Hi Guys.
As some of you know I was out of 3d for quite some time. When I stopped making models the common workflow was Model/UV/texture/rig.
Most everything was done in Max/Maya and texturing in PS.
Polycounts were about 1k-2k and textures were hand painted diffuse, specular, and rarely a baked AO.
Now there is base mesh, sculpting, texturing, baking, retopology,and god knows what else.
Can someone give an out of touch old timer a quick run down of the modern game modelling workflow?
Replies
2. Create a basemesh (Normally in Max/Maya, or you can quickly retopo the blockout)
3. Sculpt
4. Create low poly and UV (you can use retopology and UV tools like 3dcoat or topogun)
5. Bake AO, normal, cavity map, (Normally you use xnormal or what your engine has a synced normal map generation with)
6. (optional) paint diffuse on the 3d model in zbrush/mudbox/3dcoat
7. Finish up the textures in photoshop
Also
1. Block out
2. Create a simpler high poly subdivision model or sculpt
3. Create lowpoly+UV
4. Bake maps and add more normal detail with crazybump or nDo
5. Texture more
Or
1. Block out, either in a sculpting package or Max/maya.
2. Create a basemesh
3. Create a detailed subdivision model
4. Perform a quicker sculpting pass.
5. Create low poly and UV
6. Bake AO, normal, cavity map,
7. (optional) paint on the 3d model in zbrush/mudbox/3dcoat
8. Finish up the textures in photoshop
UV is made in the sculpting program or base 3d program?
Average character polycount for current PC console games?
"4. Bake maps and add more normal detail with crazybump or nDo" More detail? Link to examples anyone? This intrigues me,and sounds amazing.
6k to 20k tris for a character is normal.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cql81lsrV2w"]nDo2 tutorials: Photo-normals - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwj0mQTMrK8&feature=plcp"]nDo2 workflows #1: Creating hard-surface designs - YouTube[/ame]
Things have come a long way, and the new capabilities are incredible.
I need to buy some new games with this detail level.I also stopped playing games for years. Bad marriage, wife hated games. Divorced and happier now.