UV Mapping and texturing Attempt...need help and crits

MattStone

This is my first attempt at UV-Mapping and texturing. I viewed a tutorial from a very helpful member on here and it helped me out alot, and i think i have a better understanding of it now. So since then, i have been trying it out and doing some stuff.

I attemped to UV Map and texture a very simple, 1985 Monte Carlo Hobby Stock dirt car model i made, it's not super detailed or perfect. But it was a challenge. I made maps of the parts and textured it in photoshop. I went with my knowlage from the tutorial and tryed my best.


Please give crits and help me out to make me better, i want to bebale to make realistic textures and improve my mapping skills.. so i can become better.


Here are some renderings of the car and a small scene i did. My first ever textured model and scene...


Thank you all.

-Matt:)








Yes...I am a Road Runner fan

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An idea of what hobby Stocks are....


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Drav

Think you need to improve the modelling before looking at the texture. Things like vehicles, the shape and flow is a very important part, so a good texture on a poor model will still always look rubbish. Get the model looking good, then texture it imo.

If you just want to learn to texture, then I advise making some kind of box or crate, wall section, medpack, something easy and quick to model. Cars are pretty hard at first, so pick something small and easy to finish so you can concentrate on the texturing.

MattStone

Ya, I said above that the model isn't perfect. And unlike a regular 1985 Monte Carlo, the sides and body arn't all smooth and rounded. All it is is cutout sheet metal. But i agree with you that i still need more practice on modeling.

I ahve tryed texturing simple crates and boxes, it works out just fine but i want to 'add' more to the texture. I see these textures people make where it has holes or designs in it and it looks 3d...i forgot the name of what they are.. but thats what i would like to learn.

Thanks

-Matt..

KyleJensen

Was there a reason why you chose to make the car a highlighter yellow-green?

SaferDan

MattStone wrote: »

I see these textures people make where it has holes or designs in it and it looks 3d...i forgot the name of what they are.. but thats what i would like to learn.

Do you mean normal maps?

To make normal maps you need high detailed models to bake from.

can we see some of your crates?

Barnstable

MattStone wrote: »

I ahve tryed texturing simple crates and boxes, it works out just fine but i want to 'add' more to the texture.

There are some incredible things that can be done with just wooden boxes and crates. I agree with Drav, the modeling is distracting from the impression of the textures, so if you want to improve on textures, I would go with something simple where the texture really makes the model sing.

This is just an example I found from googing:






So a crate doesn't have to be boring.

MattStone

Yes, Normal maps. I hear about normal maps and baking high poly models and stuff but i don't undersatnd completey of what it all is..

I know i sound really dumb by asking this stuff.....

-matt

MattStone

Shad0wForce wrote: »

Was there a reason why you chose to make the car a highlighter yellow-green?

yes..
I like bright colors. Simply that...

MattStone

SaferDan wrote: »

Do you mean normal maps?

To make normal maps you need high detailed models to bake from.

can we see some of your crates?

I can post some of my crates..

SaferDan

awesome then lets see them

cholden

First, I'd like to direct you over to X-Convict's gallery. He's a member here, and posts some fantastic looking cars as well as information on rendering them.
http://www.artemstudios.com/2010/gallery.htm

The first thing to look at is his wire frames to see how and where details are placed. Of course, his designs are more than what you're going for, but the idea here is to see how edge loops are used for improving automobile shapes. As people said, it'd be worth it to work on your model before addressing the UVs and textures.

That said, the UV for what you have look ok in that the logos are clean and easy to read. BUT without actually seeing your texture, we can't give you any feedback on technical issues such as wasted space. Also, since the bulk of your texture is a solid color, any uv stretching and other technical errors (apart from where the logos) aren't visible. Using a checker texture is good for this.

As for texturing (and this goes for everything in your scene), try to think of things in layers. Most textures have a base color. Over that is details/shading, ambient occlusion, and all the details you're not modeling (at this stage would look brand new, but could appear done). Then dirt, grime, weathering, aging and so on. Most of your textures skip that detail level. They have color and dirt, but that's about it.

I'd also like to add that how you handle painting your texture is your preference. Some people pick colors and paint everything out by hand, others like to split things into layers, and some render everything. So don't let my previous paragraph define how things are done. I often switch up techniques on a piece to piece basis.

For this vehicle example, you need to go a step further with the material. You need a specular for shininess and a reflection (or cube map). This makes metal, chrome and the polished paint of the vehicle appear more natural. Again, you can look at X-con's portfolio and see example of this in action. Point is, you can see how important the actual rendering process is to presentation.