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[Dota 2] - Drow Ranger - TBD

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Alright, I'm going to jump into the fray and get this project off the ground! I'm been 3D modeling in Solidworks for a while but want to learn polygonal modeling by giving this project a shot. I'll be doing an outfit set for Drow Ranger and will be posting some of my preliminary concept drawings later tonight.

Looking forward to watching everybody's concepts develop!

Replies

  • Vindalia
  • Vindalia
    Doing some initial research
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  • Vindalia
    I'm going to be balancing a lot of school work alongside this project, so I made a Gantt chart for myself
    eJTDk.jpg
  • Vindalia
    Ok here's my starting point. Gonna work on concept sketches tonight and upload some in a few hours! (hopefully)
    fgwBY.jpg
  • Vindalia
    Ok first sketch board! Kinda sloppy, but trying to go through these really fast. After I go through all the outfit components, I'll mix and match until I have a complete outfit concept that I like.
    4Lai0.jpg
  • System
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    System admin
    Yikes. In-depth planning. I like it! You really seem to be putting a lot of effort into this, can't wait to see the final product.
  • Vindalia
    Thank you! Yeah, I am putting a lot of effort into this (more than school at this moment, haha) I do hope it turns out well...my weakest point is modeling and the workflow for submitting items to the Workshop. I started teaching myself Maya 3 weeks ago, which puts me at a rather...significant disadvantage :P
  • Vindalia
    Hey if you guys see any of these sketches that stand out to you, please let me know!
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  • bounchfx
    oh my, awesome planning and presentation. As for the latest concepts, I like 4 and 5, and the cuffs of 3.
  • Vindalia
    Thank you bounchfx! I appreciate the feedback.

    Now, here are some weapons! Gosh, if I keep up this rate of 7 variations per equipment type, that means by the end of this all I will have drawn 7x7=49x3 themes = 147 drawings o_o

    cDZ4E.jpg
  • DashXero
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    DashXero polycounter lvl 11
    I like what you've got so far. For the hoods, I'm partial to 5 and 7; shoulders, 2; bracers, 4; and bow 7.
  • Vindalia
    DashXero, thanks for the input!

    Alright its getting late and my eyes hurt. Here's the last page for today--so close to finishing this theme, just need to do the leg armor tomorrow to wrap it up!

    XCStE.jpg
  • Snipergen
    Nice presentation and very thorough research. I see you like structure!
    I love nr. 4, it just works. Cool cool!
  • bounchfx
    I agree, number 4 looks nice and sleek, I also like number 7.
  • Spudnik
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    Spudnik polycounter lvl 11
    Is it too late to cast a vote to see some of the imperial themed stuff? That one really peaked my interest.
  • Anuxinamoon
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    Anuxinamoon polycounter lvl 14
    Very nice presentation! Liking the cloak designs :D 3 and 4 <3
  • qassamzed
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    qassamzed polycounter lvl 6
    @_@ mothergod that presentation and planning is very great...

    head : 2 & 7
    armor : 4
    bow : -
    cape : 3

    cant wait to see more :)
  • Vindalia
    Thanks everyone for the feedback! It's super helpful :) As for presentation stuff, looks like Typography class has finally come in handy somewhere interesting, haha

    Spudnik, I haven't started on the imperial theme yet, but you'll be seeing some of that later today!
  • Jalcober
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    Jalcober polycounter lvl 10
    Holycrap! This thread is amazing!
  • AbKI
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    AbKI polycounter lvl 6
    I like head 6, bow 5, torso 4 and cape 4 the most. :)

    Love the attention to detail with your planning, really looking forward to seeing which concepts you choose!
  • Vindalia
    Alright, finished up leg armor ideas for the first theme. Moving onto the imperial theme!
    FtZgq.jpg
  • Vindalia
    New theme coming up! :)
    x1ySK.jpg
  • Spudnik
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    Spudnik polycounter lvl 11
    #2 looks really intriguing as does #5

    I like how sturdy the cowl looks in #5, especially in the neck area where it looks like it could protect from a sword to the neck reeeasonably well.

    In #2 I like how all of the focus in on the face as if to say "This is the last thing you're ever gonna see!" Also has a bit of a temple vibe which I'm digging!

    Keep it up!
  • Vindalia
    Thanks Spudnik! I appreciate the encouragement :)

    Next up, even more body armor ideas! Once I'm done with all these sets, I'll have a pretty big pool of ideas to pull from...

    MHrV5.jpg
  • Jungsik
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    Jungsik polycounter lvl 6
    you sir..awesome presentation..will be following closely :D
  • duoxan
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    duoxan polycounter lvl 17
    this is rad, cant wait to see what you end up going with. #6 on the latest shoulders definitely speak imperial. nice work!
  • Vindalia
    Thanks guys, I appreciate it! :) If you see anything from the previous boards that stands out to you, please let me know.

    oep22.jpg
  • ellisq
    Shoulder number 6. 3. and 5. in 2/3 are VERY cool concepts. I love this planning. Rooting for you!
  • Vindalia
    Ellisq, thank you for the feedback and the support! :D

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  • Vindalia
    And here's the last board for the Imperial theme set. I'm not entirely please with them, but when I condense all of these into 3 main concepts, I'll just incorporate parts from other items that I like and morph some leg armor out of it. Calling it a night now! Thank you everybody for the support and the feedback :)

    wEBnM.jpg
  • Spudnik
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    Spudnik polycounter lvl 11
    Shoulders:
    #4 and #6 with 6 being the favorite. It really feels heavier than the others and has a more distinguished vibe

    Bow:
    #6 because the red rings look interesting and it would fit in well with the #6 shoulder. You might wanna think about making it a bit longer though.

    Back:
    These all look cool but I think #1 and 4# are my favorites. If you added a bit of a red accent to #4 I'd say that one is the clear winner for me.

    Legs:
    #4 and #6 again. I'm just digging the heavy armor vibe ^^
  • reverendK
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    reverendK polycounter lvl 7
    Definitely diggin the imperial theme more than the crystal .
    I personally feel your first 3 bows have the strongest silhouettes - but #3 lacks the red kicker.
    I'm quite partial to back piece #3 myself.
    Not sure about the legs, though. I think #7 suits the character well but it could use some more love in the colors.
  • qassamzed
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    qassamzed polycounter lvl 6
    nice update for imperial concept

    head : 3
    body : 6
    back : 1
  • LuCh!
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    LuCh! polycounter lvl 5
    nice presentation! and you work fast!
    i like the color scheme of the crystal theme more but the design of the imperial! xP
    impereal designs:
    head 2,
    shoulders 4 & 6 maybe 1,
    bow 1,
    cape 1,
    legs 3,

    btw, don't forget you have to skin the models too cause I don't see that in your planning!
    for me atleast it's a big part in my planning bc (I think) it has to be done in Maya and I've never used Maya before,
    shouldn't be to hard but still, gotta save some extra time for troubleshooting
  • Vindalia
    Spudnik, Thanks again for the feedback! :)

    ReverendK, I feel like my leg armor ideas are the least exciting out of all the equipment types. And yeah, the colors in 7 could use some help too. I'll be working on it!

    Quassamzed, thanks!

    LuCh!, thanks for sharing your thoughts! Yes, I know I need to skin the model at some point in Maya and that'll be under the Texturing part of the timeline. But thanks for pointing it out, it seems like I forgot to write it in there, haha
  • Vindalia
    Alrighty, kicking off the third and final theme! I'll be updating slower during the week since I've got classes to attend and homework to take care of. Again, please let me know if any of these designs (and previous ones) pop out to you!

    AnbG1.jpg
  • SoJa
    This is a very influencing thread.
  • duoxan
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    duoxan polycounter lvl 17
    2 and 3 for your imperial bows, maybe even 6. its just opinion but i dislike the crazy jagged bows, just dont seem practical to me. 4 and 6 on the capes. on the legs 7 is interesting, but come off as something a knight would wear, not necessarily imperial. 5 seems to be closer to the mark, as its simple yet elegant, not sure if thats what youre going for though. love the progress so far!
  • Vindalia
    Duoxan, thank you for sharing your thoughts! I completely agree with you on the impracticality of crazy jagged bows (and how are those energy-crystal-orb things supposed to be bowstrings anyways?) but it seems to me like game artists care more for designing unique silhouettes to distinguish one item from another over realism. That being said, I'll probably narrow down my ideas to more practical-looking stuff anyhow :P When I run out of ideas, its easy to fall back on the weirdly-shaped stuff, haha
  • Vindalia
    Ok, board 3 out of 5 for the Celtic theme! Trying to focus more on knotted and woven forms in this theme.

    My goal is to post an update at least once a day. Here's my short-term schedule:
    Today: prepare templetes for completed concept boards for all 3 themes, write short lore-based story for origin of the attire
    Wednesday: Finish bow and leg armor boards
    Thursday: Publish at least one completed concept board
    Friday: Another concept board
    Weekend: By end of weekend publish all complete concepts, commence elimination process, prepare for modeling phase of project

    Ongoing short-term goals: Fill in gaps in knowledge of Workshop uploading pipeline and technical requirements

    Ez5Ti.jpg
  • editpolygon
    I prefer the Crystal theme though all of them are nice to look at.

    Head - Punk hairdo with the circlet. The sides can be tucked under the hair and you wouldn't have to model it all the way around lowering your tri count.

    Body - Wavy silver.

    Weapon - Filigree looks good but may take up too many polygons. Taffy Stretch looks better with the hair and body that I like.

    Back - Waterfall looks nice but Asymmetry may suit the look better.

    Boots - Don't worry about too much detail on the boots. They're get lost anyway. Please, don't choose Battle Heels.:P
  • Vindalia
    Editpolygon, thanks for the very thorough reply! Man, its going to be tough choosing which items to actually model. Great tip about the boots too. Especially since Valve specified their models are colored on a gradient with the lower end being the darkest. Plus, you are viewing the heros from top-down perspective.

    As for the battle heels.. :P yeah my brain stops giving me good ideas every now and then haha (see: imperial theme capes # 5)
  • Vindalia
    Ok, getting close to wrapping up the concept exploration phase. Two more boards to go after this and then I'll be drawing detailed blue-prints! It's been a bit painstaking at times, but I believe that iteration is crucial to the success of a design (its something they grind into your brain in design school). Looking back, it would probably have been best to start with monochrome silhouettes before jumping straight into color, but the clock is ticking and I gotta move on. Next time :)

    hNoGs.jpg
  • Vindalia
    And some more capes!

    Kbrdz.jpg
  • duoxan
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    duoxan polycounter lvl 17
    no problem, this is easily one of my favorite threads! i hope to do some stuff for drow ranger too.
    as gamers we give a little leeway to the actual functions of things. the orbs in her original bow always came off as some sort of magic at least to me, where they would cause some mystical string/force to launch her arrows.
    definitely play with the silhouette and jagged lines, you never know what youll come up with!

    with this last set, i dig 3 4 and 5 in terms of the shoulders. i feel 3 has the more interesting silhouette but would be somewhat larger than what a ranger in a forest would wear. 4 and 5 seem more reasonable, but again its about making it interesting. bow 1 with the pattern seems most celtic, along with 7, whenever i hear celtic i think of the crazy patterns that type of stuff has. all the capes seem pretty legit, 6 has the most unique color though.
    keep it up!
  • Vindalia
    Thank you again Duoxan! I'm glad you are enjoying my thread :) And you should totally do something for Drpw Ranger as well--she isn't getting quite the attention I expect from one of Dota2's main poster-heroes.

    As for the shoulder sets, if you take a look at Drow's original profile the armor is rather pointy and triple-layered. Probably a bit heavy for a ranger to wear, but I think it goes back to the distinctive-silhouette reasoning. Still a good point to make though. And yes, Celtic stuff does have some crazy patterning (think Book of Kells..those monks had a hell of a time drawing those swirls!) Trying to tone down on the craziness so everything doesn't look like a big blob of knots, haha. Really appreciating your feedback and support!
  • Vindalia
    Ok, the last concept exploration board! Hurray! Voting is still open for any of these concepts if one of them pops out to you :)

    OFnnu.jpg
  • Vindalia
    I also wrote a vignette for each of my themed concepts (will be releasing them sequentially with the blueprints). I'm no English teacher, so all you grammar nazi's out there feel free to critique me on my writing too! You can cross-check my accuracy to the lore from Drow Ranger's page http://www.dota2.com/hero/Drow_Ranger/

    Each of the vignettes are pretty interchangeable for each outfit concept, but they each have a different mini-theme to them.

    wZUEt.jpg
  • Tvidotto
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    Tvidotto polycounter lvl 9
    great work! the concepts are awesome
  • Vindalia
    Thank you Tvidotto!

    And my first complete concept drawing (ah, finally!) created by tallying all your votes :) Crits as welcome as ever, and I got 2 more coming down the pipeline.

    ddlTd.jpg
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