Team Fortress 2: 1850 Edition
polycounter lvl 16
EDIT: Hello, people from other regions of these vast internets! Please read this before you make too many speculative forum posts and such:
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The year: 1850
Blutarch Mann, son of the late Zepheniah Mann, hires a group of nine mercenaries to appropriate a piece of land from his brother, Redmond.
Representing the most skilled and dangerous individuals of their respective disciplines, these nine men came together to blow the shit out of the other nine mercenaries hired by their employer's brother, Redmond Mann.
This is not their story.
Anyway. I started work on this sucker after seeing the Loose Canon comic on the TF2 blog. The engineer from this group shot was what started me off doing this. The model's obviously a pretty loose interpretation of the engineer in that image, but I just liked him a bit better this way.
I'm thinking I'd like to tackle the soldier next, though I don't know if I want to do all nine classes. That seems like a crap-ton of work. I admit it would be kind of fun, though. We'll see what happens.
Any crits or comments or whatever are cool.
- My models are loose interpretations of the designs seen in the group shot from the comic. They are not meant to be exact copies. Other models people have posted may follow different design goals.
- These are not going to be skins without a standalone mod. The proportions of most of the characters are far too different from standard TF2 characters to make anything like that work.
- I can't speak for the models other people have posted in this thread, but my models are mainly for portfolio use.
- I would be willing to release the source files to the public under a Creative Commons license if someone is interested in making a mod.
- No, I probably won't add you as a friend on Steam.
[/EDIT]
The year: 1850
Blutarch Mann, son of the late Zepheniah Mann, hires a group of nine mercenaries to appropriate a piece of land from his brother, Redmond.
Representing the most skilled and dangerous individuals of their respective disciplines, these nine men came together to blow the shit out of the other nine mercenaries hired by their employer's brother, Redmond Mann.
This is not their story.
Anyway. I started work on this sucker after seeing the Loose Canon comic on the TF2 blog. The engineer from this group shot was what started me off doing this. The model's obviously a pretty loose interpretation of the engineer in that image, but I just liked him a bit better this way.
I'm thinking I'd like to tackle the soldier next, though I don't know if I want to do all nine classes. That seems like a crap-ton of work. I admit it would be kind of fun, though. We'll see what happens.
Any crits or comments or whatever are cool.
Replies
Eyes maybe too open? Dunno.
now that that's out of the way, are you going to add a normal map for clothing folds the way the reg characters have em, or just stick with having them modeled to keep it simple?
And that seems like a cop-out, you tease - get to it!
I agree about the eyes - I think cold, steely-eyed expressions would look awesome. Seriously, though, loving the design and I'm sure everyone else is as excited as I am to see what you do with the rest of the classes.
Because you will do them. You have to.
you may be right zip, my eye's just werent registering the lighting in those area's.
I admit it's extremely tempting, but goddamn if it wouldn't be tough.
JFletcher:
The eyes are pretty much exactly the same as the medic's in the bind pose.
Zipfinator:
The thought of making weapons for them is about as appealing at the moment as snorting live shrimp up my nose. While it'd be cool for them to have weapons, I don't think I have the energy for it after the Polycount Pack contest.
ScudzAlmighty:
I spent the entire night and well into today working on this guy. I got two hours of sleep between 11:00am and 1:00pm and then I went straight back into working on him. This is super-stupid and I won't be doing it again tonight.
danshewan:
AUGH PEER PRESSURE
n88tr:
Just relax, go with the flow, and don't mind that tingling sensation.
DKK:
HA! Show me whatcha got, bish!
Moosey_G:
I'm blushing. Or having hot flashes. Is this menopause?
So yeah. It does have a normal map on the sleeves and the cuffs of the pants, but that's it. The rest is all flat like the real TF2 models.
Anway, here's the first concept crap for the soldier as based on that group shot from the comic. I'm not sure I dig how long his head is, but whatever. WE CAN FIX IT IN POST!
specifically Valve.
but this is just as cool!
..just not playable
.... yet!?
Calm down, lets tackle one issue at a time here.
My only crits are that you should maybe add a subtle noise layer. The TF2 character textures seem to be very noisy and this guy's is really smooth. Also to maybe darken your AO layer. The TF2 characters also seem to have really dark AO in parts. Darkening it would probably pop some of the noise in the AO as well.
It's really making me want to try my hand at the old timey chinese spy! I can't though, I have other things to do! Your skills and my inspiration are a blight on my other projects.:)
I am now imagining a TF2 1850's expansion pack.:poly142:
And the way it's going you may be finished before the Engineer update comes out
Then reveal this as a skin pack! and submit it to Valve! they will then include it as part of a game mode if the skins are all set up! no way this can go wrong!
The Engineer:
the resemblance is uncanny
Medigun should totally be a big leech.
Thanks!
bounchfx:
Considering I lack the resources and skills to rig and animate these, it's they're going to be unplayable until somebody makes me an offer I can't refuse. It's the sad truth.
DKK:
Uh huh. Aaaany time you're ready. ...Well? I'm waiting.
Frump:
Noise in the textures is definitely coming. I also need to tweak the hairline and shaved parts of the engie, along with doing some other teaks. I still need to play with the AO, honestly. I've just been slapping it on at 75% opacity and not thinking much about it.
larolaro:
I don't know if I'd be able to handle doing all of them, but I'm just going with the flow and seeing where things are headed at the moment. I won't shy away from getting them all done if I think I can do it without going nuts.
ScudzAlmighty:
The neck is a pain in, well, the neck. Some of the TF2 characters have longer necks than others and they're proportionally different to their heads, so figuring out the right proportions for this stuff is a bitch. I'm not above making changes, though.
The Scrub:
Like I said before, I dunno that I currently lack the software and knowhow to get rigging or animation done, so it's off the table for now. If Valve wants to use them, though, I'd be more than happy to fork over all the source files.
achillesian:
Maybe. Except I refuse to make any weapons for these unless absolutely 110% necessary. Getting the weapons done for the Polypack contest was a pretty huge undertaking, so it'd just be murder to add on top of doing the character models.
Hokay. Got some work done on the soldier. I still need to retopo and finish up the head, but the body's looking alright. I think I'm going to try an experiment with the beard and hair textures, but I dunno if it's going to work. We'll see about that when I get to the texturing stage, though.
The uniform is based on Confederate Officers' uniforms from the Civil War. I figured that the soldier in the group shot looked enough like Stonewall Jackson that it'd fit pretty well. I'm not really excited about the design so much, though, so I'm going to keep massaging the proportions until I'm satisfied with it.
Don't be afraid to really push the curves of the legs and torso. You're not constrained by realistic anatomy, so go for something wacky-awesome. The hands look a little off for some reason I can't quite pin down, so consider comparing them to the actual TF2 models' hands and see what they do.
Also, word has come to me that the chans (or at least TF2 chan) have seen this thread. It's a blessing and a curse, I'm sure.
DKK, that guy reminds me of Jigen from Lupin III:
[ame]
...because you just know 1850s Demoman would be extra haggard.
uhm, are we talking about the same thing? cause I was refering to moddeling the John Henry Heavy with the giant hammer there...
Just a little critique. Don't mind me.
Well I'ma try make the heavy >_>
I just use pretty basic box modeling techniques for the bodies, but I do use retopo for the heads. While the TF2 characters (and these I'm making) don't use normal maps except on the cloth bits, doing a rough base sculpt for the head is useful for getting proportions and major facial features in place. It's also easy to model over the top of something that's already there with some retopology tools instead of just poly modeling from scratch.
I start with a rough head sculpt. I don't get too detailed because I know I'm not going to be using this for normal maps. The main thing I'm concerned with at this stage is making something with large, solid forms that will easily translate to a low-poly model and will be good for laying good topology over the top of. Big, chunky shapes are the order of the day.
Once I'm happy with the overall shape of the sculpt (even if some smaller details suck), the proportions and the general planes of the face and head, I'll dump it into Modo and start laying down some strips of polygons over the top of the exported model. There are tools for doing this in most major modeling apps.
As I start laying down these strips, I try to make them follow the contours of the face while having respect for good topology and edge loop layout. It helps to get some of the major loops first (eyes, nose, mouth, nose to chin, forehead to chin/jaw) so you can then go back and start filling in between them. After you've been at it for a little while, things start to take shape. A little more work and you have a decent model to show off.
There's nothing really revolutionary going on here in the modeling department, but I hope it helps some people in some small way. It's a very simple process, but I know it didn't occur to me until I read about it in a 3D modeling magazine a few years ago.
I love the Engineer by the way, great work.
I wonder what would happen if anyone modeled the Demo though, he looks tiny compared to the regular one :S
Although your Engy looks amazing, I'm going to make a request, could you possibly make old man Engineer's head as an alternate, for the same body? I know it's a lot of work, but just try and say no to that face.
I'll try to cut down on it though
"Oh Swizzle," you say, "you silly sausage! What're you doing? Putting alpha planes for hair? On a TF2 character? Surely you jest!"
But no! I jest not! All will be revealed in time, fair frankfurter friends!
I got started on the body. any criticisms other than his chin which I modeled like that for the heck of it?
+ I like the body, but the hat and head both look too cartoony in my eyes.
But it doesn't matter anyway. I've gone and changed my mind again like the silly sausage I am.
You truly are young and stupid. XD
And that's kinda the biggest thing I could wish for any artsist.)
so it's a compliment)
( doesn't work with ladies tho=)) )
keep it up!
They're looking great even though there are only 2
TF 1850 could be an expansion or something built on the same engine or just a mod(If Valve feels like it)
face is poop, base sculpt, heavy hands and feet:
Thread bookmarked, awesome stuff
yes, as I said: "the face is poop" :poly122:
Dkk, Demo looks a little different from the concept to me, but vbery sweet still (maybe it's the hair)... actually the more I look at him the more he looks like Abe, so maybe you should save that head for the pyro?
Swizz, damn you and your sausageness. young and stipid, I'm not so young anymore...
edit: and I kinda want to make the medic now .. can I can I?
I never really done any serious character modeling and I think it would be quite a fun practice
edit2, so yeah if nobody before took dibs on the medic, then I say! DIBS on the medic! Going to start as soon as I get home, going to draw me up a nice model sheet!