The Monolith - Scenery Tests : Need Critiques
just wanted some opinions on what ive done so far with these rooms in the tomb. apparently no one does tombs n e more so its hard to find good references these days. i want to know what to fill the space with or if i should leave it open, how everything matches up n e thing. u guys have been helpful in the past.:
-mog!
-mog!
Replies
It'd be worth doing a little research on egyptian art too. Look at the sorts of things they layed out in the tombs - types of boxes, statues and vases. What you've got there are the moment looks good but its pretty generic stuff. It'd be worth trying to give everything a distinctly egyptian flavour.
looks like you've got alot of room for extra detail.
looks really nice sofar.
The 1st exterior shot, well, I don't know it looks really dull, a desert, a pyramid and that's about it, some funky yellow light.
If this would have to be like some dusk/sunsetish light, then your sun is too high up. Right now it's just a landscape with some strange yellow light. If you'd change the light to a bright sky with very hard light (white/blueish) this would make it look more like a desert. Adding some very faint clouds would help to break up the the sky.
The landscape itself, the sand looks cool, maybe add either some particles or alpha planes where you see sand being blown over the desert by the wind?
As for the pyramid itself, I'm sorry, but it looks really boring as is right now. I know, I know, in itself a pyramid is nothing exciting to see from far of, but yours looks like, well, just a pyramid primitive. Try to break it up, look at old pyramids, how layers of bricks have crumbled off, how the hard edges have eroded up. Maybe add some stuff in front of it, like a sphynx, or a road lined with monoliths leading up to it.
Anything that will break the monotomy of the way the scene is now.
2nd shot:
The hieroglyphs, you actually did them in negative, linework is carved into rock, not chissled out as you have it now. So most hieroglyphs would be inwards, invert that normalmap.
3rd shot:
I like the feel of this one, but make a second texture for pillars, because this is so obviously instanced. A 2nd texture set will break up the tiling effect you get this way, and also rotate some pillars. I'm not to impressed with the texture that's on the base of the pillars, it looks too... squashed and dirty, as if they used some 3rd grade rock because they ran out of the premium stuff. Once again, too much spec imo.
Also a little damage here and there never hurts. Show that its old. Take a brick out of one piller, or cut out a chunk, just make it look interesting.
I really like the floor texture, but once again too speccy imo, but, you could get away with it. I would turn it into a 'brick' texture. as if it's made out of tiles, because there's no foundation like that in the dessert. Also that way it adds to the 'man made' feel of the thing.
4th shot:
Well, some mysterious door I suppose. Sadly enough it doesn't look really mysterious, infact, it looks a bit unconvincing.
What's the purpose of the chains? they seem to randomly spawn out of nowhere. Then there's a huge lowres wheel/lock thing with terrible uving on it.
Make a doorway around the door, that way it loosk like it's an actual door, make it big, make it over the top with candles/ torches, hideous egyptian gods flaying people. Just make it scream: you don't wanna enter here!
Now, with a doorway you have somethig that looks plausible for chains to come out of. Have the chains come out of, and dissapear into actual holes. That way they look convincing, like they would be able to move.
Think about the direction you want them to go to, going into the floor like you have now is silly. why not have them go from the sides and top, and all point towards the wheely/lock thing?
Looks much more like it would actually be able to work.
As for the wheel, well, something more detailed is in place.
And what's the strange thing in the top left corner? Just raw rock?
5th shot:
I like it, it's a bit messy, lots of stuff going on I mean. The anatomy on the hands could certainly use some work. Add a trim around the waterbasin, some ornamental stuff on the pillars perhaps.
What are the other sculptures? Gods? Kind of reminds me of Lovecraft's stuff. Weird but I like 'em.
Strange how that broken pillar didn't leave any debris on the floor.
6th shot:
I like it. Has a good atmosphere. I think you should take the whole thing in this direction, atleast this breathes a brooding atmosphere. The lil' debris makes it look much better right away.
7th shot:
looks solid, spec is a little high on most jars tho'. And by gods, the spec on the floor! it kills my eyes! argh!
8:
A lil' spider, he's cute
some other things:
Well, as has been mentioned, dust, sand, cobwebs, add them! They add so much to the whole feel.
Try to break up walls and floors/ceilings with trims.
Don't be afraid to damage your stuff. Just make it looks plausible. As in, why did it break, where would the debris end up?
Add torches on the walls, right now you only have invisible lightsources for the bigger part, so add them lights!
Closing:
Well, a good effort, kind of hard to tell from this how advanced you are in 3D, but atleast you have the basics down.
Now it's just more about thinking about what you make. Why is this, why is that?
I think this piece can turn out really nice if you take the time and crits people here give you.
(and watch movies like indiana jones, the mummy for ideas on how tombs/pyramids could look)
i think more broken rocks and pillars possibly laying over could help to make the large spaces seem a little more detailed.
i don't think the spec on #7 is bad if we had sunlight coming into the room, but since it's probably closed off, i'd have to agree with squatedbug here.
(plastic looking, that is)