I'm interested in doing this in my spare time but was wondering if this would count as an "invention.' I signed a contract that I'm sure is pretty standard that states that anything I "invent" belongs to the company.
Normally I wouldn't care about art I was making on the side, but since this has a chance of making me money I thought I should cover my bases.
I'm not sure. I know people who work at studios have had items accepted into TF2 so at least at some studios it's acceptable. Might be best to just ask someone where you work.
Been trying to think of a symbol to put on the the shoulder and tail armor of my "Gaurdian of the Deeps" set for Slardar. I've done quite a bit of searching but can't really find anything appropriate. Anyone have any ideas?
EDIT: Thought of something. Think I'll use something based off of Cthulu's mythos. Seems fitting as Slardar is a fairly dark hero mythos wise and he even has a voice line from the Necronomicon.
EDIT: Thought of something. Think I'll use something based off of Cthulu's mythos. Seems fitting as Slardar is a fairly dark hero mythos wise and he even has a voice line from the Necronomicon.
Good choice, I was thinking and could only come up with a trident. When stumped for ideas I found the character bio and trivia on the dota 2 wiki helpful.
Did the belt today, but these 2 wing-like things in the pubis section of the character were troublesome, so incorporated them into the belt. Then I touched them up a bit as well as the boots to fit the style a bit more. Hopefully if this set does find its way to the game it'll come as one set together, as I don't think anyone wants to pay for a small touch-up to the main character texture.
Does anyone have any info on the masks required? I've tried to make them but in Model Viewer it just makes my model show up black. When I use other models masks though it works fine.
EDIT: I've got them sort of working now... They light well but it completely destroys the diffuse.
EDIT2: Got it. The Mask1 needs to be green 255 on the diffuse and the Mask2 needs to be Blue 255.
Zip, what are you using to view the masks' shading? The Alien Swarm model viewer?
Reason I'm asking is because it even shows Valve's own materials and masks incorrectly on many of the heroes, so you may be simply compensating for using a non-Dota SDK and hence it may not look right in-game.
I'm using the Alien Swarm model viewer and it seems to be working. The only part of Slardar's model that doesn't show up right is his hands. Otherwise everything seems fine.
So is it possible to just photoshop an idea and valve will make the models? Half of the store is filled with photoshopped items and are getting the most votes?
Also, where can I find more info about the actual game, the website only leads to the store?
All of the concepts and google images on the workshop are either trolls or 13 year old kids who don't understand what the workshop is for. I'm quite sure Valve has never made a model based off of an image uploaded to the workshop. Any concept artist actually looking to get some items made usually looks around Polycount or Facepunch for an artist to create items based off of their concepts and then they'll split the sales.
Here's the Wiki on the game where you can find out pretty much anything you'd want to know.
All of the concepts and google images on the workshop are either trolls or 13 year old kids who don't understand what the workshop is for. I'm quite sure Valve has never made a model based off of an image uploaded to the workshop. Any concept artist actually looking to get some items made usually looks around Polycount or Facepunch for an artist to create items based off of their concepts and then they'll split the sales.
Here's the Wiki on the game where you can find out pretty much anything you'd want to know.
Ah ok cool thanks for the explanation! Yeah it's a shame valve isnt really curating any of the submissions so real models get a fair chance. So if I understand correctly the game isnt released yet, or in a closed beta? I can only find the same screenshots that were 'leaked' half a year ago? If not they need to slap some marketing people around haha never had that much trouble actually finding any info about a game let alone where/when I can buy it!
Yeah it's quite closed and underhyped if I'm honest. You can buy an invite instore which comes with a bunch of common/uncommon/rare items (or the equivalent names) for I think £24 ($40?). OR you can find someone to trade an invite with, the trading will differ every day I imagine but I traded 2 treasure keys bought from the dota2 store for an invite, which came to £3.18. So it can take some finding, but you can get it for cheaper. (Try this http://www.reddit.com/r/Dota2Trade/)
@alpha - No official numbers, but it's been said up to 500 tris for an item, and you want an LOD of that model with up to 250 tris, but it varies on what the item is. As for textures, I'd say 256x256, or 128 if it's a small one. For QoP they've used a 512x512 which covers her whole main body, then 256s for the hair, shoulders and wings. Best to just compare what you're making to what numbers the character has.
Yeah it's quite closed and underhyped if I'm honest. You can buy an invite instore which comes with a bunch of common/uncommon/rare items (or the equivalent names) for I think £24 ($40?). OR you can find someone to trade an invite with, the trading will differ every day I imagine but I traded 2 treasure keys bought from the dota2 store for an invite, which came to £3.18. So it can take some finding, but you can get it for cheaper. (Try this http://www.reddit.com/r/Dota2Trade/)
@alpha - No official numbers, but it's been said up to 500 tris for an item, and you want an LOD of that model with up to 250 tris, but it varies on what the item is. As for textures, I'd say 256x256, or 128 if it's a small one. For QoP they've used a 512x512 which covers her whole main body, then 256s for the hair, shoulders and wings. Best to just compare what you're making to what numbers the character has.
Thanks for that link. I just winged those mask textures until I got it to look acceptable. I'll go back over them tomorrow and do them correctly.
EDIT: Here's a link to a post with a lot of info on how to properly compile your items. I need to go back over my entire set and do some texture optimizations and recompile them now. Dern.
EDIT: Here's a link to a post with a lot of info on how to properly compile your items. I need to go back over my entire set and do some texture optimizations and recompile them now. Dern.
Oh, that's not good. So no smoothing groups, and the texture limit =s.
Items and hero textures should all add up to 1024x512 or less
Queen of Pain is 512x512 and 4x 256x256 (hair, shoulders, wings, weapon) already, so I don't actually have any spare texture space.
Just going to double post here, I know a lot of people have asked about limits in this thread and not everyone will go to all the links posted, but there ARE limits and it's important that you stick to them, so you don't end up having to go back to change things >_>
YOU MUST BUILD WITHIN THE COMBINER'S BUDGET TO SHOW UP IN-GAME. Can't stress that enough. Everything must stay within the 1024x512 final texture, lower than 7000 tris total for LOD0 and 3000 tris total for LOD1 or the combiner will toss it.
Zip, any snags/hints on the texture masks that we should know about?
I'm about to start texturing my stuff and really don't want to spend the customary 'learn Valve's tools' day just fiddling with the masks.
Also, I feel you need to either add some lighting to your Slardar set or otherwise brighten the colors. As it looks somewhat muddled together when viewed from far away. Get some contrast in there to help sell your normals and separate the plates.
Whoa, Whoa, that budget. Enchantress' base model is 6,600 tri polys! That means my helmet is gonna have to shrink to less than 400 tris and I can't add anything else!
Checking the polycounts, Enchantress with my helmet barely scratches the budget limit and is at 6,920 polys.
@Zip - Looking good so far, diggin' the C'Thulu-esque emblem. One thing I would work on though are the textures; they look like they could use a bit more color variation and fatigue (Perhaps try splotching in some of the aqua green from his lower jaw and just have the metal showing more signs of corrosion). After all, Slardar does come from the depths and last I checked salt water and metal don't exactly get along too well.
Is there a way to test item ingame, if yes is it possible for not yet workshop ready heroes like Dazzle? I'm asking because I'm trying to make masks atm and it looks like Alien Swarm SDK have some problems with them.
@Alpha, that tutorial has a bit of misinformation and doesn't go over much that isn't covered already (Decompiling, importing SMDs to Max, basic artist tips like gathering reference).
@Aivanov, that link that we've posted above (And I've now pasted on the front page) goes over the masks and the 8 textures required in them.
@Mark, yeah a lot of the color was lost after I started messing around with the masks. After I redo the masks I'll see if there's enough color and if not I'll do another pass on the diffuses.
Not sure if I should ask here or make a new thread, but is anyone else going to be in Seattle for the Dota2 International? - Got my tickets this morning!
Hey guys. I'm pretty new here, and to 3D modelling, but I had to try my hand at modelling for dota 2.
The texture is still extremely WIP, it's at the moment, base colours. The weird checker pattern comes from the VMT referencing non-existent masks, so it comes out funny in the model viewer.
Making a courier is like making any other character, really. Same polycount restrictions as heroes, but keep everything in one texture for the sake of performance.
The only things really required are that you must make a flying variation as well, and must animate a run, an idle, and a death for each variation and a spawning animation for the grounded variant.
I wanted to make a horse-like courier, but I don't think I saw the original listed to use as a guide when I extracted the files. Am I missing something or is it not there?
Working away on textures, but not sure whether to use a bloodied variant or not:
There's little to no visual difference from top-down and thus I feel like the blood is adding needless complexity, but a clean variant clashes with Lifestealer's blood-soaked motif. Thoughts?
Working away on textures, but not sure whether to use a bloodied variant or not:
---
There's little to no visual difference from top-down and thus I feel like the blood is adding needless complexity, but a clean variant clashes with Lifestealer's blood-soaked motif. Thoughts?
Keep the blood soaked texture. It keeps the models from looking basic/bland and fits his motif.
Working away on textures, but not sure whether to use a bloodied variant or not:
--
There's little to no visual difference from top-down and thus I feel like the blood is adding needless complexity, but a clean variant clashes with Lifestealer's blood-soaked motif. Thoughts?
YES to blood! it blends nicely with his hands and looks better overall.
Valve let us know that they posted some AMAZING art style hints and tutorials on the workshop. Check them out under the helpful links section down the page: http://www.dota2.com/workshop/
Hey all! Been lurking on this thread for a while, just created an account. I picked up modeling a couple of weeks ago with Blender and Photoshop. My ideas outweigh what I can do with Blender at the moment. Could I get your suggestions or critique of this spirit breaker heavy flail I have constructed? Is it worth working on textures?
Hey all! Been lurking on this thread for a while, just created an account. I picked up modeling a couple of weeks ago with Blender and Photoshop. My ideas outweigh what I can do with Blender at the moment. Could I get your suggestions or critique of this spirit breaker heavy flail I have constructed? Is it worth working on textures?
That looks like it's a crazy amount of textures, you can use that model to build your high poly, then do a low poly version of it. Then you can unwrap, bake a normal map and do textures.
I've almost finished, but I'm getting this weird checkered problem on my texture in Alien Swarm SDK, any suggestions?
Edit: Nevermind fixed it. I thought putting a pattern in alpha of mask 1 would create a glow, but instead it just messed it all up.
Nice work, would get! So I would have to remake it completely? And any other suggestions or critique of design?
Kind of, the general steps are:
1. Base Mesh
2. High Poly
3. Retop (Make Low Poly)
4. Unwrap Low Poly
5. Bake Normal Maps, Ambient Occlusion, Lightmaps etc etc.
6. Texture it
7. Skin/Compile/Config stuff
So generally you do remake it yeah. Personally I wouldn't want to do a weapon with chains on, and I wouldn't advise it especially if it's going to be your first model.
Anyone have any idea why the masks are turning my items black? I engineered them based off of looking at a few other items and I see no reason that it should turn my item black. I'm guessing a few of you have some more experience creating them and know some of the common causes of these problems.
EDIT: The Metalness map in the Blue Channel of Mask 1 was causing it. When it has anything other than pure black in it the entire item turns black... Think it's just a problem with the AS SDK?
Anymore crits before I resubmit these to the workshop? I optimized them and they use about half the texture space now to fit the requirements. I still have some tweaks to do to the diffuses too.
Anymore crits before I resubmit these to the workshop?
It does look awesome Zip, the problem is can you see the detail when at Dota2 distance? It might need a bit of colour on the emblem depending, and maybe some baked shadow on the lower ends of the upper 3 spine pieces on the back. Spose it's just trial and error, you might even need some mossy stuff on it, the dota2 workshop seems hard to please
Replies
I'm not sure. I know people who work at studios have had items accepted into TF2 so at least at some studios it's acceptable. Might be best to just ask someone where you work.
waiting for soo long to get a key, but i dont like to pay 30$ ..
// no begging.. just wanna model some things for the game
EDIT: Thought of something. Think I'll use something based off of Cthulu's mythos. Seems fitting as Slardar is a fairly dark hero mythos wise and he even has a voice line from the Necronomicon.
Good choice, I was thinking and could only come up with a trident. When stumped for ideas I found the character bio and trivia on the dota 2 wiki helpful.
Did the belt today, but these 2 wing-like things in the pubis section of the character were troublesome, so incorporated them into the belt. Then I touched them up a bit as well as the boots to fit the style a bit more. Hopefully if this set does find its way to the game it'll come as one set together, as I don't think anyone wants to pay for a small touch-up to the main character texture.
So here's the 'finished' set as a collection: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=76237352
EDIT: I've got them sort of working now... They light well but it completely destroys the diffuse.
EDIT2: Got it. The Mask1 needs to be green 255 on the diffuse and the Mask2 needs to be Blue 255.
Reason I'm asking is because it even shows Valve's own materials and masks incorrectly on many of the heroes, so you may be simply compensating for using a non-Dota SDK and hence it may not look right in-game.
Also, where can I find more info about the actual game, the website only leads to the store?
Here's the Wiki on the game where you can find out pretty much anything you'd want to know.
http://www.dota2wiki.com/wiki/Dota_2_Wiki
Couldnt find anything on the valve page..
//Zipfinator looking good, but i think its too dark
cant u bring some color on the fork ``?
Also, I've just been putting off the idea of the mask textures since there wasn't much information about them, however discovering this thread: http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/discussion/900965776457485644/?appid=570 I think I've got a fair bit of work to do on my submitted items.
@alpha - No official numbers, but it's been said up to 500 tris for an item, and you want an LOD of that model with up to 250 tris, but it varies on what the item is. As for textures, I'd say 256x256, or 128 if it's a small one. For QoP they've used a 512x512 which covers her whole main body, then 256s for the hair, shoulders and wings. Best to just compare what you're making to what numbers the character has.
Thanks for that link. I just winged those mask textures until I got it to look acceptable. I'll go back over them tomorrow and do them correctly.
EDIT: Here's a link to a post with a lot of info on how to properly compile your items. I need to go back over my entire set and do some texture optimizations and recompile them now. Dern.
Oh, that's not good. So no smoothing groups, and the texture limit =s.
Queen of Pain is 512x512 and 4x 256x256 (hair, shoulders, wings, weapon) already, so I don't actually have any spare texture space.
here another tutorial side.. maybe we can put
it on the firstpage ...
http://wyksblog.com/getting-started-dota-2-cosmetics/
I'm about to start texturing my stuff and really don't want to spend the customary 'learn Valve's tools' day just fiddling with the masks.
Also, I feel you need to either add some lighting to your Slardar set or otherwise brighten the colors. As it looks somewhat muddled together when viewed from far away. Get some contrast in there to help sell your normals and separate the plates.
Checking the polycounts, Enchantress with my helmet barely scratches the budget limit and is at 6,920 polys.
Definitely a great look for him though!
@Aivanov, that link that we've posted above (And I've now pasted on the front page) goes over the masks and the 8 textures required in them.
@Mark, yeah a lot of the color was lost after I started messing around with the masks. After I redo the masks I'll see if there's enough color and if not I'll do another pass on the diffuses.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=76897916
The texture is still extremely WIP, it's at the moment, base colours. The weird checker pattern comes from the VMT referencing non-existent masks, so it comes out funny in the model viewer.
Here's a wireframe of LOD 0: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2347130/dota2/paweap8.jpg
And LOD 1: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2347130/dota2/paweap9.jpg
Tricount at lod 0 is about 590 and lod 1 is about 480.
If you guys have any feedback, or maybe cool ideas for the texture, I'd love it
The only things really required are that you must make a flying variation as well, and must animate a run, an idle, and a death for each variation and a spawning animation for the grounded variant.
There's little to no visual difference from top-down and thus I feel like the blood is adding needless complexity, but a clean variant clashes with Lifestealer's blood-soaked motif. Thoughts?
Keep the blood soaked texture. It keeps the models from looking basic/bland and fits his motif.
YES to blood! it blends nicely with his hands and looks better overall.
That looks like it's a crazy amount of textures, you can use that model to build your high poly, then do a low poly version of it. Then you can unwrap, bake a normal map and do textures.
I've almost finished, but I'm getting this weird checkered problem on my texture in Alien Swarm SDK, any suggestions?
Edit: Nevermind fixed it. I thought putting a pattern in alpha of mask 1 would create a glow, but instead it just messed it all up.
I'm also available if you have any animation needs for dota2 in any way.
Fucking amazing!
Awesome I love it!! :poly142:
Kind of, the general steps are:
1. Base Mesh
2. High Poly
3. Retop (Make Low Poly)
4. Unwrap Low Poly
5. Bake Normal Maps, Ambient Occlusion, Lightmaps etc etc.
6. Texture it
7. Skin/Compile/Config stuff
So generally you do remake it yeah. Personally I wouldn't want to do a weapon with chains on, and I wouldn't advise it especially if it's going to be your first model.
this is how chains are done in dota2 typically:
yer skillz, they are mad.
Mad I say!
MAAADDDDD!
^^^^^ This PDF should be stickied somewhere for you guys.
Anyone have any idea why the masks are turning my items black? I engineered them based off of looking at a few other items and I see no reason that it should turn my item black. I'm guessing a few of you have some more experience creating them and know some of the common causes of these problems.
EDIT: The Metalness map in the Blue Channel of Mask 1 was causing it. When it has anything other than pure black in it the entire item turns black... Think it's just a problem with the AS SDK?
It does look awesome Zip, the problem is can you see the detail when at Dota2 distance? It might need a bit of colour on the emblem depending, and maybe some baked shadow on the lower ends of the upper 3 spine pieces on the back. Spose it's just trial and error, you might even need some mossy stuff on it, the dota2 workshop seems hard to please