Cinematic Game Icons - environment - zzzrByte

[zzzrByte]

I am having some problems with texturing polys in Maya. My problem is with that burnt plank of wood in the campfire you see in the pic above.

I'd appreciate it if those who know their poly texturing could help me out with this. I started a thread on this issue here (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=67996).

[blastzone]

your pic looks very fallout tactics, thats a great game id like to see how this turns out :D all the best gl man

[zzzrByte]

I only played Fallout Tactics' demo, but I love the entire Fallout series (played 1 and 2)... So I'll take that as a compliment :thumbsup:

I managed to squeeze in more work today on this, so here's an update.
Fixed the texture on the tent, changed it's shape, added carpeting and a weathered "weather guard", chucked some more wood into the fire and a few other small tweaks.

http://www.childsafetyexperts.com/zzz/zzzrByte_isometric_2.jpg

If any one has any ideas on which direction they would like me to take this, I'd love to hear y'all. I'm also not sure whether to take the camera even farther back from the action (same perspective but higher) or leave it as is... I'll probably decide as more of the scene unfolds.

[Pancreas]

Isometric games rulez!! I´ve always held the best games in history use this point of view, Dungeon Keeper was my fav.

However, there are two types of this games, me thinks, those wich are obviously isometric (where objects, characters and environment are placed in a clear tiled plane) as Diablo and those which try to break the strict grill with irregular objects and environments as Baldurs Gate.

What´s the story behind your scenario? It´s a post apocaliptic hippy camp? Or an harem in mars?
I can´t help you with polys textures, the only thing I know about Maya is that rymes with playa.

Keep adding objects! :thumbsup:

[blastzone]

lol i LOVE fallout i got all of them including tactics. if i was good enough id do something like it but alas im no where near good enuf to post on these forums.

i think u need to fix the sand a little looks a bit funny, the tent looks good tho.

i def think u should go with the post apopilyctic idea tho gives u alotof freedom.

BoS (hint hint)

[zzzrByte]

Well, I think I know which direction I am taking this one...
The tent is a part of a small outpost outside a nuclear bunker which is the base for a post apocalyptic gang...
Unless ofcourse the bunker modeling doesn't go well... In which case, it's just a tent (nothing to see here! move along!)

Pancreas - A martian Harem? That gives me flashbacks from Total Recall (hmmm... A flashback of a flashback? :eek: ).... Anyway, I think I am developing a clear view of what this is... See description above. As for which kind of isometric this is.... I guess this is the "irregular kind" since I don't plan on doing any tiling here.

blastzone - lol, I don't consider myself good enough to post in these forums either... But that's not going to stop me. :p (and no, I am not desperately trying to fish for compliments here) Anyway... I am thinking of going the post-apocalyptic way here... In fact, my idea for this outpost is very BoS like. Just don't explain what BoS means out loud in this thread or people will start thinking I am lifting ideas from Fallout ;) As for the sand, I will try and play around with it a bit more to get it looking better.

[Neox]

ah come on don't push your self that much down! good work so far, keep adding details and surprise us with something what we didn't expect and you'll get your points on the final votes.
btw you are not too bad for posting in this forums!

so go on with your work!

:beer:

[zzzrByte]

:bounce: Flowerchild Troll!!! I appreciate that... I'll try and do my best. But if you really mean it, then don't enter this challenge... You're depressing the rest of us with your godlike skills.

Still working here... Hopefully will have something to show y'all soon. Ohhh, last thing, I pulled the camera back to a higher perspective, because I'm planning a bigger scene... So next update may be a bit different.

[Neox]

i'm still in man (see my sig ;) )
btw thank you, and yes i mean it as i said

[zzzrByte]

Haven't posted in a few, but I have been busy... I've gone through many different guard posts, and bunker entrances, but this is what I like most.
It's a sentinel - a technology from a time before the war, now used as a guard's platform/tower.

I'd love to hear what you think about it.

http://www.childsafetyexperts.com/zzz/zzzrByte_isometric_3.jpg

The sentinel can also be closed for protection when not in use (and to allow the guard to get on it):
http://www.childsafetyexperts.com/zzz/zzzrByte_isometric_3_closed.jpg

I'm still not if this is just a remote guard outpost with the tent there just as a place for the guards to rest between guard duties... Or maybe there are several sentinels guarding a big camp (and this tent is just a part of it)... I'm leaning toward the second option.

[blastzone]

the ideas good but i think 2 things
1 that the sentinal needs to tie in with the sand better i use blender so dont ask me how but it should and also if its pre war it should look a bit dated and worn by the sand

and also i would think it would look cool if u put in a hatchway down into some kinda underground bunker by the tents.

(inspired by the hole under the snetinal in its raised state)

but goin good i like the way its progressing

[zzzrByte]

It will be more worn out... I haven't started texturing it yet, that's just the default grey Blinn shader. And I will also work on integrating it into the ground better (I know it looks kind of floating right now). I even have an idea of integrating the old tech with "new" primitive tech... put a couple of sharp sticks as a primitive "spike trap" around the sentinel.

As for the underground idea... My thinking behind this picture (before building the sentinel) is that the whole area is built over an old underground base... That way the new base can combine the tech of the original base with some new additions on top.

Hmmm, putting all my ideas in writing like this and hearing your ideas and crits really helps me develop the idea further! Please keep writing everyone! :love:

[blastzone]

well the way i see it is i cant enter this im just nnot good enough and blender just wont stand up to the compatition on here so i like to give my support to one entry and follow it so i kinda hel[p in the development if only a little

i hope u dont mind me bugging u if u do ill just shut up i just feel more inspired by what u have so far than anyone else (im a big post appocalyptic fan) so i want u to do well but i also think ur ideas are great i agree about the sticks that sounds like a gd idea

have u come up with a real background story? or u just winging it?

[zzzrByte]

Bugging me? :eek: Are you crazy? I'm extremely honored! Why do you think I check this thread every 20 minutes?

I do this things for the feedback (the good and the bad), it really motivates me to keep going! So please don't stop!

I am still looking for ideas from as many people as possible, so if anyone else has anything to contribute, I would love to hear as many people as possible!


I don't really have a background story more then what I posted on CGChallenge.com:
A small community lives in this small campsite, built on top of an old underground military base. One of the environments from my new post-apocalyptic RPG (served from an isometric/top down view).


I started working on the texturing of the sentinel... But I'm still struggling with making the sentinel base seem "grounded" and not just like I cut and pasted it there.

Here's a small update on the sentinel texture:

[Wolfzbane]

Hmmm, about "making the sentinel base seem "grounded" and not just like I cut and pasted it there", I think what could work nicely is if the sand would cover it a bit at the base, a bit irregularly. You could achieve this by adding geometry to the base and texturing it as sand. Or just texturing would do although it might look a bit flat without bump maps. Blending it so it matches nicely with the actual sandy ground will be the real challenge here.
Coming along great though, anxious to see more.

[zzzrByte]

Added some more details, including a spikey road block in front of the sentinel.

I also tried two new textures for the ground... What do you think?

Which ground texture do you like better?

Version 1:
http://www.childsafetyexperts.com/zzz/zzzrByte_isometric_4a.jpg

Version 2:
http://www.childsafetyexperts.com/zzz/zzzrByte_isometric_4b.jpg

Really looking forward to hearing comments.

Wolfzbane - I covered the sentinel base with some sand and a few rocks, seems to be doing the job, and it works even better with the new ground textures. Thanks!:thumbsup:

[Virtuoso]

Fun game.As for direction you should think exactly what you would want in your dream game.Baldur's gate,diablo etc,etc...it's your game,show the World the way it should be done.

You got a nice start.I think in the long run a game like this should have tons of props,lot's of visual treats besides your main objects,characters,etc...

I like the second version better,but perhaps you can add some minor fissures or cracks to it.Kind of the best of both Worlds.

Just keep adding nice detail,props,etc,you are on your way to a nice finished fully realized set piece.Good work,and keep working hard.:thumbsup: :beer:

[Nath]

I think version 1 looks better... 2 makes them look a bit like miniature models.

[zzzrByte]

Well, I got 5 opinions... three say version 1 is better, two say version 2... And since I am one of those three, version 1 it is. It also has more of a scorched earth kind of feel to it which works with the post-apocalyptic setting. I may try a few other things down the line, but I will stay with that ground texture for now.

Virtuoso - Wise words mate... What I want to convey in this environment is the sense that this is a world populated by a mixture of pre-war tech along with the post war tech. A quote by Albert Einstein comes to mind: I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
I will be working hard on populating that environment with more props (and hopefully characters) to fit that concept...

Nath - Yes, that's what I felt too... That texture is more realistic, but it doesn't really fit in there to make the scenery feel real. Thanks for the help.

[blastzone]

i also could swear i can see footprints in 2 lol and it makes the scene look a little like its floating. i vote 1 2 lol

comming along nice u should have like a crashed out plane or wrecked cars or something l;ike remnents of the past or the remains of a ruined city


:airguitar

[H13]

Great Idea there ;)

I really like the looks of it so far.
This could really be part of a great game.

To your question: Have you tried yet to
Mix the two textures together in Maya using a blend material (maybe with a Mask texture)

I think both textures are cool, but maybe if you combine them the result could be even better ;)

[zzzrByte]

As for the ground texture, I am going to stick with version 1 for now. I ordered Total Textures CDs v1,v2,v3 in the mail and when they arrive I am going to take a new look at the ground texture... Until then, I am sticking with this texture.

blastzone - Good to hear from you, I thought you gave up on me.

I also thought about adding some burnt wrecks of cars, or planes but I am not sure I will have the time to build and texture something... I might use my plane WIP (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=546458) and bust it up and texture it so that it will seem crashed and rusted. What do you think?

H13 - Thanks for the comments. Yes, I thought about mixing them, but like I said above, I am going to wait... Right now I have about 4 ground textures on my harddrive... when I get the texture CDs, I will have several dozen. So I don't want to be wasting my time on this only to find something much better later on.

Please keep writing y'all!

[blastzone]

yeh gd idea i see what u mean about running out of time sorry bout the break was buisy last few days lol =) i gotta say i love ur slightly cartoony style not quite toon not quite photoreal very cool and your plane is the same i think itll fit nice.. and have wing braces anpped and stroon about arround the plane lol...

oh and oil barrels all pa games i seen have loads of oil barrels and ammo boxes some oil barrels blown up 1 with fire in that kinda thing just some suggestions

best o luck man =)

[Amir]

Tkanks for the imput, I aprecciate it. Natasha'Shem made me laugh out loud, so thank you for that too. :)
Kabel kif ahi ve nedaber bekarov. (yes thats what Hebrew sounds like) :p

[zzzrByte]

Small update:
Reinforced the base's defence with more baricades, added a flag, a 0.5 ammo box, and smoked the ground under the campfire.

http://www.childsafetyexperts.com/zzz/zzzrByte_isometric_5.jpg

blastzone - I never knew I had my own style... That is a big compliment! As always, your writing inspires me... :love: I admit I was going for a look that is between cartoony and photoreal with the plane (and the rest of that movie which I am making, and you can read more about it in it's thread (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=546458)), but I didn't know I achieved the same look with this scene... If I did, then maybe it really is my style.
As for the barrels, I've been really holding myself not to add any to this scene as they are so overdone, they've become a cliche'... I did add an ammo box in there though.

Amir - Thanks Amir, how about some bikoret bona?

[blastzone]

i really like the flag.... :airguitar

2 things tho 1 dull down the ammo it sticks out a little 2 much and 1 thing that has been bugging me but i could never place it has just become clear.. round those stones and in general add kinda piles of gravel to tie the rocks in with the ground tex but i see what u mean about the barrels...

o and the wood in the fire it looks to uniform it looks and im guessing like u just made 1 peice and copyed it..??? doesnt look natural maybe make a small fire out of embers shoud be easyer...... pile up some crate or osmething if this is a milliterry bunker then need some cover so ur gonna need something like that evenm baracades made from desks and fence panels anything that says "protection" lol just to clutter the scene up a bit o and did i say i love the flag lol :airguitar

but its really getting alot more beliveable nowgd work man keep at it :D

[griffdrc]

i like it but the ground looks flat... maybe i'm getting ahead of ya... i like the fact that there is almost no limit to what u can add... nice job

[zzzrByte]

Just a small update, an M16-M203 lying next to the ammo crate (yeah I know, M16 is 5.56mm and the ammo in the crate is about 0.5"... but that's ok, it's not the M16's ammo)... I did this from memory with no reference, in like 30 minutes, but I think it's good enough when viewed from so far away... Or is it? Please let me know.

By the way, the weapon won't be there in the final version, I just threw it there to show y'all... I'm preparing a special place to store all the ammo and weapons... and if it comes out like it looks like in my head ( :insane: ) right now... It's gonna be really cool!


griffdrc - I know the ground looks flat, but that is by choice because this is an old abandoned military base (which are usually quite flat). I hope this won't bother the viewer so much when there is more clutter on the scene (more details, maybe some dried grass, we'll see). Thanks for the kind words! Please stick around with me. Even when I don't agree with criticism, it still makes me take a long hard look at my work, and helps me improve it... For example, you just made me realize I'm going to have to put alot of work into the ground clutter I just described... So that's really helping.

blastzone - The reason there are no rocks except for the ones which have a purpose (in the barricades and around the campfire), is that this camp is inhabited by military personal (what's left of the military)... And military bases (even the smallest outposts) don't tend to have too many stray rocks... I know, I've moved quite a few rocks around, in my time in the army when I was a rookie.
I plan to add some dried grass later on, and maybe add some rocks around those.
As for the ammo and the burnt planks (busted!), I will work on improving those.
Regarding the extra protection... The thing is, I am still not sure about the story behind this, but I think the military personel in there are fending off against enemies which only use hand to hand weapons... And since the ones inside the base are the only ones with ranged weapons, they don't need that kind of protection... I will know more once I get the story finalized in my head.

[zzzrByte]

Needed some inspiration, and what could be better then a Tim Burton movie? A Tim Burton movie in a post-apocalyptic world!
So I just came back from the local BlockBuster with a copy of the "new" Planet of the Apes which I haven't see yet... It comes on 2 DVDs packed with special features, so I am hopeful I have uncovered a goldmine of ideas... Or a big dissapointment... Time will tell.

PLAY:wip:

UPDATE (TWO HOURS LATER) - YOU MANIACS! YOU RUINED THE MOVIE! DAMN YOU! GOD DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!!
Well, maybe I'll at least get something out of the extra features on disc 2.

[blastzone]

lol 1 im sorry u had to find out like that you should have asked first i would have told u not to get it and also 1 very wrong part of the film HE KISSED AN APE!!!!!!!!!! a supermodel and an ape he kisses an APE!!! bloody nutcase

i forgot to ask or maybe u said but what software u using?

ps i HATE the ending to planet of the apes:annoyed:

[zzzrByte]

I promised a nice place for the friendly people of this quaint little outpost to store their apparel and accessories (read armor and sharp rusty weapons). So how about a lovely ice cream fridge full of ammo, weapons and sharp things.

Here's the fridge, sans contents... I also plan on busting and dirtying it a bit, but I wanna hear what you think about it first.
So write me! Write like the wind!

http://www.childsafetyexperts.com/zzz/zzzrByte_isometric_6_fridge.jpg

blastzone - Well, when I rented Planet of the Apes, I wasn't expecting any babes, so the Supermodel was still a nice bonus. I really didn't like the changes in the story they made... The story in the original was deeper, and the ending made more sense. Never mind, that's completly off topic.
To answer your question, I am using Maya 4.5 on Win XP and lots of Pepsi Max.:surprised

[bodini]

cool fridge(modeling)! Fill it with beer!:beer:

To me, It's a little too clean (texture) and seems to be more an ad than a reel game element...too flashy (blue maybe) ... but nowadays ads in game is so commun ... i only give you my opinion...

Rest is good!
:thumbsup:

[zzzrByte]

I was aiming for flashy... I was actually inspired to do this by OddWorld (hence AbeCicles)... A series of games which are very, very dark and grim but are filled with cutesy cheery products (made from the flesh of cute creatures). The actual fridge was inspired by fake product ads from OddWorld (ad 1 (http://www.oddworld.com/downloads/wall_assets/gum3.jpg), ad 2 (http://www.oddworld.com/downloads/wall_assets/chill3.jpg), ad 3 (http://www.oddworld.com/downloads/wall_assets/chow2.jpg))... The world of OddWorld is really grim, crazy and quite inspirational, you should check it out (http://www.oddworld.com/).

So that's what I was aiming for... The sharp contrast between a cutesy colorful popsicle fridge which is actually filled with weapons and ammo.
And like I said... I plan on busting it up, and dirtying it... You know, before the game ships :scream:

[bodini]

Roger that... i was out!:hmm:

In Abbe, ads are also a mean to critic consuming world: control people with goods, world compagny,...

Fill it with weapons; you're right!:thumbsup:

[Dreamwave]

I'd use anything else than AbeCicles, it's too much inspired from Abe and the Mudokon Pops :shame:

Scene looks cool though :thumbsup:

[zzzrByte]

bodini - Right... And what's left of all that commercialism... A rusty busted out fridge in the middle of the desert with a product placement on it... I thought it was a nice touch :D If Chuck Palanihuk would ever write a futuristic post-apocalyptic novel, I'm sure he'd lift this idea from me :p

Dreamwave - I was inspired by the ads on this page (http://www.oddworld.com/downloads/ow_wallpaper.html), especially the one for Zap... To be honest, I don't really remember the Mudokon Pops. I thought naming it AbeCicles was a nice (and harmless) tribute to a series which has inspired me alot. Besides, I am going to dirty it up so much, you won't be able to see the name too clearly... Soon! :D

[Virtuoso]

zzzrByte.....I see you just attempted to PM me.Sorry for the problem of getting in.Just post in my thread if possible.I think 15 or so people have tried in the past 3 days but no in-coming mail is being accepted.It says it is full,but I have always kept it clean after messages come in.

They say that it must be a problem with the people sending to me.But it's basically everyone.And these samepeople are haveing no problems elsewhere. It's just to my PM in-coming box.What's a guy to do.I will have to get them to try something new again.
:hmm:

About your work.........As I said earlier,props and more props always work.
I would add even a second barracade to the first one,usually they have them set up in a staggered set-up.

Dirty up everything,make it look worn old,used,beaten up.Corrosion can be beautiful too you know.;)

Yes dirty up that fridge,also I think scale it down a bit,otherwise it could become too much a vocal point in your scene.It should remain a prop.

Also crumple up your rug a bit,just crease it if possible,dirty it up a bit. Just keep :wip: ,add more props,and try and really center your main object or focal point,show it's importance in the scene.See you soon. :beer:

[zzzrByte]

Virtuoso - Points taken... Working on it! And regarding fridge size, I agree... I'll try and size it down a bit.
The reason I don't have a really important object which is the focal point of this work, is that in my head I see this all animated... With an interface, and a mouse cursor and the savages running up to the blockade and getting shot down by the soldiers... When you have that much game-styled action on screen... it becomes the focal point itself... Whether or not I will realize this dream of making it into a clip from a game remains to be seen.

[zzzrByte]

Well, I guess I worked on this fridge for too long... The end result is too small to notice all the work I put into the texture anyway. But it was a learning experience. I especially learned alot about UV editing (I barely knew anything about it before this).

Here it is, along with the texture I used on the lid (cropped).

http://www.childsafetyexperts.com/zzz/zzzrByte_isometric_6_dirty_fridge.jpg

I am really happy with the texture (image mapped to color) but not at all with the bump... I also need to tone down the specular highlights... A specularity map could have added a lot to this image... But like I said, I worked too much on something which is barely going to be visible in the end result.

[zzzrByte]

Surprise, surprise! :rolleyes:

I have to abandon this project for now... I have to complete a short movie this month for the Maya course I am taking.

I would appreciate some feedback on this project (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=73873).

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