ConceptartCohesion #001: 8th Day >>> COW - Mounted Predator For Hunters

[Fozzybar]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/images/cacb.jpg


ConceptartCohesion #001: 8th Day

Storyline:

The year 2446 CE

Mankind and its technology have advanced at an exponential rate, however trivial political, religious and social demands have caused the splintering of former superpowers into smaller nation states, pitting themselves against each in a number of minor conflicts.

Since 2395 a minimum of 27 conflicts, hostile incursions and border disputes have been raging in various confined areas across the planets surface, sparking a new global economy.
Covenants of major corporations have banded together in various factions and are now the true international players, feeding the ever increasing demand of new weapons technology.
The change in style of warfare has rendered weapons of mass destruction virtually useless increasing an appetite for more unconventional weapon systems, specifically the VidaNova Corporations newest developments in the field of creating new species of animals bred for specific purposes.

The idea behind this new move is too harness the animals natural intelligence, sensory abilities, and ability to traverse difficult terrain. They are currently working on models for civilian implementation, ranging from beasts of burden for remote areas to leisure models as pets. However there have been worrying reports of certain products escaping from captivity, and having unexpected effects on the flora and fauna they interact with, conspiracy theorists place blame on a huge range of subjects, ranging from the Cytarabinoside used in manipulating metabolic pathways in the animals, to mother earth resting control back from humanity to satan himself.
Some minor political and religious groups are already rallying, trying to bring this series of unnerving events to the public eye, wild rumors and conspiracy theories are already calling this the 8th day of creation.



http://www.conceptart.org/forums/images/cow/cow.jpg

Topic:
Mounted Predator For Hunters


Description:
Mounted predator for hunters - A creature made by scientists by mixing genes of existing and extinct animals...there are also some mechanical/technical parts implemented in the predators organism. The predator must be able to be mounted and is carnivore, making him a living and very aggressive killer machine. We need to see something like a saddle, where the hunters can sit on, but you don't need to draw the hunter himself. The creatures full body must be seen.

Deadline:
Sunday, 05th March 2006


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Linked weekly activities:

EOW - Environment Of The Week
VidaNova Corporation - Genetics and Biological Materials Department - Site C
LINK: EOW thread for ConceptartCohesion campaign (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62483)

IDW - Industrial Design Of The Week
Mother Machine
LINK: IDW thread for ConceptartCohesion campaign (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62482)

ChOW - Character Of The Week
Leader of the Special Unit Jungle Force
LINK: ChOW thread for ConceptartCohesion campaign (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62479)


Link to the campaigns main thread:
main thread for ConceptartCohesion campaign (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62480)

[misledtomisery]

this has the potential to be crazy amazing. i am excited to see everyone's world.

[JakkaS]

At last! This was excellent idea to combine these four activities!

[Orion9282]

Hooly crap!

This is awesome!

Will all of the community activities be this way every week? (I remember Foz mentioning that they'll return back to normal after this concept cohesion?) I don't know about others, but I think it might be cool to keep them linked like this.

(I posted this in the original thread, but it seems this one might get more traffic?)

[Nexus]

......damn...that's all I can say. I mean I was excited but now I've got so many ideas spinning through my head I won't be able to sleep at night. How the hell can one decide between these 4 awesome topics? There's no way you could do all of them in one week and have each piece be up to the high standards set down by previous weekly activities. In between Mounted Predator and Mother Machine it's gonna be a tough decision. I'm really ecstatic to see what people come up with though.

[Fozzybar]

just do as much as you can :)

[Banned_User]

Very well put together story Foz-I see it slightly evolved from when we discussed it ;) looking great. I hope I have the time to participate, figures that work has come in now. damnit lol

[Fozzybar]

The story is rewritten by Rook, all props to him :) My english is too poor to phrase a story like this...

[Nexus]

Yes, all props due to Rook and Fozzy. I gave it a little thought over the last hour or so and I'd almost like to see what someone could do if they were required to incorporate all 4 into a piece somehow or fit a couple into two pieces. Probably a little too much to work with, coming up with an original creature design and then also a background depicting the facility that meshes well with the creature. But still I know I'm not the only one who struggles with what to place in the background of creature designs. In this case you could use the Genetics Lab as a backdrop or even Mother Machine. Hell if you wanted you could have the Special Jungle Unit Leader riding the Mounted Predator in front of the Genetics Lab. It'd be a cool way to tie it all in as I worry that some entries won't give much thought to the backstory and will just throw out some amalgamation of current/extinct animal. Eh, just food for thought to whoever is getting those synapses firing on this undertaking.

[hwango]

. Hell if you wanted you could have the Special Jungle Unit Leader riding the Mounted Predator in front of the Genetics Lab.

...and that brings up a question - if you were to combine 2 entries, as in the Special Jungle Unit Leader riding the Mounted Predator, can you submit the piece for both activities? I'm sure there are other 2-activity combinations that wouldn't work as well, but it certainly seems plausible to fit both of those into one piece.

[Thoras]

Well, I thought for a sec that i would enter this one, and began making a quick sketch, but i realized I was drawing a Jurassic Park Velociraptor with metal legs, so I left it alone in the trash can.... man, do I suck...

[Nexus]

Those are the words of a quitter Thoras. Don't give up, this project has way too much potential to toss it aside simply because you don't like attempt number one that you came up with. Consider a few things next time you try to come up with a creature. What are some of the deadliest predators of past ages? What are some of the most vicious current day predators? It hunts other creatures so it has to be a beast of considerable speed. What are some fast predators? What makes them fast? How could futuristic technology enchance that speed? How does it take down prey? Talons, venoms, fangs, spines, tangling whips....the possibilities are endless for this thing. The point is that a creature illustration is only as good as the concept behind it. Thoras I expect to see your creature, don't disappoint me.

[Banned_User]

...and that brings up a question - if you were to combine 2 entries, as in the Special Jungle Unit Leader riding the Mounted Predator, can you submit the piece for both activities? I'm sure there are other 2-activity combinations that wouldn't work as well, but it certainly seems plausible to fit both of those into one piece.

Why not design both individually, as well as an illustration of them both together, then submit each individual design to their corresponding activities with the combined illustration as well. It would be more interesting and clearer that way and it wouldn't look like you submitted 1 image for 2 activities ;)

[Fozzybar]

1 image standing for its own for each activity...no collages of two or more topics...

The reason is simple: We will make a show-off with the winner entries and a little more, so if we have a COW image with the jungle leader in it, but the leader of the winner piece in ChOW looks different, we will have confusing and dissonant results.

[Thoras]

Nexus

Thanks for the encouraging words, man; I've got quite enough ideas for the beast, but the fact is, if you can keep the secret (I CANNOT DRAW A DAMN THING) but, I' ll make an effort to draw something decent, at least. The ocassion deserves it.
By the by, if i DO enter, I think I'll stick to my raptor thingy.

[Hookswords]

We are all over critical of our own work, Thoras. The only way to get better is to continue trying. Groups like this are what make us better. The fact that you are here shows a desire. Raptors are kick ass, I cant wait to see it.

As for a question I have of the topic: Does it have to be a single man mount or can it be multiple, like a troop transport or juggernaut?

[Althael]

EDIT:

Final on page 4.

[Nexus]

Its....its....an Ubersaurus. Mightiest of all the dinosaurs. Ok as fun as that was, now down to business. Where are the hyrdraulic jaw systems? Where are the cybernetic eyes? Where are the electronic boosting pistons? If this thing actually has extensive biomech implants, lets see some evidence of them. Something as drastic as pistons would show up in the structure of the legs, as it stands now I just see normal tyrannosaur legs. Also while were on the subject of legs, it couldn't possibly run on all fours like a gorilla. Its back legs have avian knee joints, they bend inwards. Another thing to consider, what powers all these large enhancing mechanical systems? What power source do they derive energy from? In addition, you might want to rethink the color scheme. Ok, yes its reptilian and yes alot of scalies out there are green but there are so many that are not. Green is almost a cliche' color in terms of lizards and such. Also make sure to determine your light source ahead of time. Ok I know that was alot to take in and Im not trying to tear the thing apart, just make it a stronger piece. Now on a good note. It has some good things going for it. The ideas behind it are well thought out and could be the backbone to something outstanding. The rendering thus far seems solid enough. If you do decide to rework it really take some time to consider a dynamic position, thrashing through the forest at breakneck speed or crouching tensely waiting to pounce from the foliage, something like that. Hope this helped and I hope I wasn't too knit picky.

[GreenThumbArt]

i like the new title thing going on. ;)

[Hookswords]

Gavreau : Named after Dr. Vladimir Gavreau. One of the pioneers of Infrasonic weaponry

It is the splicing of an eagle, a tiger and an elephant. It was desired that the predatory base of the eagle and tiger be maintained externally while the elephant useage was completely redesigned. Elephant genes/ body mechanics were reworked internally to work in conjunction with the cybernetics. The basis behind the trunk structure of the elephant was used inside the body and extending through the tail. It provides additional oxygen for the body as well as serving as a weapon. Elephants communicate infrasonically, below the human hearing range. This ability, when amplified by the cybernetics can be used as a destructive force. This force can be moderated to a low level brown noise to make its opponents feel ill and become iincapacitated, ranging to a very high level to actually break through/down matter. The amplifiers extend through the arms to the front paws for this extreme use, while the amps around the head serve for all other use (in a 180 degree arc) under that extreme range. Due to the nature of this weapon the rider must wear a special helmet to protect himself from the effects. The spikes on top of the head hold the hardware that allows interface via the riders helmet for control.

http://img485.imageshack.us/img485/4233/finalmount2hc.jpg

[Thefultron]

hookswords,
I really dig the octo-unit design. It captures the audicity of the topic "corporate manipulation of the animal kindom for the use of millitary opperations". I'd like to see it popping out of the water violently, maybe grabbing onto something with it's tentacles. It would be cool if it was much scarier looking. Idunno if it needs teeth or spikes ot something but perhaps if it were re-drawn in a much more dynamic perspective that would do it alone.
great original start.
-fultron

[Nexus]

Yes, you're right the first one does seem a bit trite, vey griffon like. But the second one isn't really all that interesting either....its a big octopus. It hasn't been combined with anything. Why not take idea one and idea two and merge them? Id love to see a winged thing with tentacles, stealth capabilities, long range sniper rifle and mech limbs...and of course gatling cannon. Make it truly an abberation of science, a blight upon nature's design. Both octopi and birds have beaks so theyre similar in that capacity but other than that theyre completely opposite. Which is why it would be an interesting challenge to merge the two. Anyways, all that aside, you're really gonna have to wrack your brain on this one. It's gonna be some stiff competition with such a good topic to work from.

[Fozzybar]

NOTE TO ALL
Just want to add, that you shouldn't only focus on a design which is obviously a mix between existing and extincted creatures. Take also a little portion mutation and creatures evolved from mixed genes can look slightly different than only a few parts of the parents mixed...just trying to open some gates for you, so that you don't stick to the dino-look too much...;)

for example, you could do a design like the Alien from Giger. There is nothing which indicates dinos or a species of existing animals, because it has no obvious visual parts for that, but still it could be a mix between an extinct animal and for example a shark and hynea genes...and the technological part is also shown :)

Break out!

[hwango]

1 image standing for its own for each activity...no collages of two or more topics...

The reason is simple: We will make a show-off with the winner entries and a little more, so if we have a COW image with the jungle leader in it, but the leader of the winner piece in ChOW looks different, we will have confusing and dissonant results.

Does that mean not only that we shouldn't enter 1 piece for 2 activities, but that we're actively discouraged from drawing any kind of rider in this piece?

EDIT - Never mind, just found the Cohesion thread where this is answered. I didn't realize that the CHOW and rider for the COW were two totally different people, so this isn't an issue.

[Althael]

Nexus-
That's only the first 'step' of it.
The eyes and pistons things are going to be added later.

The mechanical enhancement are generated by his body. The pistons in his legs/arms are generated by his neural system. While the pistons in his mouth 'might' be generated by a second heart in his head.
For running like a gorilla, well, that's the first idea I had. Now that I think about it again, it doesn't really work.

Oh, and don't worry, I'll change the green too.
Though, for the light source.. I'll have to work on that. :\

[MichaelMotion]

First sketch/idea..

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a48/-Michael-/COW-MountedPredatorForHunte.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a48/-Michael-/COW-MPFH.jpg

[Sorknes]

What strikes me most is that it doesn't look really carnivore with that head... Might want to add something or change it?

But it's a nice concept! :)

[W!L]

hello,

this be my final entry.. bit mingled with aquatic live form. crap scorpian and dogs and big cats.. aggresive and poisonous it attacks with its tail. any victims immediatly sedated. its back bone has mechanical implants as well as tail to help it's flexibility when attacking with tail.

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/4743/hunterconcept27rw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[JakkaS]

FINAL

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f209/JakkaS-ws/8eca8096.jpg

CODE-NAME:MOUNTED SALASH
PROJECT NUMER: 2446-90/2
LEADING SCIENTIST: DOCTOR JEREMIASH SOO
ASSISTANT: DOCTOR CASANDRA WISHTON
-------------------
PROJECT STATUS: IN PROGRESS
BUDGET: 340.800 CALI'BOS
FINISH PREDICTION: NINE STANDARD MONTHS
--------------------
----[MORE INFO]----
--------------------

PROJECT GOALS: BIOENGINEERICAL UPGRADED CREATURE FOR CATCHING AND CARRING SMALL ANIMALS
-------------------
SHORT SUMMARY:
After two years of research, we have gained success. Our creature is in final stage of creation. We have almost solved all problems we had in this project. The only thing, that is not acceptable by our supervising officer, General Sul Weave'r, is the speed of our creature. But we are working on this. We have also made a few upgrades to make Sarash more predictable and easy to control...

SEARCHING:
As a result of genetic engineering and computer technologies usage, we have made Sarash able to sense small creatures even from 5-10 kilometers and to see them from distance 50-100 meters, no matter it is a day or night.
SMELL DETECTOR:
After genetic manipulation and adding small prototype of microcomputer [SNV-M-CHIP-ZTH2008/BETA], we have made our creature able to record all of smell they taste in their environment. Therefore, when they sniff out an animal, they never lose the track. We have connected smell sensor to the driver, so he can see surroundings in "smell spectrum".
EYES UPGRADE:
Natural ability of snake-like creatures are the skill of infra-red vision. We have upgraded this ability and connected to the driver, so he is able to see as well as his creature.

CATCHING:
TONGUE [genetic material and samples taken form Kanaka's Lizard - small lizard with over 2 meters long tongue] - after genetic manipulation we have added a few meters tongue to our creation. Salash can catch creatures from 5-7 meters. We have also added some paralyzing toxins into Salash's saliva.
PHEROMONES DISTRIBUTOR: - - - - STILL TESTING - - - -
We have added possibility to create and spread the pheromones of all cataloged and examined animals from this planet - We can easily update the database of smells. [--- 77% of examined animals have followed the pheromones smell ---]

HOLDING:
We have added a few ventricles for carrying catched creatures. These chambers are made of organical plastic called ORGAPLAST. [Because of this modification, we have moved stomach and other organs to the front of the creature. There were problems with digestion.] When Salash is carrying an animal, produces paralyzing gas to make the animal senseless.

SADDLE:
Genetic modification of Salash's skull gave as a place where we have plugged the saddle.

SPINE, BODY AND HEAD UPGRADES:
WE have added some upgrades to make the bones ad skin more resistant. We have built up this parts with ORGAPLAST.

ORGAPLAST:
This material is phenomenal! You can program it and plug it to the salash's embryo. The material grows up and evolves with the subject.
--------------------
----[MORE INFO]----
--------------------

[Thoras]

Thanks to ya'll; but... after seeing this ass-kikin entries... well... I threw my raptor to the trash again. I think i?ll watch the Jurassic Park Trilogy again for more ideas, maybe a breed between the mighty Spinosaurus Aegypticus and the ferocity of a Raptor.
Anyways, i'll keep on trying.

[masque]

Updated to final on page 3

[W!L]

wow.. thats sweet masque.. love the letter.. . youve made it seem like a real world now and we will all have to step up to that level... nice lne drawing... i have a problem with how long the basilisk is.... i dont know why just doesnt look too strong , maybe a bit shorter... faces are excellent and portray the animals you are using... and komodo dragons are kick ass....

[Sorknes]

Gonna throw this one in, methinks. If I manage to get it ready. I have today and then just a couple of hours during the rest of the week due to work.......

Got a set of good comments already, still working...... And it's also one of those dino slash something else... Gonna describe it more when my final comes... And I see what changes I've made... :blahblah:

*dries sweat from forehead*

http://www.sorknesart.com/avalog/CC002.jpg

[W!L]

[QUOTE=JakkaS]
.. it is just a stupid snake....

lol... lets not get into that again... nice idea from what i can see..... very complicated... looks like one mean bastard... ... possibly a bit slow for a predator... no?

[Michael Jaecks]

Shoot! Someone else chimed in with the lab letter idea. AND they called is Project Basilisk as well. Teaches me to hold out till the end. Gotta mark your creative territory early in these parts.

Well, perhaps there's something salvagable.... although in my letter/description, things are not going so well for the design team and "project Basilisk" is more of a derogatory nickname given by the technicians because the creatures keep killing everything they touch... like the myth.

Hmmmm.....

[JakkaS]

.. it is just a stupid snake....

lol... lets not get into that again... nice idea from what i can see..... very complicated... looks like one mean bastard... ... possibly a bit slow for a predator... no?
CODENAME: I.I.J.A.S.S <- This is just a joke. I am trying to cheer up Chuck. [I hope he will understend this :teeth: ]

Too slow, you say. Hmmmm, not all predators are quick. I think, I will explain everything in my description. Apart from that, snake can be fast.

[CheshireLyon]

Here is the final image and description(which hopefully is not too wordy)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v253/Chesire_Lyon/CoWcohesionfinal1.jpg

The Bahrgeist MK7, is the newest in Vidanova's line of successful jungle based mounts for hunters and security based forces. The bahrgeist is a highly effective ambush predator capable of pack hunting and social behavior. While still being proficient alone, with a group its potential is increased exponentially. Key features of the bahrgeist include sound and voice mimicry, obtained mainly from the grey parrot, and the lyrebird, which the animal applies in order to lure prey into traps using various environmental features for cover (trees, brush or buildings). The cost of these features is mainly a reduction in bone mass, which, while decreasing the fortitude of the beast increases its agility. When attacking, the bahrgeist unleashes a high decibel shriek, intended to disorient its prey, while not stunning its prey outright, it effectively disables its sense of sound. The animal itself cannot hear the frequency of its shriek, riders must be equipped with harmonic dampeners in order to not be effective. Despite appearing soft and supple, the fur of the creature is actually based upon a rigid feather like system. While the bahrgeist are specifically designed to be most effective navigating the tangle of heavy jungle while maintaining high speeds, it is still useful in the grassland and urban areas. It is not recommended for use in open terrain, desert or cold areas. These abilities are gained from a variety of keystone feline predators, including lions, panthers, tigers, and cheetah. It also contained genes from the precursors to modern felines to increase its size and resilience. Technological additions include a cooling system allowing form more effective use of speed, as well as an intravenous hydration system to keep the animals from dehydrating on sorties. The saddle is equipped with a direct connection into the nervous system of the creature in which the rider can act as a blinder to the animal for specific targeting, in addition the connection also locks the rider into the saddle. While wireless connections are readily available, the direct connection was chosen to avoid possible hacking and a loss of control of the creature. Recent improvements over previous bahrgeist iterations include elongated ears to improve the natural cooling of the creature during lengthy excursions, and most notably, a newly developed retro-virus, sprayed on the skin, which increases the overall density and makes the animal resistant, to most small arms fire. The animal now can be trained to drop a sniper high in the canopy before attacking, allowing for more strategic options.

[JakkaS]

Jakkas, i like that snake you have going on, its head reminds me of that two headed monster near the end of Willow
I was wandering where I have seen something like that. I was thinking about Monty Pythons' Jabberwocky...but I guess, you are right, it was Willow.

[Nexus]

Ok reptiles, dinosaurs, and scaley things oh my. Did everyone sit down and collectively decide that reptiloids have the best DNA for hunting or something? Let's not forget other predators, they dont all have to have fangs, teeth, and love the taste of apatosaurus flesh.

[masque]

Ok reptiles, dinosaurs, and scaley things oh my. Did everyone sit down and collectively decide that reptiloids have the best DNA for hunting or something? Let's not forget other predators, they dont all have to have fangs, teeth, and love the taste of apatosaurus flesh.
it's a conspiracy!:x reptiloids unite! :P

for me, i was browsing refs for a totally diff idea based on a mountain gorilla. the 14deg S lat spec pushed me to find a location and i came across a komodo dragon pic, which sparked the "reptilian brain" idea since i'd already decided the creature was to be controlled psionically (artificially amped brainwaves), more ref pics of a frilled lizard from the same image search triggered the "frill saddle" idea, and from then on i couldn't put it down.

btw, i originally was going to set the facility in Darwin, how ironic, but it's a tad too far north.

[Thoras]

Ok reptiles, dinosaurs, and scaley things oh my. Did everyone sit down and collectively decide that reptiloids have the best DNA for hunting or something? Let's not forget other predators, they dont all have to have fangs, teeth, and love the taste of apatosaurus flesh.

Yeah, youre right; maybe then I'll stick to my white-back mountain gorilla thingy. At least I draw a gorilla nicer than I draw a raptor.

[Sorknes]

Ok reptiles, dinosaurs, and scaley things oh my. Did everyone sit down and collectively decide that reptiloids have the best DNA for hunting or something? Let's not forget other predators, they dont all have to have fangs, teeth, and love the taste of apatosaurus flesh.

I originally started with a feline mixed with dino...... And realised there was no way in Hell I'd manage to get that finished with the time I have on hand. :/

[Althael]

Ok reptiles, dinosaurs, and scaley things oh my. Did everyone sit down and collectively decide that reptiloids have the best DNA for hunting or something? Let's not forget other predators, they dont all have to have fangs, teeth, and love the taste of apatosaurus flesh.
Dinosaures have some very versatile abilities, have the biggest predator ever known, have a hard hide, making them perfect to absorb hit and they are freaking great.

Though, you're exagerating. Only 2 out of the nine WIP shown here are dinosaur based. 3 with reptiles.
Plenty of time left for more entries to come. :P

[Nexus]

Haha, damn I was just trying to stir things up a bit. You know, get people to reconsider ideas and not go with the inevitable dinosaur route that comes from the "extinct creatures" part of the specifications. But yes Althael your right saurians did possess some of the most deadly predators ever. Definitely noting wrong with reptilians, I'm just hoping this doesnt become Dinofest 2006. Believe me I see some good things here thus far, but I will try to ruffle everyones feathers...er scales in this case to make you annoyed enough just to prove me incorrect. Some of the best work produced comes from people proving a point.

[chaosrocks]

heeheh
Dinosaurs had feathers..or maybe fur

Im working on a praying mantis/scorpion/ostrich cross

chaosrocks

[Nexus]

All-terrain hunter....that's all Im saying. You'll all see soon enough.

[Thoras]

Well, I've decided to crit what you guys've got thus far; hope it serves:

Althael - I like your design, man, nice; but, it's a triceratops, where's the original design? Keep the color along the whole beast; it's front-right foot its bigger than the left. It's saliva looks more like if you didnt had an eraser.

Hookswords - I´m diggin the Gryph; i conccur with Nexus, the other one's just an octopus. Nice metal feet, keep it up, Ill wait for thr final.

MichaelMotion - Hey, I missed yours, so I edited this thing. Well, the tail is wonky, fix it; it has only on leg, and it couldn't possibly stand on it, besides, it's toothin, even with the meca things. The head is cool, just give it detail, and eyes. Sorry for being crude, but I'm mad cause the bulb of my studio broke.

W!L - Nice concept, I like much more the secod one; what I don't like is the turret in the beast's paws, it doesn't seem possible, then aggain, any of these beast is possible yet. Nice detailing, keep it up.

Jakkas - Mother freakin cool!! Considering the few days that have passed!!
These snake like thingy is really sweet. Give detail to its back. What are the three balls in its belly for? Man... you're one of the reasons I backed off...

Masque - Nice sketch, the basilisks are really swell; I like the Naga-like head ya put in em. You just have to color it and it's done!! One but, as always in this life, no pun intended, the beast at the back is too damn long. You're the other reason I backed off.

Sorknes - HEY, my first sketch was really similar to that; just that yours far better; anyways, I like the saber-teeth you gave your beast. But, the metal things look just like armor, not like a machine that has been implanted on the beast to boost its capacities; work on that, and on the feet.

Cheshire Lyon - Nice panther, give detail to its feet, tail and torso.

[masque]

the beast at the back is too damn long. will you guys please lay off the "long body" gripe :rolleyes: :tihi:

here's my ref: http://reptilis.net/index4/varanid8.jpg

stretch reptiloid. 'K?
:P

PS. what's a Naga?

[Thoras]

will you guys please lay off the "long body" gripe :rolleyes: :tihi:

here's my ref: http://reptilis.net/index4/varanid8.jpg

stretch reptiloid. 'K?
:P

PS. what's a Naga?


Jajaja, sorry Masque; It just didn't seem right until I saw the pic; you know, your beast COULD sacrifice power for speed with that shape.

Ohh, and a Naga is...

http://www.wowwiki.com/images/thumb/5/50/180px-Naga.jpg

Sorry, couldn´t find a better image... just for the record... THE IMAGE IS NOT MINE, I REPEAT, NOT MINE.

[neoknocker]

Here's mine.

I'm not a color pro for the moment but I like it nonetheless.

http://cf.geocities.com/emailjfhoule/sketch_07_2.jpg

[Althael]

Small update.

Thoras-
New saliva just for you.
But I didn't noticed its larger hand.. I'll fix that.

[Thoras]

Althael

Now that's what I'm talking bout; good coloring; the tail is nice, maybe if you could make it sharper, it would look more agressive.
By the by, the hands are ok this time.

[Thefultron]

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e398/thefultron/PredatorMIx.jpg
IT'S DONE! i guess

[Michael Jaecks]

edited: sorry. Have to pull out for this round... just too busy with other work. Maybe next time.

[Alliekatt]

Colors are almost done! Just have to finish off the rear half of the shell and detail the 'seat'.

http://www.geocities.com/akayla55/anthropod.jpg

The Arthropod X2300 series, or 'Pods, as the hunters call them, are a strange mix of lizard, insect and snake. Deceptively fast, their unique 6-legged method of locomotion provides their riders with a nice, smooth ride. Their lightweight chitinous armor provides excellent defense against tricky quarry, while the powerful neurotoxin deployed by their mandibles quickly paralyzes their prey. Top-of-the-line sensory arrays have been installed in the Pod's cranium to aid in tracking and provide advanced warning, and each model comes equipped with a chemical sensor specially tuned to VidaNova's product "tags".

[Jonoy]

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a134/jonoy/shrimpz03d.jpg
Xervities
After unsuccessful attempts to intropolate Indian Tiger geneiology with Banded Mantis Shrimp (idealistic ravager genome created but highly unstable due to superior aggression/ physical speed) the xervities has been successfully created, trialed in the field, and installed as the mounted unit of choice for multi-terrain combatant units.
A cross genome breed of austrogammarus australis (Now extinct freshwater crayfish) and Connochaetes taurinus (Wilderbeast Kenyan grasslands), the xervities has both the crustacial exoskeletal protection of the crayfish and the docile yet willfull nature of the Wilderbeast in conjunction with newly available and stable Nanotechnology as well as incorporating the Polymer-Plastic Petrochemical technologies previously available to the modern 24th century military.
Due to the weight of previous exoskeletal genome crosses proving unstable due to the unsustainable weight of an exoskeleton weighing 20kg+ above sea level; the introduction of Polymer-plastics have 'lightened the load' as well as giving a greater flexibility to the armourous advantage of an exoskeleton infused with nanotech repair-and-sustainability technology.
Tests have shown a dominance in the Crayfish geniology causing the new species to express a carnivorous appetite and predator traits in it's mental algorithmics.
Moving on land at burst speeds in exess of 54kmh and under 70kmh/ average speed of 45kmh, the xervities is also capable of higher speeds in submersed conditions (18-45knots) as well as retaining the ability to traverse inclines up to 50degrees; all while the mounted trooper remains safely enclosed in the climate-controlled gyroscopic-cockpit intergrated into the second armoured segment of the thorax.
A new and superior genomic crossbreed is in process though this information is highly classified.
weaponry/upgrades include; mounted caseless assault cannon (44mm), photon whip antennae and Electro Magnetic aura (20ft) as well as the conventional claws/mandibles and the mounted trooper's arsenal.

[seba_boi]

Man, some of these ideas blow my mind!... ALLIEKAT and JONOY's take on making them insect-like is great!... So's the reptily ones since they can be more amphibious with water... *thumbs up*

[Fozzybar]

REMINDER
I didn't read the concepts yet, but just wanted to mention, that the creature must have some mechanical/technological parts implemented...

[W!L]

masque - sorry mate but i still stick to it... how big is that lizard in pic.. pretty small. it would not work in a bigger animal in my mind.. think it would be quite ungainly as it moved and awkward. netherless best artwork so far. love the face.

JakkaS- similiar problem with teh snake.. i know snakes can eb fast, but not at that size... i fear that it would be very slow creature... but the painting is brilliant... and i love teh idea... very original.

CheshireLyon- for some reason i am thinkign of HE-MAN.. . kick ass cat, and some nice attributes you have given him.

Sorknes- look scool. but also looks liek some crazy dino DJ. mix master dino scissor hands.

favourite ahs to be Alliekatt at mo. it just loooks cool and description seems plausible when lookig at creature.. it rocks....

as for me i think all these cool entries are making me realise how much i suck ass.... back to the drawing board i think... i just want to laugh when i look at mine.. its to comical i think with the man riding in a kangaroo pouch... O and Thoras the gun was not inj his paws.. he has no arms.. thats is a big metal frame attached to the gun hanging from where his arms should be .. i know its not obvious.. i suck:upset:

o and micael motion. like the new design.. last ones legs seemed to week but this is better.... i prefered the turtle head though

[Thoras]

masque - sorry mate but i still stick to it... how big is that lizard in pic.. pretty small. it would not work in a bigger animal in my mind.. think it would be quite ungainly as it moved and awkward. netherless best artwork so far. love the face.

Hey, haven't ya ever seen the desert lizards that stand at their full height to run at mind-bendig-eye-shocking speeds??
The ones that are like the dinosaurs that spit acid in Jurassci Park 1.

http://www.jpaftermath.com/images/dino_battles_dilo.jpg

[MegaData]

Is it okay if the head of the creature is not based on a carnivore? It seems to me like that's more of an internal thing, unless the illustration shows the creature with it's mouth open.

[Nexus]

I've seen them, they're called Dilophosaurs. They never spat acid in reality but they were apex predators at one point or another.

[masque]

how big is that lizard in pic.. pretty small. it would not work in a bigger animal in my mind.. ready, set.... go here:
http://www.berry.edu/academics/science/reu/images/Ken%20Riding%20the%20Komodo%20Dragon.jpg
they don't call 'em komodo dragons for naught. and keep in mind this is not zoology, except as needed to make things seem real. let go, young padawan! use the Force... :teeth:

and thanks for the kind words on the drawing, 'tis appreciated.

REMINDER
I didn't read the concepts yet, but just wanted to mention, that the creature must have some mechanical/technological parts implemented...yep, it isn't terribly obvious in my drawing, but the "psionic impants" are the doodads embedded in the top of the basilisk's head, will be metallic in the painting. probably some other little bits will folow this part of the brief, just subtle rather than in yer face ;)

and seatbelts are mechanical, right? NLTSB approved! (National Lizard Transpo Safety Board)

[chaosrocks]

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/chaosrocks/cowcohesion6.jpg

DONE
seats two, controlled by holding the antenae, robotic eyes which include Ultraviolet and infra red as well as transmission to rider via antenae (which is why there are two riders) , takes great skill to ride, especially staying on during a tail strike


c.rocks

edit: raw colour, no clean up, no PS no ink...but its only tuesday!
wednnesday edit: inked and cleaned

thursday: added errant and missing foot, as reccommended reformatted composition, added BG


Saturday....spiffede it up a liittle and ..FINISHED

[mybutterflyiris]

I must disagree with W!l, I think Masque's choice of an altered komodo dragon works great; and they are by no means a small lizard.

Quote: "Growing up to ten feet long, it is the largest lizard in the world. Discovered by science at the start of the 20th century, some 6,000 Komodos are restricted to a few small islands in Indonesia. On these islands, they rule supreme. Then can run as fast as a dog for short stretches and prey they merely injure are brought down shortly by the deadly bacteria in their mouths. They spend their days sunning and their nights in shallow burrows."
For more info on Komodos, you can check out: http://www.honoluluzoo.org/komodo_dragon.htm

*I :heart: Komodos!*

[W!L]

ahh then i must concede and bow do to everyones supirior knowledge of lizards.... that or disagree with god...

lol it was only a small thing that did not sit well with me looking at the pic and still does not... even though the evidence says i be wrong.

keep em coming people

[sithwitch13]

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/4002/predatormounthcopy5ms.jpg

Canidofelus tridactyl horribilus, family Artificiocidae. Commonly known as a "Riding Triclaw".

This riding mount is neither a canid or feline, but a genetic hodgepodge. A larger form of the common hunting triclaw (Canidofelus tridactyl domesticus), this subspecies is invaluable for its strength, endurance, and intelligence. In addition to modifying the chest cavity to be deep like that of a cheetah, further tweaking allowed for an increase in the efficiency of its circulatory and respiratory systems. This, along with genes coding for more efficient use of energy in skeletal muscles, allows for the speed of a cheetah but with much more endurance. The tail has been modified into both a stabilizer and a whip. Additionally, the paws and claws that give the mount its common name were modified from the more common five digits normally found in animals to give it a more solid grip on its terrain and ease of running. The riding triclaw's fur has been coded to be short and dense, making it ideal for conditions ranging from desert heat to arctic cold.

Riding triclaws are given additional biomedical enhancements once full size is reached. Their already quick brains are tweaked to make synapses fire faster and the adrenal cortex is enhanced so that the maximum allowable amount of epinephrine can be produced at critical moments. The natural eyes are also replaced by the finest artificial oculars, allowing triclaws to see at a variety of ranges and lighting conditions. The triclaw's hearing is enhanced by implants, allowing it to hear three hundred times better than its natural ability. This audio enhancement automatically shuts down within a nanosecond in the event of a loud, potentially damaging noise.

A riding triclaw is controlled by reins that are attatched to nostril rings. Since it does not have the same mouth as an herbivore, a traditional bit and bridle would be impractical. Additionally, the mouth must remain free in order to grasp and kill prey.

With its enhanced strength, endurance, intelligence, and vision, the riding triclaw is a formidable hunter whose abilities can be effectively doubled with an experienced hunter guiding it.

[Soulweaver]

A bit of dinichthys with some hyena thrown in for extra upper-body strength and an invincible digestive system, and some hands and a seahorse tail for climbing/swimming.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a370/Ekhidna/karharionsketch5.jpg

Introducing the 2447 Karharion, the latest in the Khimera line of biovehicle products from VidaNova.

Unbeatable power: Today’s huntsman faces more challenges than ever before, and the Karharion is fully equipped to face them. No more fumbling with laser saws to get past that tough dromelupe armor – the Karharion’s razor-sharp shears give it a bite force that has been measured at 15,000 psi, the highest of any biovehicle on the market.

Unbeatable dependability:
· The Karharion utilizes our patented Heart-Powered Gear Engine, for boundless endurance for those long hunting trips.
· Bones, fat, and rotten meat left over from the hunt need not be wasted – this fuel-efficient biovehicle can survive on your leftovers.
· Optional equipment includes nanomicrobes, released from the Karharion’s mouth. Each nanomicrobe wanders until it finds a potential target. It then sends a tracking pulse to the Karharion that can be followed for days on end. Never again lose your quarry’s trail! Purchase before Jan 1 2447 and get free nanomicrobe refills for a full year!

All-terrain hunter*: The Karharion goes where your quarry goes.
· The Karharion can scale a 90° surface with ease. It gives today’s huntsman an outlook of the surrounding land like never before.
· This biovehicle makes aquatic barriers a thing of the past. The Karharion is perfectly at home in the water**, while the inflatable airbags along its sides keep the huntsman safely dry above the surface.
· Heavy undergrowth a problem? Not anymore – the Karharion comes equipped with an armored head that can break through the toughest natural barricades without a scratch.
· Optional equipment includes heart and lung implants for withstanding the thin air of high altitudes.

Safety first: Here at VidaNova, customer safety is our highest concern. That’s why we’ve implemented AgroShock stirrups into the Karharion’s design. Any time the biovehicle gets out of hand, a simple nudge with the stirrups puts it back in its place.

*Not recommended for extended use in subzero temperatures.
**Not to be ridden in salt water.

[Panagos]

I tried to pull inspiration from a range of mammalian sources, with a little extinct Ice Age/sabretooth/woolymammoth flare thrown in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/Panagos/WEBCac-CoW001SketchX.jpg


Soulweaver - I absolutely LOVE the incorperation of the clockwork into your creature - nicely done.

[AleksandarMijajlovic]

This is my way of point:

When I start to think about this the first animal that hit’s my mind is of course T-rex, or some of same sort… But…

I was thinking that, because of usage of natural intelligence we need spices of animals that are easier to dominate. So, I was looking for species which are dominated by principle of hierarchy, which means that they follow the head of group. And you are the head of group if you feed them… T-rex is great killing machine, but to ride him? Maybe… But individual animals are harder to control…

Dogs, wolfs, etc. are great example of animal that know principle of hierarchy, so I start with them. Dogs are anyway wolfs from past, so…

Next, I think about riding… Of course the horse is first thing to hit my mind…
Spine of horse is delicate thing. It deformities though time, because of pressure of human body. So, I make it from “steel”… So the animal can endure more pressure, and much more things can be place on it.

And finally T-rex… It’s too much fun to be place out…

This animal can run at two or four feet’s, can use two arms for killing, in style of T-rex (double speed T-rex), can hunt like wolf and much more…

And definitely I must practice my English…

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/4186/huntingdog1bv.jpg

[masque]

ahh then i must concede and bow do to everyones supirior knowledge of lizards.... that or disagree with god...

lol it was only a small thing that did not sit well with me looking at the pic and still does not... even though the evidence says i be wrong.

keep em coming peopleactually your comments helped me look more closely at the drawing, and i did shorten the torso about 10% fom the original rough. since then i've also revised the rear legs of the BG basilisk, cause they looked too static and "weak," as you put it. they now have some more animation (the creature is shown more in a stride) and i think the longer torso looks more natural. so thanks for the crits, they were helpful.

[meeatu]

hiya,

great job everyone.
here's my attempt on the project:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/meeatu/COW.jpg

[vigostar]

these look great.. you guys look like your having tons of fun...

[ceberae]

Concept: REX2100.

http://www.logoesque.com/blink/REX2100Colour.jpg

There are 2 reviews available for this product.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

vidanovasux wrote on March 5, 2446 10:57

what a rip off! for that price tag, youd think the damn thing would come with diamond crusted nails, but all you get is a pooch as ugly as hell. About time they started making them easier on the eyes. my buddy got one and it’s an unstable piece of crap. Runs away on regular basis, have to shut it down remotely. And the stupid thing won’t stop drooling all over the damn floor! That drool’s f***ing toxic! who’s bright idea was that?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You_moron wrote on March 5, 2446 14:24

Who cares how it looks? All that matters is that it gets the job done. It’s drooling because it’s hungry and wants to hunt. The INSTINCT drive is there for a reason. Decrease the hunger setting to 3 or 5, default is 10. Decrease the hunt setting to 0 when idle. Use your head and read the manual. Idiot.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Click here to write your own review.

[masque]

man, bet that baby induces some heavy sticker shock, ceberae! love it :teeth:

[digitalfly]

Jakkas - one more good work!

[JakkaS]

Thx digitalfly. I am still working on it. I am trying to add some living environment, but this is my weak point [I suck in painting environments]. However,…no try, no progress….

ceberae - Intersting begining....

Masque – I think your Basilisk is just fine. It’s not to long and not to have. Simply a killer machine.

Cheers
Kuba

Ps. Can’t wait to see what will make the rest of the people…

[Marco Mazzoni]

Here is a quick sketch. I'm not too sure where I'm going to go with the hind feet, but the front half is working for me so far.

http://www.butcherfx.com/stuff/CA/8th%20day%20cow%20(s).jpg

[hwango]

Second I dig this one a lot, but it is still really rough. The idea is an underwater scout/sniper unit.

I love the sketch of the octopus. I don't know if it's practical, what you'd do to make the octopus a COW, or anything else, but I hope you think of something for that one, because it would be awesome. :teeth:

[Nexus]

Hmmm, well first let me say that once again I am pleased with the variety of responses that all you guys have put up here, I see some creative solutions to the problem set before us. However, there are some things that I see in all the pieces that I wonder about in terms of falling under the specifications of the contest. The description for the mounted predator notes that it was created through a "mixing' of genes. Really aside from a few people I have seen very little mixing of any kind occuring. That's the point of the genetic manipulation program....stripping the best attributes from any organism and then merging them to produce a more efficient and beneficial creature. Simply taking one animal and making it large enough to ride and throwing a saddle on it isn't combining at all (you know who you are), thats just enhanced growth hormones. And yes having it grow a saddle out of its head or in its body is a good idea (few of you took that approach) but the saddle isn't really the most important thing and in fact it was mentioned after the genetic manipulation in the post. True it was mentioned twice but I think that was for the purposes of clarification, that doesn't mean that it needs to be the central point of the entire creature. I dunno, I guess I was just disappointed with not seeing a really creative merging of animals and very little exploration into the nearly endless amount of natural weapons organisms possess. Millions upon millions of creatures, all of them with varying strands of usable DNA, I'd take it into consideration. Good luck all, my creature will be up by Saturday but I'm not rushing it.

[chaosrocks]

um since mine is part preying mantis, part stag beetle, part scorpion and part ostrich..... I don't really know how much more mixed you can get. Not to mention the hugeness compared to any of the insect clan. Incorporating the robotics is the challenge for me. ( Im assuming that using insects gets the prehistoric component....and whose to say what will be extinct that far in the future..probably just about everything...( gloomy note for the morning)
But I see what you're saying.... basilisk and dinosaur instead of Chimerae or Hippogrif although maybe the genetic material is just blended so seamlessly as to be subtle?
these are sparking some great ideas, and many of the big hitters haven't weighed in yet. can't wait

c.rocks

[JakkaS]

I did this, when I have read Nexus’ and WIL’s comments. I don’t know, if I make this one on time, because I want to finish my first entry, but tell me what you think about this. I have combined some elements of Saber-tooth Tiger, Gorilla and some kind of Dino [tail].
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f209/JakkaS-ws/437c8bad.jpghttp://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f209/JakkaS-ws/8c350503.jpg

[Nexus]

Wow, Jakkas I like this one alot more. The snake was pretty cool, I was enjoying the capture pods on the side of it's body but I see you managed to keep the head which was working well. It definitely looks more like a mixture of creatures to me. My advice is either finish up the snake if you're really attached to it but otherwise go ahead and drop it and start devoting your time to this new one, it's substantially better in my opinion. Good work and I'm sorry if I disheartened anyone or stepped on some toes. I just expect alot from you guys and wanted to call attention to a few things. And Chaosrocks, Im well aware of the bevy of animals you included, I wasn't speaking to every single person that's submitted when I made my comments. Just to make everything completely clear, I said what I said in hopes of helping not to be down on anyone.

[Banned_User]

eh.. I won't have time for this one :dad:

[masque]

well, looks like someone's been promoted to Interpretation Inquisitor in the ranks of the Kreativity Kops! you know who you are :P :teeth:

kind of funny how many seem to think that "combining" animals via genetic engineering consists of something like "splice head gene from chicken onto body genes of wombat = chicken-headed wombat." doesn't work that way, folks, and won't even in 2446, cause it can't -- just a little problem in systems integration. keeping the mix within a specific class (mine = sauropsid) and if possible in the same order (squamata) is a lot more feasible. not nearly as many problems with the plumbing. now i don't expect everyone to approach the concept from a semi-informed (but the web is great for find out such geeky stuff) and plausibly rational direction, but why snipe at those who do? try approaching another's concept for what it is, rather than what you expect it to be.

also, try giving others the benefit of the doubt in terms of the depth of their interpretation -- there may be a great deal of consideration that isn't overtly visible in a concept. after thinking about a number of different base animals (canine & primate, chiefly), i settled on reptile because i'm incorporating a psi-based control mechanism, and reptile brains are a great deal simpler than anything higher up the evolutionary scale. these are predators and carnivores, which means homo sapiens is on the menu -- higher-level beasties could present a major control problem, let alone considerations of much higher metabolic rates (the need to eat more often). don't want 'em snacking on the troops, right? remember Siegfried & Roy (i forget which got et)? i also subscribe to "form follows function," so i decided to keep my critter low-slung for easy mounting. fewer crunchies if the riders get tossed, right? also, why put "feathers on a cricket" unless there's a functional reason for it? these are corporate product -- cost effectiveness rules! just a few of the thoughts that went into my design that probably don't show at all.

now, all this may result in a less fanciful design, but that's alright by me, 'cause i figure the SUJF Commander (whoever he/she turns out to be) is gonna want badass, not pretty, or even "cool."

[JakkaS]

I agree with you Masque, more important is “reality” then beautiful shape/design, genes are not like LEGO blocks. That why I have created my entry based on snake. I think, these creatures are very good adapted to jungle environment. Usually when I make a COW, I like more process of creating then painting. I always try to ask: WHY? "Why my creature have one eye (last COW)?' Because this organ is not only for watching but mainly for creating a portal (portal is round like a eyeball) and its more easy to focus on one point then on two points – that’s why I have made my creature with one eye.

[Panagos]

As long as re're discussing the 'reality' of the topic; I'd like to pose the question - If they're genetically creating an ideal creature, why do they need mech enhancements? Why build in mechanical bone supports when you could just tweak the DNA strand responsible for bone size/density? Why build mechanical eyes with night vision/heat sensing when you could incorperate those attributes through additional tweaking? The only reason you would go through the added effort and expense of mechanically altering an animal is if the animal needed enhancements that couldn't be achieved through biological means (ie rocket launching nostrils).

[W!L]

jakkas- mate tht is freakin sweet. so jeoulous.. briliant idea... no crist what so ever for that.. love it!

[JakkaS]

As long as re're discussing the 'reality' of the topic; I'd like to pose the question - If they're genetically creating an ideal creature, why do they need mech enhancements? Why build in mechanical bone supports when you could just tweak the DNA strand responsible for bone size/density? Why build mechanical eyes with night vision/heat sensing when you could incorperate those attributes through additional tweaking? The only reason you would go through the added effort and expense of mechanically altering an animal is if the animal needed enhancements that couldn't be achieved through biological means (ie rocket launching nostrils).
Good question Panagos. For me the answer is simply. We have year 2446 CE. They just started playing with genes. However, in 20 years maybe,…I say MAYBE they will be able to make organic armor, weapons and other useful objects. Hehe.

BTW, look for my entry [page 1] – I have design “armor” with is half-organic half-metal. :D

WIL - thx....

[GatorKyle]

Hi everybody,

I just joined and thought I would work on my own concept in this thread. This is my first post. Go easy on me.

http://www.cunninghamillustrations.com/PredatorCat2A.jpg

Ocalyx 2446

The latest concept from the VidaNova Corporation is now a reality! The 2446 model of the Ocalyx is now ready for you to take home. A tireless tracker, a terrible and swift killer, and a warm, fuzzy family pet all rolled into one. This beast has it all. Each animal has been fully registered with the VidaNova Kennel Club and comes with a 5-year health guarantee. If the animal gets sick for any reason, your own personal VidaNova veterinarian will be flown in to handle the situation.

Enhancements for hunting include the raptor dew-claw, perfect for eviscerating the toughest of today’s monstrous game animals (or even nosy neighbors.) For those suspenseful encounters where you have to track down wounded prey, the Ocalyx’s teeth have been fitted with a slow-acting poison, to make absolutely sure your prey dies while leaving a trail of blood to follow. The Ocalyx comes in a variety of coats, from jungle-spotted to grassland-stripes. Elements of the canine olfactory system have been included to give the Ocalyx unparalleled tracking abilities. And the latest update is VidaNova’s new, state-of-the-art bio-monitor, the NeuroRim. The NR continuously monitors the animal’s blood for signs of disease, poisons, and unhealthy cholesterol. And using the newest in encrypted Red Tooth technology, you can transmit simple orders to the animal for the smoothest ride in the industry. You can also remotely command the NR by way of Red Tooth to release the latest hormonal and nano-engineered stimulants into the Ocalyx’s blood, for added performance during those extra nasty encounters.

The Ocalyx. The perfect addition for your stable.

*model shown not equipped with optional side-impact airbags*

[masque]

GatorKyle, damn good first COW, strong poise & balance to the creature's pose, good color and overall form rendition. only mild crit is i'm having a bit of a prob deciding whether it has fur or skin -- strokes & markings say fur, highlights say skin.

[GatorKyle]

Thanks, I haven't quite gotten down a good fur texture. I guess I could break up the highlights with some short strokes, so that I still get the overall highlight shape but the fur texture. I did this before I had read a lot of the comments about the concepts, genetic engineering vs. mechanical parts, etc. But thanks for the crit, all help is appreciated.

[GatorKyle]

There, I worked on making it more furry looking. Thanks for the crit. I tried to break up the highlights on the form with some short brush strokes, so you still get an overall sense of it's shape, but that the texture is furry.

[walnut]

Voilà, et ça c'est mon WIP (sorry, had a French bout there):
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a117/walberg/junglemount.jpg

It's pretty simple i guess, reckon i was thinking along Masque's lines a bit. Keeping the gene-strains in the mammal division. I believe it's a mix of equine and prehistoric predator (thylacodon? something like that?) but basically i just went with the flow. Got any C&C to throw at me?
Jakkas: Serious improvement over your previous entry, much more er, believable. And i'm totally in love with the sketchwork.

[chaosrocks]

hey walnut..looking good, getting a goat-like iguana essence int here too. Only thing Id like to see, on a very practical note (we must have our fantasies practical now musn't we...?) is if the scale is set by the saddle (one rider seated) I'd like to see more muscle to support the weight, dunno some how just doesn't look strong enough. maybe thats just me.....
with great respect
c.rocks

[Althael]

As long as re're discussing the 'reality' of the topic; I'd like to pose the question - If they're genetically creating an ideal creature, why do they need mech enhancements? Why build in mechanical bone supports when you could just tweak the DNA strand responsible for bone size/density? Why build mechanical eyes with night vision/heat sensing when you could incorperate those attributes through additional tweaking? The only reason you would go through the added effort and expense of mechanically altering an animal is if the animal needed enhancements that couldn't be achieved through biological means (ie rocket launching nostrils).
I feel very concerned about that, since my creature have most of what you just said.
I'd say that, whatever they can do with genetic modification, they'll need 'mech enhancements' to do all the things that we want them to.
In 440 years, 'environment' might get a bit harder to move on. The condition might get more than extreme in our knowledge of the present day.
You can boost a creature with his genetic, sure, but can you make it run at 200mph with simple bone and muscles?
Can you make it jump on a 3 levels buildings with only a short run? Can you make it pull literally tons with its mere strength?
Can you 'morph' a creature enough to have a radar system and a scope integrated in its eyes?
I seriously doubt.

The creature might be boosted, but bones and muscles stay bones and muscles. They have limits way lower than 'mech enhancements'.

Well, that's how I see it.


Walnut-
WIP sa fait pas très francais. ;)

[Brand_X]

From : VidaNova consumer affairs, Bioped division
Sent : Friday, January 27, 2446 3:37 PM
To : M_Johnston@Macromail.corp
Subject : Mongoose L3 performance bioped.

Greetings Mr. Johnston, I am writing to you in response to some concerns you had about the behavior of your newly purchased VidaNova Mongoose L3. Specifically, you wrote to inform us that your Mongoose had killed and eaten your wifes leisure biped.
May I ask if this is the first time you have owned one of our more aggressive performance oriented models Mr. Johnston? If so I am sure you made a carful study of your owners manual and noted in chapter 10 subsection V. the dangers of mixed stabling with regard to predator based biopeds. One of the hardest characteristics of predators to genetically mute is their instinct to cull the weak and infirm.
I note from the attached photo that the now deceased unit was a Yamiguchi Avis, notable for its budget price but not, if I may be frank, for the quality of its genetic construction.
In regards to the second part of you inquiry concerning restitution by VidaNova for the lost bioped I refer you again to the above mentioned section of you owners manual where it clearly states at the bottom of pg 1432 that VidaNova bears no responsibility for such incidents.




http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/gulogulo/COW_Bioped_004.jpg

[Panagos]

I feel very concerned about that, since my creature have most of what you just said.
I'd say that, whatever they can do with genetic modification, they'll need 'mech enhancements' to do all the things that we want them to.
That's a very good point. If nothing else, there are only so many attributes you can cram into a single creature's physical make up.

My basic point is that the abilities of various animals are incredible - Bats utilize sonar, cheetah's can run 70mph, some lizards can regrow their tales, snakes can 'see' heat, porcupines are covered in nasty quills, certain insects can poison and kill creatures 1000x larger than themselves, chameleons and octopus can change their skin color, a breed of squid releases acid to discourage predators, ants can carry 20 times their body weight, spiders can spin webs that have phenomenal tensile strength, bears can hibernate for months at a time and suffer no adverse effects, some deep sea fish produce their own light source, dolphins can stun their prey when sonic blasts - not to mention commonplace attributes like claws, incredible bite pressure, armor plating, fantastic day and night vision, amazing sense of smell, and a mindboggling array of venoms, poisons and toxins - even some mokeys produce a mild toxin when their saliva mixes with their sweat.

Bottomline, I think that there are so many incredible things that animals can do, that the idea of mechanically augmenting a creature that has been custom designed for a specific function is rather odd. If you want something that can haul tons of equipment, you design a creature that can handle the weight. If you want a creature that can move at 200mph, you design a creature that can fly (since riding a creature at 200mph of rough terrain just sounds incredibly painful :$ )

I don't fault anyone's concept if they combine the two... that's great. I have some in my design as well. I was just raising the question for discussion - it's conceptart.org - I think we should discuss concepts as much as we discuss art. :teeth:

[hwango]

Brand X - I love the horns as handlebars.

[Nexus]

Ahh, so my goal was accomplished and I stirred the waters considerably. Ok Masque in response of how genetic manipulation works. Might I point out that this is 400 years in the future.....400. As it stands now we have very little knowledge on what is possible throught genetic manipulation, were on the cusp of it currently. But at the rate that science advances do you have any idea what might be possible in 30 years much less 400 years? Now I never said that anyones in particular wasn't creative, all I said was that I hadn't seen as much creativity as I'd expected when in comparison to the number of animals out there. And no Im not the Inquisitor General but I also know that in real life it's good to hear critiques to make your work stronger. I still hold that my points were valid and I really tried to utilize as much tact as possible when pointing them out. Also I read everyone's backgrounds to the creature and supplemental comments very carefully, I never just glance at the thing and make a decision on what I think of it. I think the main thing that we've derived from this little argument of sorts is that we all have differing ways of approaching an assignment/project. Masque you chose to go a more logical route and follow the current laws of genetics, very comendable and well researched I might add, nice to see an artist with a mind for science as well as visual design. However I had it in my head that people were going to approach it differently, perhaps I was a bit hasty but it was just a comment not condemnation. I personally will probably work a little more loosely as far as the staying true to genetic possibility goes, in essence placing the "cool" factor slightly above functionality without completely ignoring the function of the design. Perhaps in the future it would help if I make less broad statements and just address people personally with the issues that might pop up in their work. Once again sorry to step on any toes but at least it made people think.

[chaosrocks]

uupppppdate
c.rocks

[Nexus]

Panagos I completely agree with you. It does seem a bit odd. However I think certain mechanical elements in the form of controlling mechanisms are necessary. In order to weaponize an animal it wouldn't be efficient to have to train every individual creature, much better to control it neurally. But I definitely can see where your're coming from. Excellent point.

On another note, my congratulations to Gatorkyle, what a great first entry man. Keep it up
Also, I really like what you did with the update of your snake Jakkas, the atmosphere you created really impresses me alot. I know you said that environments weren't your thing but I'd take some tips from you on how to produce them if you have any.

[ceberae]

I started writing a critique for everyone, but I don’t think I’ll be able to go through all. Since I was repeating myself in the critiques, I just decided to summarize, especially since a discussion on a similar topic began later on in the thread. Ok, this is my personal opinion.

Anyway…The brief gives us a whole bunch of information, the most important part of which I think is the political environment and the date. Four hundred years away from now. Four. Hundred. Years. One hundred years ago there were no computers. Two hundred years ago there were no cars. Three hundred years ago there were no FLUSH TOILETS. See where I’m going? Where would genetics be in 100 years?

I think a lot of the designs take into account what is possible now and using that to design. Don’t think of what we can do now. I think since the date given is so extreme, it’s a go-ahead to really go wild with the designs. Think “anything is possible” . Hell, the creatures could have personalized teleportation units integrated in them. Or, I don't know, holding tanks for nanobots to attack or defend. Or something. Not even sky’s the limit! :P These creatures are already used in the military and are now being designed for civilians!

Next, think of what the creature would need to do. This is a time where humanity can design living creatures, not by just breeding them, but by splicing their genes! That means that they can be designed for specific tasks. There would be nothing extra. Only the things that would ensure the most efficiency at a given task. Of course, there can also be creatures for general tasks as well. But they are designed: like computers or cars. Think reverse-engineered animals.

Developing from the same idea, that far ahead in time and with that political situation, I’d think there would be a lot of competition among the developers. Meaning, they would be interested in making the creatures not only functional but also attract attention of the potential buyer.

End of general thoughts. I may be reading in too much into the description, but that’s just my take on it.




And I’ll still post the individual critiques, since I wrote them already.

Althael: You said that you’ll be adding biotech later, but I think it would be better to design with biotech at the same time, not adding it as an after thought. It has to be there for a reason.

Hookswords: I like the octopus idea better. Since the brief doesn’t mention which terrain the creature is designed for, merely that it’s for hunters, I think having an underwater creature would be really cool.

MichaelMotion: interesting idea. However, I don’t think that the legs work aesthetically as they look a bit weak, like they won’t be able to support the form. I know those legs can be reinforced and therefore work without too much bulk surrounding it, but I think in 400 years this technology could have evolved enough to account for “looks” (much like it does now: TVs are no longer just used to view programs, they also need to look good with that new lampshade!)

W!L: never would have thought of kangaroo transportation! But I think the animals used are too recognizable, so much so that I would think that it was achieved through surgery rather than genetics.

Jakkas: Thanks for a heads up. I’ve updated my sketch. Developing, developing…:D For your design, the first idea is nice and once again beautifully rendered, but I like the second idea better usability wise. Though it’s cool to have the little guy sit on the head of the first creature, that decreases the creature’s attacking capabilities. Meaning, it won’t be able to use its head effectively without harming the driver. If it doesn’t use his head, then he doesn’t really need to have teeth there. I mean, this is a creature engineered 400 in the future to perform a specific task.

Masque: thanks for your comment! It gave me an idea :D Regarding the Basilisk. First of all, beautiful sketch and an interesting description! Second, the brief mentions that the creature has to be an aggressive killing machine. He doesn’t really look aggressive to me. This is a genetically engineered creature: if it was intended to be a killing machine, it has to be apparent. IMHO

Alliekat: interesting take! Would be cool if the weapons would have been a bit more integrated. They look a bit… stuck on top.

Jonoy: nice colour scheme! Me like very much. If this creature would be swimming at any time, however, I don’t think the rider’s saddle is mounted with that in mind, since it’s placed on the area that would be moving most. It would be like placing a saddle right above a horse’s hind legs.

Marco Mazzoni: this is what I was talking about! This creature looks like it was made 400 years from now! I really like the pose as well.

[Cup of Joe]

Hey! Finally decided to try one of these out. All I have right now is a basic sketch. It's a combination of an ostrich and a velociraptor used for light missions where speed is necessary. I'll give more info with the next update. Any crits would be greatly sppreciated.
*edited BG
DONE

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/cojcpm/Ostoraptor5.jpg

VidaNova is proud to announce one of the latest additions to our line of NovaInfantry® models, the Ostoraptor. This model is light and fast enough to get you to your destination in no time at all, but also safe enough to protect you from most small skirmishes. The riot shield protects you, and the Ostoraptor’s feathers have been biomechanichally modified to resist most attacks from small arms*. The Ostoraptor is also the perfect choice in long distance trips. The Ostoraptor can last for days without any food thanks to it’s slow metabolism, and the Ostoraptor itself can be used as a food source in a pinch. The Ostoraptor’s enhanced muscles can also carry nearly twice it’s own body weight! Order yours today!

Statistics-
Binomial name- Struthio mongoliensis
Commonly known as – Ostoraptor
Cross of- Velociraptor mongoliensis and Struthio camelus
Height- 3.35 Meters
Weight- 130 Kilos
Cargo Limit- 220 Kilos

Extra features-
• Light bone structure for enhanced speed
• Powerful jaws and razor sharp teeth
• Carnivorous, so there’s never any waste
• Can deliver fatal kicks
• Can carry supplies
• Implanted metal claws
• GPS Navigator
• Collar attached to spinal chord controls hormones, keeping it as rabid or as docile as you want!
• Node implanted into brain can either locate or instantly kill the Ostoraptor in case of theft.
• Natural hunting instincts. If it’s warm-blooded, The Ostoraptor can find it!

Order now and receive a pre-installed MetalStorm® machinegun!
*Safety not guaranteed from projectiles that surpass a Level 4 rating.

[masque]

thanks for the crits & comments, ceberae, i think my painting is looking a bit more forbidding & nastyass than my sketch :tihi:

re: outlandish designs, anything goes... if that's what someone wants to do, go for it, i just don't see that taking another route is in any way a weaker or less creative approach. from the brief: "The idea behind this new move is too harness the animals natural intelligence, sensory abilities, and ability to traverse difficult terrain" -- natural abilities, enhanced by technology, and "new move," which says to me that the tech isn't completely established yet, even 400 years ahead. hell, it might have been banned for 350 of those years (the Bush Legacy??). also, "newest developments in the field of creating new species of animals bred for specific purposes." bred means breeding, perhaps so that engineered genomes can be naturally "fine tuned" by the usual evolutionary pressures, perhaps accelerated artificially. that's why i show a breeding pair.

so by this reading of the brief, a more conservative approach is quite valid. not trying to be defensive, as it isn't necessary, and i appreciate your take on the concept, figured i'd clarify mine a bit. 'sall good :teeth:

[krez]

Awesome work everyone.
really hope i get the time to do something with this.
amphibious pit bull shark. needs more aggro.
http://www.mentallyfriendly.com/krez/pitshark.jpg

[Panagos]

Finally tossed together a composition... any suggestions before I take it into color?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/Panagos/WEBCac-CoW001CompositionX.jpg

[walnut]

chaosrocks: not to be mean or anything, but weren't we supposed to show the creature's whole body? As for your comment about my 'travail en execution': you've got a good point. I think i'll make the saddle smaller. Thanks for the heads up.

[Form]

When VidiNova and its brother corporations came into economic control of the political climate on Earth, a major player in the economic war was the megaconglomerate 'Google'.

Late in the 21st century, google became a major player in the leisure an entertainment industries, buy 2151 they had a monopoly on internet service provision, television broadcast, firmvision, and owned almost half of the worlds physical transport system.

When the need for new weaponry became apparent, google was the first to open its doors to the possibilities of gene splicing. In a cooperation with china several technologies were developed including the worlds first artificial circulation system able to supply any manufactured organism with oxygen and blood cells. Deep tissue manipulation allowed for fully articulated creations.

Several biomechanical creations were trialled, and eventually failed. The google scientists soon realised that the missing element was the natural flaw that came with a real mind. Even in the subframe of animal instinct there was room for error, and in turn, luck.

Bioengineers cultivated samples from several specimens proven to posess above average traits... three of these were the intelligence of the hawaiian crow, the physical resilience of the extinct wooly mammoth, and the lethal poison of the box jellyfish. This was one of the first species crossbred by scientists but the project was ultimately found to serve no vital purpose, and was given a code blue (standby).

twenty three years on, the rogue states introduced unmetred specimens into the cross-streams of the mother machine, producing wild and unexpected anomalies in the behaviour of the gene-spliced creations. In an endeavor to keep the debacle under wraps, google made the decision to reinstitute the bird project as a means to find not only the escaped creatures, but members of the rogue state also.

Fitted into the medula oblongata of the bird was a tiny microchip, a google search engine, which stored all the electronic data available at the time, and was updated every 15 seconds. Searches could be performed on anything from personel, satellite images, weather maps and so on - generally results would be fed subconsciously in under 2.7 seconds. This allowed the bird to track its prey with uncanny ease and precision.

All seemed well for the google corporation, until the revelation that the google modified creatures were using the implanted chip, in combination with their own animal thinking, to store and categorically act on any information it wished. It soon became apparent that google was out of control, and if not controlled, would only lead to trouble. The leaders of google corp. were forced through public opinion to round up the google modified birds and terminate them.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a67/thebohemian/cowcohesion.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a67/thebohemian/cowcohesiondetail1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a67/thebohemian/cowcohesiondetail2.jpg

[Form]

yes, i hate google and their evil ways. so sue me. (and they probably will).

[MegaData]

With Siegfried & Roy, the tiger thought it was helping Roy. According to first-hand accounts, the tiger picked Roy up by the "scruff of his neck," like a cub, after he fell.

My creature will probably not be entirely scientific in it's concept but embryos look identical for all animals, including man. I think it looks specious. (Not posted yet.)

[hwango]

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c291/hwango/cowhesion_1.jpg
Congratulations, General Zdravkovic, on your country’s recent purchase of (100) FEN-747 Fenris Tactical Pursuit and Retrieval Units. Our special blend of genetic material draws on canis lupus familiarus for loyalty and reception to training, canis dirus for bulk and strength to support a fully armed human rider, and boa constrictor for a powerful tail to to keep a target bound and subdued while being brought back for processing.

Each unit comes standard with enhanced scent-based tracking, genetically encoded loyalty to its rider (set with your personal command code), and a free upgrade to color vision.

You also selected the following optional extras: Midnight camouflage coloring and upgraded cybernetic front paws for superior combat performance.

We at VidaNova are confident that these units will meet your exacting standards for quality and performance, and look forward to future transactions.

[masque]

With Siegfried & Roy, the tiger thought it was helping Roy. According to first-hand accounts, the tiger picked Roy up by the "scruff of his neck," like a cub, after he fell.mammals are such a bundle of conflicting motivations ;) now, when a reptile bites your head off, you know it's not 'cause it's being maternal :teeth:

[chaosrocks]

Walnut....now you've got me scared..this is gonna get dumped cause I didn't show One Foot? (trust me it kinda looks like the other one)

c.rocks

[walnut]

chaosrocks: you're not telling me you got too lazy to draw one foot are you? Tsk tsk tsk ... That's just asking for disqualification.

Yes i'm kidding, but right now it looks like you ran out of space at the edge of the page and that's pretty much a nono. Just thought i'd pass on a bit of advice...

[chaosrocks]

well I was trying for a MOtion-running-in from the edge of the page thing. and since my entry is hand painted in ink and watercolour its a little difficult to go back and revise. I guess I'll have to do the best I can in the computer....sigh. Maybe I'll just redo both legs and make them metal and mechanical. well I still have time. Thanks for the heads up
Krez-- If this is a problem for me..It may be a problem for you too. (no farside legs,) and Form- missing a wingtip....sigh I don't know just how particular,
c.rocks

[Form]

just so u know chaos, the reason i left the wingtip out wasnt because i ran out of room, or was lazy... it was for compositional reasons.. i personally tend not to be comfortable leaving a full figure dead centre, so i knocked him half out of frame to give a compositional line coming it...

just thought ud appreciate some clarification there

[chaosrocks]

Yeah thanks I actually knew that, it's what I did also.... I composed for the square, and will now have recompose if this is a problem. I haven't put in the background yet. so it may not make as much sense as yours (the background is on my sketch and not an afterthought, I just haven't rendered it yet
. but If I am breaking some Unwritten COW law by doing so Im glad to know now. Rather than when my piece doesn't get taken to poll .....
Thanks
Chaos

[MegaData]

=============
March 2nd W.I.P.
=============

Creature Composite:
Baluchitherium head, Euoplocephalas inspired ears, Lion's Mane, Bat's wings, Stegosaurus style tail, and bird-like legs and claws.

Concepts:
I originally drew a "pill" canister attached to the chest, but thought it really should be internal after reading that tracking chips, in reality, are normally inserted into the chests of birds. This creature's chest holds a refillable venom canister. The idea is to have a more concentrated venom than what can be naturally produced. Bitten once being deadly with the added bonus, should an enemy go for the heart, or try to behead this beast, the venom would act as contact poison, effective on plants and animals in keeping with the descriptions given. Having a harness should also suit the requirement of bio-mechanical and suggest a saddle of sorts.

Comments and Critique encouraged. :teeth:

[digitalfly]

There is a HichPicker.
It's a highspeed deadly predator with extryme advanced all sense and high sensibility for heat skin.
WIP

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6507/8thdaycreature1el.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

But there are not yet a mechanic improvement.

[ceberae]

Masque: good point! (I forgot about the current “Ban Science!” quest.)

Hwango: I like the way you rendered the fur. May be refining the area where the metal legs blend with the body is needed. Right now the seam is too apparent.

Form: I wonder if you could elongate the canvas vertically and change the position of the wings to swing further back, would that solve the problem of having the entire bird in the frame and keep the composition working? The position of the wings swinging back can form a “V” which could be pointing towards the running guy underneath and keep both wings in the frame. Just a thought. (Kind of like the little dude on the left here: http://www.provet.co.uk/kids/photo/gulls.JPG)

Panagos: I like the form and proportions of the creature. Posing-wise the one on the right has something strange going on with his back right leg. One question: what will the rider be holding on to when riding the creature? <-- Fur doesn't seem too comfortable for both.

[masque]

Final: Basilisks 2446

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/1666/basilisks2446cohcow1v24bw.jpg

Al is in the FG, Betty in back with rider -- note the larger bulk of the male, and the somewhat more ostentatious frill display. Both basilisks have just initiated their poly-chameleonic camouflage ability, where the skin pigmentation (normally a slightly iridescent bluish-grey) takes on the color of incident light, blending extremely well within seconds to any environmental and lighting conditions. in the field, the riders' psi-control helmet and the basilisks' implants will be disguised with standard camo techniques.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
creature refs are monitor lizard/komodo dragon, frilled lizard, and of course the classic Trikey :teeth: mods are mentioned in the text. location is ref'd from Jim-Jim Falls, Kakadu N't'n'l Park, Northern Territory, Australia. "Katherine Facility" refs a town in same region at almost exactly 14deg S latitude.

and thanks for the comments and crits, folks, they were put to good use in many cases ('specially in Betty). keep 'em comin'!

[JakkaS]

digitalfly, don't forget about saddle....BTW, nice pose, he looks like fast creature.

Masque – Excellent execution, but it is a pity that you put the text on the background. This composition with waterfall was great. BTW, nice details on the creatures’ head.

[masque]

...but it is a pity that you put the text on the background. This composition with waterfall was great. thanks, JakkaS. earlier on i had a more "full" BG, cliffs, waterfall, etc, in fairly bright lighting, but it was dominating the scene too much, distracted from the main subject. so I went with a misty, overcast lighting, and a textural "soft-focus" and it helped push the BG back where it belongs. it's still there, and helps the overall composition, just doesn't grab attention from the basilisks the way it did before. incorporating the text (the whole image is a "threed" -- a "3DDATAMEMO") was always a design task, part of my take on the concept, so the lower key, diffuse BG also helps it be more readable.

[GatorKyle]

I'll offer my first crit, for digitalfly: I love the head of the creature. The pose looks a little strange, or the anatomy, like this creature could run fast on it's back two legs but couldn't walk properly. The back left leg is too straight up and down, even extended fully we should be able to see the angle of the knee (in the front of the leg). I like where you're going with it, and I think it's very good to work in tone first, work out all your lighting problems before adding color. Good start, I hope this helps.

[chaosrocks]

update...hope thats better. have to rethink the BG.
Masque--- lovely critters...text is very hard to read over the bg like that..My old eyes just give up on me.

c.rocks

[goran]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v17/smogyboy/production%20design/plasmapiranha.jpg
Nice stuff guys,my entrance,mutated piranha with plasma engines,very
fast,very hungry and very deadly.

[masque]

@chaosrocks -- i tweaked the top & bottom tones a bit, should help with text contrast, but if not, maybe check your monitor calibration -- the max highlight in the BG behind text is now approx 30% value (was about 25%), plenty for a readable KO of text in my experience. thanks for the comment.

[chaosrocks]

Thanks-- I know my monitor is off ( unfixable ), and my eyes too...that is better. I spent too much time in advertising.....I'd rather look at the picture than read a lot of insufficiently contrasty text ;)... but then the picture is the most important part of this in any case...right?

Goran ---I love the fish! yay for new pathways..(nice drawing too)
C.Rocks

[masque]

I spent too much time in advertising.....ya, me too, 'bout 30 years too long :dad:

tryin' to remedy that.

[JakkaS]

I agree with chaosrocks, your fish is excellent Goran. However, I have a question for you. Is it breathing? It looks more like a machine than living creature. :D

BTW, I have updated main....[page1] (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62478)

[masque]

beauty, JakkaS -- the exotic birds are a nice subtle touch. i really enjoy your enviro-rendering skills, always remind me i need to work on mine.

[JakkaS]

beauty, JakkaS -- the exotic birds are a nice subtle touch. i really enjoy your enviro-rendering skills, always remind me i need to work on mine.
Thanks Masque, but only environment, which I "can" paint is jungle or forest. If I had to paint any buildings, it would be a disaster.

[hwango]

Hwango: I like the way you rendered the fur. May be refining the area where the metal legs blend with the body is needed. Right now the seam is too apparent.

Thanks for the comment Ceberae. I had originally planned the feet that way, since I figured actual connections to the creature should be shielded by plating, but it does kind of make it look like my critter is wearing oversized metal gloves. :( Since it looks funny to both of us, it probably needs fixing, so 'll fix that if I get a chance. Glad the fur came out well. I kind of stumbled onto the technique while working on the piece, and was really happy with how it was turning out.

[goran]

JakkaS-That the beaty og genetic ingeneering,you never know what will
happen.I was thinking of using the agility and the aggessivity of
piranha on the ground with some propulsion.

[chaosrocks]

heheh...fish propulsion....
anyway... Masque only 5 years for me, but tha was enough

and update
c.rocks

[masque]

that's a mean-lookin' piranhacraft, goran, i assume it's been modded with lungs? but the plasma engines seem a bit odd to me, since they face sideways, and if matched on the other side, wouldn't seem to provide much forward thrust. plus if they get out of balance, would be doin' some serious barrel-rolling maybe?

[goran]

JakkaS and masque thanks for revisions I revised everything except the smell,
it is stil unbearable.

[GratefulDread]

This is my attempt,
water based air attack creature, for night time covert operations. The life systems of this beast are soley dependant upon the humans who control them. The skull and simple brain of this genetically and mechanically engineered beast has been removed and replaced with a control system, for the pilot who mounts under the belly. The visual system of the annimal has been replaced with a targeting and gun system. The wings are created through forceful evolution, and are completely useless without the robotic enhancements. Under water propulsion is enhanced with a enhanced muscle tube in the upper body that sucks in water and forces it out the tube in the back much the way a squid propels itself. the fins of this creature have been edged for underwater combat in close quarters. In the water and in the night time sky, these creatures are virtually invisible.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/GratefulDread/sharksized.jpg

[Panagos]

I'm not sure if this is done, but as it stand now this is my final.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/Panagos/WEBCac-CoW001Color.jpg

[digitalfly]

JakkaS - Thanx for reminder. I forgot about it and I have result - my creature is mounted but by harness.
I can't mounted a hunter on its back - HichPicker dasn't let me :)
GatorKyle - Very thanks for your comments. I have fixed the legs.
And there is a final version of HichPicker.

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/4320/8thdaycreature1a5ar.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Nexus]

Digitalfly, that is rendered wonderfully, just great. I love the little details such as scars and numbering tattoo, makes it really have that experiment feel to it. I'm not sure that I'm really feeling the whole face armor, perhaps because it looks bronze and honestly in the year 2446 I hope they haven't reverted back to such a weak material. The only other thing I'd say is to try and blend his numbering tattoo into his body a little more seamlessly, as it stands now it looks slightly pasted on, maybe tone down the saturation a little. Other than those minor things though this is a nice piece, good values, textures, etc. Nice work man.

[misledtomisery]

heres my rough lil guy...

http://misledtomisery.com/conceptart/cohesioncowsk.jpg

here is my final. maybe a little changes before the deadline if i gets some crits and have time..

http://misledtomisery.com/conceptart/cowcohesion.jpg

implemented robotic limbs act as piercing tools for climbing trees and steeper rocky terrain, and open up to reveal a large webbed surface for swift and easy travel through bodies of water. unique enhanced chameleon gene implemented allows the creature to adapt its color scheme to its surroundings for increased deception and hunting. mechanical element implants for the saddle seat allow ease in removal/placement of saddle when needed, as well as deliver shocks which control direction and speed according to the rider.

[Althael]

Updated my entry.
-Finished the tail.
-Changed the color for a darker blue-ish tone.
-Started the futur lame environment.

..should add a saddle or something soon.

[Soulweaver]

Update:
Nevermind what I said about not having something done by Sunday... this thing (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=761969#post761969) had me addicted for the past two days. :nohope:

I ditched the eel tail for a seahorse tail, finished up the coloration, and took a chance with an environment (yeah, JakkaS, I'm not too comfortable with them either). I'd appreciate any constructive crits from you guys!

Panagos: Thanks! I kind of like the clunkiness of gears compared to sleek futuristic doodads, myself...

[W!L]

wow.. these entries are brilliant.. love digitlflys.. looks so cool... masque is excellent
misledtomisery- think that be waaaaaaaaahay to complex. but only za sketch so will see what u come up with.

too ill right now to go throgh everyones.. but i think they rock. i will rtry and fin mine by sunday .. but i am really quite sick and although i am off from work i too fussy headed to do any art. have fun everyone

[Hiipi]

Ciao Bellas and Bellissimos!

First timer on the Activities forum, that´s what I am. But thought I would start useing these opportunities to do some actual concept art instead of illustrations. So here´s mine, he´s called the Rhinodillo! Ha ha haaaaa!!!

Concept is that since there are remote "islands" where ppl dwell, they sometimes have to go get their food from a bit further. In the worst times of food shortage mankind started to breed cattle more and more, including buffaloes! Later on the buffaloes wandered further and further away from ppl and created massive herds to protect themselves. It became hard to fight these animals. Along came VidaNova and created a perfect hunting mount for where the buffalo roam.

The Rhinodillo has been created mixing this and that from armadillos´, rhinos´ and boars´ genepool. Strong natural armor is needed to protect the rider and the creature from buffalos´ attacks and the massive aggressiveness and driving force, the momentum, comes from rhinos and boars. On the animal has been mounted a heavy gun to end the days of them poor buffaloes if the Rhinodillo himself fails to do that. Sometimes these living assault tanks are also used to trample enemy forces in close combat with enemy states.

The driver is in somewhat control over the Rhinodillo by the same means as they steer elephants nowadays, kicking its sides underneath the shield. Rhinodillos have also adapted the ways of carnivores and feeds on its prey, therefor the tusks and the sharp teeth to rip the flesh to shreads. An old saying in the jungle tells that only The Phantom is a friend of a Rhinodillo, the rest are their enemies. Therefor it is somewhat a dangerous profession to be a Rhinodillian (the one who operates one).

yes.

http://www.todellisuus.net/~hiipi/Pics/rhinodillo2.jpg

[digitalfly]

I made a few additions in my picture. (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=765349#post765349)
One with logo VN on the creature (thanx Nexus but it's not a number :) ) and one - a logo VN in the corner.
W!L and Nexus - thanks for good words.

[GatorKyle]

I updated mine, page 2.

digitalfly, good work, I like the changes. Changing the angle of that front leg makes the pose a little more natural. I love the rendering style you have. Good job.

[walnut]

Um, here's the almost-finished. Still some tweaking and shoving that need to be done, but i think i'm getting there.

EDit: Changed the saddle and spores + cleaned it up a bit. This can be considered the final picture. I could tweak it more, but i'm completely fed up with for the moment and i've got a chow i want to work on.


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a117/walberg/junglemountdone.jpg


Hippi: Yihaaa! THat's a cool monster man. I just hope it's not as shortsighted as an actual rhino though.

[Hiipi]

My dear Walnut I am afraid they are just as shortsighted as the present-day rhinos. And as short-tempered as my present-day girlfriend. :D (just kidding, she´s alright) That is the problem with my beast.

Tweaked her a bit... (the beast, not the girlfriend)

[Nexus]

Really great entries for the most part everyone. I'm dropping out on this one, just got too much I'm dealing with. Good luck to those who entered.

[JakkaS]

Wow, Walnut, nice update.
My first association...Japanese Dragon.:D
Nice colors scheme and only one weak point, a saddle. I think, you should add some seat belt or stirrup.

[TheDirtSyndicate]

man, i had an awsome idea but i dont have any time to do it.
my idea was based off of a king-kong sized gorilla that was crossed with maybe a bear to give it more carnivorious tendencies.
but the saddle was the cool part, my idea was to have it as kind of a "plug"
the human rider would plug in face foward into the back of the animal, right into electrodes, maybe have a clamp to go accross the back of the head to plug into, like the matrix back of the head plug. then there would be "holes" into the back for the humans arms and legs, pushing the human into a fetal like position. once plugged in, the creature becomes an extension of the humans body. almost as if the human was using the creature as an exo-skeleton, you see through the creatures eyes, feel with his hands and his feet.
no time to work on it, maybe someone starting late can have time to do something with it.

[walnut]

complete2: That's quite an interesting, if freakish idea. Sort of like Evangelion i gather? It's a real shame you can't make it. But why don't you go ahead with it anyway, do a sort out of competition thing or something?

Jakkas: yeah, chinese dragon, that's pretty much it innit? Urm, what exactly do you think's wrong with the saddle? I'm not catching up with what you're saying i'm afraid.

[JakkaS]

Sorry, that’s my English.:sadcheerleader:
I was thinking abut some kind of handle for the rider. Your creature looks very aggressive and fast. I think, on your saddle the rider will fall down. :D
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f209/JakkaS-ws/7b913183.jpg

[walnut]

Hah, I see the light now. Definitely will do some brainstorming for that. Thanks man.

[rawwad]

Everyone great work! JakkaS is my favorite in this run.:yayca:

Here is mine, beast. It is done with pen and markers, traditional for now.:teeth:

ConceptartCohesion #001: C.O.W.: Mounted Predator For Hunters

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/605/12killer7cc.jpg

[Hookswords]

I have updated my post on the first page. Its far from done. Its hard to see at this point, but I am trying to show sadness in the beast. Though relatively stable, its body is confused with the fusing of genes.

[Tyranx]

Damn Jakkas, thats freakin awesome, It'll be hard to outdo you but I gotta try! :P

[Jonoy]

Jonoy: nice colour scheme! Me like very much. If this creature would be swimming at any time, however, I don’t think the rider’s saddle is mounted with that in mind, since it’s placed on the area that would be moving most. It would be like placing a saddle right above a horse’s hind legs.

Thanks for the crit ceberae, thought crustacians tend to only swim backwards with whip-action movements of their tail so I'm going to have to make the illustration show that their is only extended movement from the fourth plate and back into the tail if I'm to show a more stablized cockpit section. Crustacians tend only to crawl forward which is why I chose a cross-genome with a herbivorous mamal as their backbones are relatively stable and stay fairly parallel to the ground- like a horse- when running and walking, though a carnivore mamal has a spine which flexes both concurvely and concavely making them very difficuilt to mount due to the whip-action of the spine moving their hips above shoulder height on the foreward leg push and lifting their shoulders above their hips on a back-leg push.
Lizards that walk on all four legs but sprint on their back legs move their body sinuously from side to side, mainly keeping their head in the one place but their body above and below the hips swing about to increase the push generated by the hind legs. Creatures that move like a chicken on their back legs (carnivoroius dinosaurs also) thrust their neck foreward to create the balance/over balance that they need to move, balancing the stride with return movement of the neck.
More than I intended to write, though it is interesting to view peoples creatures within the scope of how such animals move.

[masque]

Lizards that walk on all four legs but sprint on their back legs move their body sinuously from side to side, mainly keeping their head in the one place but their body above and below the hips swing about to increase the push generated by the hind legs. yup. tail swing also plays a large role. watching a komodo or monitor or even the intermediate-sized lizards at full tilt is pretty cool, they have a very distinctive stride. not sure i have enough rear torso action in my pic, but i couldn't find any decent refs, had to sort of work from memory (a shaky proposition these days :rolleyes:)

when you get right down to it, riding a viciously attacking predatory carnivore on a hunt for its prey doesn't sound terribly logical regardless of the critter used -- the extra weight would slow it down, it might get a bit ticked if the rider tried to inhibit it at the wrong moment, and if humans are in greater control of the critter (ala a bio-exoskeleton), then all its natural abilities are wasted.

but hey, that's corp-think for ya. always gotta be in control...

[Banned_User]

Some interesting ideas guys

[Monkeylizard]

So here´s mine, he´s called the Rhinodillo! Ha ha haaaaa!!!

Have you ever heard the song Rhino Jockey by Amon Tobin? That's the exact picture that comes to mind listening to it. :D

I'm having some trouble with mine. I've made a neat little collage of everything I've done so far.
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/5169/process1cc.jpg
I don't think I've thought it through enough...

edit: To show scale.
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/1857/scale2px.jpg

[ceberae]

Done done done. Updated with final on page 2.

masque: this style and colours remind me of illustrations in my biology book! I still find them cute :D there's just domething about them that's so... huggable! *gets head bitten off*

digitalfly: great to see a different type of mount. Very nice colours and form.

Jonoy: great observations. Walk/run cycles are fascinating to study.

[CheshireLyon]

made an update back on the first page, i think its going rather well for a first CoW i should be finished by the end of saturday

anyway, i'm seeing alot of good stuff here(digitalfly & Jakkas esp.) as well as quite alot of feline based forms, kind of makes me wish i stuck with my original leviathan idea.

[Form]

rawwad - thats an awesome pen/marker technique ur using there, seamless. Im sure your finishing skills will do it justice also.

Good work everyone.

[hwango]

Updated mine back on page 2 - fixed the feet so the metal bits flow better into meaty bits, angled the feet better, put on a saddle, and replaced the wolf tail with a snake tail...mostly to be sure I'm not disqualified at the last minute for not having an obvious genetic stew, but also for use constricting around a captive to be dragged back to home base. Would the old wolf tail have been okay? I'm still a little fuzzy on how much you need to deviate from an existing animal to qualify for the poll. Anyway, pretty happy with the results right now, but will gladly accept criticism. Duplicate link for those who don't want to hunt for it on page 2:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c291/hwango/cowhesion.jpg

[Hookswords]

I updated back on page one. As of now it serves as a final. I will take a look at it with less tired eyes tomorrow. If there are any suggestions please voice them. This is my first attempt at a non-line art pic. I do know that I am unhappy with the saddle. below is a link for those that dont want to hunt for it.(no pun intended)

http://img86.imageshack.us/my.php?image=finalmount13eb.jpg

[masque]

masque: this style and colours remind me of illustrations in my biology book! cool -- i wanted a "documentary illo" look to them to jibe with the "threed" idea.

I still find them cute :D there's just domething about them that's so... huggable! yeah, VidaNova is making a frikkin' mint off the plushtoy and action figger spinoffs (marketed as a smokescreen for the real project)

*gets head bitten off*Betty... Al... sic 'im!

'sall good man, 'sall good :teeth:

RE: REX -- "Nice doggie! Sit! Lay down! Roll ov...arrrgh!" great pooch, i like the reviews even better. not much mecchy bits instantly recognizable but maybe its got a little '55 El Dorado in there (tailfins)? smart move on the "saddle," as you say, ergonomic. question -- is it cyclopic? head's got an odd angle to it, makes it a bit hard to tell. great rendering as usual.

out of interest, what beside mutt did you "mix," genewise? i see maybe armadillo & steggy?

[digitalfly]

Nexus - I was thinking about your question (bronse mask) all last days.
At first I agree with you and want to know why I made mask like that. Than I gathered all my ideas about this world in my head and understood that the my 2446 world not so comfort and advanced!
Only capitals have a technic progress. All backblocks lives in past century.
It's no so fantastic if we take a some countries postUSSR.
In this case a hunters may to advance a predators by himself. With improvised materials :)

[GreyBelly]

Maybe a bit late to start sketching the day before deadline, but I'll try anyway :)

OK, edit, Final:

By 2100 CE, among many other species, almost all owls were extinct, the first to go being the eagle owl (or horned owl). However, scientists had successfully collected their DNA and thereby being able to recreate horned owls.
The Emperor Scorpion, not an extinct species, was chosen to mix with the horned owl, to create a mount for the Hunters, as the speed of the scorpion and the superb vision and hearing capabilities of the owl would make for a perfect environmentally adaptive creature.
The 'design' of the scorpion went through a few phases, and ended up a lot more sleek. It's size aslo got multiplied a few times, and it was decided that the fur from the owl would also cover most of it's body, for the purpose of camouflaging the black creature. The scorpion's claws were also sized down, as they originally were a bit too lumpy and less aerodynamic.
Initially, both of the owl's eyes were mounted on the scorpion's tail, but it turned out that the weight of both of the sized-up eyes greatly decreased the overall speed of the creature. The single eye instead got powerful CPU's installed, for splitting the one single view into a real-time three-dimensional representation of it's vision, and for both video and audio recording purposes.


http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/Broder_G/mounted_pred3.jpg


Please consider it before taking it to the poll - I have to admit I worked backwards on this one. The mixing-one-extinct-and-one-existing-animal part of the topic somehow got lost in my brain (thanks for reminding me, Soulweaver! :D ), and so I had to rework the initial sketch just a tad and then come up with the story/description. :D

I'm still completely awestruck by everyone's work here.

[Thefultron]

My finished entry is viewable on page one of this thread if anyone cares.

[chaosrocks]

likewise...only it's page 2
respectfully submitted
c.rocks

[artjunkie]

I just found out about this thing and damn, I'm too late for the creatures! <shakes fist angrily at sky> I'll post for next round for sure!

Great idea, this ConceptartCohesion thing. Yet another reason to avoid going outside in the real world. Gotta whiten my studio tan!

Cheers all!

[Cup of Joe]

Finished mine on the second page, finally.

[brokk]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/bk7600/cch_cow_f.jpg

[possessed]

very nice one broken spirit. Small suggestion: maybe the scouting one could be bidepal and have small forelimbs. just my €0.02.

[JakkaS]

Nice one Broken. I saw your entry in EOW, and I wanted to yell on you. You did for EOW and didn’t for COW? Hmmm, but now I forgive you, hehe. Interesting idea with this chameleon’s skills.

[W!L]

just updatied my final on page one... amazing entrys guys... i wish i had put more work into it now.. but only time for a sketch

[Soulweaver]

Althael: Really shaping up nicely, especially the texture. The strong black outline and the saturated background colors are a bit distracting, though, and serve to flatten the form. Some stronger highlights on the animal and differing line quality along the edges would help with this.
(You still have time to add a saddle and the cybernetic implants, too.)

Hookswords: I love the concept for using sound as a weapon, and the fur texture is nice. As a crit, the positions of the legs (especially the front) are confusing. The legs further away would benefit from lower contrast and differently-colored shadows, so that they are not pulled to the front of the painting as they are now.

W!L: Your third idea is rather neat. It's unique and striking. Seems like it might be back-heavy, though... maybe if one leg were set back a bit further, it wouldn't appear so off-balance. Some sharper edges and just general clean-up would help as well.
Edit: I love the technique of your newest drawing, and it's probably the best of all your ideas. But the rear legs have awkward anatomy, and the saddle seems a bit pasted-on.

JakkaS: Very sharp. The environment, creature, and sketchwork are all well done. You've obviously been at this awhile, so I hope you don't mind if I'm a little tougher on you. :P
I agree that predators don't need to be quick to be successful, but I'm curious to see your reasoning behind it in this case. Slow predators usually get by on ambush and camouflage. The white head of your creature, while helping to make this one scary beasty, doesn't lend itself well to camouflage... but of course, it may use some other cybernetically-enhanced method of hunting for all I know.
Some more obvious musculature along the sides of the creature might be nice. Snakes are more than just tubes.
Where's the mixing of species? Maybe this will become more apparent with the description, but it's not clear in the drawing.
Maybe the only other crit I have is that using the head as a saddle is very impractical, but that's been mentioned already.

Sorknes: Looking forward to your final. It's hard for me to say much at this early point.

CheshireLyon: I love this design. It looks positively prehistoric without it being obvious what animals you referenced. The composition is better without the figures. The overall deadliness of the creature is already very evident at first glance.
As for a crit, that solitary blue flower is distracting as is. A series of smaller, more widespread flowers might be better, or remove it entirely.
Just as a side note: Pack-hunting strategies should definitely not be overlooked; some of the most successful hunters are social ones. From a purely commercial viewpoint, though, it's not practical. It would require the buyer to purchase many of these creatures to get the full functionality out of them, and I'm not sure how many people will have that kind of money. :[

Neoknocker: Even without color, this has a nice attitude and pose. But does the mount seems a little small compared to the rider?

Thefultron: Seems like you really had some fun with this one :rendered: . The mandrill face is the best part, especially the whiskers. You have a pretty good sense of light source and where shadows are supposed to go, which is a good start.
Crits: The edges are not well aliased (especially OUR left leg, the cockpit, and the shoulders of the wings). Fur, skin, metal, and exoskeleton are all rendered in the same way. The burn tool works best for black & white drawings; for color images, shadows are often more than just black and shades of the base color. Try playing around with a translucent pencil or paintbrush, set to "Multiply" mode, to give the shadows some depth.

Alliekat: Nice linework, and the coloration suits it well so far. A couple stronger highlights and more solid brushwork would help to make this "pop".

Jonoy: Beautifully done. Even though I love crayfish, this thing is scary as hell. A true abomination. http://conceptart.org/forums/images/ca_icons/thumbsup.gif
The only crit I have is that some of the muscle texture in the shoulder area is a tad blurry. It's also compositionally simple, which is fine with me but which might be an issue with some.

chaosrocks: This one has come a long way. You have some nice contrast going on in the creature, but the lighting seems inconsistent. I know how difficult watercolor is to use, but I think some good reference material would help out immensely. The tail also looks far too short to be functional, like it would pose more danger to the rider in front than to whatever is being hunted.
The environment could use more solid form as it gets closer to the viewer, and fewer gray tones in general. Again, good use of reference is invaluable.
I know it's too late to change much on this particular piece, but using watercolor is a learning experience all in itself.

sithwitch13: The design on your riding triclaw is well thought-out and practical. There are some nice concepts here. The drawing itself has a nice gesture to it.
But some higher contrast would help here. Deep shadows are lacking, and everything is the same tone. The orange background you had previously seemed to work better as well; the green just doesn't link to the figure in any way.

Panagos: Nice creature design. It looks vicious, efficient, and practical, you've got a good mix going on. I like the sketch better than the final, though; the linework becomes obscured a bit by the muddy colors (the mane texture looks good, though).

AleksandarMijajlovic: I really like this style. It reminds me of old museum murals and illustrations.
The steel implements are integrated well (and they're probably the best part of the picture). You might want to look up some anatomy reference for the face and rear legs, though, as they are pulling the rest of the image down in my opinion.

meeatu: This is a very interesting creature to look at. It's fun to try and figure out what reference creatures you used (what is that nose, anyway?). I like the pose.
Crits: Watch those edges. Also, this is not obviously a fierce predator, nor does it have any clear cybernetic enhancements, so there's a chance it won't be taken to the poll.

ceberae: Great posture and attitude for this guy. And great anatomy and rendering, for that matter. The little sketches and the Achilles' tendons are my favorite parts. And those customer reviews are priceless...
Crits: A single eye, while good for the coolness factor, just doesn't seem like a good idea for a hunter. It makes it too difficult to judge distance. Not so much a crit as it is me being nitpicky.

Marco Mazzoni: I wish this one would be taken further. There's a lot of good stuff happening here.

GatorKyle: I like the simple background line, but the white is a bit harsh. The fur/scales texture ambiguity is looking much better, but it's still there... the white highlights are a tad too concentrated, I think. Maybe try a tint of that reddish fur color? Otherwise, this is a fabulous creature, and I love the description. You'll make this poll a tough vote, I think...

Brand X: This is cute in the way that a cat bringing you a dead mouse as a present is cute :). It's nice to see a different take on aggression than most people (myself included) have taken. It's more domesticated.


I'm running out of time, here, so I'm sorry that I have to keep the rest of these short. :(

walnut: I especially like the color choices you've made. I think I liked your rougher drawing better, though.

Cup of Joe: Anatomy looks good so far, very belieavable. The green background isn't doing much for the image.

krez: Nice sketch, would like to see this one finished. It's hard to see what's going on with the rider.

Form: No crits here. Color, composition, and mood are all exceptionally well done.

hwango: The creature and the background flow well together. Nice drawing. No obvious mechanical implements might disqualify it, though (are those feet birdlike or metallic?).

MegaData: I like the creatures you've chosen to use. It would benefit from some good anatomical reference and cleaner lines, though.

masque: The text reduces the composition to the bottom half of the page -- not necessarily bad, as what's there is very well-done. I can really see these guys in motion.
Side-note: What with all the recent escapes VidaNova has had, would they really want their Basilisks to be capable of breeding? Seems pretty irresponsible to me. A controlled population means that VidaNova is the only one capable of producing new Basilisks. Just a thought.

goran: Pretty much agree with what has been said. Wonderful drawing, but the piranha might be a bit too robotic.

GratefulDread: It's too much in its early stages for me to say much. But where would the rider sit?

digitalfly: Even if this doesn't go to poll for the lack of a saddle, you've gotten an excellent piece out of this COW. I feel sorry for the hichpicker, with it being so maltreated and malformed...
Why are the spines on its back so blurry, though?

misledtomisery: No crits yet, you're off to a great start. It's not too complex, as long as it has a reason for having six legs (uses four to stand on while it attacks with the front two?).

Hiipi: That's a truly amazing drawing, and I'm really enjoying the combination of creatures. The flying drool is a nice touch. The carnivore aspect seems like a bit of a stretch to me, though.

rawwad: Ooh, very mean-looking and I love your coloring technique. I'm not sure how practical that head design is, though.

Monkeylizard: Nice collage, and a good idea to use dragonfly eyes. Could still use some more concrete ideas, but it's not too late.

GreyBelly: Good start, would've been nice to see how this would have developed over a whole week. Possible problem: is there any mixing of source animals happening here?

brok3n spirit: Variations of the creature for different terrains is something that has surprisingly been neglected in this round (I considered doing it myself, but I just didn't have the time). Kudos for that.


Now, what do I have to do to get some serious crits on mine? :bashful: (It's on page 2, btw).

[brokk]

Thanks guys, possessed I was thinking the same thing, I still have to finish my chow entry, if I can find the time I'll try to make it more bipedal : )

Hehe JakkaS, I was saved at the last second... (again hehe) : P
I have the chow one to finish still, I'll see if I can make it! Really like your entries by the way.

EDIT: Thanks soulweaver and for all the comments on the entries!
Your entry looks very realistic but also painterly at the same time. Hmm take this with a grain of salt, the mountains and part of the ground on the right of the image looks kind of unfinished, maybe if you used larger brushstrokes it would still look painterly but more finished? I dunno, I have a really hard time with that myself : S
The dinichthys idea is very interesting! I think some parts could have stronger shadows, like the leg and arm that are further away. Maybe some more shadows on the figure according to the light source... though the sky looks overcast/cloudy so there wouldn't be much strong shadows. Overal I think it looks pretty cool. And again, take my comments with a grain of salt : P

[JakkaS]

Soulweaver thx for crits!
Thx Broken.

[W!L]

yeah i agree with u soulweaver...anatmomy is crap and it needs severe tidying up but i didnt have that much time on it. and i am ill.... so thats it for now....

as for yours.. just abit more refining art wise but otehr than that i think the concept is good and the creature looks cool.. i ahve no crits for it.. loving it

[Sorknes]

Thanks to you that gave it a glance. :)

I did run way out of time because of work, but trying to nib this thing together now. I'm so out of time and still struggling... No idea if I'll manage to get the final here, but tear it apart.

Know it's not the most original by FAR, but damn, I so much want to finally meet a deadline of some kind... No matter what the thing I present is. :lol:

I'll get back with crits for the rest when I have more time on Sunday. :)

http://www.sorknesart.com/avalog/CC005.jpg

[masque]

soulweaver -- good job hitting everyone on the c&c.

i agree that the composition for mine has two halves -- intentional, as i wanted to include the text, which ran deeper than i expected even after editing some. so i made sure that while viewing the bottom half, the composition works OK without the upper half. it does end up looking a bit like a humdrum data sheet, but that fits the "threed" character, also -- everyday interoffice communications.

re: breeding. i wanted two critters for a dramatic and a decriptive pose, and the brief as i read it refers to breeding, so i made 'em pals ;) you're right about the possibility of compounding the prob, but it's more cost effective -- the Mother Machine is pricey! better to use it for salable product -- and of course the corprorate science guys believe they have it all under control. right. :rolleyes:

[young paddy1]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v19/youngpaddy1/hunterkiller.jpg

One of several chimaeric hunter designs used by the Vida Nueva company to track down escaped creations and industrial spies, mostly killer whale with a touch of Tasmanian Tiger and Golden Eagle, this creature is an excellent tracker by both scent and sight, using its modified mouth it can rip apart most forms of civilian transport (as has been proved on several occasions) and all types of animal flesh. The mechanical modifications made to the creatures body were for obvious reasons, as well as allowing the creature a greater comfort out of water, via an altered respitory system. The personnel transport also attaches to the creatures skeleton through a magnetic interface.

[sithwitch13]

Soulweaver: Thanks! I may spruce it up a little more once I'm done with an online assignment. I messed up the orange background and decided to try something more contrasting, but I may just stick with plain orange. I had wanted to give it the look of something that originated in the desert. I'm trying to do fur effects, but they aren't coming out very good. But hey, it's good practice.

[Hookswords]

Thanks Soulweaver, you went above and beyond for crits man. No love for the butterfly though? I thought people might get a kick out of that. You have to wonder if it's showing its soft side or about to nuke it with a sound blast :)

[Tobin]

I really wanted to enter this and all the other cohesion activities because the story and concept briefs are so good, but it would be the week my boss goes away snowboarding and asks me to cover his shifts... grr.

anyway this is all i could get done in the time period. But i had more to add, like foot holsters (that interacted with the trooper in a special way) and the whole thing had to be refined, the idea was based around the "alpha panthera" a beast created from all the most useful aspects of the big cats, and the ankylosaurus family of dinosaurs. so it would be an agile tank basically, Grr, I had so many ideas for this ... please do it again !!! such a great idea (the cohesion that is)

anyway my rough

http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/3020/ankylethera3mw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[chaosrocks]

thanks Soulweaver...actually I punched those contrasts today and added shadows. hard to be convincing over the top of the WC. as to the tail. I invisioned a head down lunge with a high strike. thus the comment on how difficult it is to stay seated while striking. the number and length of the sections is actually exactly the same as the scorpion reference I took it from. So if they can do it......they kind of rear up lengthening the striking distance. who knows. It is a wepaon of last resort......;) I'm just glad to finish on time. I really appreciate your taking the trouble to crit them all.
C.rocks

[TjC]

8th day of creation
Scoull
mounted predator prototype
Combining the aggresiveness of the bull, the ingenuity of the hyena, and the venom of the scorpion, a new species is made specifically for battle.


http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f298/suggesto/scoullcopy.jpg

This site is a good place for a beginner like me as I can see works from many talented peolple! Peace for now.
FINAL

[Sorknes]

Next time, please set an hour, like "6 pm EST", so I know what I have to relate to. I'm ahead of the US, and I have no idea if I'll have an hour or two tomorrow after getting home from work...

Already talked about this to a couple of others....

My final won't be around before tomorrow 10 pm my time (GMT +1), but if I've misjudged about the time, it's my fault. :)

[Keng]

It's got a LONG way to go but heres what I've got so far:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/KraftDinner/8thDMount.jpg

After many failed attempts at extracting the desired dinasaur DNA from amber encased insects our bio-engineers developed a creative solution. They took common DNA found in your everyday bird and successfully reversed the qualities evolution has given it to appear in it's modern day form until it was once again a two legged reptilian predator. This new set of dna was then combined with that of a lion so it could better cope with todays much diferent environment. This new creature is primarily mamal. Remenants of the base bird DNA have left it with streaks of brilliant colours. Flashlights will no longer be a concern. This beast has it's own natural light scource derrived from deep sea aquatic fish.
Connected to it's nervus system is a stearing device. Simply insert your hands into the two aerodynamic cups at the sides and with no more then a twist of the wrist or twitch of a finger you have instant directional and speed control.

[Jonoy]

thanks for the c&c soulweaver. I'm looking to mess with the background today n I might as well fix the muscle/carapace bit as it should be a quick bit to do...

[Fozzybar]

Next time, please set an hour, like "6 pm EST", so I know what I have to relate to. I'm ahead of the US, and I have no idea if I'll have an hour or two tomorrow after getting home from work...
Already talked about this to a couple of others....
My final won't be around before tomorrow 10 pm my time (GMT +1), but if I've misjudged about the time, it's my fault. :)

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=767777&postcount=28

[_Urchin_]

http://home.att.net/~laurie.franks/stuff/alloshark.jpg

Amphibious, strong, and deadly, the alloshark's predatory instincts are well suited for tracking whatever your quarry, wherever the hunt may lead. The benefits of the fusion of these two creatures outweighs the mechanical assistance necessary to modify this creature for use as a mount.

[Form]

thanks soulweaver :P

[GatorKyle]

thanks Soulweaver, I would love to work some more on mine, but I think it's done for now. Now that I know about this there will be more work coming from me.

[Nexus]

Specimen 4-002. HU
Umbrox, "Dagger Maw"

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f387/imagenexus/MountedPredatorHunter5.jpg

The Umbrox is the apex of VidaNova's new GenStealth program. Recently a few specimens have been released into the custody of the base's foremost Jungle Recon Squad. The Umbrox or "Dagger Maw" as the men have so bluntly deemed it is not a typical GenAssault organism, it is to be used in a quick-strike capacity in the hunting and capture of escaped VidaNova experiments. The rider is linked neurally to the Umbrox via a direct cortex link and overrides the creatures instincts if they prove illogical. The Umbrox was achieved through a splicing of Fang Tooth, Tree Frog, Jellyfish, Squid, and exctinct ground sloth (Megatherium). The Umbrox boasts a devastating bite enhanced by biotech pistons placed within its jaw and a powerful venom delivered through nematocyte cells located within its tentacles. In addition the Umbrox houses an aggressive colony of insect hybrid symbiotes. These symbiotes are composed of antlion, stag beetle, and hornet strains and share a mental link with their host. In cases of flying escapees the Umbrox will often direct its symbiotes to incapacitate prey it cannot reach. The Umbrox is best utilized in jungle missions as it moves most efficiently through dense forest canopies with the aid of it's powerful rear legs and prehensile dorsal tentacles. The Jungle Recon Squad reports that they are well pleased with the performance of the Umbrox thus far and capture rates are up by 25%. Our enemy won't ever see it coming.

[CheshireLyon]

posted my final image and discription back on page 1.

Thanks for the crit soulweaver, i was going to blanket the ground in flowers but i didn't end up having enough time for that, so i took it out and added som fungi. and in chicago eh? you should totally check out the parthenon in greektown if you get the chance, best greek resteraunt ever.

[MegaData]

MegaData: I like the creatures you've chosen to use. It would benefit from some good anatomical reference and cleaner lines, though.

Now, what do I have to do to get some serious crits on mine? :bashful: (It's on page 2, btw).

Thank you for the critique. The head is a blend of the first two creatures I listed actually. I did use references for everything but the legs and claws. I agree it could be better defined and that it is a rough cut too. I'm doing a sculpture from the design though, so I may not be posting the final here. It can't go to poll anyway...

On yours, I think you could use more contrasts with the muscle tone. Just refinement and some shadows. It's a little difficult to make out what that skin is coming from in front of the gears too. Is that part of the arm? There's a kind of a "fold" there, and in the tail. It's not easy to tell from the picture just what those gears are there for, either. Is it aiding the rider or the beast?

[OtterFrenzy]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d59/OtterFrenzy/Fantasy/74_BiotechAperidertech.jpg

By 2046, 40% of New Europe’s landmass has been covered by Cytarabinoside-contaminated jungle. Safe ground for cities and farms is lost every year. Programs to chemically clear the jungle have failed due to it’s rapid growth and genetic mutability. Worse, these jungles have become breeding grounds for aberrations escaped from Vida Nova’s experiments. Designed to ensure Vida Nova’s military domination over its geopolitical rivals, these Aberrations have proven too dangerous for local militias to handle.

With each town and city that is overrun by the resurgent wilds, pressure grows on Vida Nova to halt its bioengineering operations. The Cytarabinoside Abolition Front already launched one public and popular attempt to sabotage the Mother Machine. This confluence of political and environmental crises has made eliminating rogue organisms and halting the growth of the tangle Vida Nova Corporate’s top military priority.

To penetrate within the depths of New Europes unwholesome jungle, Vida Nova has assembled an elite Special Unit Jungle Force. Rather than emphasizing raw power, the force will deploy a form of mobile warfare uniquely suited to the Cytarabinoside Jungle.

Drawing on a breed of enhanced gorilla left over from an abandoned troop-substitution program, Dr. Ghul Amuz has crafted a novel platform for mobile jungle warfare.

Rather than traveling on the forest floor, this hybrid has extended arms and exogenic neural circuits which allow for rapid brachiation through the forest canopy.

Hind legs, now irrelevant, have been replaced by a thick muscular tail tipped with a pair of stingers bearing separate, unique neurotoxins. Just as a cocktail of antibiotics can kill bacteria before they develop resistance, it is thought that this combination of toxins will overcome the Aberrent’s rapidly evolving immune systems.

Each unit is also surgically modified within the Mother Machine to bear long scythe-like claws, and a triple-redundant set of behavior control chips within the hind-brain. Dr. Amuz considers these hybrids to be his most effective but least elegant creation.

The Jungle Force will use these novel hybrids to move rapidly and silently within a hostile environment. Mobility, stealth and instant lethality will allow them to launch surgical strikes on aberrant breeding grounds.

[hwango]

hwango: The creature and the background flow well together. Nice drawing. No obvious mechanical implements might disqualify it, though (are those feet birdlike or metallic?).


Thanks - and you're the second person to tell me that the front feet don't look mechanical, so I clearly need to address that. Alas, I'm currently suffering from the horrible death plague, so I'm not sure I'll get a chance. I'll mention them in the description just in case.

[Orion9282]

Been busy this week and haven't had time to check in on everything everyone's posted... but here's my attempt! I normally wouldn't do such a long story, but I got carried away. I hope you like!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e16/Orion9282/Orion9282ConceptCohesion01.jpg


The Origin of "The Movement from WMD's to '8th Day' Creatures"

"Before the ANWC 0001, nuclear weapons attacks were a monthly occurence. We were at a standstill with our enemies on the eastern border. We were rich in natural resources, but protected ourselves well. Our enemies had tried traditional means of attacking our "city" twice before, but to no avail and many casualties. Their first two attempts of storming the city were land-based attacks. Naturally, we responded with a small nuclear bomb. The destruction to our above ground resources was of no consequence, for all of our most valuable resources, including civilians, scientists, and leaders, were stationed 15 miles underground. The plan was brilliant: Enemies could be stopped immediately if they ever came to our land, and our land would appear desolate and undesirable.

Our enemies knew we were playing dead, however, and we never saw it coming.

We should have known that their third attempt at storming our city with a land-based attack was a decoy, but we fell right into their trap. We, again, had a nuclear response to their advancement and thought the threat had been neutralized. Hours later, with our defenses relaxed and recharging, the real attack came. It began with the strangest seismic vibrations anyone had ever heard. And it was getting louder. Everyone scrambled to determine the origin of the anomoly. That's when the first "8th Day" creature burst through our underground concrete walls. Then another, then another, then another. They were massive and moved fast, both in traversing ground and in consuming everything in sight. That was the day we surrendered."

Since then, we've learned quite a bit about ANWC0001. Obviously enemy geneticists had been experimenting with combining elements of different species to meet specific needs. In this case, they combined certain insects' resiliency to atomic radiation (cockroach, etc.) with mammalian tissue to aid movement underground (mole, etc.). We are unsure how many animals made it into the ANWC0001 genetic makeup, for there are resemblances to other insects (scorpions: hind section), reptiles (snakes: mid-section, mouth), and possibly prehistoric species (!) (Talons, aggressiveness, carnivorous).

ANWC0001 Features:
Mouth features feelers, teeth, and ability to consume objects whole. Derivation is mammalian tissue combined with features of insect feelers for navigation underground. The second and third arms on the left side have been amputated, possibly to use the veins and arteries for incorporation of technological enhancements. (NOTE: Sedative could be issued through this system if the creature ever became disobedient).

Creature is manned by two operatives, located on the back. "Saddle" becomes full enclosure when underground.

Exoskeleton is extremely resilient to radiation and heat. Derivation obviously from insects such as the cockroach (among others).

Third arm features a 5-clawed hand. Derivation from mammal such as a mole, or from prehistoric species (unidentified). Second arm on right is amputated and replaced with "in-body-cavity piston" system. Most likely to aid the third arm in its digging tasks. (NOTE: Assumption is that the other two hands should have 5 claws as well, but geneticists failed).

Other: The remnants of a spinal cord from one of the mammalian species is evident on the right side (viewer's left) of the torso. Skull also seen near mouth. Like conjoined twins, this too is probably a result of the genetic manipulation that could not have been overcome.

[misledtomisery]

update pg 2 i think..my final. all crit appreciated.

thankyou much to soulweaver for the comment.

[digitalfly]

soulweaver wrote:Even if this doesn't go to poll for the lack of a saddle, you've gotten an excellent piece out of this COW.
I feel sorry for the hichpicker, with it being so maltreated and malformed...
Why are the spines on its back so blurry, though?

Thanx for comments. I trhink I don't whant to pay too much attention to the spines on the creature's back.
If I correctly understood the Hichpicker looking not so happy.
When I was drawing this creature in my head become apparent the full world with his very own rules.
And the Hichpicker has a very hard job and a hanter does not be so tender with it.
Altogether in the lover corner of this pict can be this logo...............He he :).
.................................................. ..........................http://www.wwf.org.uk/runningwild/graphics/panda.gif

[Cup of Joe]

Thanks for the tips Soulweaver! Changed my background on page 2.

[Althael]

Final:

http://xs70.xs.to/pics/06090/VidaNovaCreature.jpg

Tyra-Golerius

After years of research and experimentation, the 'TG' has been one of the major 'heavy-duty' mount type. With its strenght and constitution, it can travel long distance without pausing with a very high load.
The overall design is based on discretion. Every pieces of technologies have been hidden to minimise the chance of being destroyed or domaged. Large bio-metal scales cover its body, giving protection from light to medium common guns.

With the base body of a Tyrannosaurus rex, its head had been mixed with the one of a Triceratops, it can charge on foes or large vehicles and disable them without much troubles. Its large horns are made out of sharp crystal, piercing most every know materials.

Monkey arms have been integrated instead of its common, little arms. Its large hands allow it to manipulate objects. If correctly trained, the TG can use weapons such as archaics ones as well as guns.

The TGs tail has been lengtened for a maximum of balance. The tips of its tail has been equiped with the mace of an ankylosaurus. The mace is made of a strong and very heavy materials, known as the trinitaranium. An electro-magnetic field surround the mace, making it even more dangerous to non-bionic creatures anditems.
A single hit with its mace as been reported to break through a 25cm iron wall.

A chameleon tongue as been integrated. Being enhanced, its saliva can be compared with a very strong glue. The tongue can extend to a maximum lenght of 10meters.

Its bones are made of unbreakable light bio-metal. Its arms and legs are enhanced with electro-hydrolic systems. Allowing it to run very fast, it diminish its effort to run very long distance without problems. Its max speed is 100km/h.

Multi-fonctional cybernetics eyes remplace its normal eyes. It allow the TG to zoom up to 50 times both in daylight and darkness. It can scan its sight to detect lifeform in many ways: Movements, heat and x-ray.

Its powerful jaws has been enhanced with a strong piston, allow it to bite throught everything. A second heart placed in its head action the dual pistons, giving formidable strenght. Its teethes are made of rasorsharp crystal.

[GreyBelly]

My final is on page 3. Thanks Soulweaver, your input and reminder woke me up :D

[JakkaS]

I have updated main, finally I have add the text ....[page1] (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62478)

[JakkaS]

I have updated main, finally I have add the text ....[page1] (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=62478)

---

This is what I have for now. I have mad this just for fun and because few of you guys was sure that my snake-like creature can't catch anything, hehe. :teeth:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f209/JakkaS-ws/25099459.jpg

[chaosrocks]

Jakkas I love the snake guy! My dad was a herpatologist I spent alot of my youth chasing snakes. those suckers are fast on flat terain. uncatchable as they slide through the trees and they climb and swim really well too....and once you got used to the motion they be really smooth to ride.
this guy..though awesomely drawn, seems a little humanoid to me.... but what do I know
c.rocks

[masque]

chaosrocks, you know enough to see that JakkaS' beast is more humanoid than gorilloid (is that a word? 'tis now :P), which is not to say it's not cool as heck, but the gorilla has a much different anatomical arrangement than humans, making that kneeling posture maybe a bit out of character for a gorilla-based creature. arm proportions are also very along human lines. here's one of the ref links i found when thinking about a Kongish approach:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/galleries/extremeafrica/photo3.html

[Laurentiu_Bontea]

VidaNova created Carne-Moarta for hunting in harsh jungle terrain. It features very high mobility thanks to the ultra flexible feline limbs and the huge clawed paws which are also used in ripping the enemy. On each upper side, the creature has a very powerful stunner which can put down a mammoth in seconds. Its keepers never feed it, and this enrages the beast, forcing it to kill in order to eat. It is extremely obediant and rarely attackes the hunter.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/Laurentiu000/conceptart/MountedBeastpr_Laurentiu_Bontea.jpg


http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/Laurentiu000/conceptart/MountedBeast_Laurentiu_Bontea.jpg

[Soulweaver]

Thanks for the feedback, bRØk3n_sPiRiT and MegaData. I went back and added some more dramatic highlights, and tried to make the musculature more refined (especially that ambiguous shoulder area around the gears... I'm not sure how clear I can make that, what with the latissimus dorsi being cut away and all...). I think I'll call it my final, unless there are some last minute problems that need tending to.

CheshireLyon: Speaking of Greektown, I think it's about time I went back there :D . I think I preferred the Pegasus' food to the Parthenon's, but it's been awhile.

[Sorknes]

Final

http://www.sorknesart.com/avalog/CC1.jpg

In VidaNova, these creatures has been worked on for long, and new versions and updates arrive regularily. Even though the technology has gone beyond what man could possibly think of just a few hundred years earlier, they still meet solid brick wall barriers in their work on creating and adapting with the genepools. One thing is to nullify the unwanted genes, and change some to the wanted within both mankind and other species, but to get the desired outcome when working on beasts where genes between the species are mixed is not easy. After several failures where extra extremeties, like arms, extra legs and so on was successful in the making, but the use of them not, VidaNova has been leaning heavily on biomechanical science to get what they want out of their experiments and final results.

When realizing that it was easier for a creature to adapt to biomechanical added features that was linked with their nerve and brain system than to added features through gene mixing, VidaNova took patent on a system where a human controller could help the animal using its biomechanical enchantments even better. Their system is sending electric signals into the animals brain to help it control its added feature. When resting the animal doesn't use their enchantments at all, when in duty, the human controller helps it both using it efficiently as well as in the right moments.

The current animal in use for the hunters has been used for quite some years, and an update is expected soon. This beast has it roots in the extinct dinosaurs, and has been more reliable than later versions because the gene mixing was stopped while they still just added tendencies of another creature in the genepool, like reflex, coordination and hunting improvement from various animals known for their abilities and was still not trying to add extra limbs and larger features. The gene mix are mostly within races and closely related races, except for some that has made the animals develop by themselves over time, so fast that you can see changes between the generations. One of the features that can be visibly seen is the teeth, which surprised most of the scientists when appearing already on the first animal with mammal tendencies.

The current version is also wearing suits to help their heart and lungs to last longer. After some episodes in the past where the animals was used so heavily their hearts literally exploded while under commando of a human controller, the goal has been to enchance the heart and breeding system through genes.

So far they have not manage to make a way to let the animal breath under water, but it has had webbed feet added as a feature controlled by the human for a long time, and the animals quickly learn how to use their legs in water so that when the biomechanical webbed feet opens up on the back of their leg, they get the most use and speed out of it.

Another surprising development, is the front legs/paws/hands that soon after the animal is bred stops working and shrinks to useless limbs. It might be the gene mix, or the fact that animals doesn't really have a use for them. For now the animals has a good old hack'n slash enchantment and electronical impulses that helps them continue to build the muscles in the "arm". An earlier version where they added weapons in hope the human controller could use them, was left behind in history after a number of accidents and lack of accuracy.

These creatures are widely known as jungledino, and can be used successfully both in huge groups of animals as well as on lone hunts, which is one of the main reason they are liked by mostly all jungle hunters.

[Tyranx]

http://www.tyranx.com/images/terrorape.jpg

In the vast jungles of Dunook, the Trussian military sought a way to mobilize troops and supplies over vast expanses of jungle,
yet still keep their covert presence, as their exposure could trigger all out war.
They needed something fast, lethal and most importantly stealthy.

VidaNova combined ape and extinct alien species to create the Gargan Tyrant, which quickly became known as the TerrorApe.

Gargan Tyrant (TerrorApe):
Product No. 184938
Class: Recon, Transport

- Height: 15m
- Weight: 3000kg
- Max Speed: 70kph
- Temperament: Angry

Jungle warfare has always been problematic at the best of times, the dense foliage and innuberable streams and rivers impede the passage of
conventional vehicles.The Gargan Tyrant (GT) is specifically designed with this in mind. Its combines unique features such as ultra powerful arms,
titanium fists and nightvision to ensure fast travel and the ability to overcome any obstacle.

Safety is a key component of VidaNova’s success in Genetic Arms sales, that is why the GT comes with an advanced friend/foe recognition
microchip embedded deep in its cerebral cortex.

The GT is an excellent choice for jungle warfare and recon in more ways than one, unfortunately the GT is currently sold only to Military
and Defense Contract personnel, but a civilian model is currently being tested, which will be made available to the general public early next year.
As with all genetic arms purchases a valid Genetic Arms license must be made available before a sales transaction can take place.

[Nexus]

Shit, NUDE MONKEY ON THE LOOSE!! That thing is great Tyranx, really well rendered, good textures, and amazing attention to atmospheric lighting and background. Excellent all around, I almost thought I had a chance there. He reminds me a little of some Mongolian masks that I've seen with those gnarly teeth he has there and those buggy insane eyeballs. Nice work as always man.

[Form]

you guys killed it...good work.

[masque]

tyranx, great realization of your concept, but i need the moderator/concept brief writer to clarify something -- i was under the impression that the beast we design is to be used by the hunter squads referenced in the ChOW thread, since the concepts are all linked and both threads mention "hunter" or "hunting" in the briefs; they track down escaped genetically engineered mutants, rather than being "frontline" troops as your interpretation suggests.

Fozzy, just how are the COW & ChOW threads linked? are the hunters in ChOW to be interpreted as the hunters in COW?

[Keng]

I really need to get a good tablet and painting program.. or maybe a better scanner. It just never looks as good after it's been injected into the computer no matter what the method...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/KraftDinner/8thDM.jpg

With DNA obtained from common bird strands put into evolutionary reverse and reconstructed genetics from the extinct beast known as the lion, this new transport, V36-M12, is well constructed to handle the fastest chase and furthest tracking. We of VidaNova have been working hard to ensure the comfort and effectiveness of our hunters with many new revelations in bio-engineered technologies. A few of these features include:

- No shock guaranteed static cling to keep the saddle secured
- B.E. (Bio-Engineer) age Moss Foam to ensure a comfortable ride
- Leg supports
- Self sufficient light source derived from deep sea dwellers
- Retracting wind shield
- Reflective ear backing providing full view of the scene behind the rider
- New steering system connected directly to the nervous system and accessed through the aerodynamic cups located within arm's reach

[Tyranx]

Nexus - Thx man, now that you mention it he does have that oriental mask thing going on... hehe

Masque - thx ;)

Nice sketches btw Laurentiu_Bontea.

[Banned_User]

Tryanx and Jakkas really nice presentation layout and quality.

[Marco Mazzoni]

The Rynx

An unlikely combination of chameleon shark and ferrett DNA has resulted in the most ferocious hunter on four legs. Accelerated evolution techniques have yeilded saddle style ribs for superior balance and wieght distribution with rider at maximum velocity. The most amazimg features however are in the Rynx's mechanical augmentations. Limbs are replaced with highly articulated aluminum mechanics to compinsate for the inherent slow reactions bred into the creature from it's chameleon DNA. Likewise the respiratory system has also been upgraded from the incapable shark system. The Rynx is not only capable of consuming heavily armored units but its enhanced stomach actually digests non-organic materials to regenerate its own augmentations. Last but not least, the rider is able to tap directly into the Rynx's brain, alowing him to virtualy "be" the creature.

Incredible speed, agility and highly accurate sticky tongue matched with the dense sharks teeth, make the Rynx an almost unstoppable force on the battle field.

http://www.butcherfx.com/stuff/CA/Cow%201s.jpg

[Nexus]

Nice entry Orion, I almost completely forgot about the starnose mole until I saw your creature. I like that you purposely included some mistakes within the creature to show that the geneticists hadn't quite perfected their processes. My only crits would be that its a little hard to tell whats going on and that like me you seem to have an overly strong love for the airbrush tool. Other than that excellent work for only your 2nd COW, keep it up.

[Fozzybar]

Fozzy, just how are the COW & ChOW threads linked? are the hunters in ChOW to be interpreted as the hunters in COW?

No. :)

[masque]

Thanks for clearing that up, Foz -- i guess a few of the early posts about submitting the same art in two topics (which was clearly said to be a no-no) led me to think that the "hunter" aspect was (or at least could be) linked across the COW & ChOW. so this predator was supposed to be primarily intended as a product for hunters in the general population?

edit: reading through all the contributions again, seems to me a number of them reflect a connection with the SFJU -- guess i wasn't being all that obtuse after all.

[cognition.sb]

I thought I wasn't gonna end up doing this, but I've managed to whip up a quickish entry.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f107/cognitionsb/COW-mounted-6marsbox.jpg

Plated Aerial Serpent
Genetically modified serpent with wings of similar structure to a bat's. On the ground it slithers around, but it can reach great speed in the air. Fused onto its spine is seating capacity for a single soldier, equipped with an in-built turret. Additional technical enhancements are applied to its head, which adorns a plated mask for protection.

[JakkaS]

chaosrocks, you know enough to see that JakkaS' beast is more humanoid than gorilloid (is that a word? 'tis now ), which is not to say it's not cool as heck, but the gorilla has a much different anatomical arrangement than humans, making that kneeling posture maybe a bit out of character for a gorilla-based creature. arm proportions are also very along human lines. here's one of the ref links i found when thinking about a Kongish approach:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ph...ca/photo3.html
Masque, as you notice my second creature does not look like gorilla. I was drawing this without any references. BTW, thx for the link and critics.

Marco Mazzoni and Tryranx – excellent execution.
Mike, chaosrocksthx for good word.

[masque]

@JakkaS: don't get me wrong, i love the execution, your stuff is always a treat and i study it for its wealth of strong technique. i was more just affirming chaosrocks' observation.

i only wish i could produce work like yours without refs -- always a joy for me to look at.

[JakkaS]

...i only wish i could produce work like yours without refs -- always a joy for me to look at.
Maybe sometimes my creatures looks good, but I have problems with motion and perspective. For example, your “ENDBOSS DOG” was much better then any of my works. The motion and dog expression was great. BTW, your people drawing skill are much beyond main. So pleas don’t joke, hehe. :evilmustache:

[masque]

no joke, really. i guess i look at my work & often see weaknesses, and i look at others' and more often see strengths to learn from. but thanks for the comments.

[JakkaS]

no joke, really. i guess i look at my work & often see weaknesses, and i look at others' and more often see strengths to learn from. but thanks for the comments.
Eyyyy! That's my lines.;)
I think about my work, exactly like you.

[chaosrocks]

don't we all?
c.rocks

[GreyBelly]

Not me!




kidding..

[Nexus]

Erm...why is this thread still open? It was supposed to close hours upon hours ago, it's well past Sunday. If I had known I'd have this long I wouldve gone back to rework some things I felt were weak in my piece.

[masque]

Erm...why is this thread still open? It was supposed to close hours upon hours ago, it's well past Sunday. If I had known I'd have this long I wouldve gone back to rework some things I felt were weak in my piece.mods busy with RL, and the honor system? i don't think any deadlines have been extended, they just don't always wrap things up extremely neat and tidy, which is no prob imo.

[Fozzybar]

Poll:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=63117