devil ray aka black manta from DCAU

[quiet]

was wondering if anyone was interested in doing devil ray (aka Black Manta) from the JLU series.







these are the best pictures I could find.

[Shmeegal]

Hey, hey I thawt I thaw a puddy... I mean black manta at Alex's Freedom Fortress.

http://www.alexff.com

Check under skins and meshes or something.

[BentonGrey]

Well, I imagine y'all know that I second this like crazy go nuts.......

Shmeegal, that's the comics version, a different costume, but thank anyway ^_^

As I suggested in my semi-mod thread, I think this could be do-able on a skoped version of VX_deadshot.  I really like this version better than his comic look.

[Revenant]

Yeah but if you use the VX mesh for the body, you won't be able to use those sweet underwater keyframes.  Would be better to copy all the stuff of Deadshot that you want onto a male_basic mesh, that way you can make him swim too!

[BentonGrey]

Hmm, but could we also port the wrist-gun animations?  If so, I think that would probably be best.

[Revenant]

No b/c the animations are the problem... we can't use a mesh with keyframes that aren't compatible.  VX meshes have their own keyframes due to the fingers, mouth and eyebrow nodes, I haven't tried putting them on a male_basic yet.  It's worth a shot though.  If it does work, you could then probly hex together the swimming keys with some of the VX ranged animations (wrist guns)

[BentonGrey]

That would be perfect...although........maybe you could hex something similar out of some compatible male basic keys....just add some contacts...yeah, that could work as well.

[UnfluffyBunny]

if the swimmer animations are MB compatible why not just find a MB set with a wrist blast animation and nifskope it into the swimmer kf's?

[BentonGrey]

That's sort of where I was going, but we need a ranged animation for his guns, even if it's just point his arms out straight, that would work.  Can anyone suggest a kf set?  I actually think the big B's male_basic keys would have something.

[quiet]

Ren's owlman mesh has sweet wrist shooting animations.  Permission would have to be received, but it might be worth it.  Just a thought.

[BentonGrey]

Are those male_basic compatible?

[quiet]

I have no idea.  that mesh might be good, except he has a nose and mouth.  I m sure the cape would be easy to remove.  if a face piece and wrist gun could be nifskoped on (which is beyond my capabilities) that mesh might be a good fit.  I say that with having never have been able to nifskope anything and permission would have to be given.

[doctorchallenger]

vxAquarius has wrsitbands that might work which I believe are a separate mesh piece.

[kssaints]

Well there is a melee animation that I was wondering if it could be changed into a raned animation. In the swimmer keys check out melee 3. He looks like to me to be shooting from his hand or wrist? I was thinking of throwing some pieces on a male basic frame and seeing what I can come up with.
Kssaints

[kssaints]

Well I threw something together tonight as a starter. He has mostly tommyboy pieces. Accept the wrist bands from vx_aquarius. The helmet is an Ironman with 2 discs added to the sides. A full shoulder harness. The back pack I haven't picked one out yet. Started with a round pack then realized it was square. Anyway please let me know what it needs. Besides keyframes. I haven't gotten that far yet. Plus keep in mind the skin is far from done.
Kssaints

[BentonGrey]

Haha......KS, I don't know HOW you do it.  I mean, this was just requested today, right?  Ha, anyroad, it looks like you've got an excellent start so far.  I'm especially impressed with the mask.  I didn't think we'd find anything that would work, but that's a decent approximation.  Maybe someon could suggest another mesh piece that would work better, but I certainly can't.  I do have a suggestion, though.  His harness, it's something inbetween what you have on him and a hawkman-ish set of crossed bandoliers in the reference pictures.  However, I think that, even though they are not exactly right either, the Hawkman straps might look a little better....I'm not really sure, and the others may disagree with me.  Anyroad, a great start my friend!

[detourne_me]

Well there is a melee animation that I was wondering if it could be changed into a raned animation. In the swimmer keys check out melee 3. He looks like to me to be shooting from his hand or wrist? I was thinking of throwing some pieces on a male basic frame and seeing what I can come up with.
Kssaints

ypu and its super easy to change a melee into a ranged attack.,  or even make it both a melee and ranged attack.

[kssaints]

Well Bent I think I have the parts about right. Let me know if this looks right to you. The harness tsill isn't 100% correct. But I do believe you were right and the Hawkbands look alot closer.
Kssaints

[BentonGrey]

Man KS, that's just awesome!  He looks great, and you've found the perfect backpack for him!  Ohh, one thing to think about, he should probably have two sets of KF's, one for the grounded version, one for swimming.  (For the final version of DCU, I'll include double versions of all of the Aqua-characters.)

[doctorchallenger]

What about using the Tommyboy's science police helmet? It might approximate the flared aspect of DR's helmet a little better, making him look a bit more like Black Manta.

http://tommyboymeshes.freedomforceforever.com/mm/stationery/ThumbnailGrid/science_police_tv.jpg

[BentonGrey]

Hmm, you might be on to something there, Doc.  What do you think, KS?

[kssaints]

That's such a good idea. I wish I had thought of it. LOL I'll give it a try and see what we have

[Arilou Laleelay]

kssaints, you definately got skillz. I like it a lot; awesomeness!  :thumbup:

[doctorchallenger]

Another thought: what about using Sand's shoulder holster harnesses (right and left) AND the full shoulder harness you have pictured above.  That might let you have get closer to the harness of DR.   The hawkman straps just don't look right to me.

This is a pic of Tommyboy's original Sand_t (not a very good one), but they are on his tv mesh as well.

http://www.alexff.com/images/previewTB/sand_t.jpg


EDIT: Some more pics. I don't know... maybe Hawkman straps...

http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/jlu/episodes/anothershore/22.jpg
http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/jlu/episodes/deadreckoning/03.jpg
http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/jlu/episodes/deadreckoning/09.jpg

Are these guys his goon?
http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/jlu/episodes/deadreckoning/Pan06.jpg

[BentonGrey]

Thanks for the extra pics Doc, but I think that Hawkman's straps are about as close as we're gonna' get.  They look pretty good, I think.  Yes, the fellows with the spear guns are his goons, BUT they're all white which doesn't jive with Black Manta's M.O.  He's a black supremicist (although they latter tried to retcon it away), and I think that's one of the things that gives the character the most depth.  From a certain point of view, he's just trying to find a place where his people can build their own society.  Anyroad, I think that their costumes are alright, but they could use black instead of blue, and maybe hide their faces.

[kssaints]

Well finally got a few minutes to play. Is this more like the helmet that you wanted? As far as the straps I'll play around a little. But I don't think there is anything out there that would be just right. Any way let me know if this is the way you want the helmet bent?
Kssaints

[FLASH_22798]

That just rocks KS.

[kssaints]

That just rocks KS.

Thanks Flash but it doen't hold a candle to your Pied Piper. Who Ill have skinned by the weekend.

[FLASH_22798]

You're giving me waaaaay too much credit on that one.   Piper was only possible because of Tommy's awesome meshes.

[quiet]

I like the newest one myself, but I requested it to be included in BentonGrey's dc mod that I am helping with.  If its cool with you, I would like to defer that decision to him since its his mod.  Thanks for your work on this, he looks great.  way better than the comic version in my opinion.