Colt Python-esque revolver for crits

dphrygian

Hello all, this is my first post on Polycount. I'm not much of an artist (yet)--I'm a programmer first, and the game I'm making needs art, so here I am to learn.

I've modeled a revolver for my game, using a bunch of images of Colt Pythons as references, though I changed a few things (used a more conventional cylinder release, didn't vent the top rib, reversed the direction of the cylinder, etc.). I'm pretty happy with the result, but I'm sure there's lots of stuff that could have been done better. What could be improved upon with this model, or what should I do differently on my next model?

In case it wasn't clear, I'm not looking for accuracy against a real Colt Python, but if there's anything generally wrong with the gun, let me know; I'd like to believe this could have been a real weapon, so it shouldn't have any stupid mistakes. I believe the cylinder stops are pointing the correct way for it to turn counter-clockwise (which is opposite the direction a Python turns, as far as I know), but I could use a verification on that.

Things I'm already aware of:
- I wasted a ton of UV space. I know this, and I knew it while I was doing it, but I'm not really sure how I should unwrap to fix this. (I'm using Blender, FWIW.)
- Likewise, I didn't allocate my UV space very well; the rounds in the rear of the cylinder are the most visible high frequency element, and they should've got more space.

Enough gab, on to the images:

High poly:




High poly w/o Subsurf modifier:



Low poly:



Flats:



(There's a spec map, too, but it's basically just the diffuse map again.)

In-game (custom engine):


Thanks guys!

Avanthera

you really need to set up your smoothing groups,
here is ton of useful information:
http://wiki.polycount.net/Normal_Map

sltrOlsson

Duuuuude! Your really need to use some support edges on that thing. The mag drum, sry but wtf? You can't say that looks good, it like two or three edge loops and it will be so much better.

Sorry, my scribbles looks like crap, didn't have my wacom plugged in..

tda

The textures look super rushed, looks as if you just baked the AO put a colour and called it done from what you've shown. To make a lowpoly model shine you really need to pimp out the textures to the max to hide the lower res geometry. I'd head back to the textures and work up details, grunge, scratches, materials and stuff like that instead of just leaving it a blank colour.

Other than that im guessing you built the lowpoly to the specification of your enigine, but a little more polygonal detail definitely wouldn't go amiss to help the normalmap out. A few loops to define the indents in the cylinder for example would really improve things.

JonathanF

yeah, try not to smooth this thing so many times to show it off.. can't tell whats going on with the highpoly mesh. looks like a 3d scan import mesh its so messy looking. So next time don't go crazy on your geometry, no need for that. My main concern is the high poly, your bullets are one with the gun?..... you need to give your self a chance to pay attention to more details. Find more reference if you need to(and I know there are a lot on this gun). I hope this is not your lowest level of the high poly? Does Blender have a Sub-D option you can work with? I personally say to take all advice that is given to you on this project and move on to the next project with it. I always learn something that I should have done from a model I just do, but I just need to move on and keep going so i can apply that to the next model... then the next time! I am faster and I know exactly what I need to do to avoid what I did last time to improve.

dphrygian

Thanks for the crits, guys, sounds like I definitely need to spend more time on details details details! And not make the low poly so low poly (it's 329 faces, so yeah, I might've targeted a bit low).

I'm not sure yet whether I'll go back and revise this piece or move on and apply these lessons to the next piece; if I update this one, I'll post it here for further crits.

shrew81 wrote: »

you really need to set up your smoothing groups,
here is ton of useful information:
http://wiki.polycount.net/Normal_Map

On the low poly, you mean? I was worried that hard edges could introduce discontinuities in the normal map. How would I avoid that? (Also, doesn't baking the normal map from the high poly make it render with hard-ish edges anyway, even through the vert normals are smoothed? Like in my in-game image, though it's sort of hard to tell at that angle, the edges look harder than the low-poly Blender images.)

sltrOlsson

I don't know how it works in blender or max, i'm a maya guy. When you bake out a normalmap and have to use a hard edge, you also need to make a cut in your UV-shell/island whatever you want to cal it. Couse, as you say, it will create artifacts.

If you decide to move on to another project, then good luck! (: