Most people either upload the images to their personal site and link to them or they use free image hosting such as imageshack or youtube. Since you'll be looking for a job at some point it might be a good idea to start working on a site now, it can be really helpful. If you're interested in doing RTS units, go ahead and do them, don't wait for it to be covered in class. I'll be honest (and sound like a dick), the first few you do, probably won't land you a job. Jobs are not in the future of people who only create content for class projects. It takes doing it more then a few times to get good. It's pretty easy to spot a fresh out of school portfolio. Normally they talk big, think they've accomplished a lot, and don't delivery anywhere near the quality they claim.
If I sound a little jaded against game art schools, its because I am. I've had to sit through interviews with recent graduates from various local schools and I saw pretty much the same things, crap just in slightly different forms. If you want to stand out from the pack you'll need to outshine your classmates. PLEASE don't fall into the idea that because you're in a program that it means a job at the end. It still takes talent and great art in your portfolio to land a job, school is an opportunity to hone those skills that are already there.
If you're interested in creating content for RTS games, know that you'll be creating A LOT of units in a pretty short amount of time. How do get really good at creating quality units in a short amount of time? Practice, and lots of it, much more then just classroom assignments. I would also encourage you to open yourself to more of the job market by doing a wider variety of projects. Creating models isn't that different from game to game, you just need to learn the restrictions and how to get models in game, but the process up to that point is pretty much the same.
I don't know too many FREE, quality, art related, forums that offer image hosting. Thats a bandwidth bill I wouldn't want look at let alone pay...
thanks for the reply vig, I'll put your words to use. and its not that im waiting for a class to support my interests, if thats what it came off as, just that I've been focusing more on what I needed to do rather than what I wanted to do, thats usually done during my breaks. I'll get images up later today
These pictures are really old, just gonna keep em up so people can compare. this is a few months into my schooling, the newest are a few months away from my graduation
One thing im never certain on is just how many polys it takes to make an RTS unit, I've referenced off Command& Conquer, Act of War and Warcraft 3 as best as I can but I just cant get a good visual of their units' wireframes. if anyone has a link or something please lemme know
Heres a Starship Troopers themed environment I modeled for school a couple weeks ago
a closeup of the guard tower detail
and a low poly arachnid bug I made for grins. could be for a SST RTS. hmm.
The treads are higher poly because it was originally a lofted object to support an animated texture for class. I hadnt reduced it when I made these renders
You said you'd like to focus on RTS games, so I'm assuming that some of these meshes you've made are for that genre. The poly density is nice and low, but my one major complaint is that they're not every consistent. For example the tank - you've used polys to bevel the armor on the bottom yet areas retain hard edges. If the camera is going close enough to the tank to justify fine detail like that, such detail should be consistent all over the tank. If not, get rid of those bevels and save those polys.
Another thing, I think you may need to consider your silhouettes a bit more. Avoid perfect 90 degree angles in all 3 axises (now that I think about it, what IS the plural for "axis" ? Axises? Axi? Axes ... no that just looks like the thing you use to chop wood) props, or they will retain a very box-like shape that looks like you started with a cube and extruded.
Also, the wireframes you provided aren't too clear, but I spot some areas where you could optimize the meshflow and save more polys. In short, the meshes look like animator-style meshes. This is in regard to your vehicles. While your edge loops are easier to follow as a result, you might want to consider pinching your polys if they wrap around the entire model and only contribute shape to one side of the model's silhouette. After all, for the more popular game engines, one tri is better than 10 unneccesary quads.
Last thing - this is more of a question - what 3D program does AI of Fort Lauderdale use? I just graduated from AI of Vancouver last month and I feel kinda jipped that we didn't get any training in 3DS Max. We used Maya the whole way through.
thanks for the replies everyone, to answer them down the list,
yes RTS games are what I'd like to focus on, but I have no guidelines to follow as far as how RTS models are made, other than looking at the models as best as possible in game. the orca bomber and mammoth tank I modelled wasnt initially for RTS purposes, and I agree could use maintenance to rid a few polys.
For the low poly models at the bottom, I actually didnt plan on texturing them because I made those all in about 5 hours, the two vehicles included (not the command&conquer ones). they were really just something for me to use to ask people if I am on the right track for RTS style units. as I stated in the caption, I've referenced off multiple games, yet all of them have a significant variety of polycounts The units in Warcraft3 are very low poly and their animations reflect it, however the infantry in Act of War are quite amazing, they have a much wider variety of smooth animations which I am very attracted to, but I can't see how many polys they used to pull it off. Until I gain an understanding and a style I'm comfortable with, im not gonna bother texturing a poorly made model. the low poly vehicles actually turned out good tho, I might clean them up and texture them
plural of axis is axes (axe-ease) from what I read
I actually am looking into making a mod using the Warcraft 3 engine, I am researching what programs are needed to do that,
and the programs we're being taught with at AiFL is 3dmax, XSI, Zbrush, and Unreal 2004 Editor. I'm teaching myself how to use the Warcraft3 World editor though, to use in my graduation demo reel hopfully. We have Maya but thats for animation students.
Ah thats better. I tried posting this concept up a few days ago but it failed. anyhow this is my concept for my Zbrush class, we're only 3 weeks in but im already thinkin about my finals. Im debating which hairstyle to give him, short n ruffled or ponytail with banes? any suggestions / crits are always welcome
I should imagine that as a guess most new RTS games have 500-2000 tris per unit depending on how big, important or complex the unit is and probably 512x512 maps on most models.
ah Thehiveworkshop.com. ya i have that bookmarked lol thats where im getting my tools to import models into the warcraft3 engine. I actually have downloaded a character from there to get an idea, but it wasnt what I had expected. each piece, shoulders arms hands legs, etc, was all modeled individually and not even connected. good for dodging stretches but not my style. left holes in the joints.
I do have to thank you for the link to stoofoo's page, I already requested his expertise
Hey George, I really like your bottom concept with the short hair. The only thing I would add is to push the concept further. I would ask what makes this knight different from any other knight? Just to add some dynamic characteristic to the character. I like the half tabard idea, thats a great start.
posted this in the low poly section, but wanted to know what you guys think about it. its for the Warcraft 3 mod I mentioned before, based on starship troopers
Engineer Sniper Soldier Medic
920 tris 842 tris 972-1078tris* 1002 tris
*The soldier has two weapon choices it can be upgraded with, assault rifle w/ shotgun or a grenade launcher
And the Medic is female to explain her smaller size and physique
Its been a very long time since I've last posted anything, but I've been a little busy with things, anyways, started a model of Nick Frost, looks like a good character to Zbrush, tell me what you think
Not making any promises lol but I'll try and keep this sketchbook updated
Just finished taking an art test, here's the 2 objects I had to model
first was this chair, based off a reference, 160-170k polys
Second was a jukebox of my choice, B.Y.O.R (bring your own references)
1941 Wurlitzer-780, 32k-40k polys
PS if anyone actually does see this, I am not a rendering guy, and never used shaders up until now (the 3dmax2009 architectual design default templates) If anyone has suggestions on how to make those bright white spots go away, I'd appreciate any tips
So a year later I find my little 3d niche and in 11 weeks, learned zbrush from the ground up, created 3 characters, and enough after effects to finish the job. I want to focus in this more and could use professional critiques. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou-l4mCxCAM[/ame]
my next project is going to be another attempt at Warhammer 40K material, and characters a friend has concepted.
Replies
Most people either upload the images to their personal site and link to them or they use free image hosting such as imageshack or youtube. Since you'll be looking for a job at some point it might be a good idea to start working on a site now, it can be really helpful. If you're interested in doing RTS units, go ahead and do them, don't wait for it to be covered in class. I'll be honest (and sound like a dick), the first few you do, probably won't land you a job. Jobs are not in the future of people who only create content for class projects. It takes doing it more then a few times to get good. It's pretty easy to spot a fresh out of school portfolio. Normally they talk big, think they've accomplished a lot, and don't delivery anywhere near the quality they claim.
If I sound a little jaded against game art schools, its because I am. I've had to sit through interviews with recent graduates from various local schools and I saw pretty much the same things, crap just in slightly different forms. If you want to stand out from the pack you'll need to outshine your classmates. PLEASE don't fall into the idea that because you're in a program that it means a job at the end. It still takes talent and great art in your portfolio to land a job, school is an opportunity to hone those skills that are already there.
If you're interested in creating content for RTS games, know that you'll be creating A LOT of units in a pretty short amount of time. How do get really good at creating quality units in a short amount of time? Practice, and lots of it, much more then just classroom assignments. I would also encourage you to open yourself to more of the job market by doing a wider variety of projects. Creating models isn't that different from game to game, you just need to learn the restrictions and how to get models in game, but the process up to that point is pretty much the same.
I don't know too many FREE, quality, art related, forums that offer image hosting. Thats a bandwidth bill I wouldn't want look at let alone pay...
One thing im never certain on is just how many polys it takes to make an RTS unit, I've referenced off Command& Conquer, Act of War and Warcraft 3 as best as I can but I just cant get a good visual of their units' wireframes. if anyone has a link or something please lemme know
a closeup of the guard tower detail
and a low poly arachnid bug I made for grins. could be for a SST RTS. hmm.
Character heads aren't my forte but I am working on it
The treads are higher poly because it was originally a lofted object to support an animated texture for class. I hadnt reduced it when I made these renders
Another thing, I think you may need to consider your silhouettes a bit more. Avoid perfect 90 degree angles in all 3 axises (now that I think about it, what IS the plural for "axis" ? Axises? Axi? Axes ... no that just looks like the thing you use to chop wood) props, or they will retain a very box-like shape that looks like you started with a cube and extruded.
Also, the wireframes you provided aren't too clear, but I spot some areas where you could optimize the meshflow and save more polys. In short, the meshes look like animator-style meshes. This is in regard to your vehicles. While your edge loops are easier to follow as a result, you might want to consider pinching your polys if they wrap around the entire model and only contribute shape to one side of the model's silhouette. After all, for the more popular game engines, one tri is better than 10 unneccesary quads.
Last thing - this is more of a question - what 3D program does AI of Fort Lauderdale use? I just graduated from AI of Vancouver last month and I feel kinda jipped that we didn't get any training in 3DS Max. We used Maya the whole way through.
yes RTS games are what I'd like to focus on, but I have no guidelines to follow as far as how RTS models are made, other than looking at the models as best as possible in game. the orca bomber and mammoth tank I modelled wasnt initially for RTS purposes, and I agree could use maintenance to rid a few polys.
For the low poly models at the bottom, I actually didnt plan on texturing them because I made those all in about 5 hours, the two vehicles included (not the command&conquer ones). they were really just something for me to use to ask people if I am on the right track for RTS style units. as I stated in the caption, I've referenced off multiple games, yet all of them have a significant variety of polycounts The units in Warcraft3 are very low poly and their animations reflect it, however the infantry in Act of War are quite amazing, they have a much wider variety of smooth animations which I am very attracted to, but I can't see how many polys they used to pull it off. Until I gain an understanding and a style I'm comfortable with, im not gonna bother texturing a poorly made model. the low poly vehicles actually turned out good tho, I might clean them up and texture them
plural of axis is axes (axe-ease) from what I read
I actually am looking into making a mod using the Warcraft 3 engine, I am researching what programs are needed to do that,
and the programs we're being taught with at AiFL is 3dmax, XSI, Zbrush, and Unreal 2004 Editor. I'm teaching myself how to use the Warcraft3 World editor though, to use in my graduation demo reel hopfully. We have Maya but thats for animation students.
Ah thats better. I tried posting this concept up a few days ago but it failed. anyhow this is my concept for my Zbrush class, we're only 3 weeks in but im already thinkin about my finals. Im debating which hairstyle to give him, short n ruffled or ponytail with banes? any suggestions / crits are always welcome
maybe ask him some questions about polycount and texture resolution? do some searches for RTS stuff on here you might find some more.
found this with a search on google maybe you already have it but it seems a good source of warcraft 3 modelling information http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=282&order=desc
I should imagine that as a guess most new RTS games have 500-2000 tris per unit depending on how big, important or complex the unit is and probably 512x512 maps on most models.
I do have to thank you for the link to stoofoo's page, I already requested his expertise
Engineer Sniper Soldier Medic
920 tris 842 tris 972-1078tris* 1002 tris
*The soldier has two weapon choices it can be upgraded with, assault rifle w/ shotgun or a grenade launcher
And the Medic is female to explain her smaller size and physique
Not making any promises lol but I'll try and keep this sketchbook updated
first was this chair, based off a reference, 160-170k polys
Second was a jukebox of my choice, B.Y.O.R (bring your own references)
1941 Wurlitzer-780, 32k-40k polys
PS if anyone actually does see this, I am not a rendering guy, and never used shaders up until now (the 3dmax2009 architectual design default templates) If anyone has suggestions on how to make those bright white spots go away, I'd appreciate any tips
But. not to make this a complete waste. here's my remodeled space marine
Yes. it is Deebo Or, at least its supposed to resemble him abit
my next project is going to be another attempt at Warhammer 40K material, and characters a friend has concepted.