Wake One...

[PeabodySam]

"... and you wake them all."

 

Oh, yes. What a time to be a BIONICLE fan with access to Garry's Mod! As if the Toa Mata and Glatorian were not enough to satisfy our appetites, we are still continuing to receive our classic childhood nostalgia recreated in Source engine. Of course, those aforementioned models were ported from other games... but what about those willing to take a step further?

Enter Vissova38, who is taking virtual BIONICLE bricks and piecing them together in Blender to create beautiful high-poly sets for us to play with. Already, Vissova38 has released the Tahnok upon unsuspecting Source Film Maker users.  Of course, since my computer hates SFM and SFM hates my computer, that option was out of the question. That's why the console command prop_dynamic_create comes in handy when you want to play around with SFM toys before they are officially released for Garry's Mod!

I originally envisioned this as taking place in near-total darkness, illuminated only by Takua's lightstone and a faint green glow coming from the floor... and the glowing eyes of Jellicle Cats Bohrok. The inspiration came from the post-climax scene in Mata Nui Online Game, wherein Takua accidentally stumbles upon a Lehvak nest and is forced to flee from a bunch of dark silhouettes with glowing eyes. However, when I was looking to see if there was anything else I wanted to add before I closed down GMod, I found that one of the mist effects from Team Fortress 2's Lakeside Event map was strikingly reminiscent of the mist in Bohrok promotional art, and I decided to make a few adjustments to accommodate this addition.

You can see the original version here. Please let me know which version you prefer. Personally, I really like how the original version has this more isolated feel, and how the giant Kanohi Hau statue is only just barely visible in the darkness. But, at the same time, I do feel it looks a little empty, while this version (as I said) better captures the mood and atmosphere of the Bohrok promotional artwork.

Also, I had to find a map that had practically no lights in order to make this work. And when you turn fullbright on... "Well, this ain't so bad!"
 

Once again, big thanks to Callegos-Y, Lehvak, and Vissova38 for making this possible with their Matoran, Kanohi, and Bohrok models, respectively.

 

Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.

[Onuki]

Great job, PeabodySam! I really like all the different Bohrok poses you used. These look like they have all the poseability of their Lego counterparts! I definitely prefer the version with the mist and the Hau.

 

If I had to come up with something to try differently, it would be the green dome. I like it, and it fits well with Lego's Bohrok art, but I wonder if the lightstone and Takua could be more the focus of the image if the dome were either less bright or just dark like the rest of the floor? I don't even know if it's possible to change it, but that's my only suggestion!

 

Great work! I'll look forward to more images like this!

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

I've been trying to find some good Bionicle models for GMod, mostly to do stuff like this. Do you think you could link to the models, or are they not on the workshop?

[PeabodySam]

Thank you for your comments!

 

If I had to come up with something to try differently, it would be the green dome. I like it, and it fits well with Lego's Bohrok art, but I wonder if the lightstone and Takua could be more the focus of the image if the dome were either less bright or just dark like the rest of the floor? I don't even know if it's possible to change it, but that's my only suggestion!

 

I do agree with you that the glowing floor dome does take away some of the focus from Takua and the lightstone.  I used it because I wanted a source of the green illumination (which, admittedly, is a relic of the original version of the picture) and to give Takua a place to stand that would, like you said, fit with the general Bohrok nest aesthetics (the actual floor of the map is a square tile floor, like what you'd find in a kitchen or a bathroom, so that was definitely something that could not be shown in the picture!).  I did cover it up with an enlarged Kopaka shield to make it more visually interesting and BIONICLE-esque while decreasing the amount of green glow, but I found that trying to dim the glow itself made it look (no pun intended) duller.

 

At this point, it's too late to go back and fix it.  Loading up the save, rather predictably, caused all the Bohrok to vanish (that's what I get for trying to play with SFM toys in GMod...).  However, as I said, this is a good point that you bring up and I do agree with you, so it's something I'll keep in mind for future projects.

 

I've been trying to find some good Bionicle models for GMod, mostly to do stuff like this. Do you think you could link to the models, or are they not on the workshop?

 

Sure.  You can find most of this stuff, as well as other such addons, by searching for "bionicle" on the workshop, but here are direct links to the specific models used in this picture:

• BIONICLE Matoran Pack by Callegos-Y and Vincentor
• Bionicle Mask Models by Lehvak and Deika
• Bionicle Weapon Models by Lehvak and Deika

As for the Tahnok model, as I said in the first post, it's something that hasn't been released for GMod yet and is currently only available for SFM, so you won't find it on the GMod Workshop.  I don't even think it's on the SFM Workshop, either.  However, Vissova38 has provided a MediaFire download link for the model, and if you transfer the files to your GMod addons folder, you can spawn it in-game using the console command "prop_dynamic_create vissova/bionicle/bohrok.mdl" (without quotes, of course) and then pose it with the Advanced Bone Tool, the Joint Tool, or some other similar tool of your liking.

 

Have fun and play well!

Edited October 29, 2015 by PeabodySam

[Onuki]

I did cover it up with an enlarged Kopaka shield to make it more visually interesting and BIONICLE-esque while decreasing the amount of green glow, but I found that trying to dim the glow itself made it look (no pun intended) duller.

 

Oh, I thought that might be a Kopaka shield, but I didn't know enough about the program to tell one way or the other! In that case, yes, I think you definitely did what was best; the Kopaka shield does decrease the glow, make it more Bionicle-esque, and make it more visually interesting!