On 1-2-2013 18:10, MichaelJF wrote:
> "Sven Littkowski" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> I am in need of some figures in ancient costumes. I am reconstructing ancient
>> Roman and Byzantine merchant and war ships, and need to populate the decks with
>> some life.
>>
>> I would need soldiers of all types (archers, regular, ballista and catapult
>> crew) and all hierarchic levels and in various positions, but also ship crew
>> (sailors, rowers, loaders, navigators and captains). I know about their clothing
>> and could assist here.
>>
>> Is here anyone who want to help?
>
> If you are interested in real looking figures and will have them displayed at
> close distance you can only use professional software. In a related thread from
> you I proposed to use blobman but you will run into problems with the clothing.
> Even if you have the money to buy a license of Poser (some 140 Euro at Germany
> at least) you will have no clothing from ancient centuries (one middle age male
> tabbard is included). There are some free resources (shareCG.com) but you will
> mainly find lingerie (since that is the view the users of this sides want to see
> their models). You will not find ancient or male clothing (only very, very
> little). They all seems to will depict naked or half-naked women only. If you
> are looking for this, you are at a rich ressource, but not if you will depict
> real life about the romans, the celts or other ancient cultures. At other
> resources you can find the desired products, but you have to pay for them
> (renderosity, turbosquid, DAZ), ... and they are not cheap.
>

As Sven suggests, the clothing has to be made. Two options, using Poser 
and a modeller:

1) Conforming clothes (as seen in most if not all animations): to be 
modelled in an external modeller (e.g. Wings 3D) and on a figure model 
in zero-pose. Every detail must be modelled. Once done, the clothing has 
to be carefully cut similarly to the figure's body elements' seams and 
named accordingly. Finally, the clothing has to be processed in the 
Setup Room of Poser, using the figure's bones to make it conforming to 
that particular figure. Comment: End result is easy to use in all 
circumstances/poses but may look rather static. Conforming clothes 
effectively replace the underlying and hidden body parts of the figures. 
On the down side, conforming clothes need very careful attention to all 
details during the modelling process. No possibility to add wind or 
gravity influence.

2) Dynamic clothes: to be modelled in an external modeller (e.g. Wings 
3D) and on a figure model in zero-pose. Every detail has not to be 
modelled per se, and some liberty may be taken in the geometry. Once 
done, the clothing is draped as a single unit over the figure, using the 
Cloth Room of Poser. Comment: Even sloppy modelling can result in 
attractive draping. Wind and gravity can be added with ease. On the down 
side, each different pose has to be calculated separately which may take 
some time, especially if the clothing consists of several layers (e.g. 
trousers, jacket, coat). Collision artefacts may easily occur, 
especially with insufficiently subdivided models.

Imo, Sven's case seems typically to call for conforming clothes as the 
easiest way to populate the ships, with some figures wearing dynamic 
clothes when in close up.

Thomas

Post a reply to this message