OK guys yesterday i was lookin around in the forum and i discovered that i have to help u guys, send tips and techniques and stuff in general. i didn’t know. sorry
so from tomorrow u are getting the storyline finished concept of the whole scene (not just chars n stuff). and techniques that i use for modelling
sorry i didn’t know (it’s my first challenge) so i’ll start with modelling
how do i model:
at first is the concept (i change it if i see it sucks)draw rough sketches, lots of them especially for characters it’s a huge plus, when u r familiar with the character you can model him on the fly. i noticed that most of my friends who can’t sketch as easily as i, can’t model characters or have enormous difficulty, so start sketching. (another tip don’t model your own face it becomes obssesive you are never happy with the way it looks and everybody u know says it looks like someone else and everybody that doesn’t know you says it looks just like u)
plus i also find that anatomically incorrect models can collect more WOWs than anatomically correct ones. huge deltoids and non existent waists for example might seem like something out of a comic, but they add extra WOW-iness to your superhuman create - ures (creatures sounds kinda bliach).
i start with a primitive (usually a box, cylinders for chest, arms and legs),then i convert to editable poly and use symmetry,shell and turbosmooth.deleting polys, extruding edges creating shapes in general is easy cos u have show end result on, thus u see what u r modelling (or what max is modelling for u). armor plates and machinery can be modelled in seconds. also use vertex weights and edge creease saves modelling time. chamfer stuff or use chamfer cylinders and boxes (extended primitives) u will see a huge difference when that narrow highlights appears on the edgez of a model.
i make the base shape for the gun (example) then i duplicate or detach pieces giving them other shapes depending on the concept. after the main modl is finished i add different details with primitives ,copying, resizing, multiple copies (previously i modelled everything attached, you know shapes and stuff by extruding the base model i discovered that in mechanical modelling this is stupid since it takes too much time for a small amount of detail)
then i make things like wires and hozes (the line tool in max is the best for this) u just turn on render mesh in the modify panel.try to make them attach to things like small cylinders so they look as part of the model.
detailing, another trick is using the lattice modifier on either a clone or parts of the object this makes missing panels and panelling in general a piece of cake
for armor, reusing the parts that u have already modelled is a quick shortcut, especially if u want more than one set of suits.
another trick is random extrudes (i use a script from blur studios (thanx guys))
and i use advance painter (another script) for painting on thing like vines
i also use z brush, the only problem with zbrush is that it exports to maya and the geometry from the import to max is problematic, it doesn’t soft-select correctly and generally doesn’t behave as i want it to. so i use it for objects i know will be staticn (non0deformable)
zbrush can give good detailing on character wounds, scars, wrinckles and generally bumps.
the arm in the alien model is modelled in zbrush
also a technique i started using some months ago for stills, is to texture in photoshop straight on the final image, thus avoiding the painfull process of uvmapping for one still
dirt and most of th imperfections surfaces have can be added in post (the only problem is when u r dealing with reflections). the alien is a composite of a clay render (a render with only a skylight and gi enabled), a scanline render with one light and texturing in photoshop (just 2 minutes in photoshop) plus a duplicate of the whole image with a wave/riplle filter.
shading: falloff is one of the maps i use more frequently, u can do alsorts of cool stuff like fading edges, glowing insides(like subsurface but a fake).
another thing on modelling characters flowlines and quads is the basic idea. u stick to quads till they interupt the flowlines. what i mean is don’t get obsessed with quads stick to the flowlines. plus for hi-res modelling insert geometry for wrinkles and places where the skinoverlaps, u will see a differnce when u skin the model and use the skin-morph modifier in max 7 where u can make wrinkles that show when the arm bends when the fingers bend, even veins and stuff.
i’m currently working on my my BA research on muscle simulation once it’s finished i’ll upload it to my site(which is under construction as u might of noticed, since i don’t have net and we are making it with a friend of mine (ARIS, aka brutus,aka gray)and it will host some other friends to ( if u are interested mail me)). in my research i explain ways of simulating muscle movement and things like vein and wrinkle protrusion(thus the correct modelling of them).
ok this is all for now, i’ll check in tomorrow (as u know i don’t have net at home)
so bye
and i am waiting for comments on this mini tutorial
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