[WIP] Metal Crate

agarcellano

Hey guys,
This is my first WIP-type thread here. I'm making a sci-fi metal crate and will eventually go in Zbrush to add in some bolts and screws, etc. I'm planning to bake the model down, texture it, and import it to the Unreal Engine.

Critiques and feedback are welcome.

Bek

Edges won't bake out so well because they're so tight.

http://wiki.polycount.com/NormalMap#Modeling_The_High-Poly_Mesh

BeserK

Looks good so far (baking results excluded) looks a little shallow though, depth-wise.
Might just be the angle you took the screens at... just a thought.

Looking forward to updates!

TigerGD

Maybe make some indentations on the bottom to match the protrusions on top, so they'll be stackable.

agarcellano

Thanks guys for the crits.

Haven't updated this piece in a while. Worked on this lately during some of the Polycount hangouts. I adjusted the model a bit, made the edges less tight when baking it, and added in a few small bolts and pieces from ZBrush on to Maya. Baked in the AO and the normal maps. I'll be texturing the model next. Comments and critiques are welcome.

SINtuition

Looking good! Are those latest images an in-game render? The overall shape has lost a lot of its charm from the first post where the edges were crisper. My best advice is to make sure and define those edges really well in the texture pass.

Another thing. When modelling this style of thick metal objects it's important to consider the context of each piece. For example, you have a two-tiered metal plate on the side of the crate which seems a little weird. It would look better if you indicate how those pieces 'fit' together. Like maybe there could be some metal couplings holding them on, or an inset area on the surface where they lie... something like that.

Keep us updated on your progress man!

agarcellano

Thanks SINtuition. The image was a screengrab in the Maya viewport. I'll give it a texture pass to define the edges. As far as the side metal plates and other pieces on the crate, I'll most likely adjust them a bit more.

agarcellano

Here's an update on the model. Textured the model and added a few small pieces on the side plates and on the top. Used floating geometry for the screws to dip in to make it a bit more understandable when connecting them to the crate.

MrOneTwo

You have gradients in your normal map and it shows. You can add few edge loops in your low poly and bake normal again. It really hits the quality.