to any modelers and/or riggers out there, i need some help in setting my starting position for modeling my dragon which i will be passing to my friend to rig. we are both students who have learned to model and rig human characters in school, so we have no experience in modeling or rigging 4 legged creatures.

i have seen some tutorials and reference images of dragon models, and most of them were standing on all fours, but the poses of the legs were different, some more bent than the other. but because we've only learned how to rig characters in T-pose, my friend has requested me to model the dragon with all limbs outstretched, like " oH " , where "o" is the head, and "H" is the body, from top view. is that really practical? or should i be modeling the legs on the ground? and if i do, should the legs be as straight as possible (like that of horse), or bent in a 'natural' position?

any advises on the pose would be highly appreciated. main concern would be on the limbs. any advises for the wings (i see some have them spread out, some have them straight up in the air), neck, and back/spine would be appreciated too ^^

I have animated a panther once I modeled it in a standing pose with all the limbs on the floor. I had no problems rigging it that way. I also animated other animals like crocodile and 4 legged monsters and rigged them from a natural pose. This is my experience I don't know if this is the correct way to do it.

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Andyba, 3d artist
skills: 3d modeling, texturing, rendering, 3d character animation, compositing
3d software experience: 3ds max, Maya, Softimage XSI, Deep Paint 3d, Body Paint 3D, Wings 3D, Z Brush
2d software experience: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After effects, Macromedia Flash, Freehand