Where is a good Place to start with Low-Poly Modeling?

(Currahee) #1

Hi i have just recently started modelig lowpoly charaters, unfortunatly thers is very little comprehensive documentation on the process. Currently i’m using 3D Studio MAX R5.1 and i’m wondering if any of you have any tips on good recources on Modeling, Rigging and morst of all texturing, i have had very little luck with UVW mapping which seams to be essentail to the process. I’d apreciate any help you can give me.

PS! I have tried severa onlinel tutorials but i find that most are to vague or explain one part but not a nother. I’m really at a loss.

(TwentySeven) #2

research “box modeling”
you might want to start with something a little easier, like NURMS.

Theres good tutorials on these on the web.

(Currahee) #3

Hi, TwentySeven, thanks for the reply.Ii should have been more specific about my skille level, i’m fairly proficient in the acctuall modeling, its things like “WELDING”, and especially UVW mapping that elude me. Texturing in general is a problem, have any suggestions as to techniques, shuld i use DeepPaint3D?

PS! What is the standared poly count for ET models ? ( guns and people)

(TwentySeven) #4

Uv mapping is the process of unwrapping a model.

best pointer I can give you is get familiar with the uvw unwrap mod in Max 5.

A good technique for something reasonably high poly and organic is to set a different MATID for each area you’d like planarly mapped.

Then select each Mat ID group in turn, Apply a UVW MAP / PLANAR map to it (fit it with the gizmo), and then collapse back to a mesh.

Rinse and repeat.

Then Apply a UVW UnWrap modifier to the model, and use the MATID’s to select each of the pieces you just created.

Select all the faces involved in the UVWUNWRAP tool, then use “detach” to break them off.

Scale rotate and stitch as needed.

(Currahee) #5

Hi, sorry for this late reply, i have tried arraging the designsted ‘area’ iusing map ids, bu every time i try and selcet by an id, it just selects what apears to be random polies, and definatly not the oens i choose in the first place. What am i doing wrong? Also i should mention that my previous attemps at using UVW unwarpa have been very unsucessful. The minut i ask for flat mapping it displays a whole lot of polies randomly arranged and, i can’t figure out whats what. I’m guessing that were the map id’s come in. Thanks again for your help.

(Detoeni) #6

try this,
http://www.chilliweb.co.uk/chilliskinner/

it easy to use and the tutorials are easy to follow.

(TwentySeven) #7

er avoid chilliskinner.

Before you do the mapID, select all faces and set them to 1. Matid’s are assigned randomly on a fresh max mesh - so you’ll need to clean them first.

(Detoeni) #8

er avoid chilliskinner.

why?
Im new to modeling myself, so if there is a better way, I would like to know.
Thanks.

(TwentySeven) #9

Chilliskinner was designed back when 3dsmax didnt have a decent uvw unwrap tool. Like pre max 5.
fragmenting your model to provide uvw mapping is crazy and frankly makes the risk of making a mistake huge.

Easiest method I’ve seen is roughly the same as chilliskinner ( mark each planar area first ) but use the MATID’s to do it, dont fragment the mode.

(Currahee) #10

TwentySeven, thanks that worked, come to think of it i have rad that before, that you should alwasy set the entire mesh to 1(MatID) first but i never could figure out why. I have arrived at a method to skin my models using Photoshop(PS) and the ‘normal’ UVW mapping in MAX. Sp far so good, obviously it has it’s limitations, such as the fact that i can see around the mesh on the front( back, side or bottom) and not all of it. I really want to learn proper ‘flat’ mapping. The more i read the more obvious it becomes that it is a superior method, or what do you gyes think?

Dentoeni, thanks for the suggestion, i’lll give ChilliSkinner a look. Btw, do you have any suggestiond on good books you have read, heared of that might be of use ? All Help would be apreciated.

Also what is the best way to get into the mod community if your not a hardcore(or any sort of coder) Coder? I’d really like to get involved some how. I have a good deal of experience in web design(again not coding, aside from HTML), with focus on the design aspect and 2D Graphics. Anybody need any help in that department i’d be glad to help

(TwentySeven) #11

Mod teams (and game companys!) are always looking for people who can do the entire art path for a character.

So, if you can model, uv it, paint it, rig it and animate it into a complete new “game model” for a given mod, they’ll love you to bits.

The worst thing when looking at awsome modeling work or skin work is hearing

“oh I cant do uv’s” or “I dont animate” and stuff like that.

it doesnt take much to learn.

(Currahee) #12

I’m studying Multi Media going on to senior year, were i’m specializing in character animation. The schools is getting a motion capture studio, and i’m concidering doing my theis on motion capture with an emphasis on low poly animation. Should be great fun. The only thing is that my course has very little instruction regarding the painting aspect of texturing. Do you(TwentySeven) have any suggestions regarding rescources along the lines of texture production, hand painted and other techniques? Thanks for putting up with all my questions.

(Detoeni) #13

er avoid chilliskinner.

Like the chap said, if you can do it with max, stick with that, its a lot easier than working with chilliskinner as Iv now found out.
Thanks TwentySeven.

(Currahee) #14

Detoeni, thanks anyway for suggesting chiliskinner, even though max is better.

Has anybody here tried the free version of max? Gmax? I’m downloading as i type this, and i’m curious what you think of of it?

(TwentySeven) #15

Painting textures depends alot on your target render environment, and how much time you want to spend on things…

I mean if I was doing something where all the lighting is done via the texturemap (traditional skinning)

the quickest (yet least artistic) method is to use 3dsmax’s render to texture function to spit out a base “lightmap” for your model once your UV’s are done.

Then photosource the remaining texture elements, and multiply blend them together in photoshop.

You can get reasonably convincing models with very little actual hand painting, just the clone tool and a good lightmap.

BUT nothing compares to being able to hand paint your own texture elements.

(Currahee) #16

By traditional skinning, do you mean adding shadows and hilight to the texture instead of having the skins highlight, shades and shadows rendered for you ? i.e. Wrinkles in the clothing? That is one thing i have noticed about the ET textures.

Sorry but i’m abit unfamiliar with the terms lightmap and ‘redndering to texture’ how are they done? and what impatc to the have on the texture itself as far as rendering in concerned?

This ounds very promissing, i can tell you though that i use my Wacom all the time it’s the most usful tool ever. Thanks Againg and i hope i’m not bugging you to much.

(Ragnar_40k) #17

I would start with Milkshape 3D (shareware - free for the first month).
You can import md3 models from ET etc. to see how SD has done it.
To make your own vehicle you can use this step by step tutorial.
When you search 4-view drawings of WWII tanks (for background images) you can go here.

A good example is the Jagdpanther from ET, you can find the md3 including textures in the etmain\models\mapobjects anks_sd directory (after you installed GtkRadiant).

(Currahee) #18

Ragnar, thanks for the help i have dowloaded milkshape and done as you suggested. Milkshape seams to have everything a game modeler needs. The cost is not a real concern. But since i learned 3D in MAX i’m kind of growing on Gmax. I’m jus wondering if you have tried Gmax, and what are you thoughts on Gmax vs Milkshape?

Also i was unable to find any of the player models? Is there any way for me to get my hands on them? Also where can i find som stats for the model i.e. poly count. The Player Model documentations didn’t really answere any of these questions for me.

Again thanks a bunch Ragnar.

(MadMaximus) #19

i think milkshape is an excellent program for modelling md3’s for quake/et. ultimate unwrap is also an excellent program for doing the uv’s, ultimate unwrap used to be known as lith unwrap and was free before it became ultimate unwrap ( which doesnt have a trial i think )

here’s a link to the lith unwrap,

http://www.static-lift.net/resource/LithUnwrap.zip

here’s a link to some tutorials that helped me understand it all when i started,

http://www.psionic3d.co.uk/tutorials.html

but this one in particular about using lith to unwrap,
http://www.psionic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/tutorials/lowpoly/zuvm.html

i have tried gmax and it is an ok program, but milkshape imports and exports so many different model types, plus making the md3 straight from milkshape is effortless.

lith unwrap also imports and exports many model types as well, a good program to have around regardless of what modelling program you use.

(Ragnar_40k) #20

I didn’t tried gmax or blender yet, i had no need until now. When you have a copy of RtCW or Q3A you can unzip the .pk3’s and try the MaxScripts plugin for 3DMax resp. gmax.

Here is a website with lots of links about model making for Quake engine based games.

Afaik player models are saved as .mds (RtCW) and .mdm (ET) files.

The unzipped .pk3’s for RtCW also include .mdc files - kinda advanced md3’s with (mostly) already attached txtures.