Gears of War 2 Art
So I've decided (thanks to the encouragement of the amazing Kevin Johnstone) to post some of the work I did for Gears of War 2 here. I've been lurking here for quite some time, but never had the courage to post anything.
I hope you like it
http://www.mikeyspano.com/
I hope you like it
http://www.mikeyspano.com/
Replies
Looks great, thanks for sharing!
Love it all.
really solid modelling work, very awesome
But I have a question; what's going on with the ammo belt here? It appears like the geometry is merging together (path deform), but it could just be an illusion caused by the render? Was this intentional?
Please post more work
Great work.
Peris and X-Convict - yeah I'm not really a texture artist, I just really enjoy doing it - I think most of that stuff actually got redone by Mike Buck for the final game anyway, so the ones in game look much better
thanks again guys
Oh? And what would make the textures better pray tell?
Gears art direction is for all intents and purposes flawless. Sure you can find little spots here and there that can be improved on (very few), but when you look at everything as a whole it is really about as good as this generation can get.
Of course you could debate on weather or not you like the art direction as a whole, as compared to ....oh....let's say Lego Star Wars. But in terms of technical flaws, there really aren't any (and I've looked really hard).
I remember seeing your Epic art test some time ago and then looking at the art tests I was doing and it was two different universes. I would totally give up my virginity to you guys.
ArtsyFartsy--what the shit? Sit down, son. You a little too loud. I don't know where your little tyraid came from, but this one two fancy fanaticism will not stand. No one in this thread was talking any amount of shit. I'm pretty sure that anyone who makes assets EVER can agree that there is room for improvement--that's not going to change. There was no vitriol in any single post. Kindly take yours out of this thread.
Overall good stuff, though I think that your older UT3 stuff actually has stronger textures than the Gears 2 work; it seems like your style changed a lot for Gears 2. The newer stuff seems to have too much high-frequency lumpy bump detail that starts to muddy up the textures. The constant color scheme of "grey + heavily oxidized copper" makes the colors seem very flat over all of the assets too. This might just be because all of these props are from one area, but it really stood out to me.
Overall though it's all good quality stuff, I really like your UT3 textures especially and those environment shots are hot.
btw folks, Mikey spent most of his time on Gears2 cranking out awesome levels while trying to find time inbetween his scheduled work to still make cool art too!
Oh and Sandbag, most of those assets were from the Hospital section, so continuity of art style did play its part.
Yeah, I wrote a longer post that didn't show up for some reason explaining my role here; but since Kevin mentioned it, I'll just clarify.
I'm really more of a Level designer around here - Most of my tasks include populating the levels with meshes, and lighting; and I'll even do scripting from time to time (like the part where you ride the reaver and fight the giant Hydra). So most of this stuff was just done whenever I found the time.
I appreciate all the positive feedback, and I'll be sure to push harder on textures next time
thanks again guys!
haha, you'll be happy to know that Jordan's face is as smooth as a baby's butt now
I appreciate the positive encouragement and the defense
thanks again for the encouragement
Huh?...
I think there's a misunderstanding of tone here. If Level 1 is Stephen hawking enthusiasm, and Level 10 enthusiasm is a 13 year old girl who just got a asked on a date by the Jonas brothers (whichever one, they're all hideous), then my level of enthusiasm is about a 4. So i don't know what you're talking about.
I didn't even play the gears games, though I own both of them and UT3. My brother played them and I explored them a bit more for my own artistic interest than anything else. My observations are not those of a !!* #1 fan *!!, but those of a student looking at an artwork of pristine quality and accepting it as such, and trying to learn from it.
Looking for flaws in Epic games with teach you nothing. Instead of trying to find things that are wrong with their designs, the correct questions would be - What is it about this asset that makes it work? What is it about their level design that makes it pull together so well? What is it about their props that even when they appear to be very simple, they have a quality about them that is impossible to replicate, and that enhances their presence so greatly? Art is not just polygons and high res textures.
And please don't call me "son".
thanks guys!
The internets demand MORE!
wow, thanks dude!
hmm, I'll have to dig to find that stuff
in terms of workflow, I just made some chamfer boxes and stacked them on each other and pushed and pulled verts til I was happy enough to do a Zbrush pass, then I took the lowest Zbrush level and started manually wrapping polys around it until I had a decent low poly - then I made sure to minimize the seams as much as humanly possible in my UVs. I think the thing that makes them stand out might be the detail texture I put on, but I'm not sure
thanks!
love the work from all your epic projects
did you start working at epic as a level designer? or as an artist?
I'm glad you did post though, you have some really impressive work. And, I have another inspiration folder now
good portfolio.
Post more stuff man! I'm sure the vast majority of us on polycount could learn or be inspired by it.
Totally missed the 'about' page on your site, Mikey. Extra kudos for being a former RSE'er
Lee3dee - I actually interviewed here as a level guy and didn't get the job, so I turned around and applied as a modeler and got the job. Once I got started, it became obvious that they needed me as a level designer as well, so ironically enough, I ended up doing that more than modeling
TeriyakiStyle - those vehicles were actually a personal proof of concept that sort of failed for me
00Zero - glad you liked the crystal, that was a fun little project
Geezus - Yeah, I really enjoyed my time at Red Storm; but it was good to get away - I was there for 5 years! It felt like leaving home really, and I think I left a few people a little peeved at me
and to everyone else, thanks!!
that is some great work! Would love to see some wireframes.
Congrats on gears of war 2! I thought that you guys did a great job with gameplay, art and story. Everything was top notch! The art you guys from epic share is truly an inspiration.
Thank you for sharing!
I'm inspired:D
-Rude
jk. Incredible work dude. Very inspirational stuff. :thumbup: