so many guns! i prefer traditional methods
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/JC7EC.jpg[/IMG]
(keep in mind its just my second week)
[editline]18th October 2012[/editline]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/cP5pq.png[/IMG]
insert 2spooky refrence here
WOP
[thumb]http://i.imgur.com/w03tl.jpg[/thumb]
[thumb]http://i.imgur.com/kkJRo.jpg[/thumb]
[thumb]http://i.imgur.com/DIMRj.jpg[/thumb]
GIF animation soon to come
I'm working on a series of game-resolution sci-fi environment pieces and props that can be easily manipulated to create an awesome sci-fi environment. The goal is to make them tiling and modular.
[URL=http://imgbox.com/aciDWsWz][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/aciDWsWz.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[QUOTE=John117;38089473]I'm working on a series of game-resolution sci-fi environment pieces and props that can be easily manipulated to create an awesome sci-fi environment. The goal is to make them tiling and modular.
[URL=http://imgbox.com/aciDWsWz][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/aciDWsWz.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://content6.flixster.com/question/37/65/28/3765284_std.gif[/IMG]
"Oh, ya, they're called pipes. You should get some!"
[QUOTE=John117;38089473]I'm working on a series of game-resolution sci-fi environment pieces and props that can be easily manipulated to create an awesome sci-fi environment. The goal is to make them tiling and modular.
[URL=http://imgbox.com/aciDWsWz][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/aciDWsWz.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/QUOTE]
I feel like the design of the detailed bits is far too unlike the design of the pipes themselves. they don't really blend together, rather just seeming distracting and tacked on. They also don't break the silhouette of it at all, making it kind of boring to look at.
as for your bakes, your details were way to sharp and didn't bake cleanly at all. I also don't understand why you have so much geometry for a simple cylinder. Are you using that one piece and bending it to make curves? if so, that doesn't really seem like an effective way to make modular stuff seeing as when it's a straight piece you wind up with a lot of needless geo on a plain cylinder (and you'll need separate meshes in engine anyways, unless you come up with a dynamic pipe creation tool in said engine).
my advice is this: try to unify the design of whatever those detailed bits are, make corners sharper so they actually bake decently, and try to break the silhouette to make it more interesting.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/yQ46L.gif[/IMG]
time to learn how to rig.
[editline]18th October 2012[/editline]
let me know if its not working. i used AE to GIF it.
the gif doesn't loop and it uses very few colors.
[editline]18th October 2012[/editline]
also @ everyone if u care: my friend critiqued my gun model and we had a really good sesh on how to take it in a new direction. honestly the problem was that I developed it getting almost no feedback while being a little to invested in the design and diverging from my initial intentions of the project. my classmates did not give me any useful information that could have prevented this so i came out with a model with pretty poor design :( such is the natural dilemma of being in a class for beginners, they have no idea how to critique 3d because they're just now grasping concepts and don't even know how to bake a normal map.
Personally tho i like the idea of having intentionally faceted stuff, and I'm going to reuse the idea and attempt to apply it in a more suiting manner.
[QUOTE=John117;38089473]I'm working on a series of game-resolution sci-fi environment pieces and props that can be easily manipulated to create an awesome sci-fi environment. The goal is to make them tiling and modular.
[URL=http://imgbox.com/aciDWsWz][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/aciDWsWz.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/QUOTE]
I'm really confused as to why the low poly has so many edgeloops...
if im not mistaken it should be 192 quads just for that low, nearly all of which could easily be spent:
a) making it more round
b) on adding detail to more important assets in a hypothetical environment
c) breaking up the form, adding in more details and creating visual interest
His low suggests he's averaged out his vertex normals for the bake, but I'm probably wrong because I don't know why they're still there.
Here's that victorian box I posted last week, I have to stick to a reference so can't do mad shit.
[img]http://puu.sh/1geEs[/img]
[img]http://puu.sh/1geEx[/img]
And an update on the van.
[img]http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/8498/ss20121018at114240.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=- Livewire -;38093498]His low suggests he's averaged out his vertex normals for the bake, but I'm probably wrong because I don't know why they're still there.[/QUOTE]
well i mean it would wind up as all averaged normals anyways since it's just a cylinder. the extra verts wouldn't change his bake at all as the vertex normals would face directly outward.
if he wants to be efficient with modularity, and isn't going to add in more content, the only two models he should really need are the main straight tube (with no useless loops) as well as just a small 45 degree bend mesh.
he could literally double the sides of the tubing and keep both meshes i described far under the vertex count of what he's currently got, especially seeing as uv splits result in the vertices being broken in engine (meaning each one of those verts are now becoming two). without all those loops the vertex count would decrease considerably.
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;38091712]my advice is this: try to unify the design of whatever those detailed bits are, make corners sharper so they actually bake decently, and try to break the silhouette to make it more interesting.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the good criticism. I'm used to only making high-resolution models and am new to the world of game models and baking normal maps. It was my poor decision to add colors to the diffuse map when it would have probably looked better in the original form. This is what the high resolution model originally looked like:
[URL=http://imgbox.com/abgLNOJP][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/abgLNOJP.jpg[/IMG][/URL]*
Anyways, I will take your advice to heart and use it to improve my work. This next piece is a briefcase for all of your futuristic MacGuffin-storing needs:
[URL=http://imgbox.com/acqr0tsL][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/acqr0tsL.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
I haven't posted anything in forever...
Old guy! (he's an older model I made, but I picked it up again and started improving it)
[img]http://i.imgur.com/xIWmm.png[/img]
any CC on this door?
[b][/b] ([url=http://p3d.in/XRTHY]View in 3D[/url])
[url=http://p3d.in/XRTHY][img]http://p3d.in/model_data/snapshot/XRTHY[/img][/url]
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/27535259/SwordBake.png[/img]
well this baked more or less perfectly
[QUOTE=John117;38095637]Thanks for the good criticism. I'm used to only making high-resolution models and am new to the world of game models and baking normal maps. It was my poor decision to add colors to the diffuse map when it would have probably looked better in the original form. This is what the high resolution model originally looked like:
[URL=http://imgbox.com/abgLNOJP][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/abgLNOJP.jpg[/IMG][/URL]*
Anyways, I will take your advice to heart and use it to improve my work. This next piece is a briefcase for all of your futuristic MacGuffin-storing needs:
[URL=http://imgbox.com/acqr0tsL][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/acqr0tsL.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/QUOTE]
also sorry i meant to type make corners smoother not make corners sharper. didn't catch that when i double checked my post.
Anyone have good resources on baking normal maps? I've had very little luck doing so, as my model has mirrored UVs. Any normal map I've baked thus far has had some pretty bad errors. I'm working with ZBrush and 3DS Max, if that's important at all.
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/eqMaZ.png[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/K6WTJ.jpg[/img_thumb]
I feel like there could be some major improvements, not sure. I feel like the low-poly geometry doesn't reflect the hi-poly well enough and it results in a poorer normal map. There's a lot more issues but I'm not at my desktop right now,
EDIT: And does anyone have tips for a decent quick render of how a normal map should appear in 3DS Max? I'm fairly new to this whole process.
[QUOTE=azgag;38096188]any CC on this door?
[b][/b] ([url=http://p3d.in/XRTHY]View in 3D[/url])
[url=http://p3d.in/XRTHY][img]http://p3d.in/model_data/snapshot/XRTHY[/img][/url][/QUOTE]
It's pretty good, but it can use a few adjustments in my opinion.
1) Make the bump for the paint stronger. When making game models you sometimes have to exaggerate things to sell the model.
2) There should be more contrast in the specular map. Make the dirt darker and the scratches on the edges brighter.
3) Those cylindrical doodads on the sides seem unnecessary to be actual geometry in my opinion. That geometry could best be used making the top sides of the door smoother.
4) There's indentation on the sides of the door which probably won't be seen by the player as the door will be between a wall right? That geometry could best be used on the actual door and not somewhere where the player likely won't even see it.
Here's a rifle from an upcoming game:
[URL=http://imgbox.com/abewQppZ][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/abewQppZ.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[QUOTE=RiceWarrior;38098076]Anyone have good resources on baking normal maps? I've had very little luck doing so, as my model has mirrored UVs. Any normal map I've baked thus far has had some pretty bad errors. I'm working with ZBrush and 3DS Max, if that's important at all.
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/eqMaZ.png[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/K6WTJ.jpg[/img_thumb]
I feel like there could be some major improvements, not sure. I feel like the low-poly geometry doesn't reflect the hi-poly well enough and it results in a poorer normal map. There's a lot more issues but I'm not at my desktop right now,
EDIT: And does anyone have tips for a decent quick render of how a normal map should appear in 3DS Max? I'm fairly new to this whole process.[/QUOTE]
What are you using to render the lowpoly with the baked normal map? It might just look that weak because it has a lot of light sources spread around it.
As for having a good representation of normal maps in 3Ds Max - use the Xoluil Shader ([url]http://www.laurenscorijn.com/viewportshader[/url]). This will allow you to see a model with pretty much every required map for game usage in realtime.
The optimal process for creating a lowpoly and highpoly model would be to create a model out of quads representing the rough shape of the model and using levels of turbosmooth on it to reach your desired sillhouette. You can use this model and import it into software like Zbrush and add small detail and still take the model and optimize it by removing edgeloops and turning quads into tris on flat areas etc. while keeping the sillhouette.
[url]http://youtu.be/2Tgy0lBdJK0[/url] This is a multiple part process of creating a model with high-low poly models and other steps for a finished model, if you have the time this is a GREAT watch (also where I got these tips from).
As for the symmetry, if you use a symmetry modifier and unwrapped before applying it, there actually should be no problem baking - as far as my experience goes (some engines apparently don't work with mirrored uvs though).
A lot of things I just wrote, some of this might be wrong do correct me as I am learning myself.
Started on this missile turret:
[URL=http://imgbox.com/adzs4Xja][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/adzs4Xja.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[QUOTE=FlyingAlien;38101568]What are you using to render the lowpoly with the baked normal map? It might just look that weak because it has a lot of light sources spread around it.
As for having a good representation of normal maps in 3Ds Max - use the Xoluil Shader ([url]http://www.laurenscorijn.com/viewportshader[/url]). This will allow you to see a model with pretty much every required map for game usage in realtime.
The optimal process for creating a lowpoly and highpoly model would be to create a model out of quads representing the rough shape of the model and using levels of turbosmooth on it to reach your desired sillhouette. You can use this model and import it into software like Zbrush and add small detail and still take the model and optimize it by removing edgeloops and turning quads into tris on flat areas etc. while keeping the sillhouette.
[url]http://youtu.be/2Tgy0lBdJK0[/url] This is a multiple part process of creating a model with high-low poly models and other steps for a finished model, if you have the time this is a GREAT watch (also where I got these tips from).
As for the symmetry, if you use a symmetry modifier and unwrapped before applying it, there actually should be no problem baking - as far as my experience goes (some engines apparently don't work with mirrored uvs though).
A lot of things I just wrote, some of this might be wrong do correct me as I am learning myself.[/QUOTE]
Thanks a lot for info! I managed to get the plugin working and it's a godsend for previewing my maps. I think a lot of the issues I've been having with my normal maps is poor UV mapping, so I've been reworking them, but unfortunately I've still a long way to go.
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/K5F84.png[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/1dVyg.png[/img_thumb]
My main issues appear to be with seams being really poorly placed, so hopefully that will help out with the poor results I'm getting.
I'm not entirely sure how to go about fixing these seams, but I'll keep at it.
It may be more about how you bake. Do you have smoothing groups before baking? Ideally your model should have just one smoothing group. Also, you may have to adjust your cage.
I made this model quickly to test out normal baking and the Xoliul shader. There's just a normal map applied. This mystery box has six seams- can you spot them?
[URL=http://imgbox.com/acwicvWz][IMG]http://t.imgbox.com/acwicvWz.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
With the shader, try switching the 'Flip Green' part on and off to see if it may be that.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/7obCJ.png[/IMG]
My first actual model.
It's a Remington Mark 3 flaregun.
What do you guys suggest I make next?
[QUOTE=John117;38107209]Ideally your model should have just one smoothing group.[/QUOTE]
nononononononono this is terrible advice
Read this instead:
[url]http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107196[/url]
[t]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/68500821/flashlight-model-1.png[/t] How would I go exactly from hollowing the cone at the top of this, by any chance? Google doesn't give me anything.
what
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;38108510]nononononononono this is terrible advice
Read this instead:
[url]http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107196[/url][/QUOTE]
Read from the best of the industry:
[url]http://freesdk.crydev.net/display/SDKDOC3/Chamfering+Edges[/url]
Unified smoothing groups produces the best results.
"[I]In conclusion, it is best to use low poly meshes with unified smoothing groups, and then to chamfer edges and corners if they can be seen at extreme angles. However, it is not always necessary to chamfer low poly meshes. Using very simple meshes can produce surprisingly good results if they are carefully matched to the high poly mesh.[/I]"
[img]http://i.imgur.com/mlPIx.jpg[/img] is it possible to make a shell ejection port without using a boolean?
[editline]20th October 2012[/editline]
Alright I just went ahead and used boolean
[img]http://i.imgur.com/YQtWC.jpg[/img]
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