Basic character posing with "BC Baker"

The last few days I spend quiet some time training my posing skills with BlenderCookie's "BC Baker" character. Can you guess which basic human emotions are displayed?

WIP: Improving the "Spider Drone" by HJ Media Studios

Yesterday I decided to improve HJ Media Studios "Spider Drone" (design, topology, rig). I thought the easiest ways to get the nice white panels on would be to send the spider drone directly to my new assembly line :-). By the way, the new industrial robot is called "SkyB 300"

Still image: Showdown at the assembly line...

.. finally BlenderCookie's "Evil baker" finishes off "Baker". In the background you can see my current status on the vehicle modeling series.

My current favorite blender video...

... is BlenderCookie's "Baker vs. Evil Baker" video. As a CG Cookie citizen I can't wait to get the new "Evil Baker"-rig...

Introducing "SkyTech Robotics"

SkyTech Robotics is my fictional brand to present specific of my blender models. The characteristics of a "SkyTech Robotics"-model are:

- is is designed by me
- it is mostly a sci-fi based model
- close attention to technical correctness is paid 
- is is only created with Blender, Gimp and other 3D open source tools

See here the "SkyB 100" and "Fasttrack 300" in action in a test animation:





Original design draft for the "SkyB 100":

Updating my kraki rig

Currently I am in the process in updating my kraki rig. I have added bone hooks and a custom properties panel. Furtherly I would like to add a stretch effect on the main face.

With the new bone hooks animation of the tentacles is quiet more easy, but I am not sure if there still a bug in blender as sometimes one of the tantacles cannot be moved...

Advanced industrial robot rigging 3

Today I did some cable rigging for my 6-axis industrial robot focusing on bezier curves cables.

You can learn to model bezier curve cables in BlenderCookie's bug zapper tutorial 1 just before the end: http://www.blendercookie.com/2011/02/25/creating-a-bug-zapper-part-1/

For creating still images just transform the curve's segments to the desired position, for simple animations create hooks with empties and then animate the empties.