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3D & Animation The DrGuppy Static Mesh Thread! *applause*

[TW]DrGuppy

Tripwire Interactive Staff
Nov 22, 2005
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Atlanta, Georgia
Since there's not a whole lot of mapping I can do until Ostfront comes out I've decided to take up modelling/skinning so I can stop stealing static meshes from everyone else to use in my maps. :rolleyes: I've decided to use the Maya PLE 7.0 (Personal Learning Edition) after trying MAX 5 for a week or so of stress-filled fun. This is my first attempt at modelling (unless a cube tutorial counts ;) ), so comments are more than welcome!

Step aside Dingbat and your awesome high poly models, there's a new kid in town! :p

German Entrenching Tool - (Poly Count = 293)

GermanEntrenchingTool.jpg


Yes, there are watermarks because the PLE version of Maya is free. Also, please don't comment on the texturing quite yet, because I haven't started. Photoshop isn't being nice to me at the moment.

I will be updating this thread as I go along the merry path of learning to make static meshes for use in RO:O. Until next time... uh, stay in school.
 
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Great spade, but I have a little critic, if that picture was your reference: The seam between the blade and the handle seems not as smooth as in the pic, and also might not be positioned right, but that's hard to tell from that angle...

Yours seems to look like this:


While the one on the image would rather look like this:


Sorry for the very rough sketches, but that's as good as it can ge using a friggen touchpad and paint :( no "tools" at the office...
 
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worluk said:
thats most certainly a question how many (or better few) polies you want to fit in the model

Well, you won't use that much more polys if you do it that way... and you can save some by using simply a texture to define the metal "tongue" sticking out on the handle behind the ankle.
 
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That angle makes it look a lot worse than it really is but you're right. I'm leaving that part up to my texture as it will be partially dirtied up anyways. I origionally started to model that part but the curvature of it all sucked up too many polies so I had to revert to this simpler method.

Keep in mind that this is a very short shovel and will be fairly small in-game. Basically the same size as the ones carried around in the mod.
 
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I'm certainly no expert, but for what it's worth:

293 polies isn't bad, but you have to consider where the mesh is going to be used. It's almost certainly a decoration mesh, right? By that I mean it's a non-essential mesh to be used as a decoration in a scene. Players aren't likely to examine it too closely, so precision and absolute accuracy may not be necessary.

Ok, a specific comment: When you do use this mesh, I suspect you'll stick it blade first in the terrain some place to make it look like someone's been using it for digging and then left it. In that case, the tip of the blade won't be viewable. If that's true, you can probably get rid of the bevel you have on the tip of the blade and simply make it square. You can save a few polies there.

The ring on the handle can be done in texture, so I'd remove that as well.

You could probably cull a few polies from the tip of the handle too.

It looks really good atm, Guppy. Perhaps too good for a low poly decorative mesh. :)

Nice work
 
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DingBat said:
Ok, a specific comment: When you do use this mesh, I suspect you'll stick it blade first in the terrain some place to make it look like someone's been using it for digging and then left it. In that case, the tip of the blade won't be viewable. If that's true, you can probably get rid of the bevel you have on the tip of the blade and simply make it square. You can save a few polies there.

please oh, please, and this is to all 3d guys, dont leave polys out just because you have one certain scene in mind. Its the most annoying thing when you go through the static libs and want to use semething just to realize you cant place it the way you want cause some parts are missing. Thats no problem with things like buildings etc.
 
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The best thing there, Guppy, is to set your scale in Maya appropriately.

I don't know Maya at all, but in Max, I set the scale to be the same as uu's. I can also create a player skeleton at about 100-128 uu's to represent a player. I would be totally surprised if there wasn't something similar in Maya.

Try to find Koetje or savethejets in the mapping channel. They both use Maya.

I know how to import meshes from Max so I might be able to help you sus it out if you find me online as well. Also, don't forget to center the pivot point when you export the mesh. It always pisses me off, as a level designer, when meshes have some ridiculous pivot. :)
 
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worluk said:
please oh, please, and this is to all 3d guys, dont leave polys out just because you have one certain scene in mind. Its the most annoying thing when you go through the static libs and want to use semething just to realize you cant place it the way you want cause some parts are missing. Thats no problem with things like buildings etc.

I misspoke. I don't mean leave the tip of the blade off, I mean make it square. The bevel that's there at the moment wastes polies and, for most uses, won't be visible anyway. Even if the tool is lying flat on the ground, it will be hard to justify additional polies at that point.

Unfortunately, part of creating low poly 3d models is considering where they will be used.
 
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worluk said:
please oh, please, and this is to all 3d guys, dont leave polys out just because you have one certain scene in mind. Its the most annoying thing when you go through the static libs and want to use semething just to realize you cant place it the way you want cause some parts are missing. Thats no problem with things like buildings etc.

Yeah, it's good level design practice, especially with buildings built for very specific locations.

Good work DrGuppy, I think that handle is where a bit of your poly count is ending up. The knob seems tapered a little be differently than the reference, and you could probably cut 24 triangles in reshaping it (if the handle is six sided, it looks six sided). Can't wait to see the skin!
 
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FlashPanHunter said:
Yeah, it's good level design practice, especially with buildings built for very specific locations.

well, as i said, with building i dont see the problem. I think its rather lame to take static buildings from other maps anyway. Makes the new map look like the original :/ sorry, if i stepped on someones foot with this.
But i think most know the clock static, with the missing bottom, or some cupboard that doesnt have a back. I can understand if you do this if you male them for a specific map and location, but if you want to also make them available for other mappers....
 
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Good suggestions everyone, keep em coming. I've fixed up the entrenching tool but it still needs more work. Tonight I've made an icicle and a petrol can. I'm not going to show you the icicle because it's... a cone, coming in at an exciting 8 polies. I'll let you visualize how awesome it is in your heads. Anyways, here's the petrol can:

Petrol Can - (Poly Count = 207)


PetrolCan.jpg
 
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Very nice, Guppy.

It would help me to know how best to respond if I understood your goals better. Are you doing this to:

1. Learn modelling
2. Produce accurate models
3. Produce low poly game models

I'm assuming #3 with a little #1 (since that's where I'm at). Let me know if this is an incorrect assumption.

I think this model looks really good, but could stand to lose some polies. Maybe someone with more experience could weigh in here, but I'd think a reasonable budget for an essentially square object like this would be around 100 polies.

Perhaps make the corners less rounded. The handles eat up a bunch of polies, of course. The widget that the handles attach to, could you simply square that off and lose all the curves? It also looks like there might be a bevel around the top of the can. If so, that could go too.

This is the kind of feedback I'd like if/when I post a model so I hope this is helping you. If not, let me know. :)

Also, if you could post wireframes, it makes it a lot easier to comment.
 
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DrGuppy said:
A mix of all 3, with the high priorities going to producing low poly game models and learning modelling. It's down to 175 polies now after a few reductions. Here's the wireframe so you can get a better look at it. Also got the entrenching tool down to 137 (from 293).

Allthought the last time i modeled is years away (milkshape... what an awsome little proggie :D) I still like to be a smartass.

You could cut off some polies at the handle. No need for them to have ten sides, rather eight (or six, but some might object that it would look too hexagonal then...)

The front plate for the handles could be a single square wiht alphamapped curves in the textures (if that is possible...).

And the curved edges would work too if they only had one side, and not two.

other than that, great canister :D

EDIT: Oh, and the price tags are missing ;)
 
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