Wooden axe
polycounter lvl 8
This project is supposed to be a worn axe that has been used to chop wood. This is my first attempt at physically based texturing, so I am basically trying things until it looks decent. I obviously have a long way to go with this, I haven't working on the roughness of the wood yet, so it is not detailed or correct.
So far it looks decent in my opinion, but its definitely not to the standard I want.
LATEST:
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Also btw I haven't abandoned my drill project. I had a couple hours free so I decided to get a small project started so I have something to put in my portfolio.
So far it looks decent in my opinion, but its definitely not to the standard I want.
LATEST:
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Also btw I haven't abandoned my drill project. I had a couple hours free so I decided to get a small project started so I have something to put in my portfolio.
Replies
https://www.google.com/search?q=hand+axe&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=892&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=yANuVe_POe6RsQTJ7IPoDA&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg
btw, do you have any idea why the normals seem to be adding a darkened outline?
I definately need to work on the wood a lot more now, it looks very boring.
My intended point of reference was just that this is an axe someone has owned, probably kept in their garage and used to chop up wood. Im not sure how to really portray that in a texture. The damage shows it has been used.
I found this image:
Maybe I could add some small splats of plaint onto it, like someone spilled paint whilst working in their garage
You add story by thinking about what has happened to the prop, it's an ax so the first questions that come to my mind;
Has it been sharpened recently?
Has it been used recently?
How old is the wood? Is the wood beginning to rot?
Has the blade ever been chipped when it was miss swung and hit a rock?
When you're creating a portfolio or hero prop you'll want to think about these things and apply them accordingly. If it's a background prop call it done and start working on the scene it's going to be put into.
Sorry if I am being a pain in the ass asking lots of questions, I am not very good at texturing yet and its my first time using PBR techniques, so I am kind of learning as I go
I need to get a normal map on the metal to add some detail, and for the paint so it pops
What do you think of my last update so far?
making a tool shed or something ?
Nope, I am just making single props for use in my portfolio. Trying to finally get something finished. I saw a few people who were finishing high school asking for portfolio critiques and it made my realize that I need to spend more time finishing stuff
It might seem like I am making a tool shed, as all I seem to be making recently is tools
Honestly, it feels like you slapped some paint on it. It doesn't make me think about anything other than, "That paint looks weird".
Try to think up a back story for this axe. Why are you building it? Because you wanted an axe? It would be better if it was, say, evidence that was used in a crime. Maybe there's something mystical about it. Maybe it was wielded by some fantastical creature as a means to an end, and ended up with some weird claw/scratch marks on the handle.
That sort of thing. Get imaginative. Make me care...
I made the axe because I just felt like making one, I don't know why. I just wanted to create some that was realistic with PBR textures.
I could do it as a piece of evidence in a crime, but I am not sure how I would stop it from being very generic. Blood splats on the blade would mean it would have an easily understood story that leaves room for the viewer to imagine what happened, but wouldn't that feel a bit generic?
Your first questions should be...
Where is this owner from? for example...
This axe belonged to a great warrior of an native indian tribe... the world was a fantasy world not this universe but a little different so native indians in that universe used a lot of metal to forge their weapons and they never lost their land to the american explorers who stumbled onto their land in our universe... this native indian champion wielded axes because he believed that the bigger the axe the better the man... he would often peel out the teeth of his enemies as trophies and would weld them with metal onto the bottom of his axe so whenever he did not have time to swing he could switch to a quick handle jab which would feel like their enemy just got a giant bite out of their face by the wrath of his enemies deaths...
you know, that kind of thing...
from me just fire balling random ideas in one go... you already have a lot of popular culture behind the development of this axe with the snap of a finger.
Hope that helps (Y) keep going, you clearly know how to model now it's just about the concept of what you're modelling
I agree with Kid.in.the.Dark, it's all about the concept. It's a very difficult thing to do, coming up with a good concept / design. So you should start with an existing concept, or work from a photograph. It helps a lot. Then you can focus only on the execution.
I didn't copy it exactly. but just used it as a reference.
I tried adding some kind of story to the axe by adding pools of blood on the handle, which look pretty good in my opinion. What do you think?
If you're looking for feedback on your storytelling pieces, I'm not real keen on the blood. Maybe it's because I just can't ever picture blood pooling on the sides like that. Maybe it's because when artists' think "story telling" they always go to blood/ violence. Usually it works, but it will never get you points for creativity.
I think part of the problem is that the reference you chose looks like a prop piece; the kind of piece that you should say you're finished with and move on to the rest of the scene, like many have suggested. But if you want feedback on storytelling:
-Was the wood rotting/ splitering and the axe needed repair with duct tape?
-Was the blade machine cast after the industrial revolution (smooth) or hand forged with a mallet (faceted)?
-Did the owner apply any personal charms to the loop hole, like Native American feathers or trophy teeth/ hair/ ears/ etc (see Kid's story).
-Are you dead set on the wooden/ metal axe? Call of duty loves featuring tactical axes, or you could do some sort of fantasy axe with chunky rock? Really go crazy with cool emissives under the rock panels. Then there are ceremonial axes or beast-mode axes. Norse axes has awesome etching on their blades and dwarven axes have add color and a bit of different shape language.
All this to say, the axe you chose just isn't designed to be a showcased hero piece. Alan Wake featured an axe like that but people mostly talk about Alan Wake for it's story/ atmosphere/ lighting or mood, not it's extremely average Midwestern weapons. Dying Light did a good job with axes like this by allowing the player to combine the axe with electricity, nails, toxic goo and other elements; check out some screen shots or try to pick it up. But as it stands now, it just isn't a hero piece.
The thing I am finding difficult is the idea of adding a story to it, when I look at a piece of work for example:
I don't see a story, I just see a gun that has been used before.
I was looking on sketchfab and I found these hammer models that I thought were good inspiration
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I think the best thing would probably be to finish this off to a good standard and then work on something that is more interesting and has some theme/story to it. I guess this did serve as good practice for the basics of PBR workflow.
Its my first time actually getting something properly textured, so I am going to make a lot of mistakes before getting something just right. Practice makes perfect
Good idea, will give me some practice sculpting aswell. I am going to add some duct tape wraps to it, or maybe some blood soaked fabric. Duct tape might be better, otherwise I would have to add in some extra geometry for the fabric and would therefore basically have to start over unwrapping and texturing.
Even if you gave your character who's holding the axe a name, you could have a sticker label stuck on the side called "Huey" or something... and that already brings more character to the prop... when you just replicate something without adding a little to it the prop already lacks interest. Unless the prop is something that's already interesting by nature like for example the gun reference you just posted, or a tank, things with guns already by default look cool... if you want to improve your skills as an artist knowing how to build a quick concept without having to draw it out is a very valuable skill to have in this industry.
Just follow the example I gave you before, if you're in charge of your own concept the more random with the back story the better, with uniqueness comes diversity.
If you're working in the industry and someone gives you an axe asset to build and he says build it to this picture exactly then fair enough, don't give it a back story and just follow what your higher ups or directors have told you to do... but sometimes you're given a prop and the whole entire game's story has already been laid out for you... like "This is about a man who's a serial killer and has a thing for cutting out people's brains with his axe and hands" then in the subtleties you could add a little bit of hair strands stuck to the dried up blood, chunks of brain tissue on the axe head and on the handle... anything like that already adds to the effect.
Art isn't easy, concepts and back stories aren't easy either... but learning to do it is essential.
Don't feel discouraged, you've done a good model it's just the concept of it. I sense hesitance in you from the criticism you've received so far and imo you don't have to adopt our advice right here and right now on this project if you feel hesitant to change everything again although it would be the best move to take it on board right away... the main thing is to just keep this in mind for the next approach to your next project.
Hope that helps.
It will probably be hard to go back to this asset and radically change it, so I am probably going to just start a brand new asset to implement that advice.
I am going to continue with this prop, but I will make it more interesting. I saw an portfolio piece before where someone had a mail box, and they had a few different variants where the mailbox got progressively more broken and worn. I am thinking of doing something like this for the axe, gradually adding more damage to the blade and the handle, adding rust etc.
Ill keep the idea of having a back story for when I make my next asset
I think you're citing a bud's tutorial: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/digital-tutors-real-time-aging-and-decay-for-games
Big thing to know when doing something like that is that tutorials are seen by many. I'd recommend taking the principals Clint addressed and applying them to a different prop with metals and woods or anything set of materiel properties.
But maintain your ambition, watch a lot of tutorials and you'll grow real fast.
I was going to attempt a similar idea but with this axe instead
Here is the semi finished axe:
I think I learn't quite a lot from this project, which is always a good thing. I should be able to work on some more complex props and environments now that I know the basic workflow of PBR, it isn't as daunting anymore.