The capital was strangely empty when we landed and it was fairly clear
that things had just sort of stopped, as if the people had simply been
snatched away from the streets and buildings. Apparently this colony had been
one of those settled by the Catholics and they'd been deeply religious
enough that the first thing they'd erected was a grand cathedral which
looked quite out of place in the alien terrain.
We trudged toward the looming building, unease growing with every step. This
was a human colony. It was supposed to bustle with life, not seem to hold
its breath in fear. Mayhew shoved the door of the building open and we filed
inside. I had the damnedest impression I was being watched. The hair on my
neck stood on end and I suppressed a shudder. The sounds of our boots echoed
in the gloom afforded by the fancy glass windows high up the walls.
Mayhew froze, giving the signal for us to be still. Then I heard what had
caught his attention, a soft rustling, a faint peep, something shifting...
cloth on cloth maybe. He swung his light up towards the sound and the thing
shot out of the high rafters with a hissing shriek. Bright golden eyes
seemed to burn through the dusky shadows. When Mayhew got the light on it
again, it let out a very angry, shrill sound, flashing sharp teeth at us. He
slowly raised his pulse rifle, bringing it to bear on the thing flapping
high above.
"Looks like the settlers weren't the first ones here after all...." With
that, he squeezed the trigger.
*************************************
I'm really pretty pleased with this piece; more pleased than I usually am
with my own work, in fact. This is my first fully 3D work. It was done from
concept to finishing using only digital tools. The character design,
cathedral window and terrain beyond it were all put together in DAZ Studio.
Then it was rendered out in layers that I took into Paint Shop Pro 9 for
some postwork. That mostly involved the shadow of the creature on the window
and making the whole thing look more integrated as well as working on some
things like the eyes, teeth and skin. I'm so pleased with this because I
definitely do not know my way around 3D software, but I managed to make
something that worked anyway. Click
here to see the image as a Work In Progress.
Products Used:
DAZ's Aiko 3.0 base
Radiance of Spirit model by Redhouse Studios
Aiko 3 Catsuit by the3dwizard
Dreamer Wings by Darkworld Designs
Free Eyes by Angela 3D
Hellspire by Cybia
Landzones Morphing Terrain by Cybia
Patterns on the clothing and wings are all by me. On the wings they were
combined with the textures provided by Darkworld.
