I’ve put together a short video showing off my stuff. You know, turnarounds, wireframes, exciting music, etc. Just sit back and let the pictures fly!
David Dick – Demo Reel APR 10 from David Dick on Vimeo.
This version is longer and less hurried. Otherwise it’s all the same stuff as the other. Grab some popcorn!
DemoUpload01 from David Dick on Vimeo.
So a while ago I posted an illustration I did of a bizarre alien post-human mutant sort of character. I thought he was a great candidate to expand on my knowledge of ZBrush with, because of all the gnarly details and textures I put on the original illustration. The result is a character bust, modeled and textured with a normal map projection. I used a tutorial from a book I have, called Character Modeling 2: Digital Artists Master Class of the d’artiste line published by Ballistic. The tutorial, penned by Kevin Lanning of Epic games, details the character creation process used in the Gears of War series.
Statistics:
- Low poly model: 3932 polygons. high polygon model, 2 million+ polygons
- Textures: 1024×1024; Diffuse, normal map projection, additional bump map, specular map, reflection map(appropriated)
- 3DS Max, ZBrush, Photoshop
I created a low polygon model in 3ds Max at around 4000 polys. This model was imported into ZBrush as an .obj file, cranked up to 2 million+ polys, and sculpted. I exported the lowest LOD model back into 3ds max to use as the base mesh, then brought in the high poly mesh (in pieces) and used projection mapping to generate a normal map to transfer the details of the high polygon model to the lower one. I was pretty astounded at the results; then I painted a colour texture using photoshop, made an additional bump map for surface details, and added a specular map.
If we were speaking strictly in the realm of the real, I’d have to say that among the coolest things out there, including motorbikes/ninjas/robots, are Fighter Aircraft. I used to be totally obsessed with them, and now I just like them alot. To explore this fondness I created this model of one of my favorite warplanes: the A-10 Thunderbolt II also known as the A-10 Warthog. This is one serious Jet: it has the largest gun and can also carry more ordnance to the battle field on 14 wing stations than any other single seat aircraft. It’s basically a flying tank. Used for killing tanks.
The below image role shows most of the textures used for this model. The majority are painted by me, but some areas I used images of machinery to fill for back panels and spaces in between panels. Also, I managed to find a virtual cockpit layout of the actual A-10′s dash, which I modified a bit to put onto the instrument panels.
I found the following links very useful in creation of this model and texture. Feel free to compare mine to the real thing!
Wings Palette – colour scheming
disti – cockpit simulation and layout
Promodeller – Step-by-step construction of a 1/48 plastic model of the A-10. Lots of photos and detailed visual information
Aircraft Resource Center – An excellent photo walk around of the real thing. Great close ups as well
Warthog Territory – Probably the biggest non-official site devoted to the A-10
Wikipedia – Learn all about the real thing here
Feel free to leave some feedback below! Thanks for viewing.
Ok here is one MONDO robot model I made, based on a robot from a NES game called Metalstorm from IREM, maybe some people will remember. This robot is ridiculously high-poly. It was a good experience in high-poly modelling, and I learned a lot about work-flow and how to manage such a large and detailed model. Also, this piece is PURE model, no texture here. It’s coloured procedurally. Included in the gallery are some renders, some plan drawings I did, and some excerpts from an issue of Nintendo Power magazine featuring the game and a hand-crafted model of the robot. I wasn’t going to include the wire-frame because it basically looks like a ball of thread in the shape of a robot, but there it is anyhow – shows just how high poly this thing really is.
What do you think? Feel free to leave some comments below.
Here is a character model/texture/rig I did of the famous Rafael Nadal, currently #3 in mens tennis globally. The challenge I was going for here was to create a character in extremely low resolution, so low that the resolution itself becomes a constraint. This is a bit like a 3d equivalent of 2d pixel art, indeed the texture work is quite pixelled. This is the type of graphic that you might find on an iPhone or other mobile phone game, and he his seen here on a larger scale than would obviously be seen on a cell phone screen. He comes in at just under 500 polys with a texture that is 128x128pixels! That is darn small! I also decided to rig him up and pose him in action because I didn’t like the way he looked just standing there like a totem.
Leave some feedback and let me know what you think!
Here’s a badass model and texture I did of the famous Austrian assault rifle, the Steyr AUG A1. Although I usually like to stick to characters, I guess I did this just to show that I can. Also, that’s when I started getting into texturing as well, instead of just modelling. It’s a tough one because the main body, the green plastic housing, is quite an irregular shape. I’m pretty satisfied with the outcome. Also I decided to compliment it with a hardcase and some ammo cans for good measure.
Model/Texture Statistics
Feel free to post some feedback!
So I got around to picking up a demo copy of ZBrush. I also bought a book called ZBrush; Character Creation; Advanced Digital Sculpting, by Scott Spencer and published by Sybex. Great book, bursting with tutorials and tips and processes and probably everything you could ever want to know about how to use the program. Chapter 1, after discussing theories of sculpture in general and applications within the program, throws the reader into a tutorial to create a ‘Lion Head Door Knocker’ from a simple 2d plane. So here we have my first piece done in Zbrush. I’m pretty happy with it as a first start, even if it is a little rough. There’s still so much to learn, and I can see how becoming familiar with the various brushes could help me to create a more refined look. The grey image shows the model with a standard material applied, and the other image shows the object placed on a door, a composite image I made using painting and photo textures.
For those who don’t know, ZBrush is a “revolutionary” “new” software solution to the 3d modeling process. Actually ZBrush was the first entry in it’s category, which has been joined by other programs such as Mudbox and Modo. I even spoke to some industry vets in the early days of its application who dismissed it as a novelty and something that’s fun to use and has no viable studio application. In short, what these programs allow you to do is to treat a 3D model as a piece of clay for the purpose of “sculpting” the object. And that really is what it allows you to do. There are innumerable different “brushes” or sculpting tools, all customizable, including tools such as rakes which are used in real life clay sculpting, and many more tools that have no real world equivalent, such as tools that allow you to add material or gouge in specific shapes and pull pieces of the model around. The level of control and detail is unprecedented and fully infinite. Gone are the days of pulling vertice’s around – ZBrush offers a much more organic and natural approach to object building, and is a software tool used in countless big name productions, both videogames e.g. Gears of War 2, and movies e.g. Avatar. To have your mind blown, check out these stunning examples of master work at ZBrush Central: Turntable Gallery
Here’s a couple of pieces I did for the City 7: Toronto Conflict project in 2008. To elaborate, this was an effort by the students of George Brown College’s Game Design program, under instruction of Sean Guadron. The project is basically a mode of Half-Life 2 using the Source engine, bringing the universe of the game to Toronto locations. After v1 was produced as the combined thesis project of the whole class, v2 had been planned as a further developed project with more environments and missions. This was when I joined the team to produce some model/texture assets of a few of downtown Toronto’s landmarks.
Check out the following links for more information on the City 7: Toronto Conflict project.
City 7: Toronto Conflict Website (if you click the “Our Team” link on the left, you can see my name on the credits)
If you are part of the Steam community, you can download and play the Toronto mod here Download Page
So with Battle Blasters from Little Guy Games having been released for exactly 1 week, I’ve decided to post some media about the game. Click the here to head to the Apple App Store to buy Battle Blasters now!
Click the pic!
In-game Screen Shots
They say, a good screenshot can speak volumes. Check out the action on these screenshots!
Wallpaper
Decorate your iPhone screen with these snazzy wallpaper images. Show your friends how much cooler your iPhone is with these screens and the Battle Blasters App!
Illustrations by Evan Hilborn
Coverage
Also don’t forget to check out the coverage of Battle Blasters on your favorite sites!
Have fun Battling and Blasting! Don’t forget to get some work done in between intense Battles!
An illustration I did in 2009. Just a portrait of a bizarre cyber-punkish post-human/alien character, done in photoshop. Started as a simple pencil sketch and got the whole treatment in photoshop. I’m currently working on a 3d version of this image which I intend to finish in Zbrush, when I learn it.
Feel free to leave some feedback!
