Lightwave Animation... GyroCopter Monkey

UPDATE: After checking this out, see this new blog post for the full animation video & more.

So one of my subjects was 3D Modelling and Animation. CSCI236.  So in 2008/09 (across the Xmas break) I was frantically working to get that done on time.  I was a little ambitious for my final project but i think i managed to get the bulk of it done.  I had intended enemy gorilla-mechs to be under attack instead of a banana dropping aid mission, but anyway... heh

So essentially we had to do an approx 30second animation, but first, one of the earlier major assignments was a rendered still of a 3D scene with at least one relatively complex model.

So i did a Gryocopter to be flown by a monkey. ;-)
A monkey modelled after my little 'mascot' "Hercules the Wondermonkey"
This Gryo and monkey scene is essentially a precursor to the animation i had planned for later on.

The Final still Scene:

(click to embiggen)

All done in Lightwave.
Although the far background is a still image, the closer shrubs are modelled & mask the transition from model to background image.
(I didn't get around to putting motion blue and smoke on the 'falling/crashing' gyro, and yeah - shadows/lights are just a mess)

And here's the wireframe of the Gyro with the Monkey.

(yeah the monkey's rather polygon heavy, but that's cos they were
to be used as reference points to bring the 'fur' effect out of)

And the textured but unoccupied Gyro:

One of my disappointments here was that i didn't get around to putting the Banana-rocket pods on the gyro, but I managed to get that done for the Final Animation assignment.

I'll cover the whole animation thing in the next post:

Oh, and a quick shout out to http://cgtextures.com/ man, that site was the source for nearly all my textures.