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Nature's Wonders Sneak Peek Thread

Jan

Adventurous
@Banditcameraman good video showing the Big Red, I was watching this show from the youtube footage very recently on TV about Rodger.

@Stezza you can say that again, lots of these Greys in your area, I have seen heaps when I was down your way. Playing golf at the golf club can be very hazardous with these guys everywhere.. my husband did this two weeks ago.

@Rae sorry to hear you lost your render, that must have been very frustrating. Hope you did not hurt your food kicking the computer :mad: :rolleyes:
 

Szark

Awesome
This guy is a small one in my area that wanders the streets with the other 1,000 !

View attachment 16254
aren't they just magnificent creatures. We had some Wallabies in New Zealand on Motutapu Island in Auckland Motutapu Island - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia since then they have been eradicated but the one I caught and skinned had dark chocolate brown thick dense fur. I don't trap/skin anymore since I saw the light many years ago. I was a very well off 14 year old trapping possums in New Zealand and selling the furs via Dalgetys Fur auction services in Dunedin.
 

Ken Gilliland

Extraordinary
HW3D Exclusive Artist
With the Saguaro set done and awaiting release, I'm moving back to birds with a model that will bring a Sage-grouse and Prairie Chicken to 3D life. For those who know birds, suddenly that Sagebrush Habitat set has a lot more possibilities than just housing lizards (Sage-grouses feed almost entirely on the Great Basin Sagebrush-- the centerpiece of that set).

I found a great National Geographic video on wildlife in the "Sagebrush Sea"... those those who have the set-- watching this should unlock dozens of new ideas for renders.

 

Ken Gilliland

Extraordinary
HW3D Exclusive Artist
Creating a new model is almost always a challenge. Hopefully, someone will be interested in my modeling thought process... typing it out here, if anything helps me to think it through. If anything, it should add some appreciation into what we content creators have to work through on every model.

Working on my Prairie Chicken and Sage-grouse project, at the start they seemed to be similar in many ways, but as I progressed there are more than a few stark differences.... not just between the Grouse and Chicken but between male and female. Both female models are relatively alike from a geometry stand-point, but the males however are a difference story.

First, what's alike... they both have tall crown feathers (although they look complete different). The male Prairie Chicken has a crown crest that behaves similar to a Cockatoo crest (full formed feathers); it does have the unique ability to also go sideways, as well as up and down. The Sage-grouse crown is composed of wiry hair-like feathers that aren't that noticeable. I think the set of planes I've created (on the example shown below) will work of both, although the transparency maps will be vastly different. The crest will have a "hide" morph for the females.

Where the big difference occurs is in the throat air-sac (when inflated) and distinct male Sage-grouse collar. With the Sage-grouse when the air sac is inflated the two bare patches of skin reveal themselves frontally whereas with the Prairie Chicken they appear on the sides. I could slide the geometry around but that will cause some texture stretching. For Sage-grouse collar, I think I can use a "hide" morph for when the male Prairie Chicken and females, but the placement of the two bare patches of skin on each species makes me lean towards two separate models.

There's also the trick of hiding those two patches of skin was the air sac isn't inflated. I'll probably be using the same solution I did that hid the Kiwi wings-- it seemed to work pretty well.


Capture.JPG
 
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CWRW

Extraordinary
HW3D Exclusive Artist
Ken- you and Chris constantly blow me away with your talents! I for one seriously appreciate the more than extra mile you go to in all of your products! I am so excited about your recent more "western" products lately- dying to find time to use them all in some mustang pieces I have cooking in my head!:)
 

Chris

HW3D President
Staff member
Co-Founder
Creating a new model is almost always a challenge. Hopefully, someone will be interested in my modeling thought process... typing it out here, if anything helps me to think it through. If anything, it should add some appreciation into what we content creators have to work through on every model.

Working on my Prairie Chicken and Sage-grouse project, at the start they seemed to be similar in many ways, but as I progressed there are more than a few stark differences.... not just between the Grouse and Chicken but between male and female. Both female models are relatively alike from a geometry stand-point, but the males however are a difference story.

First, what's alike... they both have tall crown feathers (although they look complete different). The male Prairie Chicken has a crown crest that behaves similar to a Cockatoo crest (full formed feathers); it does have the unique ability to also go sideways, as well as up and down. The Sage-grouse crown is composed of wiry hair-like feathers that aren't that noticeable. I think the set of planes I've created (on the example shown below) will work of both, although the transparency maps will be vastly different. The crest will have a "hide" morph for the females.

Where the big difference occurs is in the throat air-sac (when inflated) and distinct male Sage-grouse collar. With the Sage-grouse when the air sac is inflated the two bare patches of skin reveal themselves frontally whereas with the Prairie Chicken they appear on the sides. I could slide the geometry around but that will cause some texture stretching. For Sage-grouse collar, I think I can use a "hide" morph for when the male Prairie Chicken and females, but the placement of the two bare patches of skin on each species makes me lean towards two separate models.

There's also the trick of hiding those two patches of skin was the air sac isn't inflated. I'll probably be using the same solution I did that hid the Kiwi wings-- it seemed to work pretty well.


View attachment 16591


Oh, this is going to be yet another amazing project Ken. Love what you're doing and choosing to take on.
 

Ken Gilliland

Extraordinary
HW3D Exclusive Artist
Oh, this is going to be yet another amazing project Ken. Love what you're doing and choosing to take on.

Thanks Chris,... after seeing a photo of Big Cypress National Preserve (So. Florida) in the latest NPCA magazine (Echos, Pg 8), my creative interests were sparked (again) and I've started a second project to recreate this unique wetland environment. The portion of Big Cypress NP that I want to do will be a very lush wetlands/swamp environment with waterbound Cypress tress, swamp ferns, bromeliads, ghost orchids, Spanish moss, spikeweed, and some endemic bushes. This habitat will be suitable for numerous birds (egrets, herons, ducks, woodpeckers) as well as the American alligator and Crocodile and Panther (almost all of the remaining American panthers are found at Big Cypress).

Ghost Orchid (will attach to the trunk of the cypress)
GhostOrchid.JPG
Swamp Fern
1SwampFern.JPG
Cypress wip
1Cypress.JPG
Cardinal Airplant (Bromeliad; will attach to the trunk/branches of the cypress)
1Brome.JPG
 
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