[MikeCorriero]

Finals Thread: Topic #06
Polyfemus Gas Giant

Please add a “Thanks” to the entry you like the most and feel suits the topic best. The "THANKS" button can be found at the bottom right of every post. The entry posted before the deadline and with the most thanks tallied by the time the next topic goes up, will be declared the winner for that week.
Please post your Final Image here in one post, as 1 image. You may include a Title name and description if you like below the image in text form or in text form somewhere on the image. Only post the Final image for the topic, don’t include your preliminary sketches and work in progress images unless the sketches are pertinent to your Final and are included in the Final Image you’re attaching.
Please make sure to attach your Final image with CGHUB’s attachment manager as not to produce any dead links or broken images. Once the deadline is up I'll make a post in here, and only the final images posted prior to that comment will count. Final images with votes that were posted prior to the deadline will count toward the winning entry. Please feel free to post artwork after the deadline to share what you've done with others but it will not be counted in the poll.

After the thread had been unlocked, feel free to comment, crit and talk about the work submitted. The winning Entry will be set as the image in the first post "here" to show up as the thumbnail for each week, as well as being posted in a Winners Showcase thread.

Please post any questions or concerns Here: http://cghub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1939

I would prefer that you wait until after the deadline to give "Thanks" as a vote to the images you find most appealing but I can't stop you. It would just make more sense if you wait to start voting once you've seen All of the Finals for the week.

The winning Image will be re-posted/attached in the 1st post Here, to show up as the thumbnail for the thread.

Please post your Final Images ONLY.

Winning Entry by: Innate

[jazylh]

I'm new here, but I hope I'm doing the right thing by posting here, Mr.Corriero.

Polymefus:

The Polymefus is a docile yet dangerous beast. It's sheer presence rattles the earth when it moves warning all the creatures to make way for it. It moves extremely slowly & goes into hibernation for 9 out of 12 months. Unlike other creatures it actually feeds on the oxygen in the air & nothing else. It is blind & usually only moves in a particular path. Although it does not cause harm on purpose, the gases it emits are extremely poisonous & as such forms a shield of gas around the creature. Due to the intense poison gas, creatures other than it's kind cannot sustain around it & die if they don't escape it in time.

[Grumbleputty]

Polyfemus Gas Giant

[innate]

Within the thick clouds of the planet Polyfemus; an elusive colossus exists. It is rare to witness the Polyfemus Gas Giant, but when it is seen in the open it is a site to behold. It emits gases from its porous epidermis as a natural camouflage, a literal smokescreen to blend into its habitat. It is a mystery to how large these graceful creatures are. Eyewitnesses have accounted seeing their tails extending kilometers without being able to see the end. It is still unsure to whether these conjectures are true or not.

What is known is that the creatures have a natural bioluminescence much like the animals found on Pandora. The Polyfemus Gas Giant uses its bioluminescent tongues to attract swarms of its microbial food. It is speculated that this species may have a distant relation to the animals found on Pandora due to its bioluminescence and its seemingly hexapod like appendages.

[Steve_Somers]

As enormous gas storms rage in opposing bands across the outermost atmosphere on the gas planet Polyphemus, the Great Spot Glider skips across the eye of the vortex with daredevil precision. It's digestive process, a curious hybrid of magnetic resonance fusion which is controlled by giant quill-like projections known as "spiketennas", is fueled by occasional dips into vast oceans of dense helium. This process is also the creature's secondary source of locomotion when vortex surfing is not an option.

This image was captured by the brave camera crew of the Science Vessel Augustine during their mission to document the curious fauna of Polyphemus.




Click thumbnail for hi res:

[jon_bosco]

A great animal that wanders through the Polyphemus atmosphere. A strong, long sound, similar to the one produced by a flute, can be heard from the highest ends of its head, when it's around.

This animal has lots of gases inside its body. The giant use these gases' density as the way to keep its body floating in the air.

It uses tail and fins to "swim" across the sky, while using the gases as a camouflage, what makes him a deadly predator. Few animals doesn't fear its presence or the danger the big green represents.

[Lander]

Soaring within the clouds of Polyfemus she moves gracefully to reach the denser clouds that support her beeing. Coming to the end of her cylce she will move upwards to lay her floating eggs that will stay afloat out of reach from her familly

[Scorge]

The giants of Polyphemus, Cloud Grazers rule the sky above the vast planet. At nearly a mile long and with mouths large enough to swallow a Valkyrie TAV spacecraft whole, this docile and non threatening life form makes its way through the endless cloud formations brought about by Polyphemous' atmosphere. Through its gaping maw, the Cloud Grazer takes in Helium from the gaseous formations, its baleen like teeth filtering out harsher elements such as particulates and carbon that has built up in the atmosphere. This ingestion of and storage of helium in the balloons on the back is what allows for constant flotation, while stabilizers along the torso keep the behemoth along its slow and steady course towards the feeding grounds at the northern most pole of the planet.
Accompanying the Grazers, we see a swarm of Air Lampreys, so named for their attaching to the flesh and continually drawing blood. As a benefit of feeding from the giants, the Lampreys also ingest helium and are able to glide with the slightest of ease.
Cloud grazers are estimated to have a life span of over a thousand years and in depth study of the planet has revealed that their corpses remain afloat for years after their deaths.

[GordonTarpley]

Alright the time is here! still fifty thing's I'd still like to change but it's time to put the stylus down...

This is my first time posting a final so lets see if it works...

The Skysnake, a 65 meter long, legless creature that spends it's entire life moving amongst the clouds. Flight is maintained using a combination of undulating body and centipede like movement of the webbed spikes that run the length of it's body. The Skysnake has heat sensing pits along it's face that are used to detect it's prey even in the lowest visibility.

[MikeCorriero]

Some very nice stuff..
Deadline is up, let the voting begin! Use the "thanks button" to cast a vote on your favorite entries, multiple voting is allowed. Try not to vote on "every" entry.

New Topic is up: http://cghub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2631

[Lander]

Innate: You get my vote. I'll settle for one vote this time. Several of the entries were absolutley fantastic but yours was better Very alien and scary but delicate and strange. Hat's off

Cheers and hope to play again next round.

[Scorge]

One for Innate and one for Mr.Bosco. Cool stuff gentlemen. Innate, your scale and textures are amazing. Gonna study what you did for a while.

[innate]

Man, had my birthday this weekend so it was pretty crazy and it looks like I have fallen behind on all the comments. First of all, thank you for all the encouraging comments from everyone.

Steve - Thank you for leaving those comments on my gallery. Your creature concepts in this topic were very inspirational. They were like a delicious yet refined buffet of color and form.

jon_bosco - The form on this creature is awesome. It's my favorite dynamic pose out of all the creatures. Great design too!

Lander - Thank you very much for your encouraging words. I don't know if it was intentional but I see this glassy (see-through) chameleon thing happening with your creature. Might be my weird imagination but I like and it would be neat if it was taken further.

Scorge - Scorge... I loved yours from the beginning and it definitely inspired me to push myself with this one. It looks very alien yet natural. Wonderful use of colors and composition. Great job man!

My votes will have to go with bosco and Scorge.

[jazylh]

Really Amazing work, Inate! Congratulations!

[GordonTarpley]

so many good pieces here for sure.
my two absolute faves are innate and scourge. don't ask me to pick a favorite from the two because i don't think i could. both of the pieces each struck a chord with me.
the others were so close behind you'd need instant replay for the photo finish.
nice work!