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Forbidden Bryce—

Learn Bryce 5 modeling by building a robot model based on "Robby, the Robot™"*

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Say Hello to Bryce 5 Robby	Busy Bryce 5 Robbys

"Welcome to Bryce V, gentlemen..."

	With those famous words -- okay, it was "Welcome to Altair IV..."-- science fiction fans worldwide met and fell in technological love with "Robby, the Robot"-- the inspiring character created for the MGM science fiction classic "Forbidden Planet" which premiered in 1956. As a character, Robby was one of the first "good guy" robots and was remarkably human in his vocalizations and manner. His droll observations in the movie provide sophisticated comic relief and are still a delight for the fans. Robby was a groundbreaking design in cinematic robots, his appearance is classic fifty's retro-- including fins-- and he became the inspiration for a huge number of toys. If you look on the Internet (try E-Bay) you'll find that even today, Robby is a dearly loved character and his toy versions are valuable collectibles. I even had a few of them as a child! Return
Fred Barton's Official Reproduction Robby		ClydeSight's Bryce 5 Tutorial Robby

Robby's History

Robby was a costume, not a puppet or CGI (they didn't have CGI in those days!) He was a full size character who moved about on the movie set and interacted with the other actors in real time. Robby was seven feet tall yet weighted less than 100 lbs. He was made of plastic and was operated sometimes by actor Frankie Darrow and sometimes by actor Frankie Carpenter and was given a voice by actor Marvin Miller (of "The Millionaire" fame). His flashing lights and "adding machine" sound effects added to his charm. Robby made two film appearances, "Forbidden Planet" (1956 color) and later in "The Invisible Boy" (1957 black & white).

Although Robby got plenty of screen time in "Forbidden Planet", his role in "The Invisible Boy" was more expansive. For Robby the Robot study purposes, "The Invisible Boy" provides plenty of visual information. The film didn't do very well at the box office. It became a matinee "kids" feature and quickly disappeared.

Robby transitioned to television and made several appearances on popular shows, including "Love Boat", "The Twilight Zone", "The Addams Family" and, of course, "Lost in Space". On each show, his appearance was altered, sometimes drastically, and his beautiful voice was often replaced by something ridiculous. He spent some time in a Hollywood museum, but was vandalized by patrons seeking free souvenirs. Fortunately, he was fully restored by Fred Barton (who also received a special license from Warner to replicate Robby) and purchased by a collector.

Information about Robby can be found on the Internet. Just use any search engine-- in advanced mode-- and type in the phrase "Robby the Robot". You'll be amazed at what you find-- it's fascinating stuff.

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Special Thank You Acknowledgment to Fred Barton Productions. Fred Barton has been a Robby enthusiast since he was a kid, and not only has he restored the original Robby, but he also manufactures faithful reproductions of the character. Fred posted a chronology of his experiences, complete with images on his Web site: http://www.the-robotman.com. ClydeSight2.0! thanks Fred for his wonderful Web site and images. They were the inspiration for developing the Robby model used in this tutorial to teach you the wonderful capabilities of Bryce 5.

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Robby via Bryce 5

Robby's design is remarkably unique and quite complex. He's absolutely loaded with detail. To build a 3-D model of him in Bryce 5 seemed impossible. But I love a creative challenge, especially if it helps me improve my Bryce 5 skills.

I did not design an EXACT replication of Robby in Bryce 5 for three reasons:

1. I don't have the detailed blueprints necessary -- with the dimensions for all the parts. I worked from images.
2. Some of the parts used in Robby just can't be made using the Bryce 5 primitives.
3. My intention is to use the Robby character as inspiration for teaching Bryce 5 modeling techniques, NOT to violate anyone's copyright!

That said, Bryce 5 can make a very nice facsimile of Robby that is more than acceptable. My goal was to build a Robby using ONLY what comes in the Bryce 5 program-- relying on nothing external. It was a fun and interesting project-- and as you can see, it worked!

I developed the model for the purpose of creating a comprehensive tutorial to help Bryce 5 users learn how to better manage and get more out of the program. I have kept in mind the learning experience, and so have somewhat simplified Robby where possible for teaching purposes. A Bryce 5 beginner can work this tutorial and pick up a lot of tips and tricks along the way. Your Robby can even be animated-- but that's the subject of another tutorial.

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Legal Disclaimer:

This tutorial is about learning to use the Bryce 5, 3-D modeling program, NOT about "Robby, the Robot™." The Robby character is used as a stimulus to learning due to its popularity. MGM sold the rights to "Robby, the Robot™", "Forbidden Planet™" and "The Invisible Boy™" to Turner Entertainment (a Time-Warner company), who still maintains the rights. "Robby, the Robot" & "Forbidden Planet" are Trademarks of Turner Entertainment Co., a Time Warner Company. The visual information I used to help me create my model comes from video tape re-masters of these films (MGM/UA Home Video/Turner) and information I have read about Robby on the Internet. This tutorial shows you how to build a facsimile of the Robby design-- NOT AN EXACT reproduction. The 3-D model and this tutorial are for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY! I do not claim any rights to the Robby design or any affiliation with MGM or Turner. The model I present here is for NON-COMMERCIAL, EDUCATIONAL use only. Its sole intent is to use the Robby character design as a stimulus for learning to use standard modeling techniques in the 3-D program, Bryce 5. No other use is suggested or implied.

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About the Author:

Tim Thompson, author of this (and our other Bryce 5 tutorials) has been working with digital media for 14 years. He started with Bryce when it first appeared and has followed the program through its upgrades to the current version 5. Tim uses Bryce 5 for a multitude of projects, including some of the interesting games on our ClydeSight2.0!, the fun and games cat site. Tim has also been a teacher, having instructed continuing education classes for five years at Boston's Emerson College in desktop publishing and design and Web design classes in the Boston Urban Scholars program. Tim is a man of many talents. He not only creates digital art, but also composes music! ClydeSight Productions is pleased to publish his two albums, Symphonia Felina and Other Musical Masterworks and Forestdale-Tone Poems Inspired by Nature. Of course, Tim designed the covers for both albums! Tim's tutorials and digital art have won him high praise from the prestigious Renderosity.com digital artist's Web site. His tutorials for Bryce 5 have been enjoyed the world over and are used in local schools to augment their curriculum.

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What's in the Tutorial:

This Bryce 5 Robby model is made entirely from Bryce 5 primitives and the Bryce 5 supplied mesh object-- the "rounded cube". You'll create everything yourself within the program-- you need NO extra files or material maps. You'll learn and apply many of the principles of object creation unique to Bryce 5-- how to use Boolean operations, how to use the Set As Unity option and create grouped objects so they behave as a single unit for positioning, how to use the Replicate command to create multiple reiterations of an object and have them automatically place themselves, how to create special materials for "painting", and how to use the Bryce 5 Solo mode to avoid the confusion that comes when a complex model is assembled in the Bryce 5 standard workspace. And, of course, no ClydeSight2.0! Bryce 5 tutorial would be complete without some lighting tricks and tips!

Because the Bryce 5 Robby character is so complex, I have broken down his construction into logical sections. It is highly recommended that you start with the beginning section (Legs) and proceed from there, as each section builds on the previous one. The estimated project time to build your model is about 8-12 hours. You don't have to build it all at once, you can take it in stages. Think of it as a plastic model-- without the plastic.

So, if you are ready, let's take off for the world of Bryce 5 and "...learn the secrets of the Krell..." er, Bryce 5 primitives. We start from the table of contents that will show you all the sections of this tutorial. Go Contents-->

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The character and design of "Robby, the Robot" was originated by MGM for the movie "Forbidden Planet" and is the property of Turner Entertainment Co. It is imitated here for Bryce 5 educational purposes only and no violation of their copyright is intended or implied. "Robby, the Robot" & "Forbidden Planet" are Trademarks of Turner Entertainment Co., a Time Warner Company.

Photos: Fred Barton Productions. Used with permission

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