PDA

View Full Version : next gen character pipeline help

Cnine
03-16-2010, 10:36 PM
Does anyone out there know of a tutorial (or a series of) DVD(s) for the creation pipeline of next-gen game characters? I just watched a "next gen character design and modeling" DVD from Gnomon and also a "Character setup and animation" from Digital Tutors.

However, in the modeling dvd, the dude modeled a large majority of the model in ZBrush and went on to state that "anything in ZBrush cant strictly be animated due to topology" but then said "ok this is now ready for animation" at the end of the dvd, which was really confusing... :sad: And the animation DVD used a naked, low-poly character to animate - so no ZBrush or detail at all! :cry:Where is the inbetween?

Is there anything out there that explains the process of modeling a next-gen character using softimage, maya or max - taking it into zbrish, then animating it???

Thanks for reading.
Psyk0
03-17-2010, 12:09 AM
The main step between the finished high poly and animating the game mesh is called re-topology. A good starting place would be to google retopology tutorial.
Animasta
03-17-2010, 01:41 AM
Yep, and if you're looking for a free solution to retopology, I hear Blender has a decent retopology tool. If that doesn't suit your needs, then a popular choice (and one I'm starting to learn) is TopoGun.
Hibernatus
03-20-2010, 07:25 PM
How do you get the UVs to match between the high-res model and a low-res retopo to apply the normal map?
Psyk0
03-21-2010, 04:40 AM
The high poly model does not need UV mapping for map baking.

The only time you would want to UV the high poly, would be for polypainting, automatic UV mapping in zbrush works fine for this. You could also unwrap your base mesh before exporting it to zbrush...if you prefer to build your base in a traditional 3D app.
Hibernatus
03-21-2010, 08:27 AM
Ok so how do you apply all the detail from the high-res mesh to the retopo?
Psyk0
03-21-2010, 05:36 PM
You "bake" details from the high poly to the retopo using the tools in your application of choice:

The no brainer solution is Xnormal:
http://www.xnormal.net/Downloads.aspx

Tutorials:
http://www.xnormal.net/Tutorials.aspx

If you prefer to bake in zbrush or another app, you'll find plenty of tutorials online.
Hibernatus
03-22-2010, 12:32 AM
Thanksssss!
CGTalk Moderation
03-22-2010, 12:33 AM
This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.