Warhammer Land Raider
polycounter lvl 8
Hello Polycount this is my first 3d post on the site, so i decided to build up a mega post to make it worth the while. This is my complete Land Raider project including interior. It was a lot of fun, and i am thinking of all the wonderful animations i could do next. I am starting out in the hobby so this was a big learning experience for me really enjoyed it.
Please Crit and comment as i really like receiving posts. and as its my first major thread you HAVE TO
If you want me to post anything else or have any questions just ask.
The wires.
Next up the Clays
Texturing
And Finally Just for fun interior
Please comment and subscribe
Please Crit and comment as i really like receiving posts. and as its my first major thread you HAVE TO
If you want me to post anything else or have any questions just ask.
The wires.
Next up the Clays
Texturing
And Finally Just for fun interior
Please comment and subscribe
Replies
The gray-on-gray color scheme is part of the problem; it just doesn't have the same inherent visual interest of the other options, especially the gold-on-blue scheme. It also lacks the decals which would provide some relief from the monochrome paint. I understand that you might be modelling a specific vehicle/unit, but there might be better options out there. Consider the following, which is very similar but has red details to provide some variety:
The white sections stand out rather starkly, and seem rather arbitrary. This is also true of the various shades of gray, but it's less obvious. The paint overall should be a single uniform shade, with only specific details in other colors. The only exception would be replacement panels, which would be brighter/fresher than the rest.
The few bits of color you do have (wires, lights) appear over saturated. Take a look at the wires inside your computer, and notice that even there the colors are more subdued. External wires, especially on military vehicles, are almost uniformly black or the primary color of the vehicle; this will cost you visual variety, but at the moment these small spots of color really just distract the eye. Red lights - when unlit - tend to appear much more subdued, and have a definite texture.
One thing common to all tracked vehicles from their introduction in 1918 to the present day - and presumably for the next 38 millennia - is dirt. Drive a tank through a field, and the tracks and skirts will be covered in soil; down a country road, and the entire vehicle will be covered with dust. The only time - except immediately after washing - you can't see dirt is when it's hidden beneath the mud. At the least, I'd expect some dirt on the lower edges of the skirt, and ground between the treads of the track.
Consider adding other weathering - streaks of dirt from rain, oil stains, glints of bare metal where the paint has chipped or flaked off. Armored vehicles are rarely clean - they simply don't fit into most car washes. At the same time, make sure there is a point to the weathering - don't simply add uniform grunge.
Keep in mind that texturing is not trivial - it can (and usually does) take longer to create a good set of textures than it took to create the model itself. The difference between an average model and a great one is having a dedicated artist willing to put in 80% of the time to do the final 20%.
I totally agree with you on your opening line. The texturing needs a lot more work along with the lighting to make it look more realistic (realism would be the direction i would want to take it in) As a novice this is one of the first models i have ever used more than one texture map on.
Edit.. I see what you are saying that there should be a base metal paint material and then weathering on top. i dont know how to achieve a good metal texture that is believable, especially not in mental ray in 3dsmax. i have seen more believable effects come from these new pbr textures and rendering tools. Is this what i should do in the future? use the pbr rendering tools. or should i stick with 3dsmax?
Decals are something that i have seen used but i have never used them my self. I guess the over arching problem is that i set out at the start of this to achieve a strong solid model and didnt think to much about the texturing or rendering. All i know was i wanted the model to turbo smooth correctly so i can get good normal maps. And i achieve that goal.
The next project is going to have that end production goal. whether its for games, high res rendering, film etc.
Yes the colour makes it feel more kiddy in a way, yes i agree on the over saturation. The wire would be better if they were more like the decals at the front of the tank the small arrows and the small triangle.
I did try with the dirt but as you say i need to put more time into the texturing.
I will certainly spend more time on my next texturing job.
About PBR ligthning , again its really easy to manage with mental ray and if you want nice metal reflection its the only way (or v-ray) , in 3dsmax at least