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Comments
Congratulations everyone.
I too want to thank Scott (for organizing it), the sponsors, and the judges!
I had a great time creating characters for the contest, though some of my other projects suffered dreadfully.
Little Beast thanks you all from the bottom of her heart too.
OK now that I am back at home and at a real comp....
Thank you very much. Congratulations to all the winners. This was a AWESOME contest. And the first time I have taken home a prize to be honest. Looking forward to the next one.
Great renders everyone.. THANKS for sharing... I've been quite impressed... Wish I had more time to create more characters... See you all next month :)
Impressive concept of the contest produced entries impressive in both amounts and creativity. Good job everyone!
PS My prize Lisa requires Genesis Essentials, S4, S5, Creature Creator and Head Morph Resource Kits 1 and 2. I also included a list of parametres so that should somebody lack any of the needed files, he or she could still get most of Lisa’s looks.
Thank you kindly Cecilia for LISA... it was soooo nice of you to share :) It is much appreciated (atleast by me :) big hugzzzzzz as thank you!
Thank you kindly Cecilia for LISA... it was soooo nice of you to share :) It is much appreciated (atleast by me :) big hugzzzzzz as thank you!
I'm delighted if you like her. I'd be very pleased to see any of your renders with her. If you post it on DeviantArt, I'd love to add them to a special collection of favourites.
I'm delighted if you like her. I'd be very pleased to see any of your renders with her. If you post it on DeviantArt, I'd love to add them to a special collection of favourites.
Sure Cecelia... just keep watching me.. I'll make a render with her asap :)
FYI update... I just tried to load her.. and I don't have a lot of the stuff needed... so I'm out of luck with her... but thanks anyway.. :)
I'm delighted if you like her. I'd be very pleased to see any of your renders with her. If you post it on DeviantArt, I'd love to add them to a special collection of favourites.
Sure Cecelia... just keep watching me.. I'll make a render with her asap :)
FYI update... I just tried to load her.. and I don't have a lot of the stuff needed... so I'm out of luck with her... but thanks anyway.. :)
For that case, there's a full list of dials provided. Check the Terms of Use readme ;). Hope that helps you recreate most of her features!
I forgot to submit my character to the entries
The public poll has concluded, and the bonus prize goes to Saiyaness, for "The Forest Folk." Congratulations!
Congratulations Saiyaness! One of my personal favorite images of the contest :)
Congratulations Saiyaness well deserved :-)
Love The Forest Folk! Well done! :)
First round of comments on the entries...
SNova332 - Topless Sexy: While I think you may have misinterpreted the intent of the contest, I thought the combination of colored lighting, shadow, and reflections was a really interesting effect. Thanks for sharing your render!
Sasje - African Girl: I like the general composition (the choice of backdrop I thought was effective), the lighting, her eyes, and especially her lively and playful expression.
scorpio64dragon - The Lizard People: Very creative and unique creatures! I liked seeing the male and female versions, and the environment you created for them is very cool and appropriate. This was one of only four entries to wind up in the top five in two different categories.
zilvergrafix - Reina Tanaka: Very striking, well-lit render. Especially impressive considering there's no real postwork to speak of. I like the fusion of anime proportions and realistic features and expression.
Grovelight - The Tree Creeth: This was one of my favorite creatures from the contest, and it was popular among the other judges also. Very unique creature...great job with the morphs and texture selections. I would have liked to see more renders...the fact that the Tree Creeth is camouflaged with the tree is certainly believable, but for aesthetic reasons it would have been nice to see it stand out a bit more.
Rakceyen - Anubis: I definitely loved your render of him, and I liked the added and enhanced details. Because this relied rather heavily on the Anubis character by Debra Ross, to me it didn't seem as original as some of the other entries (including your own other entry). But for what you set out to do, I think the result was very good.
HeraldOfFire - Annabel: Beautiful render and character. It's hard making child characters that are unique and photorealistic...I've tried! The eyes seem somehow too grown-up, but overall I think you did a great job with her. I love the expression and the soft, gentle feeling of the image.
Sasje - Winged Creature: Sasje, I think you were your own worst enemy in the Portrait category. You picked up a lot of votes but they were split among four characters. Happily it didn't matter since Angelina scored a prize in another category. I think Winged Creature was my favorite of your entries, though. I love her pose and unique shape, her pose, and the unorthodox use of the Elebeast texture! The composition of the image is really nice, too.
Szark - Brian: Not an entry but I had to comment anyway. I just love this guy. I like the unique shape of the face, the attention to detail, and how much vitality and personality he has. Great use of Garibaldi Express, too.
cecilia.robinson - Nyiramachabelli: I commented on this in the WIP thread but had to say a few things here too. I think you did a great job compositing the various elements together...I'm usually skeptical of that technique but you pulled it off pretty well here. Your character has a definite resemblance to Sigourney Weaver. The little gorillas are very cute, and so are their poses!
More to come...and I'm saving my feedback on the finalists until last...
Thank you all again!! I really appreciate it! Still buzzing! >=D
Great work on 'The Forest Folk', congrats!
Peter.
Comments on the entries, part 2 of 6:
SuperGJ - The Fallen One: Very impressive final image. You clearly put a lot of work into the render and postproduction. Your character may not have a lot of morphs, but he looks great with the demonic skin and wings.
BlackFeather1973 - Leonard: You created someone who is very different from the usual pretty and/or tough Genesis character. I see him as a Homer Simpson/Peter Griffin kind of guy. Just needs a family to join him on the couch. :)
SuperGJ - The Dancer: There are many things I like about this entry, but my favorite aspect, I think, is the lighting: how the subject is bathed in light while the background is dimly illuminated, just enough to create a sense of place. The depth of field, color palette, and camera angle all combine for a very attractive composition. And I think her distant, dreamy expression works well, though (if you're looking for an area to improve on) her eyes seem a little glassy to me.
JK0011 - Meinir: So many cool denizens of the forest in this contest, it was difficult to choose. I love the use of Aging Morphs on this creature, her emotive face and pose (I envision her as an actress rehearsing her lines, or maybe a shaman practicing her rituals). The lighting is very good: strong enough to see her clearly, without being too bright for the forested environment. And I like your choice of wardrobe and the skin and eye textures.
BlackFeather1973 - Jeffrey: I like the attention to detail here, with so many facial morphs adjusted so precisely. In particular I like how the bottom half of the face--the mouth, chin, and jawline--turned out...very believable. I also like his expression~(I suppose there could be a variety of ways to interpret it, but my reaction is: "what's got him amused, and why is he trying to hide it?"). The lighting looks good too, appropriate for a sunny outdoor scene.
Grovelight - Miss Andromeda: I like the character's skin and morph, but what I particularly love about this is the juxtaposition of her pose against the starry backdrop (your own photo? cool!). The wings also are a great choice...clever trick to attach them to an invisible V4. :) Very nice work, all around.
Sasje - Vera: Beautiful portrait...her expression is so sincere and believable and the pose just about perfect--I love her embrace of the toy, as well as the toy's appearance (materials, etc.) in general. Lighting is very good (I always like how you light your renders). Only thing I'm not sure about is her hand (that's not just Vera though...I often get that reaction to the hands of Genesis children, including my own characters).
Thanks Scott for the nice compliment :-)
And you’re right about her hand I didn’t notice first and now brrr ugly does not fit with the girl.
Next time I will look at the hands with a child figure / morph and see if the scale is correct.
Comments, part 3:
Satira Capriccio - Kisiki: I like the combination of creature and ethnic morphs...gives her an appearance that's very naturalistic (in an alien sort of way). The skin texture and makeup also suit her well.
stumpc - BeeBee and Family: Each of these characters has a unique personality, yet they're consistent in terms of general appearance and shape. I could see them starring in their own series of animated shorts. Short films, that is, not short pants! ;-P
Szundown - Olivia: This is a very good likeness. In particular, I think the jawline, eyebrows, and mouth shape are extremely close. The mouth and especially the eyes seem a bit too prominent or large on her face, but their shape is good. The hair and skin were well-chosen, and I think the expression is just about spot on, too. Aside from the eye size, the main differences I see are the cheekbones and the depth of the nose. I find the lighting very attractive and realistic.
princessartemis - Christopher: I was very impressed with this...to me it looks just like him. Biggest differences I see are in the upper lip (a little thick) and jaw (a little wide, maybe). The eyes, and most of the other aspects of his face, look just right. The other judges liked it too: I believe this earned the most total votes of all the non-winning entries.
Satira Capriccio - Alaksandu: His features are very distinctive. I like the expression...sort of stern and calm at the same time. You used an interesting mix of morphs on his body, which unfortunately got a bit obscured in the final renders by his clothing.
wing.philopp - Phillop "Peleks" Wing: Considering that you used relatively few morphing products, your character has a nice, distinctive look. His features are realistic and some of his personality definitely comes across. I see him as proof that you don't need to spend a lot in order to create a variety of unique Genesis characters. When using the default Michael 5 texture be sure to turn the bump down for closeup shots...the default level of bump makes his face look kind of pitted. Judging by your forum join date, you started only a month before posting him? You've clearly learned a lot already and I'm looking forward to seeing more from you!
sgreco1970 - Scrying in Fire: Beautiful render...the colored lighting makes for a really nice effect. There are a few things about her formula that impressed me and I'd like to point them out to others, because they are useful tricks:
- Dialing the Pear Figure full-body morph in a negative direction. Good thinking outside the box! If you turn a morph's limits off, all sorts of possibilities open up.
- Those morphs with "BM_" in the name come from the Genesis Body Morph Resource Kit 2--in other words, they were made for male characters. Don't be afraid to use morphs in unexpected ways!
- The "X_Away Abdomen" morph comes from Poke-Away. I don't know...maybe sgreco1970 used it for its intended purpose (to eliminate pokethrough in the clothing), but the Poke-Away morphs are also handy ways to make individual body parts thinner.
Nice work with this one, sgreco1970!
Love reading your comments and analysis, Scott... it's like an extra bonus of this contest. :)
I'd like to second that.
Thanks for taking the time to go through each of our renders, Scott, much appreciated.
I'm a gonna third it.
I agree Alaksandu's clothing obscured his godlike body in the final renders, but I just couldn't see him in a loincloth on that balcony. Hmm ... had I positioned the palms just right, he could have been au naturale.
Or ... maybe I could have put him in Iseabail's robe!
>wicked grin<</p>
I'd like to second that.
Thanks for taking the time to go through each of our renders, Scott, much appreciated.
Comments, part 4...
Storypilot - Felurian: I really liked this render. I’m not familiar with the Rothfuss book, but I looked up the character and your interpretation does look a lot like others have envisioned her. I think the alluring and dangerous aspects of her character both come across clearly. Very impressive work overall.
JesterVII - Half-Dragons/Battle of the Avatars: Great job morphing some really divergent and unique characters. Your custom head morph turned out well. I will say, though, that I liked some of your other renders better than the final entry. Maybe it's the lighting.
sgreco1970 - Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman: Love this render--you’ve really captured Wonder Woman’s essence here...and you did a great job with the clothing and the Garibaldi hair, too.
Carola O - Aldrak: I was happy to see a variety of renders of this character (though I do wish they showed some more emotional range on Aldrak’s part--he always seems to have the same expression). Nice use of Garoul’s morph...at 6%, I think it gives him just enough of a unique, interesting look, without making him look too freaky. I appreciated that you shared not just the morph dials, but also the skin surface settings. You did a great job with both the morphs and the skin.
cecilia.robinson - Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall: Beautiful character and very nice render. Cool story to go with it, too! In the end I think this was my favorite of yours.
cecilia.robinson - Molly: While the exotic characters with long lists of morphs got a lot of attention in this contest, there is something to be said for minimalism in morphing, too: if you can move a handful of sliders and wind up with something that’s new and beautiful, that deserves to be celebrated too. And I think that’s what you’ve got here. The similarities to Andrea are pretty clear, but she’s different, too.
Cybersox13 - Ground Sloth: I talked a bit about this one when it was first posted as a WIP. Awesome character--very unique. I love both the original concept, and the execution. My only regret is that you didn’t put him in fur. I liked all your entries, but this was my favorite among them.
Cybersox13 - Deunan Knute: This is a character that’s been portrayed in several ways over the years. Your vision of the character is unique yet fitting with the many canonical designs. Her face and body language (or pose) seem to have the right amount of aloofness and swagger to it. The hair you have chosen is perfect.
Cybersox13 - Mister Watanabe: Love the expressions (he has such an emotive face!) and the use of Aging morphs. And posing him in the boxers and tie is pretty hysterical. :cheese:
Ilolane - Macho Man: Another one of those “minimalist” characters. A good example of how a tiny bit of creature morphs or other extreme shapes can add some visual interest and uniqueness to a regular human-type character. The sneer is pretty great, too. I think I would have liked to see him with a more rugged-looking skin texture.
Cybersox13 - Faun: I haven't seen too many faun-type characters for Genesis (especially not before you posted yours). Your character is more bestial-looking than the classical faun is usually portrayed, but I like that about him.
Comments, part 5 of 6:
Satira Capriccio - Spindling: She reminds me of someone...partly Sigourney Weaver's Avatar (from the movie of the same name), partly something else I can't quite put my finger on... Looks great though...really unique, stylized V4 character.
cecilia.robinson - Willow: Definitely creepy, yet oddly beautiful given how high you dialed the Zombie morph. The pose and the hair and clothing that you selected all enhance the effect. Great job with the render and composition...it fits together really well.
Murgatroyd - Monica: Very cute character...I can see the influence of the Toon Amy and Satsuki morphs, but she looks pretty different from either of them. The Sam texture works very well for her. She almost looks like she could be an original 3D Universe character, rather than a dialed mix. Lots of personality...would work very well as a lead or supporting character in an animated movie, cartoon, webcomic, etc.
Carola O - Kielan: Very cool character...it was fun to see the background information, which fits him well I think. I love the render of him with the dogs. I like the face...he's handsome, but perhaps not in a "Hollywood" kind of way. I see him as a confident and charming but maybe a little rough around the edges.
llolalane - Life Form: Really bizarre character! Reminds me of the Jersey Devil. Good job with the custom texture, and also on the truly unique-looking mouth in particular. The lighting and depth of field of your renders work perfectly in my opinion.
Cuisle - Wee Tree Creature: Impressively unique formula and body shape...all the bumps, ridges, and wrinkles really help to make them convincing. The textures are great, and the hands and feet shapes are really interesting and nicely done too. I enjoyed reading about their evolution and habits...that was a nice addition to the entry. This got a lot of support from the judges.
Glad you guys have enjoyed the comments! Here's the last set...
Scott’s comments, part 6 of 6
Some thoughts on the eight prizewinning entries:
(Link to full results)
Satira Capriccio - Little Beast: There are so many things I liked about this one: her eyes, her expression, her hair, her ears, the unique skin tone... In the full-body image I especially liked the details in her arms and hips. You did a nice job with the postwork--subtle but effective. To be honest I’m not exactly sure what that antler-like thing behind her is supposed to be (I guess you used the Tree of Life prop from Elfin for V4) but it’s somehow fitting. I’m glad I decided to allow non-Genesis characters, because I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this one. :)
JesterVII - Guardians of the Gates: I have to say, this is one of the best arguments for GenX that I’ve seen. The Yodkin morph especially is a major contributor to the coolness of the Guardians, and I know of nothing quite like it that’s natively available for Genesis. The goat horns, wings, and the shaders you used on the clothing are very effective too. The Troll eyes are perfect for them, and the Reptillian skins too (are they usually so glossy/slimy-looking, or did you do that? Looks so cool...). I noticed that the formula uses a lot of morphs at full-strength...I can’t argue with the results, but I wonder how it would have turned out if you’d done more fine-tuning like you did with the dragons. The lighting is great too...it gives the impression of being a dim environment, but the lights are strong enough to see the characters clearly.
Saiyaness - The Forest Folk: I love the shape of your characters (especially the eyes, mouth, and hands), and the textures--plus the use of ivy which was brilliant, in my opinion--but what really sold it for me is the pose and expressions. Very believable and tender moment between a mother and child, which the child seeking comfort and the mother wishing to protect her little one from an unknown threat (the human viewer, I suppose). Great framing and depth of field, too...the environment seems so real, and I wouldn’t have guessed that you pieced it together from elements of two different sets. The other thing that impressed me about is that you only used a handful of products to create your characters.
Storypilot - Clancy a.k.a. Homunculus: Considering the crispness, realism, and complexity of your final renders I think this was well-deserving of Laticis’s special prize. You created more than just a compelling character; you created an entire milieu for him to exist in...you’ve told some hints of his story while giving the impression that there’s a lot more to tell. I was impressed by your combination of young and old morphs on him, plus the creative use of the Old Man Rex texture and the Strigoi and Hiro 5 morphs on someone who doesn’t look anything like those characters. Love the saggy skin, the uneven teeth, and I don’t know what you did, but the eye socket area is much improved from the first WIP. Thanks for sharing Sabra too, she’s a great character in her own right.
peter.schelfhout - Exo 1751b: I think my jaw dropped when I first saw this. The face and body shape are unique and interesting, but the textures...wow. Very creative to combine the M5 and Mr. Hyde textures like that, and the subsurface toolbox effects you used plus the Touched Fantasy Eyes really complete and perfect the look. I loved the “Medusa Hunters” render too...cool environment and repurposing of the animals. Awesome work...can’t wait to see more of your creations.
Sasje - Angelina: Remarkably good likeness, and a very attractive portrait. Her nose I think is slightly different from Angelina’s...in the ridge/bump and in the sides of the nostrils...but it’s not far off and everything else is spot on. The eyes and lips might be a little large, but if anything that enhances the effect, making her look even more like Lara Croft as well as Angelina herself. Excellent job putting the two hairstyles together to create Angelina’s hair, and the skin was well-chosen also. I love the expression too, including the asymmetry in the brows.
Kamion99 - Elizabeth Siddal: What impresses me most about this is that it’s not only a very strong likeness of Elizabeth Siddal, your work is also an excellent re-creation of the Pre-Raphaelite style and the types of works that Siddal appeared in. The scene you put together is beautiful and contains great details, like the way the hair and dress float in the water, the shadows of the ivy on the rocks, and the ripples in the water. The Metallized Glass Shaders work perfectly here, and her “Ophelia” pose is nearly a perfect match for the John Everett Millais painting. In terms of the character herself, I like the eyebrows and eyelids, and the lips. She’s got a rather strong nose and jaw, neither of which detract from her beauty in the slightest. The biggest difference between your character and Elizabeth is the forehead, I think...it could perhaps be a bit larger and more rounded. Excellent work all around--so glad you decided to share her.
Rakceyen - Kaine: The face looks so snakelike, but never (completely) loses its humanity. The eyes are just right and the mouth and teeth look great too (plus I love the idea of putting that tongue prop in there...it really completes the look). The most interesting feature, though, I would say is the nose. It’s a real hybrid between human and serpentine sides of him. The way it turns up a bit reminds me of a hognose snake. Your final renders of him are very stylish...I love the action, the expressions, the scenery, and the lighting.
Thanks again to everyone who participated in the contest! I had a great time and I hope you did too.
With that, this thread--or at least my participation in it--has come to an end...I hope you will join us as the conversation moves to two new threads:
Custom Character Workshop and Render Thread is a place to share your custom character works-in-progress and final renders. Doesn’t matter which figure...if you’re spinning morph dials, I hope you’ll stop by and share your work!
The Genesis Fan Club will contain tips and tricks for working with the Genesis (1) figure, discussion of Genesis products, information on using non-Genesis products with Genesis characters, and various formulas, experiments, and challenges designed to help people (from beginners to experts) get the most of the Genesis platform.
Thank you for your comments Scott, and thank you for making this contest (has been said before, can be said again :) )
As for Aldrak, you are right, he just doesn't really show emotions much and when he does it's mostly subtle. Though I admit I wasn't very good at making the subtle actually show *grins* I also have to admit I had a bit of a problem making him smile without looking strange... not quite sure why though but probably something that needs to be changed :) Might go back and see if I can make some slight changes in Aldrak without changing him too much so to say :)
I do like Kielan better than Aldrak even if I truly love them both, but Kielan is somewhat easier to work with in several different situations, whereas Aldrak is a fighter and not really fitting for all kind of scenes.
Either way, I will for sure keep both my boys and work on more as well... and work on some girls *laughs*
Your comments have been a pleasure to read, Scott! Thank you so much for taking the time to review each and every entry! I've never seen anyone go to that level of effort before. It makes the whole experience so much more personal.
Also, thank you for the lovely comment. I'm glad it comes as across as intended! And yes, I mashed parts of two Stonemason sets together. Kit bashing, like Genesis-dialling, is a lot of fun!
Thanks for taking your time to comment on every entry Scott! ;)
Peter.
Thank you Scott :)