Here we go again. 
By popular demand (actually Holly demanded it) I'm going to start a WIP thread for my newest 3D project. I started talking about this project over in the Carrara and 3D forum, but now I'm moving it over here.
This is the final alien character I have to recreate for the New Worlds Project. I've been doing some work for them for the past year, and I've saved the best (most difficult) for last. This will be my third attempt at getting this character right.
When I started working with the New Worlds Project, I was by no means a figure creator. I'd never modelled anything more than clothes for the various characters I'd created for use in Carrara and Poser. The last two New Worlds aliens I worked on required me to become a figure modeller no matter what. This last figure is proving to be the most complicated of all, at least for me.
I anticipate some difficulty when it comes to rigging. You'll see why as the project progresses. I know very little about rigging beyond basic human biped figures. This figure is going to be bipedal but not very human. I'm going to be rigging in Poser because, while rigging in Carrara is simple and easy, weight mapping, in my experience, is not. And since I also anticipate using the figure in both Poser and Carrara, I'm going the Poser rigging route.
I'm modeling the figure in Silo. I switched to Silo from Hexagon. I loved Hexagon, but I had issues with it which are never going to be fixed, so after a bit of research I decided on Silo. I find Silo extremely easy to navigate and very robust and stable.
I will be using 3D Coat for UV mapping and perhaps some 3D painting. I used 3D Coat to UV map my last creation for New Worlds. It was the most fun and trouble free UV mapping I've ever done.
Carrara is going to be the final program I will use in this project. I like Carrara's ease of use. It's just plain fast. I'm also much more familiar with Carrara's shader system, and I like the results I get with it. I also like to render in Carrara. I can get superior results in Poser also, but Carrara, once again, is just fast with much less hassle.
That's the background. Comments are welcome and appreciated. As soon as I can figure out how to add images to my posts, I'll get started
Heh, heh. No, that's all right. Thanks anyway.
Actually, their uncertainty about the figure has just ended up making me a better modeler. I like that part. The frustrating part is always having to go back to the drawing board. I've got some decent feedback from the New Worlds people this time. I'm waiting on answers to a few questions, then I'm off to start again.
Stay tuned for more WIP images.
OK. I've gotten feedback from New Worlds. The main complaint was that the model was too symmetrical. It took me a few days, but I finally got my brain to wrap around what (I think) they want. I usually model symmetrcally. I have symmetry toggled on for just about everything, so coming to grips with the asymmetric was not easy.
So, I've gone back to the drawing board, with symmetry toggled off.
Here's the beginning shape.
A little more detail. This is going to be another learning experience.
And a view from the back.
I'm sorry, Headwax, but that nifty space in the middle is going to get filled in. Please don't hate me.
I started the left arm here and then stopped. I realized that having both arms in place and asymmetrical would cause problems when I get to the legs.
I had a bit of trouble visualizing what asymmetric legs should look like. I finally just grabbed some polys and started extruding. This image makes it look a bit like a chicken, but I decided to leave it.
Lord save me from asymmetrical bipeds!
After some extrusions, the former chicken legs looks a bit more plant like (I hope).
For me, this is all going out on a limb. I mentioned I'm a very symmetrical kind of guy. This asymmetrical stuff has my head spinning. I don't have a clue if the New Worlds people will like this one either. It's no good sending them in progress images because it's difficult to see how it will turn out.
Here's the next step. The left leg is very different than the right. I still need to add more details, and I still need to complete the left arm.
Sort of looks like a pirate vegetable.
Wha-? I mean it looks great, but so crazy! Are plants asymmetrical? or are they radially symmetrical...? What about the phylotaxy formula...???? 
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