3D modelling: of Cosmos and robots

Woo hoo! The 3D modelling stuff just keeps getting more enjoyable - because this time I'm creating one of my own characters! In 1999, I started a little comic strip called 'Cosmos', which I have done many splendoured things with; and continues to this day. Should I start chronicling it on this blog? Yes, I think I shall! Anyhoo, one of the mediums I hadn't yet breached with Cosmos was that of 3D - I had one of my characters rendered as a 3D printed model a couple of years ago when I won a character design contest, but I wanted to actually create a model myself. And now that we're mastering Maya in design school, this was the perfect opportunity: the assignment proper is due on Sunday, but the models I've painstakingly assembled - a fellow called Tony Corvell, owner of 'Tony's Comic Utopia', and his Japanese toy robot pal - are all but done. So I'm gonna share them with you, right here and now!

(All artwork and character designs are, of course, (c) 2014 Jon Kay; as if I need to tell you nice people that.... We're all friends here, right?)

Our first task was to create a set of model sheets showing our characters from all the relevant angles - front, back and side; that could be imported into Maya and scribbled all over (so to speak)....

I started with Tony - firstly, I constructed an arm and a leg; and then built up his body from a 2D ring drawn around his side view sillhouette....

And once that was done, connected part A to parts B, C and D; mirror-image copied everything to form a complete figure; and then gave the poor fella some clothes!

Next up, a UV map was made from the clothing components, so I could put colours, logos and other fabric details on Tony's stylin' threads....

Then finally, based on a fully official colour guide, I created and applied the proper visuals to Tony 3D's clothes (and everything else) and rolled out the rendered turnaround! I might shift the X-badge a bit more to the left, and possibly shrink the TCU logo slightly, but otherwise it looks good to me!

Part two, and on to the robot! Despite the apparent complexity of the design, Mr. Robot was actually a pretty quick build; being composed primarily of basic shapes with a few faces extruded out / scaled / reshaped to add detail and extra parts....

Which in turn resulted in this handsome creature here!

Most of the body was able to be coloured with basic textures, so I only had to do UV's for the decals that every Japanese tin robot worth his or her salt displays proudly on there chest plates! A bit of Illustrator, Photoshop and Maya work later...

And Mr. Roboto was ready for friction powered, spark-shooting action!

I love Transformers: Age of Extinction movie display

Adore Michael Bay's explosion-tastic Transformers saga or hate it (and believe you me, there are plenty of people in the latter category!), you will surely be aware that the fourth installment, Age of Extinction, has just head-butted the public's consciousness with its gala debut! And as with most movies these days, there has been a hype-worthy slot-together display standee erected in movie theatres across the cinema-verse.....

Oh. My. Bob.

This thing is, without doubt, an absolute work of art! A humongous model of Optimus Prime riding on the back of the mighty Grimlock (leader of the Dinobots) built out of 700 gazillion pieces of die-cut card forming the myriad armour plates and mechanical doodads making up the two Cybertronian titans. So many parts.... Such a detailed model....  It's the new holy grail of  Transformers collectibles..... It must be....

Right, that's it, I'm sneaking in there tonight and stealing the freakin' thing!