Sumea Modeller Challenge #8 RESULTS!!!

Sumea Modeller Challenge #8 Results!

Thank you to everyone who took part in this modeller challenge, as well as all the Creative Directors, Art Leads etc who spared some of their personal time to go through, rank, and comment on all the entries!!

Your judges are:

Pandemic Studios (Mike Yeomans - Lead Character Artist)
Auran
Tantalus (Alister Lockhart - Creative Director)
Micro Forte (Nick Young - Art Director))
Team Bondi (Chee Kin Chan - Art Director)

1st: Challenger 11 = Asmuel
2nd: Challenger 10 = Tojo
3rd: Challenger 7 = Shika
4th: Challenger 8 = Ninja / Challenger 9 = Neffy
6th: Challenger 5 = Delmo
7th: Challenger 13 = Gogitason
8th: Challenger 2 = PicPoc / Challenger 12 = PoppinFresh
10th: Challenger 1 = Peter Davis
11th: Challenger 3 = Killadee
12th: Challenger 4 = SteinwayCG
13th: Challenger 14 = Jebus
14th: Challenger 6 = Uniquesnowflake

It was an extremely close race for first and second, but I'm sure you'll all agree that the top placings were well deserved. I will contact the top 3 placings sometime tomorrow (or hey, you can make it easier on me by private messaging me your name and postal address in the meantime :))

Challenger #1 (Peter Davis) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC (ranked you equal 5th (points of rank 7))
Character Concept
Nice concept; a bit of Gorillaz, a bit of Fight Club, and I really like the hair where we only see a hint of these glowing eyes behind it.

Modelling
Modeling is nice, good distribution of polys and looks like he would deform well. Not crazy about the relation of the arms to the body; the way the shoulders blend into the arm looks a bit tubular. I like the sense of weight on the feet and his overall proportions.

Texturing
Colors work well together however would have liked to see some more patina?a bit more wear and detail. Would work for a more simplified flat color character but I don?t think that?s what the artist was going for in this instance. Skin tones could have been pushed more and colors between arm skin and face skin should be more similar. Not a big fan of the bump detail on the arm diffuse. Normals work well for the most part, some micro detail would have been nice to see. Leather jacket comes out particularly well in a lit environment.

Aesthetics
Nice presentation; always nice to see something posed. Good job overall; it all comes together quite well.

85%

AURAN (ranked you 11th)
Peter Davis : 25
concept : 7
modelling : 6
texturing : 6
general aesthetics: 6
     
Could add more detail to texturing, baked in lighting could pop-out the jacket and folds Uvs could be even tighter hand and shoes UVs chould be shared

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 10th)
Modelling
Good poly distribution. And details

Texturing
The face works the best. The other material need some detailing

Mapping
Mapping a bit wasteful. Essentially a symmetrical character, a lot of the textures could be mirrored

Concept
OK. Arms are a bit too long. Unsure if this was intentional or not.

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 10th)
Rank: 10th: Challenger 1
Good use of 'black' in the renders

Challenger #2 (PicPoc) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC (ranked you equal 5th (points of rank 7))
Character Concept

Not too crazy about the concept of this one however the execution of it all is very nice.

I felt it was too many different styles/eras in one; he has a very powerful upper body but flared pants and big buckle on the boots does not convey this power to me.

Modeling
Modeling and proportions are both very good. Nice distribution of polys, just the right amount to bring out a nice silhouette without any waste. Good understanding of proper proportion as well; love the biceps and triceps! Good job! I think his face as well as his expression could have used a bit more observation; it looks like his eyes are too far apart.

Texturing
Fantastic use of UV space, great job

Really nice texturing and attention to detail. Metal is however not so believable and skin tones could have been more varied; there is actually a huge range of color in someones skin, especially the face. Little details like the striations on the sternum side of the chest muscle and the bicep vein are quite nice.

Aesthetics
Nice presentation overall. The poses are believable and your shader especially on the helmet and weapon makes me believe it is metal more than the texture. I really dig the skin tones on this models chest area.

85%

AURAN (ranked you 6th)
PicPoc : 31
concept : 7
modelling : 8
texturing : 8
general aesthetics: 8

Comments: Nice level of detail within the polycount, might have gotten away with a lower overall count by using triangles instead of quads sometimes.

Nice colours and detail in the texture

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 7th)
Modelling
Good poly distribution. Form around face a bit odd

Texturing
Good. Nice Details and Colour work

Mapping
Efficient

Concept
Nice layering of materials, and good silhouette

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 11th)
Rank: 11th: Challenger 2
Good modeling. Good body posture. Not too good a facial expression.

Challenger #3 (Killadee) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC (ranked you 10th)
Character Concept
I?m not crazy about the concept of this one; it does not feel very thought out. It is not easy to understand why there is a radioactive symbol on his chest?is he part machine, or just a radioactive zombie? Seems a strange blend of different ideas that don?t really work together.

Modeling
Proportions are good and so is the overall modeling. Nice level of detail in the poly placement; the silhouette in the posed shot comes out very nice.

Texturing
Good use of UV space! Nicely packed. You have a nice even pixel size over the whole model it seems. I think the colors could have been more varied, particularly the red areas; they simply contain various shades of the same red hue whereas in real life, you would have maybe green or even some blues in the shadows, and some other colors in the hightlights. Same goes for the skin tone values. Overall, the texture detail is nice, and the normal map comes out quite well.

Aesthetics
Nice presentation overall. Nice pose. Although I didn?t like the idea very much, it is put together in a nice little package.

77%

AURAN (ranked you 8th)
Killadee: 28
concept : 7
modelling : 7
texturing : 8
general aesthetics: 6
Comments:     Neat normal maps and good detail in the texture
Color sceme is sickly which suited the theme but could look better with more variations in hue. Skin, flesh and clothing are all a little similar in hue.

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 12th)
Modelling
Good. Sword lack detail for such a large form.

Texturing
Good detail, bit too dark in corners. Muscle work too sketchy, tonally a bit flat

Mapping
Efficient

Concept
The hat looks like it's an after thought. Unsure of time period and or world. Mixed signals, Nuclear symbol and skulls.

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 9th)
Rank: 9th: Challenger 3
Good textural details. Fairly well presented renders.

Challenger #4 (SteinwayCG) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you 9th)

Character Concept
Interesting idea. Would have been more believable with a mane or facial/chest hair?looks kind of like a big hairless catJ Perhaps a more feline posture as well, or cat-like legs would have helped push the idea.

Modeling
The back modeling is very nice, you have some great muscle volume there. Not a big fan of the exaggerated arm muscles and something in the face comes across as a bit cartoony. Legs are a bit tubular, not muscle bound enough.

Texturing
Fantastic use of UV space, great job

Really nice texturing and attention to detail. Metal is however not so believable and skin tones could have been more varied; there is actually a huge range of color in someones skin, especially the face. Little details like the striations on the sternum side of the chest muscle and the bicep vein are quite nice.

Aesthetics
Nice presentation overall. The poses are believable and your shader especially on the helmet and weapon makes me believe it is metal more than the texture. I really dig the skin tones on this models chest area.

80%

AURAN (ranked you 9th)
SteinwayCG: 28
concept : 6
modelling : 7
texturing : 8
general aesthetics: 7
Comments: Good anatomy in general but some polygons seem a bit excessive (e.g.chest and ribs).

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 11th)
Modelling
Good Anatomy. The eyes look too close together though

Texturing
Actual texturing work good. Tattoos look too pasted on.

Mapping
Mapping a bit wasteful. Essentially a symmetrical character, a lot of the textures could be mirrored

Concept
Could have emphasised the feline feature more successfully. Fangs or claws?

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 14th)
Rank: 14th: Challenger 4
The head don't match the body too well. The normal map could have been better to help accentuate the muscles.

Challenger #5 (Delmo) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you 3rd)
Character Concept
Overall idea is quite nice; the way the collar detail and forearm gauntlet was designed is really cool and works well.

Modeling
Modeling has a nice even distribution of polys with a good level of detail. However I would have liked to see more irregularity in the leg clothing?looks too tubular. Proportions are a bit off; head looks a bit small compared to the size of the feet and gets a little lost in the high collar.

Texturing
Fantastic use of UV space.

Good texturing overall, with some nice skin tones in the face and arms. Tattoo comes out a bit clean; I don?t sense that it is pigment in the skin. Folds could have been shadowed/highlighted a bit more in the fabric; on the final render they don?t show up so well. Overall the textures all together look a little busy; there is too much information. Hairline looks a little abrupt and unnaturally shaped.

Aesthetics
Nice presentation, very professional. Pose is nice as well as the lighting. Materials come out a bit like porcelain. As mentioned earlier, there is too much going on everyhere; too much texture information/patterns/detail I think.

88%

AURAN (ranked you 14th)
Delmo: 24
concept : 5
modelling : 6
texturing : 7
general aesthetics: 6
Comments: Good,clean texture and normal maps
The geometry is quite clean but might have issues with bigger bends in knee and waist

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 3rd)
Modelling
Good.

Texturing
Tattoo colour bit too similar to garments, loosing their impact. Material on pant shirt are great

Mapping
Good use of texture sharing

Concept
Good Silhouette

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 8th)
Rank: 8th: Challenger 5
Interesting character design. Quite a well-balanced colour palette.

Challenger #6 (Uniquesnowflake) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you 13th)
Character Concept
Not a very original idea. What is the purpose of the kneepads? There should be a reason for everything.

Modeling
Proportions are a bit off; shoulders look like they are positioned wrong and arms are over inflated. Bum area looks a little flat as well and long. Almost no elbow when arm is bent.

Texturing
Nice UV layout, nice straight edgesJ

Normal map is quite subtle; it could have been exaggerated quite a bit more. Hardly shows up at all in final character pose. Diffuse texture could use some work; skin tones look a bit dead and the other elements overall look rushed. For example, would blood stains really look like that on a shirt? Little edge highlights on objects such as the gloves and boots can add a lot as well.

Aesthetics
Nice posing. Overall character looks a little rushed; more attention could be paid to little details and polishing, especially at the texture level. With a more exaggerated normal map especiall on the clothing folds and boots, certain elements would be a lot more believable.

67%

AURAN (ranked you 13th)
Uniquesnowflake: 24
concept : 6
modelling : 6
texturing : 7
general aesthetics: 5
Comments: The model seems clean, though modelling of belt loops and knife serrations is almost definitely unnecessary.
texturing could do with some baked in lighting for more realism
normal maps derived form a highpoly model would give more convincing results for things like cloth.

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 14th)
Modelling
Good

Texturing
Blood work bit too blurry, more emphasis on the arm muscles would help

Mapping
Could be more efficient.

Concept
Not a fan of the concept at all.

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 13th)
Rank: 13th: Challenger 6
The body curvature suggests that it is a female character but its muscle-bound arms, posture and action say it is a man.

Challenger #7 (Shika) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you equal 5th (points of rank 7))
Character Concept
I like the concept a lot. A nice mix of amazon and gladiator! She has the physique of a lanky 12 year old however?was this intended?

Modeling
Modeling is nicely spaced and has all the detail necessary to convey the shapes. Proportions look a little strange, unless you are going for a very young girl in this model. For example, the head looks a little big or long, and also the neck. Legs look a little short, and on the side view there is not nearly enough thigh muscle nor calf muscle in the back. Feet are very flat and fingers are too thin, even for a woman.

Texturing
Nice normal map with a lot of detail; just a couple of normal errors there. The diffuse texture has beautiful tones and really works well together..its really unified. A lot of texture space is given to flat areas of color while the hands and face should be bigger. Sword looks a little rushed. Normal map works really really well!

Aesthetics
Overall high quality level?looks like so much more detail there than there actually is. Shaders work really well; leather looks like leather while the gold looks like gold. I really like her serene expression.

84%

AURAN (ranked you 5th)
Shika: 32
concept : 8
modelling : 8
texturing : 8
general aesthetics: 8
Comments: Good work overall and the colour scheme is well refined
The details are nice but improvements could be made with the general anatomical form/structure (e.g.torso too long, legs a little short etc. )

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 2nd)
Modelling
Good.

Texturing
Overall good. Only really the sword stands out in being lacking in detail

Mapping
Could be a bit straighter. It helps on lores textures to align the uv's to 90 straight lines to prevent too much filtering.

Concept
Great. Character has attitude and her costume says a lot about her and here she comes from.

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 2nd)
Rank 2nd: Challenger 7
Good model, good colour palette and tonal balance. The face expression is slightly lacking to match the body posture.

Challenger #8 (Ninja) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you 8th)
Character Concept
Concept is kind of neat; I really like the silhouette. I would be a little concerned how such big shoulder pads would avoid going through the mesh during movement?

Modeling
Modeling is great. Perhaps a few too many rows of polys in the weapon but overall very nice. Nice silhouette and attention to detail.

Texturing
UV layout is very clean and nicely organized. Texturing must have been a nightmare with all that detail; nice attention to little thinks like worn off edges and highlights. Does not come across as photoreal but I don?t think that was the intention. Colors are very dark and contrasty beside the white detail areas?A lot of the dark detail is lost in the pose shot.

Aesthetics
Kudos for the level and attention to detail in the patterning?does not come across as too busy, although perhaps a bit too much contrast for most TVs?a lot of flickering would occur. I like the less photo-real feel to it. Good job!

Pose is a little hard to read (arm in front like that) partly due to lighting and the contrasty detailed bits. Perhaps a rim light would separate it more from the body.

82%

AURAN (ranked you 4th)
Ninja: 32
concept : 9
modelling : 8
texturing : 8
general aesthetics: 7
Comments: Original design but may like to swap some small details with some bolder designs.
Heavy and contrasting ornamentation makes the character seems a little cluttered and hard to read in the perspective shot.
Nice, clean normal map and texture overall.

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 4th)
Modelling
Good. A complicated model

Texturing
Too contrasty. The black hold very little information.

Mapping
Good use of texture sharing

Concept
OK. Silhouette is good but the texturing lets it down.

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 3rd)
Rank: 3rd: Challenger 8
Good use polys for all the features on the body. An interesting character design.

Challenger #9 (Neffy) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you 11th)
Character Concept
Concept is very different. I can?t say I?ve ever seen anything like this before?

At first glance I found it quite confusing; what is happening on the leg, and what is that on her stomach? But then I figured it out. I like how the color of the hair is tied into the colors of the rest of the characters outfit.   

Modeling
Modeling in general is pretty good; I would say that the shoulder area looks a little messy . Hands are kind of strangely shaped, the wrist is too small or twists. I like the pant/boot junction, it reads really well.

Texturing
Nice texture packing. A lot of detail was given to smallish, unimportant areas of the character, while areas like the pants and hands got very little space. Diffuse texture lacks depth and detail, as well as color variations?for example, skin usually has many tones, from blues, to greens to reds and yellows. Notice hair is really only one blue, with different lightness levels. Hair really does have much darker areas and lighter areas, and varying hues as well.

Aesthetics
Character seems to deform really well and has a nice balance of colors. Introducing some similar hues to shadow areas and light areas would be nice.

76%

AURAN (ranked you 3rd)
Neffy: 33
concept : 8
modelling : 8
texturing : 9
general aesthetics: 8
Comments: Good UVs, clean texturing and solid modelling. Nice work overall.

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 9th)
Modelling
OK.

Texturing
Lack a bit of detail. The colours are complimentary but too simple. I.e. Blue of hair is too similar too the blue of her pants

Mapping
Mapping a bit wasteful. Essentially a symmetrical character, a lot of the textures could be mirrored

Concept
OK for a urban manga ninja clone

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 4th)
Rank: 4th: Challenger 9
Good modeling. The textures can do with more contrast.

Challenger #10 (Tojo) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you 1st)
Character Concept
Concept is super original, funny and very creative. I love it! Makes me think of PowerPunch He-Man. Great proportions and a really nice style as well.

Modeling
Modeling is very well done; perhaps a bit more poly detail in the legs would have been nice with a nicer leg profile from the front view...a more exaggerated thigh, with a smaller ankle perhaps would have been more interesting. All in all, the detail is placed where its needed, and works very well.

Texturing
Nice texture packing. Super style; not photo real, but really tight painting and very polished. Nice job! Great normal map as well; it works really well as you can see on the posed shot.

Aesthetics
Super concept, solid modeling and interesting silhouette combined with a really tight texture job?a great character overall. Love the colored lighting from below in the posed shot.

95%

AURAN (ranked you 2nd)
Tojo: 34
concept : 9
modelling : 8
texturing : 10
general aesthetics: 7
Comments: Original design, well textured and modelled.

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 1st)
Modelling
Good

Texturing
Good tonal and colour variation. And emphasis of form with edge highlighting

Mapping
Fine

Concept
Cool. Very strong silhouette, and styling. Has attitude and very recognisable.

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 5th)
Rank: 5th: Challenger 10
Interesting character design. Good modeling. The lighting in the renders is a slight overkill.

Challenger #11 (Asmuel) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you 2nd)
Character Concept
I like the concept very much; has hints of Final Fantasy as well as Dune. Looks like this character has a well thought out backstory or history. Hair style is interesting as well.

Modeling
Really super modeling! I think this character would deform really well. He has really nice proportions and a great stance. All the right amount of detail is there without any waste that I can see.

Texturing
I would have liked to seen tighter packing, as well as more UV space given to the face. Also, in the normal map, not much facial detail is there?partially as a result of not enough definition, but depth is lacking as well. Colors could have used some more variation in the hues and to introduce a few more saturated parts as well?it comes across as very dull, especially in the skin tones.

Aesthetics
Super concept, great modeling and understanding of form?overall very nice. Would have been nice to see a more interesting lighting setup in the final posed render.

90%

AURAN (ranked you 1st)
Asmuel: 35
concept : 9
modelling : 8
texturing : 8
general aesthetics: 10
Comments: Nice presention and design. Good form and proportion.
More interesting variation in specularity may give more suggestion to different material/fabric types on the model.

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 6th)
Modelling
Good, especially considering how many polys in the cloak!

Texturing
Too low contrast. The tonal value are too similar. Overall lack detailing

Mapping
Fine

Concept
Strong form.

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 1st)
Rank 1st: Challenger 11
Good modeling, good normal map, good character design. The pose and look of character gives it a commanding presence. It can do even better with more dramatic lighting for the renders.

Challenger #12 (PoppinFresh) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you 12th)
Character Concept
Mildly interesting take on the pirate concept. What are the armbands around his shoulders?

Modeling
Nice flow to the edgeloops in this model, however I think there is a lot of waste of polys, particularly in the head and waist area, while very few were given to the red cloth, which is an area that would deform a lot Proportions are a bit tubular, without much care taken to approximate real anatomy, particularly in the arms.   Boots look kind of clown-like. I like the approach taken on hair.

Texturing
I would have liked to seen tighter packing, as well as more UV space given to the face. Large areas of texture space given over to almost solid areas of color. More wrinkles/shading could have been given to the clothing areas to define shapes a bit more. Love the tattoo?looks like a treasure map. Would have been nice in color!

Aesthetics
With a bit more work this could have been a very interesting character. There is not much ?character? to his face, which is a shame. Still, I really like the large weapon grafted onto his arm like that!

70%

AURAN (ranked you 10th)
PoppinFresh: 28
concept : 7
modelling : 7
texturing : 7
general aesthetics: 7
Comments: Neat presentation. The polygons might be a little excessive around torso which could probably be used aroung the pelvis and elbow.

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 5th)
Modelling
Fine, if too many poly in the face. Facial animation? Also arm pits could be higher.

Texturing
Colours good. Some better details on the hook arm would be good.

Mapping
Not too efficient.

Concept
Appreciate the direction, but the face lacks the personality of the body.

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 12th)
Rank: 7th: Challenger 12
The tattoos are looking too sharply focused when compared to the rest of the texture details. The lack of a convincing facial expression is its main weakness.

Challenger #13 (Gogitason) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you 4th)
Character Concept
Concept is very original and quite funny. He really looks crazy;that?s a great expression! Love the hairstyle as well.

Modeling
While I really like some areas such as the head, upper body, I am not a big fan of the legs and feet. Muscle mass should be more defined in the polys, and the shoes look very cartoony, and not aggressive enough. He also has a very strange pelvis, with almost zero butt space. Still, good distribution of polys and I love how the shoulder muscles dwarf his head like thatJ

Texturing
Probably the best normal map I have seen in this contest?great detail and depth. Too bad it doesn?t show very much in the final posed render for some reason?! Great UV packing as well as nice photoshop painting on the diffuse map, despite the fact that it does look a bit ?airbrushy?. Some more variation in skin tones would have been nice (arm veins with a bluish tint, some pinks in the face, etc)

Aesthetics
Overall nice job, this guy has a lot of character. A more interesting lighting setup might have brought out the normal information more.

87%

AURAN (ranked you 7th)
Gogitason:30
concept : 7
modelling : 8
texturing : 7
general aesthetics: 8
Comments: solid work over all, nice detail on the hair

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 8th)
Modelling
Good poly distribution

Texturing
Skin work good, if a bit blurry

Mapping
Mapping a bit wasteful. Essentially a symmetrical character, a lot of the textures could be mirrored

Concept
Strong form.

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 6th)
Rank: 6th: Challenger 13
Good character design. Good modeling. The normal map hasn't helped enough on the outfit or the ripping muscles.

Challenger #14 (Jebus) Challenge Entry

PANDEMIC STUDIOS (ranked you 14th)
Character Concept
Concept is not very creative or original, however it is rare to see an American Indian model. Might have been nice to see a different take or style on that theme.

Modeling
Sort of a strange default pose for a game character; the arm placement as well as heels being off the ground like that. Modeling has some strange sharp edges in the anatomy, such as that round tight loop across the shoulder blades and the tight bevel above the kneecaps.

Texturing
Next gen characters are a lot more interesting if their faces are not mirrored; for one it gives more variation to the face and secondly, it avoids a normal seam down the middle. Nice UV packing. A lot of variation in the skin tones here which is nice however using unmodified low rez reference photos (head gear, boots, etc) really shows in the final product. Texturing all around could be a lot more polishedl, particularly the normal map, which in many cases does not interpret the diffuse texture at all (boots for example).

Aesthetics
I don?t feel that much effort was put into the texture nor the final posing; there is no lighting, nor any presentation to the character.   Normal map is virtually nonexistent on final posed render which is a shame.

60%

AURAN (ranked you 12th)
Jebus: 25
concept : 6
modelling : 7
texturing : 6
general aesthetics: 6
Comments: Polygon placements show anatomical knowledge but a more relaxed pose should be used for better rig/skin could have better integration with textures (e.g. baked shadows, overall grading to unify the character)

MICRO FORTE (ranked you 13th)
Modelling
OK.

Texturing
Phot ref and hand painted is working on this one. Foe example the hair needs detailing

Mapping
Very Efficient

Concept
A period piece but has no attitude.

TEAM BONDI (ranked you 12th)
Rank: 12th: Challenger 14
The textures are looking quite flat. Not a very imaginative character with little expression on its face. A more aggression stance would have helped.Souri2006-11-21 04:34:05