119 replies to this topic

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

So. There once was a comic maker called Maphrox. He made some bland, boring 3D comics and got some minor recognition for it.

Then he joined BNG and the topic died a slow, painful death. Then he left BNG, and after months of procrastination, he actually got something done.

This is that something, and it's so vastly superior to the previous comic that you shouldn't even have clicked the archived topic link. Seriously. Don't do it. I find some of those things embarrassing.

Anyway, to get to the point, here we have my new series, which I don't actually have a name for yet because look at the topic title.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23
Part 24

These comics are made using the free, open-source program Blender, which you can get at http://blender.org/

Edited by Maphrox: Toa of Polygons, Oct 29 2012 - 09:19 AM.

[Zahaki]

Cool Start for this Series, and Using 3D models are Great, your work on them are awesome, simple awesome!

Hmm, I can't help but wonder where this series would go.
--
YAY VAHKI!
*Cough*
--
Great first Comic Maphrox, and I can't wait to see more of these.

[-Absorba-]

The visuals are freaking awesome!

But, maybe the frames are a tad bit too big.

[Tenebrae Invictus]

This comic seems to be somewhat serious, the the whole conversation with the Makuta follower and Teklu seemed pretty funny, somewhat offsetting it.

Pretty good comic - I thought the scenery looked the best, and the character models weren't bad at all.

[King Joe]

That was absolutely spectacular! I has a feel that reminds me of action movies, serious but funny at the same time. The 3D models are spectacular.

[Justax-Kal]

You're back!
Those models, the lighting, and the whole dang thing is/are amazing. You've always had a completely unique style that works beyond belief.
Also, that last line was pretty cool. Very, "stuff" just got real.

J-K out.

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

Part 2 is now up.

[King Joe]

Dude. That was epic. Plus, the come to think of it line was genius.

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

Part 3, this time fighting occurs.

[Calvirick]

Oh my gosh dude.

This is excellent. Your past work is nothing compared to this. EXCELLENT!

Maybe add more lighting, but still it's really good.

[lewafan21]

very good CG you have definetly improved with your old comics in the archive!

[Tenebrae Invictus]

That was pretty good, but the lighting was a bit poor so it was hard to see what was going on, especially in the frame before it shows the green matoran being punched in the face.

[BioCry]

Wow. I must say. These comics are very impressive.

The graphics are stunning. And the plot seems interesting.

I really enjoyed reading them and eagerly await the next one.

-

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

Part four is up here.

Edited by Maphrox cannot make titles, Jan 20 2012 - 06:47 PM.

[King Joe]

<insert obligatory BUM BUM BUM here>
Fantastic comic. He looks a little weird through when he puts his hand in the beam just before he bursts into flame.
Also, you might want to link your latest comic in the post you announce it in. It. Will help a lot when you get a second page.

[Toa Faybos]

Looking great so far! You've seriously improved as a 3D modeler/comic maker.

I like the custom builds of the matoran. It really sets off a good start for originality.

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

New comic!

[King Joe]

I forget the purple guy's name, but I feel sorry for him.
His new recruit just died then turned into a toa. I would feel surprised as well.

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

He didn't actually die, he just assumed he did. It was all in his mind, except for the part where he turned into a toa.

[King Joe]

Well, yeah, but I was commenting from the Purple guy's point of view.

[Eljay: Toa of Mangosteen]

After following these for a while, I believe I should post. These are simply amazing. I love the use of 3D models, and this style is just exellent. I'm not too sure on the seeming blur/fuzzyness in some panels, but over all, the characters and scenery look amazing. I am eager to see the plot as well progress, and the series go on!

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

And another one!

[King Joe]

Last panel =. Epic.
I might use that line sometime.

Hello. I'm the backup.

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

Well, this took a while.

The reason for it taking so long is that I kind of put too much stuff in the scene, meaning that every render day I would come home from school to find a computer where Blender had crashed. Blah.

[Eljay: Toa of Mangosteen]

Great new comic. I loved that sword toss, and it seems like the new Toa will be an interesting progression in character! Eager to see more!

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

Comic 8 is now up!

Sorry about the noisiness in this one, but I really didn't feel like doing more passes when I finally had it rendered.

[Eljay: Toa of Mangosteen]

Great comic, as always! Loved that bit at the end where Vohon falls down. I'm also not at all surprised that Metahk chopped his fingers off, although I think it was needed after what Mr. Shadow Matoran did.

Keep it up, Maph - These are some of the finest comics here.

[Makuta♪]

And he tripped... Well that was quite anti-climactic...

I like this series, this is way beyond what I usually see in the comic forum mainly because it isn't:

1) Sprites

or

2) Hand Drawn

The graphics are sham-wow, it has a subtle comedy that I think is great, and the very fine details in the
characters and background are amazing.

Keep up the amazing work.

Edited by Makuta of Comedy, Mar 20 2012 - 02:13 PM.

[Ultra Hamster]

This is awesome. These are really cool. Good work Maphrox. The lighting and everything is just beautiful!
One thing I might say though is that the lighting can be a bit too dim at times. Other than that, these comics are spectacular.

[Axilus Prime]

These are great! What did you use to make the 3d models? (Because whatever it is, I need it for a project I've been wanting to do for almost 6 months.)

As for the story and characters, those are epic. Everyone's unique, and not in a way that is in any way shape or form annoying. The story is fun to follow because new things and twists keep showing up. Can't wait for more of these.

[Ultimate Sybre]

These are great! What did you use to make the 3d models? (Because whatever it is, I need it for a project I've been wanting to do for almost 6 months.)

As for the story and characters, those are epic. Everyone's unique, and not in a way that is in any way shape or form annoying. The story is fun to follow because new things and twists keep showing up. Can't wait for more of these.

Back in the old forums, Maphrox mentions using a program called Blender to make these. I'm not good at it, though.

Anyway, I noticed the characters look like you built the design yourself. And the Matoran seem to be planning something.

Heh. Hello, moron...

[Axilus Prime]

Oh Karz. BLENDER IS A LIVING NIGHTMARE. I have it, and can just BARELY use it if I have step by step instructions. Mata Nui...I respect anyone who can use Blender.

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

These are great! What did you use to make the 3d models? (Because whatever it is, I need it for a project I've been wanting to do for almost 6 months.)

As for the story and characters, those are epic. Everyone's unique, and not in a way that is in any way shape or form annoying. The story is fun to follow because new things and twists keep showing up. Can't wait for more of these.

Back in the old forums, Maphrox mentions using a program called Blender to make these. I'm not good at it, though.

Anyway, I noticed the characters look like you built the design yourself. And the Matoran seem to be planning something.

Heh. Hello, moron...

You are absolutely right on all three points. I use Blender for all this, although the renderer is the new Cycles render engine. Also, I use gimp to put the panels together and add certain effects such as fire, since Cycles does not yet support the volumetric materials and particle systems necessary for fire. The Matoran design is pretty much a shrunk-down version of the Vohon model, which I made first for whatever reason, and the Matoran are definitely planning something.

Oh Karz. BLENDER IS A LIVING NIGHTMARE. I have it, and can just BARELY use it if I have step by step instructions. Mata Nui...I respect anyone who can use Blender.

Living nightmare is inaccurate. It's an eldritch monstrosity beyond human comprehension constrained by a user interface that requires external learning resources to understand. Also, it crashes sometimes.

On that note, crashing is why comics have been coming out slowly lately, but I fixed it, so comic 9 is likely to come out next week.

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

And double posting would be why I usually don't reply to anything said in the topic.

Ever.

New comic.

Edited by Maphrox cannot make titles, Mar 28 2012 - 09:19 AM.

[Tecnokua]

Man love the comics but i really want to know you ppl do that 3D stuff what program do you use?

[Eljay: Toa of Mangosteen]

Very happy that the plot is starting to thicken! Not fond of Metahk much anymore, but ah well. Also, how did they get Toa stones in the first place? Keep it up, eager for more!

[Tecnokua]

Love the 3D guys Models sprites idk what to call them but i think 3D is going to be the next big thing to make comics with i wonder if it will be

[Soran]

One of my favorite series by far now. It actually follows what looks like an alternate bionicle universe. Unlike most comic series which honestly, can be replaced by any type of sprite besides bionicle, these can't. The storyline just fits perfectly, and I like the humor. The 3d models are just amazing, and the graphics are awesome as well. I honestly wouldn't mind waiting for comics like these because the amount of time put in them, and the amount of detail is just astounding. Great job, and keep up the good work,

~Soran

[00dude00]

very nice. I have a few comments to make on the artistry however. Try and lay the images on the page in a more interesting way, make them overlap, and flow so that the eye just naturally jumps from one to the other. also it is quite difficult (in the darker scenes) to tell where one image ends and the next starts. layering will help this, as well as adding borders. I'm also going to mention that in your more recent ones, the images are getting quite noisy. It is a pretty big detraction, and I really would prefer less realistic renders ( ie. the old blender renderer/ simpler materials) than realistic ones that are super noisy. Sometimes the scenes feel a little cluttered, and it is hard to tell what I should be focused on (or what I'm looking at at all). Try getting the message through in the simplest way possible. Contrast with the character and their background is KEY! and it is so important to make sure that the character's silhouette is clear, and is in an extremely defining pose ( yeah, probably shouldn't have angles where parts of the body are in front of others). I also have to say that while the modeling work is great, this could be SO much better, if only a little texture work was done. some of the object would look a ton better, and I feel that the characters would be much more appealing to look at.

I know with some small adjustment these can look even cooler. keep up the great work!

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

New comic.

Tried doing 500 passes in the cave this time, that's 300 more passes than before. Still looks bad. Meh.

Also, in hindsight Le-Metru just looks bad, and I will improve it if I do it again.

Also, that Matoran with the gold Miru is absolutely not anyone from this forum, especially not a toa of any kind of fruit.