WIP: UT3 Vehicle ( Mechwalker )

Jedah · Sep 2010

Here's the current finish on it. I've kept the original post quoted below. Managed to change the arms around so they aren't sticking out so far, finished the diffuse, and also added a normal+specular to it.

original post wrote:

Hey everyone, First post of my work in Primp/Previews on this forum. I'm currently working on this Vehicle targeting the UTK engine and as a personal project intended for learning and improving my texture workflow, the piece itself would go in game as a 3rd person vehicle. Tricount stands about 8k and topo is done, and diffuse is 1024x1024 and about 90% done I just need to work a bit more on the side cannons as I feel they are lacking. Looking for some crits or tips before I move on to the specular and applying normal map. Note that a small part of what will be the specular map is overlayed on top of the diffuse simply for previewing purpose so there is a bit of painted light that will be more on the specular for the final result.

I am partially posting this here because I feel like it's "missing" something.

Thanks for checking in!

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9494/renderpolycoun22t.jpg
http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/116/clayerenderpolyc.jpg

Jedah · Sep 2010

Here's the wireframe:

Jedah · Sep 2010

Here's a small look at the Uv's.

trancerobot · Sep 2010

The texture looks fine to me, but my first thought when I saw this was that it looks very CSG-ish, as though you modeled it in a level editor. Do you have any concept drawings you can show us?

madmuffin · Sep 2010

My two cents come from a practical point of view rather then a technical/normal maps etc point.

With the cockpit so high, open and exposed, the pilot is a huge target for sniper and stray gunfire. The 'arms' the guns are mounted on feel like they are far too wide out from the rest of the body and also are a good target for rockets or other projectiles to blow them off at the limb. Something like this sorta is how I'd design it to be more survivable in actual hypothetical combat.

Sorta like the REV6 from Fear. I just prefer my mechs to be compact, I know it deviates a lot from your design. Good texturing though, I like the wear and tear.

Jedah · Sep 2010

With the cockpit so high, open and exposed, the pilot is a huge target for sniper and stray gunfire. The 'arms' the guns are mounted on feel like they are far too wide out from the rest of the body and also are a good target for rockets or other projectiles to blow them off at the limb. Something like this sorta is how I'd design it to be more survivable in actual hypothetical combat.

I actually wanted it to be like this. I prefer the oldschool gamebalance of vehicles where players could be sniped out of them as opposed to a lot of what is going on with today's shooters where players are practically invulnerable the moment they climb into a vehicle.

You are right though, it's unlikely something like this would actually get made with an open cockpit.

Do you have any concept drawings you can show us?

This was winged by looking at mech assault.

Thanks for feedback both of you. Going to work on texture a bit more as I think I found what was wrong with it- I had too much of a uniform texture in the same area in the middle so certain parts were not really sticking out and were somewhat lost in a cluster of detail. I'm going to recolor some of those parts with the dark blue metal and see if that makes it any better.

PhattyEwok · Sep 2010

I know you've already started texturing this bad boy and it would be a pain to go back and change the model, but the overall design and silhouette are lacking.

You have a lot of detailed area's in your texture which isn't to say a bad thing but because the basic silhouette is little more than a boxed T-shape the overall effect is a rather noisy and muddy result.

Here are some concepts that might give you some idea's. You don't have to use the closed cockpit design but rather look at the forms and shapes incorporated.

http://www.tiberiumweb.com/forums/uploads/post-687-1169675939.jpg

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs15/f/2006/362/9/9/UN_assault_mech_by_flyingdebris.jpg

http://www.pryderockindustries.com/downloads/product_scans/1605/1605_08_warhammer_marauder_big.jpg

http://www.ezzal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/terran-viking-concept.jpg

I'm no game art pro just my 2 cents

Stromberg90 · Sep 2010

I agree with the others the design is pretty uninteresting, and the texture looks realy blurry i would never have guesed it was a 1k map.

But dont give it up, you learn so much by redoing a piece

madmuffin · Sep 2010

Jedah wrote: »

I actually wanted it to be like this. I prefer the oldschool gamebalance of vehicles where players could be sniped out of them as opposed to a lot of what is going on with today's shooters where players are practically invulnerable the moment they climb into a vehicle.

You are right though, it's unlikely something like this would actually get made with an open cockpit.

Haha yeah it's still for a game so they can't be invulnerable to gunfire save for anti-tank rockets. Maybe plating it up in the front covering the face but not the rear or flanks, so gunfire can take them from behind/the side but not directly face to face? Like, 180 degrees of plating in front of the cockpit.

I just really hate sniper who just sit around in hidey holes and kill you in one hit from across the map, it's incredibly un-fun for me so I would like to know at least if I know where he is I can face him and he can't still kill me in one hit while I approach his position.

Otherwise I wouldn't get in the mech for fear of snipers and would just sit in my own hidey hole with a sniper rifle waiting for some other poor sap to get into the mech as an easy target. :poly124:

And Mirroring what Ewok said, the silhouette could still use some work. Even with the open cockpit, I would still bring the arms in closer to the body and raise the underbelly turret gun part to be tighter to the rest of the body. Try making it into a black/white silhouette and add black bits onto it to give it a more streamlined form.

Jedah · Sep 2010

From what I gather is the design is whats the most wrong but textures are fine. I can probably fix the arms without effecting the UV's but not much else. So I think what I will do is finish this up, give it it's spec/normal and keep it as an example of good texturing, and then move on to making something better. I'm thinking I may follow some actual concept art next time to avoid this.

Jedah · Sep 2010

Updated original post with new result.

BlvdNights · Sep 2010

It be cool if you could rig it around one of the UT skeletals and get it working in the game.

Jonathan Marshall · Sep 2010

It's cool, works as an NPC type, but I have to mention, my eye wants to find a focal point, it seems busy, and nothing seems to pop. Textures are awesome btw.

Jedah · Sep 2010

I Was going to move on to another project but I can upload the file if someone would like to try their own at it.

WIP: UT3 Vehicle ( Mechwalker )

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