Hey all. Thought I'd share some wires of my latest freebie models, to be released very soon. All of the modeling was done with 3dsmax, but I did the rather complex unwrapping in 3dCoat 4.5. I will not release texture maps with these models, because I feel they could be easily materialized in any procedural shader system very quickly. Any tileable or seamless map or procedural shader will work fine on these objects. There are several material zones, to help customize the look and colors you need. I'll have rendered previews with the release of the models later. Feel free to share any thoughts about the topology, or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm posting these here to perhaps initiate some discussion about topology, modeling, or Q&A.

Lovely!

Ok, Here's my critique, mate.

CONS: I don't like the design. There's just too much going on. I think if you get rid of that maze looking thing in the middle, it would be much better. That middle maze part looks like it should be it's own model, and not part of this one. Seems like you forced that in there just to fill space, and it doesn't need it.

PROS: The topology is clean, as always, and technically sound. You're one of those guys who takes pride in the wireframes, and it shows. As with all your models, I never see ngons, and rarely triangles.. The shapes are complex, and interesting. Makes me really want to look at the UV's, because how you managed to get a clean unwrap on some of those shapes is impressive.

I so wish I had your skill, LuxXeon. Beautifully modelled ... what would the face-count be on this?

@4221275
Thank you, RobynsVeil; very kind of you, and I greatly appreciate it. Excellent question, btw. These will be the "3rd generation" earring set I've created as a freebie product. Admittedly, it's been an ongoing learning experience, and balancing act, to keep the mesh resolution practical enough to remain functional in most situations, while still maintaining the desired visual aesthetic and realism I originally envisioned for these models. Unlike other types of objects, earrings are essentially a clothing prop intended to be worn by a character; although they can also represent a standalone item for certain types of jewelry scenes too. So, after some trial and error, I came up with a poly cap number, which represents a count somewhere between low and high poly results, and the modeling process around that threshold figure. So, that being said, these earrings weigh about 9,300 faces each, all quads. I feel this resolution is high enough to hold up under scrutiny (portrait shots or close-ups) without additional subdivision, but low enough for general use purposes. While the models are UV Unwrapped, they don't require maps, which helps save memory consumption upon rendering. Advanced users can also mirror one imported model to another side, with instancing, to further conserve resources. Obviously, these earrings aren't intended as game-resolution scene filler, but geared more toward portrait style render requirements.

Very fancy stuff !

I agree with SinnerSaint it doesn't need the maze, would also be awesome as a large hoop type earring without the maze. If you want to fill the space I would try a sphere or a large pearl in the space. I have an Afro waiting for a large hoop version of this one. Then again like the wife says sometime I don't see things until it's all dressed up. My wife would totally rock these even with the maze. She has something similar to these but they are more 2D with less shaping. Great Work as always

@4221641
Thanks for the comment, BlackStarr42. I appreciate the feedback. I've decided to keep the maze portion of the model. However, it will have it's own material zone, so if you don't like it, you can choose to make it invisible in the scene, if you wish. I think perhaps when some people see the fully rendered preview images, the design will appear more sensible. But then again, not everyone has the same tastes, I know. I'll post the fully rendered previews here shortly, when I release the models.

LuxXeon that sounds even better that allows for more flexibility and I'm one of those people that sometimes can't see it until it's finished. I still think it will also make a great large hoop earring. I'm excited to see it finished.

Nice design. Detailed but clean and efficient. :)

Thanks, guys. This item has just been released for free in the FreeStuff area here:

https://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/cyclide-ritual-earrings-obj-version-/75592

Here's a few of the sample preview renders, done in 3dsmax with Corona engine.

The (POSER) attributed OBJ files will import into Daz Studio, using the Poser Preset options and scaling, to fit directly on the ears of a default, T-Posed Genesis 2 Female in Daz Studio 4.x. There's also a default scaled OBJ and Blender scaled OBJ included in the download.

I must admit to being in agreement with the comments above about the maze being over the top but now having seen the render and the fact that earings rotate in the lobes I think you were right. Another class job Sir.

@4223000

Thank you, Mark. I appreciate that. I think it makes a big difference when the object is given materials, and rendered, compared to a wireframe. Sometimes color coordination can help bring it all together.

Well, once again you prove me wrong here. I admit the overall design does come together now that I see it with materials, and proper rendering. Not sure I would have used a maze like that either way, but the renders look very good. Nice work, mate.

Just outstanding! Those are great renders, and the models are very cool. Your stuff is some of the best out there, man.

Just downloaded these from Freestuff, and immediately loaded them as you suggested. I followed your pointers in the readme, and sure enough, the models imported right on the ears of my Victoria 6 figure. She was in her default pose. I know Vicki 6 is based on the Genesis 2 Female, but just thought you'd like to know that it works nicely on that character too.

Editing to include that I did have to move the earrings slightly, just to fit them a little tighter to the earlobe, but it wasn't a big deal. Very nice work.