htp (peace)

The above Boer model is far from done. Not that far off, but it needs some basic tuning. Getting my research down has helped me tremendously with this project. I've learned a ton about insect morphology ... things I hadn't noticed about bugs in a life time. That lack of knowledge and observation is what I need to correct in the next few days.

Of the various insect leg types, limbs 4 through 6 from the second picture to your right, are what I envisioned would sprout from the Boers, when I imagined this highly aggressive and organized species.

Another interesting fact that I learned, is that most insect legs are situated beneath them. Or at the very lease, not so spider-like, as I have modeled. Look at the last picture. In nearly every image I have found on the net, the fast athletic bugs wear their legs more underneath their mid-body. The mid-body, or thorax, is not as cumbersome as the one I have modeled, and the legs are less splayed, and more tucked.

So I have some work to do. I will make the thorax narrower, and flatten the under belly. I will then model the two rear legs such that they look like # 4 OR # 6 on the second picture, and model the forelegs such that they look like a combo of # 5 on the second pic, and the forelegs of the fly on the last pic. I'll have to make them a little thicker too.

Great learning experience! I should have a complete 'from-the-ground-up' new Boer in a week or so.

htp (peace)

Using Animation Master to build my characters from the NETERS story arc is turning out to be a blessing. Modeling with splines is like drawing. Haven't drawn in years, but it's coming back.

I envisioned the Boers as a race of insect-like creatures that appeared as a result of a massive RZR-bloom. They are highly adaptive and live in swarm colonies that overtake huge swaths of land. They devour everything in their path, and are in constant warfare with the Retu-Guardsmen.

Way, way back ... when NETERS was the Infra Project and an online comic, I used a 3D application called Poser for everything. Including making the Boers. I found a 3D ant head obj, used a program that would allow for parts of poser models to be gutted; to give the Boers four-arms, and modeled a thorax, and attached everything to a human poser body (images 1 and 2 to the left). At first I was satisfied, but as I learned more about 3D, I got the bug; no pun intended, to make my own characters from scratch. So I endeavored to do so. This time however, I used a modeling program called Hexagon (images 3 and 4 to the left).

The models in Hexagon turned out a lot better. I was really pleased with them ... thought they were cool and all. I just never got around to finishing them. I think I was really heavy into my novel, and wasn't even sure I'd even return to doing anything with the NETERS story. The third image is a basic Boer scout, and the fourth image was to be a Boer soldier.

Okay ... so the new vision is to somehow combine all versions from past years,and build the new Boer type. Again, AM is a dream to work in.

The following wips are by no means finished, but the process is going where I need it to. Both Boer types will probably sport six limbs. Four for walking and two for their respective purpose. Scouts will have smaller skinnier legs for running, and two even smaller; almost arm-like limbs for grasping. The soldiers will have larger legs for running, and two huge spike-like appendages for striking...