3D Project - Fallen Angel Malphas

**Malphas** · 09-07-2012, 04:36

I've decided to make a 3d model of my fanmade Diablo character Malphas (character write-up here) as a hobby project, using Maya 2012. I have no hopes of getting the finished model anywhere near as gorgeous and elaborate as the likes of Tyrael and Imperius, but I'll do my best. God knows how I'm going to make those energy wings. Any suggestions on that front would be appreciated.

Here's my progress so far. I started with a torso and I've been adding armour plates from the top down. I haven't fully worked out what the wing-joint armour plates on the back are supposed to look like yet. Does anybody happen to have some high-res pictures of the back of Tyrael? Also, any ideas or critiques (or dare I say it, encouragements?) would be much appreciated.

MalphasModWIP1.jpg MalphasModWIP2.jpg

**Holyknight3000** · 09-07-2012, 04:58

not a bad start, cant wait for more Mal.

HK

**Malphas** · 09-07-2012, 05:32

Thanks.

Next up, hands. Boy, Tyrael and Imperius' hands look bigger than their heads in the cinematics...I guess I should follow suit with Malphas. Is it just me, or was Tyrael a lot slimmer in Diablo 2? Maybe it's just the camera angles.

**Diaoha** · 09-07-2012, 09:57

haha, maybe Tyrael was slimmer in the second series.

**Malphas** · 10-07-2012, 04:20

Finished the hands and gauntlet armour. Boy this was tough. I dread the inevitable rigging of the hand to be animated. I just hope I left enough wiggle room in those big bracers for the hands to articulate without clipping issues.

MalphasModWIP3.jpg

Malphas' gauntlets here differ from Tyrael's with their Ringwraithy claws. I still haven't decided whether to use a sculpting program like ZBrush (which I've never used before) in order to add all the decorative grooves and embellishments to the various armour plates, or just model it all the hard way (which would result in an enormous and laggy file).

I'm still looking for pics of Tyrael's wing-guard things so I know how they're supposed to fit onto the back. Watching the cinematic where (spoilers) Tyrael tears off his wings, it seems like the back of his cuirass is perfectly featureless, meaning the joints are possibly not attached to the back at all, only the shoulder pauldrons. I dunno.

Just as an aside, as gorgeous as that particular cinematic is, I don't think it makes very much sense in terms of established continuity. Aren't angel wings literally their souls, with the armour being something like an attachment in order to give them physical presence? How did Tyrael know tearing them off would make him mortal instead of simply killing him? And how did he become mortal anyway? Aren't humans supposed to be the Nephalem progeny of angels and demons? And why did he become mortal anyway? Wouldn't he have been far more helpful in the struggle against the Great Evils if he still had all his powers and immortality? I mean, he seemed to be perfectly capable of defying the laws of heaven before. It strikes me strange music.

**Rushster** · 10-07-2012, 21:07

Very cool Malphas. Keep on with the updates : )

**Holyknight3000** · 10-07-2012, 21:45

Look at dat hand. That detail starting to form. I cant wait for more!

HK

**Malphas** · 14-07-2012, 13:18

Sorry it's taken so long, I've been swamped at work. Here's the foot and lower leg armour. When I add the textures and detail to it, those knee-guards will resemble raven heads. I want Malphas to have a fairly prominent bird theme, since I've envisioned him as the creator of Sanctuary's birds.

MalphasModWIP4.jpg

**DarkerSoul** · 20-07-2012, 13:13

Originally Posted by Malphas

Sorry it's taken so long, I've been swamped at work. Here's the foot and lower leg armour. When I add the textures and detail to it, those knee-guards will resemble raven heads. I want Malphas to have a fairly prominent bird theme, since I've envisioned him as the creator of Sanctuary's birds.

MalphasModWIP4.jpg

Looks Great!! My only suggestion would be the point on the toes. Although it looks cool, functionally it wouldn't work. He would walk like he was wearing flippers. Maybe he doesn't walk at all, in that case disregard what I said...lol

In terms of the wings, watch the Making of D3 video. They talk about the wings and sort of about how they worked them. It's very vague, but it might help. I would bring the model into ZBrush when it's done to add the little details like rune marks or damage. Unless u want to do that in the texture phase.

Hope that helps! Can't wait to see the finished product!

Also, are you planning on rigging/animating him? and will he have a weapon?

**Malphas** · 23-07-2012, 02:21

Thanks!

The points on the toes are called sabatons à la poulaine, they're a feature of some medieval plate armour, and the boot plates are still articulated enough to allow proper foot movement. Even so, I'm starting to think they make his feet look too big, so I've shrunk down the points.

I'll definitely look for that video. I'm starting to think I might be able to use nhair to simulate the wing tendrils and then throw some particle effects on top of that and add a glow effect...or something. Cross that bridge when I come to it.

I want to take the model into Zbrush, but I've never used it before so I'm a bit skeptical that I'd be able to pull it off the first time.

Yep, I'm planning on rigging him. Either I'll do it myself (I'm rather terrible at it, though), or I'll send it to a friend who has a real penchant for rigging. He will have a weapon; Exsilium, his sickle-staff (which looks exactly how it sounds, a crescent sickle mounted on a polearm).