That was a part of a series for the summer where all the characters go to the beach (as is a compulsory episode in every anime).
If people do want to request anything, I don't mind doing fights, or bikinis/swimsuits etc, but I won't do any full frontal nudity or porn. Safana there is the most risque I've ever gotten.
Just to clarify this was a joke in response to Sylvus_Moonbow's request, not the bikini picture.
Fair enough. But it's good to make these things clear anyway; in the past, I have had people contact me asking for some really shocking things... I mean, I don't mind putting Aerie in a Sailor Moon outfit either, but I just don't think Faldorn would use her druidic powers like that...
Whether or not these two just genuinely hate each other, or it's some kind of rivalry friendship type thing is open to debate... with Vic, you can never be sure:
This one went a bit wrong, as Viccy's neck seems much too twisted. When I looked at it recently, I also thought there was some poke through with one of the skeletons shoulders and shield, but it turns out the shield is actually shaped like that (it has a hole at the top, presumably intended to put a spear through):
Imoen and Aerie again. I... I don't know what they're doing. It was my wallpaper for a short while though.
So, I figure next I'll probably work on Bodhi. Just need to see if I can dig out that old picture of her from the game... I'm hoping it'll give something to go on. I remember she has that weird fairy updo thing.
@Coutelier, your artwork is amazing. Would you consider compiling and releasing a set of BG:EE portraits?
Most of the single character pictures are already in the same ratio as the BG portraits, so just have to be re-sized. Although looking at them again, I'm not happy with a few of them... probably most of them, really. I like the last ones of Aerie and Viconia, and the rest... eh.
So I might do a new set, and maybe do some stuff in photoshop to make them more painting like as well.
This is officially the best discussion on the forums :P Your renders are awesome! But aerie is my personal fav
These were all done over quite a few years. The last portrait of Aerie is the newest, and another of my own faves. I'll see about redoing some of the other portraits at a hopefully better quality.
As far as 3D rendering goes, these are pretty good. But they do also rather reflect my opinion on why I think CGI can never, ever hold a candle to anything traditionally drawn: even the best stuff is, by comparison, blocky, plastic, undetailed, and neck-deep in the Uncanny Valley.
It's kind of weird how basically every animation made these days is CGI. Why does no one else like traditional 2D stuff anymore?
As far as 3D rendering goes, these are pretty good. But they do also rather reflect my opinion on why I think CGI can never, ever hold a candle to anything traditionally drawn: even the best stuff is, by comparison, blocky, plastic, undetailed, and neck-deep in the Uncanny Valley.
It's kind of weird how basically every animation made these days is CGI. Why does no one else like traditional 2D stuff anymore?
I like 2D stuff; the main source for it now is Japanese anime though. But I think the same rules apply to 2D as to 3D; you have to simplify it and deliberately reduce the amount of detail, or it will just look freaky and wrong. Imagine a whole animation done in the style of the BG2 portraits; it would just look horrible. And I get the same uncanny valley feeling from looking at those pictures, because of the asymmetry and proportions that aren't quite right (try mirroring Aerie's portrait to see what I mean).
When it comes to still pictures. I think it all just depends on how much time and attention to detail the artist is willing to make. In my case, and probably most cases from looking at the 3D galleries, it's not much; I tend to knock these things out quite quickly. I mean, once you've got a character looking how you want it's easy to dress them and pose them in different scenes... which might be why some animators prefer CGI as well, because it means not having to redraw everything for every scene. Or if a scene is set a room, you don't have to draw the room from different angles for each shot, because you've got something more akin to a film set that you can play around with and have a lot more freedom.
There are a few things CGI can do better, or at least easier and with little to no loss in quality. The rooms you mentioned were one: it would still reduce the amount of detail and clutter such a room could hold, but if it had nothing much in it to begin with, it could be easier. Likewise, things that are not of flesh and blood to begin with, but rather plastic and metal - such as dolls and robots, as Pixar has often proven - could be made pretty effectively and end up looking quite good.
But I still feel that rendering anything organic or such with CGI is a big mistake, and find it kind of perplexing it is so common. I guess it's still easy and makes things look "futuristic", that people don't care that it actually looks kind of crap. You can't even give characters long hair or flowing capes unless you're determined to waste a lot of money and effort to render them.
Compare:
I will never get over how the former got two seasons of really short episodes and was generally forgotten, while the latter is this huge thing that gets season over season. They're even named "Clone Wars" and "THE Clone Wars"... ugh.
Sorry. I guess you guys managed to strike one of my pet peeves. Uh, don't mind me, carry on.
There are a few things CGI can do better, or at least easier and with little to no loss in quality. The rooms you mentioned were one: it would still reduce the amount of detail and clutter such a room could hold, but if it had nothing much in it to begin with, it could be easier. Likewise, things that are not of flesh and blood to begin with, but rather plastic and metal - such as dolls and robots, as Pixar has often proven - could be made pretty effectively and end up looking quite good.
You can put in as much clutter as you like, and move it around as much as you like... provided you don't run out of memory.
But I was saying in another thread I think that mammals, especially humans, are indeed much harder to animate than robots, or even dinosaurs. That's because mammals have a huge number of moving parts; many different muscles used to make expressions, and muscles all over the body, and fat and hair and all of that moves around in quite subtle ways when we're just walking along... and CGI is still long way off being able to simulate all that realistically.
That's why 3D animations tend to be more like Disney's Tinkerbell, where it's deliberately cartoony with a minimal amount of detail. Not to say that it never will look realistic, although personally I don't see the point of photo realism in animations or video games; just use actors. It would only be useful if for some reason you wanted to make a movie starring Jimmy Stewart and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Well, the pictures not much to go on since the snarl and the blood obscures what she really looks like somwhat. Even so, this is the first, version 1.0, attempt at Bodhi. No blood on her at this point (although maybe I should have given her more of an angry snarl and opened her mouth more to see the fangs:
Bodhi certainly has much larger breasts! In the Baldur's Gate 2 portrait posted by Anton, they're spilling out of her top!
Larger breasts... I'll make a note. (Although I'm not sure if the originals breasts are really a lot larger, or just not covered as much... she seems to basically be wearing Safana's bikini top... I'll see).
@Coutelier Greatly and amazing job! May i suggest to give a Bodhi in action also glowing red eyes? For showing her mesmerizing powers!
You know at some points of Bg2 she kidnap your romanced NPC charming her/him plus "vampirizing" her/him! It will be great show Bodhi in an attempts of charming one of the chicks NPC;)
Since she's of elven heritage I'm not sure spilling out her top really seems right... besides, we have to maintain at least an veneer of respectability.
Even so, I have made her breasts slightly bigger, not that you can really see in the other pictures. But the good thing about her outfit, is I can hide the corset and it's instantly a bat bikini. So expect wacky fun with her when summer comes around again (although obviously, like Vic, she's not really much for sun and sand).
Comments
That didn't take very long.
Edit:
Just to clarify this was a joke in response to Sylvus_Moonbow's request, not the bikini picture.
If people do want to request anything, I don't mind doing fights, or bikinis/swimsuits etc, but I won't do any full frontal nudity or porn. Safana there is the most risque I've ever gotten.
Except Boo's head is way too big.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to motorboat Safana.
This one went a bit wrong, as Viccy's neck seems much too twisted. When I looked at it recently, I also thought there was some poke through with one of the skeletons shoulders and shield, but it turns out the shield is actually shaped like that (it has a hole at the top, presumably intended to put a spear through):
Feather vs Scale:
Phoenix from the Ashes:
So, I figure next I'll probably work on Bodhi. Just need to see if I can dig out that old picture of her from the game... I'm hoping it'll give something to go on. I remember she has that weird fairy updo thing.
So I might do a new set, and maybe do some stuff in photoshop to make them more painting like as well.
Your renders are awesome! But aerie is my personal fav
It's kind of weird how basically every animation made these days is CGI. Why does no one else like traditional 2D stuff anymore?
When it comes to still pictures. I think it all just depends on how much time and attention to detail the artist is willing to make. In my case, and probably most cases from looking at the 3D galleries, it's not much; I tend to knock these things out quite quickly. I mean, once you've got a character looking how you want it's easy to dress them and pose them in different scenes... which might be why some animators prefer CGI as well, because it means not having to redraw everything for every scene. Or if a scene is set a room, you don't have to draw the room from different angles for each shot, because you've got something more akin to a film set that you can play around with and have a lot more freedom.
But I still feel that rendering anything organic or such with CGI is a big mistake, and find it kind of perplexing it is so common. I guess it's still easy and makes things look "futuristic", that people don't care that it actually looks kind of crap. You can't even give characters long hair or flowing capes unless you're determined to waste a lot of money and effort to render them.
Compare:
I will never get over how the former got two seasons of really short episodes and was generally forgotten, while the latter is this huge thing that gets season over season. They're even named "Clone Wars" and "THE Clone Wars"... ugh.
Sorry. I guess you guys managed to strike one of my pet peeves. Uh, don't mind me, carry on.
But I was saying in another thread I think that mammals, especially humans, are indeed much harder to animate than robots, or even dinosaurs. That's because mammals have a huge number of moving parts; many different muscles used to make expressions, and muscles all over the body, and fat and hair and all of that moves around in quite subtle ways when we're just walking along... and CGI is still long way off being able to simulate all that realistically.
That's why 3D animations tend to be more like Disney's Tinkerbell, where it's deliberately cartoony with a minimal amount of detail. Not to say that it never will look realistic, although personally I don't see the point of photo realism in animations or video games; just use actors. It would only be useful if for some reason you wanted to make a movie starring Jimmy Stewart and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
@Sylvus_Moonbow
"In the Baldur's Gate 2 portrait posted by Anton, they're spilling out of her top!"
Where is this.
Even so, I have made her breasts slightly bigger, not that you can really see in the other pictures. But the good thing about her outfit, is I can hide the corset and it's instantly a bat bikini. So expect wacky fun with her when summer comes around again (although obviously, like Vic, she's not really much for sun and sand).