Critters and beasties?
Valandar
Posts: 1,417
I've made more than a few critters in my time, and while some (like the Hunting Drake and the new Hydra) seem to be very successful, others (like the Dracolossus and Deep Sea Dragon) aren't quite as successful.
Therefore, I decided to poll the forums.
What type of fantasy or alien monsters and beasties would you like to see? PLEASE keep in mind that I can't do specific copyrighted critters, like a Pokemon or Digimon. And before anyone says anything about the Elder One, there have been sufficient other similar critters (like the Ood of Doctor Who) that as long as I didn't call it a Mind Flayer, or make reference to psychic powers, i was alright.
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I'm always looking for a good manticore or a good hippogriff. There are some slightly older versions in the store (I think the manticore is by you and Valea) but they have kind of a toonish quality. A basilisk might be interesting too.
There was at least one call on the 'why aren't there more angels' thread for giant wheels of fire covered with eyes and wings, so hey. Get to it. ;)
I sat down to think about this and every single one I could think of, you've already done and I've bought most of them. Between you and a few other vendors, I'm all set with most of my mythical creature needs except the ones in my head that I made up for a few stories. Somehow, I can't think the creatures I made up in my head for strange alien planets are something others would want.
I hope you get some good suggestions, though, I could use a few more fantasy creatures to play with.
How about Selkies and Kelpies?
I love them all but sadly in Poser format.
Its always a gamble if duf will work in carrara, many do but some don't even load, some like AM animals load but morphs do not work, others like the Blind demon by Sixus you just get a warnings message and nothing, I did not buy your new Hydra yet as its an unknown, it may work perfectly fine but I only risk it if DAZ has big sales and Aussie dollar not as bad as has been for last year.
I know there are Wolves, Werewolves and dogs, but a Dog like creature similar to the beast in Werewolves of London might fill a niche. Like a really monstrous sized Dog or Boar like in the film Razor back to cite another example. I'd be into either of those with good looking IRay fur. I've got most of AM's wolf add-ons but that process to get the LAMH hair to work in IRay doesn't always work for me. When it does it looks awesome but often as not it won't fly.
I'd really like to see a better Cyclops, the existing one for Genesis sucks.
I really like the Hunting Drake but how about a realistic morphable bird?
What about slimes, jellies, and oozes? I've tried to make a jelly-cube but it's hard to get the squishy look on the edges. As long as you don't use the name from the D&D manual, most monsters are common enough in fantasy books they would seem to be fair game. I'd like to see the old 'gazer' figure updated.
The elder one was great, by the way.
I was hopeful the Sphinx would've come to a reality. I also would love a non-DS specific Slime Beast or similar variation usable by all platforms. Also unique creature are great. Personally, im of the mindset if its been done before, chances are, I already have it... why would i want another one? So uniqueness wins my dollars every time (IF i can use it on my application).
Personally, I would love to see more alien creatures and races, but not of the biped distinction. I would love to see something like the Skitter from Falling Skies, which is similar to the Star Frontiers Vrusk. Even better if they had clothing options.
-MJ
add smoothing collision maybe?
4.41 in video
For my recent picture guessing game I created a number of renders of various creatures that people would have to guess what they were. Some were easy, like Dragon, Zombie, Vampire etc, as these are well known mythological creatures appearing in many films, tv series etc. Others, like Hippogriff, Griffin, Dryad and Satyr are less well known, but still have a distinctive look I tried to recreate. Bare in mind that most of the players of my apps are not DAZ fans, or even fantasy experts, so would only recognise creatures that appear in films like "Clash of the Titans" and similar movies which feature a number of mythological creatures. As such I needed critters that have a well known look, and as nice as many of the creature models on sale here are, I could not use them in my app as only fans of this store would know them.
Mythological creatures I looked for, but could not find any models for include
Harpy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpy)
Cockatrice (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockatrice)
Hippocampus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus_(mythology)
I can not say any of the above would be a commercial success, but the Harpy is a half-bird hag like female creature, and there have been a few similar female nasties pop up in the store in the last few months.
It might be outside your work and I already mentioned it to 3D Universe, but I'd like to see a creature creator of the toon variety. After the success of the toon generations 2 I think it would be cool to have some more cartoony, morphable monsters with matching toon skins.
i've always wanted a golden hine.
saw one on a hercules episodes way back.
is like a centaur, but she was deer
their blood could kill a god, prolly why zeus zapped them all.
kittens are kewl too.
Havn't seen too many beasties that made me go "wow, gotta have that". Not for lack of quality, just the specific style of most in the store and how little I would use them. I'd like to see creatures with tacks for riders. maybe a new medusa model that is feminine, yet witchy looking. I like the Harpy idea also. Check out the alien creatures from Ken Barthelmy, many of them would be a sweet base for a posable creature
An alien pet like a dog would be great.
i think smaller creatures as monsters are interesting. A hoard of small gremlins or insect like monsterss would be cool. Included with a preload to load a swarm at once
also looking for everyday creatures like rat, insects, and such.
A new Hippocampus would be cool. Don't think I've seen one of those recently. A Sea Lion (half lion, half fish), Sea Wolf (Wolf with cetatean hindquarters) A Capricorn (Goat/Fish) a Kraken (in Giant Squid style). monster sharks...
I'm running a 7th Sea campaign. I need sea critters. ;)
(And yes, the Deep Sea Dragon is on my short list)
Mythical, huh? I'm remembering some of the monsters on Assyrian friezes. Human head, (usually with that highly stylised curled hair and beards), winged bull body. Rather elegant in most of the depictions, but would be extremely alarming if real. Heads were in porportion to the body, so *much* larger than a normal human head.
Yeah, a sphynx would be nice. Wings would be a nice bonus.
I still really like the old Dinokonda. Makes a very decent basilisk, but a real one would be welcome.
JOdel, the Assyrian critter you're referencing is a Shedu. :D
beastie with face rigging?
I have to say, any kind of monster with any kind of humanlike bodyparts (such as the Shedu) would very likely not make it to the MP unless it was a geograft onto the DAZ figures.
Cthulhu has been made and a few other lovecraftian beasties but I'd like to see...
Deep Ones
http://vertexbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/DeepThumbnails.jpg
Great Race of Yith
http://orig11.deviantart.net/636b/f/2014/024/c/6/great_race_of_yith___2014_edition_by_pahapasi-d73dei6.jpg
I'd also like cats to get a LAMH upgrade. I've shrunk the panther down to make it work for a housecat but I'd like a bunch of breeds
I'd like to a stylized skeleton like a grim reaper would be cool or a flaming one like in the Harrow County comic.
http://cdn.bleedingcool.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/HARROWC-3-PG-05-600x918.jpg
A Kraken type monster would be very cool. you could offer it as a either space alien or a sea monster . or even both as a bundle..:)
I love your Dracolossus and Deep Sea Serpant! I thought they were great and have both of them lol. I will have to think about this one, its bedtime here and an early work morning for me tomorrow.
1.) Yes, wheel of fire with multiple sets of wings and eyes.
2.) Actually making the above morphable into a couple of different basic shapes could be cool. A pyramid, a cube....
3.) Less toon-like deerlike unicorn.
4.) Proper kirin.
5.) Living shadow.
6.) Proper bulky wolf-man hybrid.
7.) Modern swan
8.) Small morphable bird with multiple textures. (hey well it's mythical in Dazland)
9.) Kodama (Japanese tree spirits)
10.) Daidarabotchi (another, very large Japanese spirit)
1 ) I actually started work on one of those many years ago, but it was rejected.
2 ) The morphing needed for that would be incredible, and would stretch the textures into taffy.
3 ) So basically a deer unicorn, not a goat, and not a horse. I kinda doubt DAZ would accept it.
4 ) There WAS a proper Kirin, but when one of the partners in it was culled, buhbye kirin.
5 ) That can be done to anything by simply making it jet black with no specular. If you mean 2-D, I'm not sure that can be done at all in DS.
6 ) There have been a few in the past. They apparantly didn't sell well.
7 ) I have never made a bird in my life, and have no clue how to get the wings to work properly.
8 ) See 7. :P I'm trying to focus on fantasy critters, not living animals.
9 and 10 ) Not likely to be accepted. DAZ would look at them as just being variants on the "Wooden humanoid" Rawn has already done before.
Sorry...
Ah well. What do you WANT to make? I spent some time trying to think of critters without hair or feathers that weren't sea creatures we already had but I drew a blank. The problem with alien creatures is, well, they're all basically somebody's IP, right?
ETA: Kodama look nothing like trees, by the way. I was thinking something like that could be used in a variety of types of scenes, including alien ones.
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Valandar just keeps knocking all of the ideas down! Such a tough topic. Okay, so, I wasn't going to, but I decided to see what Valandar would say about my favorite creature I've made up for one of my alien planets. I'll understand perfectly if no one, including Valandar, doesn't like it, but I would like to see what the general opinion is on my beastie and if he would make a good 3D prospect. I have to admit he is my favorite because he was the first one I ever created on my own. Here is the general description:
Name: Anturi
Genus: Mammal
Description: Large round body with a long neck. Short snout with sharp teeth. Large eyes. Four legs. A very clumsy creature that is as dumb as a bag of rocks. Picture something that looks like an ostrich with four legs. No feathers, but fur that looks like dreadlocks hanging down ending around the knees. It has hooves like a large deer. No beak, but a snout similar to a dog's snout, but a little shorter, kind of like a boxer. It has ears that look kind of like an alpaca's ears. Height is 12 feet tall for the males, females are a little shorter usually topping out at about 10 feet.
Habitat: Lives in the lowlands. Does best in temperate climates where the summer is short and the winter is mild. Does not like water and can't swim.
I would understand perfectly if no one likes my beastie. I sure would like to see him come alive someday, though. :)
It did - sadly Daz didn't want to broker it for some reason. I picked it up ages ago from elsewhere (can't even remember).
It could do with a new version - but I suspect Daz wouldn't want it unless it was geographted for genesis 3.
(hastily added plant-pot to preserve her dignity / obey the TOS
As for more beastie/critter ideas - anything unusual is cool. How about a giant spider-esque critter with bladed legs and eyes around a top dome? Or a decapod? Or a snake with two heads? (too similar to hydra to make it interesting to work on right now perhaps?)
Hmmm, too bad wings are out of the picture. My fantasy characters could use a flying mount like griffin, pegasus, giant eagle or something similar. I don't know if bad guys are any popular, but wraith and balrog are still waiting for their creator, and maybe a djinn to make some wishes come true.