UT3 Prop / Pickup Node

inewland53

Hey guys, I've been working on this pickup node for unreal and I need a little feedback.

Mainly I'm looking for suggestions on maybe adding a little more zing to the diffuse and specular map. Any other crits would be appreciated, thanks.

Morton

I like it ,but something about it looks off. Maybe darken it up and add some panels or maybe even some bolts.

EvilPixills

As far as your spec map goes, maybe try bumping up the highlights around the edges so it stands out a bit more, it's kinda hard to read atm. Also maybe adding in some lights to your scene. That will make your normal and spec map stand out more. Looking good tho man keep up the good work.

PixelMasher

cool design. try adding some unique details into the metal in the spec that will show up when the light rolls over it. right now the spec seems just like the diffuse with the contrast upped. like evil said add some scratches and edging to it to make thing pop nicely. you could also make the paint more crisp in the normal, im guessing its an overlaid 2d normal over a 3d generated one?

also check out steffan morrels hard surface texturing tut if you havent yet

mLichy

Is that a 1024 texture you're using..... aaaaaaaah..... You really probably only need a 384 or 512 at most for that thing. Also you could reduce the spec and diffuse maps by half and leave the normal map the same and get similar results.

ImSlightlyBored

I would have the orange paint and metal surfaces have more seperation in your spec map, and for shader maybe fake a reflection map for the metal surfaces? could be nice.

Jet_Pilot

can we see the low poly version?

Joao Sapiro

the diffuse is killing the effect of the normal map , and you dont see to have any ambient oclusion to help give it a tad more depth , the specular also looks weird, like an upped contrast of the diffuse , try to look at painted metal examples in real life :

http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/media/images/ww2can.jpg

ok this one is bit extreme, but notice how the paint chipps off , and it starts to rust , just use ref , another example :

http://www.nomanslandmilitaria.com/6104MGdrum0001.jpg

keep at it !

odium

mLichy wrote: »

Is that a 1024 texture you're using..... aaaaaaaah..... You really probably only need a 384 or 512 at most for that thing. Also you could reduce the spec and diffuse maps by half and leave the normal map the same and get similar results.

Erm... a 384...? Why? 512 or 256, but a 384...?

inewland53

Here are the LP and HP versions with wires.
Also the tri count is 560.

cman2k

Personally I feel like the diffuse overall has way too much warmth. It's almost like you finished texturing and overlaid some brown on top (no offense).

The orange metal and grey metal parts could do with more hue contrast. Trying making the grey areas have a slightly cooler tinge to them, just a tiny hint of blue.

You are using a color specular map. Understand that this is a luxury and that you should use it to it's full potential. What color would this surface reflect, and at what strength? The grey areas should have a stronger, more saturated blue while the orange areas could use a deeper red or an almost gold color, or something along these lines.

I see areas where you are trying to make it look like the orange paint has worn away to leave grey metal underneath, or where you are making big long scratches along the surface, or even where the paint on the edges has worn. this is GREAT detail to have, but it's being executed improperly. In your diffuse these are dark (like dirty), but in your spec they shouldn't be, they should be BRIGHT. When you scratch a metal deeply or wear it away, it will have sharp edges that reflect light MORE not LESS. Those areas should have much higher value, so they pop more.

Even those little bolts you have, those are practically untouched by your wear because they appear inset. They look smooth...so they should look reflective too. giving them an extremely high value in your spec can help facilitate this, and can help this great detail be more noticeable. When it doesn't pop, it just blends and the work you put into that detail is completely missed by the observer.

Increase the overall contrast of your color specular map as well...this can help differentiate and make the specular way more noticeable in general. Right now, the specular is almost void of any contrast...this means it's practically the same level of shininess all over. By making some areas of have very little and some have a lot, it will be much more noticeable. Use this right, and it can make a huge difference in making your surface feel like metal and not flat or plastic.

It's a great start and you have a lot of great ideas, but really thinking about and understanding the surface you are trying to replicate will help you take this a lot further. Good luck!