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Want to learn to texture:)

polycounter lvl 10
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CookieKingHoi polycounter lvl 10
Hey, I'm Hoi, and I like cookies:), This is my first post here, and I'm interested in learning to texture, so I was wondering, is there anything like a guide, which makes stuff easy for me? Anything that helps would be great, thanks alot!

e: I have a basic understanding of modeling, and a very basic one of texturing (I have ps3 and know the basics) and I understand how a model and texture work together.

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  • Mark Dygert
    To be a great texture artists you need to know a lot of stuff. Starting with a firm foundation in digital painting is great and will allow the person a lot of freedom.

    The next kind of texture artists knows how to butcher photos and cover their tracks pretty well. Blending photos and hand painted details is a must at most studios in this industry. Again starting off with a firm foundation in digital painting helps quite a bit.

    http://www.eatpoo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=27
    Great guide for artists just venturing into the world of digital painting.

    http://itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm
    The end all guide to painting or at least will be when its finished, very much valuable.

    http://www.gfxartist.com/features/tutorials
    A wide range of tips, tricks and tutorials about painting.

    http://www.twisted-strand.com/ut_tutorials/text_tut/index2.html
    Hiding seams and tiling.

    http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=17688
    Using 3D packages to make textures.

    Lastly it really depends on what you want to texture, weapons & props (hard edged metal and plastics), characters (soft bodies and cloth) or environments (large sweeping organic surfaces)?
  • Quokimbo
    I will be checking these links out later....

    Bookmark! :)
  • Kawe
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    Kawe polycounter lvl 8
    Make a sketchbook and try to get some crits in it.. for some 2d art that is.
  • CookieKingHoi
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    CookieKingHoi polycounter lvl 10
    Kawe wrote: »
    Make a sketchbook and try to get some crits in it.. for some 2d art that is.

    You might misunderstand me becaus of my crappy english, I'm talking about texturing models, not concept art.
  • Mark Dygert
    If you're not able to paint and sketch, then you're ability to create textures will be diminished. This is why the tutorials I listed where heavy on painting theory and application.

    There are a lot of monkeys that can slap a photo on a box, but an actual artist can take that photo and apply it properly and have it blend into whatever environment.

    The sketch book section of polycount is for all things related to art, 2D, 3D. It would be perfectly acceptable to start a sketchbook and post practice textures.
  • CookieKingHoi
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    CookieKingHoi polycounter lvl 10
    Vig wrote: »
    If you're not able to paint and sketch, then you're ability to create textures will be diminished. This is why the tutorials I listed where heavy on painting theory and application.

    There are a lot of monkeys that can slap a photo on a box, but an actual artist can take that photo and apply it properly and have it blend into whatever environment.

    The sketch book section of polycount is for all things related to art, 2D, 3D. It would be perfectly acceptable to start a sketchbook and post practice textures.

    Ah, I understand, I thought you guys were talking about drawing.
  • man_o_mule
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    man_o_mule polycounter lvl 18
    this thread came allong at the perfect time. I'm horrible at texturing and painting. definately my weekest point right now. Painting to me doesn't seem as easy as 3D and i've been struggling with it quite a bit. going to check out these links and get cracking.
  • breakneck
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    breakneck polycounter lvl 13
    Vig: thanks for posting some good links!
  • pior
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    pior grand marshal polycounter
    Just to reiterate : this one is definitely something you want to pay attention to
    http://itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm

    Yeah it's about drawing and painting - but if you really want to understand how lights affects objects (aka 'texture') this is what you need to know. That does not mean that you have to paint a texture (be it an old school texture with painted-in-highlights or a nextgen set of textures reacting to dynamic lights) like an oil painting. But knowing why stuff looks like it does will give you a huge edge on the average texture 'overlay-er'.

    Look at this for instance :
    http://www.supalette.com/coppermine/albums/illustrations/bikergirl.jpg

    This guy is a concept artist, and I don't think he ever painted a game model texture. However I am positive that if he ever has to, he will kick butt after a few days of getting used to the technical constraints. Look at the quality of contrast, the bouncing of lights aso. It's not a polished painting but it's all in there.

    On a side note, such skill is really useful for certain art styles. WoW textures might look sometimes so-so applied to the uberlowres models that the game uses, but they raise them to their maximum. Some of the texture sheets look like paintings really. Aslo look at the next Prince of Persia game - oily textures everywhere.

    Obviously there is some more technical things to know about normalmap+specular+diffuse kind of textuing (the look you find in most PS3 and 360 games - Gears of War, MGS4). You'll find all this info y following wip threads here on polycount. You can also download XNormal and look at the examples included. You'll understand why they look like they do in no time.

    Good luck!

    ... on a side note : Gears and MGS4 are said to be the best looking games ever. The companies behind these games both have a great track record of past games with fantastic texture work painted in an oldschool style. No surprise here :P
  • Sage
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    Sage polycounter lvl 19
    The hardest thing about learning to texture is that you just have to do it a lot and screw up a lot to get it right. There really isn't a short cut. Every time you do it you'll figure certain things out. So just get some reference and paint it, then move to painting 3d models, just diffuse. Pay attention to how shades make things read differently. Also to make things a little more interesting you have to get used to using a Wacom tablet.

    I found the video tutorials at Massive Black to be very good and affordable.

    http://dvd.massiveblack.com/
  • Walruz
    I've got a question, without a wacom do I have to have no hopes at doing a good handpainted texture?
  • kio
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    kio polycounter lvl 15
  • Neox
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    Neox veteran polycounter
    of course you can do handpainted textures with a mouse, but you could also carve the david with a toothpick out of steel
  • CookieKingHoi
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    CookieKingHoi polycounter lvl 10
    So I need a tablet?
  • Ghostscape
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    Ghostscape polycounter lvl 13
    You don't need one to start but you'll want one to finish. The same concepts apply regardless as to whether you're using a mouse or a tablet, but you're going to have a harder time controlling your curves and good luck trying to control opacity and stroke.

    Honestly, though, I use a lot of photos, filters, etc, in my work, so only about half of it is painted.

    You can definitely learn a lot before investing in a tablet.
  • Walruz
    I've been using mouse for a lot of time and all my textures always needed something more, that something (I hope) was the wacom... Anyway once I get one I'll tell you xD
  • Sage
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    Sage polycounter lvl 19
    You can use a mouse, but it easily takes four times longer than with a tablet. That's the first thing I noticed when I started using a tablet. Be prepared to get used to using one though...

    Also just bite the bullet and get a wacom tablet, they are the only ones that work. Yes they seem expensive but they will save you a lot of time and are worth it.
  • Michael Knubben
    That's the thing though, they're not expensive at all. A bamboo fun is fairly cheap, and is easily a hundred times better than using a mouse. I mucked about with a mouse for a fairly long time, but back then the cheapest Wacom wasn't that cheap. The extra control that pressure sensitivity brings is worth the purchase, and that on top of the added freedom of movement (freehand drawing a circle with a mouse isn't exactly easy) makes it much more than worth it.
  • Kawe
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    Kawe polycounter lvl 8
    Yeah, if you're going to be serious about this you should get a tablet. I'm not at all serious and I have one, lol. They will last you for a long time so you it's more of a one time investment (well, not really).

    Also about earlier comment that Vig replied for me. Painting and drawing stuff is very useful when it comes to texturing. Back a year ago I thought that I didn't need to know it. So I was very disappointed when I learned that there's no "make texture" filter in Photoshop or premade textures I can use for everything that no one else has. Or that I couldn't photograph everything and just slap it onto a model.
  • smurfbizkit
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    smurfbizkit polycounter lvl 18
    The best texturing advice I ever got was...to not texture, instead go improve my traditional drawing/painting skills.
  • CookieKingHoi
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    CookieKingHoi polycounter lvl 10
    shield.png

    Quick little try. (the metal on the front and the wood is from the internet, and there is a little bug in the model on the lower side)
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