TJ's Blog

 My inspiration for this project stems from my hobby as a collector. Many of us can agree that the worst way a company milks its fans of all their money is by re-releasing the same product with minor changes. There's often always a screen accurate release, a limited edition gold version, an all black version, and a battle damage/weathered version. I chose to depict this dilemma with the yellow rangers power daggers from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.  I started the render of the dagger from the center and then moved outward. I used Sub D shapes to construct the hilt of the weapon, and then used an array of protruded triangles for the blades. Once the main dagger was built I used a mix of boolean difference and chamfer commands to add detail to the dagger. Once I was satisfied with my render I applied the appropriate textures and colors to the specific releases that I wanted to portray. 

 Inspiration for this project stemmed from two primary sources, Gundam and Greek mythology.  Ares is known as the god of war in greek mythology, and dawns an iconic battle helmet with glowing red eyes. Many greek warriors prayed and made offerings to Ares before engaging in battle. Gundam is a Japanese military sci-fi media property that is known for its iconic humanoid robots that engage in battle with rival foes to protect the universe. I found the concept of a cyborg greek warrior very interesting, and the design I ended up with depicted that concept very well.  I started with the curve tool and drew out the side profile of a Greek military helmet. I then protruded the curve and used the bend command to shape it to the form of a head. I added a face shield and antenna to the helmet to reference the general aesthetic of a gundam head. The glowing red gem on the forehead is a reference to Ares and his red eyes full of rage. 

 

Command Center      I chose to render the command center from the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series (1993-1995). The building is actually the Brandeis-Bardin Campus retreat building of the American Jewish University.      I chose this architectural design mainly because of the  nostalgic power it holds. I also saw the building as a fun challenge that would put my current Rhino skillset to the test.     I primarily used the cylinder and arc command for this  project. I also found the 'boolean difference' tool very useful for subtracting from surfaces and giving the building the needed depth and intricacies required.      The two outer-most cylinders took a lot of trial and error with placement and size to get an accurate and proportionate appearance. Also, trying to place the raised exterior wall that surrounds the top of the building required a significant amount of time with the freeform curve tool. Overa...

 I was heavily influenced by various 2-D superhero logos. Many of which heavily rely on the use of positive and negative space that makes room for a very sleek, intricate, yet minimal design.