DKC Atlas Forum

[Qyzbud]

I'm in the need of story/animation ideas... My idea goes like this:

Spoiler!

- Kremlings enter the banana hoard and steal the bananas during a thunderstorm.
- scene showing the baddies taking some bananas
- next shows a march of baddies walking through the jungle during the rainy environment
- some krushas kidnap Diddy and throw/ him lock him in a barrel
- Next morning DK wakes up(interio scene of DK's house) amd enters the empty banana hoard.
- DK hears Diddy in the barrel
- the set off into the jungle searching for the bananas.

Any ideas such as camera angles and such are welcome.

I would LOVE to see a part in the beginning with King K. Rool (maybe him ordering his troops or something)!

I would love that, too! I was going to suggest that you try to flesh out a bit more of a backstory, but I was worried that would mean a lot more work.

It would be amazing though.

[Cyclone]

I would LOVE to see a part in the beginning with King K. Rool (maybe him ordering his troops or something)!

Good Idea. I would be willing to attempt to create one more environment for this animation. Any suggestions? Where would K.Rool be? Maybe he is being carried by krushas in a royalty like tent or something through the jungle before the rain starts? When the baddies exit the banana hoard maybe k.rool could be sitting ontop of the bunch of bananas being caried by the krushas?


Qyzbud. Is there some of the back story i'm missing?

[Cyclone]

Small update. Added the vase,flowers,table,tire and beach ball to the scene. And yea the table looks tilted but it looks fine in the scene.

[Qyzbud]

Ooh, nice little update! DK's pad is taking (high-definition, 3-dimensional) shape!

Is there some of the back story i'm missing?

Actually, I don't think there's really any official backstory you're missing... I just thought maybe we could fill in the blanks a little, as you've proposed above.

I don't really like meddling with canon, but if it's not conflicting with anything official, and it's just a small, believable addition, I think it'd be nice to see.

The thing is, though... K. Rool's not even on the island when the heist goes down, is he? His ship approaches the island as the Kongs head around the overworld map... presumably to collect all the bananas from the boss lairs? I've never been 100% sure about this aspect of the story, but I think K. Rool sends his minions to do the dirty work before he even sets foot on DK Island.

Any other thoughts on this? Probably belongs in the continuity/storyline topic, but eh.

[EvangeliKong]

That's very cool DK's house inside! I hardly saw the difference first!

[Cyclone]

Another small update. Been busy the last few days.



The texturing on the wood will change to match the reference.

[Qyzbud]

Very nice to see a pure WIP render!

I wonder if we'll ever work out the exact design of DK's rug... it's quite ornate and interesting, but I can't seem to make out the shapes.

[Cyclone]

Here is the reg texture I used, and changed the colours of.


A few improvements made. Mainly on texturing and lighting.

[Qyzbud]

The window/curtains, timber beams, rope/hose coil and exterior jungle scenery look like the biggest improvements to me!

The new lighting does look good, too — although the rightmost flower seems to have lost a bit of shadow detail in the process...

[Qyzbud]

Pretty much done. Tweaks will probably have to be made but I will probably do them when the animated scenes are composed and framed. Things might have to be moved around to fit compositions etc.

There are 2 versions. One with Coiled Vines and one with out. I just threw them in there and they need to be adjusted but I'm not sure I like how they are in the original in-game Rare artwork.

Reference screenshot


Click Images for larger version.

Render — No Vines


Render — With Vines

[Qyzbud]

Well, I have to say you've pretty much nailed it.

Apart from the positioning/scale of certain objects (standing tire needs to be bigger, leaning against Candy's portrait), texturing differences (table cloth should have a more uniform 'checkered' diamond pattern, I think) and an overall more gritty/natural lighting/texture aesthetic (especially for the floor)... there's not much I can pick on.

I'm not sure about the vines, either... in their current form, I think I'd prefer not to have them in the scene; but with a bit of gnarling and general deformation, they'd probably look a lot better.

Edit: Thinking about the tires, hose/rope, cloth, etc... I feel as though a more 'worn' look would suit the scenario a lot better — in fact, wear and tear/bump mapping/slight deformation on most surfaces would probably give them a more believable appearance... not sure how much work that would require, but I think it'd add to the visual appeal significantly if done just right.

Note: The thumbnails aren't showing up for me, but they still link to the full size images. ← fixed!

[Cyclone]

Thanks for the feedback Qyzbud! I agree with your critiques. One thing about the scale of the tire and Candy's portrait. I Tried to match the camera perspective with the original scene and I guess I didn't get it perfect. Cuzz I ran out of room to make the tire bigger and move it to the right without cramming everything between the window and the corner of the wall. etc.

Unless theres something major you guys think I should do with the scene i'm keeping it as is and will work on finishing modeling K.Rool.
I'm jumping around In different areas of the project and try to get them done quicklywithough sacrificing quality to much, Else the project may never get done... Once I have the scenes figured out for the animation I probably will go and fix up the inconsistencies. I hope. Sigh

[Qyzbud]

I can imagine it must be really tough to work out the perfect scale/perspective/proportions of everything. I totally approve of your 'jumping around' approach; that ought to help you keep up project momentum, without getting too bogged-down in the endless pursuit of perfection. Like you said, you can always go back and tweak once you've got everything built.

Anyhow, you're doing an excellent job — everything looks great so far.

Note: I fixed the thumbnails in your previous post.

[Cyclone]

Simion or anyone else. Would you be able to provide an animated gif or something of K.Rool running? I need it for reference. Thanks in advance.

[Simion32]

KingKRool_Run.gif (13.61 KiB) Viewed 165210 times

[Cyclone]

^Thanks

[Cyclone]

K.Rool Running animation - Thought it turned out decent. But it probably needs another pass. The head texture is messing up though.

Edit - Watch them on youtube. The embedded versions look horrible...



HD Version


Crits are welcome

[Tonberry2000]

He's not gaining enough ground for how much his legs are moving.
Aside from that, I can't really tell how the running animation looks because the video is so short. If you could just have him running in place for 30 seconds or something we could probably give you a better critique.

[Cyclone]

Thanks Tonberry,

Here is an updated and slightly longer version. I added some bounce which is present in the original. I think it add 'weight' to his movements.

[CaptainEddie]

Firstly, your work is absolutely stunning. Seriously, your posts never fail to make my jaw drop!

On the subject of K. Rool's run cycle, it looks pretty spot-on! There are only a couple of suggestions I have.

His mouth seems to open and close a little quicker in the original- it looks like it's about in time with his arms, just one frame shorter. Perhaps a look at the sprite sheet would help?

Spoiler!

king-krool-2.png (21.22 KiB) Viewed 165133 times

It also seems to look a little straighter when it's open, though I'm not sure how much improvement could be done there.

Also, his left arm (K. Rool's perspective) seems to move a bit farther out in the original; I'm not sure if it's just the camera angle, though.

These are very minor points, the animation and model overall looks nearly perfect! It really boggles my mind.
I wish I could articulate better, but it's four in the morning here and my mind is moving rather slow. I'm sorry if this isn't really helpful.
Keep up the amazing work, I look forward to seeing more!

[Qyzbud]

The added weight/bounce of the latest animation is great — much more believable!

I was having a hard time finding fault with your work here, so I'm glad CaptainEddie was able to give some excellent pointers.

[Cyclone]

Thanks CaptainEddie,

I made changes as you mentioned. Moved the arms forward more and his mouth movement is quicker.





I am about to start modeling Donkey Kong and I have a few choices. DKC, DK64/DKC2, DKC Returns.

Donkey Kong Country

donkey-kong-country.jpg (30.95 KiB) Viewed 165116 times

Donkey Kong Country 2/64

DonkeyKong64.jpg (45.19 KiB) Viewed 165116 times

Donkey Kong Country Returns

DonkeyKongCountryReturns.jpg (47.25 KiB) Viewed 165116 times

I think I like DK version from DK64 and DKC2. The only thing is is there is tons of reference for DK in the original Donkey Kong Country.
So I think use DKC as the reference to block out the shape and then change it to to look more like the Dk from DK64 or Returns.

[CaptainEddie]

I'm glad I could help! K. Rool is looking amazing, I honestly cannot see any other points that stand out to me!

As for DK, I personally like the DKC version the most, but it's up to you. I know that there are lots of DKC2/DK64 references as well, and I'd be glad to help find them if you need me to!

[Cyclone]

Here is my take on DK so far. Side view kinda sucks(the ear). DK64's model looks the same as the one from DKC aside from the fur.

[Cyclone]

Just blocking out the shape. I will probably merge the parts of the limbs together to make it look more realistic. Ran out of time to do the hands.
Any comments? Thanks.

[CaptainEddie]

Wow, DK is really coming together!

Other than general smoothing and polishing, which I'm sure will be done once the basic composition is down, I have noticed that his head is a tad too big for his body- though I could be wrong about that. It is most evident from the profile view to me, any second opinions?

Also his mouth...area...(snout?) comes forward a bit more in the official art, it stretches out a bit further.

Like this:

Spoiler!

One last thing- his toes should be flatter at the bottoms.

I'll give this a more thorough look over once I'm done with classes- I'm in between two at the moment.
Keep up the amazing work!

[Cyclone]

Thanks for the feedback.

I have noticed that his head is a tad too big for his body- though I could be wrong about that. It is most evident from the profile view to me, any second opinions?

I thought about that to. I have front and side view reference i'm following and that's what it looks like?

Did the hands. Have to rig them to get them in the proper pose.


And Some quick hair tests. I think he looks better with the hair then without.

[Tonberry2000]

DK is looking great. That face is spot-on!

[Cyclone]

Thanks Tonberry.

Changed the proportions and shrunk the head. No longer matches front view profile
but I think it looks better overall.

There is lots of work that still has to be done. Hands,feet head,tye and the fur
has to be shaped/combed etc.

Comments are appreciated. How are the proportions and colours?




Reference

[Phyreburnz]

It looks pretty awesome to me! I have a few minor suggestions. Where the fur on his arms/legs ends, it shouldn't just be a straight line (that is if you're going for a SNES or 64 look; Retro's model looks pretty straight to me). If you look at the 64 version, the edges are jagged, not nearly as much as the SNES version, but still a bit jaggy. Also, his nose looks like it slopes too much. It should be a little flatter right under his eyes, then bump up where the nostrils are, and then slope down and bump just a little where his lips are. Okay, so that was probably really confusing to follow... here's a picture of what I'm talking about.

Spoiler!

dk face outline.png (436.56 KiB) Viewed 164990 times

[Cyclone]

Some hair wips. still got to spend awhile styling the hair so it looks proper in all angles.

Click images for a larger version if your curious as to how it holds up to HD like res. Doesn't hold up to perfect though.






Phyreburnz I made the changes(I think) that you mentioned.

[Phyreburnz]

... Please excuse the rather "feminine" nature of the post I am about to write... as it is extremely out of character for me to do such things... (especially considering that almost nobody knew I was female until Simion had to point it out! )

HE'S SO FUZZY AND FLUFFY!!!! I want to hug him!!!!


Ah hem... now that I've composed myself... This is quite amazing looking! Honestly, I like your model WAY better than Retro's version!

[Simion32]

.
You deserve a pile of 100 bananas for this! Wow, just...

[CaptainEddie]

Donkey Kong is looking great! I especially love the hair on his shoulders- it's absolutely amazing. And the head looks much, much better now that it's shrunk and more proportional!

I do have to say, however, that the way DK's head hair is styled and how it's so much shorter and neater really makes it stand out from the body, as if they aren't the same animal. I don't know what can really be done about that other than shortening the rest of his hair... or perhaps it just needs to be a bit lighter?

I know you said there was still work to be done on the tie, but I feel the need to point out anyway that the letters should be more offset from each other and they should be a more intense, pure yellow. A banana yellow, if you will.

I think there still could be some tweaking done to the head size, but if you'd rather leave it as it is now, you'll surely hear no complaints from me! And again, second opinions on the head size would be much appreciated- I could just be crazy, after all!

In any case, you've done an outstanding job and you never fail to make my jaw drop! Keep up the amazing work!

[Tonberry2000]

You should do a version where the fur looks like the SNES renders. Maybe we can use it to make sprites.

[Ribbedebie]

I can't believe these aren't official, because if you said they were I'd totally believe you! Weh. Gorgeous. I especially dig the most recent DK's fur. Ish so fluffy!!

Also, this is just an idea, but maybe it's a cool idea if you could check out Shapeways.com. I've never used it but heard positive reviews from people. It costs a bit of money, but they totally print 3D things. Maybe you could try getting one of your awesome models printed like this? I know I'd give an arm and a leg for a cool K. Rool statue or figure or whatever! ...Again, this is just an idea. Heh...

[Cyclone]

Ribbedebie funny you say that, i was thinking that to.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions everyone.

Qyzbud you have been quite around here. What did you think of my latest efforts?


Some forest frenzy trees that are going to be used In DKIsland environment

[Qyzbud]

Hey, sorry for my relative absence — I've been working long, hard days... bananas aren't cheap, you know.

Your modelling and texturing efforts on DK have been magnificent to see! That fur is so nice, and you've certainly captured his likeness... I can't wait to see his trademark quiff styled properly (and the seam on his face joined properly, of course) once you merge the two halves of the model, as that's pretty much all I can see that needs improving at this point. Oh, and the matching of his head hair to match his body hair a bit better, as has been mentioned.

Stunning work so far, yet again.

Those conifers are looking nice, too! I'm very excited to see this 'original' DK Island in full 3D (in fact, that's been on my 'bucket list' for years!) — DKCR gave us a nice variation of the Kongs' homeland to explore, but it just wasn't the one I've been fascinated by over the years... thank you for taking the initiative to rebuild the original island! I'm very eager to see it take shape.

[Cyclone]

^Thanks!

A wip of DK Island. It probably doesn't have the same feel as the original. I will try to merge the head into the land better via texturing.

[Qyzbud]

Beautiful start — I love the feel of it, even in this rudimentary form.

I'm SO KEEN to see this evolve.

Any chance of a turntable animation, or even just a rotation of a few degrees either way? I would love to get a feel for the 3D depth.

[Cyclone]

Well this is as close to a turntable I could get tonight. I was going to render a turntable of the island but the render crashed. And was going
to take 2.5 hours to re-render...




In this view I made a bay area where K.Rool's ship could doc on the island. Also
notice Funky Flights hut. Maybe there are other DK'sh elements I could scatter on the island?

[EvangeliKong]

Not trying to be mean here but that looks a lot like what DK Island would look like in Donkey Kong Country: TV Show.

[Cyclone]

Is that a bad or good thing?

[Liu_Kong]

Looks pretty good. My suggestions would be to change the texture of the hill that starts in Monkey Mines to look less sandy and more groundy, as well as add more trees to the Vine Valley area, to make it look like a denser forest; at least as dense as the jungle below is.

[Qyzbud]

I wouldn't worry too much guys; if I know Cyclone (and I do!), it'll end up looking just like the real thing — only better.

Still, I'm sure pointers are always awesome, so keep up the feedback.

[EvangeliKong]

Is that a bad or good thing?

It's good thing i think

[Cyclone]

Here is a more completed version of the island.



An Intro Concept
http://www.inspiredvisuals.com/DK/Donke ... oncept.mov

I might have Squawks with along side the camera to.

[EvangeliKong]

It's beautiful... It looks much smaller than it looked like in the games, but.

Making those must take forever, i've got plans to learn 3D Modeling too...

[Qyzbud]

Wow. I must say this is starting to look phenomenal.

The jungle floor/undergrowth, sandy shoreline and coniferous forest are looking particularly nice.

I can't wait to see more detail/texturing/refinements — especially on the central monolith.

[CaptainEddie]

Dk Island is really coming along! There's still a lot of room for improvement, but it's looking great already!