Duplicate of a duplicate ( what is happening ? ) can be removed
node
Hello everyone.
Few days ago, I opened this thread https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2734111#Comment_2734111 concerning the basic pipeline to follow when you want to make a game asset. I've received the answers I needed to start a project and try to follow the "checklist" of the 3D Game Artist. BUT of course I'm a newbbie and, you can guess if I'm here, I encountered somes issues.
I base my project on this link : http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Texture_Baking, I know I won't necessary have to do each one of theses steps, but anyway I'm already stuck to step 3 x) Looking back, I might be gone a bit too far with the details and the complexity since this is my very first attempt following the game asset workflow, but I have hope once I will have completed it I will have learned a lot !
So here is my High-Poly mesh made in Blender :
I tried to retopologize, then UV and test some normal baking with Blender internal tool, and I quickly saw it was absolutely terrible, be prepared ( Yes this is a 4k normalMap) :
So after that big failure, I came back here and read anything I could find about Normal Baking, UVs and LowPoly from HighPoly. So I quickly understood that I had to start over the step 1, after the HighPoly modeling, because the first of my problems was that my lowpoly geometry was too lowpoly and not close enough from my highpoly mesh, especially for all these cylinders. I know I have also done a terrible job while UV unwrapping, but this will come in a second time.
So the first time I tried to make my lowpoly model, I duplicated my HighPoly, applied all the modifiers ( including Array, Mirror, bevel... ) and started by adding a plane, by enabling face snapping and adding a shrinkwrap modifier just to be sure, and I made the "lowpoliest" model I could. But I wonder : should I instead of applying my modifiers, keep them until the very end, so I dont have to retopologize and then UV unwrap the same object 10 times since I use a Array Modifier ? More obvious, my model is pretty much symmetrical and I use a mirror modifier for most of my part, can I just... retopologize and UV Unwrap only a half of my model THEN apply the modifiers once I get to the baking step ? I think I spent 2 days on retopology and UV, but I guess this could have been way faster if I had not applied my modifiers and used them ? Now that I want to start it over, I'd like to do it the most efficient way. And just to be sure : do we agree that my lowpoly shading must be flat, because the smooth and beveled look will come with the normal map made from my highpoly model, wich is smooth ?
Also, I know my baking troubles aren't due only to the lowpoly model, but this is the first step I've done wrong, so the others parts will come later ^^
Thank you for your time.
Worraps
Few days ago, I opened this thread https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2734111#Comment_2734111 concerning the basic pipeline to follow when you want to make a game asset. I've received the answers I needed to start a project and try to follow the "checklist" of the 3D Game Artist. BUT of course I'm a newbbie and, you can guess if I'm here, I encountered somes issues.
I base my project on this link : http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Texture_Baking, I know I won't necessary have to do each one of theses steps, but anyway I'm already stuck to step 3 x) Looking back, I might be gone a bit too far with the details and the complexity since this is my very first attempt following the game asset workflow, but I have hope once I will have completed it I will have learned a lot !
So here is my High-Poly mesh made in Blender :
I tried to retopologize, then UV and test some normal baking with Blender internal tool, and I quickly saw it was absolutely terrible, be prepared ( Yes this is a 4k normalMap) :
So after that big failure, I came back here and read anything I could find about Normal Baking, UVs and LowPoly from HighPoly. So I quickly understood that I had to start over the step 1, after the HighPoly modeling, because the first of my problems was that my lowpoly geometry was too lowpoly and not close enough from my highpoly mesh, especially for all these cylinders. I know I have also done a terrible job while UV unwrapping, but this will come in a second time.
So the first time I tried to make my lowpoly model, I duplicated my HighPoly, applied all the modifiers ( including Array, Mirror, bevel... ) and started by adding a plane, by enabling face snapping and adding a shrinkwrap modifier just to be sure, and I made the "lowpoliest" model I could. But I wonder : should I instead of applying my modifiers, keep them until the very end, so I dont have to retopologize and then UV unwrap the same object 10 times since I use a Array Modifier ? More obvious, my model is pretty much symmetrical and I use a mirror modifier for most of my part, can I just... retopologize and UV Unwrap only a half of my model THEN apply the modifiers once I get to the baking step ? I think I spent 2 days on retopology and UV, but I guess this could have been way faster if I had not applied my modifiers and used them ? Now that I want to start it over, I'd like to do it the most efficient way. And just to be sure : do we agree that my lowpoly shading must be flat, because the smooth and beveled look will come with the normal map made from my highpoly model, wich is smooth ?
Also, I know my baking troubles aren't due only to the lowpoly model, but this is the first step I've done wrong, so the others parts will come later ^^
Thank you for your time.
Worraps
Replies
Thank you very much for your answer. That shading issue with my misunderstanding of what should be shaded flat / smooth and hard edges was indeed my main trouble. However, and I don't know what is happening, but this topic is a duplicate of this topic https://polycount.com/discussion/221882/duplicate-of-a-topic-can-be-removed#latest wich is a duplicate of this original topic : https://polycount.com/discussion/221753/blender-making-my-first-game-asset-isnt-easy-troubles-with-retopo-and-uvs#latest . It seems like the antispam bot that has prevented me from posting at the beginning of the month is now being very friendly with my old attempts ahaha.
I will update this first topic with new pics soon because thanks to the advises of many of you I managed to get a good baking in subtance ( my baking in Blender were just tests ), texture my model and getting a decent first videogame asset ( I believe ). I'll edit the title of this topic for it to be deleted.