WIP: The container

thinkinmonkey

Hi all,
I'm moving my first steps to NextGen Asset creation.
Actually I'm working on a little project to learn tools and workflow: I'm using Blender, Gimp, ZBrush and xNormal.
Now I need some suggestion about Blender <-> xNormal and suggestion about normal map workflow.
This is what I'm working on, a bolt:

I'm quite satisfied with it (the left is HiRes, the right is LowRes), but as you can see here:

and here:

some weird error occurs!
I've attached the bolt (hires, lowres, base Objs and TGA normal map) in order to let you see clearly what I've done and what I've done wrong!
Please, let me know the reason of those blacks triangle.
Thanks in advance.

P.S. The file is here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2UABAEXP

HAL

Do you use smooth groups? it should work pretty wellon this example.

For blender in specific, as it doesn't support groups like max you have to seperate the to-be-smoothed faces manually and split them by pressing y on your keyboard.

Has the same effect. Remember to split up the uvs while mapping it but that should result from the splitted faces anyway.

That should fix your smoothing problems.

Regarding the workflow,

I do it like this:

Blender:
Highpoly.
New model lowpoly,

Then uvmapping of the low also in blender,

Export of both and then baking in xnormal with raymeasurement.

You may want to built a cage but I dont know anything about that and raymeasurement worked pretty well for me so far. Though others might disagre here.

thinkinmonkey

Hi Hal,
thanks for your answer and thanks because it works!

HAL wrote: »

Do you use smooth groups? it should work pretty wellon this example.

For blender in specific, as it doesn't support groups like max you have to seperate the to-be-smoothed faces manually and split them by pressing y on your keyboard.

I've smoothed the object, well, I've smoothed only the curved part, but the problem was still there, before you're suggestion. Anyway, now I have an opend mesh: do you say it's normal to have a non deformable mesh in a game engine just for a better shading?

Blender:
Highpoly.
New model lowpoly

About the lowpoly: should it wrap entirely the hires object?
Or should it be a bit behind?
What do you do when you have rounded edges?

Export of both and then baking in xnormal with raymeasurement.

How do you measure the distance?

Thanks again for your help.
Michael

HAL

thinkinmonkey wrote: »

Hi Hal,
thanks for your answer and thanks because it works!

No problem

Anyway, now I have an opend mesh: do you say it's normal to have a non deformable mesh in a game engine just for a better shading?

Why do you think it can't deform anymore Oo just use envelopes for rigging

About the lowpoly: should it wrap entirely the hires object?
Or should it be a bit behind?
What do you do when you have rounded edges?

For flat surfaces it's not important.
For Rounded edges, I place the lowpoly slightly inside the HP so that the edge is covered by it.

[/QUOTE]
How do you measure the distance?

Uhm I set the ray depth to 0.05 most of the times and it works.

Hope that helps

thinkinmonkey

Hal,
thanks again for your precious suggestions.
I hope you'll come here from time to time to see update and to give me c&c.
Thanks.

thinkinmonkey

A little update.
Still working on the hires container, but it's quite finished.
C&C are welcome.

iWeReZ

Nie crate man, looking amazing. Only crits maybe its a bit thin ? im judging by call of duty 4 though :P

thinkinmonkey

Hi iWeReZ,
thanks for answer. About "thin", maybe it has to do with perspective, because I've used proportions of a real container, but I will take that in account: anyway, art (and, especially, game art) has more to do what a viewer (gamer) feels by watching, even if you follow reality, the perception of your production rules!
A wire screenshot waiting for next update:

thinkinmonkey

A little update: imported in ZBrush for sculpting (see colored parts vs. flat gray parts).
Now going on interior.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JB-GhbNryI[/ame]
Of course, the missing parts will be mirrored.

thinkinmonkey

Personal thoughts...
In the last months, after reading useful informations about what to do/don't for a portfolio, I read it's important to do what one desires to do in own life, so I realize game career is not for me, because I like more to watch movies studying editing, acting, VFX, photography, and so on than playing games (which I like, but I don't do with the same artistic eye I should).
Well, and the beautyful game art of this forum makes me really realized that!
So I switched for a movie FX path, choosing Houdini as main software, beside Blender for modeling, and going on with the same project but, now, it will be just hires.
So this is a render of the base container with logo and a simple shader, before creating a lot and customizing colors, scratches, and so on.
I suppose it's not the right forum to post hires/VFX content, but if administrators have no problems, I'll be happy to update here and to read your feedback.
Thanks for your time.