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LOW-POLY ART

polycounter lvl 19
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hawken polycounter lvl 19
This is the sweet spot for your low-poly models. Post 'em if you've got 'em!

Low-poly hasn't really been a requirement in the games industry for a long while now. This thread is for low-poly art style appreciation, so please take note of these rough guidelines:
  • Keep models under 1,000 triangles.
  • Scenes are fine, if all models are low poly.
Some dedicated low-poly modelling tools now exist that make this art style a lot easier to produce; Crocotile3D & Blockbench

Here's a handy list of ways to make your art look right in mainstream 3D software: Low-Poly Art Style Guide

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  • Seyhk
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    Seyhk polycounter lvl 11
    Nice first low poly bill, does'nt even look like an first x) can we see some wires later?

    Tonight I made that funny guy from machinarium, he miss some more details but i got bored of him fast :P
    MachinariumGuy.png
  • Baddcog
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    Baddcog polycounter lvl 9
    Looks pretty good Bill, but I think you should add some eye slits. Could really give him a menacing look. Right now he's a bit...umm..blank

    And his belly button looks like it's were his chest and belly meet, should be just poking out behind the buckle

    Pants are looking alright but maybe a bit low on contrast.
  • jmg06
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    jmg06 polycounter lvl 5
    My first go at a low poly character.

    lowpolycowboy.jpg
  • Bill Lowe
    @Seyhk Thanks, its my first proper attempt that hasn't resulted in me getting into a mess and closing max, I shall post wires with renders from other angles when texuring is done.

    @Baddcog Thanks for the feedback, I agree the helmet needs something extra, I started with an eye slight and visible eyes, but thought I might try the blink madman look instead. Belly button I shall move and pants need refining and detailing too.

    Moar later today :D

    @jmg06 Really nice! There are a few areas that stick out to me though, the cuffs around the wrist could use something more, and the boots also could have a little more detail? Face is very cool.
  • Tigerfeet
    @Jmg06 I like this guy a lot. The pinstriping on his pants is a nice detail, I might make it more pronounced if this is going to be displayed smaller (I didn't even notice the pinstripes until I displayed your image full-size. I also think you need to work on the UVs a bit, the left side of his moustache and mouth is crooked. Also, you've got a 5-sided polygon by the hips too.

    @Seyhk that little guy is freaking adorable!
  • d1ver
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    d1ver polycounter lvl 14
    Edit:
    My bad. Was meant for big WAYWO.
    Still, solid work here, guys, keep it up!
  • 9skulls
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    9skulls polycounter lvl 13
    d1ver wrote: »
    had a chance to be a bit silly with this quick sculpt. This is like my fav facial expression.) I think everyone looks real funny that way :)
    Wrong thread, much?
  • Bill Lowe
    Done for the day, there are a few minor tweaks and fixes I need to make to the diffuse, and I plan to do a quick lighting/shadow pass, namely around the neck, too. Then, on to rigging.

    LilBuzerkaFinal.jpg
  • clandestine
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    clandestine polycounter lvl 12
    Hey guys, i'm helping some friends with this model pack for sale in another forum... the cool thing is that every box is 500 tris, no lighting.

    qub_unity_shots2.jpg

    check them out in action in this vid

    vimeo01.jpg

    thanks
  • POFFINGTON
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    POFFINGTON polycounter lvl 11
    @Seyhk YESSSS! Top five favorite games of all time
  • felipefrango
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    felipefrango polycounter lvl 9
    @Seyhk, that's nice, really spot on. I'd close the mouth gap a bit though, it's the only thing I find that doesn't look quite right, IMHO it's giving him a different face than in the drawings.
  • Mr_Drayton
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    Mr_Drayton polycounter lvl 14
    qub_unity_shots2.jpg
    thanks
    Love the stile of these boxes! But I'd change the logo on the green box into something a bit different. I understood the hint of a jumping motion in the stick figures, but... I feel an unwanted (yet very evident) subliminal message! :icon15:
  • Tigerfeet
    Lots of great work folks :) I thought I'd swing by and drop these off (and crossposting from my project thread). Three animations in one weekend, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this!

    VillagerWalk02.gif
    VillagerRun01.gif
    VillagerUse01.gif
  • Nix
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    Nix polycounter lvl 13
    clandestine:

    Those are so delicious. I love tight and impactful (is that a word?) designs like that. You've found a way to make crates, the old video game standby, look fresh again. Especially the green one.

    I agree about the subliminal message though, lol!
  • clandestine
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    clandestine polycounter lvl 12
    hey Mr_Drayton and Nix, thanks a LOT for the comments! Those are the simple things that keeps people inspired :) Regarding the 'mana' logo, hmm... its the transition from a static 'life' to a dynamic/flying one, the instant evolutionary step you get when drinking this liquid... but i see what your vivid imaginations are implying, but as long as we keep in mind that the stick figures are a man and a woman, everything is ok :D

    revive_story_06.jpg

    dmatter_story_06.jpg
  • Leyto
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    Leyto polycounter lvl 7
    Well, I do think the current title of the topic is misleading. With the new mobile platforms, a mobile game character could easily have way more than 1000 tris. A great example would be Infinity Blade 2.

    So now that even mobile games are moving away from the truly lowpoly, we have to figure out what to do with this topic.

    We could update it to accommodate current specs for mobile games.

    That, or we could keep it the way it was originally intended, keep the triangle limit at 1000, and just go ahead and call it the Obso1337 Thread. :D!!

    Yes, I understand your mind, technology is pushing all the spec to another stage. But in other hand, we could consider this thread is aligned on the actual low-end hardware (like smartphones wich doesnt run Andro
  • cupsster
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    cupsster polycounter lvl 11
    The show must go on!
    It is perfect to demonstrate low-poly character that have a soul, outline and use minimum resources. This is just the way it should be instead lazy developers and poor rush asset preparation.. Sub 1000 is actual even on modern smartphones.. I'd like to draw more variaty instead waste budget on one thing on screen. ;)
    I like this thread a lot. Watching closely.
  • tntcheats
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    tntcheats polycounter lvl 7
    Keep it at 1000.

    Poly waste is everywhere. I agree that we need to keep this thread pure.
    a) Infinite Blade has all of 2 characters on screen at once, and zooms in to cull most environmental polys when they show both.
    b) You see extremely clever workarounds for problems that wouldn't exist with a higher count.
    c) Because of that limit I've seen characters that are n64/DS spec but (except, perhaps, for their textures) look Xbox or higher.
    d) Less sloppiness!
  • j1ll
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    j1ll polycounter lvl 7
  • Thegodzero
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    Thegodzero polycounter lvl 18
    Had some fun with old school art.
    sqz.jpg
    130 tris
  • lluc
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    lluc polycounter lvl 14
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    So much unused texture space, I bet you could put that all one 128x128
  • Graze
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    Graze polycounter lvl 6
    Here is a character i just finished, hes called stoick and hes from how to train your dragon. I still have work to do on him, he needs weapons, an environment and a dragon to face :) hopefully ill have it done by the end of the week. 778tris in total, 256 diffuse and spec map. More updates shortly :)

    stoickfullbody.jpg
  • 9skulls
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    9skulls polycounter lvl 13
    Thegodzero wrote: »
    Had some fun with old school art.
    sqz.jpg
    130 tris
    *drools* That's awesome :poly142:
  • Leisure Centaur
    @Thegodzero Freaking gorgeous! Minimalism = success :D

    Still avoiding rigging like the plague, done a lil snifit...

    snifit_layout.png
    210 Tris, 64x64 Texture
  • lean
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    lean polycounter lvl 5
    Thegodzero: really nice texture!

    Leisure Centaur
    : lose that rigging fear, when you finish your first, you'll realize it really isn't such a big deal. I really like what you did, as usual. I dig your mario characters versions, full cast maybe? ahahah
  • Leisure Centaur
    Cheers Lean! Yeah I should be pretty damn ashamed about putting off rigging. I know it'll just be a few hours of slog and then I'll emerge as a shiny, animating baby.

    Would love to do more Mario characters, got a real soft spot for b-team sorta guys, non-spotlight sorta thing. Probably good if I knock out a few more original designs too I suppose!
  • Seyhk
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    Seyhk polycounter lvl 11
    Graze: nice character, i enjoyed that movie alot, looks nice your remake in low poly!

    J1ll:
    Cool, he looks like some kind of robotic animal to me.
    Would be nice to see it rigged later. :)

    well done everyone! :thumbup:
  • Aerial_Knight
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    Aerial_Knight polycounter lvl 8
    LittleNeil.jpg

    My little ninja
  • konstruct
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    konstruct polycounter lvl 18
    j1ll wrote: »
    robotr.jpg

    1.4k tris

    This is cool! what is it?
  • leilei
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    leilei polycounter lvl 14
    I did this model as a forum joke over at SRK (an argument over a new darkstalkers using 2d or 3d, some analogy about it aging like money for nothing in 10 years), nothing serious, infact I tried to make it deliberately like a partially segmented N64 model.

    morrigan64.jpgm64.gif
    362 tri, 32x64x4 texture (16 colors)
    looking back I should've pasted a photo on her face for the lols.
  • 9skulls
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    9skulls polycounter lvl 13
    @Aerial_Knight It's lookin' nice, though I don't quite get the ninja feel from it. For example, where is his weapon? Some parts of the mesh look like they could be optimized further and here is my suggestion:

    avB2R.png

    Red = Remove the edges
    Blue = Add new edges
    Green = Collapse/merge into one edge loop

    Also I'd either make the belt much bigger so that the polys you've spend there would really come to use, or remove the belt mesh altogether and just texture it in.



    @leilei
    Very nice. You really captured the N64 feel to it. Although the texture does look muddy and stretched, it does really give it the authentic look :D
  • Aerial_Knight
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    Aerial_Knight polycounter lvl 8
    Thanks Man! your right about the line on the face, when I started the model I was going to do a lot more with the face (animal crossing) but ended up taking it out.

    And he is more of a medieval Ninja, I made a blade for him thats on the texture Ill post it tonight.

    Thanks for the feed back
  • Moesly
    A quick character I did yesterday. It could still be tweaked here and there, but overall I'm pretty satisfied with the result...(so far) :)

    Trucker.jpg
  • Pierate
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    Pierate polycounter lvl 15
    Metal_Crate_Screen.png
    Because pixels are the best and that's not a fact but it could be.
  • GabrielP
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    GabrielP polycounter lvl 7
    sweet character Moesly, I love the definition.

    Heres the fella that Ive been working away at, still plenty to go but I thought Id post what I have so far.
    Muphyro-1.png
  • Tigerfeet
    GabrielP, do you absolutely need for the eyes to be that round? If they're sunken into the head (which it looks like they are) then you're never going to see them in direct profile. I'll bet you could get away with a shallow cone shape and no one would be the wiser.
  • 9skulls
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    9skulls polycounter lvl 13
    @Pierate That block is straight from Chrono Trigger, seriously. I've been playing that game recently and that block is definatelly from CT. Color scheme is spot on. Awesome work mate :D

    Also, Moesly, really nice trucker guy you got there. You going to model the vehicle as well? That'd be cool. Joint loops around his elbows seem to be on the wrong side though.
  • Sveen
    screenshot_troll_boss_001.jpg


    Hi there,

    long time Polycount lurker here, thought it was time to try to contribute a little as well. Just wanted to show some character work from the hack n' slash rpg dungeon crawler we're working on at Blink Studios called SKAR, going for a norse fantasy setting. We are primarily aiming for an iOS launch which will then be followed by a pc/mac release, so we're making all assets with this in mind.

    This is a troll boss and currently weighs in at 475 verts/876 tris, 1x1024 map which is downsized for the iOS version. As always with development for mobile platforms, all models are works in progress and will most likely undergo several optimization steps along the way to achieve a stable 30fps on mobile. Will try to post some more stuff from the game soon!
  • tristamus
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    tristamus polycounter lvl 9
    lluc wrote: »
    wip_01.jpg

    I fucking love this
  • Funky Bunnies
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    Funky Bunnies polycounter lvl 17
    that's gorgeous, Sveen!

    I'd love to see more from the game - and textures!
  • Thegodzero
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    Thegodzero polycounter lvl 18
    Sveen wrote: »
    screenshot_troll_boss_001.jpg


    Hi there,

    long time Polycount lurker here, thought it was time to try to contribute a little as well. Just wanted to show some character work from the hack n' slash rpg dungeon crawler we're working on at Blink Studios called SKAR, going for a norse fantasy setting. We are primarily aiming for an iOS launch which will then be followed by a pc/mac release, so we're making all assets with this in mind.

    This is a troll boss and currently weighs in at 475 verts/876 tris, 1x1024 map which is downsized for the iOS version. As always with development for mobile platforms, all models are works in progress and will most likely undergo several optimization steps along the way to achieve a stable 30fps on mobile. Will try to post some more stuff from the game soon!

    Too sexy to not move to the next page!
  • Bill Lowe
    @Sveen - crazy hot, awesome paint job! Do you paint entirely in Photoshop is some of the work done in a 3d painting app? You hide the seams well, would love to see UVs and wires. Great work!
  • GabrielP
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    GabrielP polycounter lvl 7
    Wow Sveen, outstanding work, really incredible use of polys and texture, I would also love to see the UV's

    Well heres what Ive been up to, would love to hear some feedback:
    Muphyro-2.png
  • Fryght
    I like the design.

    The texture is a bit blurry still, could use some further hard lines to define it a bit more. Also, I think it would be nice to paint in a bit more self-illumination (as you did with the chest) on the shoulder pads and the eyes, particularly.

    Try setting the image to grayscale in Photoshop, to check values.

    Great job so far though, it's coming along nicely!
  • Nix
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    Nix polycounter lvl 13
    Thegodzero wrote: »
    Too sexy to not move to the next page!

    Agree, that is one sexay troll.
  • Tysho
    Wow... never thought I'd say it but da-yum that troll is hot!

    I've got a couple of questions for you guys if you're willing to help me out- here's what I've currently concepted/ am working on:

    mechunfinished.jpg

    This tank/mech thing is currently sat at 718 triangles with a 512x512 texture sheet- I've seen a lot of incredible stuff here and would really appreciate any feedback- would this triangle count/texture size be too large for an iphone/ipad game? It would play a fairly small role in the game (if it ever was a game) and would be an enemy for the player to battle. Also any tips on creating the texture would be awesome!

    EDIT: I know I've deviated from the original concept somewhat... consider this is a test run :)
  • Sveen
    screenshot_troll_boss_005.jpg

    Thanks for the kind words guys, very much appreciated.

    Here's some wires/uvs and a texture sample. The edges/bleed is not prepared for mipmapping yet as you can see, this is just the 1k map before downscaling and edge fixups, etc. Additional mesh optimization is in the works, several places to save a few inconsequential polys here and there. Every little bit counts!

    @ Bill Lowe: Thanks! I first make a "as-detailed-as-needed" zbrush sculpt, decimate it, bring it into max and project/bake the hires details onto a lowres model with decent uvs to get my diffuse base. This projection usually turns out pretty rough on such lowpoly topology but it still saves a great amount of time and gives you a very nice starting point to continue hand-painting on top of. Then it's all photoshop and Viewport Canvas (max) from there on, pushing and pulling verts around, adjusting uvs, removing seams, and so on.
  • cloudkookoo
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    cloudkookoo polycounter lvl 6
    Total noob here, completed my first character model. Don't know if I followed proper topology rules, but I'm pleased with myself for actually making something I like. Crits are welcomed.

    roboj.png
  • Seyhk
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    Seyhk polycounter lvl 11
    Sveen, how did you bake the texture? i thought it was only possible with normals, that troll is epic man!
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