40k WarBike Wip

Calabi

Hi, I'm learning 3d modelling and have nearly finished my first complex model.

Here it is.







I'm wondering if anyone has any advice or tips for how I clean it up, get rid of those shading errors, etc, or any general crits, opinions even?

bejkon

Harden up those normals boy!

oobersli

bejkon wrote: »

Harden up those normals boy!

huh? that comment is both useless and somewhat gay.

I'd say

don't use one single smoothing group or add more polys.

Zotter

Nice work out so far, are you using floating geometry? It could save you some polys if you did it for the chair it looks like instead of just beveling out the faces.

Calabi

Thanks for the comments.

I'd say

don't use one single smoothing group or add more polys.

Why not?

Nice work out so far, are you using floating geometry? It could save you some polys if you did it for the chair it looks like instead of just beveling out the faces.

Lots of floating geometry yep. Except for the chairs I need to fix them to make them flow a bit better and look as if they are joined.

I made all the edges in to hard edges and that seems to fix the errors it looks a lot better, but does it matter that I have ngons that are a lot more than five sided?

oobersli

your getting smoothing errors because youre trying to use 1 smoothing group on something that doesn't have enough polys or a smooth poly flow. it might not fix all the problems, but you might also try turning some edges. also try to keep more of your polys to quads, some look 5 sided.

whats the purpose of this model? just to model? for low poly? or a high poly object?

System

Not too bad at all, geometry looks pretty clean but your getting that soft messy look when you subdivide due to the lack of control edges. For instance say you create an extrusion on a surface - that extrusion has to be held up by edges at all sides, the distance of these edges will determine what softness you are aiming for. Probably better to whip up an example...



Edit : that might look a bit confusing with the low poly and high poly words where they are = the low poly's are at the top showing a wireframe and the highpoly's are on the bottom of the picture.

ha55a

Pretty dang good for Wings 3D

Your model is several, try connecting it up, maybe using bridge or weld? For a start, try where the exhaust meets the back of the seat. The two chamfered, sticking up blocks.

As I say pretty lush so far, keep it up.

H

Calabi

your getting smoothing errors because youre trying to use 1 smoothing group on something that doesn't have enough polys or a smooth poly flow. it might not fix all the problems, but you might also try turning some edges. also try to keep more of your polys to quads, some look 5 sided.

whats the purpose of this model? just to model? for low poly? or a high poly object?

I think I might have a 20 sided one in there. I see, I was trying to figure out what the rules were to its smoothing. So its a good idea to keep the polys to a consistent sizes, I'd seen it on other models but now I see why.

I'm just doing it to learn and fun really no goal for except to have it finished.

Not too bad at all, geometry looks pretty clean but your getting that soft messy look when you subdivide due to the lack of control edges. For instance say you create an extrusion on a surface - that extrusion has to be held up by edges at all sides, the distance of these edges will determine what softness you are aiming for. Probably better to whip up an example...

I do know a bit about control edges(I still need to feel exactly how it works) but I wasnt going to subdivide it, the original is pretty straight edged, is there a purpose to subdividing other than smoothing?. I guess it might fix the mesh pretty quickly. Thanks for that explanation.

Your model is several, try connecting it up, maybe using bridge or weld? For a start, try where the exhaust meets the back of the seat. The two chamfered, sticking up blocks.

I could try sinking it in would that not do the same thing and be a bit simpler or is there a down side to doing that?

System

Calabi wrote: »

I do know a bit about control edges(I still need to feel exactly how it works) but I wasnt going to subdivide it, the original is pretty straight edged, is there a purpose to subdividing other than smoothing?. I guess it might fix the mesh pretty quickly. Thanks for that explanation.

Well yeah there's a big advantage having nicely smoothed edges when your making a high poly model, your normal map will be better quality because more detail = more realism, also edges catch the light alot more which should yield some interesting results.

I got it wrong before, I thought you had subdivided and smoothed this model when you just added a single smoothing group to the whole thing.
Just try for yourself, make two boxes, use smoothing groups on one and subdivide the other using very tight control edges, one will look good in basic lighting the other will not.

TheWinterLord

ha55a wrote: »

Pretty dang good for Wings 3D

Your model is several, try connecting it up, maybe using bridge or weld? For a start, try where the exhaust meets the back of the seat. The two chamfered, sticking up blocks.

As I say pretty lush so far, keep it up.

H

ha55a huh? instead of keeping it simple connecting it up to one complex piece? Why?


Calabi I sure like Warhammer 40k! What is your intentions with this model? to make it highpoly or lowpoly or you just dont know? I will try to help after you answer :P

Have fun and welcome to the Polycounts!

TheWinterLord

If you are making it highpoly make a simple model like the one GCMP showed you (great example) and add stuff see what happens to the highpoly when you change the lowpoly cage. go back and forth between subdivided and the lowpoly cage. try to get some different forms, shapes, you need to experiment alot if you want to learn it.

Keep it simple before going straight onto the bike

Asthane

ha55a wrote: »

Pretty dang good for Wings 3D

A good artist will tell you that tools don't matter. It's like turing-complete programming languages: As long as you have the basics, anything is possible.

Wings is actually a very good toolset though, primarily limited in this day and age by the speed of the language it's written in. It's actually based off Mirai which first gave us a lot of the tools we now take for granted (edge loops, etc). I still try to configure programs to match certain parts of Wings, though more for the simplicty of single-keypress actions than any particular tool.

[edit] Fuck I feel old now [/edit]

As for the model, most of what I'd say has been said. Try to think a little more on your topology. Don't just end loops into one massive n-gon.

Calabi

Thanks for all the advice and comments.

I've decided I'm going to keep it low poly (it would be too much of a hassle trying to sort all the geometry out).

Calabi

An update.







I'm starting to get the hang of this smoothing group stuff. I'm ending up with all these odd problems because I have lots of in and outy bits and I guess its trying to smooth it uniformly throughout and when the are to extreme it comes up with errors. And for the smoothing to flow the geometry has to give it directions to flow(its not a good idea to have dead verts.)

I've messed about and set some edges to hard and some I've used control edges around the geometry to try and isolate them to see what they look like and which is better.

Calabi

I decided to have a go at uving and texturing a part of it.



I know, its pretty good isnt it.:poly142: I think its pretty close to my reference.

http://www.craftyspot.co.uk/images/space%20marine%20bike.jpg

I dont suppose anyone has any hints to get it that one millimetre closer, that it just needs to get there.

edit: I think I might stick with modelling for a while uving and texturing, much too confusing and headache inducing.

ArYeS

Some nice modelling there, you could save few polys by using floating geometry more often.

About UV and Texturing, this is clearly your first try at it, you really have to get familiar with software you are using, spending as much time texturing as modeling is normal. Look at some references, try using softer brushes with lower opacity to draw some shading (take a look at burn and dodge tools if you are using photoshop).

Just take some more time and work on texturing proces and you'll get better at it!

imb3nt

looks like fun

Calabi

I have a (several) stupid question I'm trying to figure out how to get half decent textures, I've looked at some tuts but none of them seem to explain the exact process of making texture except straight from a resource like a photo.

I can see those above are completely rubbish or are they would they be fine for a material like plastic?

I've seen some other peoples textures and they appear to be made up of lots of shades of the same colour. How do they do that? Is it as simple as adding some noise and some blur?

How much information do I put in the texture do I shade it and highlight, add dirt and stuff?

Taylor Hood

I think an AO pass would help your..er, base colors...

EDIT - Are you using MSPaint? -.-

Calabi

I think an AO pass would help your..er, base colors...

EDIT - Are you using MSPaint? -.-

Close, Paint.net.

I'm relucantly trying out gimp now though, due to my percieved deficiences with Paint. It was the software that did it not me!

Taylor Hood

I see, altho that isn't such a great way to go about texturing I wish you good luck.

Try photoshop. I always say it's like the Max or Maya of texturing and everything to do with images. I feel like there are standards for this industry and photoshop is one of them in the pipeline.

Calabi

I think gimp is the open source version of photoshop, just as good but not quite as intuitive or straight forward.

Michael Knubben

Also not just as good. Gimp is capable in its own right, I'm sure, but it certainly doesn't do everything that Photoshop does. Much of it, sure.

Calabi

Actually forget what I said, I'm gonna stick with modelling and uv mapping for a bit. Thanks for any help.

I dont suppose anyone wants the model?

Also not just as good. Gimp is capable in its own right, I'm sure, but it certainly doesn't do everything that Photoshop does. Much of it, sure.

As long as its adequate, even gimp appears bloated a hundred different functions with some you might probably need, never!

Mr 107

Hey I know this was a while ago but I'd like to use your model while I'm modeling my own.