quick 3DS Max question

longhornfan25 · Feb 2011

hello everyone im new to polycount, but i have a quick question. I now know how to model fairly well, and uv-unwrap. and now i'm wondering what the next step is?

it's learning normal maps, right?

i'm a bit lost with the amount there is to learn when becoming a 3d artist :P

so if there is anyone that could help me it would be MUCH appreciated.
Thanks
8)

Danielmn · Feb 2011

here are some good threads would be a good place to start

http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81154

http://wiki.polycount.com/EnvironmentSculpting

Artifice · Feb 2011

The next step is really learning how to texture, a texture being a 2D map applied to your model via you UVs. Normals are a kind of map, along with diffuse (color), specular (shininess) and more. Normals tell your engine or shader what direction the light is approaching a specific point (vertex) on your model. In practice, it's a way of tricking the shader into showing more detail on your model than you actually have geometry. Modeling for and baking good normal maps certainly is a critical part of understanding the modern modeling/texturing process.

As far as general texturing goes, it's just the reverse of UVing your model. You took a 3D model and 'peeled' it flat into a 2D image. Then you paint (usually in Photoshop) on that flat image, and 'rewrap' your model by applying the texture, now with whatever you painted. Play around with painting some maps and applying them, it's pretty intuitive once you start messing with it.

There're lots of tutorials out there to get you going on normal mapping. Start with Ben Mathis's first. It's an oldie but a goodie, and the one that many here have cut their teeth on. It's also an excellent explanation of what's going on under the hood, which is something you need to understand if you want to really be effective. After that, check http://wiki.polycount.com/NormalMap and The Normal Mapping Thread in the Archives for more information. Most of all, keep at it. It's not easy or intuitive, but once you get it, you'll get it.

longhornfan25 · Feb 2011

Thank you!

mortalhuman · Feb 2011

take the L off the end of the link to Ban Mathis tut :P

longhornfan25 · Feb 2011

got it

Mark Dygert · Feb 2011

I don't know, normal mapping is pretty janky, you'll learn a lot from trial and error, posting your F-up's here and getting to understand why they look horrible or your seams are showing, so don't think you need to be a normal mapping god before you start posting stuff.

I'll offer a word of caution because I see you MIGHT be taking a technical learning path. Pepper this with the fact that I haven't seen your work and I don't really know where you're at artistically and technically outside of this thread...

Knowing how the apps work, what buttons to push is only about 25% of the job once you're to the point you can do it professionally. The other 75% is artistic skill. I know it can seem the opposite, when there is much tech to learn in the beginning but once you get over the tech bulge you can end up lacking the largest part of the job requirement when applying for "artist" positions.

That's not to say moving onto the tech-art learning path and going full bore can't land you a job if you're not really artistic. It can but if writting code, fixing bugs and helping other automate mundane tasks doesn't sound like your cup of tea, maybe its time to think about going back to the artistic skills and brushing up.

Since you're at one of those cross roads "more technical or artistic" after just coming off of a technical path you might want to wonder the other path for a while?

I say this because I went full on tech for about 3 years before I started to come back to artistic skills I had forsaken, I'm still playing catch up because I took a pretty technical job animating ha! I used to be all about learning tech and whatever method for whatever game I wanted to know how it was done, why and how to recreate it... Which has helped in a lot of ways, but it also has filled my head full of junk I'll probably never use and I spent a lot of time working on things that didn't really relate to anything I wanted to do.

Now when I learn tech I ask myself is this going to help me make better artistic choices and if so how? If its just tech for the sake of learning tech I normally skip it. Just learning tech can be a hugely specialized task that doesn't translate that well from company to company however, artistic skill almost always transcends apps and tech.

Now being in a lead role and interviewing people, when given the choice between hiring an artist who might need some tech training and an artist who needs artistic training, I'll take the first guy almost every time.

longhornfan25 · Feb 2011

Thank you so much! and thank god i'm much more artistic than tech ::)

So should i be putting 2d artwork in my portfolio(which isn't up yet)?

longhornfan25 · Feb 2011

also mark, what would be a artistic learning path? (i know this is kinda a vague question) but you said that i might be taking a technical learning path, what should i be doing if i want the more artistic route? i would like to become a environmental artist.

if anyone has some insight on this feel free to comment

BIG thanks to everyone thats been helping me!

Ark · Feb 2011

Learning stuff like building in a modular fashion, efficient use of textures by tiling/blending, scene layout, whiteboxing and composition, lighting and researching architecture to name a few.

Heartless · Feb 2011

I think the best step you could take right now is posting up some of your previous work, wireframes and texture maps.

A lot of people start adding normal and specular maps when their modeling and basic texturing and UV skills need a lot of work.

longhornfan25 · Feb 2011

heres some of the things that i'm working on
As you can see nothing is finished haha, i really dont know what to do after i get to a certain point.

thanks for all the help guys

Heartless · Feb 2011

Model, UV map, texture in Photoshop. Then your model should be done. What part are you getting stuck at?

quick 3DS Max question

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