"Mod Facade" Challenge - Adam Bromell - Old Man Macro's Robot Repairs
polycounter lvl 19
Yeesh, how can I resist? I'll be taking a break from this to participate in this challenge that's just too good to pass up.
Overview
I'm going to enter in this challenge with a piece that isn't "real world" and stretch myself from my comfort zone. The goal is to create a believable facade that'd exist in a world similar to that seen in Blade Runner or Gunnm.
I'm going to be working with a concept created by a friend & coworker, Cesar Rizo, specifically for this challenge.
The Story
I tend to collect references not only for structural ideas, camera positions, lighting setups or prop lists, but also for an overall feeling I'd like to portray.
Here are some of my references for this scene taken from Blade Runner & Gunnm.
Overview
I'm going to enter in this challenge with a piece that isn't "real world" and stretch myself from my comfort zone. The goal is to create a believable facade that'd exist in a world similar to that seen in Blade Runner or Gunnm.
I'm going to be working with a concept created by a friend & coworker, Cesar Rizo, specifically for this challenge.
The Story
.: Electronic Memory Imprint, World Date: 3030.
:Macro Cosmo - 4th Quarter, Upper West Tribune
:Macro Cosmo - 4th Quarter, Upper West Tribune
I can't remember the last time I sent in an EMI. If this is seen by anyone other myself than I fear I have finally fallen ill and the nano-vaccine no longer works.
If memory serves me right, its the year 3030. The corporations have ceased all further parts development and left us down here to carry on ourselves. They never gave a reason, I suppose they felt they didn't have to, but without any new parts being produced things have gotten especially frightening.
The technology here is aging. Hell, our entire world is aging. It's dirty. I don't leave it often, but whenever I peer through the glass at the front of the shop I see a world overrun with crime, make-shift mayhem, and suspended happiness. Ever since the last corporation left its been a who's-who war over ownership of the rarest parts. Humans destroying the robots. The robots murdering humans.
Except for me its different. I suppose I am lucky. I don't know why, but I don't get any trouble from anyone: Humans or robots a like. It's perplexing, but so long as I am alive I do not dare question this luck.
I've been running my shop now for nearly 120 years. No one can repair like I do. (Or so I like to believe, ha!) Specializing in rare augmentations by way of even rarer parts has helped my reputation around here. I'm up to three full recoveries a day. THREE! However, my rarities aren't arriving as much as they used to and I can't help but feel they will one day stop. The people here are too fickle to wait around for me to find a new source and if this happens business will slow down and I will quickly become nothing but a memory. At least a memory. I hope.
So please, accept this EMI as a tentative final EMI to be read by whomever ventures deep enough in the databank. Accept this EMI, as brief as it is, as testimony to the protests the corporations experienced when they threatened departure. You see, had they have stayed, I wouldn't have had to write this. My shop, no.. my life would have still flourished.
But alas, here it is.
Here is my life.
An image scan of my shop.
[IMAGE]
-MC
ReferencesIf memory serves me right, its the year 3030. The corporations have ceased all further parts development and left us down here to carry on ourselves. They never gave a reason, I suppose they felt they didn't have to, but without any new parts being produced things have gotten especially frightening.
The technology here is aging. Hell, our entire world is aging. It's dirty. I don't leave it often, but whenever I peer through the glass at the front of the shop I see a world overrun with crime, make-shift mayhem, and suspended happiness. Ever since the last corporation left its been a who's-who war over ownership of the rarest parts. Humans destroying the robots. The robots murdering humans.
Except for me its different. I suppose I am lucky. I don't know why, but I don't get any trouble from anyone: Humans or robots a like. It's perplexing, but so long as I am alive I do not dare question this luck.
I've been running my shop now for nearly 120 years. No one can repair like I do. (Or so I like to believe, ha!) Specializing in rare augmentations by way of even rarer parts has helped my reputation around here. I'm up to three full recoveries a day. THREE! However, my rarities aren't arriving as much as they used to and I can't help but feel they will one day stop. The people here are too fickle to wait around for me to find a new source and if this happens business will slow down and I will quickly become nothing but a memory. At least a memory. I hope.
So please, accept this EMI as a tentative final EMI to be read by whomever ventures deep enough in the databank. Accept this EMI, as brief as it is, as testimony to the protests the corporations experienced when they threatened departure. You see, had they have stayed, I wouldn't have had to write this. My shop, no.. my life would have still flourished.
But alas, here it is.
Here is my life.
An image scan of my shop.
[IMAGE]
-MC
I tend to collect references not only for structural ideas, camera positions, lighting setups or prop lists, but also for an overall feeling I'd like to portray.
Here are some of my references for this scene taken from Blade Runner & Gunnm.
Replies
This is looking great btw: http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=52743
Alrighty - I'm definitely behind the pack for this contest and I still can't really begin this until Sunday night of this week (I'll have to haul some serious ass!) but I have definitely been thinking & planning along with Cesar who was kind enough to concept up my thoughts on how this puppy will look.
So, here's what I'm likely going with:
The base building itself is fairly modern with some simple shapes to it. Nothing special here.
The real magic will come from the added props, which will be getting roughly 2048x1024 of texture space (more than plenty!).
Oldman Macro's shop will start with its own 1024x1024 texture space as well, so I can cram as many little nick-nacks & signage in to it as I can.
I won't bother drawing out specific UV locations of each element, as that's entirely up for changes on the fly, but what I can do is offer a brief outline of my texture space. One thing to note is I will still be cramming all of this on to a single 2048x2048 rather than multiple textures. The reason being is that there's not telling where I may need the space. If I need to overlap some UV's on the 1024x or 512x lines than having it on single sheet will make this insanely easy to do. (Re: Let's say I don't need the full 1024x1024 space for Oldman Macro's shop, I can use that space for some of the prop textures, or vice-versa).
Very general texture real-estate:
Talking to Cesar we may change the material of the pillars @ the bottom so that I don't have to worry about angled lines and such (where the lines diverge downward towards the arches). We're also going to make the left side of the building 3 windows wide so that the geometry on the right can be re-used on the left.
I may ask that the building be a couple of floors shorter all around, so that the prop count can go down, but that's about it.
Oh ya! One more thing! The sound-track for this project is "Crimewave" by Crystal Castles:
[ame]
Let me know if anyone has any questions about what's been mentioned in here and I will do my best to answer them.
Additionally, I'll be cataloging my work flow as much as possible for this project to add to the educational portion of this challenge.
What comic is that?
http://torontoist.com/2008/06/people_who_live_in_crystal_castles.php
http://www.pileup.com/babyart/blog/?p=81
http://www.pileup.com/babyart/blog/?p=130
Looking forward to seeing some 3d stuff. Loving the face I can see in the middle arch
Oldman Macro's shop and the rest of the techno-junk props will be done throughout the week.
I'll post texture layout schematics once there's more to tell about.
im a little confused by the left arc though. Maybe unify the two other arcs but leave that one as a door-sized smaller one? Because it looks kinda squished atm imo and i think the piece would benefit from the variation
Quick question though on the top row or two of windows. I've heard it's usually best to just project those to a plane for texture to save the polys. Though these days I here more about texture limits and less on poly limits.
I'm wondering why you chose to go with leaving those modeled instead of a plane?
Motives - I'll have a bunch of junk on and around that left arch, I doubt you'll even notice it!
Iron - depends on the game really. In this case I'll leave it as it is for now. If I'm over my 20k tri budget they'll be the first things to get reduced. Good catch
Alright, so--
One thing I believe about modular design is that it happens on all levels of environment art. From high-level architecture to the props that dress it. For my piece, I wanted to not only create a building facade but to also dress it with props that were made using modular pieces - something we've been calling 'legos' around the office lately - with a very minimal amount being otherwise.
For the 'legos' in the screen shot below there's only 1 copy of each piece. This is to show them in their cleanest and most snapped state. There will likely be a couple variations of each that when placed next to their counter-part lego, will make for some interesting set dressing. I didn't include all of my pieces in the second screenshot seen below, but here are some notes on the legos:
- The corregated metal shanty legos consist of a ceiling/covering, support wood beams, flooring, and front covering. The actual corregated metal panels will have 2 variations of distress in the end once I am done unwrapping.
- The gas tanks have piping that can be copied & turned a myriad of ways in order to make interesting pipelines. I'll have the geometry intersect where each piece comes together rather than worry about an air-tight mesh. The corner piece is compeltely disconnected from the rest of the pipeline.
- The video monitors are a simple metal beam design with 2 variations in how the TV's are positions. These are then placed side-by-side in different ways. The monitors are also used individually to dress the front arches
- The reinforced steal panels will simply be duplicated enough to cover some of the shantys. I'm well aware that they were nothing more than beveled planes
They were just being blocked in to see how I'd use them when I decided to do the pictures before heading to bed.
- The main wall piece, window and trims (which I just realized I forgot to add one to the screenshot) are pretty straight forward. Once I am finished Oldman Macro's Shop all the extra triangles I have left will go in to increase their details. I want to get the shop done first before I do that.
- The satelite dishes use joint pieces to get different shapes & locations. The main joint piece has 8 sides to it so that the support rods can be placed on 8 different angles.
- The big purple sign has been divided 4 times horizontally because I plan on using 2 of the same symbols, repeated, as the name it is advertising. I still haven't decided on how I will do Oldman Macro's sign.
I still haven't decided what will get a unique unwrap and what will rely on tiling textures & overlapping UV's. Unique unwraps for the pieces means I can bake a high poly for the normal maps so I will want to use that as much as possible, it just depends on impact vs. texture realestate.I'll be holding off on any new props until Cesar and I have a solid idea for the store itself.
Here are the screenshots, the first is just to show where I am at, while the second one are the lego's in their raw state.
That's all looking great.
Keep cranking at it dude! Looks awesome.
Thanks everyone
Looking good, keep going!
I'm curious how have you done the pivots on your objects to work with a grid for placing them in an engine?
[ame]
Anyways, it looks pretty sweet, I can't wait to see the sign in its neon glory.
Everone else - thanks!
This is coming together really well.
awesomeness i cant wait to see this thing textured!
Adam, are you going to bring this into a game engine or show off with render?
I bought 800mL of Red Rain today and told Gail to leave me alone for the rest of the afternoon so I can unwrap this sumbitch!
Anyway, not much to show until I start texturing it (I'm rebuilding it now) but in the mean time here's a thumbnail of an idea Cesar had for how the materials & textures may look: