Chopper WIP, worth making a LP?

Tom Ellis

Hey there,

I've just spent the last couple evenings making this. I don't see a whole lot of vehicles on here but the few I do see always inspire me to try a realtime vehicle. Some of the ones I've seen look incredible so I thought I'd have a go.

I enjoyed doing it but the prospect of unwrapping and baking this and most of all making a good low poly are somewhat daunting.

Anyway, see what you think, would be good to get some crits and encouragement

Vonklaus

I would recommend at least a high res sculpt. Without any distinct material differences it feels very flat. I guess it always depends if this is going to be a brand new bike or one with a little wear. I would recommend the worn version. Adding some scratched metal and then some different surface definition for the seating could add a lot! Ohh and tires, adding the treads on there would help a ton!

I hope you keep working on it. It could be a really cool portfolio piece!

Tom Ellis

Thanks for the reply.

I guess you're right, it does seem a shame to just let this one go.

Also as you pointed out, it is lacking a lot of detail and that was because I intended to use the normal map to bring out things like tyre tread and leather grain on the seat.

I love the idea of texturing it, just the unwrap and bake... Not so much.

renderhjs

clay renderings are so dated and look bad on high detail stuff because it blurs everything and you can't see shit.
Check out this tutorial to setup something nicer:
http://www.artemstudios.com/08Portfolio/Tutorial/MaterialRenderingTut.htm

Tom Ellis

Aha thankyou!

I had that look in mind when rendering the high poly but I couldn't find the link to that tut so i ended up going for clay.

That's a great help though Renderhjs, thanks.

Tom Ellis

Ok updated HP renders.

Now.... *deep breath* onto the LP.

ru4it

just a few picky things that need some more luv: Head light, gas tank, air cleaner, exhast pips, headers, and rear brake disc. other wise looks good keep going

(I wish i wasnt such a motor head)

renderhjs

it feels a little bit empty around the tank area, the wheels itself (profile?) and lots of small details like feeding tape for the wires, screws, welding seams, ...
Make it more complex and detailed with such small details but place them well scattered so that reading the shape and details gets more pleasing to the eye.

btw. looks already many times better with that rendering technique its very easy now to read the shapes.

.Murder

its still to similar to the digital tutors tut model, add in some tire tracks and better exhausts, if you look at the reference you get with that tut the exhausts are much bigger. also there is no suspension ...

bmasterson

looking good. you are planning to add the drive train right? you might consider adding the tire's treads in the hp if you want to show the hp off later. keep it up!

Tom Ellis

Thanks for the further crits.

The engine area does seem lacking detail and parts, I'm no expert on mechanics so I can't spot what's missing from just knowing what should be there! I need to get some more reference I think.

Renderhjs -

I think your suggestions are spot on, I need to add a bunch more of the little engine bits around and wiring looms, pipes etc. I guess there's really no end to how much I could add so I will have a play.

.Murder -

I am now considering adding the tyre tread, I think it probably will be better to add it for the bake rather than Crazybump it later. With regards to the exhausts, I agree they're lacking something but I think simple pipes straight from the engine look better on choppers than that on the Harley you linked with the mufflers/covers. They do indeed look a bit wrong though, I think they need to be a bigger diameter.

I know it probably looks similar to the Night Rod they used in the DT kit, but that kinda bike takes inspiration from custom bikes I think so some details may look the same.

The chopper I created is a hard tail, so no rear suspension!

BMasterson -

I did put the drive and chain on, but it's on the other side, I'm not sure if that's how it should be though. As I said, I'm not really familiar enough with the workings of bikes.

I think I'm gonna proceed with parts of the low poly and do a test bake to see how it comes out, then add the high poly bits later when I build the final model.

Avanthera

I love motorcycles and I gotta say, most of what you have is pretty spot on. if you build up the gas tank and enlarge the intake, it should look more correct.
why dont you go to http://www.jpcycles.com excellent reference there. (helped build my dads Harley there too)
The most common thing I see on 3d Harley's are the blocky cylinders, most you'll find are going to be much more curved, especially the more you go back in time.

F-yeah for hard tails!
F-yeah for drag bars! (the type of handle bars)

I think a wider exhaust will help tremendously.
You may want to take the front brake cable out as well, if your throttle cable and clutch cables are hidden, then why not hide that one as well and save yourself polies in the low poly.

but anyways, good work on the bodywork and frame, looks excellent.
this is already more than good enough for most games today, glad you are trying to take it farther.

.Murder

ah ok thats fair enough, i didnt realize there was no suspension on them, your in Warwickshire, that's not to far away from Coventry (where im from) you should go to the transport museum they have a huge exhibition of bikes, especially choppers there, would be awesome for some reference

ImSlightlyBored

yeah but it has a nauseating stench of petrol permeating the whole place.

Xoliul

You should definitely look into more reference. I see quite a lot of things that aren't techincally correct and make it come across as a bit dinky.

-Your engine is not connected to the frame firmly. it just stands there. The engine has quite alot of torque applied to it when driving the bike, so there should be brackets.
-Your brakes are incorrect. Those calipers are really small. There's also no hydraulic fluid reservoir at the steering wheel (and the calipers don't look like mechanical disc brakes). Also the brake hose is way too long, you want to keep those as short as possible (with play for steering) to ensure best possible brake pressure. Also, the calipers are floating. they need to be connected to frame or fork: imagine what happens if they grip onto a rotating brake disc without proper fixture
-Tiny exhausts, yeah. Dudes that ride choppers want 'em to be ridiculously loud.
-No linkage for your brake and gear shift levers. You can't have a lever that shift's gears connect to nothing, there's going to be some sort of linkage to operate the gearbox inside the engine. Same for the brake pedal, that operates a hydraulic fuel pump, which is connected to a brake fluid reservoir and the rear brake caliper.
-No spark plugs in your cylinders.

Don't take this bad though, you say you have trouble with the mechanics so I thought i'd chip in as amateur bike mechanic

Also, tastewise: your rims are these pimp-ass chrometype things, while the rest of the biked is styled in a classic manner. id consider switching them to spoked wheels, more like Easy Rider (teh movie) choppers.

Tom Ellis

Thanks for the comments Xoliul, I appreciate this greatly since your work is a huge inspiration! In fact, seeing what your shader can do on vehicles was one of the primary motivations for doing a project like this.

Ok so I've had a think about what's been said and spent some more time with the model, and I think I'm gonna start again. On personal projects I always like to just scrap everything and start fresh when there's no time constraints, especially when there's potentially so much to change.

I may keep some parts, the frame most probably but I'll go into much more detail.

I've got some other projects going on but I'll get onto this asap!