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Erasam Emberhart - Obese Blood Elf Engineer; Blizzard Student Art Contest 2012 Charac

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PROJECT COMPLETE


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POST-MORTEM

"Greetings from Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft development team and University Relations representatives!
Thank you for participating in the World of Warcraft Student Art Contest. We appreciate your hard work and your interest in Blizzard Entertainment.
Judging for the contest has concluded. Ultimately, your submission was not selected for the prize pool. However, the World of Warcraft team asked us to share some feedback directly from Tamara, an Artist on World of Warcraft:
“Hi Brian. Thank you for participating in the World of Warcraft Student Art Contest. This contest was very important to us, so we felt it necessary to give constructive feedback to all of the students who took the time and put in the hard work to participate.

I like complexity of this character! It’s really interesting to see all these details on him with the Blood Elf design vibe. All those pouches, tools, and the scroll work great for creating a cool silhouette and identifying which class you were going for.

I also like how polygons were applied on this mesh, it’s pretty neat. I would only point out the long polys on the weapon / cannon. It’s better to avoid them in future and try to keep the wireframe more even. UV layout looks really good. It’s great optimization, no space wasted at all. Optimization is a very important skill for videogame artists, no doubt this entry shows it.

I have some minor suggestions about your texture. It’s too “contrasty” and dark (almost black) in some places. For example, the back part of legs and lower part of character are so dark, it looks really flat. Avoid painting pitch-black shadows. It muddies things up too much. Use cold tints for shadows from main color material. I would also suggest treating metals in different manner, with sharp, small highlights. It would read “metallic” so much better that way.

Overall it’s very interesting character with its own story and class / profession, which I really like. Keep at it and thanks again for your submission!”

-Tamara Bakhlycheva (Character Artist, World of Warcraft)

We hope you find this feedback helpful as you move forward with your education. If you have any questions for the University Relations team, please feel free to use this email address. We wish you all the best, and thank you again for participating!
Take care,"

Dangnabit! This is what I get for using a lightmap gradient and thinking it'd be more effective to force a contrast that would make you look at his face/upper body! /cry And my metals were too muddy!

I mean, I guess I optimized like nuts though.

There goes my internship application for Blizz, I think.
==========================
Hi Polycount!

Critique and Feedback requested, if you can :)

Brian Choi here (Junior, University of Southern California. IMD). Gonna lock down and hurt myself through this Blizzard Art Contest during the duration of my Winter Break before I get back to work on Core Overload.

[EDIT 2: Massive idea shift] My idea is just doing an important NPC Blood Elf Engineer who is a War Engineer for the Blood Elves, constructs the Arcane Golems, Ballistae, etc and is still handy as a combat support.

Requirements:
Max 6000 triangles
1024 Diffuse texture

Intended WorkFlow
Concept > Rough sculpt Zbrush > Retopo and create base sculpt mesh > Sculpt High Poly > Retopologize for Final Mesh > UV/Texture

What actually happened

Thumbnails > Concept 1 > Concept 2 fix > more Thumbnails > Concept 3 > Concept 4 (removal of Pandaren elements) > Rough sculpt Zbrush > Retopo and create final geo > UV/Texture > Rig > Make Presentation


LATEST UPDATE:

View the 3D model
Implemented Tamara's (FirstKeeper) critiques:
DNd6Iiv.jpg

For Comparison (Tamara's critique above was critiquing this)
ZQXPm.jpg

Replies

  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    I've gotten comments from Jordan Beeston that 3. 9, and 12 work best from the below set.
    jJzrQ.jpg

    The newer set of thumbnnails. I am SLOW with this :/

    Which ones work? I should probably transition quickly to refinement.
    p9A82.jpg
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Second stage thumbnails.

    Which ones are working and which ones are not? Any critiques?

    4Lnik.jpg
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Iono if it's just me but 3 or 5 with some semblence of a robotic arm look like they're working.
  • hadidjah
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    hadidjah polycounter lvl 8
    I really like three the best, it's got a nice strong silhouette without getting too cluttered (although as far as secondary details, the big studs on the aprons in 2 and 7 and the tool pockets in 5 are really cool- I think adding a few smaller details to tell his story without break the silhouette too much would be great). If you could make a transforming arm that fit stylistically with the rest of WoW... That'd be something epic, man. Especially if it turned into things relevant to his job, like a giant smith hammer.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Hadidjah!!! It's been like a year! How are you doing today?

    Does 3 work because of the LACK of a robot arm? I'm not sure if adding both a shoulder-mounted weapon as well as a robo arm would be too much.

    Hmm . . . hammer to me insinuates a sense of confident physicality that I don't think this character has? Like a gun to me in this case would be somewhere along the lines of "I can out-engineer you instead of out-punch you." Unless we want a hammer to communicate like blacksmith/tinkerer vibes if I can create a proper weapon design?
  • hadidjah
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    hadidjah polycounter lvl 8
    Hahaha, I've been pretty snazzy, how 'bout you? Did you turn in your essay for next year yet?

    What I think works really well about three is that it's got a lot of simple vertical and horizontal lines- most of your thumbs have lots of little bits and greebles poking out at different angles, which works well for a tinkerer but also weakens the overall silhouette. Three has a lot of large vertical components- the back gun, the arm gear, the huge apron suspenders, and even the hair and goggles, and they're complemented by a lot of slightly smaller horizontal shapes, like all the ridges on the gun, the bars on the arm pieces, the pipe and the apron stripes. It gives a nice solid feel to him that I think works well for his build and for someone who works with his hands a lot.

    You might be right as far as the back gun plus roboarm being a bit much, but I think as long as it stayed consistent with the rest of the shapes it'd be pretty sweet. Although now that you mention it a hammer form is probably a bit brawly for him- I was thinking of things that would reflect the sort of work he does when I suggested it, but I think you're right in leaning towards more ranged weapons for his class instead.:)
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    @Hadidjah: It's been hectic for me, haha. At least since August, been Art Directing for Core Overload, which we're gonna finish in May. 15 artist team to work with, so it's definitely a challenge.


    Moving onto a final concept. Working out initial head designs.

    Still looking for critiques. I humbly ask for ya'll to hit me hard.

    4pt2j.jpg
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Pushing through!

    Serious question, so I just noticed that, proportionally, the first glance makes the character feel more like a Warcraft Dwarf than a Blood Elf.

    I'm thinking I extend the legs to about a head and half length on thigh and shins, but I'm not sure if this is a prudent decision. I will test it out and post results. Would that be a good idea to extend the legs proportionally?

    TdjQv.jpg
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    The proportion test.

    I feel torn at the moment about which is better

    H0h0m.jpg
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    I'm starting to wonder if this concept will even work out. Best friend of mind chewed the idea out as "boring" and "there's no such thing as a fat blood elf." The operative word being "boring."

    Feels like I need to go back to thumbnails again :/
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Back to the drawing board with more silhouette thumbnails.

    Any which ones working?

    I for some reason like 16 the best. Something about the legs communicating blood elf, but still allowing pudge to happen in the torso

    kunGq.jpg
  • Spudnik
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    Spudnik polycounter lvl 11
    Gotta agree with your friend there, no such thing as a fat/pudgey Blood Elf in the WoW universe. What could be cool though is if you made him especially muscular, like a Strongman since almost all of the Bloodelves are rather lean and agile. If the guy's a tinkerer/engineer, chances are he'll be spending a lot of time at the anvil.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    @Spudnik: Hopeully this set solves some of the issues?

    Sorry for all these thumbnails, I know I'm failing the 3D part at the moment :(

    QZ0Co.jpg
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Zoning in on a new 4 rough ideas.

    Any which ones working?

    I'm concentrating on either making this a character who's absorbed Pandaren culture, so we have evidence of Chinese weaponry / decorations. That dwarf one's kinda of a "maybe, but unlikely." Dragon cannon (or in WoW's case, a CLoud Serpent Cannon) seems like a strong idea.

    So I guess right now, silhouette heavily depends on that huge gun, the rifle, and the legs.

    Ul5Q5.jpg
  • praetus
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    praetus interpolator
    I would say number 3 or 4 out of the most recent lineup. One of the things that is key to me with blood elves is the fine nature of their clothing with the red/gold schematic. I think number 3 and 4 give you the most to play with that on shoulder pads, knee pads, gun, etc. Number two looks like a dwarf and number one is more human like with the pouches (to me at least.)
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    This time, more armor element iterations. Big questions like "How much Blood Elf design do I incorporate? How much of Pandaren? How much Engineering design do I add? Do I keep this all unified, or a conglomerate?"

    That fourth idea I took a crack at for posterity, though to be honest, I'm definitely not feeling it.

    Reduced the size of the dragon cannon to something more sleeker, at the behest of a teacher of mine who did GM time at WoW in the past. This was to reflect the slimness of a Blood Elf phenotype while still giving it a unique silhouette to work with.

    rIUfd.jpg
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Laying in color palatte (mostly at the shadow level, not pure local). Sort of confused about what local color the ball gems should be . . .. I tried the bright fel green, but it felt off . . .

    Anyone else have any critiques about this at a color level?

    N4Pc7.jpg
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    More color schemes
    NoQpE.jpg
  • Snader
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    Snader polycounter lvl 15
    Not seeing a whole lot of color 'schemes'. I just see the same scheme over and over with a single color changed.

    I also think you should work a bit more with stronger, simpler color planes, as yours right now are quite detailed, which makes them rather noisy at smaller sizes.
    SilhouetteComparison_JadeEyePanda.jpg
    Notice how from your gray-scale sketches the third (and sixth) are quite readable, but the first (and fourth) are turned in to a blob of medium gray?

    Also compare with the TF2 ones which are very well readable - well, except the Spy, but it kind of makes sense that his features blend together a bit. Take particular note of the arms and hands, how they tend to stand out quite well.

    The lizard guy also has stronger 'blocks' of color, albeit not ideal, with the hands being rather dark. Do these guys maybe not use their hands for combat but spit or bite?

    You guy has the crotch drapery stand out pretty well, but that's not really the best area to draw focus to, I think...

    The whole idea of having a gradient from white head to black feet (I'm sure you've seen the tutorial floating around PC; if not I'll find it for you) is to draw the eyes to the top, to the chest and/or face of the character. Your guy currently is doing the opposite: having a dark top and bright legs.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    201299_10151197448858227_310488952_o.jpg

    @Snader: Hopefully this fixes the value gradient critique, and maybe the more simplified color plain. Did the squint test, and I got cool gray at the top of the figure and reds at the bottom. Silhouette . . . I don't know if I'd be entirely comfortable redoing it altogether due to the time left :/
  • Snader
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    Snader polycounter lvl 15
    HURRY UP INTERNET!
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    UPDATED!

    bah, you'd think imgur would be faster than Facebook
  • Snader
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    Snader polycounter lvl 15
    Yeah this is better, in a way. It goes from dark to lighter, but it's missing any real bright bits. I'd lighten the bamboo chestpiece a bit, and swap the black shoulder tubes out for some more crystals or something else brightish.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    But . . . but . . . if I take out those shoulder tubes, how else is the "Engineer" feel gonna communicate? T_T
  • Snader
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    Snader polycounter lvl 15
    I dunno... replace the swirly bits with cogs? Make the pipes spanners? Have hard-hat shoulder pads? What are those pipes anyway?
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Magical smokestacks!
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Barring any additional rendering/changes/adjustments, I'm going to call this done and useable for beginning my Zbrush sculpt sketch and base mesh construction.

    @Snader: I'm keeping the smokestacks. I need the engineer imagery!!!

    UbSuQ.jpg
  • linkov
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    linkov polycounter lvl 10
    I think your biggest problem atm is that there is almost nothing blood elfish about him. When I'm looking at him, he seems like some cocky dude straight from Halloween party. His profession isn't very clear as well.

    Basically, you just took a blood elf, dressed him like he is some dwarf wannabe, and added pandaren flavour on top. I guess nothing wrong with it, but your thread title contains two main keywords "Blood elf" and "Engineer" and you kinda failing at the task you've set up for yourself.

    Guns are not necessary mean an engineer. Hunters use them too. Hammer in his pouch could be blacksmithing accessory. Is that beads on his neck? Is he monk or something? Cog tatoo isn't something you can see from many angles. Little bits of gold and red aren't exclusive to blood elves anymore (Mogu stuff).

    His shoulderpads have some pipes or whatever, which is suitable, but I already know that he is supposed to be an engineer. I'm not sure that someone not familiar with WoW universe could figure this out. The only thing that clearly resembles an engineer is his goggles, but it also could mean some spec ops guy for .. idk splinter cell kiddies maybe? :)

    Anyway, my point is this - Blizzard maybe restricted by their technology, timetables and whatever else. But you are not. Just because their latest expansion is about pandas, doesnt mean your blood elf should be dressed like he is just recently got back from China. And just because its very well established cliche that engineers is all about big cannons, smokestacks and goggles, doesn't mean your character should wear all of it too.

    Blizz can't spend time to make each profession race specific. They also can make armors that somehow resembles profession of the character. Its just too many race/class combinations. But you can. You're making completely custom character and this is a great opportunity to show something nobody have seen so far. Good luck!
  • lotet
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    lotet hero character
    linkov basicly said every smart thing there is to say here =P

    but this is the short version;
    if two single tubes is the only thing comunicating he is an engineer ur in trouble with your design mate ^.^
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    My heart dropped. Dangnabit, I wish I had this feedback like a week ago instead of now, /sniffle.

    Hmm . . . I guess this is what happens when I do thumbnails "in the dark" so to speak. It sounds like I just need to do another 50 thumbs to figure out the design, unless the base silhouette was working before and I just need to redesign the interior elements? Golly, I only have three weeks left, and I don't even know if that's enough time to get the 3D portion done to begin with.
  • linkov
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    linkov polycounter lvl 10
    if I were you, I would just take screenshot with naked male blood elf ingame (ewww), and start painting ideas on top of it.

    its quite possible to finish model, UVs and textures in 2-3 weeks. depends on your experience though. just spend couple more days on design. you don't really need 50 new thumbs. it silly kinda. I wouldn't use thumbs on such project at all. You're dealing with well established universe and blood elves culture, visuals, lore should help you nail few key ideas pretty quickly.

    If you need some references on engineering stuff in WoW, look at Burning legion demon stuff. They've got their engineers, and some machinery in game. And blood elves are used to soak demons for their fel energies, it make sense if blood elf engineer would learn something from demons or their remains :) Probably some trophey stuff. Shoulderpads from velding masks?? :)

    just look at these

    http://wow.zamimg.com/uploads/screenshots/normal/61336.jpg
    http://wow.zamimg.com/uploads/screenshots/normal/65965.jpg
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Well . . . there was an idea with the early thumbnails to have one of the arms amputated and replaced with what was essentially a robo arm that could transform into various "tools" as needed, but the design of that arm being sleek and Elvish instead of the basic gritty, grime gunmetal.
  • linkov
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    linkov polycounter lvl 10
    Well . . . there was an idea with the early thumbnails to have one of the arms amputated and replaced with what was essentially a robo arm that could transform into various "tools" as needed, but the design of that arm being sleek and Elvish instead of the basic gritty, grime gunmetal.

    this sounds a little bit discouraged and looks like you looking for approval of some sort. please don't. nobody can decide for you. just try and see what you can achieve. this stuff you're doing isn't really about end result. its all about experience you gonna get in the process. you can very well go with your current design if you wish so.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    haha, the learning part is definitely gonna happen. I just want to win T_T
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Starting the rough sculpt base mesh.

    Having a real tough time getting a satisfactory gestural T Pose. Not sure what to do :/

    ehzJp.jpg

    And the updated concept. Gun taken away, added a spanner "Ruth (less)" and updated the armor to reflect more "Engineer" elements.

    lyZ9F.jpg
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    The design is way too muddled. Elf, asian, engineer, fireworks, electric crystal weapon. I'd pick 2 themes and stick to them. The only thing elvish about him is his legs and ears.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    I am going to go sob in a corner. /sob

    I don't know if it's too late to go back to the drawing board or if I commit. Definitely wished I had these legitimate critiques a week ago.

    Is fireworks a "theme?" I just intended that to replace the typical 'cigar' people see.
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    The dragon cannon on his back looks like it'd shoot fireworks, it is what I read when I looked at him.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    In my head, as closed off unfortunately as that is, my intention was for it to be an over-the shoulder cannon. If VFX were attached, firework like stuff would prolly thematically work best, yeah.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    @ZacD: I'm a bit confused, though I feel like your critique has a strong point about too many themes. I went into this planning specifically for only Pandaren (Asian as it were), Blood Elf, and Engineer as the thrust of the visual themes. Location, Species, and Profession. I guess this is one too many?
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    But lets talk about blizzard character themes, they do like 2 pick 2 conflicting themes,
    Diablo 3 for example has a russian monk and a old barbarian. But you have the elf, chineese dragon, and engineer themes all fighting against each other. I'd say pick 2 and go with it, and change what you have to, to make the design work.
  • KyleJensen
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    KyleJensen polycounter lvl 12
    I agree with the points Linkov and ZacD have made.

    It's better to just pick a theme or two that fit together and knock the piece out of the park than to mishmash a bunch of themes hoping that they work.

    Currently the only thing reading as Blood Elf to me is the face (minus the cigar in his mouth).

    -Blood Elves aren't really known for mechanics or engineering; they're known for their heavy use of magic.
    -Blood Elves tend to be slender and fit, so having him be obese seems out of character/culture.

    Some possible options that might solve your theme issue:

    Option 1:

    Instead of going for mechanical, go for magical. A magical engineer? Sure! Have him use objects that are powered by magic. Have you ever walked around Silvermoon City? There are arcane guardians that patrol the city and they're basically stone golems animated by magic crystals.

    YzSRe.jpg

    If there's one way I could describe Blood Elf technology it would be "magical and floaty". Besides the crystal-powered golems, there are various props and structures that float around, doing whatever it is they're supposed to do. So perhaps your character could be the one guy in charge of the creation of arcane guardians, the creation of all the floaty items and architecture, or both. As far as props go, they would probably be low-tech, but whimsical in appearance.

    If you go this route, some questions you might ask yourself:

    -What makes a Blood Elf a Blood Elf? Is there anything I can do to make this look more like a Blood Elf?

    -What kinds of things does this engineer construct? Is there any way I can show that in his appearance?

    -What kinds of materials does this Blood Elf engineer work with? Stone? Metal? Crystal? Fabric? Wood?

    -What sort of region does this Blood Elf engineer work at? Silvermoon city? A city by an ocean? A city in the mountains? A city in Pandaria?

    -If he works in Pandaria, does he make his stone golems out of jade? Bits of ancient ruins? Exactly how much influence does the Pandaren culture have on him?

    -Is this character important? Is he the very best at what he does, or is he just one of many? (If I were you, I would go with the former option. Don't make him just any Blood Elf engineer, make him THE Blood Elf engineer.)

    Option 2:

    "Obese Blood Elf Engineer" with Pandaren influence is rather awkward, but if you change the race of the character it might be easier for you to work with. Perhaps you could make this character a Goblin instead? The amount of gear and mechanical items you currently have doesn't really make too much sense for a Blood Elf, but it would be perfect for a Goblin.

    goblin-crest1.jpg

    VS

    BloodElfCrest1.jpg

    Sure, "Goblin engineer" is a bit typical, but it would give you more freedom to add mechanical bits and bobs on your character. It would give you the chance to turn something typical into something really fantastic.


    No matter what you do, just execute the piece really well.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    KyleJensen wrote: »
    I agree with the points Linkov and ZacD have made.

    It's better to just pick a theme or two that fit together and knock the piece out of the park than to mishmash a bunch of themes hoping that they work.

    Currently the only thing reading as Blood Elf to me is the face (minus the cigar in his mouth).

    -Blood Elves aren't really known for mechanics or engineering; they're known for their heavy use of magic.
    -Blood Elves tend to be slender and fit, so having him be obese seems out of character/culture.

    Some possible options that might solve your theme issue:

    Option 1:

    Instead of going for mechanical, go for magical. A magical engineer? Sure! Have him use objects that are powered by magic. Have you ever walked around Silvermoon City? There are arcane guardians that patrol the city and they're basically stone golems animated by magic crystals.

    If there's one way I could describe Blood Elf technology it would be "magical and floaty". Besides the crystal-powered golems, there are various props and structures that float around, doing whatever it is they're supposed to do. So perhaps your character could be the one guy in charge of the creation of arcane guardians, the creation of all the floaty items and architecture, or both. As far as props go, they would probably be low-tech, but whimsical in appearance.

    If you go this route, some questions you might ask yourself:

    -What makes a Blood Elf a Blood Elf? Is there anything I can do to make this look more like a Blood Elf?

    -What kinds of things does this engineer construct? Is there any way I can show that in his appearance?

    -What kinds of materials does this Blood Elf engineer work with? Stone? Metal? Crystal? Fabric? Wood?

    -What sort of region does this Blood Elf engineer work at? Silvermoon city? A city by an ocean? A city in the mountains? A city in Pandaria?

    -If he works in Pandaria, does he make his stone golems out of jade? Bits of ancient ruins? Exactly how much influence does the Pandaren culture have on him?

    -Is this character important? Is he the very best at what he does, or is he just one of many? (If I were you, I would go with the former option. Don't make him just any Blood Elf engineer, make him THE Blood Elf engineer.)

    No matter what you do, just execute the piece really well.

    Hopefully, this communicates as an intention to really get a solid design running before I head off into the technical hell that is ZBrush (at least to me).

    I feel like I've already answered some of those internal questions 3 days ago, like this Blood Elf having adventured in Pandaria for some time, profession and what he does, etc.

    The whole bit about an engineer who specifically constructs Arcane Golems seems to hit the mark to me. I am loathe to remove the back cannon though, or to really even change the Chinese design it has at the moment.

    I will bite the bullet though . . . it seems to me that it will not be wise to keep this sense of Pandaria influence in the character's clothes (reserved for PCs at most, understandably).

    I don't think it is wise to eliminate the silhouette completely, but I will come back with fixes that aim for the following:

    A Blood Elf War Engineer who concentrates on constructing Blood Elf war machines (Ballistae, Arcane Golems, etc), but someone who can also deal with martial situations (weapons, tools doubling as weapons.) No Pandaren influence, just all Blood Elf and Arcane Engineering.

    Been doing additional research continuously, and it has been hard to find any real evidence of Blood Elf engineering apart from Ballistae and the Arcane Golems we see in Silvermoon, etc. It feels like the approach will have to be, as you said, "whimsify" existing basic props like hammers. etc, to reflect Blood Elf aesthetics.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Rough adjustments made. ELiminated Pandaren and attempting to integrate Blood Elven aesthetics in its entirety (on the right).

    Is this better, or at least heading in a better direction?

    S7Y7l.jpg
  • Jason Young
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    Jason Young polycounter lvl 14
    Is there a reason you're doing the whole high poly sculpt and baking to a low poly? It seems the contest is to create something that fits within WoW, so I'd personally just do a straight-up low poly model and hand paint the entire thing.

    I'm digging a lot of the shapes and proportions you've got going on. The back cannon feels unresolved right now, and it might look better to remove it or simplify/shrink it in some way. Just a thought.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    I figure the process would be to quickly rough sculpt, retopo the separate pieces, recompile the high res, and basically bake out a cavity map. Unless this seems unnecessary? Definitely would tackle one of the first questions I had.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    @KyleJensen: Hopefully this commits close to your critiques?

    I've scrubbed all reference to anything vaguely Asian, and replaced it with Blood Elf aesthetics, while trying to punch up the "Engineer" end of things. He even has a stripe wife-beater now O.o

    I'm having trouble imagining the spanner as anything other than this geometric object. As with that above thumb, it felt too dangerously close to just looking like a staff.

    ylzO0.jpg
  • praetus
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    praetus interpolator
    This is starting to look more coherent as a blood elf engineer. One thing though, you may want to alter or get rid of the shoulder piece under the cannon. Right now it looks like the cannon would either have to float high above his shoulder or it would clip through it terribly.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    @praetus: Thanks for pointing that out. Gonna rough in the cannon in Maya and that smokestack element on the shoulder, and see what I can do, whether I need to have some assymetry happening, etc.

    Progress on the rough sculpt. Not entirely sure if I'm doig this right, but the next step after completion would be to retopologize for a cleaner high poly. Or straight into low poly if I lose time.

    7J9Tg.jpg

    And the way the flower cannon is going to work, sans the right smokestack.

    ySn76.jpg
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    I feel like the rough sculpt is done now.

    So I guess the question from here is:
    -Do I take the time to make a final, complete final High Res mesh from Retopoo so I can get a cavity map, AO, etc.
    - or Do I go straight to low pol and trust I can paint everything in.

    Romans! I beg for your ears! I need your fine counsel splattered upon this wretched work!

    N4gGJ.jpg
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