The 1st Shadow Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I think this is the right forum to post this in--move it if I'm wrong. Just something I've been wondering. For all you MOCists out there, do you actually plan out what you want your MOCs to look like? I ask because I saw an entry for the BFTGM earlier, and the member who posted it mentioned having drawn up plans for his MOC ahead of time. And then there's me: I usually take a single piece (maybe a mask or a weapon or an armor shell) and build out from it to see what I end up with. Other times I just decide upon a color, like I did with my entry for the BFTGM (link in my sig if you want to see what I mean), and then I just build with it until I find something I like. So, how do you go about this? If you plan them out, how do you do it? Do you just improvise as you go along? I'm curious as to the different methods being put to use out there. 3 Quote ~Your friendly, neighborhood Shadow ~Credit for Avatar and Banner goes to NickonAquaMagna~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timageness Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Personally, in my younger days, I used to just build the coolest thing I could imagine by fiddling around with my collection of constraction pieces. Now, I do some slight planning, such as building around a color scheme or a new design that I've been working on. Usually I try to work with color shemes that aren't seen too often, such as Kaita or Nui combinations, but I flush out the model a bit more and tend to make things a tad more symmetrical. For designs, an idea usually forms in my brain, and I mess around with my parts in an attempt to figure out the best way to build it. For example, I plan on building MOCs for all of my BZPRPG characters, which sounds rather simple in theory until you learn that two of my characters are a pair of conjoined Skakdi twins (I'm thinking that two Skakdi torso pieces attached via pins to an Inika chest armor piece would be the best way to go without modding the pieces, which I am personally against). I've also made some fairly decent female MOCs by building actual shoulders off of the backs of Metru torsos, and leaving the original torso axel holes to attach their... well, you know. And there was one time that I did build a figure just by looking at a "mask," but I actually used the golden arm/torso armor that was designed to be attached to the STARS version of Tahu as the mask in question, as it works really well as one when attached to a Metru head (seriously, I've only seen this done on one other MOC; I'm surprised that it hasn't been done more often).There are two things that I don't like to plan out before building, however, and those are characterisation and backstory. I generally come up with those as a more solid appearance of the figure I'm working on pops into my mind. 1 Quote Epics: Hero Factory: ContagionRPG Characters:BZPRPG CharactersRPG History:The Asylum, Bionifight Infinite, Year 60,000, Matoran und Panzer, HF RPG 2.0, Wasteland, Corpus Rahkshi, SkyriseGM Résumé:Matoran und Panzer (Formerly Appointed Co-GM), Corpus Rahkshi (Former Substitute Co-GM) Feel free to shoot a PM my way if you're waiting for me to respond to something and I've been taking a while to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pohatu: Uniter of Stone Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Sometimes, I draw out a basic plan for the skeleton, but I usually just follow the rule of cool when actually building details. I have a general idea of what I want to make and how the body will be before I start, and then I just build. I recently revamped an older MOC with the conditions of "Hip joint, Non-Inika clone, Black and silver and a cool build." By using these requirements as a framework, I built him and he was awesome. I'm trying to teach my sister to do some planning when building, and also to not build bodies by attaching a Vahki upper leg to an Inika torso with a pin. 1 Quote I HATE SCORPIOS ~Pohatu Master of Stone, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25K Now! Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I was always a terrible MOCist, so I basically threw things together until I decided it looked cool enough. Planning has never been my forte. So all my stuff would turn out to be these horrific chimeras that could barely stand. 1 Quote http://vimeo.com/198967785 BZPRPG Profiles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Click Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Generally, I'll do a rough sketch to figure out proportions and the general design. I know my pieces well enough that I can usually pick out parts in the color scheme and draw them in. There's also been a few MOCs that come together almost completely inside my head before I even touch a piece, but those are rare and usually small. I still manage to get plenty of MOCs out that just start with a basic idea like a mask and color combination or a torso armor configuration. So I plan with a little bit of everything. Quote ~ Corpus Rahkshi: Fang | Hoto | Tube | Tear | Canvas | Garrotte | Reda BZPRPG: Azusai | Mitsuri The Scarabax Library | Flickr | Deviantart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cambion Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 i usually either start with a general image in my head, or just start throwing stuff together from a simple idea and come up with the design as i go. i find that worrying about exactly what i want it to look like always makes me less satisfied with the final product. (also i'm pretty sure this belongs in Bionicle Discussion) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishers64 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Depends on the model. A lot of my MoCs are just spontaneous things that I thought of when rebuilding old sets or just playing around. Other times I draw up concept art like stuff and elaborate plans and tests, especially when working with LDD. Quote Hero Factory RPG | Bionicle Mafia XXIX: Storyline & Theories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makaru Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 My last three MOCs [Tamaru, Heartbreaker and Siren] were all extensively planned and engineered creations. Maybe my tactics have changed over the years, but this is not usually how I've done things. I mean, I may start with a plan or some idea of what I'm doing. I'll put concepts together, get frustrated when I can't form what I'm seeing in my head into something physical and throw it away in complete disgust. Then I'll screw around with a couple of pieces until I have something completely spontaneous like Kahu. Quote Spoiler Alert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Swimming Beard Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I never really plan anything I build. I just build a design, like an arm or leg, and then make a MOC to use it on. Then I may play around with colors to get something interesting. But I have never drawn up a plan. 1 Quote "I pitea the fool!" (quote by Chro) 98.7% OF BZPOWER MEMBERS HAVEN'T SEEN MY BUCKET IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE 1.3% THAT HAS SEEN MY BUCKET, COPY THIS AND PASTE IT INTO YOUR SIGNATURE I MISS MY BUCKET Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nescent Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I always do a little planning, but nothing too involved like concept art. I just have an idea ahead of time, like some cool weapon or color scheme that I'd like to build off of, and a vague mental image of the final product. I would put more planning into it if I spent more time building, but most of my MoCs are finished within a day or two. I've just never been one to prepare a project ahead of time - I like not knowing what it will look like until it's finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myst33ry Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I do little planning. Then again, it depends on what I'm making, for example my BFTGM entry was planned almost a week before I started working. Some MOCs I make I usually decide a mask and and a color scheme, then I get to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
believe victims Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I try to have a general idea. For example, for my Spinosaurus, the idea was "build a bonkles Spinosaurus reusing some techniques from my scrapped anthro-Baryonyx MOC". For my crab, it was "build a crab with asymmetrical claws using the new HF beast head pieces for the larger claw". Beyond something vague like that, however, it's quite spontaneous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleo Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I'm a highly visual person, so everything starts as a very rough idea with vague placement of various parts. I then find those pieces and work to get them at the right angles and fill in the gaps, eventually forming a structure. Most of the time this results in something very very very fragile. 1 Quote Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dralcax Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Generally I decide what will be unique about this MOC, for example, I decided that my BTFGM entry would have the Kraata canister helmet and arms made out of CCBS friction joints. Then I build those things and stick together a body to put them on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taria Pakari Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Planning isn't exactly my forte. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lessovikk4 Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Absolutely look:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IFOtrjGNVQA&feature=youtube_gdata_player Quote IF YOU WISH TO MAKE A DEAL FOR SOMETHING OR KNOW OF SOMEONE SELLING A GOLD HAU PLEASE PM ME Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumiki Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 My MOCs arise out of "hey, I built a neat-looking connection" and building something terrible around it. 4 Quote avatar by Lady Kopaka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nidhiki of the Shadows Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Haha, no. It's just a lot of experimentation on the spot for me. I usually have a vision in mind but it ends up being totally different by the end of the process. -NotS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chro Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I usually have a specific plan for what I want the MOC to look like, which generally ends up completely changing by the time I finish the creation. Quote save not only their lives but their spirits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballom Nom Nom Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I've almost always more or less had a good idea of what I've wanted to make beforehand, and even more so in the past few years with college only giving me a few opportunities to do so between quarters. What parts I use isn't really planned, as I pick what's best for the idea of the MOC as I go. ~B~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rahkshi Lalonde Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I find a weird piece, or a weird connection, or a weird color scheme and just kinda fly out of the park with that, only major plans are character-based concepts. or, recently i actually had to sketch up a concept for an attempted BFTGM entry i never got around to. Tylix & Scolon. (this is an exception because i couldn't figure out how to get the bodies fused properly...) other than that, i'm messy and unpredictable. :0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dviddy Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 YES- I usually know that I'm going to build an animal, a warrior woman, an anime-styled MOC, a gundam, whatever. I have a visual cue in my head that I'm following and planning on replicating as best as I can. Then after a period of ruminating in my head on this idea I sit down to build and then... NO- I put parts together and the vision changes and amends as new possibilities become realities, as parts fit together in ways I hadn't expected, as a different character than I'd envisioned starts to appear, etc. It's really a combination of both. I haven't really been the kind of person who draws since art classes in high school killed my desire to nurture that talent ten years ago, but I create visuals in my head and look up motifs online for things I want. But when I sit down to actually build... who knows if the creation I end up with is the one I planned on? It could be, it could not be, and that's part of the process. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xan Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Haven't made a moc in 5 years until the announcement of the BFTGM contest. I did no planning and my entry was the result of cobbling some Piraka torsos together with some Vahki pieces. Here is how it went. http://imgur.com/a/4pZ1F#0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziontyro Metalhead Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Most the time, I just try to get one attribute into the moc that I feel is most important. I don't really plan the total appearance, just usually where colors and textures will be. 2 Quote BBC 70 Skeletron Robot. http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/18967-bbc-70-skeletron-20/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayk Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I tend to try and focus on making a custom torso first, especially if I can get a good waist rotation or something else unique. Normally I just design it on the fly, unless I'm hit with a particular idea I want to try. Quote "And at the closing of the day She loosed the chain, and down she lay; The broad stream bore her far away, The Lady of Shalott." + Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Nui Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 I usually start off with a general image in my head. I then go on to build something similar to what was in my head, aswell as tweaking it to what I think makes the creation look better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobber Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 (edited) I usually play a few videogames or watch a certain Si-Fi movies to get some inspiration from. Then I take a piece that looks really cool then start building around that single piece. Edited December 23, 2014 by Chasm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegoSWfan Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Nope, I just build them as I go, the same gos for brick based sets, once I started a tank, which evolved into a jet, before becoming the Magnus-5. Semi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hip Historian Iaredios Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I try to build things that are canon to the BIONICLE (revamps or un-depicted characters), but sometimes I get a little more creative. I generally just sit down in front of my bins, and look at the pieces. minutes, maybe an hour has passed and i look at what pieces might look good with another. There, more i look at the pieces the more my imagination and analytical skills kick in and I start to have a sort of mental silhouette of what I want, and the more I mess around with various parts the clearer my picture gets. Eventually, voila, I have my masterpiece (Call them as such because I try to make custom torsos, other then that there is little special). Now all I need to do is stop being lazy and take pictures of the darn things. Quote A RUDE AWAKENING - A Spherus Magna redo | Tzais-Kuluu | Pushing Back The Tide | Last Words | Black Coronation | Blue Man Bound | Visions of Thasos ن We are all but grey specks in a dark complex before a single white light Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petersheikah Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Usually I imagine a style of the MOC that I'm going to build (if it'll be a Cyborg, a ninja-like humanoid, a rahi ecc...) and its colors. Then I just start with his torso and try different pieces choosing the best looking ones. As time goes on I get more ideas and I further improve the creation. And then if I'm not too lazy I post it. Quote My MOCPages Profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kovika: Visorak Lord Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I wing it.Short answer is no.Long answer is "I should." Quote "In this new- Wait, why am I being quoted?!"-Kovika, Toa of Ice, Bread Enthusiast, and Ko-Metru Scholar. [flash=250,100]http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/sprxtrerme/BANNERS/thornax.swf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSciFiGuy Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Sometimes I'll do a rough sketch, but I tend to make the arms first and then work on the limbs, struggling to finish the torso. Its fun, and I have inspiration from Artwork more than looking at MOCs Quote Bionicle: ANP aims to create narrated versions of all the Bionicle books, with voice actors for each character, and music taken from various media to enhance the story. Check here if you're interested in voicing a character, and here for the chapters that've already been released!Formerly: Tahu Nuva 3.0Looking for a Bionicle Beanie. Black one with the symbol on it. Contact me if you are willing to sell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makuta Miras Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Most of the time it's just a bit of "Ok, I want to build this. Now let's see what I can do with the pieces I have." Other times, I just feel like making something random which (Occasionally) turns out to not be too terrible. But other than that, no, not really. Usually I start with a custom torso, because I've always been terrible at being bothered to innovate and create new designs for torsos, so making a custom one first usually gives me the drive to make the rest of the MOC more custom as well. Once I have a torso, I do the legs, again making them as custom as possible whilst keeping the proportions realistic, and then I finish with the arms. Which more often than not are just regular, non-custom limbs because I'm either too lazy to build something custom, don't have enough pieces left over to do what I want to do, or bulkier arms just look to bulky and out-of-place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toa Turing Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Not in the slightest. I just build whatever idea comes into my head. Most of it is trial and error, with a lot of the errors being "I don't have that piece." Often times I change the color scheme or even the character half way through. Quote I really need a better signature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meiko Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Generally no, I'll either just be messing with pieces or experimenting for a certain functional outcome, not really a planned-ahead finalized MOC. Only times I plan something ahead is if I'm building a model car, I'll have an idea of what type of car I'm going to build. Quote -- Meiko - @georgebarnick LUG Ambassador and administrator at Brickipedia News reporter and database administrator at Brickset Administrator at BIONICLEsector01 DISCLAIMER: All opinions and contributions made under this account are based solely on my own personal thoughts and opinions, and in no way represent any of the above groups/entities. If you have any concerns or inquiries about the contributions made under this account, please contact me individually and I will address them with you to the best of my ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I mostly just experiment and go with whatever looks good. Usually I have goals for how I want to build a MOC and how I want it to look (as in that moment where you say, "I want this to go here" and then go about doing that). Quote http://i.imgur.com/kbP5Svg.gifhttp://i.imgur.com/O8CcqC5.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/kbP5Svg.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abstractAgamid Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Of course, seeing as I don't have most of the pieces I need for them yet; I currently have about 9 planned, some of which I've had for a few years (there used to be more, but some of them got scrapped). However, I don't plan out every detail of their construction; I just don't envision them that way. I usually envision some features and details and ideas, and leave most of the technical build to the brainstorming/physical part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint-14 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I never truly plan a MOC, per se... The most I ever do is think of what I want build ahead of time, and get some pieces ready, but most of the time if I do build it is spur of the moment, or because I got some new pieces and want to see how they might look on a figure Quote BZPRPG: Akamu, Toa of Ice Talk to me about Destiny! Ask me about stuttering and speech impediments!//Feel free to talk about Dungeons and Dragons with me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petewa Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I grab a bunch of interesting bricks and put them together in different combinations until I get something that I like, then I add onto it, until I get either a spaceship or a BIONICLE, because apparently those are all I can make, Sometimes, I'll base MOCs off of already put together bricks I've got lying around, Sometimes, I'll think of what I'm trying to make, look through what I've got, and go from there, Sometimes, I'll draw a very Okotomation-esque G2 guy down and then use that as my blueprint, Sometimes, I'll just build something with the intentions of making it look like it'll fit with my ever-expanding moonbase MOC, Sometimes, it'll unintentionally fit in with my moonbase MOC anyways, like the mech I made recently, Quote Mataru Nui, an Interactive Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Tec Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I start by saying I want to make a custom *insert body arms or legs* then i add on as i go Quote one day this will contain greatness only the best. But take this with the ocean of salt then you will know what to expect from this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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