I figured the no sci-fi line was mainly just to prevent crazy robots and such. I think my character is perfectly fitting of the 'style' of this competition (being almost identical to indianna jones), but I guess an official ruling needs to be made.
c4d goes mental when you try to unwrap anything not square
Makes me glad I'm a blender user. Its the only "big" 3d program I've ever really used. I've played with max and all the others but blah blah bla....
Anyway, I've only ever unwrapped in bender and I have been told it's one of the best software suites for unwrapping stuff but I wasn't sure before now.
Obviously this compo is all about the square textures because of the rules but anyone looking for a nice alternative that lets you unwrap anything any way for another purpose you should give blender a shot, for only that if nothing else... (it is free after all...)
I didn't even know there was software that didn't let you unwrap to non square textures!
Cycloverid, if his hat's staying on, I'd make it cast more of a shadow over the top of his head, like Zebbie has done. The folds look good, but what about painting at a higher res then resizing? I do that with linear filtering to keep more detail. I noticed his face is lit with very direct light but the rest of his body has more ambient lighting.
Poop, nice work so far. I agree, those boots are really good.
I've been tweaking the head for better likeness, but it still needs more. Still got a lot of the tex to do too.
Edit: I just noticed he looks a bit like hawken's avatar, hehe
Poop, I know I probably seem like some random with no scoreboard compared to yours, but I humbly suggest you rework the face a little. I'm aware of how "used" to a piece you can get and miss the little things. For example, I think brad's eyes should be slightly more squinty- as well as some slight bags under them, his forehead taller, more defined folds on his cheeks (as i think theyre pretty characteristic of him) and probably darker eye sockets with very slight crow feet.
But, i think the forehead is what stands out most to me.
Poop, maybe it's me, but I think you're losing a lot of detail when you scale him down. At 100 pixels height (which is not unreasonable for a 256x192 screen), it's pretty hard to make out the features of his jacket, because they're fairly low on contrast.
Another one done, and 'done' I mean 'will go back with fresh eyes when I have the chance, but probably won't have much time since there are still four more to do'.
Thought I'd put up a WIP of Chow's head. I'll be roughing out the body and unwrapping things today as well. Maybe take a crack at the texture for the face.
FlamingIce and Mrmmaclean: One thing I find that helps on models this low poly, is to model everything *but* the head first. We always get so fixated on the face and head that we tend to "rob peter to pay paul" and use up our triangles that could really benefit larger areas like legs or arms or the torso. I think you are both going to have a hard time getting a good volume on your bodies with the triangles you've already used on the heads.
FlamingIce and Mrmmaclean: One thing I find that helps on models this low poly, is to model everything *but* the head first. We always get so fixated on the face and head that we tend to "rob peter to pay paul" and use up our triangles that could really benefit larger areas like legs or arms or the torso. I think you are both going to have a hard time getting a good volume on your bodies with the triangles you've already used on the heads.
Thanks a lot for that, poop! I am pretty new to 3D modeling in general and I'm never quite sure where to start. Since I am doing a specific likeness to a known person I chose the head first because it'll be the face that makes or breaks it (at least with my choice of Detective Tequila, since he only wears casual clothes through most of the film). I see what you mean though as my head is already 146 tris, eek!
By the way, yours is looking totally awesome so far! :thumbup:
Okno: Thanks for the hat-shadow suggestion. As far as working at a higher res, I personally think that all details can be painted at the target res without problems, but I could be wrong.
After a little hiatus, I'm back to finish this comp. I'm basically done with my character unless I get some additional suggestions.
The backpack looks a bit pixel-y compared to the rest, but what can you do.
The backpack looks a bit pixel-y compared to the rest, but what can you do.
Even texture density, mainly. :poly121:
There's no reason for the head to take up more space than the torso, when the torso is in fact much bigger. I think a good rule of thumb is to use no more than a 5th of your entire budget on the head (both texture-wise and polygon-wise).
You used about a quarter, a little too generous IMHO. :poly136:
Poop: Much better! I think the frontal view makes the likeness come out better too.
flamingice: Ouch, 246 is a lot for just a head. That said, it's cool how much character is in the shape alone.
mrmmaclean: Personally I always like to make more of a S shape in the side view. People don't always tend to stand like that in real life, but it does make a model just that bit more spectacular and dynamic, IMO.
cycloverid: Instantly recognisable and great attention to detail. I'd play around with his skin tone some more if I were you though, it appears to me a bit too red and saturated. It's also rather high on contrast, but maybe that'll only benefit you when you zoom out.
Thanks for the pointer, Zwebbie. I actually plan on rigging the good Detective up for posing once the texture is done, but if that were not the case I would totally shape him for the dramatic effect. (great Watchmen characters btw!)
Here's another WIP. I am currently working in double the resolution for texturing so far but shrinking it to 265 for tests has proven quite nice.
mmrmrmaclean tequila was my first choice for this contest in fact my chibi zardoz is made from the base mesh i had roughed in for tequila, hard boiled is one of my fave movies,
Thought I'd give this a crack.
I'm doing Snake Plissken from Escape from New York.
Mesh isn't exactly finished, I need to rework the hands a little and the touch up the head, but I'm going to give it a quick unwrap and base texture and see how it goes.
Current tri count is at 692.
Hay everybody, I have decided to do the Rocketeer I have never done a comp with you guys and I am keen to see how this one goes. I have to say that things are looking amazing. Here is my WIP
D.
oh an I tend to go overboard with presentation sorry ....I guess I just try to make things look better than they really are.
Even texture density, mainly. :poly121:
There's no reason for the head to take up more space than the torso, when the torso is in fact much bigger. I think a good rule of thumb is to use no more than a 5th of your entire budget on the head (both texture-wise and polygon-wise).
You used about a quarter, a little too generous IMHO. :poly136:
Overall it's looking nice though.
I gotta disagree with you a little bit there. I think it's best to distribute the density based on what actually "needs" it to look right. In a competition like this the face is where a lot of the likeness comes in so it needs extra attention. Another example is, with this guy and his backpack, i think he could afford to shrink down the shirt to make more room for the backpack, seeing as the shirt has a grid-like pattern on it anyway and wont really suffer much from lower resolution, like the backpack has.
edit: having said that, he has gone a little crazy on the size of the head uv space.
I gotta disagree with you a little bit there. I think it's best to distribute the density based on what actually "needs" it to look right. In a competition like this the face is where a lot of the likeness comes in so it needs extra attention. Another example is, with this guy and his backpack, i think he could afford to shrink down the shirt to make more room for the backpack, seeing as the shirt has a grid-like pattern on it anyway and wont really suffer much from lower resolution, like the backpack has.
edit: having said that, he has gone a little crazy on the size of the head uv space.
Hey thanks for both of your input. I don't usually do characters, so obviously there was a bit of experimentation involved. Next time I'd use a little less 'head UV space'.
I wanted the head to be higher res for the reasons you listed Harry. The face is the centerpiece for expression and likeness of a character. The reason why the backpack ended up so low res is because I wanted the grid lines on the shirt to be horizontal/vertical in UV space (for ease of texturing). The backpack was merely squeezed in.
Again, thanks for the comments!
Great start btw Duncan! Can't wait to see it finished- great silhouette.
I gotta disagree with you a little bit there. I think it's best to distribute the density based on what actually "needs" it to look right. In a competition like this the face is where a lot of the likeness comes in so it needs extra attention. Another example is, with this guy and his backpack, i think he could afford to shrink down the shirt to make more room for the backpack, seeing as the shirt has a grid-like pattern on it anyway and wont really suffer much from lower resolution, like the backpack has.
edit: having said that, he has gone a little crazy on the size of the head uv space.
I still think having a heavily pixelated area right next to a crisp one is rather unsightly. People may look at the face first, but they will probably look at the torso next. If the density difference is too much, it won't look good.
I also think you can paint goodlooking faces at surprisingly low resolutions.
I still think having a heavily pixelated area right next to a crisp one is rather unsightly. People may look at the face first, but they will probably look at the torso next. If the density difference is too much, it won't look good.
I also think you can paint goodlooking faces at surprisingly low resolutions. :
I agree with you there. (maybe cause I, like you, come from a pixel art background). I usually only size up the face a little bit and downsize parts only if the actual nature of the material being represented permits it, but it was worth providing a counterpoint to your notion in an effort to provide our subject here with a truly balanced critique, you know, the whole, no real right and wrong, etc etc.
I still think having a heavily pixelated area right next to a crisp one is rather unsightly. People may look at the face first, but they will probably look at the torso next. If the density difference is too much, it won't look good.
Is this a likely scenario in this case, though? Even on a PSP or IPhone screen, the resolution is isn't going to be much more than 1:1 for his body, so the only reason to actually scale up something would be for zoom-ins, and I don't think anyone's going to have a cutscene and zoom in on the backpack. Of course it's all theorycrafting at this point and it depends on the game, but I'd imagine the face could get more close-up use than the rest of the figure.
Is this a likely scenario in this case, though? Even on a PSP or IPhone screen, the resolution is isn't going to be much more than 1:1 for his body, so the only reason to actually scale up something would be for zoom-ins, and I don't think anyone's going to have a cutscene and zoom in on the backpack. Of course it's all theorycrafting at this point and it depends on the game, but I'd imagine the face could get more close-up use than the rest of the figure.
Not on the backpack, no. But in a close-up of the face, you'd still see the neck and upper chest, so those areas are important as well.
Replies
Haha! I pretty much spent an entire weekend on the face alone though, so it was tricky for me as well. :poly128:
I think the character design is awesome!!
*feels guilty for making Rorschach*
Some geometry was added, he's now at 486 tris.
exactly
check with IMDB - if your film is listed as action then you are in the clear.
Makes me glad I'm a blender user. Its the only "big" 3d program I've ever really used. I've played with max and all the others but blah blah bla....
Anyway, I've only ever unwrapped in bender and I have been told it's one of the best software suites for unwrapping stuff but I wasn't sure before now.
Obviously this compo is all about the square textures because of the rules but anyone looking for a nice alternative that lets you unwrap anything any way for another purpose you should give blender a shot, for only that if nothing else... (it is free after all...)
I didn't even know there was software that didn't let you unwrap to non square textures!
alright. I'll post up. If it gets rejected i unsderstand
Rapid rethink....
Cycloverid, if his hat's staying on, I'd make it cast more of a shadow over the top of his head, like Zebbie has done. The folds look good, but what about painting at a higher res then resizing? I do that with linear filtering to keep more detail. I noticed his face is lit with very direct light but the rest of his body has more ambient lighting.
Poop, nice work so far. I agree, those boots are really good.
I've been tweaking the head for better likeness, but it still needs more. Still got a lot of the tex to do too.
Edit: I just noticed he looks a bit like hawken's avatar, hehe
But, i think the forehead is what stands out most to me.
just my two cents
Another one done, and 'done' I mean 'will go back with fresh eyes when I have the chance, but probably won't have much time since there are still four more to do'.
Either way I am totally in.
Tequila!
I'll be getting started pretty quick here. Some entries so far make me wish for better skillz, but I'll give it a go!
started on Nada's head currently at 309 tri's lotsa places to get rid of a bunch of tris though
Starting a bit late, ~week ago, but this is what im going for;
have this so far;
Thanks a lot for that, poop! I am pretty new to 3D modeling in general and I'm never quite sure where to start. Since I am doing a specific likeness to a known person I chose the head first because it'll be the face that makes or breaks it (at least with my choice of Detective Tequila, since he only wears casual clothes through most of the film). I see what you mean though as my head is already 146 tris, eek!
By the way, yours is looking totally awesome so far! :thumbup:
Okno: Thanks for the hat-shadow suggestion. As far as working at a higher res, I personally think that all details can be painted at the target res without problems, but I could be wrong.
After a little hiatus, I'm back to finish this comp. I'm basically done with my character unless I get some additional suggestions.
The backpack looks a bit pixel-y compared to the rest, but what can you do.
Even texture density, mainly. :poly121:
There's no reason for the head to take up more space than the torso, when the torso is in fact much bigger. I think a good rule of thumb is to use no more than a 5th of your entire budget on the head (both texture-wise and polygon-wise).
You used about a quarter, a little too generous IMHO. :poly136:
Overall it's looking nice though.
Poop: Much better! I think the frontal view makes the likeness come out better too.
flamingice: Ouch, 246 is a lot for just a head. That said, it's cool how much character is in the shape alone.
mrmmaclean: Personally I always like to make more of a S shape in the side view. People don't always tend to stand like that in real life, but it does make a model just that bit more spectacular and dynamic, IMO.
cycloverid: Instantly recognisable and great attention to detail. I'd play around with his skin tone some more if I were you though, it appears to me a bit too red and saturated. It's also rather high on contrast, but maybe that'll only benefit you when you zoom out.
Two more from me (446 and 470 tris):
As always I'm a great fan of your work poop, only thing if I may, and this is with great repect! Youre dude looks a little cross eyed.
Maybe you made it that way so that he can see more Nazi's!
Either way very sharp piece!
Here's another WIP. I am currently working in double the resolution for texturing so far but shrinking it to 265 for tests has proven quite nice.
I also enlarged the fro a little bit
I'm doing Snake Plissken from Escape from New York.
Mesh isn't exactly finished, I need to rework the hands a little and the touch up the head, but I'm going to give it a quick unwrap and base texture and see how it goes.
Current tri count is at 692.
D.
oh an I tend to go overboard with presentation sorry
I gotta disagree with you a little bit there. I think it's best to distribute the density based on what actually "needs" it to look right. In a competition like this the face is where a lot of the likeness comes in so it needs extra attention. Another example is, with this guy and his backpack, i think he could afford to shrink down the shirt to make more room for the backpack, seeing as the shirt has a grid-like pattern on it anyway and wont really suffer much from lower resolution, like the backpack has.
edit: having said that, he has gone a little crazy on the size of the head uv space.
Hey thanks for both of your input. I don't usually do characters, so obviously there was a bit of experimentation involved. Next time I'd use a little less 'head UV space'.
I wanted the head to be higher res for the reasons you listed Harry. The face is the centerpiece for expression and likeness of a character. The reason why the backpack ended up so low res is because I wanted the grid lines on the shirt to be horizontal/vertical in UV space (for ease of texturing). The backpack was merely squeezed in.
Again, thanks for the comments!
Great start btw Duncan! Can't wait to see it finished- great silhouette.
I still think having a heavily pixelated area right next to a crisp one is rather unsightly. People may look at the face first, but they will probably look at the torso next. If the density difference is too much, it won't look good.
I also think you can paint goodlooking faces at surprisingly low resolutions.
I agree with you there. (maybe cause I, like you, come from a pixel art background). I usually only size up the face a little bit and downsize parts only if the actual nature of the material being represented permits it, but it was worth providing a counterpoint to your notion in an effort to provide our subject here with a truly balanced critique, you know, the whole, no real right and wrong, etc etc.
Not on the backpack, no. But in a close-up of the face, you'd still see the neck and upper chest, so those areas are important as well.
Torso very WIP. I'll try to start texturing next week. 342 Tris so far.