Beginner Workflow and other questions

Deerhunter

Hello,
I'm working as a set modeller for animation since 6 months and I'm would like to apply to some character modelling jobs in the video game industry.
I started modelling a character but actually I'm not really sure about my workflow. Could you give me some advices?
Here is how I'm working (I'm using Maya, Zbrush and Photoshop):
- I did a base model with 3000 triangles and a good topology in Maya
- I'm currently working on a high poly version in Zbrush
- Then I will just export my normal, bake the occlusion in Maya and do the colours in Photoshop.

Does it sounds good?
I heard people talking about exporting their high poly mesh in Maya but I don't understand why.

And I also have an other question:
My character have hair and a belt: does it have to be modelled in the same mesh as the body or can I model it separated and merge it later?

Thank you for your help.

ZacD

- People generally do not use the same base mesh for the low poly, a good base mesh and a good low poly model have different requirements.

- Zbrush does not bake maps well. Generally you'll want to bake maps in Maya, or xNormal, or handplane. Also people use the highpoly to help create the final lowpoly model.

- You can have seperate meshes are are merged later.

Deerhunter

Thanks for your answers.
So I'm guess I'm not doing too bad except for the base mesh.
And for the shading, what material should I use, a Blinn?
And do I have to put all my maps in just one file? (I mean, the colour, spec, normal).

I'm sorry, I know this is probably very basic but it's hard to find all this informations on the internet.

Thank you again.

ivanzu

There is no way you could put all your maps in a single file.

Deerhunter

OK, I saw some pictures with 4 textures on just one canvas but it was maybe just a way to show the maps.
So I'm allowed to have 3 maps in 1024/1024?

ZacD

When presenting a model made for video games you either want to put it in a game engine or use a viewport shader. I believe Maya has the Xoliul viewport shader, and then there's free game engines like UDK, Cryengine, Marmoset toolbag, etc.

You'll probably have at least diffuse, specular, normal textures, but you can also have a glow, or gloss/spec power, and more. You can have them in seperate files. They are just presented next to each other.

fearian

If you've been modelling sets until now, you might want to spend a couple of weeks getting into rigging and skinning for animation. Knowing the basics of that stuff will completely illuminate what a low poly character should look like for animation.

But I'm guessing what you're really asking is for information about realtime characters that you don't get in other areas of CG. Check out some character threads in Pimping and Previews and watch peoples methods and progress. You'll pick up a good overview of how things are generally done, as long as you don't lock in on the first guy you see and think "THIS IS HOW IT MUST BE DONE" - there's a lot of leeway in methodology in Game art! (but there are general rules to pay attention to fo sure.)

Deerhunter

Ok, I think everything is clear now.
If I had to download one of those free games engines, which one would you recommend.
I would prefer something simple.
Thanks

Deerhunter

Actually I do have another question:
I always thought that for video games, the mesh had to be only triangles, but I saw a lot of example with quads and triangles.
So it doesn't matter?

ZacD

I would just use a viewport shader then, try http://www.laurenscorijn.com/viewportshader

Quads are automatically converted to triangles, there's no reason to do it yourself.

maximumsproductions

Deerhunter wrote: »

OK, I saw some pictures with 4 textures on just one canvas but it was maybe just a way to show the maps.
So I'm allowed to have 3 maps in 1024/1024?

I feel I kind of got lost here as well at one point but I feel that what I had a hard time finding was how each map would be used/applied

For example (I may be wrong as still learning myself)

The main maps I know

Normal Map (interchangeable with Bump)
Bump Map (interchangeable with Normal)
Opacity Map
Ambient Occlusion Map
Specularity Map
Diffuse Map
Cavity Map
Z-Depth

And out of those the only directly applied ones are

Normal Map
Bump Map
Opacity Map
Ambient Occlusion Map
Specularity Map
Diffuse Map

And the rest are used for post production such as a final still for a rendered picture or for manipulating an above map to make it achieve a greater effect that it couldn't have done by itself

Cavity Map
Z-Depth

And I found something that helped trim those even smaller is certain files use specific information that can be interchangeable and the only difference is how they read that information and how they get it

So for example

Normal Map - Uses a RGB scale picture and in my experience is unique
Diffuse Map - Uses RGB Scale to paint your model
Bump/Opacity/Ambient Occlusion/Specularity/Cavity/Z-Depth - All use Grayscale so technically you could use each any one these maps generated and apply it to any other and it would still "work"
___

Anyways that's how it goes in my head but I've had rare experiences in texturing.. which this new years resolution will hopefully fix up.

Deerhunter

Ok, thank you for those informations.
But usually don't you bake the Ambient Occlusion into the Diffuse map?

Bertmac

ZacD wrote: »

I would just use a viewport shader then, try http://www.laurenscorijn.com/viewportshader

Quads are automatically converted to triangles, there's no reason to do it yourself.

This is wrong. Specially with character that are animated, by making your own triangels you can predict the way your mesh will bend. if you let your game engine do it. it could do it the wrong way so it could show some artifact during the animation.

for more Info read the Polycount wiki. its all there

ZacD

I probably should of said you should triangulate before you bake.

Bertmac

Yes also, but that has nothing to do with what you said before. Making your own triangles was already needed before people used baked textures. (next-gen)

ZacD

I wasn't really thinking earlier, in an after lunch I need to take a nap mood. I was thinking from a total beginner stand point, I would suggest not worrying too much about triangles and animation until your 3rd or so attempt at modeling a character unless it is going to be animated or posed. You still want to approach the initial modeling with mostly quads.

Deerhunter

I don't really care about animation for now but since I will have to retopologize my character, I prefer if it's done properly.
Do you know where I can find good examples of triangles topology?

Also, I went to the Polycount wiki and found this tutorial which is (I think) a perfect workflow.
http://artofluis.com/character-creation-for-videogames/
But he is using a kind of projection box to bake his high poly model on the low poly one and I'm wondering if such a thing exist in Maya?
Thanks