My first Environment in a LONG time
polycounter lvl 6
So I want to get into environment modeling and take a break from character modeling. I chose this concept and did some block outs. I chose to do something simple because I haven't touched environment modeling in maybe 2 or 3 years.
I'm trying to get my foot in the gaming industry and I always wanted to be a character modeler but a good amount of them said that they would have got in the industry earlier they started doing environments. Not sure your opinion on that but I have a thread all about that.
So back to the environment... is what I have a good start for this environment?
Final:
I'm trying to get my foot in the gaming industry and I always wanted to be a character modeler but a good amount of them said that they would have got in the industry earlier they started doing environments. Not sure your opinion on that but I have a thread all about that.
So back to the environment... is what I have a good start for this environment?
Final:
Replies
You have a decent block out going, watch proportions, yours feels a little cramped compared to the bigger space the concept is trying to portray. Match the camera angle and save it as a camera in your 3D package (looks like Max) and jump back to it to cross reference your concept.
I get what you mean about environment modeling. But If you read my thread about "Character modeler switch to Environment modeler" a few character modelers lean to the fact that I should quit character modeling for now. I need an interview soon... I may decide going back to character but for now I want to try environment modeling and see how I like it.
As for the block out I do feel it is a bit more cramped. But I do not know any other way to put it. Maybe the concept's perspective is off? Maybe my camera in the viewport? I do know that 3ds max makes perfectly straight boxes and trying to make the correct view seems really hard at the moment. If you look at the wall where the door is It seems I followed placement correctly... the yellow model is supposed to be 6ftman in case you were wondering.
But what do I know? I'm a beginner, Just wanted to share my thoughts
Also, the wall on the right looks curved to me, not sure it's lens distortion or something else.
You're using Max matching perspective feature, right?
I was referring to this http://docs.autodesk.com/3DSMAX/16/ENU/3ds-Max-Help/index.html?url=files/GUID-CA74469E-9320-4801-B3F0-B4E00461689C.htm,topicNumber=d30e522273
Regarding the yellow box it doesn't have knees or a waist. A biped is also easy to pose, you don't need it to have 10 fingers but having a figure sitting on the stool and at various places will make it easier for you to wrap your head around the scale. But it's entirely up to you, really.
Good Luck!
and for the bars near the ceiling... would you guys go about making it look transparent with a single plane? Or model each bars separately?
btw this is for in game next gen
I'll only chamfer hero assets, something significant enough to the story or part of the puzzle that players will need to get up close. Nothing else.
Even if you have a limited budget, keep in mind that you'll be trading relatively cheap polygons for a more expensive texture if you plan to use an alpha mask - even if you tile the texture across the span.
If you're really going for 'next-gen', then your scene budget should easily be in the 2-4 MILLION polygon range. At that point, you don't even need to cheat when modelling the chain hoist.
For the steel bars on the ceiling for example... I duplicated the thinner bars in between the thick ones. When it is time to texture It seems I would first
model just one thin bar
unwrap it
texture it
duplicate it into the position the concept shows
Am I modeling too much right now? Should I just go into texturing and duplicate and place where it needs to be?
also look at my earlier post. ( the one with just words) I want to know how you guys do it
I personally like texturing as I go, as it prevents that horrible feeling of having 50 thousand things to unwrap at once in the end.
Although I've seen plenty of other people hold off until the very end so I guess it's up to you. That and whether or not you plan on doing high poly models and normal baking or doing all of your work in photoshop/ndo2/zbrush sculpted tileable textures or whatever will probably influence your decision as well.
When you texture stuff as you go do you cramp as much props into one UV map? Because there is some small objects some big in my scene. It would be a waste If I used one small object prop for a whole UV map. I'm just curious how you go about doing that
I'm specifically talking about the cylinder shape objects in the concept. How would I bake out the basic shape of the object. Would I need a high poly and a low? Do I even need to? What are your thoughts?
You may as well give it a try. Make (2) 12 sided cylinders. Bake a high poly cylinder (however many sided) to one of them and just soften normals on the other. Then decide if it's worth it.
Normal maps are basically just there to add in detail that would be otherwise too expensive to have modeled as actual geometry in real time. Having one that basically adds nothing to the piece would only take up more memory and a larger file size. It also depends on if there's details small enough that you still want to be affected by the lighting like subtle rust and scratches/bolts, but close enough in viewing to the supposed player/camera so you can actually see those details.
So yeah it's your call dude
i put it in UDk
What are my pros cons etc. What do you guys think?
It depends on what you want to use the Normal map for. If you're using the Normal map purely to smooth out the cylinder then don't bother, just add more sides to it. A few more edge loops to smooth it is cheaper than loading a normal map.
If however you are going to stuff like rust on it using a normal map then you could bake down a high poly to smooth it.
That being said, the floor could use a different material.
have not changed the wall texture yet but just added more meshes
Really good, keep it up!