Decided I wanted to learn about the stuff people do here, so did a crash course, but, I seemed to of messed up. I was trying to make an high res model for my ambient occy map. But, realized I didn't properly unwrap my uwv map. Does this mean I have to start over for the low poly?
No big deal if I do, I only have about 30ish hours total invested in this model. This is my first model and still learning. Most of the time spent just learning about how drawing a proper texture and 3ds low rez modeling.
Are these cliff steps correct? So I don't fail again?
Build low poly
Unwrap UWV map and edit envelopes properly
Import to mudbox/zbrush, (Check in mudbox if UWV is properly edited). Coat with detail
export high poly ambient occlusion map.
Paint diffuse, and make a normal map
Import maps and use with materials
Export low model and profit?
Replies
Unwrapping the low poly is needed for when you bake..that way it bakes to an unwrapped texture. The high poly is only used for its geometry for the bake, so no unwrap needed there. Make sense?
good luck
The typical workflow is some variation of:
Build basemesh
Sculpt basemesh
(optional) polypaint basemesh
Retop basemesh for lowpoly
unwrap lowpoly
set up high-to-low projection
project normals, AO, whatever
muck about in photoshop
render in your engine of choice
But yeah, Low Poly always needs UV's, high poly doesn't unless, unless the lowest division is something you want to keep and use.
Normals are really amazing technology to me, creating the illusion of detail. This model is only 400ish verts.
Don't you think it would be more professional though to create your texture maps from Mudbox/Zbrush though? Seeing how there are more tools it appears to pull out a quality texture map.
Also, would it be better to make a High Poly model first, then the low poly later?
Sorry, don't understand what you mean here. Do you mean replacing Photoshop with Mudbox in the workflow?
Both ways work, some people prefer the Low-Poly -> High workflow, while others prefer High -> Low. It depends since both of them have ups and downs, and it's a matter of preference.
It seems to have alot going for it rather than xnormals. Low poly would be tied to the high poly though.
You can bake with any app you choose however, Topogun, Maya, Max, 3DC, Blender, it all depends on which one you would prefer to use and want to use, so no, XNormal is not necessary or a "MUST".
Anyway, now that I know to not have N-gons. I decided to start a new model. I produced something cool so far. Just playing around with random art getting a feel. I did this without any blueprints, and took me forever because of it.
This is just a diffuse I scribbled in a few minutes...
I plan on attempting to understand bones next and, I was wondering if people who work with animations, actually animate manually. I've seen those things with a bunch of balls on someone in real life, and they use that them to animate with.
I want to create a stand, walk, death, and attack.
Animating seems difficult to do it manually for organic creatures.