Zombie apocalypse survivor, Winter

[Drakon]

Started working on some snowboard goggles and got inspired to create a zombie apocalypse survivor wich has moved to a northern outpost where low temperatures make it very hard for zombies to move.

Heres what i got so far:
http://i55.tinypic.com/fxuqvt.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/32zi5j9.jpg

[jmiles]

neat so far.. can't wait to see moar

[Livewire1337]

Thats awsome so far :D my only critique would be that it's too clean and perfect for a zombie appocalypse survivor, they are always raggedy, dirty etc. etc. but yea looks wicked anyway :D

[Don Karnage]

Images broken.

[luke]

not broken for me Don,

Looking really cool drakon! it would be cool to see some big pockets and such around his trousers, ref to what i mean
http://bikersgear.outdoorbin.com/product/1/2617/Ascent-Pants-Mens-Snow-Pants-Bibs.html

[Klumpmeister]

I like the idea of a different terrain of a zombie Apocalypse.

[Jessica Dinh]

He really feels like a zombie hunter with his cautious, sealed costume! Can't wait to see progress!

Images are also broken for me though.

[Drakon]

Thanks guys!

Livewire - yeah i agree, havent gotten that far in texturing yet.

luke - have been thinking about it, might add it later, currently you almost cant see the ones he has but that might change with texturing..

Kumpmeister - Mhm, i would see that movie :)

Jessica - Yeah, in this zombie universe it can spread through liquids like saliva and blood, so caution is advised :)

Will continue working on this after work today :)

[Traix]

I think he would like to wear boots in the north rather than running shoes but other than that it's great =)

[Drakon]

Thanks :)

Well they are sort of a hybrid and im also thinking of adding some snowshoes, but yeah i might beef them up abit more and give them a simpler shape and remove the running shoe curves :)

[Peter H]

Very nice! he's looking badass!

Would be cool to maybe have some snow caked around the bottom of his legs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22146904@N04/4260002649/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22146904@N04/4260002649/) kinda things

[Drakon]

Thank you :)

And thanks for the tip, will definitely do that along with some blood and dirt, but not to much :)

[Drakon]

Heres a small update before i make dinner, havent had much time to work yet:

http://i51.tinypic.com/2rhnx38.jpg

[makecg]

looking nice

[Shiniku]

I really dig the model! Looks pretty solid. I look forward to seeing more finished textures.

[Drakon]

Heres another small update, had some time to play around with snow on the pants, done with a mask map. Tell me what you think?
http://i54.tinypic.com/10zv2tx.jpg

[nightshade]

put some of these on his feet

http://okhistory.org/community/fic/files/2009/03/crampons.jpg
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Logan/images/DSC_3005.jpg
http://www.midcoast.com/~mlc/ice/2006/new-Images/20.jpg
http://www.abc-of-mountaineering.com/images/content-images/article-206-1.gif

[Don Karnage]

put some of these on his feet

http://okhistory.org/community/fic/files/2009/03/crampons.jpg
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Logan/images/DSC_3005.jpg
http://www.midcoast.com/~mlc/ice/2006/new-Images/20.jpg
http://www.abc-of-mountaineering.com/images/content-images/article-206-1.gif

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3395/3524743072_40b2bc3661_z.jpg
:)

[nightshade]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3395/...b2bc3661_z.jpg

lol nice

[Drakon]

@ nightshade - i was planning on puting on some snowshoes like this one:
http://www.altrec.com/images/shop/detail/swatches/TUB/8.76810_e.jpg
since he will mostly be standing on snow.
But the look might be better with crampons, not to awkward..
I will try both types, thanks for the tip :)

[ShadowBrain]

Reminds of those guys you see in dead rising 2 in some of the stores, they have hoodies and fight you if you get near them.
They run the pawnshops aswell I believe.

[Drakon]

ShadowBrain - Havent played, but i imagine this guy will fight you if you get near him :P

Heres another update, added some crampons and played around abit more with the snow texture

http://i54.tinypic.com/ff1kkk.jpg

[Drakon]

and forgot this pic, whole guy:
http://i52.tinypic.com/10gig5y.jpg

[aesir]

I think it's looking excellent, but I don't like that red reticle/target on his shoulder. It looks like lazy design (sorry). Everything else is really solid.

[Drakon]

Aesir - Thanks! Yeah it looks lazy because it is, just thought it needed something and quickly added circle cross and lines with wear and tear eraser on top.
Will probably spend some time looking through more reference before i decide on the design.

[nightshade]

looking really nice, i like the crampons :)

[cman2k]

The fidelity here is great, but there isn't a whole lot of character going on.

Why not ditch the face mask and use the face to really give this person some emotion and character? He could look really pissed off, or really tired, crazed or frostbitten, or anything. He could be holding his mask in his hand even, or just have it reduced to goggles, or anything.

This in combination with some more (obviously not here yet, i know) detailing could really help tell a story. Did this guy go through hell to survive this winter, and how so? He could have parts of his outfit duct-taped and patched, have fine blood sprayed on him from close-encounters, have some other weaponry or ammo strapped on him, all kinds of stuff.

I don't mean to sound harsh, and I'm sure a lot of this is coming, but I always prefer to see some forethought even in the form of a quick sketch or two. First idea is your worst idea, iteration always helps you form better ideas. If you put up a few different takes on ideas to give this guy some real character, I bet you'd get a bunch of useful suggestions and your ideas would have a chance to grow from good to great.

[LRoy]

I really like how clean the modeling is. I agree it could maybe use something to add some character to it. Maybe a wound or something.

[Drakon]

Thanks!

Cman - Dont think your being harsh at all. You got some good ideas man, liking the duct tape idea aswell as a face for more character.
Had been thinking about adding a gun in holster strapped around his right thigh, as a backup thing in tight spots.
Ill try to see if i am capable of squeezing out some quick sketches/paintovers, havent really done much drawing..

Lroy - Character will hopefully come over time, workin on it ;) For now i think ill skip wounds other than maybe some patched up ones, dont want the situation to be too dire for this guy :)

[Drakon]

Haha, my first real attempt on a paintover. He didnt turn out quite like i wanted him to but hey, hes got more character! ;P
http://i55.tinypic.com/afhfzs.jpg

[Drakon]

Just home from work and tried painting some more, tried with glasses on and added a sidearm. Also wanted some sort of hut/bunker in the background but couldnt pull of anything worth showing, same goes for zombie heads and hands in front of his feet. Perspective is also very much of, but.. yeah very new at paintovers so..
ill stop making excuses, heres the pic.
http://i54.tinypic.com/4nvid.jpg

[MEGALOS]

Awesome stuff so far, keep it on dude!

[adam]

I'm with aesir on the target on his shoulder.

Because he is so bundled up, I picture him being in severe winter weather? Is that the direction here? Could be cool :D

[DKK]

Maybe give him an O2 tank for higher altitude stuff? could use some gear pouches, and maybe a kneepad or two. Maybe some Ice climbing gear?

[Ihazard]

I like the look of it so far but the jacket, the largest single piece of the model is really plain, jackets have zips, seams and lots of different details see hurr (http://images.toughweld.com/images/photos/19793/19793_3320-core-performance-work-wear%E2%84%A2-6465-thermal-jacket_large.jpg) also tone down the opacity of the blood a lot and darken it to make it look dried, add some stains for food and stuff like that, survivors aren't going to be clean :D

[nightshade]

give him a small pack with climbing gear and camping stuff, if i were him, i doubt i'd be holed up in a ski lodge with ski zombies.

[Peter H]

I like the look of it so far but the jacket, the largest single piece of the model is really plain, jackets have zips, seams and lots of different details see hurr (http://images.toughweld.com/images/photos/19793/19793_3320-core-performance-work-wear%E2%84%A2-6465-thermal-jacket_large.jpg) also tone down the opacity of the blood a lot and darken it to make it look dried, add some stains for food and stuff like that, survivors aren't going to be clean :D

This sounds good. Also I quite liked the version with the mask, was kinda creepy. Maybe theres another way to give hime a bit of charcter, like through the details on the jacket.

[Drakon]

Thanks guys, liking all the tips for details such as backpack and tank, will be adding some over time.
Heres a quick render of the gun im making, wont be seeing much of it but since im making one, why not put alittle work into it :P
http://i54.tinypic.com/2m44tbt.jpg

[waldo]

Maybe try adding more variance to the color of the jacket and the pants, a stripe or something on the jacket maybe? And I should try changing the axe handle to a wood texture, I know fire axes are all red but it might look more "natural" and break things up a bit more..

Looks really nice, keep up the great work!

Just my 1 öre (swedish)

[Mark Dygert]

Why do people keep suggesting super extreme climbing gear? Is he fighting zombies on Mt Everest? Do all extreme climbers carry a fire axe in case they need to break down the door to their... tent...? I understand crampons so he can maneuver on ice but I don't know some of the other suggestions.

I'm not saying the Everest thing wouldn't be cool but it just seems like there might be a handful of zombies at the most, after that starvation and the weather would be his main problem?

Also if the walking dead taught me anything its that winter is the slow season for zombies at least until they thaw out.

[Drakon]

Mark - I agree on what you are saying, was getting abit carried away with details such as climbing gear but i cant see any zombies climbing cold mountains for food, they'd hit the wall and turn back. But in the scenario of him being up against a (rock/ice)wall, a "climbing hatchet thingy" might come in handy. Im dumping the o2 tank but keeping the backpack for extra supply.
Also im thinking of adding a hunting rifle since he should never pass up a chance for food if he encounters some wildlife. Im guessing most wildlife would easily outrun zomies in snow so there should be some.

Waldo - Thanks, i've been doodling some very basic ideas for jacket details, liking the last consept the most. Keep in mind that the black lines are seams

http://i53.tinypic.com/2hx37zb.jpg http://i53.tinypic.com/2m6wbut.jpg http://i51.tinypic.com/25089xj.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/mwedmh.jpg http://i53.tinypic.com/alnal1.jpg http://i51.tinypic.com/4glsvl.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/2060si1.jpg

[Revel]

I like the unique idea of having a character try to survive in the snow area while being chased by a zombie. But the thing is, looking from your design he looks like on the normal day wanna hang out with friends and play snowboard...wait, why not you use a snowboard as a weapon then?..it's big, it's strong, and it can be your last escape plan from a group of zombies! :)

My suggestion:
- Take the mask out since you're escaping from zombie (whose not gonna recognize your face anyway), therefor you can add more interest to the character in the face. Or make a unique mask (like Jason's mask (http://www.thedevilsdemons.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/jason_mask.jpg)) that related to the theme. Currently your character lacks a characteristic, if you put him in a snowboarding competition scene people will easily believe it.
- White jacket works better i think, since it's a snowy area, you don't want to reveal your position easily to the zombie (especially when using a sniper rifle).

_Revel

[Drakon]

Not to big on the snowboard weapon, but been thinking about changing up his mask abit, make it abit more detailed.
The way i see it he doesnt have to big of a clothes collection and he used to go snowboarding, when zombies werent around, so he's using what he's got from before, a white jacket works better but also he might not have one :)

Added the gun to his hip:
http://i54.tinypic.com/213g4zq.jpg

[Yokai]

Some patches / wear-n-tear would be nice. Right now, it seems like the character just got brand new clothes from a sports / climbing store, which considering his location could be a possibility, but I think it masks a potential story that the design of the story could tell. Especially with a zombie situation, it's good to exaggerate (but not over exaggerate) the story of the characters travels through his design. If he's been in the mountains for a long time, make the clothes faded and worn out to get the feeling that he's been in extreme conditions and hasn't been able to find much else to replace his attire. Patches could be nice, because you could even elaborate where your character has been through what he used to patch wholes in his clothing back up.

Just my 2 cents, I do like the model though!

[Contrails]

Another thing about the dirt and grime - you can also add improvised equipment... instead of that holster, have him tuck it in between folded rags, have him missing one glove and wrap his other hand in a sweater with cut out finger holes or something... to me that'd be much more interesting than every day stuff that probably would be left behind one way or another in a zombie apocalypse

solid work! looking forward to where you take this

[Andreas]

I actually like the ski mask...the reticule too :( I hope you bring it back in some form or another. Also I think some noisy normals would work well on that snow.

[Klumpmeister]

Damn this is looking really good!

[Revel]

Contrails have some good idea there. Somehow right now it looks like he's the one who go to the zombie village and hunt them down because of how well prepared and clean he is (typically the bad guy/ hunter will never get a scratch until the very last moment of his life). You should think ordinary everyday item to support his surviving action from the zombie. Don't let the character grow become the hunter in your mind instead of the target.

_Revel

[StefanH]

this is shaping up really nicely.

tbh i like all jacket ideas. the last one probably best although i dig the red zipper.

[doeseph]

I think a zombie apocalypse in snow is such a cool idea for some reason, reminiscent of The Thing. The character looks great, The beard was a nice touch too, but he needs some wear and tear! He looks more like a government hitman or mercenary with how pristine his clothes are.

[Drakon]

Incoming update!
So i've adde alittle wear and tear to his clothes, also testing out some duct tape on his shoulder, think i should add some additional wear and tear sticking out from underneath the duct tape to show alittle of the damage done there.
Also done the colorchanges to his jacket.
Need to do some tweaks on the pants material also, it seems abit soft atm.
http://i54.tinypic.com/b3rjar.jpg

[StefanH]

gun looks a bit small i might be mistaken though

[marks]

no thats definitely too small. its probably around 60%-75% the size that it should be.

[Drakon]

Well i judged it after watching different pictures from google with people holding guns, Maybe some of them had giant hands and made it look small, but it seemed that you should be able to wrap 3 and a half fingers around the handle, not 4. And the gloves make his fingers look bigger than they are so they should cover the handle and then some.
But its cool if the size is to small, will only look better if i scale it up :)

[mkandersson]

Looks bad ass. Love the idea as well. I like the new jacket design. The Best one yet imo.
What about having a bundle of rope hanging from right to left over his upper body to add some additional detail?
I bet if he needs to make it over snowy obstacles a rope is quite handy.

[Drakon]

Finally got some time to work on this today, made a rifle and a ice climbing "hatchet"(?)

http://i54.tinypic.com/wusbyg.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/e88s92.jpg

[tristamus]

Wow...very well done thus far.

[PitchBlack]

Well, I was searching on google for apocalypse survivors for fun, when I stumbled upon one of the first images in this thread. Looking further, I see that this art is awesome, and you are amazing. I now wanna check out the rest of this site. Keep doing what you doing, because this is so cool. :]

[Revel]

Oh wow, for a second I thought the rifle was a photo!..but then isn't that too "brand new" for him?..to be honest I still think that the character himself looks "brand new out of the box" (even if you put a small duct tape on his shoulder, which is an unnatural place for a scratch, when you avoiding an attack most probably your lower arm will cover your self instead of the upper arm)..

_Revel

[Drakon]

Thanks guys! :)

Revel - Yeah its brand new, too "brand new", but i gotta start with the finished model and then work from there, same goes for clothes. When it comes to scratches, you can get them anywhere and they dont have to be at the most likely places, atleast the bigger ones. Still not to sure about how worn out he is or how long after the apocalypse this is, but that will come with time.
Havent had much time lately but putting in all the spare time i have ;)

[Revel]

Heheh take your time man, cus this piece deserve a great finishing! ;)

_Revel

[Billz]

That looks awesome Drakon. What are you rendering in/with? Also, can we see some wires?

[The Scrub]

I'd think the jacket could use some more faded out colors because UV light can cause stuff like that to degrade and I'd guess he hasn't been inside a lot.

I'm kind of against an open face and an axe at the same time
He's going up against zombies... blood is going to get everywhere with an axe and with the exception of those immune (character issue to settle) you don't want a lot of open areas where blood can get.

Maybe some kind of Scarf with frayed ends or something for more personality but otherwise I like the character.

[Drakon]

Thank you :)

Billz - Rendering in 3ds Max with Mental Ray, ill throw out some wires, anything specific you want the wire of?

Scrub - Yeah wear and tear is coming, but im pretty busy these days so things are going slow.. Scarf is not a bad idea, might try it out :)

Currently working on making the rifle old and used, but spending time on it might not be the best idea since im thinking of covering it up. Im no expert but wouldnt it be reasonable to cover up some parts of the rifle to prevent dirt, snow and ice from getting in? Anyone know more about this? Right now im thinking about a towel and some rope wrapped around the barrel and scope, some kind of improvised protection like this:
http://www.ressim.net/upload/039b9304.png

[BadgerBaiter]

I was always under the impression that was more improvised camoflage for the shiny bits of the scope. Obviously it would serve to protect the scope as well...

[Drakon]

aaahh, i get it, ofc :P

[Billz]

Hey Drakon. Wires of the character base mesh would be great.

Your renders look fantastic. Are you using any special shaders or settings? Really lifelike!

[pestibug]

Loving this model and idea. But I assume someone from the cold North would go on his way well prepared. So I took the liberty to doodle something.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/657985/snow_zombie_survivor.jpg

I'd think they'd grab any stuff they can get their hands on to survive the cold. pack it up as efficiently as possible.
Ofcourse, you'd have to add stuff like, pan, knife, (ski's?) and what have you not.

Anyway... just my 2 cts.

Sweet stuff so far!

[Drakon]

Hi guys! Thanks for the comments!
Billz- Heres a wire of the char, i have a lower res of the model from before i edited it in zbrush but this is what im using for the renders now. Nothing special about the material, im using the Arch & Design one and the lighting is Photometric target light with a Disc shape.
Pestibug - wow! love your doodle! It really gives me some great ideas about where to take this :)

http://i56.tinypic.com/25a40as.jpg

[Billz]

This is really looking great Drakon. Fresh take on the zombie apoco. Cant wait to see it finished!

[Drakon]

Had some spare time today so made some rope and made the rifle more used:
http://i53.tinypic.com/29p9f9u.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/izc95l.jpg

[LRoy]

Your improvement from your last thread is pretty insane.

[Drakon]

Thanks LRoy :)
Im a little more at home with this kind of 3d than the fantasy monsters, but im still learning :)

[Drakon]

Finally got some spare time again! So heres what i got so far:
http://i55.tinypic.com/bvekn.jpg

Backpack need re-adjusting, it seems abit to stuffed, also the colors are a bad mix. Straps will also come ;P along with some wear and tear when i get the time.

[Drakon]

Done some adjustments but nothing big to show yet, just tried out some weather effects using the zdepth, added some snow using PS.
http://i55.tinypic.com/28cdnr5.jpg

[Drakon]

Also tried out Terragen today and tested out some mountain backgrounds for fun. Gave me some ideas of maybe making a small cabin in front of him and having the door broken down with some bloodspatter around the door area. But thats just an idea for now, next part i think is goin back to wearing his clothes out:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2e0pt2d.jpg

[wretchedgoat]

wow, really cool, nice renders. Been watching this for awhile, it's really developed.

[Drakon]

Update:
tweaks and fixes
http://i52.tinypic.com/25kk0a9.jpg