragon, who'd love to see "Des Desktop
> Assistant for Windows". Stuff that bloody paper clip! :-)
>
> > Uploaded by : nehumanuscrede <nehumanuscrede_at_y...>
> > Description : Latest WIP on Des model as of 03/17/03
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SkunkworksAMA/files/Other/des31703.jpg
>
>
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Received on Tue Mar 18 2003 - 15:35:38 CST
