Finish dragon model
by Matt Fairfax · in Jobs · 06/27/2003 (6:20 am) · 25 replies
Dragon SDK
This model represents my brief stab at being a modeller (I am a coder with artistic "tendencies"). I had intended it for a UT2K3 mod with dragons fighting humans but have never taken the time to finish it, so it is still a bit rough.
I am interested in seeing it finished and usable though and I am willing to pay to see that done. I am looking for two things. Primarily, I would like to see the model rigged (which will probably include a little mesh work for the joints). Ideally, I'd like to see it rigged so that it is exportable to the Half-Life model format and animatable through sliders (ala 3D Studio Max 5) but I am willing to work with the artist on that. Secondarily, I wouldn't mind seeing it skinned but that is of a lesser concern so will pay a little less.
I am not certain what would be considered fair compensation for these services but I am thinking somewhere in the range of $75 - $100 for rigging and $20 for skinning. I would pay through PayPal. If you are an experienced artist with a portfolio to show me your skill then I am willing to pay a bit up front. However if you do not have a portfolio, I am going to have to at least a screenshot of the rigged or skinned model before I will pay. If the amounts I am offering are unfair then feel free to toss out some amounts on your own.
Please contact me at matt@rustycode.com
You can refer to this Help Wanted Ad.
Thanks =)
About the author
I am a Game Designer at PopCap who has worked on PvZ Adventures, PvZ2, Peggle Blast, and Bejeweled Skies. I am an ex-GarageGames employee who helped ship TGE, TGEA, Torque 3D, and Constructor.
#2
Anything I do get I would be more than willing to offer back to the community. While I am not planning on using this guy in TGE anytime soon, I think that having a TGE compatible version of this guy would be a lot of fun! I can think of a couple of different smallish games I could use him in. He might even be appropiate for Realm Wars (as a summonable monster or something).
I would also be willing to let the artist who takes on this project offer him as a content pack if they give me some kind of break in the price. I could even write up some scripting for fiery breath and a spell or two for such a pack.
06/27/2003 (7:31 am)
Eric, if no one else takes up this offer then I definitely look forward to getting your version of it =)Anything I do get I would be more than willing to offer back to the community. While I am not planning on using this guy in TGE anytime soon, I think that having a TGE compatible version of this guy would be a lot of fun! I can think of a couple of different smallish games I could use him in. He might even be appropiate for Realm Wars (as a summonable monster or something).
I would also be willing to let the artist who takes on this project offer him as a content pack if they give me some kind of break in the price. I could even write up some scripting for fiery breath and a spell or two for such a pack.
#3
06/27/2003 (7:43 am)
For real? I'll go ahead and start on this model right now if you'd do that (write a flamethrower that is, I really need one... and some other spell effects would be cool to), as for a price break, how's free? write me up those scripts and you've got yourself a deal :), I'll skin him, fix him up for torque and even throw in some animations. I'm afriad I dont know how to set up models for half life, I've never worked with that engine
#4
Do you hang out in the irc channel? If so, what is your nick? I'm mattf in there (pretty obvious =).
06/27/2003 (7:53 am)
Sounds like a deal =) I'll get started on the flamethrower. I think that if we can get it rigged for TGE then we will be well on our way for HL. If nothing else, I can always wack out my own max custom max exporter to get him into my engine later.Do you hang out in the irc channel? If so, what is your nick? I'm mattf in there (pretty obvious =).
#5
06/27/2003 (7:55 am)
Not usualy in IRC, am now though
#6
Sounds cool though, cant wait to see the finished product :D
06/27/2003 (9:36 am)
Lol Eric.. I think you need some lessons in bartering.. generally you start higher than free :)Sounds cool though, cant wait to see the finished product :D
#7
besides, I think I might seriously consider offering this guy as a content pack later
06/27/2003 (9:51 am)
Haha... well I dont have much of a choice dylan, you see my weapon scripter quit on me... what was his name again?besides, I think I might seriously consider offering this guy as a content pack later
#8
I think a content pack with this guy would be pretty cool. Offer a playable character version and a flying vehicle version...toss in some cool scripts and I'd say we would have a winner =)
06/27/2003 (10:04 am)
I just missed you in irc =( Feel free to email me with your specific weapon scripts requirements.I think a content pack with this guy would be pretty cool. Offer a playable character version and a flying vehicle version...toss in some cool scripts and I'd say we would have a winner =)
#9
I agree about the content pack, I bet thered be a lot of demand for that, not only would it give people an example of setting up weird shaped characters (I had to learn the hard way :( ) but it would also be a cool vehicle example, flamethrower example and some people might just want a dragon :), a winner indead!
still working on the skinning, got most of the body done (roughly, still need to add details and such) the wings will probably take me awhile though, I might have a screenshot for you tomorrow
06/27/2003 (11:20 am)
Ya, I'm not big on IRC, I'll send you an email later after I've given it some thought, for now I really need a flame thrower! do you suppose you could make freez breath? (that would stop the player from moving? is that possible without having to modify to much?)I agree about the content pack, I bet thered be a lot of demand for that, not only would it give people an example of setting up weird shaped characters (I had to learn the hard way :( ) but it would also be a cool vehicle example, flamethrower example and some people might just want a dragon :), a winner indead!
still working on the skinning, got most of the body done (roughly, still need to add details and such) the wings will probably take me awhile though, I might have a screenshot for you tomorrow
#10
I can't wait to see the screenshot =) I will make a point to hop on this weekend a little (I usually don't bother since all I have is 28.8 at home).
You can also reach me on AOL IM as Farmer M or on Yahoo Messenger as matthew_fairfax or on MSN Messenger as matt@rustycode.com. Feel free to ping me =)
06/27/2003 (12:11 pm)
I'll get to work on a flame thrower and a freeze thrower. Off the top of my head I would say that stopping the player from moving shouldn't be hard.I can't wait to see the screenshot =) I will make a point to hop on this weekend a little (I usually don't bother since all I have is 28.8 at home).
You can also reach me on AOL IM as Farmer M or on Yahoo Messenger as matthew_fairfax or on MSN Messenger as matt@rustycode.com. Feel free to ping me =)
#11
06/28/2003 (6:05 am)
Hey matt, thought I'd post a little pic of my progress so far, this is the first draft of the skin, I've added a nice scale pattern, but I'm thinking I would like to add some brown to the skin, it'll probably look a bit differetn when I'm done. As you can see I've started to add some extra geometry for hair, I plan on covering his back (and some other places) with brown hair (it looks kinda pink in the pic, I've already fixed that). It'll probably take me the rest of the day to finish up on the texturing and modifying. Tomorrow I will probably start rigging it up for torque... with any luck we'll have a new playable character by monday :) 
#12
:) now I wonder how it would look next to my minotaur :o
heh
let me know if ya need any help rigging/animation.
I just figured out why my mino would crash max. Now he is going to be exported for torque this weekend and I will release him in a game called Ironsphere. also I will keep track of what went wrong initially and try to update others so when they run accross the same problem they will get a quick solution
06/28/2003 (6:19 am)
Nice low poly dragon.:) now I wonder how it would look next to my minotaur :o
heh
let me know if ya need any help rigging/animation.
I just figured out why my mino would crash max. Now he is going to be exported for torque this weekend and I will release him in a game called Ironsphere. also I will keep track of what went wrong initially and try to update others so when they run accross the same problem they will get a quick solution
#13
06/28/2003 (7:35 am)
Thanks for the offer stephen, but I'm pretty seasoned at rigging up players, I do appriciate the offer though
#14
and you thought you had a hairy chest ;)
btw, hows the flamethrower and freezthrower coming?
06/28/2003 (1:55 pm)
Ok, I'm planning on changing the eyes and fixing up the horns and feet and other little details, but matthew what do you think of the overall look? I'm pretty happy with it, if you are to I'll finish it up and start rigging this guy up for torqueand you thought you had a hairy chest ;)btw, hows the flamethrower and freezthrower coming?
#15
I've fixed up most of the flaws and I consider the model pretty much done and ready for rigging, would you agree my good chap? Speak now or forever hold your peace. I'll probably start the rigging later today, if not then tomorrow, hope you have those weapons ready, cant wait to try stuff out, let me know if you need any help with the art for the weapons, I'm happy to assit with whatever I can
06/29/2003 (7:51 am)
And I'm spent...I've fixed up most of the flaws and I consider the model pretty much done and ready for rigging, would you agree my good chap? Speak now or forever hold your peace. I'll probably start the rigging later today, if not then tomorrow, hope you have those weapons ready, cant wait to try stuff out, let me know if you need any help with the art for the weapons, I'm happy to assit with whatever I can
#16
Looks good =) Go ahead and rig it. I am planning to spend some quality time on the flamethrower tonight (I am lucky if I get to do any programming at all on weekends).
06/30/2003 (5:02 am)
Sorry for not responding sooner...my dail-up refused to let me on this weekend =(Looks good =) Go ahead and rig it. I am planning to spend some quality time on the flamethrower tonight (I am lucky if I get to do any programming at all on weekends).
#17
Alc
07/03/2003 (7:21 pm)
Are you looking for this guy to be a mean dragon or a cartoony friendly guy? Or cartoony mean? Btw... what did you use for reference?Alc
#18
07/03/2003 (7:29 pm)
Well... wasnt really going for cartoony, does it look that way? I wasnt really going for mean either... I was just trying to make him look good... did I? I only saw the reference after skinning him, the reference was a tough looking red dragon... I'm planning on making 4 different skins for this guy (although they will all look about the same just different colors), I'm gonna make a red, blue and black dragon in adition to this guy, hopefully the red or black will look meaner if you think this guy looks to cartoony
#19
he need's a mouth.
and you should bone it too.
(how else to breath fire?)
and I think the texture needs more gradient's.
for detail.
and at the same time try for darker shading on the head in the texture.
try to pull out some more definition.
and the same for as many body locations that looks good.
And I think the Eye's really need to be a Part of the mesh.
or at least some kind of mesh definition there.
I think the spot, if you look at the Top picture.
see the spot on the head below the horn?
the line that is dark shaded coming towards the snout.
That is the spot for the eye on the mean dragon.
pulled back and long, with that sunken look.
Right now his eye position look's more like that of a horse.
if this was done to this model,
It would be Awesome.
real deadly.
My Opinion.
07/03/2003 (7:39 pm)
Well, he need's a mouth.
and you should bone it too.
(how else to breath fire?)
and I think the texture needs more gradient's.
for detail.
and at the same time try for darker shading on the head in the texture.
try to pull out some more definition.
and the same for as many body locations that looks good.
And I think the Eye's really need to be a Part of the mesh.
or at least some kind of mesh definition there.
I think the spot, if you look at the Top picture.
see the spot on the head below the horn?
the line that is dark shaded coming towards the snout.
That is the spot for the eye on the mean dragon.
pulled back and long, with that sunken look.
Right now his eye position look's more like that of a horse.
if this was done to this model,
It would be Awesome.
real deadly.
My Opinion.
#20
hey matt, how are the weapons comming along?
07/03/2003 (7:45 pm)
Agreed he does need a mouth(and he's getitng one ;) ) and its already boned (70 bones!). darker colors would make him look a bit tougher... maybe I'll do that... I'll move the eyes too, I put them there because it seemed natural, since the head pretty much is a horses head, but ya, maybe it would look tougher a little further foreward, I'll work on ithey matt, how are the weapons comming along?
Torque Owner Dr. John Nobody