Environment/Props WIP

[DooFi]

Well it looks quite nice, but you have to get rid of A LOT of polies there^^ For a static commode of that size without movable drawers you should probably use around 200 tris. Also I guess 1024 is a bit high for the textures on this small prop (especially as you have 3 of them!). This might be personal taste, but I find the scratches on the normal map pretty strong, maybe you could make them less intense.
Looks fantastic though! Check how much detail you lose using only 512² maps.

[renaissance01]

Thanks for the comments and critique DooFi. Yeah i guess i do have quite alot of unused polys...I don't really need edge loops if it's not going to deform do i ? It is aimed at next gen games so i thought 3 x 1024 maps were pretty standard for game engines like unreal engine 3. I guess not ? Hmm i'll try 512 maps but i'm sure i'll lose alot of detail. From what i've seen...most of the props and stuff out of gears of war and other new gen games used 1024's with about 500 - 1000 polys...

[RO]

yeah 1024x1024 are norm now though using 1024x1024 I would make sure it had cabinets and stuff inside because I agree at 512 x512 is small but a 1024x1024 is really big and you can actually end up putting some inside parts and junk inside and would still look good. as for polys. Even though the polys are not high it can be reduced without affecting the form. As long as it affects the form leave it. The handles I would make them floating geometry instead of it attached. You would save tons of polys than. And for the leg slight bend you can reduce that also and just make sure to get the effect using a normal. For game architecture and prop geometry it does not matter if use triangles. So feel free to use them.

looks good I am really not a texture fiend I do not mind big textures. I actually recommend to start bigger because it is easier to go down than up.

[renaissance01]

Cheers heaps RO. So basically i have two options; either make the textures 512x512 or add more geometry like cabinets/opening drawers etc to take advantage of the 1024x1024 maps ? I agree with the handles, I might make them separate although i originally wanted just one solid model. If it saves polys, why not ay ?

[renaissance01]

Hey everyone. I've gone back and remodelled the model and have reduced it down from 848 to 285 polys. I've still managed to keep the form and overall shape of the object. I tried reducing the textures to 512 but the quality was drastically reduced. It looks okay from a distance and would most likely look fine in a game engine but i have kept them at 1024 for now. I have also made a cabinet and am now making a bed. Any comments or critique would be great :)

[RO]

yeah this is vastly improved. Go with this idea on your other props and you will have a solid props portfolio. Of course make a scene for them :)

Keep at it.

[antodonnell]

Nice work renaissance01, well done dropping down that poly count ( good advice RO), now not only does the chest still look good but its way cheaper, keep it up.

The high poly count at the start was my only crit now its sorted :eek:

[renaissance01]

Cheers RO once again for the advice :) and thankyou antodonnell. I was just wondering...do you think it would be better to show renders of the props in a real time engine like roboblitz/unreal ed or just pre renders in max ?

[RO]

Np here to help :)



I think it is best to import the meshes into an engine. The unreal engine imo is the easier of the engines to start with. Plus the robotblitz wiki is growing and soon once ut3 is out and also gears I am sure their will be a wiki for it officially done or half official in sites like beyondunreal etc. In general I think it is a good idea even for an environment artist to know how to import stuff into an engine. Also the unreal engine is pretty much taking over atm lol. I still have to mess around the new unrealed but I am sure it is very alike to that past in some ways.

If your really into the whole thing of creating a new portfolio for game next gen stuff than learning an engine will be a plus when applying in the future.

[renaissance01]

Hey this is some renders of a cabinet i made for my scene. It's 295 polys and currently has a 2048 diffuse and normal map which i'll resize for when I import it into unreal. I'm now working on a bed. The scene is to look like a really rundown, abandoned sort of bedroom, i hope this shows through in the props. Any critique or comments is welcome. :) cheers

[renaissance01]

any crits, any comments at all ? I'd love to hear other people's opinions on how it's looking and how i can improve them. Shoot away :) i'd muchly appreciate it.

[TychoCelchuuu]

I'd lower the opacity of the black drips. I also don't understand what all those polygons are doing on the front of it. Why can't it just be a plain, textured rectangle instead of having those two rounded rectangles set in the center, with all those triangles at the corners?

[renaissance01]

Thanks for the reply TychoCelchuuu. I agree with the drips now that i look at it. They're a bit too strong. I thought about making it just a flat plain on the front but then i thought it would just look too flat and 'boxxy'. So I decided to add more geometry. It's only 295 polys after all and is aimed at next gen engines so it's not too bad is it ?

[renaissance01]

Hey, I'm now importing my meshes into Roboblitz/Unreal Ed and was just wondering how you save images of content in real time? Do you just get screengrabs of it or is there actually an option to save images?

cheers

[RO]

screenshots

I would make sure to put all the detail as high as possible with AA. sure your not going to play like this but it is how things should be shown in all their glory.

[renaissance01]

Cheers RO...So i just take screenshots ? how do i turn up the detail ? What's AA? Sorry if they're stupid questions. I'm new to level design. Also how can i see the real time in full screen to get a screenshot ? Do i just add a player start and then 'play from here'. Although Roboblitz is in the way.hmmm any help would be much appreciated.

[RO]

I am not sure how robotblitz works but I would make sure to take out hud elements and the bot out of view. Looks for console commands on the robotblitz site.

AA ia anti aliasing you do that in your video card settings. in the game their should be option menu put it at the highest res you can use on your pc and you should be set also if the options are avilable make sure to put textures to be high.

[renaissance01]

Thanks heaps RO, I'll give it a go and see how it turns out. Cheers.

[renaissance01]

Hey everyone. I'm currently using the roboblitz editor for an environment i'm making. I have imported models and textures, made materials and set them up in the scene although when i save it all and open it back up to work on it. It first says it can't find 'my package' ( the package with all my models and textures that i saved etc.) it remembers my bsb subtractions and lighting etc but not my static meshes. Can any body help me. It's really frustrating. I'd appreciate any help on this problem. Cheers

[DooFi]

When you import your meshes/textures, create a new Package and save it before you close the editor. Thats all ;) There's no "myLevel" like Package in the RoboBlitz Ed, afaik, so you just put everything into one package and save that seperately.

[ninjacore]

hey. good job adjusting the model on the cabinet, and i would have done the same with the modelled in parts on the front of the cupboards. infact i would have modelled the 2 struts of wood crossing right where the drapes are.

but your textures. as well crafted as they are, 1024, 2048?? holy shii... fair enough its interior props, and you could imagine them in a First person game, but that seems wild to me. i'm intrested how much UV space your models are taking up. i can spot a few areas you could maybe mirror a few bits. did they really look that bad at 512?

[renaissance01]

Hey cheers for that DooFi...Lifesaver.

Hi Ninjacore. Thanks for your nice comments :) Yeah i agree. 1024 and 2048 is a bit huge. I only start with 2048 and lower the res from there. The UV space is pretty crammed and doesn't really have spots of space so i think it's ok. I think i'll lower them to 512 either way and see how they look. They don't look too bad at 512, i think i was just used to looking at 2048 textures in comparison lol :p

[renaissance01]

Hey DooFi. It's still doin the same thing. Saving the bsb brushed out parts/lighting etc but none of my package. I can still reload in my package but it doesn't remember where they were in the level. I saved the level and the the package so i don't know what else to do ?

[renaissance01]

Hey everyone. I've just started importing static meshes and textures and thought i'd show a screenshot of how it's going so far. It's still very much a w.i.p and the lighting is temporary. This is my first attempt at using level editing software so anything that sticks out to anybody, feel free to comment :) The warddrobe is now using a 512 map and the bed is using a 1024 map. The floor is a 512 tilable texture. cheers.
p.s. If any one else knows why it's not saving everything. please help me :p

[finchy]

Hi, finally found your work ;) I like the wardrobe, you'll have lots of fun (headaches) learning Unreal :) did my advice work on your package loading problem? keep it up.
Finchy :)

[renaissance01]

Hi Finchy, yeah sorry, should've given you a link or something. Yeh your advice worked by the way, cheers :) I'm having fun here and there (headaches) :p haha but it's all good fun.

Cheers
-Alex

[urgaffel]

The only thing that bugs me a bit about this project is that your props look a lot like the stuff in Gear Of War. The wardrobe and the drawers especially. Not sure if that was your intention or not but if you try to copy their style you'll be compared to GoW and they are hard to surpass. If it's a coincidence, feel free to ignore this post :)

[renaissance01]

The only thing that bugs me a bit about this project is that your props look a lot like the stuff in Gear Of War. The wardrobe and the drawers especially. Not sure if that was your intention or not but if you try to copy their style you'll be compared to GoW and they are hard to surpass. If it's a coincidence, feel free to ignore this post :)

Hey urgaffel, i guess they do resemble GoW props but i wasn't really intending on copying their stuff. I guess i'm going for the same sorta style, i was looking for a dirty/rundown style to my stuff but i guess GoW stuff is the same style. I'll keep note of it in the future but i guess it's hard not to 'copy' styles and looks these days. :)

[urgaffel]

I don't mean that Epic has a monopoly on the rundown style, I'm just saying that your props are very similar in shape and detailing to the stuff that Fabio and Adam did for GoW, the stuff they posted in this thread (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=39&t=489939&page=1&pp=15). Nothing wrong in doing something similar it's just that you run the risk of being compared to the original.

Anyway, enough about that. Your props are looking pretty nice and with some nice lighting and textures for the ceiling and floor you could have a nice scene on your hands.

[renaissance01]

Hey man, yeah i know exactly where you're coming from and cheers for being honest :) I like constructive critique :p Here's an update of the room so far. comments and critique are welcome :)

Updated:
-Drainage pole
-Light
-Lighting
-512 ceiling tilable texture
-pillows
-extra bsb subtractions
-extra crates
-picture frame

[Generalvivi]

I would add structures on the side walls and stuff and maybe a trim on the top and bottom of the walls. Perhaps some insets and extrudes in the room would help break up the "boxy" feeling it has atm . I hope my crits help some

- Generalvivi

[psychojohno]

I think you need to make the structure of the room more interesting and less square

Another problem i see is everything seems very blurred yet the images you showed of your props looked pretty sharp and nice. I dont know why that is but maybe somebody does?

[renaissance01]

Hey Generalvivi and PsychoJohno...I agree it is a bit boxxy at the moment. I'm not too sure where i should add or subtract some space in the room without making it look 'odd'. If anyone has any ideas, id love to hear them :) I've included some updates again. Updates include:

- Paper decals
- Green Leaves/weeds
- Glass bottles
- Lamp
- Rug
- Entry to bathroom
- Windows
- Lighting

I hope you like it so far. I'm having a lot of fun making it :) I'd love to hear some crits or comments. cheers.

[Gephoria]

only crit i have, first time viewing this thread, is now it looks like a fight or something happened in the room and the floor texture looks too clean, i'm thinking it's a basement, an old one since the pipe is rusted, the furniture isn't hte cleanest and yes i wanna compare it to GoW, looks like a fight went on or at least wind blew and there should be a dirtier texture on the carpet and/or floor, just my opinion though don't know what your intentions are

[renaissance01]

Hey Gephoria, Cheers for the comments...I did intend to give it an old/rundown/uncomfortable feel to it. I guess it could be looked at as a basement but i was more going for an abandoned hotel room or bedroom of a really rough place like a warehouse or something. I wanted to give the room a little bit of history rather than just furniture in the room with a few textures banged on the walls...i was looking to give it identity as if yes...the wind blew in, or yes, there was a fight...make the 'viewer' ask questions :) I shall dirty up the floor and carpet a bit and see how it looks. Any other comments ? positive/negative ? Thanks for looking :)

[antodonnell]

This is really coming together. Yeah the floor etc seems a tad clean for what your going for. Maybe slightly desaturate the tex and darken it slightly. Perhaps an overlay to dirty it up.

Also could be the third render but I feel the texture on the back wall seems a bit stretched. Also do you have it in a game engine or is it a rendered scene !??

Could be good to play with lighting also to get your mood. it ll bring it all together

[renaissance01]

Hey Antodonnell. Cheers for the comments :) Yeah i agree with the floor texture. I'm fixing it up as we speak. It's running in realtime in unreal engine 3, the screenshots are from the viewport. Yeah i still need to work on lighting a bit...got any suggestions? I'm working on the bathroom in the back at the moment. I'll post updates soon :) cheers

[renaissance01]

I've started working on the bathroom now and here are some updates to the environment. Feel free to post comments and critique :D
cheers.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/fourstar04/roomwip2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/fourstar04/roomwip3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/fourstar04/bathroomwip4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/fourstar04/bathroomwip5.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/fourstar04/sink.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/fourstar04/bathroomwip3.jpg

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