Sting revisited (wip)

[trybul]

I am not sure if this a so bad that all who look run in terror, or that perhaps it is soo good that it has left you all speechless.....:rolleyes: Or perhaps the third option and that is that it is so in the middle that it has left you all so apethetic that you just didn't post...lol

well i would apreciate some comments, even if you just say that it sucks.. that would be cool, it is here for feed back, so please give it some...

thanks

trybul

[raz-0]

Ok, I'll jump in here since the silence bugs you so much. But don't expect me to tell you how to go about fixing much of it in any detail since I am still very much in learning mode about 3d. (especially modelling) most of my terminology is kind of MAX oriented as well. I'm also assuming this is supposed to be for something high quality rather than a game asset or something else low poly.

a source pic:
http://www.kultofathena.com/images/sting_sword_l.jpg

OK, the material for the steel of the blade needs help. The material for the crossguard and pommel need help as well, but a different kind. The steel is going to be a decent tempered steel, which looks different than a polished alloy that has been cast or machined. Take the bump map off the blade material and work on the one on the crossguard so it looks less like blow molded plastic or a bad casting. The "engraving" that you are putting in the blade is a light etching in the real thing, and thus isn't based on casting a shadow so much as light reflecting off it differently. I'm not sure how I'd go about reproducing this in a material, possibly a mixed material involving falloffs that operate in one way for the blade, and in the opposite for the etching.

If they aren't raytraced, think raytraced material. If they are raytraced, consider setting up a nicer environment to show off the material, it could make all the difference. But they look almost like a light gray plastic rather than metal.

As for modeling, the spine of the blade running down the center looks like it is a bump mapped notch running down the blade. If it is a bump map, make it geometry. When you do, the actual article is a hollow ground blade, which basically means that from teh edge to the spine, the curve is concave, not convex. Your blade looks fairly convex. The hollow grind comes from removing the excess metal with a circualr grinding wheel that is roughly 90 degrees from the driection of the spine of the blade. (hopefully that conveys what I'm trying to say needs help).

the pommel (the bit on the end of the handle) is also not shaped the way you shaped it exactly. But personally, I like the shape of yours a bit better than the actual product. As for the the hilt area that is wood, your's doesn't look bad if they did it out of leather, but they use a dark wood laminate as far as I can tell. Which means that it should be pretty easy to simulate with a procedural texture, or you could try playing around with the gradient tool in photoshop.

well, it's a repsonse anyway.

[phoenix2k]

hi.... good start!! the textures need a little more work though (see raz-0's post), and the sheath seems to bee a little to large in size for the actual sword.... do these match??

[trybul]

raz-0, thank you for your comments. I am not sure why the mid of the sword looks like abump map, it could be due to the reflections... i am not sure, but it is made as you describe. You are right as for the textures they are weak. That is what i am asking comments on, so thank you for your replys on them. I am using a raytraced reflection, with an environment mapped to a sphere... but that does not seem to work.. I am haveing trouble makeing a conviencing matal matterial...

phoenix2k- the sword and the scabbard were made to fit, it may look as if sting is a little large, but that is due to the with of the scabbard as it must accomadate the widest part of the blade. Thank you for your comments... and suggestions..

I will have a render to post with out textures.. and one with the redone metal soon...

trybul

[raz-0]

if the spine of the blade is actually modeled, then I'd usggest making the crease sharper if it isn't already sharp and just getting messed up by the material that isn't refelecting right.

I'd put your effort into the steel material for the blade and geting something to reflect in it, then see if the other things fall out of that to some extent.

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