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[BL1]Purple Ice- Borderlands Meth Lab

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  • s6
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    s6 polycounter lvl 10
    Thanks Justin! Hopefully a few more assets in the texture style and it'll go from pretty good to pretty great! Still some key things I keep messing up in their style. So I try to keep all my past attempts in mind every new texture.
  • Mask_Salesman
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    Mask_Salesman polycounter lvl 13
    Oh snap I love these textures!
  • s6
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    s6 polycounter lvl 10
    Coincidentally I love your texturing as well!

    Thanks man, Means a lot to get all the great feedback in here. Just had an epiphany on how to layout the level, and will update block out asap to reflect new plans. Perhaps a terrible paint over is in order as well :)
  • AlecMoody
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    AlecMoody ngon master
    Its looking good. I think you could dial back the micro texture overlays by about 30%.
  • looprix
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    looprix polycounter lvl 8
    Keep going the texturing is DEAD-ON
  • s6
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    s6 polycounter lvl 10
    AlecMoody: Couldn't agree more! Seconds after posting the images for the last texture I thought the same thing and did some tweaking on the overlays :) Thanks

    looprix: With pleasure!
  • seforin
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    seforin polycounter lvl 17
    Im curious, would you mind on your next asset if you can show a little break down of your process?

    Im curious how much your doing by hand vs automated to speed up the workflow. I myself am working on a project sort of similar and have done a number of "automated" processes and just wanted to get a idea of your approach on a few things.
  • s6
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    s6 polycounter lvl 10
    Yeah, For sure. Not a hole lot is automated. The only thing I've done automatically is process photo sourced textures with a combination of default filters and filters from "Toon-it". Everything else is hand painted. Good ol' fashioned hard work, as the Boys at Gearbox put it in their massive drop. And now I see what they mean ^^

    Edit: Err. Sorta lied. The other piece of automation i use, Granted I'm doing a HP to LP workflow, Is a map based on the normals. It consists of running glow edges on it, De-saturate, Invert, and play with the levels a bit. it gives you kind of an idea where you want to lay down some Ink. I generally paint over all of it though, so when its all said and done, You don't see much, If any, of it. Props to Bbox over at GBX for dropping that little gem :)

    +AO

    That's If i bake. Otherwise, all by hand. :thumbup:

    I'm working on a set of 10~ Misc assets right now. They should be finished today or tomorrow. I'll do a breakdown on those.

    And just a random question: Does anyone know of a good Inking brush set? Or how to get a nice brush going from the standard round. It typically works fine, But more and more I'm wishing I had a brush with a better thick to thin action. Any advice there would be great :)


    Edit2:


    Just a few quick pics till I get to doing the fully explained breakdown. Not the best assets ever, But they'll do just fine for trim/random placement.


    Edit: *Removed to Keep the thread lighter, Look below!*
  • Bek
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    Bek interpolator
    Really nice work s620ex1, interesting breakdown too. Thanks for the info + gif.
  • s6
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    s6 polycounter lvl 10
    More to come soon! An actual breakdown :p That was just what i had done ATM. I'll have some really meaty bits later :)

    And thank you/Your very welcome !
  • JacobRMooreArt
    This is awesome! I love your texture sets. If you could tell me where to go on my textures that'd be awesome. The idea is amazing.
  • s6
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    s6 polycounter lvl 10
    Thanks Jacob! Breakdown coming soon, Hopefully that will help you out with your texturing in the future ^^

    Little more candy to gnaw on until I do the write up.

    Edit: *Removed to keep the thread lighter*
  • CougarJo
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    CougarJo polycounter lvl 6
    Great textures again, and thanks for the breakdown! This project looks like a lot of fun :D Keep it up!
  • s6
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    s6 polycounter lvl 10
    Alright, here we go guys. Hopefully I didn't get too image happy. :)


    Forgive poor image compression on most the image. I opted for quicker loading over quality. Except for this first one.


    IBX8k0.png



    This particular set of props was meant to be a quick and versatile. Borderlands (and their level designers) are notorious for re purposing nearly everything. So i wanted to make some pieces that could be wall supports, Trim on the floor, Scaffolding, Makeshift floor, Etc. But I imagine you guys aren't interested in the model as much as the textures so:

    In the vain of being quick support props, none of these were baked, and there were no maps to start out with. The entire texturing process took place in Photoshop, Starting with inking based on UV's. Textures for all of these pieces are on one 2048 map, Diffuse only. Total tris count for the pieces is 780.

    (Half Size of the UV's: http://i.imgur.com/57crit9.png )

    (Flat Shaded model, outline is post process in Marmoset)

    cUJEF92.png


    Inking-

    For inking I use a simple round brush with size set to pen pressure. Black color. nothing fancy at all.

    Inking is typically my first step, depending on the model, and if it has bevels/edges i want to look beveled on it. Almost no matter the model, I'll start by outlining the major edges of the UV shells. Then work my way to non bordering edges, Then from there I'll start "making up" lines and shapes. Having straight Uv's makes this SOOO Much easier. Shft+drag out straight lines in PS is a huge time savor. Sometimes that creates lines too "nicely" though, and I go back and squiggle them out a bit :)

    Popular things in the borderlands universe:

    Quilted metal. Tape. Band aids (probably not as much as i use them tho, I just love the damn things) among edge scrapes, little circle, Hatched lines for recessed surfaces. Hard to explain exactly what you should put where, But after a few assets and studying the borderlands stuff you'd get the idea ^^

    Usually the less important the line, The thinner it should be. using a fixed width would turnout in a terrible piece.

    Inking is the layer that I come back and add to the most in the process. As I finish other steps, I always come back to my main ink layer and adjust/add details/lines accordingly. This shot of the ink here is of how it turned out in the final texture, The first pass of inking is much rougher and uglier.



    KhT7Q35.png



    Highlighting-

    There is an important reason I separate "highlighting" from "lighting". It's because they don't always go together with shadows, and some of the most important highlights are un shadowed.

    The reason highlight is so important is because the normals on a model in the borderlands style get hidden extremely well by the heavy inking and light faking. Apply a black diffuse to a model you've done, and apply the normal map. And see how much of the *Edges* are showing up. Normals in the middle of faces tend to do better than edges, But they are still considerably flattened by all the line work.

    SO HIGHLIGHTING IS IMPORTANT! It's like you baked your model with really thin edges and need to go back and thicken them up. Your creating the illusion of a edge that isn't impossibly sharp.

    Because you can't have a highlight, and an ink line int he exact same spot on the map, you have to decide which one is more important. Edges that run down the model at a "peak" or high spot are perfect candidates for highlighting. In these spots I will highlight before I ink, Then ink around the highlight later. Such as the high points on the "wavy" metal and the other pressed metal. As apposed to the highlight on the pillar which was done after the inking.

    Not inking the edge of a model, or leaving a high point unmarked gives an opportunity for normals to shine, Bevels to actually catch light, and if nothing else, Gives you a spot to fake a highlight on that edge.

    Again no special brush for the Highlights. Round brush, Size controlled by pen pressure, and the layer usually ends up on soft light around 50-75% opacity.

    And again, The first pass of highlight is always rougher. As the texture develops, The ink develops, and as the ink develops, Everything else develops. Creating kind of a vicious cycle of updating prior passes.

    cvLcCbg.png




    Shadows-

    Pretty similar to highlighting, This is black painted on a soft light layer around 50% opacity. I lay down shadows on the bottom edges of things that should have depth. Just as the highlights should be painted in. If the model is going to have a variable rotation, i might be a little more subtle with the shadows so it doesn't look to strange when its upside down.

    At this point I'll usually do the major shadows as well. Like in the groves of the sheet metals here. Depending on the model it could be brushed in with a low hardness, Or use the marque select to block in values, then use blur to fade the edges if the model is a little more angular.


    xbwSggt.png


    Color Block in-



    When I block in colors i usually try to get the most accurate "end color" out of the model. Even though it will change a bit with texturing and what not. It just helps to get them close so you don't get carried away from your initial idea by the colors in your texture overlays.

    Nothing overly special here. Just blocking in colors :)



    rH2dO0A.png


    Base Textures-

    At this point most of the really hard work is done, So it tends to go a bit quicker. I'll usually find some texture in the vain of what I'm working on (wood, metal, Plastic, etc) and play with levels and color balance a bit. I'll then run the texture through a custom Toon-It preset I made.

    The setting that change most when doing certain texture is pre/post blurs. Depending on how noisy the texture is to start with and how "splotchy" I want it. I'll tweak other settings according to what i think would look good on the current spot I'm working on. The biggest thing is to get rid of the "Gritty" high frequency stuff. I usually prefer to keep some of the noise intact thought. A lot more interesting than a completely soft spotty texture.

    Here are a couple close ups of texture i commonly use. Before and after processing.

    Left side is the original texture, and right is after being processed.

    7ERUpsd.png

    QOXJxSu.png

    C8H6wUb.png

    liODLnh.png



    Detailing-


    After the base textures are done I'll usually do one final pass of details to make it that much more awesome. Things that consist of, but aren't limited to:

    Rust, Dirt, Grime, Paint, Spotty dotty paint spray (Yeah, That's the technical name for it, back off), Chipping, and other surface stuff like peeled paint and surface stuff. You can imagine even at this stage, I'll finish detailing, Then go back and refine the Ink layer to support shapes and details created in the texture pass.

    Add an outline around the model in your render, And you've got some borderlands styled stuff!



    PALoOa4.png


    9JYlO5x.jpg





    *****( High res: http://i.imgur.com/FO6B1aA.jpg )*****



    Let me know if you guys have any specific questions or curiosities. or want to see a specific image of somethin or other. Appreciate all the support and interest you guys share here, So anything I can give back, Just let me know :)

    Hope It wasn't a completely failure of a breakdown...

    -Mike
  • supaclueless
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    supaclueless polycounter lvl 12
    That was one heck of a breakdown and guide for your works! I greatly appreciate it!

    Keep up the good work sir!
  • Clark Coots
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    Clark Coots polycounter lvl 12
    gold. thank you, beautiful texture work, I've gotta try this someday.
  • s6
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    s6 polycounter lvl 10
    supaclueless: Thanks! Glad you like it.

    coots7
    : Not a problem! You really should. it's pretty fun to see it come together. Can get tedious. but that's how it goes with hand painting i suppose.
  • Jabberwockxeno
    Oh man, and I thought your modded borderlands weapons were cool. you continue to amaze me, s6.
  • aajohnny
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    aajohnny polycounter lvl 13
    Like the breakdown, and the progress keep it up.
  • s6
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    s6 polycounter lvl 10
    Hey hey hey. What's Good JabebrWock? Long time no talk. Didn't know you were floating around PC. Good to hear from you.

    aajohny: Thanks man!
  • Jabberwockxeno
    s620ex1 wrote: »
    Hey hey hey. What's Good JabebrWock? Long time no talk. Didn't know you were floating around PC. Good to hear from you.

    aajohny: Thanks man!

    I browse every once in a while. :)
  • AG_Cipher
    Great work s6, love the texturing breakdown, something i might try myself one day.
    Style matches perfectly with BL, some assets leaning more to BL2 (scanner thingy) and others to BL1 (walls and struts)
    As for the scanner thingy, i like the color trim, although maybe a bit too saturated on the colored ones, i find that it stands out and gives it that extra touch, i like the white one best of the ones you posted earlier, although they all look great ;)

    Keep it up!
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