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Robert's Sketchbook


alvordr
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It looks ceremonial. I say that because it's quite handsome and the handle is very short for the two handed job of clobbering enemies (and preserving a respectable distance from the enemy's sword, mace or axe).http://nortonsafe.search.ask.com/pictures?geo=US&q=Double+Sided+Battle+AXE&prt=360&locale=en_US&o=15527&chn=retail&ver=20&tpr=10

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First very good workmanship all around. Since you are asking, where the sides meet the top or bottom of the ax could use a little tightening of the edges, just a little bit if possible. To me right now the edges resemble a more woody look as they are fairly rounded looking in your render.

On a side note is really good to see more users posting their wips and finished works... :paint2:

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Thanks, folks. I have to agree on both counts. I thought about the very same thing about the handle after it was all done. I just didn't want to have to go through it all again. Maybe there's a way to tweak it, but I don't see a good way around simply having to redo it. I've already done that once...LOL! The only problem with making the edges tighter is how 3D Coat throws fits over thin edges. I might tweak it in another app, post 3DC.

My main focus when creating this asset was to do something that pushes my skills further and is more than just a simple axe. Keeping that in mind will make redoing this again more fun. I kept the original base sculpt, so that I could create more double-bladed axes more quickly.

Edited by alvordr
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OK, I managed to make the changes in another program, but getting it to go into my chosen renderer for these shots meant pulling the handle and the stem and the head away from each other in order to get them to line up properly. It doesn't matter, really, as I'll push this into a game engine and not have to do any of that. I may just redo it all anyway, but for now, I'm happier with the final composition. It's already been reposted, so the fixes show up in the original post above. Thanks for the inputs!

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  • 2 weeks later...
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While working on this one and it went from an old lady to a manly-ish alien with gills. I'm having trouble with getting the gills to look like gills...I can see it in my head, but I'm having problems in the execution:

AlienWithGills.png

Anatomy-wise, I realize it doesn't make total sense, as a fish's mouth would be angled parallel to the gills, but this is an alien, so I'm not sure where to go with it. My thought is to finish it up and then take it into Photoshop and have it breath a smokey gas, instead of water. I can see that the eyebrows, the nose and some other areas need touching up, as well.

Edited by alvordr
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I can see it in my head, but I'm having problems in the execution:

So, how true, The old animators said, your brain needs to be in your pencil or for us sculpting form. I struggle with this daily but push on...

Good start on this work...

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I just wanted to comment on what an outstanding job you do displaying even your works in progress. I especially like when you show the underlying mesh, like on the axe asset. Also the way you show the model from various views. Keep them coming!

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I'm gun shy on calling this one done, but it's about as far as I have patience to take it, at the moment. Still looking for a job, so that takes priority. I had some feedback in another forum to work on the handle a bit more and to possibly make the runes more Gaelic, rather than geometric, but I'm not sure I want to change much, other than the handle. and the blade...perhaps some better painting on the other metallic areas. I really want to be able to paint reflection maps using 3DC, rather than using a layer for something else to use for a reflection map. I want to see the reflection real-time as I paint.

Axe3Comp2.jpg

Edited by alvordr
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Don't change the runes. Gaelic runes are cool too, but there's already plenty of it.

I found yours good. When you talk about reflection map, is it specular? No?

I wonder what will come out of the creature you started and which colors you will chose for it.

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@Garagarape

I was thinking the same thing about the runes. A reflection map would dictate where and how reflective the surface is. There's specularity which dictates how shiny something is, but reflecting light vs reflecting images are different. This would add complexity and power to 3DC not seen in most packages. Add in custom HDR or EXR support to the renderer in 3DC, and we'll have a very nice boost to the render room.

@Carlosan

Thank you. I'm not completely happy with it, yet, but I'm happy enough to have it on my portfolio. I just did this loaf of bread in about 30 min (model was 15, retopo and painting was 15). The poly count is at 192 quads / 380 tris, which is a bit high for me, so I'll probably rework it.

BreadLoaf.jpg

Edited by alvordr
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Thanks! I'm still having problems with it showing up properly in UDK, but I did manage to finalize my portfolio shot of it...tweaked the textures and lighting. Would love to sacrifice some polys, but I'm having a hard time getting rid of more and retain the shape.

BreadLoaf.jpg

Edited by alvordr
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Good point. It was a setting I never bothered to mess with before, as I didn't realize what it did. If you select your material in the browser, double click, properties, and uncheck the "Allow Lightmap Specular" option, this fixes the odd angular problems I saw in the mesh. However, I lost the specularity, altogether, until I used a dynamic light. This uses more instructions for the dynamic lighting, but I believe saves on the lightmap specular instructions. I can't say anything of the "behind the scenes" benefits, but it definitely looks better.

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