Samus Aran WIP
polycounter lvl 18
Currently < 11k triangles
I think I'm ready for some C&C on this one. This was supposed to be a different scifi model, so it's actually a failed attempt at an original character. I've never done anything in a manga style before, so either way this should be good lesson for me.
My plan is to make Samus beat-up like she just finished a mission. Just ignore the gun for now.
I was inspired primarily by this Metroid Prime fanart, so if anyone knows who did this piece, that'd be great.
Replies
Personally I think the feet look great! Everything else seems as though it still needs some loving.
Great work, I look forward to seeing more
This models looking good, damn good. But we all know its the helmet that will make or break the model
Zephir62 - I'm not sure what you mean about the thigh guards? They're there, unless you meant something else. However, I insist on keeping the shoulder balls huge! It looks less like Samus everytime I scale them down, hehe.
odium - Yeah, I've noticed that Samus's textures are kinda weak in the MP games, but it's probably a memory limitation thing. I was on the fence about doing a helmet but on second thought it'd be too fun not to do. I think I'll make the helmet and gun designs different than the usual Samus look.
Thanks dudes, will keep updating.
All in japanese though, so finding your way around can be tricky.
He's got a couple other drawings of the ol gal up there-
http://samael.cool.ne.jp/top/oldsamus%2072dpi.jpg
http://samael.cool.ne.jp/gallery/p_samus.jpg
http://samael.cool.ne.jp/gallery/fusion.jpg
Too many polygons are going to inset, minor details (like the shoulder ball cuts) that should be textured on.
It looks good for the most part but right now it's got not enough going on for a high poly model but too much waste for a solid in-game model.
Ghostscape - I won't be using any normal maps for this one. I know that's pretty much the way to go nowadays, but I don't want that look for this model. I'm sorta following my imaginary specs for Metroid Prime 3 Samus (which are probably really similar to MP2 and MP1). If you look at screens you'll notice the shoulder insets are also modelled in. I hope to stay around 10k tris optimized, which I don't think is too unreasonable.
Here's an early view of the helmet, which I'm not totally happy with just yet.
helmet needs to be wider. i think the shoulders need to be bigger too, but that's just cause i love the metroid prime model. got a poster of it up on my wall right now.
the main thing that is bothering me about the model is that the suit seems too skin tight in your version. espiecially in the forearm, knees and hips.
good job overall though. much better than anything i've made.
heres what I mean....
Otherwise it looks great, are you gonna stick with the metroid color palette?
10k tris is way 2 much for any game character model even for next gen.(base mesh not including accessories)
[/ QUOTE ]
Not necessarily for a main character. On console.
10k tris is way 2 much for any game character model even for next gen.(base mesh not including accessories)
[/ QUOTE ]
When was the last time you played a game...? Gears is like 2k tris just for the head and a 2048x2048 texture...
[ QUOTE ]
10k tris is way 2 much for any game character model even for next gen.(base mesh not including accessories)
[/ QUOTE ]
When was the last time you played a game...? Gears is like 2k tris just for the head and a 2048x2048 texture...
[/ QUOTE ]
You seriously think that they don't swap that in/out for their cutscenes?!? hahaa.
10k tris is way 2 much for any game character model even for next gen.(base mesh not including accessories)
[/ QUOTE ]
yeah not anymore.. at work we dont even refer to tris when making ingame models anymore, just quads, and characters in our game are 7 to 15 thousand quads.. so thats 14 to 30 thousand tris. geometry isnt really a factor in breaking frame on ps3, i dont know as much about 360 or current pc hardware. but i feel like i always have way more than i need, its more about texture space and shader usage.
anayway.. model looks good.. lets see some textures.
haha, i stand corrected. I guess im just used to using 6 or 7 k tris for characters. Thats what people tell me to use at school, thats what employers tend to say(or at least the ones I talk to), and thats what every competition in charater modeling for games sets as the tri count.
[/ QUOTE ]
Tri count for characters varies wildly based on what type of game it is, keep in mind. I don't know what Arsh is working on but look at Gears of War versus GTA4 or Saints Row screens and you'll see a giant difference.
To say a certain triangle count is a hard rule is wrong, but there are wasteful uses of triangles and efficient uses of triangles. I still think there are a lot of wasted areas here but thats because I'd normal map a character like this instead of just painting a diffuse.
10k tris is way 2 much for any game character model even for next gen.(base mesh not including accessories)
[/ QUOTE ]
Not to echo what everyone else said but with the 360 and PS3 now polycounts really aren't the issue. It's texture memory and how much space all the shaders will take up. I'm more likely to be able to get an extra 500-800 tris added to my budget on stuff than more texture space with the work I'm doing.
culturedbum - I made some adjustments to her head. Her proportions are not realistic by any means, but I think that helped. For colors, I'll probably use the normal red/yellow/green for recognizability.
I did some optimizing and now Samus is down to ~9100 triangles with helmet and hair. I also modelled a bit of damage in.
I think the gun is pretty blah, but I hope I can make up for it with the texture. I scrapped like 3 different designs before settling for this one. The other ones looked too much like extreme leaf blowers.
As for the triangle debate, Leon's mesh in RE4 was 10k tris, so I had that number in mind when I started. Next update will be texture shots (soon!).
A handful of edge loops could be taken out here and there and you could still probably shave another 1000 tris easily, particularly if you were going to be working for online play or had to downrez for PSP or something along those lines.
It's still pretty pimp though. I might like to see a little more armor details that show how it might come apart. You could probably shave a lot of stuff off of the ears and lips and add more detail in the armor rather than parts of her face that we might not see as much.
All in all, good stuff.
She's coming along nicely. I really like your take on the whole head and how the helmet is detacted even more from the armor. Some areas are looking a little tight like in pelvis/waist/thigh area. It's hard to say though, because I like your slimmed down version, just those areas are looking a bit thin. Also, it'd be cool to add geo so the gun can open up and change slightly depending on the ammo shot. Like the SNES sprite or in the Prime games.
I kinda made a goof with the eyes. The opening in the corners is too big. Maybe its not too late to move the verts a little bit.
Anyway, I want to keep her pale looking - like a person who wears an exoskeleton and spends most of her days chillin' in space.
on the topic of stats and stuff, in my experience, 360 is better at pushing polies than ps3, memory is much more of an problem, but for this (pressuming its a portfolio peice) just say its for a cutscene.. and go high
SHEPEIRO - Yes it is a portfolio piece, and yes, "cutscene-ready" is a great excuse for my high poly budget.
EarthQuake - I squashed her face down some, but it may be hard to tell because its a different angle. I changed the eyes the most. I think she looks a little frog-like in your paintover but I took most of your advice and added some warm hues. I still want to keeping her relatively pallid, though.
ElysiumGX - I changed the proportions since the original post, so it should be clear it isn't skin tight once you see her without her helmet. As for feminine attributes, Samus's suit has always been masculine looking, hence the "surprise" once you find out it's a woman under the helmet. I think I addressed the face issues as best I could.
Uly - Almost every eye ref I've looked at has a specular in the center of the eye, so I'm surprised you said that. Better or worse?
Marine - Done.
Nearly done with the face.. just need to paint the ears. I just started the hair, so I'd appreciate any Protips you have for painting good hair textures. I made quite a few mistakes with the hair, too, but I'm just gonna roll with it.
I think she sorta resembles Kate Winslet. Yay or nay?
Uly - Almost every eye ref I've looked at has a specular in the center of the eye, so I'm surprised you said that. Better or worse?
[/ QUOTE ]
Not enough time to give any general comments on the model, but I can explain the specular in the center of the eye. It's the flash of the camera. : ) It looks goofy in almost any other situation.
Ok, the texture is looking pretty blah right now. I'm trying to get the chest damage right. It had better start coming together soon because I'm starting to lose interest..! I'll try to step it up a bit.
And here is an old/new render of the face. I stopped working on it to focus on the body. I am going to try to repaint the hair because I didn't like results I was getting.
scar on her forehead looks more like a chickenpox scar than what I imagine you were going for. remember, scar tissue is raised, it doesn't heal as little trenches in the skin. Her eye areas could stand to be brought down a little, I think...
the cuts on the forehead look like dents, sorty for the harshness. do what Sectaurs said and then the face'll look better.
good work though. i like it! loking forward to seeing more progress!
I'll try bringing the neck down, thanks.
neck looks way too long in the armored picture.
scar on her forehead looks more like a chickenpox scar than what I imagine you were going for. remember, scar tissue is raised, it doesn't heal as little trenches in the skin. Her eye areas could stand to be brought down a little, I think...
[/ QUOTE ]
I've got one that goes through my eyebrow that looks very similar to that (split my head open when I was 2). It doesn't puff out at all. The only time it pops out is if I crinkle my eyebrow and then it sort've folds out.
It isn't quite as wide as Samus' is, and I think the lighting is a little too strong, but its very possible to have a scar like that. Scar tissue doesn't always puff out, thats only when there is a thin, deep gash taking out chunks of flesh (like those scarification cutting tools that look like clay scuplting tools... yuck). for a simple straightforward cut or split it is possible to have a scar like Samus'.
I stand corrected
yeah i got an indented scar as well on my forehead.
[/ QUOTE ]
Facial Scar PCounters reprezentin' in da thread.
Although, once I finish I could hammer together a clean version in a couple minutes by just mirroring stuff.
Or did she foolishly take it off during her giant battle?
Also - facial scar pcounters suck balls. Unless you have big keloid manly scars.