dsg robots

[davi]

i have over 70 dsg's i could post but i just want to get some crits on some of my recent robots.

http://www.creatureone.com/s/dde48.jpg

http://www.creatureone.com/s/dd47.jpg

http://www.creatureone.com/s/dd46.jpg

http://www.creatureone.com/s/dde42.jpg

i'm new to doing robots, so opinions could help. Basicly i am b.s.'ing perspective issues so i hope that doesn't come up as my main problem!

[DustinTrimble]

First off great painting Davi, the two things I could see changed in these is the gesture and /or overall shapes (depending on the drawing) seem kinda bland, thus you have a great painting over a form that isn't as dynamic as it could be, second is for the ones with guns, the guns seem added as an after thought, and don't really look funtional. The one in the pink ship wings have to swing rediculously out to just get into position to fire. The two guns on the front of the tank in the second drawing look like they are needlessly crossing each other. The pink ships are the strongest designs of the bunch in my opinion.

[J Bradford]

great start, i would try to think about adding some exposed circuitry on the open areas; just little details like wires stuffed together etc. also think about all the joints of a robot and how it would have to be constructed in order to bend.

[metalwinds]

cant really think of anything that hasnt been said already, but personally i like the second one the best. the legs are pretty neat, but i think the guns could use some work.

[davi]

thanks guys, i agree my gun stuff is kinda lame, don't have much experience with it :P

DustinTrimble: I'm not sure i completely understand what you mean by "wings" you mean to horn looking things? I didn't really want them to have a big radius, kind of a head on machine gun type of thing. the ship itself has great movibility, suppose to be like a squid

[Nimrod]

Awesome awesome work, especially the gunfighters - great lighting. I would say your main problem is the little details, some structural things that dont make the bots believable. Like, the legs on the grasshopper one dont look like they could support the body (especially weighted down with all those guns!) or that they have a big range of motion. I think you just need to keep at it and look at all kinds of machines and how they work and move in order to build up a 'vocabulary' of stuff to construct with. Almost like legos :) I always find the key to making good mechanical things is to retain SOME element of believability around which you make crazy off the wall designs. Like the mechs from etal gear solid always amaze me; if you think about them at all they are so incredibly impractical but looking at them and seeing them move they look like they could totally exist in real life. The same for the Spider tank in the Ghost in the Shell movie.

So I would say nothing wrong with technique, just look at more reference and always ask yourself how it could ostensibly function in the real world and try to suggest that.

[davi]

nice crit nimrod, thanks.

and to clear up way i left the front leg small on the "grass hoper" one is because it kinda drags itself around, the hind less push it foward and the front legs would just kinda... guide it i guess.

[DustinTrimble]

Yeah the horns, not wings, though they look like wings to me:) The guns seem indented, and thus look like they would be retractable, but don't have enough room to move back, thus have to swivel to retract, that was what I was trying to communicate. Maybe I just try to read too much into it, definilty get more opinions:p

[davi]

hehe ok, i wasn't really thinking about them needing to retract, didn't feel a purpose for them to. I'll start looking at odd mechics of stuff, i usually never use reference since i'm trying to be as speedy as possible for dsg, maybe i should do some non-dsg bots to get better at the technical side of robotics.

[poly_cube]

They are all really cool but my fav is the first one- isn't so much as more detail than the other drawings but really nice overall composition. The colors are interesting- the scenario- possible an argument going on –

I always dig pictures that have a story in them. Kudos on the cging.

[davi]

thx poly :)

i did another ship for my lastest dsg, this is the last one i'll post in this thread because i could probably keep this going forever.

http://www.creatureone.com/s/ddwar01.jpg

i took in the crits you guys gave me. tried to make it seem more functional, used tank reference for the turret design.

[Wrath_of_Dog]

I think you were getting somewhere with the last drawing. I've always found that artillery pieces are the hardest to expand with. You can very easily get bogged down with functionality and placement (I'm not trying to contradict anyone here, btw.) Once you get around that guns, you're forced to deal more with form. I hate to use this reference, but if you look through video game previews for the concept art, you'll notice that very little of it is battle. Usually its an drafting style presentation perspective or a still.
And as for the squid ships, I like how you've maintained your sort of connectionless hingeless style with the pieces in the foreground. There is an emphasis of the moments and form of the ships which fits well. Actually, come to think of it, that might be why your having trouble with turrets. Turrets are required to connect concretely and directly to a specific point. And a lot of other things in your work don't. Your armaments seem to fit into the squid-ship concept because the gun barrels looks like a smaller extension of the "horn." They are almost sheltered concepts.
Perhaps this might help with the combat mech/robot idea. Try and draw a turret or projectile-type armament in the same free-floating style as the tails (limbs? attachments?) on the squid ships. See what happens. Actually feel free to let me see as well. I'm curious if it'd work.
One last thing. Nice explosion/impact on the most distant ship. The scatter is great and the flame trail tapers perfectly; not too much attention, but not so small that it becomes abrupt.

Peace