Freedoom Cyberdemon

[Jim Rainer]

By suggestion of Catoptromancy, I have altered the hell knight concept I threw together into a concept for the Cyberdemon.

If anybody'd be interested in spriting this, go right ahead. I'd do it, but I'm not good enough at making things.

[Ringman]

Hey I actually kinda like that, I got some 3d model pieces I made I have lying around that I've been using/reusing for various things I think with some modification of the main torso plus some knew hands and feet and head and I could make something like that. Right now I'm working on some demon wings and then rigging for another project, but as long as you'll let me use the cyberdemon design for my own purposes after I've made him I'll consider giving it a go. I'm nearing the tail end of my school semester here, so there may be a delay on the starting of this, but it'll be useful for my 3d modelling class next semester anyway.

Coud you draw a front and side view of the thing (both same size same proportions) that I can use for a modelling reference and throw a bit more detail on the rocket launcher, or get me a picture of something that looks like what you want for it.

EDIT: here's the torso I was talking about (simplified for lower detail levels, ignore the head feet and hands) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v409/Ringman/FULLHelmetbody-1.png I can easily add more detail adjust the size of the arms the bulges of the chest etc, and the gloved hands can be easily attached directly to the arms and have nails put on them and have the finger boniness and size modified as well.) but I think this torso after some adjustments will work rather nicely. Not sure the extra detail is too necessary considering the low resolution on doom sprites anyway, but I can bump map it and add things like nipples and veins and more pronounced musculature.

[Jim Rainer]

I might be able to do that, but I'm horribly inconsistent so I probably won't be able to get the other angles done accurately.

[Ringman]

Well, I guess I don't absolutely need them, just a front and side, only 2 frames, but I can always try something out myself. I just gotta get these friggin wings done first, ugh... Who'd a thought flaps of skin would be so tricky.

[iceman57]

Nice choice to work on this one, I saw it's not yet done in Freedoom.
Good luck to the choosen ones !!

Main problem is that you've to create on some sprites 8 true directions and not only 5 using symetry as on some other lower rank characters...
That offers to get non symetric sprite (i.e. only one shoulder armor) but extends worktime.

Know why ?...

See here one of the three questions to J.Romero :

"Q3 : Could you explain why the Baron of Hell contains 8 directions sprites while the other got only 5 and use symetry to generate the rest of images ?

A3: The Baron of Hell was the first monster we created and we thought we had to have 8 directions of the sprite but then we came up with the idea to programmatically horizontally flip three of the graphics so we could have a full 8."

So they simply discovered while creating characters that they could spare some sprites and use symetry...
Baron of Hell and some other are relics of this era of non symetric work from the big bang origins of Doom creation.
______________________

Jim Rainer said:

I might be able to do that, but I'm horribly inconsistent so I probably won't be able to get the other angles done accurately.

For such hard character modeling, why not use a spooky puppet as basis, as they did in the past :

Adrian Carmack models
http://sabia.tic.udc.es/gc/trabajos0607/IdSoft/images/m3/doom_model_2.jpg
http://sabia.tic.udc.es/gc/trabajos0607/IdSoft/images/m3/doom_model.jpg

[leileilol]

iceman57 said:

For such hard character modeling, why not use a spooky puppet as basis, as they did in the past :

because
1. they didn't make the puppet
2. the puppet is copyrighted
3. that's simply lazy and stupid and never translates well into sprites
4. id software clay modeled, they are not puppets
5. 3d modeling software is great

[iceman57]

leileilol said:

3. that's simply lazy and stupid and never translates well into sprites

Sorry but you're wrong.
That's quite long, but offers a really good 2D render, especially for walking, simply need to make your own models, see Hokuto ones...

That's also removing the perspective problem, you simply have to rotate the sculputure to find the 8 direction of sprites.

A complete sprite image list in all directions is generated in around 2-3 weeks by using this method.

Why always focus on 3D modelling software while the result would be a 2D sprites sheet ??... I'm disapointed, are we talking about FreeDoom or FreeQuake :D

[leileilol]

iceman57 said:

A complete sprite image list in all directions is generated in around 2-3 weeks by using this method.

All of that is really easier said than actually done; and do I really have that many weeks of spare free time to dedicate for one sprite rotation? It's not really feasible for a project that goes at this pace.

3D models don't have a 'perspective problem'. If I wanted to, I could have Blender render all frames at all angles, then have a batch process to recolor the background to turquoise (and color down to Doom palette), and then rename every frame number to the appropriate sprite frame. Takes some typing but improves the pipeline. That sure damn well beats "2-3 weeks", plus others can modify the model I do and be able to export with the same process

[iceman57]

Sounds interesting.

2-3 weeks means complete process (capture, resize, palette, cleanup of sprites, add details with faces and outfits, renaming, and integration.

Capture only takes an hour...

[Jon]

Most sprites based on 3d models that I've seen look like ass. Most of the doom sprites by comparison look very good (for sprites).

[acc]

Just my two cents: Duke3D monsters are made out of models. The main problem (for me) is coming from model's skin.