My first simply maya project - Page 4 - Simply Maya User Community

# 46 29-02-2004 , 01:01 AM

The Maya Mountain
Join Date: Aug 2002

Location: Seattle, WA

Posts: 8,245

I scale my image planes all the time... frankly, I realize you may not like it, but that's just the way they are.

:shrug:

Hope you stick around.

-Mike
The Maya Toolbelt

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# 47 29-02-2004 , 02:02 AM

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Mike, your missing my point. For a "tutorial" I should not have to readjust the image planes so much! The components of the tutorial from the students point of view should be complete. The excercise is to model a dragon using basic nurbs for massing and polygon editing for modeling not try to re-intepret the reference images.

I'm just trying to help you guys out with some of my feelings as I try to complete this model.

From the students (that's me) point of view I lost a day of modeling time because I had to diddle with getting the reference images correct.

Kurt, overall the techniques you show in the tutorial are great and I have learned a ton. I am just saying that this referance image scale and proportion thing from the point of view of a complete novice to maya and modelling and art and anatomy and perspective and scale and and and.... has been a stumbling block.

Anyway, I was just posting my experiences - good and bad - as I work through the tutorial. For a more experienced modeller I am sure this is a non-issue.

Dragon Body

Day 2:

After pushing a pulling vertices and hulls for a couple hours this is the proportions I am going to start with. I'll refine them after I convert to polygons and as I am adding details. Otherwise, I will be stuck in nurbs massing mode forever.

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Last edited by ctbram; 04-03-2004 at 12:13 PM.

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# 48 29-02-2004 , 02:12 AM

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To be honest its looks good, similar to mine at thats stage. Once you start adding musle detail that will help a lot as well give you a better idea about the over all shape.

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination, knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world. (Albert Einstein)

https://www.artstation.com/kurtb

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# 49 29-02-2004 , 02:27 AM

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Thanks Kurt, I am gonna stick with it!

Did not mean to ruffle any feathers. Just trying to honestly document my progress. My intent was to give honest feedback on something of a stumbling block for me.

Even if I was unable to get beyond this point I would definately say this tutorial has been a great learing tool and was well worth it.

I'll stick with it and will complete it. I don't give up easily!

Rich

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

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# 50 29-02-2004 , 03:21 AM

The Maya Mountain
Join Date: Aug 2002

Location: Seattle, WA

Posts: 8,245

Glad to hear it. user added image

The site has a lot to offer those who genuinly want to learn, and I'm glad you are one of them.

Keep it up!

-Mike
The Maya Toolbelt

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# 51 01-03-2004 , 12:18 AM

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Day 3:

- converted the nurbs of the body and leg into polygons and attached them

- shoulder blade
- roughed in rib cage volumn
- cleaned leg attach point
- roughed in leg bone and muscle
- added left and right toes
- tweaked foot shape

Okay, back on track. Here is where my newbdum will shine though and any tips will be very welcomed. I am not as up to speed on the body anatomy as the face so getting bone and muscle structure correct will be more of a challenge for me.

To do:

- clean up leg mesh
- add rear toe and dew claw
- add nails
- convert arm to poly and attach
- add arm details (bone, muscle, finger nuckles, nails)
- add wing membranes
- ... more when I get the above done user added image

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# 52 01-03-2004 , 12:26 AM

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Glad you decided to add the rest and finish it and it's is coming along great, the body there with the leg looks excellent. About the arm it might just look a bit silly now but it'll look more in proportion i'm sure when you add the wings.

Coming along very nice though, nice work !

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# 53 01-03-2004 , 11:31 AM

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Two words............WA......OW

Is a fool still a fool if he knows it ?

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# 54 01-03-2004 , 11:45 AM

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Day 3 (cont.)

- added claws
- added rear toe
- added dew claw
- tweaked foot
- tweaked leg

Leg prolly needs a bit more tweaking but going to call it good enough for now and start working on the arm/wing.

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Last edited by ctbram; 01-03-2004 at 11:51 AM.

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# 55 01-03-2004 , 11:56 AM

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looking good user added image

i too chose this as my first project in maya.I have been working on it for around a week now and have learned bucket loads , but saying that I made one drastic error and want to point it out to others that might try this tutorial....at the end of the head modeling part Kurt suggest we smooth the model to see what it really looks like, I did this and then somewhere after managed to delete the history so now although I have a head I like, I have to remake it so I will be able to attatch it to the body as I am really not up to attatching two smoothed objects.

Oh incase you want to see my 1st attempt here is a sample :

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# 56 01-03-2004 , 07:32 PM

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Nice work for a start

outstanding user added image

weld some pixels !!!

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# 57 01-03-2004 , 08:39 PM

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convert to subs, attach, and convert back?

Lungs not guns....

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# 58 01-03-2004 , 09:53 PM

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Strobe - Not sure what you are asking?

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

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# 59 02-03-2004 , 02:33 AM

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Day 4:

- converted nurbs arm mass to polygon
- extruded hand and finger bones
- general shaping of muscles and bones (needs refining)

The arm is not attached to the body yet. It is just stuck through the body mesh. Wanted to get the basic shaping done before attaching it.

Does the scale look okay?

To do:

- attach the poly arm to the body and clean up shoulder area
- add muscle detail
- add claws
- add wing membrane

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