Game Art Workshop - Workshop #2 GO GO!
mod
Subject: Small prop, High/Low/Uv/Bake exercise.
Polygon Limit: 2000 tris
Texture Limit: 512
Husqvarna XP chainsaw(various models can be found, few free to pick/chose details from any model).
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 2611x1102.
3d view: http://www.husqvarna.com/us/landscap...r-landscapers/
Goals/Focus points
Highpoly:
Focusing on creating a usable asset more so than duplicating the source. By this we mean, what shapes will you simplify or modify to make it easier on the lowpoly? Can you combine shapes, or change features to be more suitable to normals projection? What can you do to produce the highpoly quickly enough to finish the other stages on time?
Lowpoly
How will you use the polys allotted to represent the the shapes in the highpoly, where will you add extra geometry to get better bakes?
Uvs
Where can you mirror sections? Are there any sections that would be better suited for a tiling texture, if so can you include that in your main texture? Where should you break your uvs apart to help with any hard edges you may put into your lowpoly?
Bakes
How will you go about baking, explode bake? Will you set up a custom cage, or just use the ray distance?
Polygon Limit: 2000 tris
Texture Limit: 512
Husqvarna XP chainsaw(various models can be found, few free to pick/chose details from any model).
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 2611x1102.3d view: http://www.husqvarna.com/us/landscap...r-landscapers/
Goals/Focus points
Highpoly:
Focusing on creating a usable asset more so than duplicating the source. By this we mean, what shapes will you simplify or modify to make it easier on the lowpoly? Can you combine shapes, or change features to be more suitable to normals projection? What can you do to produce the highpoly quickly enough to finish the other stages on time?
Lowpoly
How will you use the polys allotted to represent the the shapes in the highpoly, where will you add extra geometry to get better bakes?
Uvs
Where can you mirror sections? Are there any sections that would be better suited for a tiling texture, if so can you include that in your main texture? Where should you break your uvs apart to help with any hard edges you may put into your lowpoly?
Bakes
How will you go about baking, explode bake? Will you set up a custom cage, or just use the ray distance?
Replies
I have some specific things i wanted to try to emphasize, but if people aren't feeling it, its very good to know. Nothing is set in stone yet. So please voice up guys if you have anything to add.
Mop mentioned a bit ago that he thought it may have been too soon to end the eotech workshop as well, the dates(2 weeks) are pretty arbitrary, and i wanted to run with short exercises to keep things fresh.
As far as the complexity, i was actually looking for something a bit less complex for this one, but thought the ref was too cool to pass up. I also think that depending on how you approach it, it could be a lot less complex than it looks, HP wise. But totally see your point in that it may be too much work.
Now doing a new asset entirely, the thinking here was to see how your approach would change given more work to accomplish in the same amount of time. I think this sort of exercise is very important just for the sake of pushing to do more than you might think is reasonable. If you tell me i have two weeks to make a simple highpoly mesh, and then i have 2 weeks to make a high+low+bakes, i'm going to work drastically different, so while it may seem like the subject matter is pretty similar i think how it is approached is quite a bit different and i think its really good to have practice doing those sorts of things. Originally i wanted to try to sort of ramp up the difficulting as you go on, to keep giving the people who are doing each exercise a new challenge.
Now i can understand that with limited free time this might just me impossible to accomplish, so i'm very open to changing up the amount of time etc.
So let me know guys
More time?
Less complexity?
Stick with the same asset?
Anything else?
sorry feeling a little ranty
alos I WANTED TO MAKE A TREE so im throwing my dummy out of the pram ;-)
For complexity while I can see why people would be intimidated by the shapes in the chainsaw, I think it's good to push it a little for learning purposes. The only way you're going to learn to do more complex stuff is by doing more complex stuff. I think most of the people doing these workshops have a little bit of subd knowledge, so I think this item will be just fine.
I like the idea of changing the subject, because I would become quite bored working on the same one for a long time.
My only concern is about how much knowledge is required to complete the current workshop. The first was about hp modeling only, while this one covers so many different aspects of the process that I feel a little overwhelmed, personally I cannot answer most of EarthQuake's questions, and feel a little ashamed about don't having a clue about differences between a custom cage and ray distance results. Don't know how to get mirrored sections or tiles in normal maps. For now don't know how to model->bake the cutting chain too.
While I agree that pushing to hard tasks is helpful and exciting, I'd like to go forward a on a less steep learning curve, maybe mastering a single topic per workshop, like provided a hp model, build the low poly, unwrap and bake, understand and discuss why you have done it that way, and how to improve it. Another one, about texturing only, starting from a common base model, and so on. I see these workshops like a sort of classroom (and I know I've been a bit disappointing posting all at once) so they shouldn't be, in my opinion, rushed from the beginning. What I mean is, speed and malice will come with experience, but first a little common base knowledge is needed, and it can be obtained in ease only if things to learn aren't packed between pushing big tasks.
As an aside, it would be great if every workshop could gather links to explanations, tutorials, information and so on about the specific topic, like the very good article on modeling for normal mapping in polycount wiki.
I hope this makes some sense. Thank you.
Back to modeling
Personally I would leave the lowpoly and baking to a separate challenge, or extend the time for this one (double it).
I think the highpoly for this is a good step up from the scope we just did, it's a logical progression from the first challenge. Making this highpoly will require more and different techniques than the scope, so it's good for learning and skills development.
Additionally I would either leave a week of downtime between the end of the previous challenge and the new one, or I would add an extra week to this challenge anyway to allow some downtime, we should not feel like we are rushing anyone.
This is exactly what the workshops are for, not only will you be able to learn a bit more about all of this stuff by seeing what others do, and gives you the perfect opportunity to ask questions, write out a little on your though process *before* you begin a certain part, and get some feedback from the comunity.
Not knowing how to do things shouldn't be a huge concern, it just means that there is more and more for you to learn.
Mop: One of the big things i'de like to do, and i dont really know the best way to go about doing it.... I dont want the deadlines for these to be "hard" deadlines, like if you miss it you have to stop. Of course starting a new workshop sort of forces you to stop, if you want to continue with the next one, but at the same time I dont want to have each one open until a point where we feel people are "done", i think there needs to be more structure to it than that, and a better way to know when to start the next challange, which is why i want to force some stricter deadlines. If anyone has any ideas on how to approach this, let me know.
I do however agree that a bit more time for this one wouldn't hurt, so i'll extend it to a month, and we'll add on another week for people still working on thier #1 workshop, until we can try and find a better solution(maybe just more time overall).
sorry didnt make myself clear its not the complexity of the object that worries me at all its the complexity of the task, a prop like this i would expect about 2 days full time to do a decent job, now i have maybe one or two free evenings a week at the most where im not knackered from work and other responsibilities enough to want to get down to some 3d.
beyond that i think keeping the workshops more concise will really help them to be more usefull to more people. its just putting me off cos i dont see how i will get anywhere near finishing and i'd rather ve able to fit this inbetween personal, creative artwork
Also a very strong point imho:
Shep also makes very solid points in just not being able to find the time. Anyways, whatever is chosen ...
Image galleries of many Husqvarna chainsaw models
http://www.macarthurmowersandmarine.com.au/chainsaws.htm
Operator manual of every Husqvarna chainsaw model
http://lawnandgarden.owneriq.net/manuals/mfg/husqvarna/husqvarna_chainsaw_product_list.html
I find easier to model something after understanding what's what and its purpose.
hehe
Too bad so little time is left. This looks like a fun workshop.