Thanks for your input. This scene is for my portfolio. The texture on the ground is not the finished texture, it's more of a reference. I'm concerned about the actual grass. That is what I need help with.
For the Lock I used the Bridge method in Maya. I do want it to be round and smooth, I will see if I can delete some edge loops on it without flattening the cylinders.
Here is the final blockout of the scene. Next I will start bringing these assets into Mudbox and start detailing them. Do you see anything else I may be missing other than Foliage like grass or Trees. Those will be added later.
I have finally reached the point where everything gets confusing:poly121: Now is when I usually start the exporting of all the models in the scene as a .obj file. The thing is I'm not sure where to go from here. Do I export my scene into UDK to make sure all the proportions are correct or do I export the scene into Mudbox to add details. I just want to know what your workflow is as a professional.
I'm not trying to be brash at all but Just to quickly reply to WarrenMarshall, I spent most of the time trying to figure out the grass and tree situation and finding free tutorials on how to do that stuff.
I actually have grass and trees in the scene but the lighting and shaders have all gone haywire. The grass and trees don't show up in a render shot as an alpha and it just all seems like a huge waste of time considering that it takes 10 min to render a shot every time.
I am not a lighter, I was never trained how to light a scene other than the generalized 3 point lighting standard. I have a passion for modeling and somewhat texturing but I do not like to light or animate. Those are different departments for a reason.
The rest of the time was spent at work where we had long hours and I kept being asked to work overtime. At home I have to watch my kid so sometimes I don't get to touch the scene.
Daily I try to spend about 4 hours on the scene staying up late. Most of my work gets done when others are a sleep
I try not to dwell on what I haven't done, but instead look at what I have done and what's next.
Ok so to keep you all updated at let you know where the scene is at the moment. I imported my models into UDK using.FBX from Maya 2010. I'll see if I can record a screen shot or a turntable of the scene in UDK.
Right now the ground plane in UDK is poking through my Modeled ground static mesh. Not being too familiar with UDK I would like to find some basic tutorials on level creation. Do you know of any good Free streaming tutorials? Like on youtube or vimeo or something like that. I appreciate any help you can give. Thanks! :poly121:
Jesus christ i think you might actually be the laziest idiot on the forums. Like... have you tried typing in "basic tutorials on level creation UDK" into google? The lengths that you will go to avoid helping yourself are fucking astounding, and right now I'm seriously starting to believe that youre some sort of master troll.
But because im such a swell guy, here's a link (that is provided on the fucking udk start up screen) to some pretty good tutorials: CLICK ME
Jesus christ i think you might actually be the laziest idiot on the forums. Like... have you tried typing in "basic tutorials on level creation UDK" into google? The lengths that you will go to avoid helping yourself are fucking astounding, and right now I'm seriously starting to believe that youre some sort of master troll.
But because im such a swell guy, here's a link (that is provided on the fucking udk start up screen) to some pretty good tutorials: CLICK ME
I really don't get why you would render this scene all the time?!
I mean, you want to put it in an engine, you want it to be in a game...
so why don't you just put the elements into UDK and look at it in realtime?
It doesn't need any time to render, and on the other hand, you already see your "end" result
If you really want to look at it in max or maya first, use a viewport shader.
(f.e. xoliulshader http://xoliulshader.com/ for max, dunno it it's for maya too)
One more thing, don't try too hard finding good tutorials and so on... just do it.
It may be a trial and error workflow at first, but that's how you will learn it the best, by trying for yourself and thinking about new ways to accomplish your problems (also it will be a lot faster than searching after a step by step tutorial).
I personally learned a lot of things by just looking at post from other polycount members, there you can see how other people did their things...
Oh, and when you are playing a game... just take your time and stare at some assets/walls etc. Sometimes you can see some nice tricks of real professionals (may be some work-related disease :P)
Zakhar Wrote: "Jesus christ i think you might actually be the laziest idiot on the forums. Like... have you tried typing in "basic tutorials on level creation UDK" into google? The lengths that you will go to avoid helping yourself are fucking astounding, and right now I'm seriously starting to believe that youre some sort of master troll"
Wow Zakhar that is some serious hating and I may be mistaken but isn't swearing on a post against forum rules?
1. I am not lazy, I have a job, I have a family and I have a life and responsibilities. I can't dedicate that much time on any personnel project. This is a long project. It will not be finished in a month and it has no time limit. I am not some kid living with my parents playing video games all day instead of working on my modeling.
2. I don't avoid helping myself in fact my PC is full of tutorials and documentation about modeling and I have researched my butt off on the subject of modeling. I ask if anyone can recommend a good tutorial because I know that many tutorials out there are not done by a person who knows what they are doing. Youtube is full of Modeling tutorials that teach nothing but talks a heck of a lot.
A simple "hey this guy's tutorials has helped me and he seems to know what he is talking about." would be fine.
3. I do not know how you can even suggest I am a troll. I have not insulted anybody on this forum and I have treated everyone with respect. I only post on my threads and I have never harassed somebody on theirs.
4. If you are looking for somebody to pump out some awesome art in no time, this is not the thread for you. If you are looking to pay it forward and to help somebody learn to get better like someone once helped you than this is the thread for you. I am willing to learn and that is all I have to offer.:\
Jesus christ i think you might actually be the laziest idiot on the forums. Like... have you tried typing in "basic tutorials on level creation UDK" into google? The lengths that you will go to avoid helping yourself are fucking astounding, and right now I'm seriously starting to believe that youre some sort of master troll.
But because im such a swell guy, here's a link (that is provided on the fucking udk start up screen) to some pretty good tutorials: CLICK ME
I would recommend that you just NOT post if you are going to go to lengths to insult and throw names around. Your entire post can be diluted down to just the link you posted and that would be enough. He isn't wrong for working in the thread and posting updates at whatever pace he wants to. He isn't even wrong for not progressing. Help or don't post, this isn't 4chan or youtube.
Animesh- I highly recommend you take 1 object. From making a high poly, to making a low poly, to unwrapping to texturing and then to importing into an engine.
Don't try a whole scene before you are ready to tackle one little object. Your box object is a great example. Finish that to 100% completion and get it into a game engine and move one. Start simple.
Don't sweat it too much Animesh. 3D has got a really steep learning curve and if you are like me when I first started, then I'm sure you've got a bunch of relatively simple questions that if answered properly could save you hours of time and frustration. Polycount is a great place for this. We were all in your position at one point or another, and should help foster eachother's growth as artists.
If you want to shoot me any questions, feel free to add me on skype SN: 'Darbeenbo'
(that goes for anyone else too )
Don't sweat it too much Animesh. 3D has got a really steep learning curve and if you are like me when I first started, then I'm sure you've got a bunch of relatively simple questions that if answered properly could save you hours of time and frustration. Polycount is a great place for this. We were all in your position at one point or another, and should help foster eachother's growth as artists.
If you want to shoot me any questions, feel free to add me on skype SN: 'Darbeenbo'
(that goes for anyone else too )
I've been an enviroment artist for five years now. I studied art at university, so I had to learn 3d from scratch, so I can sympathise with you to a point.
My advise to you is you are trying to do way too much.
At your level you need to do projects that you can completely finish in a few days.
You need to focus on one asset at a time until it is finished completely.
You need focus and discipline, and goals you can realistically achieve in a short time frame. If you can demonstrate that in your protfolio youl be starting to get somewhere.
At your level you need to do projects that you can completely finish in a few days.
You need to focus on one asset at a time until it is finished completely.
You need focus and discipline, and goals you can realistically achieve in a short time frame. If you can demonstrate that in your protfolio youl be starting to get somewhere.
Good luck to you
This!,couldnt agree more on that!
Dont worry,like all beginning artists,you tend to get caught up in doing a little bit of everything.Focus on a single asset and briing it up to par for usage in a game engine,then grab the next one.youll find that you will learn faster and produce quicker.
Jesus christ i think you might actually be the laziest idiot on the forums. Like... have you tried typing in "basic tutorials on level creation UDK" into google? The lengths that you will go to avoid helping yourself are fucking astounding, and right now I'm seriously starting to believe that youre some sort of master troll.
But because im such a swell guy, here's a link (that is provided on the fucking udk start up screen) to some pretty good tutorials: CLICK ME
Just cause your 17/18 ill let you away with it, but you got to be more professional if you want to proceed further in this area. One thing people look for beyond skill is people skills. You'll find that there will be people in the games and related industries that aren't amazing artists, programmers etc but they have the people skills and the personality. Sure someone can have mindblowing skills but if they can't be a team player, then they wont get further than forums and respectfully they will get the praise they deserve.
Before you think this is an attack, I have right clicked and went through your threads and posts and I know you know hell more than i did then. Just remember that the internet can make or break you.
As for Animesh, troll maybe, but I have followed your progress through these forums the last few months and i have to say I cant imagine what is going on. If you do have responsibilities thats fair enough. But I have checked you out: http://ronfreemancgart.blogspot.co.uk/ and the work there and its massively different levels of work. Im just wondering if this is a hobby or a serious life goal to make it into industry?
And I would always take into consideration your time, for example if your going to make hagrids hut, get some placeholders, get it in unreal, assess your scope. Maybe the best practice for now is a nicely composed screenshot were you can demonstrate some time and skill. Hell half of it could be a sculpted wall that has some nice lighting looking towards the forest, maybe even a window with a glow. This will limit the scope as there will not be an environment to fill. With your time available from watching this thread it will be done in less than 2 months and you can have a nice portfolio piece.
i'm not going to get caught up in this, but in my opinion, the problem here seems to be animesh requesting criticism and help, however not following through with advice provided. and secondly, a lack of independent learning which seems to be frustrating the people trying to assist him.
Don't try a whole scene before you are ready to tackle one little object. Your box object is a great example. Finish that to 100% completion and get it into a game engine and move one. Start simple.
Seconded (or fourthed, at this point). Gotta walk before you can run =].
Thank you for your posts and honesty, you all have given me a lot to think about and I will try to answer all of your questions in this one post so I don't spam the forum. I mean no offense to anything I'm about to say, I respect every one of you as a talented artist whom I'm striving to be like.
As far as not following up on anybody's advice, I couldn't disagree more. If anything I have followed everybody's advice as close as possible. Also you must understand that not all of your advice is the same. I really have to choose who's advice to follow. For example many of you have suggested to model one object to it's fullest but than there is another group of you saying to block out the entire scene. Which one is it? It would seem that there is a general workflow that the industry follows but I'm starting to see that there is a variety of workflow choices which is really confusing me.
This is a serious life goal of mine to get into the industry. I have been modeling with serious intentions since 2008 with no guidance but school animation professors and a few posts on forums here and there. You all have probably seen my Plasma Gun model and Steam Mech models I posted a while back .
Anyway in 2011 I thought I had a good grasp on scene modeling and I applied for Cryptic Studios as an environment artist. They asked for an entire scene to be modeled in 10 days. I modeled my butt off all 10 of those days. Pulled 24hr. shifts and neglected everybody(which is very hard to do when you have a family). I kept telling myself it was all gonna be worth it when I turn the scene in and get a job in the industry.
When I turned my scene in I did not hear back from Cryptic until a month later in an email saying that the art team does not believe I have the skills necessary for the position. I asked for any specifics but they never responded. Needless to say I was crushed. Eventually I picked myself back up and really tried to evaluate my own skills.
It was at this moment when I had to humble myself a realize I don't know jack and I need to seriously seek advice before trying to apply anywhere again. That is when I looked through the polycount forums and saw artists that knew their stuff and were willing to help.
I posted my scene asking why I failed and the responses were hard to read seriously and lacked advice, it became a hater thread. One artist actually took me seriously and offered to work with me on the side. This is how Hagrid's Hut got started. This scene I want to be my portfolio piece. This is the scene I really want to do my best on.
Sorry that was a lot but I feel I had to explain myself before answering that particular question. I hope I cleared up any confusion.
In my opinion you should start with a single object (for example the crate of the scene), model, texture and place it in UDK.
This shouldn't take too long.
So first of all you should get a better feeling for modelling and texturing, before starting a whole scene.
On the one hand you can ask more specific question when modelling only one piece, on the other hand you won't get demotivated when humbling with one scene for some weeks/months.
One thing i recommend you, whether you're doing one object or a whole scene:
Don't reder your stuff but use the engine of your choice.
On a single object you should get a better feeling for what's lowpoly and highpoly. Since some of your stuff is inbetween ^^
If you have any questions, need advice etc. you are welcome to contact me!
I'll try to assist you as best as i can!
For example when you need help with an object because you don't know how to start i could make you a quick, specific tutorial or just give you a reference of mine.
So if you want to, you can contact me via email: casparhelling@googlemail.com
In my opinion you should start with a single object (for example the crate of the scene), model, texture and place it in UDK.
This shouldn't take too long.
So first of all you should get a better feeling for modelling and texturing, before starting a whole scene.
On the one hand you can ask more specific question when modelling only one piece, on the other hand you won't get demotivated when humbling with one scene for some weeks/months.
One thing i recommend you, whether you're doing one object or a whole scene:
Don't reder your stuff but use the engine of your choice.
On a single object you should get a better feeling for what's lowpoly and highpoly. Since some of your stuff is inbetween ^^
If you have any questions, need advice etc. you are welcome to contact me!
I'll try to assist you as best as i can!
For example when you need help with an object because you don't know how to start i could make you a quick, specific tutorial or just give you a reference of mine.
So if you want to, you can contact me via email: casparhelling@googlemail.com
Wish you good luck!
Thanks I'll take you up on that and send an email. If you have Skype you can PM me and I'll ad you also : )
Don't sweat it too much Animesh. 3D has got a really steep learning curve and if you are like me when I first started, then I'm sure you've got a bunch of relatively simple questions that if answered properly could save you hours of time and frustration. Polycount is a great place for this. We were all in your position at one point or another, and should help foster eachother's growth as artists.
If you want to shoot me any questions, feel free to add me on skype SN: 'Darbeenbo'
(that goes for anyone else too )
I've already posted enough here, and I just want to say I'm not here to hate or be a dick. You can choose to take my advice or not, I will leave that up to you.
I just want to echoe what snow said in his post. Yes, zakhar2 was a bit harsh. However the point he was trying to make is that you SAY you are searching for hours and hours before you ask for help here, but are you really? Right after you said that, you asked for crate reference.... come on dude. You really going to tell me you were searching for hours and hours and couldn't find any good crate reference?
Polycount is definitely a place that helps people and has a great community. If I came back to this thread in a month or two and it turns out amazing, I'm going to be thrilled. But saying you will do something vs. just showing it is the main problem I see. If you can work on that I think it will be hugely beneficial to you.
Animesh, take a look at the work in my portfolio, as well as SgtNasty's. Neither of us have art jobs. You're work will need to be significantly better than ours to have a good chance of becoming a professional artist. For a studio to hire you, you have to show them that you can create art at the quality of their games. Look at the ships in Star Trek Online and the environments in City of Heroes for example. Before you neglect your family and put yourself through hell grinding art, take a step back and evaluate the situation.
You're trying to tackle a whole scene right now, but you're struggling with little props. Follow some tutorials, read the wiki some more, and then try to make a dumpster, shoe, chair or something (with good references), but make it the best thing you've ever done. If the prop looks bad, just finish it, post it on Polycount, then make something else. Strive to make your work so good that an art director from Cryptic (or anywhere else) would want you on their team.
Animesh, take a look at the work in my portfolio, as well as SgtNasty's. Neither of us have art jobs. You're work will need to be significantly better than ours to have a good chance of becoming a professional artist. For a studio to hire you, you have to show them that you can create art at the quality of their games. Look at the ships in Star Trek Online and the environments in City of Heroes for example. Before you neglect your family and put yourself through hell grinding art, take a step back and evaluate the situation.
You're trying to tackle a whole scene right now, but you're struggling with little props. Follow some tutorials, read the wiki some more, and then try to make a dumpster, shoe, chair or something (with good references), but make it the best thing you've ever done. If the prop looks bad, just finish it, post it on Polycount, then make something else. Strive to make your work so good that an art director from Cryptic (or anywhere else) would want you on their team.
Thanks, that is some good advice. That is what I intend to do with this scene. I'm going to model each prop the best I can.
Right now I placing all my props in the UDK engine just to make sure there are no improting problems (which there were ofcourse ) but I think I have it figured out this time around.
"Animesh, take a look at the work in my portfolio, as well as SgtNasty's. Neither of us have art jobs. You're work will need to be significantly better than ours to have a good chance of becoming a professional artist."
I've looked at your posts and you both have some pretty amazing work. I have to disagree with this statement you made above though. I believe nobody needs to strive to be better than anybody else within this forum or anywhere else. That sort of thinking causes division and individualism.
How can you work within a team environment if your trying to out do your team members? I will do this project the best I can do. Not with the goal of making art better than anybody else.
There is no reason unless you have personal reasons why you both should not be a professional artist. Are you applying to companies everyday? Do you reside in a relative area that has art companies? Have you posted in your resume that you are willing to relocate? Anyway my point is there can be many reasons why you don't work professionally but your art being not good enough is not the reason why.
I've seen guys get hired with worse looking art. They just knew an artist that worked at the company. Their art wasn't anything special. Definitely nothing compared to that axe you made. Give yourself more credit:)
Striving to be better than your teammate is a great thing. Because as you get better, they'll want to get better, and so on, until the team is amazing. In this industry you really have to be amazing to get a job. Sure, there are exceptions. But most people I see getting jobs do have portfolios better than jmt or Sgt Nasty. It's just how it is. There portfolios are really good, too- so it's a shame.
Just realize you have a long way to go, and a lot to learn.
And I'm not meaning this to insult- I have a whole darn lot to learn too! God, it staggers me sometimes, and I'm really terrified of never making it. It's a tough industry, but I enjoy it, so I work on this stuff often, knowing it'll be worth it one day. But I would never get there if I didn't look at professionals and say "I have to be better than them".
Good luck! I get a feeling you'll struggle at this speed for a while until it just clicks, then you'll improve pretty rapidly. So I'm really looking forward to see you grow.
Inspiration comes from loving art, but in order to compete you must know your competition. I don't look at professionals and say "I have to be better than them". I am humbled by the amount they've learned and want to continue to improve myself.
I'm from Vancouver. I've known several artists with mediocre work who have gotten jobs, but it usually doesn't last.
I believe nobody needs to strive to be better than anybody else within this forum or anywhere else. That sort of thinking causes division and individualism.
How can you work within a team environment if your trying to out do your team members? I will do this project the best I can do. Not with the goal of making art better than anybody else.
Are you kidding me? This creates competition, which creates the drive to better yourself as an artist. I'd much rather strive to out do someone than to become a plateauing stagnant artist.
To throw another one on the fire, hell YES you should be trying to outdo the guy beside you. And they should be trying to outdo you. That's how you grow as artists and push each other to get better.
"Animesh, take a look at the work in my portfolio, as well as SgtNasty's. Neither of us have art jobs. You're work will need to be significantly better than ours to have a good chance of becoming a professional artist."
I've looked at your posts and you both have some pretty amazing work. I have to disagree with this statement you made above though. I believe nobody needs to strive to be better than anybody else within this forum or anywhere else. That sort of thinking causes division and individualism.
How can you work within a team environment if your trying to out do your team members? I will do this project the best I can do. Not with the goal of making art better than anybody else.
There is no reason unless you have personal reasons why you both should not be a professional artist. Are you applying to companies everyday? Do you reside in a relative area that has art companies? Have you posted in your resume that you are willing to relocate? Anyway my point is there can be many reasons why you don't work professionally but your art being not good enough is not the reason why.
I've seen guys get hired with worse looking art. They just knew an artist that worked at the company. Their art wasn't anything special. Definitely nothing compared to that axe you made. Give yourself more credit:)
It shouldn't be a competition for the sake of egos. It's healthy competition for the desire to be able to express yourself through your art in the best way possible. Others have reached a point where they have a certain mastery over art(forms, light and shadow, design, ect.) I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to join them at that level and/or surpass them if your goal is to be a great artist.
When I think to myself "I want to be one of the best artists in the industry someday." I don't think that because I want to have others beneath me. First and foremost I want to be able to make great art for myself that I enjoy. If others enjoy it then that's great. Which leads into my second reason... I want to in turn inspire others as I have been inspired. To me it's almost like giving back to the community. It would be an honor to even inspire one person as much as I've been inspired by the great masters of our industry.
I feel like we're in the middle of a modern day renaissance! Maybe I'm just a bit sentimental. But I get caught up in it almost everyday.
Remember, there's almost nothing "bad" in this world. Things are used for good or for Ill. Competition isn't bad if it's treated properly.
Sorry guys, I havn't been posting any updates. I have been super busy. I just finished uvs on all the models and the stump has just been placed into Zbrush. Just updating you all where I am at so you don't think I abandoned the project
So here is my first shot at Zbrush with this stump. I made some bark, but I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm not really sure what brushes to use. I scoured the internet for a good stump tutorial, even a timelapse but have found none.
Yeah cant see image, did a quick google search for tree bark sculpt and what you know a tutotail. I know this is mudbox, but you can easily transfer what he does. Just create your own brushes, you can google how to do that as well.
I appreciate the tut you posted but please don't search anything for me. If you already have a link to a good artist that you know already did a tutorial or if you happen to have a good reference on your desktop feel free to throw up a link. I'm not asking anybody to go out of their way to look up something for me.
I appreciate the tut you posted but please don't search anything for me. If you already have a link to a good artist that you know already did a tutorial or if you happen to have a good reference on your desktop feel free to throw up a link. I'm not asking anybody to go out of their way to look up something for me.
That sound very childish. We asked you to search before asking for help- not to refuse help just because someone went out of their way for you.
Accept the help that people offer- and search for stuff on your own. And ask, if you have no luck searching. I don't mean to offend, but you need to get rid of that ego. It's like you were refusing help just to prove a point. I could be wrong, but it seemed that way to me.
But on the bright side, that sculpt is looking pretty good! Some nice forms started on it, just keep going. Careful not to let it get blobby, though. It isn't too blobby now, but if you step up a few divisions, it may start to look that way.
Sorry, I didn't mean it to be offensive in any way and I was not rejecting anybody's help. All I meant was that nobody has to search something because I ask for a good reference but if they happen to have one and don't mind sharing, I'll try to use it. You would be surprised how long it takes to find a good reference of the most common objects like crates, tree stumps, cobblestone pillars and so on :poly136:
I added some dirt, this really is my first seriouse model with Zbrush, I've played around a little before but my intention is to make this scene a portfolio piece. I want each model to be textured the best I can. With that in mind I used a cavity mask on the stump and painted in the crevices with a dark gray to create a dirty look.
I would like to add some moss and maybe a fungus of some sort later. I'm contemplating if I should model those out separately or should I just use clay build up to create those on the stump here.
Replies
For the Lock I used the Bridge method in Maya. I do want it to be round and smooth, I will see if I can delete some edge loops on it without flattening the cylinders.
Here is the final blockout of the scene. Next I will start bringing these assets into Mudbox and start detailing them. Do you see anything else I may be missing other than Foliage like grass or Trees. Those will be added later.
...to this...
...in 2 months if you're working on it daily. Where are you spending your time?
This isn't antagonistic, just trying to get a handle on what you're doing.
I actually have grass and trees in the scene but the lighting and shaders have all gone haywire. The grass and trees don't show up in a render shot as an alpha and it just all seems like a huge waste of time considering that it takes 10 min to render a shot every time.
I am not a lighter, I was never trained how to light a scene other than the generalized 3 point lighting standard. I have a passion for modeling and somewhat texturing but I do not like to light or animate. Those are different departments for a reason.
The rest of the time was spent at work where we had long hours and I kept being asked to work overtime. At home I have to watch my kid so sometimes I don't get to touch the scene.
Daily I try to spend about 4 hours on the scene staying up late. Most of my work gets done when others are a sleep
I try not to dwell on what I haven't done, but instead look at what I have done and what's next.
Right now the ground plane in UDK is poking through my Modeled ground static mesh. Not being too familiar with UDK I would like to find some basic tutorials on level creation. Do you know of any good Free streaming tutorials? Like on youtube or vimeo or something like that. I appreciate any help you can give. Thanks! :poly121:
But because im such a swell guy, here's a link (that is provided on the fucking udk start up screen) to some pretty good tutorials: CLICK ME
True +1
I mean, you want to put it in an engine, you want it to be in a game...
so why don't you just put the elements into UDK and look at it in realtime?
It doesn't need any time to render, and on the other hand, you already see your "end" result
If you really want to look at it in max or maya first, use a viewport shader.
(f.e. xoliulshader http://xoliulshader.com/ for max, dunno it it's for maya too)
One more thing, don't try too hard finding good tutorials and so on... just do it.
It may be a trial and error workflow at first, but that's how you will learn it the best, by trying for yourself and thinking about new ways to accomplish your problems
I personally learned a lot of things by just looking at post from other polycount members, there you can see how other people did their things...
Oh, and when you are playing a game... just take your time and stare at some assets/walls etc. Sometimes you can see some nice tricks of real professionals
Wow Zakhar that is some serious hating and I may be mistaken but isn't swearing on a post against forum rules?
1. I am not lazy, I have a job, I have a family and I have a life and responsibilities. I can't dedicate that much time on any personnel project. This is a long project. It will not be finished in a month and it has no time limit. I am not some kid living with my parents playing video games all day instead of working on my modeling.
2. I don't avoid helping myself in fact my PC is full of tutorials and documentation about modeling and I have researched my butt off on the subject of modeling. I ask if anyone can recommend a good tutorial because I know that many tutorials out there are not done by a person who knows what they are doing. Youtube is full of Modeling tutorials that teach nothing but talks a heck of a lot.
A simple "hey this guy's tutorials has helped me and he seems to know what he is talking about." would be fine.
3. I do not know how you can even suggest I am a troll. I have not insulted anybody on this forum and I have treated everyone with respect. I only post on my threads and I have never harassed somebody on theirs.
4. If you are looking for somebody to pump out some awesome art in no time, this is not the thread for you. If you are looking to pay it forward and to help somebody learn to get better like someone once helped you than this is the thread for you. I am willing to learn and that is all I have to offer.:\
I would recommend that you just NOT post if you are going to go to lengths to insult and throw names around. Your entire post can be diluted down to just the link you posted and that would be enough. He isn't wrong for working in the thread and posting updates at whatever pace he wants to. He isn't even wrong for not progressing. Help or don't post, this isn't 4chan or youtube.
Animesh- I highly recommend you take 1 object. From making a high poly, to making a low poly, to unwrapping to texturing and then to importing into an engine.
Don't try a whole scene before you are ready to tackle one little object. Your box object is a great example. Finish that to 100% completion and get it into a game engine and move one. Start simple.
If you want to shoot me any questions, feel free to add me on skype SN: 'Darbeenbo'
(that goes for anyone else too
Exactly! couldn't have said it better myself
I've been an enviroment artist for five years now. I studied art at university, so I had to learn 3d from scratch, so I can sympathise with you to a point.
My advise to you is you are trying to do way too much.
At your level you need to do projects that you can completely finish in a few days.
You need to focus on one asset at a time until it is finished completely.
You need focus and discipline, and goals you can realistically achieve in a short time frame. If you can demonstrate that in your protfolio youl be starting to get somewhere.
Good luck to you
This!,couldnt agree more on that!
Dont worry,like all beginning artists,you tend to get caught up in doing a little bit of everything.Focus on a single asset and briing it up to par for usage in a game engine,then grab the next one.youll find that you will learn faster and produce quicker.
Just cause your 17/18 ill let you away with it, but you got to be more professional if you want to proceed further in this area. One thing people look for beyond skill is people skills. You'll find that there will be people in the games and related industries that aren't amazing artists, programmers etc but they have the people skills and the personality. Sure someone can have mindblowing skills but if they can't be a team player, then they wont get further than forums and respectfully they will get the praise they deserve.
Before you think this is an attack, I have right clicked and went through your threads and posts and I know you know hell more than i did then. Just remember that the internet can make or break you.
As for Animesh, troll maybe, but I have followed your progress through these forums the last few months and i have to say I cant imagine what is going on. If you do have responsibilities thats fair enough. But I have checked you out: http://ronfreemancgart.blogspot.co.uk/ and the work there and its massively different levels of work. Im just wondering if this is a hobby or a serious life goal to make it into industry?
And I would always take into consideration your time, for example if your going to make hagrids hut, get some placeholders, get it in unreal, assess your scope. Maybe the best practice for now is a nicely composed screenshot were you can demonstrate some time and skill. Hell half of it could be a sculpted wall that has some nice lighting looking towards the forest, maybe even a window with a glow. This will limit the scope as there will not be an environment to fill. With your time available from watching this thread it will be done in less than 2 months and you can have a nice portfolio piece.
Seconded (or fourthed, at this point). Gotta walk before you can run =].
EDIT: Relevant Maya tutorials, in order:
http://www.3dmotive.com/training/maya/workflow-series-the-treasure-chest-vol-1/?follow=true
http://www.3dmotive.com/training/zbrush/workflow-series-the-treasure-chest-vol-2/?follow=true
http://www.3dmotive.com/training/maya/workflow-series-the-treasure-chest-vol-3/?follow=true
http://www.3dmotive.com/training/photoshop/workflow-series-the-treasure-chest-vol-4/?follow=true
As far as not following up on anybody's advice, I couldn't disagree more. If anything I have followed everybody's advice as close as possible. Also you must understand that not all of your advice is the same. I really have to choose who's advice to follow. For example many of you have suggested to model one object to it's fullest but than there is another group of you saying to block out the entire scene. Which one is it? It would seem that there is a general workflow that the industry follows but I'm starting to see that there is a variety of workflow choices which is really confusing me.
This is a serious life goal of mine to get into the industry. I have been modeling with serious intentions since 2008 with no guidance but school animation professors and a few posts on forums here and there. You all have probably seen my Plasma Gun model and Steam Mech models I posted a while back
Anyway in 2011 I thought I had a good grasp on scene modeling and I applied for Cryptic Studios as an environment artist. They asked for an entire scene to be modeled in 10 days. I modeled my butt off all 10 of those days. Pulled 24hr. shifts and neglected everybody(which is very hard to do when you have a family). I kept telling myself it was all gonna be worth it when I turn the scene in and get a job in the industry.
When I turned my scene in I did not hear back from Cryptic until a month later in an email saying that the art team does not believe I have the skills necessary for the position. I asked for any specifics but they never responded. Needless to say I was crushed. Eventually I picked myself back up and really tried to evaluate my own skills.
It was at this moment when I had to humble myself a realize I don't know jack and I need to seriously seek advice before trying to apply anywhere again. That is when I looked through the polycount forums and saw artists that knew their stuff and were willing to help.
I posted my scene asking why I failed and the responses were hard to read seriously and lacked advice, it became a hater thread. One artist actually took me seriously and offered to work with me on the side. This is how Hagrid's Hut got started. This scene I want to be my portfolio piece. This is the scene I really want to do my best on.
Sorry that was a lot but I feel I had to explain myself before answering that particular question. I hope I cleared up any confusion.
This shouldn't take too long.
So first of all you should get a better feeling for modelling and texturing, before starting a whole scene.
On the one hand you can ask more specific question when modelling only one piece, on the other hand you won't get demotivated when humbling with one scene for some weeks/months.
One thing i recommend you, whether you're doing one object or a whole scene:
Don't reder your stuff but use the engine of your choice.
On a single object you should get a better feeling for what's lowpoly and highpoly. Since some of your stuff is inbetween ^^
If you have any questions, need advice etc. you are welcome to contact me!
I'll try to assist you as best as i can!
For example when you need help with an object because you don't know how to start i could make you a quick, specific tutorial or just give you a reference of mine.
So if you want to, you can contact me via email: casparhelling@googlemail.com
Wish you good luck!
Thanks I'll take you up on that and send an email. If you have Skype you can PM me and I'll ad you also : )
I'll add you and send a message : )
I just want to echoe what snow said in his post. Yes, zakhar2 was a bit harsh. However the point he was trying to make is that you SAY you are searching for hours and hours before you ask for help here, but are you really? Right after you said that, you asked for crate reference.... come on dude. You really going to tell me you were searching for hours and hours and couldn't find any good crate reference?
Polycount is definitely a place that helps people and has a great community. If I came back to this thread in a month or two and it turns out amazing, I'm going to be thrilled. But saying you will do something vs. just showing it is the main problem I see. If you can work on that I think it will be hugely beneficial to you.
You're trying to tackle a whole scene right now, but you're struggling with little props. Follow some tutorials, read the wiki some more, and then try to make a dumpster, shoe, chair or something (with good references), but make it the best thing you've ever done. If the prop looks bad, just finish it, post it on Polycount, then make something else. Strive to make your work so good that an art director from Cryptic (or anywhere else) would want you on their team.
Thanks, that is some good advice. That is what I intend to do with this scene. I'm going to model each prop the best I can.
Right now I placing all my props in the UDK engine just to make sure there are no improting problems (which there were ofcourse
I've looked at your posts and you both have some pretty amazing work. I have to disagree with this statement you made above though. I believe nobody needs to strive to be better than anybody else within this forum or anywhere else. That sort of thinking causes division and individualism.
How can you work within a team environment if your trying to out do your team members? I will do this project the best I can do. Not with the goal of making art better than anybody else.
There is no reason unless you have personal reasons why you both should not be a professional artist. Are you applying to companies everyday? Do you reside in a relative area that has art companies? Have you posted in your resume that you are willing to relocate? Anyway my point is there can be many reasons why you don't work professionally but your art being not good enough is not the reason why.
I've seen guys get hired with worse looking art. They just knew an artist that worked at the company. Their art wasn't anything special. Definitely nothing compared to that axe you made. Give yourself more credit:)
Just realize you have a long way to go, and a lot to learn.
And I'm not meaning this to insult- I have a whole darn lot to learn too! God, it staggers me sometimes, and I'm really terrified of never making it. It's a tough industry, but I enjoy it, so I work on this stuff often, knowing it'll be worth it one day. But I would never get there if I didn't look at professionals and say "I have to be better than them".
Good luck! I get a feeling you'll struggle at this speed for a while until it just clicks, then you'll improve pretty rapidly. So I'm really looking forward to see you grow.
I'm from Vancouver. I've known several artists with mediocre work who have gotten jobs, but it usually doesn't last.
Are you kidding me? This creates competition, which creates the drive to better yourself as an artist. I'd much rather strive to out do someone than to become a plateauing stagnant artist.
It's not a bad thing, it's entirely positive.
It shouldn't be a competition for the sake of egos. It's healthy competition for the desire to be able to express yourself through your art in the best way possible. Others have reached a point where they have a certain mastery over art(forms, light and shadow, design, ect.) I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to join them at that level and/or surpass them if your goal is to be a great artist.
When I think to myself "I want to be one of the best artists in the industry someday." I don't think that because I want to have others beneath me. First and foremost I want to be able to make great art for myself that I enjoy. If others enjoy it then that's great. Which leads into my second reason... I want to in turn inspire others as I have been inspired. To me it's almost like giving back to the community. It would be an honor to even inspire one person as much as I've been inspired by the great masters of our industry.
I feel like we're in the middle of a modern day renaissance! Maybe I'm just a bit sentimental. But I get caught up in it almost everyday.
Remember, there's almost nothing "bad" in this world. Things are used for good or for Ill. Competition isn't bad if it's treated properly.
[ame="
I appreciate the tut you posted but please don't search anything for me. If you already have a link to a good artist that you know already did a tutorial or if you happen to have a good reference on your desktop feel free to throw up a link. I'm not asking anybody to go out of their way to look up something for me.
That sound very childish. We asked you to search before asking for help- not to refuse help just because someone went out of their way for you.
Accept the help that people offer- and search for stuff on your own. And ask, if you have no luck searching. I don't mean to offend, but you need to get rid of that ego. It's like you were refusing help just to prove a point. I could be wrong, but it seemed that way to me.
But on the bright side, that sculpt is looking pretty good! Some nice forms started on it, just keep going. Careful not to let it get blobby, though. It isn't too blobby now, but if you step up a few divisions, it may start to look that way.
I would like to add some moss and maybe a fungus of some sort later. I'm contemplating if I should model those out separately or should I just use clay build up to create those on the stump here.