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Character- Chandra Nalaar

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So i've always been impressed with the characters that Aleksi Briclot created for Magic The Gathering called planeswalkers. I used to play magic and so i don't know if that had something to do with it, but now is my 3d tribute to the first of those characters. Chandra Nalaar here is the description of her from the website.

"

Chandra Nalaar is a red-magic-wielding planeswalker. Her specialty is pyromancy: spells of fire, fire, and more fire.

There's no virtue in subtlety—at least not as far as the fire-mage Chandra Nalaar is concerned. Impulsive, passionate, and short-tempered, she's as ready to explode as the pyromantic spells of her ever-growing repertoire. Chandra's spark ignited when she was still quite young, and as she has grown, so have her abilities as a wielder of fire magic and as a planeswalker.

As a source of immense and unpredictable power, authority figures have sought to restrict and control Chandra, which comes into direct conflict with her need for independence and freedom. As Chandra's wild inner fire comes in contact with world after world of rules and strictures, the results are sure to be explosive."

Originally i was going to just do a bust but i got caught up in the enjoyment so here's a couple weeks off and on so far. most of it is still in low poly awaiting some hard surface lovin....oh yeah my challenge to myself was to try and make her armor hard surface modelled. so far only zbrushing is the body which is still slightly in WIP until i finish fleshing out her outfit. OKay now on to pictures

concepts and cards by Aleksi Briclot and Steve Argyle
d0000906_47d85d4bcffc4.jpg
chandra_ablaze.jpg

chandraWIP04.jpg
head_wip01.jpg

i'm not trying to follow on particular concept as much as become inspired by her character and make my own version in much the same as these 2 are diff outfits but the character still feels the same. Thanks for taking the time to read and if ya didn't thanks for looking at my Work in Progress! now on to working on her attire below the waist!

Most recent:

chandra_again.jpg

Replies

  • pior
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    pior grand marshal polycounter
    Hey! looking super solid so far!
    I hope you ll find a way to capture the dynamic/torn/infernal feel of the first illustration on the model. Itll be a great challenge but I think itll look great!

    The face is a bit generic (big-lips action heroine); it fits with the second illustration but I think the first one has some sort of edge to it that would be great to see in 3D. Id say, give her an expression as early as possible!

    I'd love to know what shader/render settings you used for the skin too! Its very readable and believable. The metal is cool too!
  • StolenPants
    Hey Pior, Thanks for the comments! I agree the face is a bit generic sexy chick for now but i wanted to get a jump on her outfit before i fleshed out her head completely, mostly because the more i work on her the more i get a feel for her character and personality.

    as for the shader render settings i admit i cheated a little bit and the textures are zbrush materials the metal is bronze antique and the skin is oil clay red. i like how, as you said, they read well. having these base materials always gets me pumped to keep working hard on my project because i can see a glimmer of it's end potential. sorry if i'm coming across philosophical, but motivation is the biggest problem most people have and i try to keep my motivation demon fed as much as possible.

    all in all i feel like i'm not even halfway done but i can't wait to see how she comes out in the end!
  • Chornohus
    Awesome, you really nailed the soft features for the feminine face! Armor looks about right, I would agree with pior though and say start sculpting out that expression as early as possible. It'll be sweet when she gets posed as dynamic as your concept.

    Looks great so far, cant wait to see your final render
  • Gotshoes
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    Gotshoes polycounter lvl 9
    Hey dude, I think she looks incredible so far! I honestly love the face as is, but if you do sharpen her up I'd really like to see a side by side.

    what are you planning to do with the end product? full on game spec character? or are you just doing s sculpt to have printed?

    keep it up dude, i can't wait to see the end result
  • StolenPants
    thanks Gochillis and Chornohus. the plan is for game rezz model. gonna try adn have a base head with no expression then create some blendshapes for a few diff emotions so i can maximize the effect of my poses. tho i might give a hair program a try since i have no experience with them yet but we'll see how much drive i have when i get to that point. thanks for the comments and interest
  • StolenPants
    ChandraWIP02.jpg

    little more progress on her, been busy at work but i'm gonna work on her alot this weekend i hope. anyways added blockouts for boots and more leg details. adding repeating patterns tho let me know if i'm overdoing it with the bolts. haven't touched the head yet, i want to finish blocking out and designing her outfit before i go back to the head. look for that update in the future.
  • P442
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    P442 polycounter lvl 8
    man, i hate that card, but this is awesome!
  • Josh_Singh
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    Josh_Singh polycounter lvl 18
    This is Great! I have been itching to do some MTG Fan art as well. This is great motivation!
  • skylebones
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    skylebones polycounter lvl 10
    Hey awesome. Steve is my cousin so I'll keep an eye on this one for sure.
  • woogity
    this is looking fantastic, great work so far! will be watching for updates.
  • StolenPants
    Thanks guys for the comment motivation!

    Josh_Singh: I plan on doing some more mtg stuff after this but i'm def gonna try it more stylized similar to yours ... your style always makes me happy looking at your work. i think it'd be awesome to do an mtg challenge on polycount! even a low poly challenge hopefully tho they don't start that until after i finish Chandra ;)

    Skylebones: Thats awesome that you have a really talented cousin! my cousin's best talent is making chicken....while yummy only helps to encourage slackin and lickin fingers. I chatted with Steve a while back saying i was gonna start a chandra 3d when i bought his print online, doubt he remembers but he definitely came across as a great guy :)

    Thanks for the interest i'm finalizing her shoulderpad today so hopefully i have some shots of the hard surface stuff soon.
  • Snefer
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    Snefer polycounter lvl 16
    very solid start. me is watching.
  • BradMyers82
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    BradMyers82 interpolator
    Very impressive! Great work so far.
  • Alberto Rdrgz
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    Alberto Rdrgz polycounter lvl 9
    so far, it looks great man.
  • MissMaddyTaylor
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    MissMaddyTaylor polycounter lvl 13
    Stunning work so far!
  • StolenPants
    ok so i am trying to decide which version i like more.

    ChandraWIP03.jpg

    i like the asymmetry on the right and maybe having some kind of neat glowing tattoo but i like the sleeve (like darth vader quilted armor type material) on the left. gonna rework the back design a bit cuz i'm not entirely happy with it yet. anyways feel free to post your opinion!
  • raul
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    raul polycounter lvl 11
    i like the progress on this! Very cool! I think, that b looks more brutal with less armor. Keep up the good work!
  • BeatKitano
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    BeatKitano polycounter lvl 16
    I would say B but with the sleeve like you said, it looks elegant and the asymetry is a good thing.
  • MephistonX
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    MephistonX polycounter lvl 9
    this is looking awesome, i prefure the asymmetry of B
  • woogity
    b for sure, its a girl little bit more skin is good:):thumbup:
  • StolenPants
    awesome B it is then! thanks for the quick feedback fellas!
  • uneditablepoly
    I agree, less armor is rockin'.
  • JarlanPerez
    Very awesome work. I really like softness of the face. And also it's cool that you grabbed some inspiration off mth. I loved seeing all the art in those cards since I was young.

    I really want to see how this develops. You've got me real interested in looking up some references from mtg for some environments :D

    Loving B
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    I really like the pipes of the back of A, if there's a way you can recreate that with B, that'd be awesome.
  • Dusty
    I KNEW I FIND YOU SO GOOD I RIKE DAT. YOU FINISH AND MAKE HAPPYNESS EVERYWHERE.

    I wish I could see all of your reference that I know you have been looking at all day.
  • StolenPants
    Thanks for the suggestions guys!

    Gasp DUSTY!! where have you been!? not playing LoL apparently! you know i don't share ALL my reference ;)
  • cdb-art
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    cdb-art polycounter lvl 10
    Just wanna chime in and say I am loving how this model is shaping up. The body is beautiful and the armor is really coming together, cant wait to see more!
  • Frump
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    Frump polycounter lvl 12
    Glad I checked this thread! Character is coming along well.:)

    I like B because the double pauldrons make it look like she has no neck, like a football player. Keep the sleeve from A though, that could turn out really cool.
  • JacqueChoi
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    JacqueChoi polycounter
    Great sculpt so far!

    Can't wait to see where you take it.

    :)


    And yeah, as everyone else has mentioned B is better. You get a better sense of her neckline.
  • jeremiah_bigley
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    jeremiah_bigley polycounter lvl 12
    Digging the results so far! I will keep an eye on this thread!
  • Lonewolf
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    Lonewolf polycounter lvl 18
    i think she should be naked

    icon9.gif
  • rasmus
    Looks good - go for asymmetry! Always more interesting.
  • StolenPants
    I'm having a fun time with zbrush that i hope someone else has enjoyed this feature and help me remedy it.

    export out pieces from max to zbrush using .obj exporter from max 2010
    import into zbrush and the scale is entirely off. export piece from zbrush into max and it is the right size then i export that same piece from max to zbrush adn scale is off. so to sum up.. my zbrush to max size works fine yet my max to zbrush scale is about 700x to small. only thing that has changed was i installed a new fbx plugin and the 3point shader thing on the main forum page, but i don't think either of those has anything to do with obj. anyone experienced this problem and have a fix? thanks in advance, i'm hoping to post my update once i get this issue resolved
  • disanski
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    disanski polycounter lvl 14
    Yeaa it happens very often and I think it is normal :) Many ways to fix it but the very easy one is just use Go Max it will fix it for you ( I am assuming you are not using it yet). If you still want to go the other way you will have to append a polystar or something to the first subtool you imported in zbrush. Make that new subtool active and then import your other object from max. Go max is wayyyy faster and better :) Great work so far. I hope this was helpful.
  • StolenPants
    My mind is blown.... for some reason appending a polymesh3d star then appending my obj's made them come in the correct size.... i have no reasonable understanding why that would work... i tried using gomax i had tried restarting my computer and programs to no avail but bringing in this polystar then appending in my obj's worked... thank you very much for the suggestion disanski, your my hero for the day and in your honor i will drink a beer for you.

    ChandraWIP04-1.jpg

    her face still needs some work but i'll try to get everything to a similar point then refine it. been a bit busy lately so sorry for updates taking a long time and not being very major updates but this will get kicked into gear shortly.

    few things, the tube is going to have that interwoven look that steve argyle's version has that i love, gonna work on the tube connection on her gauntlet (it's mysteriously missing), and then on to zbrushing cloth and leather and armsleeve thingers. stay tuned for my Chandra action!
  • Dusty
    Buddamilk BISCUITS!
  • BlackulaDZ
    nice so far man, diggin' the curves
  • Torrrtilla
    Awesome work man! Very clean and the anatomy feels really solid.
  • Zipfinator
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    Zipfinator polycounter lvl 9
    Gah, missed this thread but I'd vote for a mix of A and B with double pauldrons but only one or zero sleeves.
  • Spark
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    Spark polycounter lvl 18
    StolenPants, loving this so far and looking forward to the final. As for the polymesh3d trick, its sort of like resetting the xform for zbrush...or if you must, it's MAGIC! Either way, the size variations from programs are a serious bother, and has caused me many of a trouble on my work.

    Spark
  • Snake
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    Snake polycounter lvl 17
    She's giving me a hard on. Am I allowed to say this in here? Sorry, amazing work so far. I gotta learn how to use those sculpting tools once and for all, I feel like I'm trailing very far behind of you guys =P.
  • StolenPants
    Spark: Thanks for the compliment. The trick seemed to not quite work the next time around and i'm not to keen on eyeballing scale and placement so i'm still trying to find something i can to that's reproducable that will solve my problems at least for this .ztl ....... this is bringing back nightmares from Dom War with zbrush crashes and verts shooting into space signaling impending crashes.

    Snake: ah i'll take that as a compliment heh

    Zipfinator: i like big shoulder pauldrons myself but i was kinda wanting to avoid them looking like sisters of battle from warhammer 40k (which is awesome too, but a diff genre). thanks for the feedback tho
    thanks for the comments guys, i'll post updates as i solve this zbrush problem after work.

    Update: after searching all over zbrush forums alot of people and companies are having this problem. apprently at some point zbrush scaled my ztl up like 600% so every obj was coming in miniscule, oddly tho exporting any of the parts from the ztl came into max the right size.. i assume there is a bug in the code on importing obj's. they can't track down what causes this bug and currently no real fix that i'm aware of. luckily i save alot of iterations so i have a body base saved that didn't get upscaled (yet) and the obj's come in fine. i really would prefer them to fix the bugs in zbrush rather then adding "animation" and other somewhat, in my opinion, worthless features. anyways i love zbrush and it is my preference, but ya gotta learn it is in control and when it decides to put on it's dominitrix leathers be prepared for some punishment.
  • katana
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    katana polycounter lvl 14
    It's really excellent modeling, the material really brings out the shapes. Can't wait to see the texture work.
  • Gotshoes
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    Gotshoes polycounter lvl 9
    Looking great!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but there's one thing missing..... booty!

    case in point:

    4777635551_ff905dfdb4.jpg

    what happened? I liked the booty :)
  • StolenPants
    mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm, what to do about the booty... only solution is Marilyn Monroe tribute pose! complete with steam vents and all! hmm not a terrible idea actually... anyways ARMSLEEVE WIP

    armsleevewip01.jpg
  • PatrickL
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    PatrickL polycounter lvl 9
    Very awesome work. Really excited to see how this turns out.
  • StolenPants
    Worked on glove and here's the current state of Chandra.

    Overall i like where it's going but i think i am going to rework the gauntlet form scratch and make it more badass. gonna design some filigree or design to try and tie it together a bit more. Hopefully i get to the head soon because it's kinda nagging on me to fix it and give her some personality.

    chandraWIP05.jpg

    and the sleeve to glove connection will be fixed shortly too btw
  • woogity
    looking very nice great work on the sleeve

    nice alphas on the glove too, your designs?
  • StolenPants
    Woogity: i found refence for the gloves in a comic book printed about the planeswalkers... problem is every artist has a different take on the character. on the plus side that makes me feel better about putting my own spin on her. i created one of the stitch alphas but the other one is actually the default one in zbrush that i found worked perfectly
  • B33TL3
    I just want to say, that as a MtG Player,.... this is bloody awesome. Keep it up, even though I don't know you! >_>
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