THE BIRD. (05/01/16)

Before you read this go and make yourself comfortable. I don’t want to be responsible for any accidents.

I have sorted the stream reeds out or am well on the way so yesterday evening I decided to have another go at the Starling. I am not very good at modeling Starlings I need a birder to do one for me or better still send me a picture of one in plan view and one in side view. I can then sketch round it and things might improve. I hope you are ready for this. William Steig eat your heart out; I suspect he would were he still with us.

I know the beak is a bit long but Starlings have long beaks. I know, I know, it doesn’t look much like a bird but when there are a thousand or so murmarating I doubt anyone will be able to tell. I may re-do it with a shorter beak and more rounded wings, perhaps the tail is a bit big. Not much right with it but I do think it’s neck is a work of art.

Here it is with it’s bones, the reason it’s beak is off to starboard is because I can’t deselect it as I never have any luck with weight painting and the mesh is as simple as I could make it.

This is what makes it fly. The two orange things are called empties, empty spheres in this case. They are linked to the yellow cube which could be anything, it’s usually a cube as that is at the top of the ADD list. (It will render and show unless you remember to select it and turn the camera off…….a little point that is easily forgotten but a bird and a brick don’t look very realistic.) To flap the wings I move the cube up and down………..Perfect.

Here it is all ready to go.

Here it is doing what birds do best. I think you will be more than impressed with this. It has taken ages to learn how to do it but now I know I can knock them out every hour. I will do another one as this needs making a bit fatter espiecially underneath.

That’s all for today.