District 9 inspired gun

Selaznog

Hey guys, working on a District 9 gun. Original concept is by Tim Jester:


I will be doing basically all the details in NDO2. Just installed that program and it rocks

So here's what I got so far. Last time I tried making a gun, people were advising me about having softer edges. So I tried to keep that in mind when doing the edge loops.



Next step will be low poly and uv's...


Also, trying to finish this super fast because our course ends in 8 days (oh jesus.) and it needs to be done for my reel.

EDIT
Finished my lowpoly yesterday. Here it is with normals baked on


And wireframe



Just need to fix up some weird surface normal things and then I can start with ndo2. I shall bump when the final normal map is complete

Selaznog

Actually, I'm going to bump now. I thought that weird artifacting would be a quick fix by painting that area on the normal map, but that didnt change anything. It's completely clean in 2D. Thought it was just a viewport issue but checked in mental ray and it was still there. Here's what my normal map looks like


Any help would be great...

SaferDan

Thats in UDK right? I assume you are using uncompressed normalmap compression? I have the same issue and was hoping that after I textured it the artifacts would be less obvious!

Selaznog

Nope it's all from Maya's high-quality viewport. Hopefully we can find a fix

Selaznog

So today I finished up in NDO2 with normal and cavity and AO. Unfortunately I had to paint the AO for the larger pieces

Polycount is 1766.




On to the diffuse and spec!

Kbrom12

dam this is looking nice, I use the same technique myself at times. HP model some of it, but all the tiny things...let nDo2 do its magic

Selaznog

Thanks Kbrom. Bookmarked your site by the way, freaking awesome work.

Here's what I did since last post...time to call it a day. Hopefully the textures will be done by tomorrow night

Xenier

I'm liking the shapes, and it definitely feels like a Prawn gun. The thing that will really bring it through in the end is all the wear and tear/grunge as all their stuff looked like it had been lying in a puddle for years. Keep it up!

Selaznog

Thanks Xenier, here's where I'm at with the textures so far. I feel like it's probably too grungy. Still a fair bit more work in the diffuse and then onto the spec (I have a rough spec map on it now)


critiques welcome

danpaz3d

I dont think that its too grungy, but the grunge you've done is just a bit random.
Example the scratches everywhere, the rust stain on the panel at the top and the noise-ish effect on some parts.

The first thing I do when it comes to a 'used' look is think how it would be used, thrown around and how old it is. So for this, the first thing would be that the parts that stick out the most would get the most damage (the top and bottom cylinders and the front).

Then middle details like edge wear and dents, then final detail like 'do the cylinders leak?', 'what would prolonged use of the gun cause?' etc..

Just some suggestions to help out.
But looking good so far!

Selaznog

Hey Dan, thanks for the critique. Unfortunately I just read it now and so wasn't able to apply it between my last post and now. But I'll still go back to my texture and reduce some of the scratches around the edges (around the bolts and insets, probably)



Now onto the metal bits...

IchII3D

It feels like it holds all the major elements but doesn't come together as its lacking a lot of smaller details. This in turn makes it very difficult to gauge its size or even how it would be held. In my opinion any large shape design needs those smaller details if it hopes to look real and functional.

http://ichii3d.com/random/polycount_district9_feedback.jpg

Selaznog

Thanks Ichll3D, that's an awesome tip. I'll try and get some bits in like that in the blank white area beside the canister


Here's how the gun is looking so far. Just need to do the tip and handle and detail bits as mentioned above and I'll be done

IchII3D

Your paint has become very noisy, it might seem realistic to add noise and dirt and can completely understand why you have done it. But it also begins to stop looking like paint. I always try to keep any surface paint as noise free as possible, its what gives it that paint look rather than plaster.

Painted metal is typically on or off, it doesn't absorb that much dirt and noise and much of the dirt is on the surface. Like if you was to wash a dirty or old bike. I'm pretty sure apart from the areas of paint decay it would shine as good as new.

This is a little crude example, but its literally a 10second way to make paint look like... paint...

desktoppirate

I agree with ichll3D. The latest update looks way too noisy and like the sharp filter has been overused too much. I think that much noise destroys the effect of the normal map and makes it look very last gen. I like the chipped paint patterns you have though. Looking forward to see this finished.

Selaznog

Thanks guys for the awesome advice! I went back to my diffuse and deleted a grunge overlay, and got rid of the noise on the normal and spec maps.

This is what I've been using so far for a texturing guideline:




Anywho, here's a 7am update:



And here are my flats.



If I were to re-do this, I would make both sides symmetrical...


Hope it's better

l.croxton

Ah I love this, has a slight cartoony look to it which I always like . Great work, but I agree you could have done the symmetrical approach.

Actually just one more point. I think it would have been cool to throw on a small LCD display. I think it always adds a nice futuristic feel and look to it .

IchII3D

Yeah its getting there, you still have a lot to learn when it comes to achieving the results you want. I recommend playing around with different techniques until you get bored.

Using a reference image you like you could try to 'copy' (using the term loosely) the style of paint in a very contained area. Once you feel you have nailed it, then propagate that technique over the whole surface. Always focus on getting a small section looking right, if you was to redo the whole texture every time you discovered something new you would waste a lot of time and drain yourself out with repeating yourself.

Also try to be more subtle with your scuffs, I personally would do a generic pass over the whole object to a level I felt was easy on the eye or down the direction I wanted. Then I would go in and do more unique areas, using these small details to compliment the composition of the weapon while adding that sense of depth and realism. But the key to all this is subtlety. I personally feel your hand got a little carried away with your scratches.

IchII3D

Also just to add, think about what makes the District 9 weapons what they are, the style is very unique. They are not about throwing noise at your face and bombarding you with detail. Its very much about the form, this is then complimented by 'touches' of detail. The very subtle weathered effect and scratch is not because they are millions of years old, but because they are carried around in a fairly crude environment by a very strong yet cumbersome alien who eats cat food.

The dirt on the weapons I have seen also isn't your typical mud or dirt. A lot of it seems to be organic matter. There is a few organic/metal combinations in the books. There is also some in the film. I'm assuming this is where the influence comes from...

I'm rambling a little, but anyway. You seem to be a fan of District 9 and would highly recommend this book.

[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Art-District-Daniel-Falconer/dp/1869509021/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345301315&sr=8-1"]The Art of District 9: Amazon.co.uk: Daniel Falconer: Books[/ame]

Its probably one of my favourite books in my collection, you very much get a sense of the development process they went through and how the film style became what it is. Absolutely amazing!

EDIT: I just realised Amazon says 1-2months wait... ouch.... buy it directly from WETA. I think they still come signed if you get it directly from WETA also.

http://www.wetanz.com/the-art-of-district-9-weta-workshop-2/

Selaznog

Thanks for all tips man. I agree about being more subtle with the scuffs...I think it's like I've gotten into this habit of "dirt scuff, must be black spec" but now that I think about it, on a plasticy/painted material, the scuff marks would probably have a spec very close to the original material. Like you said, I think this is something I will play with over time and learn better techniques. And yah, scratches were easy to overdo :P

And my teacher has that book but it's good you reminded me about it. I've been meaning to pick that up. I love the prawn early concepts!

Anddd I won't have time really to make this look much better. 6 days till demo reel is due and I still have a ton of rendering and comp to go

Jackson31

this is awesome, keep it up!

Selaznog

reported.

EDIT: Turns out you're a real person. Thanks for the comment and sorry bout the report!

PS: You should get an avatar