UGAC - PROP 102 - ULTIMATE CRATE/BARREL - DevilHacker

#1

Ultimate Crate Challenge

Let me first say thank you to Nathan for putting up with me in the feedback form
I was so eager to get started. :arteest:

[Background]
Since the beginning of videogames, Developers have used boxes and crates to provide a safe-haven for the hero in need of cover. Now, dozen of years after the crate has emerged into videogame history, not much has changed

Until now! Queue Evil Laugh

Queue The Ultimate Crate: The achievement of years of gaming. For years, Crates have taken the beating from countless users too coward to face the bullets, and pirates and other criminals trying to hide their gold. Well
Now its all going to change. The crates of the world are fed up with the countless abuse and now fight back, trying to achieve their lifelong goal to just be left alone. Dubbed the “Living Box”, these boxes are to be avoided at all costs. No one knows when the crate gained these abilities and evolved to what they are today, with their sharp splintered-broken wood teeth, long hairy organic legs, and sharp pointed claws

[Plan]
[color=darkorange]June 21st 2005- The challenge starts today! That alone makes it a great day. Today will be filled with laying out a plan of action on how I am going to go about creating the coolest Crate ever made! I will also start (and finish) the concept art of the “Living Crate” and post it sometime later in the night.[/color]
[color=darkorange]June 22nd 2005- Hey, Fresh day, a fresh model! Today I plan on starting the process of modeling the crate. It should not be that hard to get a rough layout of how it is going to look, after all in it just an box in the most basic form
I hope to get far in modeling the crate and get some feedback from people on what I can do to improve the quality of my model (after all, I am here to learn form others).[/color]
[color=darkorange]June 23rd 2005- Today I plan on getting close to finishing off the model, and having it ready for texturing when I get back (keep reading for more info). I plan on heading up to Texas A&M around 3:00PM to see my older brother swim (he is on the swim team).[/color]
[color=darkorange]June 24th-27th 2005- Going to be up at College Station (AKA: Texas A&M) all four days, with me driving back (very late) the fourth night. Not much I can do in terms of working on the project, But I will see if I can get hold of a computer and reply to any posts
[/color]
[color=darkorange]June 28th 2005 till’ end of competition- I will work, and finish the texture, and if I have time, rig the model for extra practice.[/color]

[Concept Art]

Ok, there is everything. Feel free to post any ideas of suggestions.

#2

Lookin’ pretty cool. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a crate in a game coming alive. Hmm… the mental gears are turning.

#3

Concept art updated :thumbsup:

-6/22/05

#4

Ok here is some progress

it’s a
BOX!

    [[img]http://img26.echo.cx/img26/9563/livingcrate1mini9nx.jpg[/img]](http://img100.echo.cx/img100/3702/livingcrate18ur.jpg)

   LOL, seriously, I have got some progress done, and just need to take some screen shots.
   Expect another post in a few min.
[img]http://cgtalk.com/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif[/img]

-6/22/05

#5

if you don’t use the 32 trigons at the top and bottom of box (64 together plus trigons from the beveled edges) delete them. you don’t have do waste polys at that stage of developement dude.

You could use these polys for the legs. trust me, you will need them at a later stage of developement.

greetz the Baer

#6

Hey, Thanks for the suggestion.
No worries though. I am just trying to get everything set up first, their will be heavy scene optimization when I am done.

#7

Setting up holes in the crate were the legs will come out…

And, yes, I know there is lots of wasted tri’s there.
But as I said before I will delete all that I don’t need, when I get the legs in there.

#8

Ok, in the picture below, I am setting up were the entrance to the “living Crate’s” mouth will be.
Nothing much here either, but I thought I would post for those who want to follow along with the steps I am doing.

   [[img]http://img143.echo.cx/img143/9063/livingcrate3mini8lu.jpg[/img]](http://img28.echo.cx/img28/2226/livingcrate31gw.jpg)

-6/22/05
I just got done with the teeth, and will be posting them in a min.

#9

OK, Here are the teeth.
What I was basically going for here was for the teeth to look like splintered wood, or broken glass. If anyone sees something that they think I can approve, speak up, because I will be moving onto modeling the legs and feet next, and hopefully finish (or mostly finish) the model before I drive up to Texas A&M later today.

     So, Here are the images:

-6/23/05

#10

Whoaaa, dude, you are planning on cutting down your polycount, right? Cause those holes where your legs are going to be have ‘high-poly’ written all over 'em.
I think it might be better if you just extruded the legs from the sides of the box or something rather than actually have them come out of holes… that’s the sort of thing you would be able to add in with a bump/normals map or something…

-eric

#11

Ya, I have cut down the poly count in half, were the holes for the legs are, and will further cut down on the polycount when I optimize the scene. So I should not have any problem with going over 1000ploys.

#12

Ok…
I got the legs done.
And before everyone says to cut down on polys…
I know, and am right now.

#13

Ok, Below is an picture of me taking off the legs, and optimizing the holes…

-6/23/05

#14

OK everyone, this will be my last post before I drive up to Texas A&M, and as I said above, I will try to get hold of an hotspot, and post replies.

As everyone said I should do, I optimized the scene, and now I am only 320polys over the limit. So, don’t worry, I will be under an 1000.

Ok, here are some screen shots!

[[img]http://img25.echo.cx/img25/8941/livingcrate71mini3mu.jpg[/img]](http://img25.echo.cx/img25/5402/livingcrate716ku.jpg)

[b]

-6/23/05[/b]

#15

definatly use less polys for those legs… looks like your using maybe a 12 to 16 sided cylinder? I’d hit that down to about 7 to 9

as for the holes, just make the legs seperate objects and keep the holes to about 4 to 8 sides at most then extrude inwards once…

it is getting there but definatly some optimization could be done.

oh and… I would cut the amount of bevel you have going on the edges of the box by half… that is taking up alot of uneeded polys as well.

Because really you have to think, depending on the game what is the player going to have time to see? This is a moving box so he will see even less.

#16

HA! Told yall I would find an internet connection!
:smiley:

Hey Geta-Ve, Thanks for the reply!
I am definitely going to take use of that advice when i get back home…

I was wondering about one thing, and hopefully some people here can give me their thoughts about what they think… I was recently thinking about adding an eye (like an Cyclops) to the box, if I can find enough polys left to pull it off… What does everyone think?
:shrug:

#17

it’s definatly possible if you use your polys wisely, but i think for your concept the crate would look better without an eye

just think if its in an adventure game or what not it would be randomly running around taking big bites at things. I could imagine it scuttling around really fast… like at first you think its just a normal crate because you wouldnt see the teeth or legs but then when you get close it sorta bounces up in the air the legs fling out and the mouth opens and it runs randomly around biting the air trying to get you

heh.

#18

i see it more as a tube rather than leg. the crate itself looks to me like a the evil water pump, or sludge pump. and the legs like tubes that fit inside some sludge, radioactive substance, or slime, or something like that.

and whoever passes by it spits acid, or toxic subtances. doesn’t really move around. and has only one eye in its forehead.

that’s how I see it.

looks good anyway. good stuff:bounce:

#19

[color=white]Ya, that’s how I originally saw it…[/color]
[color=white]With the crate walking around just taking bites of anything it since.[/color]
:smiley:

[color=white]Thanks.
Don’t worry; it will defiantly look like an crate when I am done with it. I plan on maybe having the textures WWII era

:thumbsup:

[/color]

#20

Ok, I am back home, working on my workstation now, so the progress on the living crate can continue!

Last night I was reading over some of the competitors forms, and I saw Supervlieg’s gif of his model spinning in 3d
Very cool idea. I am surprised that there aren’t more of those floating around the forms.
So here is mine:

Just remember supervlieg, that what I am doing (with the animated GIF) is the sincerest form of flattery

[b]

 [img]http://img29.echo.cx/img29/8691/livingcrateanimation26jc.gif[/img]

[/b] [left] -6/27/05[/left]