Made this in the fall, still a bit of a WIP, but robot mode is done. Mega Empress was inspired by Sakamoto's UW comic. Originally I was going to model her based on his work, but ended up going a bit more toy accurate in detailing.
@Venksta , Any chance you can make some cannon parts/fillers for her ladder? I'd be down for a Renderform kit to give the figure a fusion railgun like in the comic! The best part of it being fillers for the ladder means doesn't have to be removed at all for any transformation
Just keep practising, I've been 3D modeling for almost 20 years, and I still got ways to go. XD I got some ideas for her.
Great job with the modeling and materials, Venksta! You've got an excellent sense of scale and proportion with your models, especially with the anatomy of Cybertronian faces. Asides from a minor critique on the thumb (and that's more a universal problem among most Transformers models so this is hardly specific to your work), do you have familiarity with weight map textures? The idea is that you can first use an image map for dirt, rust, etc. and then control the tiling by painting weight maps to help control the opacity levels, kind of like a mask. It's a great way to add more real world effect to the model without having to go crazy with unwrapping UV's (though that would probably wind up giving you the most control).
Yeah, I've only been at it for a couple of years now, that said I usually cheat and borrow assets from other people and integrate them into my designs. Helps with alt modes incredibly since I've only had 1 year of actually teaching in regards to modelling. ...on an unrelated note...what do you do with your old models you don't actively use? Hold onto them borrow geometry for other designs, or just leave them sitting on a hard drive, ignored? Doesn't really matter, I just enjoy trading methodologies.
I've done the weight map texture trick before. I usually don't texture my stuff, as modeling is where I focus on. As for this model, once I'm ready to start using her for rendered scenes, I'll either do the weight map trick, or just photoshop in textures after. Flail weapon huh? I don't think I've seen it. I usually model things for specific projects. I tend to not reuse parts from completed models, except for hands. When I start a new model, I like to make each part from scratch, to give me more freedom with how I want to sculpt.
Took some searching but I found it. Also, just gonna throw this out there, maybe rework the coloring on Galva Empress? The purple and grey are perfect as is but adding some extra orange or red could spruce things up.
I'm glad you didn't base it on Sikomofo's work; otherwise it would have to be in a mini skirt with Starscream looking up there...
And Primus bless you for it. Though props to that "Sikomofo" burn. That deserves a round of applause. Also, I forgot to ask this: What is this model for? Combiner upgrade or just stand alone figure?
That's great. I am sure you are a fan of his less divisive work, rather than the sexualised/sexists portrayals. If I remember rightly, there are quite a lot of regular/normal artwork that he has done for the Transformers brand? Or is it only the hentai stuff?
The model is for fun. I'm an artist first, always, before I go make anything physical out of models. However, I did design her to be 3D printed at some point, and transformable for animations. I'm a fan of all of Sakamoto's work, that I've seen so far. I've had the honor of meeting him on several occasions, since Botcon 2013. Hes one of the nicest artists I've met, and always get a commission from him when I can. Currently, I know he is working on the comics for Unite Warriors and Takara Legends series, not only drawing them, but also doing the writing, from what I know. I got to see his panel at Botcon 2016, and the guy is really knowledgeable about Transformers from all series. He showed the obscure characters he added to some of the MTMTE issues, most fans wouldn't have known about. As for his adult/erotic art, I don't have an issue with it, though I really haven't seen much myself of it online. Most fan artists and even professional artists who are either working on official Transformers stuff, have done or still do adult oriented art on their own. As far as making sexualized art in official products, I feel that should come down to the market its being made for, as cultures do differ around the world.
Thanks. That's really interesting. I can vouch that in Japan, his work isn't really acceptable, at least not with parents of kids who like transformers(i.e., most mainstream Japanese). It would be interesting for someone to really grill him on his work, and find out where the "hentai" direction has come from (Takara or himself), and how he feels Japanese people consider his work. Also, it would be interesting to see his "normal" stuff, to compare his work/s. Personally, I'm not a fan of his work, due its association with hentai, but reading more about him would be interesting. Anyway, your work here is great. You made them look strong and not as objects for the "male gaze".
