#29 - Jim Henson’s Unemployment Office (character)

[BiG ToE-3DT]

Low Poly Mini Contest #29(character)
Subject – Jim Henson’s Unemployment Office
ALL WIPS AND CONCEPTS ARE TO BE KEPT IN THIS THREAD.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/DJBiGToE/muppets072kh.jpg

With the way the word’s economy is these days, everyone is getting fired and in need of a new job. No one is safe, and that includes the creatures created by Jim Henson. Big bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo, Miss Piggy, Kermit. They all need jobs. Willing do to anything for money, theses desperate one time child heroes of the television need your assistance. If you know of an occupation ideal for one of these down in the dumps clumps of fur and stuffing, please speak up. Anything is better than nothing. Don’t hold back, keep in mind, these leaders in learning are used to having hands up their butts, so nothing is beneath them.

Judging: You will pick what you believe is the top 3 entries. First place gets 3 points, 2nd place 2 points, 3rd place 1 point. The person with the most points when the voting is over wins. Remember, if an entry does not fill the requirements, do not vote for them.

DUE DATE: July 12th, 5 weeks and a few days from today! 11:59 pm GMT - SUNDAY

Idea:
Take a Jim Henson creation and give them a job. This job should fit the characters personality. So keep that in mind when choosing.

Poly limit:
6,000 Tris Total. You can do whatever you want with these, just don’t get carried away and don’t exceed the 6,000 Tri Limit. Remember, the limit tells you where to stop, there is no minimum, so use as much of the limit as you see fit.

Textures:
(2) 1024 x 1024 texture. This means (2) 1024 for color, (2) 1024 for bump, (2) 1024 for normal, (2) 1024 opacity, so on and so forth. You can chop it up into whatever you want, but you still need to go all out in your texture.

Textures can be hand-painted or you can use photographic sources. Do what you do.


Pedestals/Stands:
You do not have to create one, but if you do, understand that there is no texture or tri limit. You can go as crazy as you want, or keep it basic.

Prizes: (only available with 6 or more final entries)

1st Place gets the following:
- 12-month subscription to the 2DCreative magazine
- 12-month subscription to the 3DCreative magazine

2nd Place gets the following:
- 12-month subscription to the 3DCreative magazine

3rd Place gets the following:
- 6-month subscription to the 3DCreative magazine

Final Pictures:

Required In The Final Post (1 post per entry):

- 1 x Winning shot. This image should consist of your character depicted in its most awesome angle.

- 1 x Beauty shot of your character. Feel free to put multiple angles of your character or just one big version or your character on this page. Even better, try to composite a nice art piece similar to the ones in the Winners' Gallery. Be careful how you do this though, simple is often better. It’s up to you.

- 1 x wire frame shot of your character. Feel free to put multiple wire frame shots or just one big wire frame shot on this page. It is up to you. Must have polycount included.

- 1 x texture sheet that includes all your used sheets squeezed into "one" sheet.

- Concept Sheet (if you have one)

A Final Entry Thread will be up and waiting around the end of the third week/beginning of fourth week. Don’t forget to submit your work by posting it in the final thread.

Good luck everyone!
BiG ToE.

[Darbruce]

genius ToE, genius. very current. is it 6K or 8K limit?

Poly limit:
6,000 Tris Total. You can do whatever you want with these, just don’t get carried away and don’t exceed the 8,000 Tri Limit. Remember, the limit tells you where to stop, there is no minimum, so use as much of the limit as you see fit.

[BiG ToE-3DT]

it's 6,000, I'm tired.. I upped it from the 4,000 we all talked about earlier, to give some slack for accessories.

[Darbruce]

rgr that. this is going to be LEGEN... wait for it ...... DARY!

[silverflame]

hmmm I've got my eye set on an oscar the grouch garbage man with a orange uniform and carrying a garbage can. I'll get some concepts up over the next couple of days :)

[Tank[NL]]

ANIMAL ^^

oh man, i cant wait to get started :D

[DeadlyFreeze]

In before obvious oscar the grouch / garbage man...

[vicban3d]

Hmm does a homeless Cookie Monster begging for cookies on the street(possibly playing a musical instrument) count as a job?

[BiG ToE-3DT]

some would say, begging is a full time job.

[Darbruce]

Swedish Demolitions Engineer = sold.

[Joseph Pomeisl]

...keep in mind, these leaders in learning are used to having hands up their butts, so nothing is beneath them.

Ah ha ha...greatness. And, indeed begging is a fulltime job, it just doesn't pay very well and earns you only scorn and loathing in everyone's eyes.
This should be a fun one.

[lampshadehead]

And, indeed begging is a fulltime job, it just doesn't pay very well and earns you only scorn and loathing in everyone's eyes.

True, begging may not pay well, but you can still make more in a day than most people do working for minimum wage.

I'm going to try and finish this one with Kermit the Pimp. :smug:

[Zlatovous]

Great topic :-) But as I am not so much into Sesame Street (you know, Czech Republic, we've got a little bit different TV shows in here), I don't know any of the muppets. For instance, how is called the one in the right lower corner with guitar on BiG ToE picture? So I can do my research :-)

Thank you and see your entries soon!

[liquidbear]

you should never say no minimun lol some one could enter a plane with a picture on it ...... trust me stuff like that happened lol someone im my college did it when he had to model his room in 3d he took a pic and put it on a plane and he passed cause tachnically he was in the rules :)

any hoo i cant wait to start this is going to be so much fun :)
can we model the worm oscar use to be friends with ....... (joke lol)


just one thing anyone else notice the muppet ghosts in the top of the pic lol

ps ...... here is a link for people who dont know the muppet characters

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/3108/puppets.html

there should be more i think but its a start lol

[Darbruce]

you should never say no minimun lol some one could enter a plane with a picture on it ......

well technically one could just tessellate the **** out of said plane and still be within the rules, no matter what you lay down as ground work someone will find a loop hole. its really down to which artists are actually trying to hone skills and keep sharp and which are just doing it to do it.

[Buzzy]

Zlatovous - That guy is Floyd Pepper. He is the bass guitarist for the Electric Mayhem.
Here's a link to some info:
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Floyd_Pepper

Everyone should check out the Muppet Wiki. Tons of good info.
http://muppet.wikia.com/

[Joseph Pomeisl]

Cookie Monster finds his true calling as a girl scout. No one has the heart to tell him there's no money in it. He wouldn't listen anyway; cookies, man. The cookies. Gimme them peanut butter and chocalate ones all day. Could eat like three boxes of them things.

[VinsanityV20]

Buzzy; exactly what I'm thinking. The Muppet Wiki will super come in handy here, especially if you're like me. The Muppet Show muppets are totally gonna get done - time to show support for some lesser known guys. Like Johnny Fiama here:

http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Johnny_Fiama

and his awesome bodyguard, if my memory of Muppets Tonight proves correct, Sal:

http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Sal_Minella

Seeing an out-of-work lounge singer from the Henson stable seems like a good idea to me:) Unfortunately, I'm still intent on doing the 2D D-War mini comp, so who knows if I'll be able to finish my boy here...

[VinsanityV20]

Oh yeah guys; one more thing;

I saw this on TBS one time and thought it was effin' hilarious. It's not Jim Henson per se - it's a Brian Henson thing - but it should be required viewing for any fan of the Muppet Show who grew up. AKA, all of us:D

Part I:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQhANmWIiiE
Part II:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NIsQp7E1SA&feature=related

I actually don't know how much is on Youtube, nor how it's split up, but TBS.com requires a download for their video viewer, so I'm not gonna link it.

I don't know if anyone would like to give some love to some of the Puppet Up characters, but I definitely think any muppet fan should see it.

[Darbruce]

nice find Vinsane. i had to give myself the Heimlich.

[lanimal0]

Looks like a nice comp, I think I'll join in. This'll be a first for me so pardon me if I'm a lil' rough around the edges with posting and what not. Gotta say it's a tough call as to what to go with. I'll definitely have to go and look around at some muppets and see if anything comes to mind.

[VinsanityV20]

lanimal0; just make sure you have a photobucket or imageshack account or something so you can embed pics in the Threedy forums:) You should be fine otherwise - welcome aboard, man!

Darbruce - isn't it hilarious!?! Brian Henson and his gang were seriously holding back when they did Muppets Tonight...

[VersionThirst]

Jim Henson creations are used in other things like "The Dark Crystal", "Labyrinth", & "Fraggle Rock" to name a few. Are all the puppets in those up for grabs too?

Like a skeksis as a fast-food worker:

[Buzzy]

I think the general consensus was that this comp would only be for muppets/sesame street stuff and other kids' educational programs like Fraggle Rock.

The Brian Froud stuff (ala Labyrinth and DC) is just too dark and fantastical.

[newhere]

I got this idea of the Cookie monster selling his cookies to make money instead of eating them like he does all the time or having little Ms. piggy looking sad because she had to settle for working at a strip club instead of on broadway. or having the count doing wine tasting for $20 an hour (3 wine sips...ha ha haaa!!) :(

[newhere]

Or having elmo actually selling his "tickle me elmo" on a street cart at a bus or train station. I mean whoever is doing this comp please feel free to use the ideas. I will not be in this contest.

[Zlatovous]

Thank you Buzzy, your links helped me a lot!

I have few ideas, as soon as I finish all neccessary works I have, I'll try to sketch them and post up here... or maybe the base mesh, we will see :-)

Good luck and have fun!

[silverflame]

Wow looking at that muppet wiki I never knew there were so many characters lol. It's put me off my original idea since there so much scope etc so think ill have a thinky and get some ideas down on paper over the next few days

[Darbruce]

ok, I am now torn between Crazy Harry, Beautiful Day Monster, and Steel Rabbit. Such potensch!

[mies]

swedish shef in a hotdog stand..thats gonna be my attempt. maybe a giant hotdog as stand..well see. Goodluck every! gotta say i find this a hard one since i dont really know alot of muppets...

[liquidbear]

im going for Gonzo and his cannon i think lol

if i make the chicken will that be taken out of the poly count ?

[lanimal0]

VinsanityV20: Thanks for the tip man, now I just need to go snatch up an account on Photobucket.

[lanimal0]

Alrighty kinda torn between 3:

Sam the Eagle: Southern Jail Warden
Fozzy Bear: Rodeo Clown
Animal: Boxer

Not quite sure which one to go for, any suggestions?

[liquidbear]

Sam the eagle :) in the jail uniform sounds cool :) u could build a set with him putting a chain around Oscars garbage can

[Milo Jones]

I think I'm going to give this one a shot. I always liked Beaker and Busnen. I could just imagine them being down on their luck and turning to drugs and creating their own meth lab.

I'm off to create!

A quick Doodle

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/iamcrust/BeakerandBunsen.jpg

[lanimal0]

liquidbear: Thanks, yeah I was thinking Sam as well. Alrighty then Sam it is, now it's time to get started!

[VinsanityV20]

lanimal0: The Jail Warden Sam is a great idea! If I were doing Sam, I'd probably do him as a pundit or right wing talk show host, chatting up about not letting Mexicans into the country or something:) It seems like ANYBODY can show up on Fox News as a "pundit" these days. But a Jail Warden is just as, if not more, inspired. Can't wait to see it!

newhere: You got some crazy ideas, though I'm kinda scared as to how your Elmo idea might turn out should someone try to do something like that. An elmo on the street corner holding a "Tickle me for a dollar" sign would be an interesting take on what you said:)

Some of the ideas being puttered about here are fantastic! I'm still thinking of either Rowlf or Jonny Fiama performing at a bar mitz fah or high school dance or something. Really gonna have to give this some thought when I hop in, which will be as soon as I finish up my D-War 2D mini comp entry...

[Darbruce]

1. Crazy Harry as a postal worker.

2. Crazy Harry as a Terrorist Martyr (too soon?)

which should I do?

[VinsanityV20]

Darb: Crazy Harry as a Terrorist Martyr is too easy; go for the postal worker, I say.

However, if you haven't yet seen Anger, from something called the Muppets: Sex and Violence, take a look at this guy:
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Anger

[vicban3d]

Started watching sesame street on youtube and modeling the basic mesh. It doesn't look quite right to me.

[poopipe]

the top bit looks alright - my memory is a bit fuzzy though.


there's too many possiblities here. I'm going to have to think on this for a while

[Darbruce]

Vicban - the torso and legs are too long is what it looks like from here. remember, the muppets started as hand puppets and eventually got legs much further down the road, all of them have proportions that aren't exactly correct.

[SR_6274]

I think I'm gonna give this one a shot. I'm thinking of Miss Piggy working in a slaughter house. She's gotta do what she can to pay the bills :)

[liquidbear]

ooooo SR_6274 twisted way to look at things lol

[SR_6274]

Well, here is my base mesh as of right now. I started with a z-sphere, created the mesh, then brought it into Max and cleaned up the edges, and got rid of a lot of loops that were not needed. Right now it is sitting at 2700 tris, which leaves me a lot for accessories and clothes.

Once I'm finished with the z-brushing, I know I'm gonna have to re-topo it, especially the head. That will be a challenge for me, as I really hate doing that lol.

This low-poly stuff is still fairly new to me, so any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks :dance:

[liquidbear]

very nice :) i think the zshere method is a god send when creating a character

[SR_6274]

Tell me about it. To me it saves about 3 hours trying to get a base mesh out of max from scratch. It also lets me play a lot more with scale and proportion lol.

[liquidbear]

ditto :) i remember just 3 years a go before i knew about zbrush my first time using 3d max it was a pain staking process just getting out a base mesh i spent over 2 months making my self in 3d :) now qith zbrush it takes a day to get nearly everything done :)
cant wait for z brush 4 :)

[poopipe]

best tip I can give you on doing low-poly stuff these days..

don't think about the low-poly until you've finished your high-poly version ;)

[SR_6274]

I think this is about the scariest Miss Piggy I've ever seen lol. I might have to paint some hair on there to see if I want to completely start over lol. But this is where I'm at so far. I think it's horrible, but what do you guys think?

[newhere]

It's not bad...considering this comp is bout how the muppets are doing since the economy downfall, the model is perfect. you should have her holding her wig in her lap looking in the mirror *Disgusted* saying to herself "Dam!.......how the hell did i get to this messed up point in my life?"

[VinsanityV20]

Ideas:

Johnny Fiama as a bartender

Sal, Bobo the bear, or Big Mean Carl as a roadie for some crappy band - the Bret Michaels Band or something

The Swedish Chef at a lunch room cafeteria

Gonzo as a TAPS-like Ghost Hunter/Exterminator

Fozzie Bear performing at a birthday party/
Telemarketer for Joke-of-the-Day

Mechanical Wind Up Kermit at an auto factory

The penguins performing at a circus

Rowlf performing as a Wedding Singer

Scooter as a contractor, mechanic or Ghost Hunter with Gonzo

Clifford ("Your Homey made of Foam-y") as a strip club announcer

Mokey Fraggle closing up an antiques shop

Big Bird applying at a KFC's/ submitting to animal testing

The Elvis's working at (or maybe just in display cases at) a Hard Rock Cafe

Telly Monster as a Jehovah's Witness

Andy and Randy Pig as teenage sleuths a la the Venture Bros.

>>>>>
Man, this is gonna be hard. Though I'm definitely leaning toward the lesser known Muppets Tonight characters. Of course, doing all this "research" means I'm getting very, very distracted - why must so many Muppet episodes be on Youtube!?! Or worse, the Jim Henson Hour - who WOULDN'T stop what they were doing to watch the episode with "The Monster Maker" or the behind-the-scenes tour of the Creature Shop?

[camaleonhell]

its no a problem i take a same character to other? o any one need 1 character? example, other user take gonzo and i make a other version of gonzo its ok?

[poopipe]

it's fine

[Darbruce]

As long as it isn't the same character AND the same occupation it should be fine.

VINSANE - totally do Telly the Jehova's Witness, would be difficult picking out the outfit to get the point across though, all the ones around here just dress in normal Sunday Clothes.

Gonzo the Exterminator works too.

[mies]

As long as it isn't the same character AND the same occupation it should be fine.

VINSANE - totally do Telly the Jehova's Witness, would be difficult picking out the outfit to get the point across though, all the ones around here just dress in normal Sunday Clothes.

Gonzo the Exterminator works too.

thats not an job..its not like they get paid for it or anything...

[vicban3d]

Thank for the advice, I've tweaked the proportions and added a few loops here and there
, this is what he looks like so far:

[Darbruce]

thats not an job..its not like they get paid for it or anything...

not in money, but it pays for itself in the long run, correct? what, by definition, is a job?

anything a person is expected or obliged to do; duty; responsibility

technically being a husband is a job, but you don't get paid in money, you get paid in other ways. (love, sex, and food.) which is awesome.

now, an occupation, the jehovah's witness is not. so go with the Gonzerminator, Vins.

EDIT

that's more like it, Vicban, dude, is he going to be a mall Santa Claus? awesome.

[vicban3d]

that's more like it, Vicban, dude, is he going to be a mall Santa Claus? awesome.

Actually I was more imagining him as the "sitting on the street on a piece of cardboard, smoking a drinking beer" kind of beggar. But he does look like santa with the beard and hat...I'll have to think about that some more.

[poopipe]

in that case he needs a dog on a piece of string

[koimizu]

right now im thinking Animal as a surgeon (i didnt see anyone else say this. let me know if you did). i'll post a sketch later.

[VinsanityV20]

thats not an job..its not like they get paid for it or anything...

Well, they're unemployed, though. That's the point - this is what they turn to when they lose their jobs. They could turn to the church for something to do; you know, like those loser kids at college who can't make friends normally:)

Whatever though, Gonzo as a Ghost Hunter/Exterminator it is! Time to get started.

[koimizu]

just a quick sketch to get the idea out there. im gonna def change his position but this will help me in the process. He's obviously not a very good surgeon lol.

[silverflame]

here's my concept big bird at a fried chicken fast food chain (bleugh!) looking all sad and forlorn at serving up his brethren

[BiG ToE-3DT]

Welcome to Sesame Street Fried Chicken , can I take your order?

[Darbruce]

silverflame, he totally should have an amputated limb, and a sign on the wall with "World's Largest Wings! limited supply." spattered across it.

[SR_6274]

Unfortunately we got a big video project to do at work, so my time is a little limited to work on Miss Piggy, but I do plan on finishing this.

Here is my progress so far. Changed the shape of the body a little, and started to add her clothes. I'm thinking I will do a standard Miss Piggy first, then add all the butcher to her (apron, hair cover, butcher knife, etc.)

I think it looks a little more like her now that I am adding clothes and stuff, but what do you guys think?

[poopipe]

miss piggy is fat isn't she ?

[BiG ToE-3DT]

miss piggy is fat isn't she ?

when she had a job.

[lanimal0]

Here's a concept sheet I cooked up for Sam, ended up getting a lil' caught up in it, but o well. Now it's off to model!

[Zlatovous]

Great concept lanimal0, not a guy I want to cross path with :-)

Poor big bird, what have you done to him, silverflame? That's just not right... No, it's great, funny concept. Loosing job can pull you down, but that deep?

No way I let him cut me open koimizu, he's like dr Mengele second hand. Creepy

Straight to 3D, like your fast approach and the feeling of this character too vicban3d. Keep it going!

Ahead of the pack! I recommend to listen to some Accept, I think it's just right music for you SR_6274 :-) I have really no crit to your low-poly mesh, as I am beginner in this too and to your ZBrush work... No crit either :-) It just looks nice, looking forward for updates

And finally my entry - I've decided for Floyd Pepper. He will be more stylized, I didn't like his thin limbs, so I am going to give him more defined look. He will need it, because he want's to play in some rock/metal band (I am thinking of viking metal band - so I can make him look little badass). My poly count is at 940 so far, I guess I will need like 1500 more tris to finish him. And then detailing, making accesories and so on. Crits are welcomed! Mostly at joints, because I want to animate him, but I am not sure if it will deformate well...

[BiG ToE-3DT]

Zlatovous: you got yourself a tiny problem. From the front view, the proportions looks ok, but then you show us the side view, and his legs are bent. Which means if he stands up straight, which I'm sure he will, the proportions will now longer be ok. How to fix this, just straighten the legs now, then fix the length of them to match what you have now.

[koimizu]

lanimal0 he looks a little like the colonel to me. but i dont know much about sheriffs so maybe they had similar outfits.

[silverflame]

been making some progress on big bird, gonna take him into zbrush and refine him etc. still got 500 tris left so probably put some alpha feathers on near the end

[SR_6274]

Nice stuff so far. poopipe, she looks fat, but from the pics I'm looking at, she actually has a pretty skinny waist, plus she is now working her ummmm, butt off slaughtering pigs so maybe she's lost a few pounds lol.

[lanimal0]

zlatovous: Thanks, yep add a hat and a cigar and BAM instant bad ass lol.

koimizu: I actually used the colonel for inspiration since the feel I was going for was an ol' timey deep southern Jail Warden, since I thought a regular modern day one wouldn't have enough punch to it.

[vicban3d]

Hello, Nice work everyone and thanks for your comments. I've decided to lose the beard, and so far with the props and everything he has around 4,600 tris and I have no idea what to do with the rest(except maybe add another edgeloop around the mouth). Also I'm very new to sculpting and have no idea how to sculpt his fur, any suggestions?

[silverflame]

there are some fur sculpting tutorials on the internet iv seen some before, good results but it takes ages since each lock is hand drawn. Im dreading feathers lol gonna have a crack at it 2moro :)

[funkdelic]

sounds like a good idea,

guess wich muppet Im going for ... :P

[Zlatovous]

Thanks for advice BiG ToE, it's all fixed now. I've also decided that I will go further with his trollish look, so his arms are little longer for purpose. There is some tweaking left on his hands as well as making his beards and hairs. Then just UVWs and hooray to ZBrush! Which is going to be fun, because this will be first time I am using it :-) Wish me luck

Here goes:

[poopipe]

Also I'm very new to sculpting and have no idea how to sculpt his fur, any suggestions?

yeah, don't even try

alpha planes / fans / whatever you prefer will look better.

[funkdelic]

Dear Mr. BigToe

I have a few question about this new amazing contest,

first:

can I use real-time shaders??
can I render my model inside an engine? or an editor? like ut3 or marmoset engine? if yes, again, can I use t
can I use professional renderers like mental ray or vray?
can I have a cup of coffee please?

Thank you.

:o

[RedCrab]

hi there, first post here

cool contest =), ill do the most disturbing character i remember in my childhood the mappet´s rats.

my model till now =)
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/4893/rats01.jpg

btw i have a question.. can i make a set of rats? cause they always show in packs... or at least can i use them as stage scene?

[BiG ToE-3DT]

Dear Mr. BigToe

I have a few question about this new amazing contest,

first:

can I use real-time shaders??
can I render my model inside an engine? or an editor? like ut3 or marmoset engine? if yes, again, can I use t
can I use professional renderers like mental ray or vray?
can I have a cup of coffee please?

Thank you.

:o

yes
yes
yes
no, we drink blood around here.

RedCrab: that is a good question. When you think of the rats, you think of them all, so it would be fine to do more than one. The real question is, do you think of the rats as one character, or more than one. That could screw with your poly limit and texture space.

[Zlatovous]

I've got two questions about workflow, as I am not really sure how to approach.

1. When should I unwrap my base mesh? Right now, before I export it into ZBrush or after I set High-poly with low-poly so they fit correctly (just before I render to texture, doing normal maps)? I always see people are doing it before exporting to Zbrush, but when I edit my model, wouldn't it affect my UVWs, causing stretching? I am not sure here...

2. What exactly is retopologizing?

Thanks for any help in advance :-)

[SR_6274]

Well, I have found that I like to unwrap after I'm done with the high poly because of exactly what you said. It may be an extra step of having to export, unwrap, then re-import, but I think it makes it much cleaner.

Now somebody please correct me if I'm wrong here, but re-topologizing is when you take your high poly mesh, and build a low poly mesh around it that has better edge loops. For example, I usually start a head inside of z-brush with a z-sphere, so the edge loops arent the best for animating. So I would then have to re-topo it so there are proper edge loops and it still maintains the shape to project the high poly mesh onto. I'm still a complete noob when it comes to doing retopology, but I think that is what it's used for.

[RedCrab]

RedCrab: that is a good question. When you think of the rats, you think of them all, so it would be fine to do more than one. The real question is, do you think of the rats as one character, or more than one. That could screw with your poly limit and texture space.

tks for the reply, the set is kinda the main thing i wanna represent, and the poly limit is ok i decide to do them with around 1000 -1500 each which give me limit for 4 rats... =) ill post an update after the core ideia is realized =).. so u think i can do that?

here goes my uvw, the char is not ready yeat, but i decide to map it before goes further (since i want to do more then 1 rat i use this one as start instance)
http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/6177/rats02.jpg

[poopipe]

Well, I have found that I like to unwrap after I'm done with the high poly because of exactly what you said. It may be an extra step of having to export, unwrap, then re-import, but I think it makes it much cleaner.

Now somebody please correct me if I'm wrong here, but re-topologizing is when you take your high poly mesh, and build a low poly mesh around it that has better edge loops. For example, I usually start a head inside of z-brush with a z-sphere, so the edge loops arent the best for animating. So I would then have to re-topo it so there are proper edge loops and it still maintains the shape to project the high poly mesh onto. I'm still a complete noob when it comes to doing retopology, but I think that is what it's used for.


correct

and

correct

[RedCrab]

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/1439/rats04.jpg

this shows a little more what i want.. its a rat band.. =)

[silverflame]

unwrapped my low poly ready to take into zbrush, been a bit distracted with infamous hehe :) but i have so much free time atm i'll get it done in no time

Redcrab: your rats are looking good

[gmagno]

Hi. My name is Gilberto Magno and this is my post in the contest. I'm Gonna do the Miss Piggy. Soon I will post more images. Good luck for all.

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt27/gmagno_photo/miss_piggy_concept.jpg
www.gilbertomagno.blogspot.com

[Zlatovous]

Hey, thanks for your advices SR_6274 and poopipe, it helped me to plan my work.

RedCrab - nice work, they remind me of Ratt (glam metal band from LA, 80s, here is some info about them - http://www.last.fm/music/Ratt - maybe you will find some inspiration for them :-) )

That's very interesting idea gmagno, looking forward for execution and welcome to the forum!

And finally here is my little update - basic shape is finished, I also added axe bass, the exact copy of Gene Simmons one (bass-guitarist from KISS). Next step will be to cloth him up and then finally ZBrush - if I can make this part right, I'll be so happy :-) Wish me luck as I wish it to you all

[RedCrab]

Update Rats.
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/7646/rats06.jpg

nice draw Gmagno =)

Zlatovous tks and ill look to ur reference. tks. =)

[gmagno]

Thanks Zlatovous and RedCrab. Now is modeling!

Good jobs RedCrab. (Foi rápido hein).

[VersionThirst]

Fun stuff so far. Here's my quick concept sketch of my plan.

Dr. Teeth as a dentist.

It was what he went to school for, but got caught up in the rock n roll lifestyle. Now that he needed a new job, he wanted to pursue his career again. He's a little rusty.

He's got his suction machine and lucky drill.

[VersionThirst]

Here's the start on the head. Any ideas on the beard and hair? Geometry or alpha planes?

[Beriadan]

GONZO for PRESIDENT! Elect the leader! Your country needs you!
A puppet for president- the best choice! With a nose to put in every trouble *he is going to make the salary double*! Vote now for the best of leaders!
Gonzo - proud to be a puppet, proud to be a politician!

* only in cases of unemployed persons!

This is my entry, hope you like it ;)

[Sebiomegas]

I want to do Marjory the Trash Heap as a librarian. Talk about a challenge!:crazy:
Let's just hope I can make it. See, we have only three months of summer over here. I wanna go play outside! On the other hand, I admire Jim Henson, so I should be able to find the motivation.

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/523/trashheapwip01.jpg

[BiG ToE-3DT]

VersionThirst: all depends on how you want the textures to look. If your going for a more cartoony look, just model out the beard, but, if you want a more realistic look, do alpha planes.

[achmedthesnake]

ooooh cause i'm evil - i was thinking of doing a 'working' gal miss piggy in the red light district pulling tricks, perhaps kermit as her pimp?
- and/or swedish Chef as a prison cook?
- gonzo (??i think its gonzo - the blue dude in cape?) janitor

- ernie and bert as mechanics?
- ahhaha just thought of something: since pigs breed profusley and in multiples - you could have ms.piggy as a swine octomum! hmmm and she's bludging for child support, or centrelink (dole equivalent)

- and if you want to take the 'puppet hand' joke moar - one of them as a proctologist...ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww???

[SR_6274]

Found time to do a little more work on my Miss Piggy. Added the hair and apron. Now to make her steel-toe boots, a meat cleaver and whatever else I can think of that a butcher would have, then it's on to unwrapping and texturing.

I've got a question for you z-brush experts out there. I created her clothing by drawing in a mask of the shape, then extracting it as a seperate sub-tool. Only problem is, I drew the mask on the highest sub division level, so the new extracted shapes have no lower levels. Is there any way to re-construct it inside of z-brush so they have a lower poly count? I can't quite figure out the re-topo tools in z-brush yet, so was hoping there was another way. I tried using the re-construct subdivisions, but it isn't working. If no other way, I guess I'll bring it into max and optimize it there, then bring it back, but was hoping there was an easier way.

[gmagno]

Hi. I have already began to make the base mesh. Throughout the process I will post. Critics and suggestions are welcome.

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt27/gmagno_photo/update_01.jpg
www.gilbertomagno.blogspot.com

[SR_6274]

Update time :)

I basically re-did all of her clothing since I couldn't optimize the other stuff too well. Now I have a nice low poly for everything, so the unwrapping and texturing step should be a breeze. I also added her boots, as well as the start of the cleaver. I havn't re-done the hair yet, but that will be the next step hopefully.

Anybody have any suggestions as to what else I can give her? Right now I'm only at about 4k tris, so a lot of room to work with still. I'm thinking maybe a severed pigs head in one hand and the cleaver in the other. What do you think?

[VersionThirst]

Nice pigs in the works.

Here's the model so far. Still need to optimize some areas and tweak some parts. Decided to go cartoony (if the power drill didn't give it away) so I made the hair and beard in geometry.

No tris left for the suction machine.

[Sebiomegas]

Update

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/227/trashheapwip02.jpg

Here are other jobs that could fit her personality : Singer,Therapist,Bingo caller,Compost. Any other idea ?

[SR_6274]

Cafeteria Lady?

[Warlock 279]

Sebiomegas - Those glasses scream librarian, I think you'd be right on going in that direction.

VersionThirst - Aye, that's looking quite nice. Only nit pick I've got is that I'd like to see the beard staggered, ie one row off set from the other. Other than that, it's looking solid, you really nailed the sketch.

SR_6274 - She needs a bigger cleaver. That tiny thing she's got now couldn't cut off a Kermit's head, let a long a pig's. Otherwise, you're off to a good start.

gmagno - Nice start. Since you said "base mesh" I'm assuming you'll be sculpting, so an extra loop [or two] in the upper and lower arm to help even out the poly density some would probably wouldn't hurt.

RedCrab - Well that's quite a group you put together in a hurry. Looks good, I've got no real crits.

Zlatovous - Looks pretty good. Don't think you'll need that double stripe of polys the whole way down the middle. Maybe work it out above and below the pecs so that you only have where you need it for definition.

silverflame - Big to the Bird to the fast food shack, aye? I'm diggin' the food tray, nice bucket of fried chicken you got there. Don't really have any crits, looking good.

funkdelic - Rowlf! You're goin' for Rowlf, I'm sure of it! ;)

vicban3d - Haha, looking good. You could easily drop the rest of your budget on fur planes if you're so inclined.

lanimal0 - Nice sketch, I'm looking forward to seeing it in 3D now.

Darbruce - You sir have issues, not sure what that says about me tho because...that's hilarious! :D

koimizu - Haha, ya, I'd imagine he'd make quite a mess. Lets see it in 3D!

[gmagno]

Well, here's another update. I will make some adjustments, then work in zbrush and generate a normal map. After put in detail pose.Thanks, Warlock!
http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt27/gmagno_photo/update_02.jpg

[funkdelic]

Hahhaha, a nice reference for you all! Click Here! (http://www.maniacworld.com/kermit-shows-rowlf-2-girls-1-cup.html)

[SR_6274]

I think I'm finally done modeling and sculpting everything except for her severed pig head. I'm gonna wait on that till last to make sure I finish everything in time.

Anyway, here is the uv map of her accessories. Dress, apron, boot, glove, and cleaver all on this one. Other map will be body, hair, and severed pig head.

Warlock, thanks for the comment. I will definately increase the size of the cleaver before all is said and done.

Nice one gmagno. I think your Miss Piggy looks a lot more like her than mine does lol.

[gmagno]

lol man - SR_6274. I used many references. But a lot still missing. Thanks for the comment.

[vicban3d]

Does anyone know of a tutorial on fur using alpha planes? I just don't know where to start...

[silverflame]

Does anyone know of a tutorial on fur using alpha planes? I just don't know where to start...

I imagine its the same way as doing hair so check out:

Varga character walkthough (http://www.paultosca.com/varga_hair.html) < good use of lots of planes plus very detailed

I'll be using a similar method for a few accentuating feathers

[Sebiomegas]

Hey thanks SR_6274! Lunch lady is more self degrading and perfectly suits a trash heap. Trash to serve trash.:lame:
Anyway, I completed modeling for two jobs. I have a lot of polys left. I know I will use some alpha planes, but other than that, I don't see where I will put them.

Marjory the Lunch lady.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/3269/trashheapwip03.jpg

Marjory the Librarian.

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8278/trashheapwip04.jpg

[VersionThirst]

Sebiomegas - love the lunch lady with the cigarette.

Finally finished unwrapping for the most part.

[VersionThirst]

Base Colors in.

[BiG ToE-3DT]

I think I want to do the count.

[vicban3d]

Made a little progress, now have around 500 tris left. still not so sure about the planes. its too damn hot here :wall:.

[CHAO5]

muahhaha punny works here... gj @ all

[M_Cederstrom]

funny work. great modeling. :D

[funkdelic]

Suck My Kermit!

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/8720/kermit1.jpg

[gmagno]

Nice... funkdelic!

Well, finished mapping the Piggy, now I will detail in Zbrush.
http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt27/gmagno_photo/update_03.jpg

[rodrigoCOX]

Hi all!

Even following this forums and 3dtotal for a long while this is my very first post :o .

I`ve decided to make Gonzo as a crazy scientist or something like this...

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b374/rodrigocox/gonzo1.jpg

For the final scene Im thinking about some broken glasses with fluids on the floor.

Hope you guys like it!

[funkdelic]

thanks Gmagno, nice Miss Piggy..
Nice One rodrigoCOX, keep it up..

looking foward for more.. cya

[poopipe]

Suck My Kermit!




no, suck mine!!

[Joseph Pomeisl]

That mouth was made to....
Wasn't there a guy like that in the movie Kids?

[poopipe]

Did I watch a different movie to you ?

[Joseph Pomeisl]

My memory is horrible. But I definately have seen a movie with a guy who had no legs and pushed himself around on a skateboard saying something like "I have no legs...".
What movie were you thinking of?

[YdoUwant2know]

I'm sure there are a few movies with characters like that.

There is LT. Dan in Forest Gump

In Hellboy 2 there is the goblin thing that is missing half his body.

There is also Eddie Murphy in Trading Places. He pretends to be missing his legs while he wheels around begging for money.

Those are just the few I could think of off the top of my head.

[poopipe]

eddie murphy is the one i had in my head. I might decide he's better with one leg and crutches. the backstory being that he's out of work and had to sell his legs for food

[rodrigoCOX]

Hi all!

Just a quick update with a color scheme :roll: !

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b374/rodrigocox/gonzo2.jpg

GL all!

[SR_6274]

Nice gonzo.

I don't know if I'll be able to finish. This latest video project I'm working on turns out to be a lot bigger than originally intended, so spending a lot of time on that. Hopefully I'll have some free time to finisy my piggy.

[gmagno]

Nice Gonzo - Rodrigo Cox. Good Job! I like of the colors.

[dhin]

I'm surprised that no one is doing Oscar... but then there are like a million Muppets. Okay I'm gonna tentatively say I'm in at least for the fun of having something to take my mind off of work stress for the time being...

Oscar the Grouch, Mayor of New York. (He has to start somewhere before President.)

Concept to come.

[lanimal0]

Finished up the model, decided to add in an old rifle kinda last minute since I had quite a few tri's left after Sam himself. Next stop the wonderful world of mapping :wall:.

[BiG ToE-3DT]

thats good stuff right there.

[funkdelic]

COX: haha well done so far! nice shapes and colours! ` looking foward for more! `
lanimal: hehe very cool concept mate
pooopipe: I'm going to rip your kermit`s head off! get your pants ready!!! >=[

[poopipe]

we've yet to determine whether I'll get any further than I have already

[the_bromox]

Beaker - Roughing him out

[frango]

Sending a WIP image to call dibs on the swedish chef. :p I'm not posting any wireframe images cause I'm ashamed of how poorly optimized this is. :(

[donlovvorn]

I like the big bird looks great

[yoyomon]

rodrigoCOX: Gonzo is turning out pretty good.

lanimal0: You should probably add some tris to area around the knee and elbows for better deformation.

poopipe: Lol you never fail to be humorous. MMMmmmm frog legs.....

[gmagno]

Hi everyone. I am detailing the Piggy in Zbruzh. Here is a print of how it is. Now I put in the pose to continue. I have to finish the pedestal too. Please crits and suggestions are welcome.

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt27/gmagno_photo/update_04.jpg

[Sebiomegas]

It's great to see that this thread is getting more participant. All have a good likeness to the original character. Here is my work. Now, I am probably going to start texturing this week.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/3857/trashheapwip05.jpg

[SR_6274]

Finally found a little time to work on this, so I finished unwrapping the model. The empty space in the body map on the lower right will be for the severed pigs head after I model it. If anybody sees any major areas of improvement in the unwrap, I would greatly appreciate it. Unwrapping I think is my worst area, and I really need to practice it more.

Hopefully I will start the texturing process soon.

[camaleonhell]

I work in my model i post a first wip :) , i think she work in streets fixing i need model a drill and finish

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/8355/cochinawip2.jpg

[poopipe]

good, I haven't run out of time yet

[lanimal0]

Sebiomegas: Lookin' good, love the Trash Lady idea. Definitely a unique character to mess with.

yoyomon: Thanks for the tip, went ahead and added a few more tri's in the knee and elbow.

gmagno: Nice sculpt for Miss Piggy, love the age you put on her to boot!

poopipe: Lovin' the legless Kermit, friggin hilarious.

COX: So far so good man, can't wait to see more.

In the meantime I've finished up the unwrapping, gonna finally get started on the texture.

[lanimal0]

Quick update with some base colors I put in today.

[BiG ToE-3DT]

got started.

[vicban3d]

Great news, I just lost 150GB of important information, including the cookie monster folder. This was supposed to be my last competition before I go to the army. Maybe I'll be able to restore it but it doesnt seem very likely. Good luck to everyone...Now I'm going to find the hardest wall in the house and use my head on it. So sad....

[poopipe]

i know exactly how you feel, I lost about 600gb including all the baby photos and my last 2-3 years worth of 3d work earlier this year - the sick part being that I was moving stuff around while setting up a secure backup system.

I ended up paying 600quid for data recovery but I guess it was worth it.

[vicban3d]

The seriously good news is, I managed to recover about half of the data using a recovery progam and that includes all the max and texture files so I'm still in :smug:. Still lost many things, but life goes on :smug: What I had was a virus that ate a whole partition and only left empty folders(Thats what you get for being too lazy to install antivirus).

[gmagno]

Hi everyone. Here is another update from Miss Piggy. I am working on the pedestal and the textures now. I intend to do my final render in Unreal 3. For now I'm doing some tests in maya.

lanimal0- Hi man thank you for comment.

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt27/gmagno_photo/update_05.jpg

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt27/gmagno_photo/update_05_b.jpg

[lanimal0]

Another update, finished up the textures for the props. Next I'm gonna start working on Sam himself.

[funkdelic]

Hey, some pretty nice stuff here!

gmagno: your miss piggy is coming along nicely, congratz mate.

lanimal0: nice assets mate, bring some more stuff!

bigtoe: nice start man, also I would like to ask if a time extension is possible, I really want to finish my model but work is consuming all of my time =/


well, Im going for a '' secret agent '' version of Kermit the Frog, think it is a nice job for the character hehe

here is his weapon, a deadly uzi sub machine gun with a silencer! :)
feel free to critic...
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c149/raffael1231/kermit_uzi.jpg

[achmedthesnake]

hey guys - still gotta do some wokr for this comp - but in the meantime, i've found some preety good ref @:

http://www.toymania.com/

just use the search engine thingy at bottom of page and type in muppets or kermit, and there are decent res shots of the muppt toys on sale - good ref...

well back to work!

[achmedthesnake]

found some good profile shots i'm gonna use:
http://www.toymania.com/columns/spotlight/images/palwwemuppets14.jpg
http://www.toymania.com/columns/spotlight/images/palwwemuppets13.jpg
http://www.toymania.com/columns/spotlight/images/palwwemuppets12.jpg

[achmedthesnake]

thinking of doing a pimp-kermit with janice or piggy as the girl
- or i could go moar of a crazy travis/kermit taxi driver......not sure
concepts:
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g192/achmedthesnake/kermit_artboard.jpg

[yoyomon]

@ funk: Lol it's hard to imagine Kermit with an SMG or any weapon for that matter. Looking forward to the end result.

@achmedthesnake: transposed kermit head on a rocker's body ftw!

[BiG ToE-3DT]

how does everyone feel about a time extension? If we do one, it would be a 1 weeker.

[BiG ToE-3DT]

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/DJBiGToE/005-11.jpg

[rodrigoCOX]

one week extension!? agree!

[frango]

I'm definitely in for the time extension as well.

[BiG ToE-3DT]

DUE DATE: July 12th 11:59 pm GMT - SUNDAY

[funkdelic]

kermit updates
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c149/raffael1231/caco.jpg

[poopipe]

finally got a few hours in :)

I've got most of the body retopod as well but it's not very interesting to look at so I didn't take any grabs. I'm gonna add gloves etc and do something amusing with his legs next session.

[poopipe]

I'm not gonna make it :(


I'm on holiday from wednesday and no time to continue between now and then. Sorry chaps.

[BiG ToE-3DT]

is that with the new deadline...

[rodrigoCOX]

Hi guys!

Sorry for the lack of updates, kinda busy with school right now ::ugh:

I've made the zbrush model last week and just finished the lowpoly version and bakes, next step: Texture :smug:

The low poly model is sitting around 5100 triangles, still have something for an acessory.

So, here it is;

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b374/rodrigocox/gonzo1-1.jpg

wire:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b374/rodrigocox/gonzo2-1.jpg

maps:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b374/rodrigocox/gonzo3.jpg

Im using 3dsmax viewport render :xyz:

cheers!

[tompa]

hello, guys... I just registred on this awesome site.. I was wondering if it's okay for anyone (me) to join at this point... I know it's like 2 weeks left, but I dont mind.

[CHAO5]

rodrigoCOX: jiaarr looks great!!!!

[BiG ToE-3DT]

hello, guys... I just registred on this awesome site.. I was wondering if it's okay for anyone (me) to join at this point... I know it's like 2 weeks left, but I dont mind.

if you can finish in time, you can enter.

[lanimal0]

Just a quick update, Sam's texture in progress.

[BiG ToE-3DT]

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/DJBiGToE/010-12.jpg

edit:

done with the basemesh, now I just need to sculpt a little, and texture, before the deadline, next week.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/DJBiGToE/016-15.jpg

[gmagno]

Hi for all. Here is another update. I'm textured the Piggy, this is a print in maya.
I will render my final in Marmoset. See you!

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt27/gmagno_photo/update_06.jpg

www.gilbertomagno.blogspot.com

[tompa]

http://tompa.nu/ha/lowp.png

Dr. Phil Von Nuden.. as a tropical-fish-salesmen.. he breeds them himself but that's a secret... the doctor previously worked as an evil veterinarian

[tompa]

:wave: newbie question: is there any rules about Uv-sets and texture-blending?

[BiG ToE-3DT]

none that I know of.

as far as uv sets go, thats fine, but it still needs to follow the overall rules of the comp. Texture blending is fine as well, just make sure your using the allowed texture space and texture when blending.

[VersionThirst]

Finally had some time to finish up the textures.

Great stuff so far:
vicban3d - great concept, textures are pretty good so far
Sebiomegas - good job on such a challenging character. Textures soon?
camaleonhell - great ms. piggy character, can't wait to see the drill
funkdelic - looks good; not sure if it's the final color, but your 'kermit green' color seems a little blue-green, when even your avatar seems more yellow-green.
poopipe - looking pretty good so far, proportions of the head seem a little off when compared to the 'real' Kermit. Hands seem kinda big too.
rodrigoCOX - normals baked great; Gonzo is lookin' good so far
lanimal0 - Concept is great, looks just like the muppet
BiG ToE-3DT - Love the proportions, great concept
gmagno - normals baked nicely, looks great
tompa - nice model so far

[BiG ToE-3DT]

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/DJBiGToE/023-8.jpg

[Zlatovous]

Nope, I begged for this competition, no way me not finishing. Count with my black-metalist Floyd "more ice-cream" Pepper!

I am currently at 5,1k tris and most probably closing the shop and going for UVWs as I don't know what to do with rest. I can lend them to some of you guys, if you want :-)

[vicban3d]

Less than a week left, and I see many great results. Thanks to all those who helped me with praises, tips, comments and criticism. This will more or less be my final entry:

[BiG ToE-3DT]

vicban3d: make sure you post it in the final entry thread.

[vicban3d]

I will, just want to take a final look at it, and see what people have to say.

[funkdelic]

working on textures right now..

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c149/raffael1231/kermit.jpg

[funkdelic]

updates... ohhhh here it is, 2 hours of texture work..

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c149/raffael1231/kermit2tex.jpg

[Oniram]

funkdelic the texture seems to be slightly stretched along the middle of his nose.. and there is also a noticeable seam in between his eyes.

[funkdelic]

thx mate, thats not a seam, its a render issue, Ill correct the strech! thx :D

[lanimal0]

Here's the texture and final wire frame with tri count! Now I'm just needin' to pose and light.

[lanimal0]

funkdelic: Looks good man, texture came out lookin' great. Can't wait to see the final entry.

[Milo Jones]

Hey here's what i have so far. The good Dr has managed to scrap together some equipment to start pumping out some meth. Just need to rig him and work on the textures a bit. Any feedback would be great. And great work everybody!!!

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/iamcrust/DrBunsen.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/iamcrust/bunsenlab.jpg

[funkdelic]

tha lanimal, nice works on the textures aswell :]

the uzi smg :)
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c149/raffael1231/kermituzi.jpg

[tompa]

to funkdelic: I like the frog texture, the skin/fabric looks real.

[gmagno]

funkdelic - Nice model Caco/Uzi and good textures. Great Jobs!

[tompa]

http://tompa.nu/ha/lowp_02.png

wip: no spec or normal yet, might have to jump that :crazy:

[BiG ToE-3DT]

I wont be around a computer around deadline time, so if I dont post a times up message, that doesn't mean there is mre time. Keep an eye on the clock and enter before its to late.

[frango]

Damn, almost missed the deadline! Got to post the final version 10 minutes before it ended. :dance: