Redfern's Rancid Renders & Caitian Crap

[Redfern]

Given that my existing "ongoing" threads here are several years old (without any updates) and many of the image links point to the all but defunct (and "functed up") PhotoBucket, I thought I'd start a new "catch all" thread for my Trek related "junk" with a partial focus upon M'Ress and Caitians in general (duh, well, of course!) and maybe some attempts at "Lower Decks" Dr. T'Ana.

Let's start with something I slapped together just a week or two ago, my interpretation of a "Mirror, Mirror" M'Ress. It started as attempt to depict the (for the time) somewhat scandalous "MM" midriff baring uniform. It's Oshikai's freebie "retro-skirt" for Aiko 3 that I modified with new "material zones" and accessories.

Since a few of the "Mirror" counterparts had features distinguishing them from the "good guys", I got the idea to give M'Ress a cyber-eye. well, a goatee like Spock's would not have worked given M'Ress already has far more facial hair than the "evil" Vulcan. ;-) While doing that, I thought about a freebie that could turn a Poser/DAZ figure into Harvey Dent's "Two Face". I looked how the creator arranged the mapping nodes and I realized I could "shrink" the injury to just around the eye. The final effect suggest some sort of "burn" that may have cost M'Ress her eye, resulting in a cybernetic implant.

Finally, while looking for some gaudy "bangles" and "baubles" for her to wear, I stumbled across an item in my repository, a snake prop coded to "conform" in a coiled fashion upon the base figure. But I didn't want it to be a "boring" earthly python; no, it should be some "over the top" space "critter". So I played with the materials and then positioned the head of a Cthulhu figure to cover the conventional snake head. the fleshy, veiny procedurals helped blend the radically different figures.

What does this "creature" do? I have no freakin' idea, but I don't think I want to learn!

 

[Q2UnME]

Ok Bill, where does she hide her dagger in that outfit? Her boot?

 

[Orac]

Being an immense pervert I feel compelled to ask, have you made a version of M'Ress with six boobs?

 

[StarCruiser]

Ok Bill, where does she hide her dagger in that outfit? Her boot?

Well, Catians have built in weapons so, she may keep it in her quarters..?

 

[Redfern]

Ok Bill, where does she hide her dagger in that outfit? Her boot?

Well, Uhura did, so I guess M'Ress would do the same thing.

To be honest, I didn't even think about the dagger.

Well, Caitians have built in weapons so, she may keep it in her quarters..?

Of course, I could have said that in answer to Q2UnME's question...if I had been clever.

Being an immense pervert I feel compelled to ask, have you made a version of M'Ress with six boobs?

Eh, sorry, but a single pair is good enough for me. Actually, with "good" M'Ress, I'd depict her with "understated elegance" (translation: itty bitty...well, you know), but this being the "evil" counterpart, she's probably the type to harbor petty jealousy of the attention "bad" Uhura gets, so she likely got a boob job to "compete".

 

[Atolm]

Awesome!

 

[Redfern]

Awesome!

Meh, I'm pretty much a "one trick pony", but I reason if I am, I might as well hone that "single trick" to the best of my ability.

 

[Redfern]

M'Ress (thinking): "Hmm, spacious...but spartan. I wonder what I can do to make this place feel...homey?"

Yes, Lt. M'Ress has just been assigned to the Enterprise and her post as relief communications officer for Uhura. For "shiggles", what do some of you think the Caitian might bring to her quarters to feel a bit more like home? If an idea is feasible (meaning, if I can make or find a suggested 3D asset, I'll try to incorporate it to an "after" type render. I will, of course, note who recommended what.. Just a silly exercise in group participation.

 

[Redfern]

Based upon the pose of the Hallmark hanging Ornament.

 

[Cyfa]

Your M'Ress looks fantastic! To make herself at home, maybe she'd have a bird in a cage - because she loves them (not to eat, of course - although the bird doesn't know that, and would be terrified!).

 

[Henoch]

For "shiggles", what do some of you think the Caitian might bring to her quarters to feel a bit more like home?

A scratching post, of course.

 

[Redfern]

Funny enough, a rather creative set of suggestions came from a member of "e621", a site noted for, ahem, "mature" anthro' illustrations copied from other online galleries, usually by 3rd parties. This person said...

I feel like she'd probably have a skin on the wall. Maybe some prized trophy of some exceptionally dangerous beast from her homeworld passed down in her family. Some antique pieces of communications tech on shelves. A prize or two from her adventures aboard the ship (busted gear from battle, jury-rigged tools, etc). Souvenirs from some of the planets they've visited, like gifts from the inhabitants, the odd pretty stone or crystal, a plant or two.​

Those thoughts, in turn, made me wonder If an animal hide of some kind, I'd probably make it some sort of reptile or a least something substantially different enough so that a casual viewer would not mistake it for another member of her own species! The antique communications devices certainly dovetails with her specialization. I see a modest lineup of "primitive" electro-mechanical telephones. Maybe a jerry-rigged radio that helped save a landing party kept as a memento.

Can't act upon these notions as I'm waiting for a new computer to be delivered, one to replace my 11 year old machine that barely works a simple web access device anymore. Even then, I'll have to reinstall the tools I use to create my "crap".

 

[Gepard]

I'd probably make it...something substantially different enough so that a casual viewer would not mistake it for another member of her own species!

A human skin rug.

 

[Redfern]

A human skin rug.

Spoken in the voice of Curly Howard, "Oh...! A wuize guy, eh!"

 

[Henoch]

My cat liked to bring the headless carcass of birds to the door to proudly show off its hunting skill. The trophy could be a large alien bird creature.

 

[Q2UnME]

Honestly, there should be a big, empty cardboard box somewhere in her room....

 

[Lulu]

Is there a place that I could get these assets especially in the model of our lovely feline girl. I am absolutely in love with these renders. You did an amazing job.

 

[Redfern]

In a nutshell, sadly, many of the assets I used to create M'Ress are no longer available through proper channels. Allow me to elaborate.

Foremost, the digitigrade legs, one of the most distinctive elements of her physique, were once sold at an online store called Renderosity. Alas, that vendor, JENelson (aka Achronicity at Fur Affinity and other sites) closed his story nearly a decade ago, so the add-on pack can no longer be purchased.

The pelt pattern was once sold at an online store called PoserPros. The site and domain itself no longer exists and the product never transferred to the company that bought PoserPros, DAZ3D. That particular asset has been gone even longer that the animal legs package, maybe 15 years or more.

Now other elements, like the base figure called Aiko 3, her standard morphs set, an extended character morph set labeled "Kioki", a 4 morph freebie add-on for Kioki and a feline "face pose" I personally concocted and offer (that uses that 4 moph freebi), the (in) famous micro dress, a particular mane like hair prop and a rigged animal tail are all still available, but without the legs, well, it just wouldn't reflect the Filmation design.

@Michael , what's the policy about providing links items for purchase? I have a suspicion that's a "no no", so I'm asking before accidentally violating the forum TOS. If, Michael says it's okay, I'll post the item links for you, @Lulu .

 

[Michael]

@Redfern, as long as it‘s not you selling your own stuff, posting links to commercially available elements is fine.

 

[Redfern]

A friend of mine upon a small, private forum wondered how TOS might have handled robots, the bipedal but clearly "mechanical" type as opposed to a box or sphere with blinkies (like Nomad or M-4) or purely human looking androids. I confessed I was at a bit of a loss since I didn't think the production would foot the bill to create a costume or even rent one (like Robby from MGM). Still, it got me imagining such a scene. So, for "shiggles", I staged a setup with the idea Desilu obtained the Gort costume and props (the immobile, 8 foot statue and the bust with the lighting rig for the visor). So here we have the kind of shot that concludes acts 2 or 3 before we fade to black for a commercial break.

The helmet and boots of Gort come from a Poser based freebie that Ptrope (the former mod for the fan art sub-forum) offers. The body is the Gort from the Keanu Reeves remake from a content maker named Wolf359. I tweaked the proportions and added displacement to thicken the overall frame, making it a bit closer to the 1951 version. "The Cage" styled corridor I assembled from primitives and procedural materials. The Kirk and Spock figures are truly "ancient" Poser figures with morphs to make them resemble Kirk and Spock by XCalPro and Joe_Public respectively. I also tried to capture (arguably more like clumsily aping) the style of Jerry Finnerson's boldly colored theatrical lighting.