Horde Watchtower

Mekhollandt

Decided I wanted to be completely original and do a model/texture based on the WoW concept by Brian Huang, which can be found here.



Anyway, I'll start posting stuff soon, since I seem to have all of the time in the world these days.

makecg

looks fun good luck

Mekhollandt

Just an update. Anything you guys want to post about go right ahead. Suggestions and critiques are always helpful. Assume I'm winging the project with ideas as I go.

Snader

What polycount are you aiming for? Is this just a blockout or more towards the final model?

Mekhollandt

Thanks for the replies

I think I'd like to take it as more of a texture-based presentation, so this is most likely more towards the finished side of modeling. I wanted to give it a decent silhouette, so I modeled a little more into it then what was done in the game engine, as you can see here:



Using the wow model-viewer program, I was able to look at a couple of the models up-close, though I wasn't able to find this exact one. I was, however, able to find a troll guard tower that was somewhat similar, that sat at around 500 tris.

Currently, this one, not-optimized, is about 1200, but I figure it will stay around there since the ones I lose will be made up in a few more props I think I would like to add to the ground.

I dunno, what do you all think. Shoot at me with idea-wmds.

Snader

Well, all those tiny poles you have hardly contribute to the silhouette (well they do, but they could be spent much more effectively), and many of them aren't even in the concept. There's a split in your modeling where the tiny sticks are quite detailed, but the main shapes are still very lowpoly. So you need to either get rid of the tiny things, or enhance the rest.

I didn't know this was an actual ingame prop. Now I know that, let me say this: if you stay close to their spec, your model will be compared unfavorably to the Blizzard model, no matter what you do. No offense (your work is pretty good) - but their artists are just... better.

So I recommend you to not stick close to their model. Don't go for a ~1000▲ model. That's too similar. Go for something around 3000, 5000 or even more. It's a large object, and in many games (including MMORPGS like Age of Conan) these would get far more than 500 triangles. It's just that WoW is geared towards rather slow hardware.

Anyway, by making a different class of model you can escape direct confrontation with the official models. So, make a nice and detailed model. Add some knots and knobbles to the wood, sag the tarp, add some alpha planes for the ropes and stuff. A sort of next-gen WoW.

dii

I think you need to use fewer straight lines and subtle curves, you've lost most of the character of the original concept which was coming from the jagged edges everywhere.

Some optimization:


Personally I think you should just add more geometry (useful geometry, not edgeloops everywhere like you have). You're basing your idea off how high poly it should be on a WoW model that is almost a decade old and was intended to perform well on hardware that was even older than that.

I didn't know this was an actual ingame prop. Now I know that, let me say this: if you stay close to their spec, your model will be compared unfavorably to the Blizzard model, no matter what you do. No offense (your work is pretty good) - but their artists are just... better.

Dude... what? Just because Blizzard made it doesn't mean there's no room for improvement.

That said I agree that he should not target this spec because I don't think even Blizzard would try to make this with 500 triangles anymore.

gauss

if you can nail the concept, keep going. frankly the in-game asset looks uninspired next to the concept, largely because of restrictive polycount but also in the texture.

dil is right though you need to up your polygon spec. it's a building.

Mekhollandt

Nice, thanks for the replies.

I like the ideas. I should reiterate that I'm not done, though when I was just going through it to optimize geometry, I did realize I had just included that I was almost done with modeling when obviously I wasn't, and what I posted was just a blockout thrown together to start people looking at the thread to get some ideas. I'm used to being given a concept and told 'Ok, here's your art, this many tris, this size maps, and you have until this time.'

Let me mention though, that you guys have it a little reversed, just so it all makes a little more sense. This isn't the concept for that in-game model. That model is actually the idea behind the concept, and the concept is actually for the cinematic for Cataclysm, which I'm sure everyone's seen and probably recognizes. Sorry if that was confusing.

So now I'm thinking I should pick another structure, since I'm just now realizing thanks to Snader that if I go either the low-poly OR the high-poly route, it could be compared to something Blizzard has done with this particular structure.

I hate having all of this free-time to second-guess and restart projects! Lol.

jimmypopali

I would keep going on this, it's a concept, so you don't have to take the Blizzard approach and compare to that, I would get rid of the game screenshot you have here, all together. Make it your own.

If I were approaching this, I would put more details in it, there isn't any reason why you wouldn't. There are so many details in the concept, missing planks, layered cloth, little spikes, ropes, loose dangly bits. Sticking to minimum polys would put all those details in the texturing. I'd aim for at least 2-3k tris for this, you can get a bunch of details out of that which WoW couldn't do.

I hope you stick to this, a lot of potential.

Mekhollandt

Ok, I'm down with that, I'll give it a go. Use the force to guide me.

Mekhollandt

Started modeling and sculpting some ideas for the legs and details in Mudbox. Nothing too strict, but it's something to look at so far.

Mekhollandt

Thanks for the replies and critiques, but I have to put this one on hold for now. I got hired on and have to move out to San Francisco, and will be bust for a while.

Again, thanks for the help.

SimonT

looks nice but the silhouette and structure of the wood should be more rough like in the conecept. currently it looks pretty smooth.