Cyclops normal mapped game character model (W.I.P)

[Poly_pusher]

Hello All,

I am currently working on a new project, the process of which I wanted to share with all of you here. I am going to be posting my entire process, from the concepts (below) to the final ZB Model and textured game model. So I am starting this from the ground up, with one aim in mind; generating a highly detailed normal map for a game model using ZB’s wonderful ability to add massive amounts of detail to a mesh and then to grab a normal map from it, which will then be projected onto a lower resolution game model.

I am going to post this as I go. So far I’ve only done the concept work, and a little base modeling in Max. I’ll update this regularly, and share my whole process for those who are interested. Hopefully the end result will yeild a finished, game ready model with good textures and lots of nice normal map details.

So the idea here is to create a low-res base model from these concepts for ZB detailing, But it will also double up as a nicely refined game model at the same time. So I am allowing myself 4000-ish polys for this.

So here goes, and this first post is really all about the concept work, and immediately below is the first design that I did. Here he’s blowing a Boromir like horn, it’s a charge horn and a HELP! I am in deep-sh*t horn.

As you can see, here he’s starting to look a lot more yetified, trollish and monster like, which is good, we like monster!

Any feedback, comments or criticism are welcome.

I’ll be posting the progress of the base/game model in the next few days…

PP

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=25560

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[Moochie]

Thanks for sharing your creative / development workflow. It will be fascinating to see it develop. The character looks cool, so this should be fun. Is 4000 polys the optimum number for a game character?

[ilusiondigital]

Love the second one image, fantastic. you can put a tail too.

I wish you luck with the model

…and congratulations, have a solid base 2d drawing

[Poly_pusher]

I am not sure there is an optimum number really. It very much depends on what you’re doing I guess, and on other factors as well, like how many characters are going to be drawn onto the screen at once by the game engine. Certainly this is a very reasonable amount when considering some of the new and up coming game consoles, like the new Xbox. Sometimes though you simply don’t need any more than a few hundred or less for just a small animal or creature.

[Poly_pusher]

Hiya,

Time for an update… I have pretty much finished the low poly base/game model now and I also decided to give him a basic rig, just so I can pose him however I want later on.

Here’s a few Max screens showing the progress of the character. As you’ll see I started off from a box, just adding edges and moving outwards all the time. I started with his torso and worked out to his arms, down to his legs and up to his head. This approach worked really well for me, and I didn’t run into any problems modeling him.

So here is the progress of the body and the head, I just sub-divided the surfaces adding edges where I needed them and tried to make sure that they flowed around the basic anatomy of the creature. It’s a good idea to make sure you’re only using quads, no triangles, as they will pinch when you subdivide the mesh later on. The character is modeled only on the one side, and I simply use mirror/copy/instance to get the other half of his body.

Next post will be in a few more days, I am going to be modeling his other paraphernalia during that time, and playing with his rig a little more. Then it’s on to the really fun part…spending time in ZB for the detailing of the mesh and normal map! Last of all will be the finished normal mapped, textured game character, which I should be able to pose, render and post here…

Any comments, criticisms or questions are welcomed.

Thanks

PP

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[Poly_pusher]

Well I dont know why but a couple of the jpegs wont load in Firefox, but do in I.E. Any one having the same problems?

[Moochie]

cyclops_rig2 is a no-show. All the rest appear fine (IE6). Wonderful work!

[Poly_pusher]

Thanks Moochie, it’s working now…

[Sebcesoir]

Nice shape for 2500 polys… What do you plan to use for your realtime rendering? Max? 3d engine?

[Poly_pusher]

Sorry, didn’t see your question Sebcesoir… yes to Max. it’s really just a test I am doing to better understand the workflow between ZB and Max. So I’m playing with normal maps and learning as I go really. I am only going to be rendering this in Max when its done.

I could also use some help from you guys… I can’t get ZB to generate me a decent normals map. it’s easy to produce a good normals map within Max, and you have great control over it because of the projection cage which can be easily edited. But in ZB its another matter! Maybe I am just not doing it right?

For one thing I can’t get the right export orientation on the map, I feel like I have tried every combination and nothing seems to give as good a result as generating the normals map with Max. However I export the normals map from ZB it looks odd when I bring it into Max.

Well then why not just use Max to create you map, I hear you ask… Well, If I can get a good result from ZB, I’d like to do that. Simply because I can’t import the highest sub-d level mesh from ZB into Max, I don’t have the PC power for it.

Ideally, if I can sort out this whole ZB normals map creation and understand the correct export options for import into Max, I will be able to have a better (higher detailed) result. Any advice, links, tips will be gratefully received.

Anyway, here is an update, I am still working in ZB on the model details, and I have been doing some texturing as I go.

So here’s a few screen grabs of the work so far…

I am probly about 65% done with this, I still have some sculpting left to do, and a fair bit of texturing as well.

Another update soon.

P

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[onelasagnacat]

wooooah!! love it !!

great skin texture especially the white lines !!
congrats

[Mr_micro26]

Nice cyclop, the modeling is very promising.
Excellent so far

[Poly_pusher]

Greetings Zbrushers…

Here is the finished cyclops character model…at last !

My budget for this character was 4000 polys and I have come in a fair bit under that budget at just a tad over 3300, and that includes his spear and horn.

Well thats all folks, hope you like it

Now, what shall I do next…

PP

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[madeleine_spencer]

Good stuff! : ) I love Harryhausen! you should do Krakken next! : D

Scott

[Jason_Belec]

Very nice. Brings back some great memories!

[Sebcesoir]

cool, I think you should put a more shinny material, for thebody, and some shiny/cavity for the fur…

Great job!!

[lemonnado]

Nice! Looks great for that amount of Polys!
LemonNado

[Aztec_soljA]

So very nice and all the concept artwork that is very nice, which brings the idea to incorporate our own drawings, sketches and other things into 3D and make a Challenge about it:D

[BooMMooB]

that looks pretty good indeed. What program did you eventually use to generate the normal map with? It looks like a local space normal map, no?

[Frenchy_Pilou]

Just one eye for this crazzy model
Pilou