[perhilzit]

Hey there!

I've been playing games since i was very little starting with the Atari which most of you ofcourse know and gaming is big passion for me, not only to play but also judge games concerning graphics, gameplay and such. call me crazy but i'm not only playing the game, but also living the game!

anyway, my point being i'm gonna start a course at the NHTV breda in the netherlands of game architecture and design, the modeling part and i've been playing around with 3D modeling programs such as 3d max and maya (i know very little but i'm still learning )

the meaning of this topic is to discuss art of eachother, post tips and such and inspire each other. i don't have any work to show except tutorial stuff and i'm at work now so i can't show anything.

let's begin!

[Bejemoelemymn]

A few people and I are trying to make a game in our spare time. May end up being just a
CGI or something but who knows. Trying any projects will certainly improved graphics skills.

From my experiance, I highly recomemnd google sketchup (static, inorganic shapes) and Zbrush (organic shapes, characters). Sketchup is free and Pro version of it is not to expensive. Zbrush costs money. Good renderer is

I will post some step by step examples from my own stuff of what you can do with those two
progs.

BASIC

So you need to make something that looks nice. It is good to plan ahead and maintain proper proportions. So in general:

FIG. 1: Start out with a basic design


FIG. 2: Add all detailed geometry and textures by layers. Make sure each object is an independent component, or else you will have problems should you wish to change materials during rendering.


FIG. 3: Add all minor detail such as curving all blocky edges.


Heres another example with rendering thrown into the mix.

FIG. 1: Make model with medium geometry.


FIG. 2: Test render for speed analysis.


FIG. 3: Add major components to the scene without changing camera angle.


FIG. 4: Add everything else and test render.


FIG. 5: Work atmosphere, skybox, environement, and etc. Done.

Note: the less geometry, the better for games. Even low geometry can look nice (see fence).

MISC TIPS

For 2D cartoon or artsy renders of 3D stuff, either:

FIG.1: Render an alpha map for B and W image.


or

FIG. 2: Make main object all one color that contrasts the background. This also renders fast.


For images you can superimpose onto something, simply put a 2D green or blue plane in the background and shift light source to come from the side of the camera.

FIG. 3: Animation over virtual greenscreen. It really doesn't matter what solid color background you use, but green and blue are presets all video programs so it will be simpler to work with.


BTW: Sketchup has a free version and a pro version. Both can make complex items. Here is a WIP:

FIG.4: An unfinished building.

[Jeffery]

Leonid the Lion mate please link those pictures before you get a Infraction
looking very good tho [yes]

[NEWyear]

Edit: Thanks man for bringing that to my attention. Just read the 640x480 forum rule. The pics are JPGs linked from tinypic which is an offshoot of photobucket. Resized the three larger pics.

[DailyRingtone]

Looks nice Leonid. i haven't worked with Sketchup and Zbrush yet. my college "requires" me to work with maya so i'm focusing on that. I recently received my application assignment and i need to make a Car with less then 1000 triangles. i'm still working on my skill with maya though so it will take some time to complete it. need to turn it in in about 2 months so i still got some time to learn.

once i start modeling the car i'll post the advancement of it.

[JMLot]

i am quite impressed leonid, very nice, makes me want to try it again[thumbup]

[Kayakeenemeds]

Cryptic Studios has released a new animation program called Cryptic AR. Might be worth a look.

http://www.crypticar.com/