Vol'jin - WoW Fan model

Trolljack

Hey folks:]

Since the recent expansion of World of Warcraft (Cataclysm), there have been a few model upgrades for the leaders of the different races.

Not all have been updated however onein particular being the Troll leader, Vol'jin. So as a fan of the Troll's I wanted to make a unique model in a way thats fitting to the Warcraft universe.

Although it's nearly finished, it's a model I'd really like to nail. Texture-wise I'd like to get people's thought's. And if there is anything in particular you could recommend I watch out for on the next model then by all means let me know:]
Note: The shorts and legs are yet to be fully textured.

I've made the poly count similar to that of the Orc leaders unique model which is just over 3k.





*EDIT*
1. Changed images, made larger. 2. Added Wireframe image.

So I think with this even I have really found numerous flaws with the texture.

- Is the colour pallet messy?
- Texture to busy/messy?
- Is the armour texture too dull?
- The face, too plain?
- Unwrapping is a major issue for me, I find it really hard to nail.

P.S Sorry for the late update, bad Troll:I Sorry 'bout that.

[SF]Three9

Since your main feedback point is on texture, you haven't presented this in a manner to get that kind of feedback. While the mesh APPEARS to be good and well put together, it's way too small to really make anything out man

honestly, 1024 minimum in size, and dont throw in 4-8 renders per image, do one or two. Show off your work and let us see him!

Also, posting your flats would really be a good idea to get the BEST feedback (No ones going to steal your texture, without the model it's useless...you can watermark it if you'd like, but I don't see a reason to).

I'd also like to see him in a more, lively pose. That soldier stiff pose is kinda boring to look at and it takes away from the essence of the character. Have him more relaxed with arms at like a 45 degree angle and elbows bent a little. Judging by the side pose, with all that gear on him there is noooo way he wouldn't fall forward. Lean his chest back . I know this stuff might seem minor, but it really helps

Can't wait to see it!

Trolljack

Thanks for the crit Three9! If there's one thing I have learnt in life lol no crit is minor if it helps in the long run:]
So with that said, I'll get the layout fixed tomorrow (bed now:P) and I'd love to hear what you have to say!

As for the pose, I have yet to rig him, he would in fact be my first rig so im not sure how quick that will happen. But it's definitely on my to do list with this guy:]

Appreciate the enthusiasm!

Shiniku

I agree with that other dude, pictures are way too small. It looks good.. but it's really hard to tell without some bigger renders.

jsargent

Hi Jack! I remember seeing a bigger render of this a while back and it was really nice so give us a bigger render now!! From this distance the only crits I have are that the feet look really blocky. It would also be nice to add some firey orange in to the top of the hair to break it up and make it more like the concept. Will crit more if you post a big image.

Really cool model though and nice to see you on here

[SF]Three9

Troll don't you troll me, I want my promised larger renders! It's tomorrow already! :P

Trolljack

Hey guys, I uploaded a bigger image, hopefully it's more in keeping with showing him off?

jsargent, hey thanks! Feet wise do you mean texture blocky or poly blocky? And glad to be here, after leaving uni I've been a little out of the loop in terms of modelling communities!

Tigerfeet

I think mostly it looks pretty solid, but there's a few things that stick out to me that could use work

-Texture on the pants. The folds look really weird and don't match the quality of the surrounding textures at all
-Toenails. He needs some
-Beard, where it joins the face is a very stark line. If you were to paint a more organic join onto the face I think it would improve the look a lot.

Gannon

I really like the silhouette of the model I think it's pretty solid, Could we see some wires?

The texture feels like it needs a lot of love but most of those critiques have been mentioned. I'd recommend checking out the model viewers on wowhead or thottbot or somewhere to see how their textures.

Can't wait to see the finished piece!

jsargent

eloo, yeah I think the model and the texture on the feet is just a bit vague. What are the feet, I can really tell. He needs nails or something to define them more. The same goes the the hands texture, just needs a bit more contrast I think. Looking at your own crits about the model, I actually really like the colour pallette and the face. I do agree about the armour being a little dull though. The bone parts look nice but try to really push the metal texture further. Great so far though

This tut might help a little, it's from 3Dmotive ........

http://www.3dmotive.com/training/photoshop/hand-painted-weapon-texturing/?fp

Trolljack

Tigerfeet - Thanks, the beard is a good spot, one I hadn't really thought about. Ill get onto that thanks:] Toe nails and pants too!
Gannon - Wires, sure thing. I'll get them up in a sec:]
jsargent - Good call, I'll have a play with contrast and I think i'll revisit the armour, perhaps too much of that cream colour? Whiten the feathers a bit more to separate them from armour colourings? And thanks for the tut. Bookmarked:]

Saman

That's a pretty cool character you've got there. I like the colors you've used on it. However it's lacking in some departments. Here is some feedback to help you fix those;
- Since the face is the focal point of your character it would be good to have it more saturated and brighter than the rest of the body.
- You're asking if the face is too plain, I think you need to show some better close-ups so we can judge better. From what I can see now the white paint on the face has entirely replaced all the rest of the shading in those areas. Even if something is painted it will still have the same highlights and forms of the skin under it.
- The entire character should have a consistent amount of details. Some areas are detailed, other parts are not(the bones for instance). Take a look at your model and see what parts that are lacking in details compared to the rest.
- The pants should have more realistic wrinkles and folds. Look at some ref-images. Never mirror your uv's for both parts on clothes since they always look different, especially on pants.
- Speaking of uv's; If you're gonna have parts on top of your mesh then it's good to put those parts of your mesh(body) in a different uv shell so that you can paint shadows in those areas. I guess engines like marmoset toolbag can fix that but it looks strange at the moment with no shadows being cast from the shoulder armor, bones and stuff.
- Your textures are generally lacking highlights. I too usually have problems with this so I understand why this has happened.
- He's missing some toe-nails.
- For your next model I would recommend looking at more anatomy pictures so you can nail the body better. It's very important, even on cartoony/comic-booky characters.

Cool model overall!