Gameready axe WIP

Lemi

MODEL:
https://sketchfab.com/models/3fa376a2fd924d549e811724749878d8

So started this axe model as an side project this weekend. The main goal was to improve my texturing with substance painter and improve my lowpoly pipeline in zbrush. The normals are baked in xnormal. 

Started of the base shape in maya and then sculpted out the detail in Zbrush.

C&C is welcome!

Edit: End goal is to get the axe gameready.

Highpoly Sculpt in Zbrush

Lowpoly in Zbrush

Highpoly in Zbrush



MAPS:

JHS

Definetly a little extend of the term "game ready". Most important is to clean up the topology of unneeded loops. You could easily safe 2/3 of the polys. That is something extremely important in game development. Just say it is a texture practice and don´t claim it´s "game ready".

The texture is fine but is lacking a little bit on definition. The maps are huge enough to define the wood better, it looks a little blurry compared to the rest. The leatherstraps could be modeled as geometry. Depends on what purpose the weapon is build for (FPS, 3Person or something like Diablo). The axehead could have a sharpened edge, so it got some difference in surface and don´t look that extremely rough all around.
Keep it going

Lemi

Hehe, well the title maybe is more wishful thinking, But thank you for the advice i will do my best to clean it up and fix up the textures. The vision was that the weapon should be used in a FPS game (something like Skyrim), Right now the mesh is around 5k polys. What would a recommended poly count be for this gen of games?

MarcoAntonio

Lemi said:

Lowpoly in Zbrush

That... is not low poly Lemi. It has way too many polygons. The idea is just try to set polygons that define the silhouette and that depends on what kind of game are your models for. For example, if this axe would be used in a first person game there would be needed more polygons than a model used in a third person camera based game.

So, the thing is: Try to set the less polygons as possible while conserving enough geometry so the curves look just right.

Here I leave one of my models:

As you can see I try to avoid using polygons on plane areas (details are going to be shown thought normal maps...thats why they are used).

In regard to the textures, they look fine but need more work. Since you just wanted to train, is ok. Just work on that making more weapon and try to learn how to increase detail (I am also trying to learn that and the only way is to do more work...and more axes )

JHS

There is no global polycount number for any asset, but it is crucial to reduce the amount of polys as much as possible without changing the quality of the asset. Like Antonio wrote if there is no change in the direction of a plane there is no need for polygons. Only if it´s skinned and animated you have to think with an additional structure to support the animation in the right spots.
Compare your boths axe-blades.

Lemi

So sorry for late reply.

 Thank you for all the advice guys, and critiques!  
Just had time to update the model had a busy week. 

https://sketchfab.com/models/3fa376a2fd924d549e811724749878d8

https://i.gyazo.com/fd31cd70f0968526e3b83fe26fe97a3a.png

Added some things on the scuplt and cleaned up the geometry, Its around 1.5k triss now
And did some more work on the texture. Cleaned up the UV abit as well.


Right now it feels like i should add some more detail on the texture. The plan is to maybe update the axe handle with more details and work some more on the edge.  

Tell me what you guys think,
Cheers!

MarcoAntonio

Ok! The Low poly model is right!! good job with that!

And for the textures... don´t know if it´s my thing or not, but I always see low ress pictures on sketchfab. Could you upload some pictures here? Just to see the textures more closly.

Lemi

Thanks m8!

Dont know about so much about Sketchfab tbh.. might be i missed some setting. But here are some renders from iray. 

Need to put some work in the three handle, the normal texture feels kinda dull ill add some more details. And im trying to get that effecft like the axe head is grinded out with a grindstone. 

MarcoAntonio

Well. Various things. The first thing are the normals: That leather wrap looks like painted on the wood surface (you would need to increase the height map of that layer). The other thing is AO: There should be some kind of occlusion on the limits between materials. Other thing are wood details: For me the general colours of the wood are fine (I am still not an expert soooo...) but some different tone lines would be nice (besides playing with the roughness map). The last thing I have to say is related with the metal texture: looking at how damaged that metal looks, you should give more love to those textures (rust and dirt on the cavities, a patina, changes on the roughness map...). 

Lemi

Ty for all the advice and once more sorry for the late reply.

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/XkEe0
Finished up the model and uploaded it on artstation if anyone wants to take a look 

Cheers and thanks for all the advice guys!