Learning 3D: Dwarven city

Tomseas

I'm trying to wrap my head around 3D modeling. I've spent a while trying some packages and settled for maya. I thought it'd be great for me to work on a project and see how things come along as I go.

I'm a pretty slow learning so please bear with me

The gist of the project is basically a dwarven city that opened up to commerce and interaction with humans, so it built a small settlement outside their sacred gates. Most of the architecture is supposed to be dwarf based with some human ones. There would be a mix in scale between places for dwarves only vs human scale ones (shops etc).

Here's a first building, a small scale home that needs a final cleanup pass before being sculpted and then textured (added model for scale):
[sketchfab]8f4dfd418e54492c90eff488d52db9aa[/sketchfab]
House Small by TomCfromBE on Sketchfab

VanLogan

Good start. What style are you going to do the textures?

Tomseas

Thanks!
I'm not sure yet. Something "realistic" but that sounds very vague. I have a general image in mind but no idea how I'll get there. I feel like textures can really make or break the model, so I'll take enough time to look around and play around some

Tomseas

Here's a general overview of where this is all going. Made a layout of all the major landmarks in maya and threw it into Marmoset for a preview.
the second shot is to see if the "verticality" I had in mind works





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Tomseas

Some progress on the project with a new building. Medium sized home this time.
Semi cleaned up, need to do another pass and then sculpt.
[sketchfab]1f48ae1c376548e89c26326e25a1a793[/sketchfab]
House Medium by TomCfromBE on Sketchfab


And while taking a break did a quick sketch of a crane maquette someone made

Tomseas

I'm terrible with presentation but for the sake of updates, here's the state the lumber mill is currently in. Some parts were heavily inspired by a reference image I had so it was more like an exercise and not as much my own.

Tomseas

Trying out Keyshot which looks really interesting to play with.

Tomseas

Dwarven watermill. Tons of placeholder stuff. Trying to have wheel theme (feels heavy handed even). WIP before sculpt

Dethling

Are the "brick/panel lines" modelled?

If so, I would remove them and add them with a normal map.
Also I would try to add a little more intresting, decorative shapes to your buildings (eg adding "half-columns" to the edges of the buildings") and maybe some small bending to remove the vertical straight lines (personal preference only)

I really like your idea and the general theme you go with. Also the small details (head cavings, hammer symbols, Runes, octogonal instets etc.) are very nice and add a lot to the models.

But try to keep in mind what kind of "view" you aim for.
E.g. If it should be seens from above (like Diablo III) you can move a lot of these details to a normal map.

For the mill wheel: It didn't scream "DWARVEN!!!!" to me yet. Do you try an octagonal frame? maybe this would be more fitting (even if its only a attached deco element).

Tomseas

The bricks are "modelled". They're just a box with a beveled edge. Since I'm making these without a drawing I tend to forget some of the decisions I make so I put them there as placeholders to have an idea of what it will look like.

You're right about the straight lines. I feel the same way, it's way too stiff. But I'm kinda hoping it'll solve itself while sculpting? I'll have a test piece after getting started in zbrush and will see how it goes. If it's not like planned I'll have to go back and add character in maya first.

I have not done any texturing (like ever) so I'm not a 100% sure how normals maps work. I've read about them and I thought I was going to make a texture based of a high poly sculpt of the bricks and use that. Not sure if that's a good idea or if there are better alternatives. Texturing scares the living hell out of me.

The goal is to import all of this to unreal and have a fake level to walk around in.

I'll revisit the frame. I wasn't happy with it either. Thanks

Here's a Dwarven storagey building. It's connected to another building with that overpass thing. Lots of placeholder stuff, blablablabla, stiffness, wip, sculpt will solve everything supposedly...

Tomseas

Dwarven brewery located in the middle of the town so all the stuff is packed on the roof. Lots of placeholder blockin stuff, missing quick metal plating of main building and brickwork on smaller building. Workers have a little terrace to taste some of the beer they brew. Door leading to nowhere will be connected to another building through an overpass.

le0tard

feels very dwarven, you've done some good reserch and had good references for this. I guess this wont be textured at all?

Poinball

Nice so far ! Continue like this

Robert_H

I love it! So far it looks like some real good work, you've captured the dwarven style well. Would love to see it textured! I would suggest texturing at least of of those buildings you've made so far before modelling more of them, to space out the different processes.