make sure to adjust the dirt overlays a bit so they don't reveal your UV seams so much (for example, paint a dirt mask, using 3dsmax's viewport canvas, or other similar tools).
ysalex, Im using an old simple basemesh, and 3dsmax and topogun to create the minor pieces. I've learned sculpting that way with alex oliver when him was my zbrush teacher a few years ago.
yeah dude you can do this out of 3dsmax pretty simply. the Ben Cloward thing will work but there is another more automatic explanation here if you need it; http://wiki.polycount.net/Cube_Map internets :D
The best and fastest way I've found without using plug-ins or scripts, is to use Mental Ray. http://www.quality3dmodels.com/Tutorials/3dsmax/neonlight/neonglow.html http://www.freeitsolutions.com/3ds/viewTutorial.aspx?id=202
Hawken. Its just a couple of screencaptures from the 3dsmax viewport. I set the sceen up with 1 omnilight and 2 directional lights. No rendered vertexlightning or something. Thats cheating.=D Cheers /Palm
If we're talking 3dsmax, Path Deform. Basically you create your geometry in a straight line as one piece of a mesh. Then apply the path deform modifier and select the spline, click move to path and bango =)
it is also available in 3dsmax (along with dirt maps, density, sss, etc.) Rendering>Render Surface Map. it's cool if you put it in textools. I wish there was a way to generate normal maps that fast as well :)
i remember in the old official 3dsmax forums we had made a nice thread with all these small workflow tips that are nowhere to be found. Perhaps it would be nice and very helpful to do the same here!
Glad you got it figured out, feels good doesn't it =) Also hitting F1 in the MaxScript Editor brings up the MaxScript help which is really useful and very different then the regular 3dsmax help.
Haven't been happy with my results in UT3Ed so I'm messing around in 3dsmax trying to get it how I want it to look; I may play around with some toon shaders or something.