I think you need more details in your texture then the silver scratches.
The Famas from Call Of Duty
Notice how the material is not a solid black. I'm not saying you need to copy the CoD famas, but you need to make your material pop, because right now it is letting all your high poly and baking work down.
Thanks for the feedback Benton! I was trying to go for a more realistic look. The image you posted appears so far from the ref images I have collected. Although I do like the CoD image, it seems far from realistic, almost completely constructed of metal. It does look good, though. The Famas (in reality) is mostly plastic with the exception of the barrel, mag, and a few other pieces. I even went as far as showing my model to a friend intimately familiar with assault rifles. They said that my model was even a bit too busy. I guess this is where we approach artistic license in order to make a more interesting looking model, rather than realistic. I will def consider your comments and see what I can do to improve the textures which are still a work in progress.
I understand wanting to keep it authentic in terms of the materials in which case CODs famas is a bad example but I think it definitely needs more signs of wear on the plastic parts considering how worn the metal bits are. Deep scratches in the plastic, marks where its scuffed against other surfaces, maybe even some paint has come off onto it. Dirt in the recesses of the textured surface. All those kind of things. Look for some reference in regards to old plastics. A lot of airsoft guns are plastic and certainly show their age after enough games so maybe some pictures of old airsoft weapons would be helpful.
The wear around the forward grip is still over the top, do you have any reference for this? Id get rid of this and instead work some more on the material definition. Its not like the military is pulling their rifles through the dirt everyday.
Thanks guys. Here is the main photo reference I was using. In regards to this reference, what do you guys think? I'm going for more of a warn terrorist weapon (not that the guy in the pic is a terrorist, but it looks like the weapon has seen a lot of use).
With the intense black of the plastic, I am having a hard time getting good renders with dust and dirt incorporated into the recesses (as Boozebeard advised) as it tends to get over saturated and pixilated.
I'll spend some more time working on the plastic to wear it down some more. Maybe I'll go back into the normal map with Ndo2 to add some more detail with nicks and scratches.
Ah ok well that reference does put it in perspective a bit more but to be I would still just tone down the wear on the metal for sake of the artistic impact. The contrast between the wear on the plastic and metal right now is definitely not looking right.
And I think in terms of that reference there is definitely still more colour deviation in the plastic areas. You might want to try making all the plastic areas a bit more grey as opposed to how black they are right now too. Make it looks a bit sun bleached.
I would say the difference between the wear in the reference and the wear on your image is that the reference has more natural wear, whereas yours looks like scratches. There is a huge difference between the two. If think of it in terms of history, rather than sole observation; lots of hands have touched that gun and every time a shot was fired, there was a small amount of movement and a lot of friction between the hand and foregrip. What that translates to is lots of smoother wear and a lot less sharp, linear scratches. I would also add some dirt or grime to the specular of the plastic, jut so the transition of metal and plastic isn't so jarring.
But one thing that I think is important to keep in mind is that what looks cool in photos doesn't always translate well into 3D. And in that photo, the transition of metal and plastic looks pretty jarring (I mean, and entirely exposed barrel? I've never seen that much wear on a barrel... ever). The photo's wear could be due to a huge number of variables but when making it in 3D, that unusual (yet realistic) wear can sometimes come off as an artists' weakness. So my other suggestion is to acquire a wide array of references and make your gun look cohesive. Because that reference image would be your Achilles heel.
I can't tell you how many artists I've seen receive criticism and they get defensive saying, "Well let me show you the reference.' I've done it many times myself. But this just goes back to what happens in real life doesn't always read well in 3D or isn't always the most aesthetic choice, and that's where it's important for artists to recognize their freedom and use their creativity. /end ramble
Noted! Thanks for the awesome crits! These forums are basically my only avenue for critiques at the moment, so I really appreciate all of your thoughtful feedback.
I totally agree with you BringMeASunkist. The wear does still seem somewhat excessive, but I was considering the fact that the gun in the photo was most likely utilized in a harsh terrain, so whenever the user goes into a prone position the gun may be laid upon rough rock - that's my argument for the scratches.
Do you guys really consider this a "make-it-or-break-it" issue for a quality portfolio piece? Do you even think this is a good portfolio piece?
Thanks again, guys!
In any case, I will work on a version of the lower receiver with an extremely reduced amount of wear and repost for more feedback.
Still way too dark IMO. Even in the reference the plastic is more of a dark grey than a black. Are you using a gloss map at all? You need a very wide falloff to sell that kind of matte plastic.
Here's another revision based on the feedback provided by you guys and others. I really toned down the scratches.
I do need to work on my lighting. I'm rendering in Marmoset. I suppose I'm just having a hard time with the rendering. Is anyone familiar with Marmoset lighting and have any tips? Do you build your own lighting or use a built-in setting like "sunlight" or "garage?"
Here's another revision based on the feedback provided by you guys and others. I really toned down the scratches.
I do need to work on my lighting. I'm rendering in Marmoset. I suppose I'm just having a hard time with the rendering. Is anyone familiar with Marmoset lighting and have any tips? Do you build your own lighting or use a built-in setting like "sunlight" or "garage?"
Any comments?
Thanks!
Add LIGHTS. Actual lights, give me the files and I will give you an example.
Replies
The Famas from Call Of Duty
Notice how the material is not a solid black. I'm not saying you need to copy the CoD famas, but you need to make your material pop, because right now it is letting all your high poly and baking work down.
Nice model, I like it!
With the intense black of the plastic, I am having a hard time getting good renders with dust and dirt incorporated into the recesses (as Boozebeard advised) as it tends to get over saturated and pixilated.
I'll spend some more time working on the plastic to wear it down some more. Maybe I'll go back into the normal map with Ndo2 to add some more detail with nicks and scratches.
And I think in terms of that reference there is definitely still more colour deviation in the plastic areas. You might want to try making all the plastic areas a bit more grey as opposed to how black they are right now too. Make it looks a bit sun bleached.
But one thing that I think is important to keep in mind is that what looks cool in photos doesn't always translate well into 3D. And in that photo, the transition of metal and plastic looks pretty jarring (I mean, and entirely exposed barrel? I've never seen that much wear on a barrel... ever). The photo's wear could be due to a huge number of variables but when making it in 3D, that unusual (yet realistic) wear can sometimes come off as an artists' weakness. So my other suggestion is to acquire a wide array of references and make your gun look cohesive. Because that reference image would be your Achilles heel.
I can't tell you how many artists I've seen receive criticism and they get defensive saying, "Well let me show you the reference.' I've done it many times myself. But this just goes back to what happens in real life doesn't always read well in 3D or isn't always the most aesthetic choice, and that's where it's important for artists to recognize their freedom and use their creativity. /end ramble
I totally agree with you BringMeASunkist. The wear does still seem somewhat excessive, but I was considering the fact that the gun in the photo was most likely utilized in a harsh terrain, so whenever the user goes into a prone position the gun may be laid upon rough rock - that's my argument for the scratches.
Do you guys really consider this a "make-it-or-break-it" issue for a quality portfolio piece? Do you even think this is a good portfolio piece?
Thanks again, guys!
In any case, I will work on a version of the lower receiver with an extremely reduced amount of wear and repost for more feedback.
You should work on your lighting. Honestly it doesn't look like you lit it at all.
Study this one for example.
I do need to work on my lighting. I'm rendering in Marmoset. I suppose I'm just having a hard time with the rendering. Is anyone familiar with Marmoset lighting and have any tips? Do you build your own lighting or use a built-in setting like "sunlight" or "garage?"
Any comments?
Thanks!
Add LIGHTS. Actual lights, give me the files and I will give you an example.
Works for hard surface and characters.