Vou's Projects

[Vouivre]

I'm finally making one because I do have a LOT of projects going that's both in mind and in planning phases. First is what I make in the modeling classes. Now 3ds max and blender 2.5 are probably very different still, though I'll definitely post those in here as well.

Models from Visual concepts class:

Modern house my very first mesh that I ever really made and manipulated. I'm proud that I remembered how to cut stuff out with boolean and using extrude and other little tools. It has 3 doors, for the heck of it. Eventually I'll try to get my claws into texturing the big thing is trying to get into drawing/painting.

My first weapon 132 poly and 122 verts. I'm quite proud of myself actually. It came out way better than I thought it would. A solid piece. Just would need to do some nice uv mapping and get it to proper scale in game and I think it'd be perfect for use.

Sword WIP 566 polygons, most of which are in the handle. I could have used a lathe effect I'm sure but eh.. I wanted it to be perfect... I still might change the handle if I'm not totally happy. The pieces are pieces over the original blade itself. I figure I could hit 2-3k polygons which to me doesn't seem to be that bad.

Sword's rough shape is complete currently at a whopping 2228 polys. I'll be doing a lot of poly killing and vertice welding to merge and kill the number down.

Viking Scene My viking scene. nothing 'great' or spell binding in terms of incredible or awesome armor or weaponry. The hardest thing was the character model itself.

Fan Fiction:

I got a couple plans to write up a small fan fic of sorts involving a couple games I enjoy playing. May find a place to host and post links here

Game related:

I'm contemplating mods for Dragon Age, The witcher and maybe, if Two Worlds 2 has modding ability may try to get into that as well. Just to get my claws into different engines and companies. I would even contemplate grabbing Amnesia to test my skills with lighting and try to master ambiance.

Non Game Projects

Music

Haunting Melody About a half hour's work in Sony ACID Music Studio and a compilation of loops I got for free from Sony just for buying the software. Only about 1:30min long, thoughts

That's it for now. I'll update this as needed.

Edited March 29, 2012 by Vouivre

[grond]

You've got projects! Your first mesh eh? It's hard to comment on it - when you can, render the thing and show it off. Do it before you think it's ready to show off, then you'll get good critical comments about it.

I'll definitely be checking in here, Vou. Best of luck!

[Meo]

Yay! Another max user.

[Vouivre]

Yeah I'm only using the demo of the educational version so yeah nothing special I can use. I'll probably try to get a good render of the house tomorrow, I got the concept of it down. Just need to try to figure out how to make a much prettier mesh... when we do swords.. I'm gonna have a lot of fun trying to model what I got in mind.

[ResolveThatChord]

Intruiging... More details, please!

What games is the fanfiction about, and what are your ideas for these other RPGs?

A friend of mine studying game design uses Max, and is in love with Mudbox for creating assets. It looks amazingly fun to use. I've been considering getting a student licence for Max from uni and trying it out; how do you find the online education and support? The best thing about Blender is the community around it, constantly putting out advice, tutorials, experimental builds and generally making it fun and exciting to learn. Max is the industry standard; I'm willing to bet it's a lot less buggy and that the UI actually makes sense. Plus if I ever did want to join a professional studio, Blender won't look so good on the resume.

[Vouivre]

I haven't used the support, 3ds max's interface I'm in love with it, it's very nice to use once you can navigate it well enough. Actually using Blender will help you for smaller companies, especially if you have really good assets made. Small companies may want to use cheaper/free programs to save cost, always keep options open. I got plenty of ideas mostly I'm looking at some for Guild wars. Basically a series of fan fics following my characters through the games including the extras and then the transition from that time till death, then follow up to guild wars 2. I actually have a Charr character planned out, just debating on his profession.

The fanfics I'm looking at involve Guild Wars, Monster Hunter, Dragon Age, and probably a story or two involving my characters from Oblivion. But as for the modeling bit, I think once you know how to work with various different tools, it'll help in the long run. If you know how to run Blender, Maya and 3ds you'll be able to do your work anywhere and as long as scripts are present work between the three. I personally find that right now 3ds is a much better system to work with for getting the finer details modeling than blender. However I think once I learn Blender better, I'm leaning towards Blender may get to be on par with it's power and ability as 3ds and Maya. I got.. 3 semesters left after this fall. I'm hoping to get into a company soon even if it's part time until I graduate.

I thought I'd add that I've been contemplating getting amnesia solely to make my own horror themed stories.

Edited September 26, 2011 by Vouivre

[Vouivre]

quickie update, added image of the mace.

[grond]

I like the mace Vou! Only thing is that I'd like to see more points and a little smaller, and set them on a sphere. That'll drive the poly count up. Great job on it!

[Vouivre]

Yeah I went for a flange style mace. I'll probably make a second one, this time in blender with more spikes and really made for combat. This way I can learn uv mapping collision and the other goodies. The sword I'm gonna make will be a lot more detailed. If I knew the units oblivion and soon skyrim uses for measurement I'll be able to make stuff that'll be ready for use. I'm learning the concepts behind everything. I got a feeling that maybe by years end, I'll have something to put into Skyrim and Oblivion, and be able to make custom resources. mostly weapons and maybe shields. I'm hoping to figure out how to make armor.. everything else involves texture and UV maps. But thanks! I never thought I'd be able to make a 3d model.. 3ds is very intuitive once you get used to the interface. I'm gonna try blender this weekend and see how I make out. I still want to try learning how to make more complicated stuff and tile sets.

Edited October 7, 2011 by Vouivre

[InsanitySorrow]

If I knew the units oblivion and soon skyrim uses for measurement I'll be able to make stuff that'll be ready for use.

Import a Vanilla sword model and use that as a reference for the scale, you can even use the collision from it too.

[Vouivre]

Good point, I'll be able to figure it out then. Makes life much simpler, so that still leaves UV mapping. -deep bow- I do appreciate all the compliments and comments. It's been a major esteem booster to know I have some promise.

[Vouivre]

Finished model, not textured but finished. 1066 polygons... I think i did a very good job pulling this together. I'll try my hand at uv mapping. Now i'm mildly tempted to take my handle design and improve it for another blade.

Should I texture this and put it in game or make my own and do it? Thoughts?

[donnato]

Awsome Vou.. Only thing is the backward spikes on the quillons...Might make it a bit painful to wield..no?..

Edited October 11, 2011 by donnato

[Vouivre]

Yeah on the cross guard they're pointing towards the tip of the blade, the handle and your hand would be well protected. The end piece pommel.. was a pain.. trying to make the claws like on the actual sword itself.. I have no idea how to make em. My next sword I plan on working on is a fire sword. Gonna plot out designs the handle and sword guard should be easy.. I got an idea for the pommel too. I gotta admit.. I'm addicted now.

[ResolveThatChord]

Looking very nice indeed! keep up the great work; the improvement is quite tangible for such a short amount of time!

[Vouivre]

Thanks, the only problem I can forsee me having with this, is the texturing/uv mapping.

[Vouivre]

Plane Germany's prized secret plane from WWII. It came out WAY better than I thought it would

[donnato]

Whoa very cool Vou...

[grond]

Great great stuff! Did you sculpt the plane? Or use proportional editing?

Unwrapping is a brain teaser. Following IS's directives, I've made an uneasy friendship with seams. Unwrapping is almost becoming a fun step. You'll get it, I'm sure.

[Vince]

Vouivre,

I'm glad I dropped by this thread.

Relative to Blender, the latest Blender Nif Scripts still require Blender 2.49b. I'm not sure when a .nif exporter will be available for Blender 2.5x. Since you like 3ds Max, are you aware that there is a scaled down version available free: Gmax? The 3ds Max exporter at Nif Tools works with Gmax, so you can export .nif files directly.

Relative to texturing and UV mapping, it can take a long time to master. I'd suggest you start with something simple. It's much easier, for example, to UV map a rectangular wooden board than a human face.

I seems like you have the determination, and are willing to do the work, to progress quickly. Good luck!

Let me know if you stumble over a bump in the road. I might be able to hammer it down a bit.

[Vouivre]

Thanks vince, we'll be working on organic modeling in class i think this week. Though I'll definitely get gmax and get stuff going that can be thrown in game. The plane was modeled using 3 different images top side and front. basically cloned extruded and stretched to get to completion. I'll eventually play with unwrapping and proper uv mapping. I'll have to look into texturing how to take a map and make a texture to fit it. hopefully i'll have time this week with more exams and homework to try to get free time in to practice.

[Vouivre]

Character missing hands for now but it's a start, Never done organic modeling before or armor.. or well much of anything before taking this class. I eventually want to learn how to model armor/weapons proficiently so it looks more professional.

Complete again it's not perfect but it's something

Edited December 11, 2011 by Vouivre

[syscrusher]

...my very first mesh that I ever really made and manipulated. I'm proud that I remembered how to cut stuff out with boolean and using extrude and other little tools. It has 3 doors, for the heck of it. Eventually I'll try to get my claws into texturing the big thing is trying to get into drawing/painting.

A big old to you!

I'm teaching myself Blender, mostly for modding but also because it turns out I can use it in my paying job on an occasional basis. The decision to learn Blender was not a slam-dunk for me, even though I have many years of CAD experience that helps a lot with the concepts. But I've never once regretted spending the time. I am beyond "beginner" now but still not anywhere close to "expert." I'd call myself "proficient" with non-animated work and "very very novice" with animation.

The thing about learning Blender or 3DS for modding is that you unlock a whole new realm of possibilities. It's not just "I can do more than before", but rather "I can do something entirely new." I was working on my town mod yesterday, for example, and was wishing that one of the Chorrol middle-class house interiors had an interior wall where it didn't, and had a door frame moved a bit. So...two hours later, I had a customized mesh that meets my needs exactly.

So, I guess what I mean to say, is I'm really happy for you taking this step that a lot of modders either don't have time to do, or are afraid to try. :-) Mesh modeling is just plain *fun*. Now, please remind me I said that the next time you hear me cussing at a troublesome UV texture map.

[syscrusher]

Yeah I went for a flange style mace. I'll probably make a second one, this time in blender with more spikes and really made for combat.

Your mace looks pretty good to me.

I happen to be a Middle Ages living history participant, and would like to offer a suggestion as you begin your weapon and armor modding career: Understand the difference between fantasy weapons and real ones. There is a place and time for both, and of course a video game is not meant to be a history lesson. But warriors throughout history tested and discarded millions of ideas that got their brothers-in-arms killed, and the weapons we see in museums are the product of thousands of years of field-testing "the hard way."

I cringe every time I see a weapon mod that has a sword with a blade so huge that only an ogre could wield it. I have a couple of authentic-weight replicated swords, and I can tell you from personal experience that swinging even a 4 pound (2 kg) weapon for more than a few minutes is *serious* work. Yes, there were heavy war hammers and axes, and of course in the game you have a world where magic is real and that giant sword could be wielded by an ogre because, well, there *are* ogres! The historical weapons, though, can help you distinguish between something that's "beyond historical, but plausible with a little bit of fantasy and magic added," and something that is so wildly implausible as to be ridiculous.

Your mace is on the good side of that line, as far as I'm concerned. :-)

Don't ever let anyone convince you that a weapon has to be fancy to be worth creating. Real weapons -- not the ceremonial swords carried by kings -- are durable and lethal, not (necessarily) pretty. A simply-designed dagger can have its own kind of sinister beauty. Your mace has that sort of look, to my eye, and I like it.

Take a look online, if you haven't already, and get inspired by the widely-diverse ways people have found for killing one another in the centuries before gunpowder. You might also find the Osprey books on historical weaponry and armor to be a good source of ideas.

Edited March 11, 2012 by syscrusher

[Vouivre]

Thanks, I'll be going back to modeling sometime over the summer I think. But Right now I'm actually working on a couple projects, one is a large scale skyrim project with a group, another is a second skyrim mod. and probably another one for something else over the summer/fall.

And for a small update- I made my first little music track using ACID music studio today, it came out surprisingly nice.

A small haunting melody... it's something I think I'd see more in Fallout, like a haunted mansion of sorts.. perhaps even Silent Hill?