[3DS Max, SP 2, UE4] Modeling workflow (request)

Filip5

Hey guys, maybe I am just missing something, but seraching over youtube I didn't find video series, that would explain creating model from A - Z. That said, I am asking, if someone could help me out, even with modeling a barrel, or a box, starting out in 3ds max, trough substance painter, to unreal engine 4. Here are the steps I am struggling with, so hopefully I could use this as a refference, a tutorial  when I get stuck.

- I am fine with modeling, nothing hard there, but smoothing ( I always use autosmooth) - it would be lovely to see this in video.

- creasing the edges - somehow this doesn't work for me, would love to see that alike

- Colliders ( for some reason UCX_meshname doesn't work for me in UE4, did in UDK)

- UV mapping - the most hatred part of most of us ( I belive ) / Also, what if my model is huge, textures are a lot blurry then. How to avoid that ?

- Lightning ( I usually get errors in ue4 about lightmap info and smoothing groups)

- Substance painter, baking maps , texturing, exporting to UE4 / Substance designer (optional) - creating basic material and publishing.

- Importing to UE4 - setting up materials and placing into scene.

- Maybe a bonus question, which software is the best for rendering a image out of this ? 

Eric Chadwick

All this info is available on the web. Don't search youtube... Read the help files for each app, and search the web.

monster

Yeah, it's going to be hard to find one person that can help with everything. Go through the process, come back with specific questions and screenshots. Then everyone can help you instead of waiting on one person.

Filip5

That is the reason  I asked for a video. The thing is, I asked some of these questions on this forum alredy. I got my answers, but reading something and seeing it is a  different thing. I always get blurry textures, at least I got that feeling. But those guys at video handles it very well. As for specific questions, I suppose those are the points stated above.

musashidan

Haven't got time now for a longer answer but, for all UE questions your first port of call should always be the UE official documentation. It is extensive, constantly updated, has many visual examples, and is unfortunately overlooked by a lot of those new to the engine.

I have to agree with the lads above. The knowledge you seek in your post covers a vast amount of topics. In order to understand and develop a solid workflow you have to be prepared to put in many, many hours of research and even more hours of self-experimentation and practice. Looking for that one 'video series' to get you there is probably the most limited way to learn this stuff. Putting it all together from multiple and varied sources in conjunction with using your own initiative and problem-solving ability is going to be much more beneficial to your development as an artist in the future.

You can watch all the videos you like but if you don't experiment and just get in there and get your hands dirty your learning will be stymied.

As an example: you want to know how to import a static mesh to UE and apply materials with custom textures. Open UE. Open the docs. And just do it! You get stuck, read the docs or google. Simple really, and a very effective learning method.

Filip5

Alright, so I went trough process again, and this is what I came up with. Still I would like to get some feedback, if this mesh is ingame usable, what would you change etc. 



There are parts of the mesh I wasn't able to create and even on the image you can see some parts got weird wireframe. The blade and hilt are not connected together, just attached. Hopefully thats alright. Except of black spots over model I don't get any errors in UE4 now. 



Also, you can see black spot on the blade on image rendered in SP2. Just to say, I am confused about lightning , as some says that UE4 doesn't need second uv's for lightmap. I used to create it for UDK...