@ Nitewalkr-- I am using reference from the moonwell located in dolanaar.. most of them are pretty much the same.. I will get to adding some rocks, little trees and bushes around it too a little later..
Jmiles its looking really good my only crit on the enviro right now is more a personal on i would love to see some of the rocks become more of rolling hills, maybe on the sides and back to focus the main model in the middle. also give it more of the WOW "area" borders look..
@ Illadam-- haha.. actually I dont know yet.. I was thinking about adding a boomkin or bear form.. or perhaps a female NE druid to balance things out.. but depends on what kind of mood I want to establish.. for now it's props and initial poses
Your moonwell is looking an improved version of the wow moonwell
Once again bro, amazing work.
Also it has been a while. I thought of bumping this thread before you posted this but I guess its against the rules. =\
Kickass work anyways
EDIT: One quick suggestion though. I assume that your concept for the the stair case was slabs on top of each other, so making border line or sand impression on the bottom of second stair would make it more alive.
also creating the base of the moonwell would benefit you.
Looking good. One question though, is the really black shadowy areas by the stairs painted into the texture or is that just the current state of the lighting?
a little update-- painted up some trees and lamps.. still need to export to Unreal yet.. but I need to focus on the rocks and then ultimately the ground and shrubberies. for the island area, I plan to learn about painting the masked texture blends from vertex colors in order to simulate a bit of what I think WoW's terrain editor is like.. I know I could very well use the terrain editor in UDK, but I've never built a material as complex as one of these before.. so it would just be for the sake of learning how to do it..
You gave a real crisp texture to the trees and lights! Brightning the color might diminish the crisp cuts of the trees. Also the ground texture is looks rushed up work.
As you've stated that you are still working on the scene, I'll look forward to your updates.
hey all.. a few updates.. rocks, trees, and comp change
@ nitewalkr-- there isnt any texture on the ground yet.. that's simply a diffuse shader w/ the color changed to green.. i have to texture that in the Unreal Editor-- which will be my next huge task.. more updates soon
crits, comments, suggestions always appreciated
and a shot from progress in UDK-- still very WIP of course
Wow...At this point my criting sense just fuse off. With just a stunning moment where I try to say..."wow....just....wow"
This is where the professional criters come and discuss this scene.
Just a little pointer however; the moon-well's front wall between the stairs and the moon-well is black (I think someone have already pointed that part out)
Could we see the textures maps? It'd be easier to critique with them. Right now it seems the stones are having some texture stretching issues on the lower part of the moon well.
The harsh lines and strong contrast in the bark of the trees is very distracting. Tone down the contrast. You can also throw in some random colors here and there at different points in your diffuse map to break up the monotony of the glaring reds and browns.
great work, i love the look of the scene + character. Did you paint those texture brushes yourself? Very nice. How far are you planning on taking this?
@ Konjo-- the only textures in the scene that aren't mine are the ground and sky textures.. everything else i've painted myself.. the only real reference texture I used was a texture for the rocks.. but that's mostly painted out now for the look of what they are now.. I'm going to make my own sky.. I need to add the water and effects yet. the character will come in a little while.. but part of the scene will be animated, for instance, i want the rocks below the island to float and revolve around the bottom of the base.. i need to set some more mood lighting and create a little bit of fog and dust.. then of course paint the ground, add more plant life.. then pose my character, and add some more characters or creatures.. like some owls and a female companion.. lots to do yet, but it's well on its way.. thanks for the kind words
Hey all.. getting a feel for my lighting and I need some serious crits right now.. there's a lot to do yet with filling the scene w/ more assets.. plant life, critters, my char, etc.. but right now I would just like some fresh eyes and crits.. thank you
I think this is the 5th time me posting here to post one comment only.
Jmiles, seriously you are the awsome!! Hardcore painting. I thought you were going to follow up with wow ref from words to words, but you actually improvized it to make it great!!!!!!
Sorry I couldnt resist..*blush*
I wont post here again since I am still waiting for pro's crit on your work
Nice work man, but I agree with everyone so far, it's a bit dark. Maybe tweak the ambient light values on the individual assets, or mess with the over all scene ambient lighting.
there is a little more I would do to it.. like create god rays and light dusty particles from the lamps, but other than that, I think it's safe to call it done... really pleased over all and thanks peeps for all youre advise
Thanks Nite... Actually that was on purpose.. I tried to create a reason why that waterfall would be there, hence the water spilling out over the well.. perhaps the waterfall itself has too many particles.. but when you see it in motion, it actually looks pretty cool.. pretty chaotic and bouncy, like the water is thrown around
colours and lighting look cool now but have you got any other shots where the composition is less busy? I cant tell whats going on on the right hand side of the picture
jmiles the emitters *blue dots in the air* are too many and four of them are too large..
I was going to say "NAILED IT, YET AGAIN!!" but I think its too obvious. Decreasing the amount of "blue dosts" would make it a bit more realistic scene.
The thick grass and extremely bright pond are stealing my attention away from the character, which I assume is what you want as your focal point?
The frame is loud and distracting too, I would prefer seeing the images without it.
So far the WIP shot is the best composition, as Haiasi pointed out.
The first image there, is probably second best so far. If you dim the pond and move the character to the left a bit, to put him on one of the thirds, it could be a lot better.
The second one, I think it the worst, the character is far off in the background and all I can look at is that very busy sharp grass.
Keep working at it, the models and textures are great, just gotta work on the lighting and composition.:)
Nitewalkr-- I'll look into it. the blue dots are meant to represent wisps-- i actually like the size of them, but they spawn out in a particle effect-- if i decrease the amount of them spawning, they barely show up at all.. if you saw the level in real time, you would understand what I'm saying.. and it look pretty cool.. maybe i'll have to get some live video up in here..
Frump-- I see what ur saying about the thick grass I can scale it down a bit-- I was thinking along the lines of the "larger than life" feel that Warcraft always goes for, as for the moonwell i could tone it down a bit if it is too distracting. As for the composition, I do have shots of the level at that "dead-on" straight shot at the scene.. I was beginning to think they were a bit boring, and the angle of the camera in these new shots would prove to be a bit more dynamic-- the first shot where the character is the focal point is meant to bring your eye straight to character first, then lead your eye around the rest of the environment-- with the moonwell being the second point of interest in the background
I will admit though, I will do something to contrast the character out.. looks a bit washed out yet..
as for the second pic-- basically the same composition.. but I was trying to create a mood of the scene.. or maybe a story.. ask the question "what is he looking at?" or "what is he thinking?" He's off in the distance and the feeling i get when looking at it is that he's lost in thought, or sad, or just reflecting.. he is the focal point, but almost secondary at the same time to the rest of the scene.. again.. he needs to be contrasted out more..
There are some strange tangents in your more recent comp.
The druid's left arm is right at the center of the up-turned trunk, making it look like a shield on his arm. He is also covering 90% of the base of the tree behind him that has some cool vine texture work on it.
The only thing I like about the newer comp is the better angle on the moon-well and the closer view of the mushrooms.
However, the huge problem with it is as Frump said is it's way too cluttered now. There's just so much information in that composition that you can't really decipher layers of foreground, midground, and background.
The earlier comp you had very distinct layers of ground to ease us into the image.
Last crit, stick some mushrooms really close to the camera. It will help pull us into the scene because we'll see the super close-up group of shrooms, then see the others scattered behind to help us give us some sense of scale as well.
Nitewalkr-- I'll look into it. the blue dots are meant to represent wisps-- i actually like the size of them, but they spawn out in a particle effect-- if i decrease the amount of them spawning, they barely show up at all.. if you saw the level in real time, you would understand what I'm saying.. and it look pretty cool.. maybe i'll have to get some live video up in here..
Motes you mean? Like if you look up the Dolanaar you will see the blue trans motes (circle lensflare like orbs) falling from the sky and diminishing as they almost reach the trees. Those do not fall very often.
Wasps are lost souls and there arent many wondering around either (it also have the face in front of them almost looks like a slow arcane bolt wondering around)
I guess this is just a display challenge so its ok but you should really look at the scene that is in the world of warcraft and compare for more improvement.
Also.
Last crit, stick some mushrooms really close to the camera. It will help pull us into the scene because we'll see the super close-up group of shrooms, then see the others scattered behind to help us give us some sense of scale as well.
^This; put the group of mushrooms on the left side close the camera I'd suggest.
and here is the shot that some of you suggested that I take.. I'll have to adjust the shot w/o the border yet, but i'll get to that later.. crits always appreciated
Take those mushrooms that are right in front of the druid and move them to the lower-left corner as nitewalkr suggested. That's actually what I was thinking as well.
The position of the lamp right above the druid's head creates another strange tangent. Try to slightly adjust the camera a bit up so we can see the moon well better, and move that lamp somewhere else so that it isn't so close to the druid's head.
You're definitely going in the right direction with this
Cool.. thanks Haiasi and Nite.. ya I actually positioned the lamp above the druid's head on purpose to draw attention to the druid.. I see how that could cause a little visual conflict.. i'll touch it up a bit then.. and i'll work on trying to get a little contrast in there via PS
you're welcome . If you are having problem in terms of getting someone's attention to the scene and than druid, you might want to move it away from the moonwell and have him stand where you see the fallen tree. That is the middle ground of the top frame and the right frame. That might draw the attention in the manner of, the viewer will look at the mashroom first, druid the second moonwell the third which is at very rare.. I wish I could've just draw the doodle to show you what I mean.
Replies
cant wait!! God this is possibly the only thread I dont forget to check these days.
jmiles are you going to make any forms for the druid? haha I'm thinkn seal!
some updates and tests.. about finished w/ the moonwell itself.. there will probably be room for improvements later.. for now... moving on
Once again bro, amazing work.
Also it has been a while. I thought of bumping this thread before you posted this but I guess its against the rules. =\
Kickass work anyways
EDIT: One quick suggestion though. I assume that your concept for the the stair case was slabs on top of each other, so making border line or sand impression on the bottom of second stair would make it more alive.
also creating the base of the moonwell would benefit you.
As you've stated that you are still working on the scene, I'll look forward to your updates.
Awsome work so far.
@ nitewalkr-- there isnt any texture on the ground yet.. that's simply a diffuse shader w/ the color changed to green.. i have to texture that in the Unreal Editor-- which will be my next huge task.. more updates soon
crits, comments, suggestions always appreciated
and a shot from progress in UDK-- still very WIP of course
This is where the professional criters come and discuss this scene.
Just a little pointer however; the moon-well's front wall between the stairs and the moon-well is black (I think someone have already pointed that part out)
Good luck!!
The harsh lines and strong contrast in the bark of the trees is very distracting. Tone down the contrast. You can also throw in some random colors here and there at different points in your diffuse map to break up the monotony of the glaring reds and browns.
Keep it up.
2nd is a front view from a distance
3rd is a side view
Jmiles, seriously you are the awsome!! Hardcore painting. I thought you were going to follow up with wow ref from words to words, but you actually improvized it to make it great!!!!!!
Sorry I couldnt resist..*blush*
I wont post here again since I am still waiting for pro's crit on your work
more progress on my environment.. Crits n suggestions appreciated as always.. thanks
there is a little more I would do to it.. like create god rays and light dusty particles from the lamps, but other than that, I think it's safe to call it done... really pleased over all and thanks peeps for all youre advise
I have nothing but saying wow..
Only thing I would say is, you've put too many wasps, and water is overflowing off the moonwell.
But anyways, Amazing work!!
/agreed
i love your moonwell
whatch yall think of these shots?
I was going to say "NAILED IT, YET AGAIN!!" but I think its too obvious. Decreasing the amount of "blue dosts" would make it a bit more realistic scene.
The frame is loud and distracting too, I would prefer seeing the images without it.
So far the WIP shot is the best composition, as Haiasi pointed out.
The first image there, is probably second best so far. If you dim the pond and move the character to the left a bit, to put him on one of the thirds, it could be a lot better.
The second one, I think it the worst, the character is far off in the background and all I can look at is that very busy sharp grass.
Keep working at it, the models and textures are great, just gotta work on the lighting and composition.:)
Frump-- I see what ur saying about the thick grass I can scale it down a bit-- I was thinking along the lines of the "larger than life" feel that Warcraft always goes for, as for the moonwell i could tone it down a bit if it is too distracting. As for the composition, I do have shots of the level at that "dead-on" straight shot at the scene.. I was beginning to think they were a bit boring, and the angle of the camera in these new shots would prove to be a bit more dynamic-- the first shot where the character is the focal point is meant to bring your eye straight to character first, then lead your eye around the rest of the environment-- with the moonwell being the second point of interest in the background
I will admit though, I will do something to contrast the character out.. looks a bit washed out yet..
as for the second pic-- basically the same composition.. but I was trying to create a mood of the scene.. or maybe a story.. ask the question "what is he looking at?" or "what is he thinking?" He's off in the distance and the feeling i get when looking at it is that he's lost in thought, or sad, or just reflecting.. he is the focal point, but almost secondary at the same time to the rest of the scene.. again.. he needs to be contrasted out more..
The druid's left arm is right at the center of the up-turned trunk, making it look like a shield on his arm. He is also covering 90% of the base of the tree behind him that has some cool vine texture work on it.
The only thing I like about the newer comp is the better angle on the moon-well and the closer view of the mushrooms.
However, the huge problem with it is as Frump said is it's way too cluttered now. There's just so much information in that composition that you can't really decipher layers of foreground, midground, and background.
The earlier comp you had very distinct layers of ground to ease us into the image.
Last crit, stick some mushrooms really close to the camera. It will help pull us into the scene because we'll see the super close-up group of shrooms, then see the others scattered behind to help us give us some sense of scale as well.
Motes you mean? Like if you look up the Dolanaar you will see the blue trans motes (circle lensflare like orbs) falling from the sky and diminishing as they almost reach the trees. Those do not fall very often.
Wasps are lost souls and there arent many wondering around either (it also have the face in front of them almost looks like a slow arcane bolt wondering around)
I guess this is just a display challenge so its ok but you should really look at the scene that is in the world of warcraft and compare for more improvement.
Also.
^This; put the group of mushrooms on the left side close the camera I'd suggest.
here are a few of the textures
and here is the shot that some of you suggested that I take.. I'll have to adjust the shot w/o the border yet, but i'll get to that later.. crits always appreciated
The position of the lamp right above the druid's head creates another strange tangent. Try to slightly adjust the camera a bit up so we can see the moon well better, and move that lamp somewhere else so that it isn't so close to the druid's head.
You're definitely going in the right direction with this
Anyways, good luck