RTS units
polycounter lvl 11
Hey, this is my first post here and also my first major 3D art undertaking. So, yeah, any criticism or tips would be greatly appreciated!
I'm a fan of the game Achron (http://www.achrongame.com), which is an RTS with time manipulation as the driving mechanic. It's quite a trip to play it online, because each player messes with the timeline and things get deliciously convoluted.
Anyways, so I love this game, but I can't stand the models. They're not just bad, they're incredibly bad. So I said to myself, well, damn it, I can do better than this. Now damn it Jim, I'm a programmer not a 3D artist... but here's my attempt.
The following images are the basic building models I've finished. I plan to texture them last, all as a group, so these are just plain AO renders with some colors slapped on to help me visualize final texture blocking.
The first image is the factory, a basic garage type thing. It builds mid level units.
Next up, the macrofab. It builds high-end units.
The importer, basically a supply depot (the lore is that the rounded thing is complicated equipment to recieve units via teleportation, while the L thing is a barracks)
Finally, what I'm working on right now-- the turret. It's based on the idea of quantum levitation, with the turret capable of firing in any direction rapidly (hence the alien looking design).
I've also modeled an armory (the low-level infantry trainer), but it doesn't fit in with the current theme, so I'm going to redo it.
I'm a fan of the game Achron (http://www.achrongame.com), which is an RTS with time manipulation as the driving mechanic. It's quite a trip to play it online, because each player messes with the timeline and things get deliciously convoluted.
Anyways, so I love this game, but I can't stand the models. They're not just bad, they're incredibly bad. So I said to myself, well, damn it, I can do better than this. Now damn it Jim, I'm a programmer not a 3D artist... but here's my attempt.
The following images are the basic building models I've finished. I plan to texture them last, all as a group, so these are just plain AO renders with some colors slapped on to help me visualize final texture blocking.
The first image is the factory, a basic garage type thing. It builds mid level units.
Next up, the macrofab. It builds high-end units.
The importer, basically a supply depot (the lore is that the rounded thing is complicated equipment to recieve units via teleportation, while the L thing is a barracks)
Finally, what I'm working on right now-- the turret. It's based on the idea of quantum levitation, with the turret capable of firing in any direction rapidly (hence the alien looking design).
I've also modeled an armory (the low-level infantry trainer), but it doesn't fit in with the current theme, so I'm going to redo it.
Replies
Looking good so far. I'll be interested to see them textured.
In most online games, we call that lag...
As far as tri-counts go, I was told to budget 1000-1500 tris for small units, and no more than 2000 tris for large units. The turret weighs in at 1296. The other buildings are usually under budget- the importer is around 840, the factory 652, and the macrofab 932.
They way I work is to do things in phases- first rough out the shapes for the whole set, then the details, then the textures, etc. This lets me keep things looking stylistically similar even as the models evolve.
For reference, this is what the current macrofab and factory look like
Zoomed out, they're nearly indistinguishable- both clock in around 350 tris. Apparently the devs hired students to do the artwork (it's an indie game), and had issues with artists leaving mid project, etc. The game needs artistic surgery.
The engine does have some limitations that are kinda irksome, but they're constraints I'm going to work around.
Anyways, I'm going to bed. It's good to have someone critique things, and I look forward to showing these off as they improve