'Secret Lair of an Insectoid Soldier' Truly Final Concept Art

I had completely left the all important helmet spotlight out of my previous 'final' concept art, I've remedied this here.

Previous post, with concept art build up images:

http://dannyrollings.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/secret-lair-of-insectoid-soldier-final.html

'Secret Lair of an Insectoid Soldier' Final Concept Art

Final Concept

Build Up

Insectoid Soldier's Secret Lair: Modelling Refinement Nearly Complete

Again, all progress renders and screenshots to be compiled and posted at a later time.

All that's left to be modelled is the hero prop and water splashing out of the font, with lighting firmly established all that will be left to do is to UV Map and texture the lair. Then I can take a big step back to completing the concept art and producing any orthographic projections and prop sheets. While this is obviously not the normal pipeline order, it is definitely the last assignment in which such a method will become necessary.

Insectoid Soldier's Secret Lair: Block-Out Refining (01) - 23 minute Production Quality render time!

All progress renders and screenshots to be compiled and posted at a later time.

Current progress
Comparing the difference between the Production quality and the Draft quality renders, the most significant (almost only) difference is the reflections in the water. In order to reduce render time I will experiment further with different lower Raytrace Shadow settings and likely remove the lair's back-most torch because it serves no purpose. The mia_material_x water reflectivity will be reduced significantly, as will further experimentation decide whether the central green spotlight is to be removed. The helmet illumination spotlight's fog also needs to be directly adjusted.

First Production quality Mental Ray render. (23:03)
Point Lights, Raytrace Shadows: Light Radius = 0.200, Shadow Rays = 30, Ray Depth Limit = 3.

Draft quality Mental Ray render. (06:39)
Point Lights, Raytrace Shadows: Light Radius = 0.200, Shadow Rays = 200, Ray Depth Limit = 1.

Render of block-out before refinement had begun.

My original, first block-out paint-over attempt.

Curiousity: Scarab Beetle, Hard Surface or Organic Modelling?

Currently refining the block-out models of the components of my ancient Egyptian insectoid soldier's Secret Lair and I am wondering what you'd consider modelling a beetle to be? Considering its hard exoskeleton yet organic nature due to it being a living creature. This post also serves as a way of showing my current progress with the Scarab beetle - so far there are many process screenshots to be sorted through so will be uploaded at a later time.

'Secret Lair of an Insectoid Soldier' Lair Lighting Development and Base Texturing (Maya block-out)

Render showing current Maya block-out lighting and base texturing progress.

The entire lighting process so far

'Secret Lair of an Insectoid Soldier' Insectoid Khepresh - Hero Prop Colour Tests and Entire Development Process (so far)

Current stage

Development process

Excellent hieroglyphics resource:
http://www.artyfactory.com/egyptian_art/egyptian_hieroglyphs/hieroglyphs.htm