WIP - Abandoned Execution Chamber
Hey guys, im starting a new project here that i will update as much as possible. I know my skill set needs improvement so im hoping along this project i will learn many new tips techniques and things from the great poly count crew.
I decided to do an abandoned/destroyed old execution room based on concept by John Liberto.
Looking at the scene i see many opportunities to use zbrush which i really want to develop my skill as an environmental modeler down. I plan to take this to completion in unreal where i again want to learn more with Lightmass and Material Nodes.
My First Major Question, is for the layout would you typically do the floor in max and import or simply use bsp and texture? The walls i plan to zbrush as well as ceiling.
THANKS!
Update
Started working on texturing main window wall. Added some basic unreal texture to enviro cause i got tired of looking at bsp
I decided to do an abandoned/destroyed old execution room based on concept by John Liberto.
Looking at the scene i see many opportunities to use zbrush which i really want to develop my skill as an environmental modeler down. I plan to take this to completion in unreal where i again want to learn more with Lightmass and Material Nodes.
My First Major Question, is for the layout would you typically do the floor in max and import or simply use bsp and texture? The walls i plan to zbrush as well as ceiling.
THANKS!
Update
Started working on texturing main window wall. Added some basic unreal texture to enviro cause i got tired of looking at bsp
Replies
probably make simple models in max/maya and import into maya for further detail as you see fit
exactly, thats all i ment by it. Subtle details, i want to start small , and learn well.
I wouldn't worry about ZBrush just yet. I'd recommend attempting to approach this from a modular perspective - figure out how the walls and floor intersect with each other, how many columns and sections you'll need etc instead of modeling every element individually. Personally, I'd model and texture several floor panel sections instead of texturing BSP, but that's up to you.
There's some awesome reading to be found on modularity in the wiki:
http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryEnvironment#Environment_Workflow_.26_Modularity
Get your scene units set up correctly before you do anything, else you'll end up creating a lot more work for yourself later on when it comes to snap everything together. Whether you use Max or the UDK, get your proportions and dimensions nailed down before worrying about detailing in ZBrush.
inded, thanks. Great links cant wait to check them out more.I did a test scene earlier, not this concept to make sure i understand how to use unreal units and set the grid is max right after googling what to set home grid and 9th spacing too. Its 8,16 if i remember right?
I also agree with modeling mesh's and bringing em in
Only major modular piece i see is the support pillars/ walls. What else what you do modular?
yea me too, luckily i hope you guys will be on the ball and dead honest like you usually are if something sucks and should be different :-)
Cant wait to start and get criticism. Im breaking teh scene down now at work and maknig an asset list
Second, everytime I import an object the pivot point is way out of whack and off into space how do i fix that?
I'd definitely model the arches separately from the pillars. The definition between the arches and the pillars is pretty well-defined in the concept - whether you make the arches one mesh or several is up to you.
You can't link to an image locally, you have to upload it to somewhere like ImageShack or Dropbox.
Make sure your pivots are positioned correctly in Max or whatever you're using before exporting them to UDK, ideally the lower left or right corner of the mesh as per the info in the wiki to make snapping and rotating meshes easier in the editor. Even centering your pivot to the object can make precise snapping in the UDK a major drag.
If you're just testing meshes or textures in the UDK and can't be bothered to re-export stuff, you can right-click on the mesh and select one of the options from the Pivot rollover to temporarily relocate your pivot on the mesh, but this isn't recommended over properly positioning your pivots prior to export.
The pivot point on any model in Unreal is defined by the origin within whatever 3d software you are using. I'm trying to learn the UDK as well and I found this article pretty helpful.
http://udn.epicgames.com/Two/WorkflowAndModularity.html
Good luck with the environment, looks like an interesting project
I'll be looking forward to seeing how this goes, good luck
excellent id been moving the pivot around not realizing it need to be at origin 0,0,0. Im saving everything same name so i can just reimport easy
Using 3dsmax btw
I'm not sure if I've misunderstood what you mean, but, as far as I understand it, the position of the actual pivot within Max has no bearing, it's all to do with where the model is in relation to the 0,0,0 coordinates. Say for example you model a cube and move it 64 units along the X axis in 3DS Max, then export it to UDK. As far as the editor is concerned, when you place that model, it's pivot point will be 64 units in X away from the centre of the cube. So there's no need to move the pivot manipulator in Max.
what i ment was that i was moving the pivot point not realizing it has nothing to do with how unreal imports the pivot point. It has to do where the physical model is in relation to origin
I recently worked this piece myself, although it turned into more of a learning exercise in the end...and in a way I'm still not totally finished with it or happy so I'll be going back to add the finishing touches.
Best of luck, as it's a great concept (although starting to come across it often on peoples portfolios).
yea its mainly a learning experience for myself as well, that's why i choose it
I'll drop back in when you've got more done. The lighting is what makes this piece I feel and I never got to terms with it myself and how to get it looking right within UDK.
With regards to the modular pieces I created an arch with its correct shape and form, and then extruded downwards from two arch's connected together to form the pillar shape so it aligns correctly. Unwrap the pillar uniquely and give some variation to each side so you can then rotate and repeat 3-4 of them without looking like they're all the same.
Best of luck with it Nick.
I agree about the lighting, ive read a shitton about the new GI engine and lightmass. Hope i can do something with it :-)
Thanks as well
assuming you are using max here, for maya it might be slightly different.
I am using max. So i can have a unique unwrap for same object just on different channels? I get concept know of any good tuts on it
http://www.hourences.com/book/tutorialsue3modeling1.htm
there's info in there on the multiple material thingie.
to use different UV channels you just have to use a texture coordinate node and change the index. note that unreal starts counting the channels at 0 while max starts at 1. so the default uv channel in max is uv channel 1 and in udk it's index 0.
Question im modeling the archway as you can see i made 2 meshs. Archway is simple, and the pillars so i can take those out separate to zbrush and destroy. Now how do i subdivide teh arch way to get it to divide properly in zbrush. I tried in red in the pic with no luck, excuse my mspaint skills lol
With the column as well, you might want to consider adding divisions vertically as this will provide you with a much more even distribution of points when you subdivide. Hope that helps a bit.
So basically i need to connect the equal point on both side up and over the top of the mesh.
I have max 10 but stick to 2009 due to comfort. I need to learn the new graphite modeling tools. Can any tool slice/connect up and over like that. Quickslice i think?
Also can anyone link me to a pic of an arch's wireframe. Id like to see how someone else did it correctly
Maybe something like this? I just dragged out the edges using shift from the curved part of the geom.
excellent, visual reference it much easier. Simple box i see