More Hard Surface Practice

polymunkles · Jun 2012

Over the last two weeks I have learned so much about hard surface modeling and making high poly stuff to bake down to lows. Here is my current work,

based off this concept art i found

heres where the current high poly sits

and heres a shot of the wireframe

i added floaters for the small bolts and a few chunks that sit on top of some of the panels. I plan on making normal maps in photoshop for certain parts like some of the straight line grooves. Unless you guys think it would be better to go ahead and model in as much as possible instead of making some of the normal maps by hand.

Let me know what you guys think, its much appreciated

Rhoutermans · Jun 2012

looks good!

I think the average opinion will be to model everything out, your highpoly work will look better in a breakdown and you'll get more practise on hard surface techniques.

try to get some more space (perhaps a lesser but deeper bevel) into that center intersect part. Keep going!

polymunkles · Jun 2012

If your talking about the upper center part around the middle piece i hadnt actually noticed how much darker and thicker the gap was between sections there. Thanks for pointing that out haha

Tonight i'm going to start cutting in more detail then and try and model as much as possible for the norma map

polymunkles · Jun 2012

*UPDATE*

started modeling in more of the details like grooves, cut-outs, raised areas, etc.

and heres the current wires

Still chugging along but if anyone has comments or critiques I appreciate it, this is more of a learning experience for me more than anything else.

gsokol · Jun 2012

several of the grooves look crooked, like they aren't parallel. That looks pretty bad.

Also the square boxes that stick out on the bottom right don't make a nice line..they don't match the reference and they don't look good either.

I'm not a fan of the arch, personally. You are using angles that don't match the angles of the other pieces, and even though your going for the tapered look, it makes it look low poly. I just don't think the style matches very well.

Some of your insets don't seem tapered very much..they might not look as strong as youd like when you bake them out.

Selaznog · Jun 2012

I'd actually say you're doing a decent job so far, it's just that the concept isn't great.

Add3r · Jun 2012

I would agree both in a way. I personally like the concept though, probably because i can relate it to my painting style, but aside from that... I think you are doing a decent job with the wireframe for the high so far as Selaznog said. But as Gsokol has said as well, there is some very noticble overlapping on grooves and it makes it feel a little sloppy. I know the concept may have some issues with overlapping and everything, and it looks like you are trying to stay as close to the concept as you can... But this is art my friend, so treat it as so!

You shouldnt always go tooth and nail to make sure the model is just about as exact to the concept as it can be. as a 3D artist, you have to be able to translate a 2D concept into a 3D piece, so keep an eye out for what looks right and what doesnt. Sometimes it makes sense to change things up from the concept to 3D to have the piece flow better and get to that sweet spot where everyone is happy with it. What looks right in 2D doesnt necessarily mean it will translate into a 3D space accordingly. Keep it coming though! This is a cool project. I too have been experimenting with high to low bakes lately, so I will definitely be following your progress. Good job so far man, keep it coming!

Drav · Jun 2012

ye i think youre doing a good job, but i dont like the concept much. Doesent read as a door very well.

Visceral · Jun 2012

^^^^ This, however id like to see it finished, hopefully textured. Might make it moore convincing.

Anyhow good excercise for practicing panelling and layers of detail.

Enexus · Jun 2012

Would love to know if you followed any tutoirals or anything that were helpful to you. Currently trying to improve to own hard surface techniques and high poly in general so any advice would be great..

Visceral · Jun 2012

@Enexus
http://www.game-artist.net/forums/spotlight-articles/10425-tutorial-full-weapon-creation.html

polymunkles · Jun 2012

I've been pretty busy at work so not enough progress on the door to post but i figured i needed to learn the whole baking process and start setting up shaders so that way when the door is done i'll already know what to do.

so what better to start with than a simple crate right?

the low poly baked using floaters and a high poly

and heres the wires for it, one simple bevel in for the center and then i just chamfered the edges to help with the smoothing of the corners

and here my AO and normal bake. The AO i baked two different parts and overlayed them in photoshop. the floaters for one map and the initial high onto low bake for the second.

so this was my first attempt at the whole baking process and normals/AO maps. i'm going to start practicing my texturing on this while i finish up the blast door model.

More Hard Surface Practice

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