Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Xeno-Striker on June 14, 2008, 01:29:12 am

Title: Transforming stuff
Post by: Xeno-Striker on June 14, 2008, 01:29:12 am
I haven't really posed anything here yet, so here i go..... !

yeah so i did these a while ago already, they don't really serve any purpose I just thought it would be fun.

(http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs17/f/2007/208/e/2/Transforming_DS_by_Xeno_striker.gif) (http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs21/f/2007/292/a/e/Transforming_360_by_Xeno_striker.gif) (http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs20/f/2007/294/2/3/Transforming_PSP_by_Xeno_striker.gif) (http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs20/f/2007/293/3/8/Transforming_Wii_by_Xeno_striker.gif) (http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs19/f/2007/295/4/7/Transforming_PS3_by_Xeno_striker.gif)

C&C would be nice  :D
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: AlienQuark on June 14, 2008, 03:23:57 am
wow, these are all actually really amazing. I really like them, the animation is nice and fluid, they feel totally fleshed out and great. Good job all around on these man, for realz.
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: chriskot on June 14, 2008, 04:11:31 am
These are pretty awesome. I especially love the Wii and X360 ones.

I knew I'd seen the DS one before. Do you know Agrifex on DeviantArt? Because he commented on one of my pieces once and he's using the DS animation as his avatar.

But yeah. Very nice work indeed.
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: Xeno-Striker on June 14, 2008, 10:18:30 pm
I knew I'd seen the DS one before. Do you know Agrifex on DeviantArt? Because he commented on one of my pieces once and he's using the DS animation as his avatar.

I had originally made them as Deviant Art avatars, now i see them everywhere :D
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: Xion on June 15, 2008, 02:10:59 am
These are, indeed, pretty awesome. I just find it sort of funny how the Wii bot is bigger than the Xbox bot. Niceness tho.
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: I Am Uh on June 15, 2008, 07:25:57 am
We'll you asked for some C&C and you haven't gotten much yet so I thought I'd try to help. :) Uh, Maybe try and make the shading (especially the DS and PlayStation ones.) A little more prominent, maybe like some more Contrasts and Depth. Uh, maybe you could use like a cool Glare or Highlight to the darker ones. (Nice and shiny. :D) But definitely great pieces that have even more potential. :y:
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: tehwexxl0rz on June 15, 2008, 08:38:35 am
Very cool animations. :D

I think it would be neat if there were some more recognizable parts of the console once it transforms. (Like the 360 power icon! That was especially cool!) Also, it seems to me like red would be a better complimentary color for the PS3 bot. One technical thing: the banding on the sides of the 360 kind of ruins the smoothness....
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: AdamAtomic on June 16, 2008, 05:21:43 pm
These are pretty fun!  The mirroring hurts them I think, as do the relatively uniform final poses.  These pieces suffer the same color issues as your other work as well, that massive gap between black and the next color in your palette is a really jarring contrast; makes the non-black areas feel very washed out and desaturated.  I realize that in most of these you're dealing with basically white and black plastic, but I think a larger range of values and a better sense of depth would be a big improvement!
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: Helm on June 16, 2008, 05:39:44 pm
Keep in mind that you're also banding (http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=5556.msg66232#msg66232) like hell.
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: AdamAtomic on June 17, 2008, 02:08:10 pm
Just a personal preference, but it somewhat bothers me that in their robot forms I really can't tell which console is supposed to be which.  To me (apologies, getting a little geeky here) it is the difference between the original Transformers designs:

(http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/transformers/images/thumb/3/37/Optimusg1.jpg/300px-Optimusg1.jpg)

...and the ones LucasFilm did for the new movie:

(http://www.thelastminuteblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/optimus-prime.jpg)

Notice how in the first one you can tell that it is a truck robot, big clean forms, recognizable colors and volumes.  In the second its just a robot with lots of little bitty parts and forms that are pretty hard to read.  To me your designs are more in the vein of the second design, than the first, and I see this as a weakness.

Anyways, not that I expect you to go through and redo these things that you've obviously invested a lot of time in, just some thoughts for your future designs!
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: Helm on June 17, 2008, 02:14:50 pm
there's absolutely no priority in that second optimus, if you squint your eyes just a bit he looks like a junkheap. Nice going, Lucasfilm.
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: chriskot on June 17, 2008, 03:39:46 pm
I kinda prefer the new transformer designs actually. To me, they just look more... interesting with all of the extra detail (plus, it seems to work better with the plot). Yes, Optimus is less readable in the version from the movie, but in defense of that style he is sort of hunkered over in an odd position in that pic and looks much better in motion.

Although I do agree that if you're looking for something that resembles the untransformed version, than the original is the way to go.
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: Serendor on June 17, 2008, 07:00:11 pm
happy I'm not the only one prefering the old one, but I guess the old models would'nt be that cool to the newer people, so it is basicly a trick to lure more people :(

I agree though to chriskot, you can tell pretty easy the transformed version, not as easy as te old one though...

a further comment, I like the transformation more with the Xbox. it is more transformation in it, it looks much better when parts end up in a whole different part (like the green light bulb). this is not the thing with, for example with the Wii, which just simply expand into a robot.

otherwise pretty cool stuff!

//Albin
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: Conzeit on June 17, 2008, 10:41:06 pm
it's just plain insecurity of having individuality. The old designs stand out and look like a transformer and nothing else, while the new ones could be any mech. I guess they were afraid people would think of them as toys.
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: tehwexxl0rz on June 17, 2008, 11:14:14 pm
Why is everyone bashing the live-action Transformer designs?! They were created to fit in a visually realistic movie! The original designs from the cartoons and toys would have looked LAUGHABLY out of place!

Seriously, think about it.

That being said, (and as I previously commented) I still think the transformations would benefit if the viewer could follow some specific pieces from the system to robot forms. Like possibly the DS logo for example. Oh, I guess you did carry it up to it's head.... But the way you bend it, it's impossible to recognize, so I think it's a waste.


Ooh, though I just realized you carried over the DS power light to the robots gauntlet-type things. :O That's a nice touch! More stuff like that!
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: Helm on June 17, 2008, 11:16:35 pm
my issue is no realism or not realism. it is priority. Tell me if you can easily tell if that arm is in front of the leg or not in that picture. It's just a mess of scribbly detail. Sure, better in motion but still, this is the equivalent design of a newbie drawing a dude with invented huge muscles everywhere and then studiously rendering them with his bic all nice and pillowshaded like
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: Sokota on June 17, 2008, 11:48:38 pm
I must admit, I agree with helm. In the second picture of Optimus, the lowered arm also looks like it's connected to his leg in that pose. You can't really tell. I mean, sure they look cool transforming all those bits and pieces, but still, not so readable as a truck. Heck, even Megatron is just an alien spacecraft in the movie. As for the avatars, they are pretty sweet. The black ones, (Yay for PSP!), are a bit less readable than the others, but still pretty good.

Sokota
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: tehwexxl0rz on June 18, 2008, 01:07:34 am
DS bot edit:

(http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/2443/dseditri9.gif)

I left some parts untouched, but I meant to demonstrate my point about incorporating parts of the system. DS logo on chest, speakers on sides, and power/charging lights for eyes.
Title: Re: Transforming stuff
Post by: Antaros Crossphane on June 20, 2008, 10:43:04 pm
The overall animation is quite smooth but the only critique I have to offer is the lack of metallic definition. In the texture, assuming that you constrained the metal concept, should have a type of embossed gloss on it. To show both dynamics and general sheen of the metal. As in efforts to make it both conceptually deep rather than a paper feel, because as the texture of it standards right now, it gives of the conclusion that all the panels are flat and have no dimension, angles, or anything of that sort.

Such as these sticky note smilies :) compared to the smilies on MSN that show a slight embossed appearance through shading.