Creating a basemesh for rocks (read: not single stones).
polycounter lvl 19
I'm interested in how you would create a basemesh for a rock cluster that is heavier on shapes & form than it is on surface details.
Would you go 1 solid basemesh or would you use a few meshes that are then mashed together to create the smaller shapes, that then ultimately end up as 1 in-game asset?
So something like this:
Not something like this (or Sasha Henricks stone tutorial, I think I spelled his name wrong):
Would you go 1 solid basemesh or would you use a few meshes that are then mashed together to create the smaller shapes, that then ultimately end up as 1 in-game asset?
So something like this:
Not something like this (or Sasha Henricks stone tutorial, I think I spelled his name wrong):
Replies
http://www.jmchristopher.com/portfolio/rockTutorial/rockTutorial.html
Is that step necessary? Could you not bring in the mesh when its created from different, separate elements and sculpt those while ignore the inner areas where the intersections happen?
I would just sculpt however you like, and simply retopo when you're done.
(hahah, slow on the edit)
So, is this what you guys are saying then:
The main mound and its supporting pieces are laied out separately and sculpted as such.
Then the supporting pieces are rearranged to intersect with the main mount to make your rock piece (either in Mudbox/zbrush or Max/Maya)
That final shape is retopo'd for the lowpoly/ingame mesh.
Cookies are eaten.
Flatten tool with no update ftw
How the hell did yous sculpt from a plane without massive stretching of quads?
http://wiki.polycount.com/DigitalSculpting#Environment_Sculpting
Some retopo tuts:
http://wiki.polycount.com/DigitalSculpting#Optimization_.26_Re-Topology
http://wiki.polycount.com/DigitalSculpting#Re-Topology_Apps
Yes that is how I handle rocks normally. Over time you collect a library of mid res pieces that I can squash and move about to get all sorts of shapes. I normally keeps these pieces lowish detail so when placed together I can sculpt on them a bit more and add a full mesh noise pass. After that I would retopo the final sculpt into one mesh for use in-game.
But I'll lean with Eric here, in that it'd probably sculpt it out high then retopo it, instead of doing the base mesh first.
my plan for my current distraction/project is to take some of the meshes I've made, put them together in ZB and repaint, then bring out as one and retopo. Model some smaller bits of rock/plants/whatever to add to the surface as needed while in UDK to hide the repetitive use.
edit: cant find a decent video of this being done. they're all long winded and crap.
Thats what I do usually, create like 2 or 3 rock pieces and then copy paste mash them together. The seams you can mask nicely by just adding dirt or moss in there when you are finalising. No need to voxel merge or whatever, you'll only end up creating more work for yourself imo
Also, Crazyeyes post a great way of doing rocks in his image thread:
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1052749&postcount=45
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68634&highlight=crazyeyes