Regarding the texture creation process you might get some ideas by checking out the polycount wiki. I would start with the diffuse, then create a matching normal and specular last. Also, I would isolate a small testing environment, like a house? With the diffuse you could blow up the original texture to desired resolution,…
You have the same mesh duplicated 4 times, so the UVs are going to duplicate 4 times which is what you are seeing. Those logs should be one mesh, one UV sheet, one highpoly. You're going to continue to run into problems if you don't understand UVs. Get that sorted first do a fairly simple hero prop all the way to…
There are several ways to approach this but a good starting point would be to identify the minimum number of unique UVs needed for all the road wheels. As an example: the front faces of the outer road wheels could all have unique UVs to support painting unique camouflage patterns but the inner road wheels, back sides and…
You will want to create your high poly model first. Ideally this is more efficient because you will need to work in quads for proper model subdivision. Once you complete your high poly model, you can duplicate it and rename the 2nd one as your low poly model. Then simply start optimizing it by removing edges, connecting…
You have some ambitious goals. A few talented and lucky folks have made it on their own, but it's a true rarity. You will most likely have to specialize in something (art, programming, etc.) because I think it's a pipe dream to consider becoming an independent developer without first establishing some strength in at least…
Have you taken a look at Portfolio section on the wiki page? http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryPortfolio As far as what to show, it really depends on what kind of artist position you want to fill. Really only you can answer that question. What kind of art do you enjoy making the most? Realistic characters? Cartoony…
Could you post the flats? Also you can crop the interface out of your screenshots next time, lol :P It's not a bad start. Right now what sticks out to me is a lack of color variation making everything look flat. Nice hand painted wood has a lot of color infused into it - purple/blues in the shadows and nice warm…
Hey andrea.priore, Welcome to Polycount. I really like this character. I can see you worked real hard on it. That's a hell of a lot better than what most people have for their first model, including me. I wouldn't say that's too many polys, that's pretty good work actually! There are a few areas that could use some…
I agree with jeffro, try removing the color and using your reference. When painting textures I have found that you can never have too much ref.[well, I guess that goes for anything] I am liking the style you have with your textures right now, but you should try not to use watercolor brushes in PS, just stick with the good…
It depends on a lot of factors. How many times does it need to be duplicated across the scene? When I'm planning modular pieces, I try to plan for the largest piece it can be a part of, but still be useful. The larger the pieces, the less # of objects there are in the scene, which generally improves performance. So for…