Modelling low-poly tracks

Brick Top

Hello everbody,

I'm currently working on a tank and I want to start modelling the tracks. But I'm looking for an efficient way to model those, don't want to waste thousands of polys on the tracks alone. Recently, I bought the dozer tutorial from EAT3D and I learn a lot from it. But that tutorial is about creating a high-poly dozer.

Anyone got some tips for me? Or maybe someone knows an article/tutorial which describes the best way to model low-poly tracks? I'm using Max 2011 by the way.

Thx in advance!

B.T.

Ace-Angel

Post an image as to what you want to create, there many ways to create tracks pending on the thread type.

Brick Top

Ace-Angel wrote: »

Post an image as to what you want to create, there many ways to create tracks pending on the thread type.

Ow, sorry about that! The 'shape' won't be the problem. I learned how to create (tank) tracks by watching 'The Dozer tutorial' from EAT3D. But that's all about high-poly tracks and I want to import my tank (eventually) in UDK so I need a low-poly version as well. So high-poly will be no problem. But I don't know how the low-poly should look compared to the high-poly.

Some people told me I just have to create a simple shape and add all the detail with normal maps. But will that be enough to get a good looking result?

uncle

I'd say beginning could be like this:


then you can take the segments (shape is up to you ofc) and sculpt it, add wheels, etc.

Just an fast idea tho, maybe there is better way.

Eric Chadwick

Won't animate well tho.

Better idea... take a close look at the tank models in Battelfield 3, Crysis 2, etc. ... take a close look at what they do, and sexify!

uncle

Hmm I think it could be done with path constraint but never tried to do this so can't predict the results... Maybe I'll try to prove I am not that useless :poly136:

Xoliul

I'm working on that now actually, in Pt2. If you want it easily animated within today's contraints, you're stuck with scrolling UV's on a uniform, connected spline/Loft type of geometry. Though DX11 displacement will allow for something a lot more believable.

Ace-Angel

http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/bike-chains

AlecMoody

do a strip of polygons on their own texture sheet so its easy to scroll->

Brick Top

Thx for all your replies! I will install Crysis asap and take a look at their tank. I also found out there is a forum dedicated to modelling military vehicles/weapons. But it seems rather dead if you take a look at the dates of most recent posts. Bummer.

Xoliul wrote: »

I'm working on that now actually, in Pt2. If you want it easily animated within today's contraints, you're stuck with scrolling UV's on a uniform, connected spline/Loft type of geometry. Though DX11 displacement will allow for something a lot more believable.

Looking forward to that one! Any idea when it will be released? And which parts of your workflow will you cover?

Brick Top

I installed Crysis, as well as the SDK. The SDK includes some examples and one of them... is a tank! So I opened the max-file and took a screenshot of the tracks.

Pretty basic for the low-poly I guess...

CheeseOnToast

That's a good example for games, since it easily allows you to animate the tracks through scrolling UVs, rather than a complex rig. Just something to bear in mind.

Valandar

Looking at how World of Tanks did it, they simply have looped geo unwrapped to a single track area of texture, then animate the textures depending on speed and direction of movement... the geo itself is similar to Brick Top's post right above.