Bob's Pizzeria

Was organizing my schoolwork and bumped into this one. This was a scene I did last year for an intro to Maya assignment. I remember wanting to make it a Pizza-bar for Air Pirates. Not sure that entirely came through but it was a lot of fun.


We were asked to take this room and turn it into something with a theme. I kept the stairs and entry way, and added a window peaking into the restaurant.

The rest of the room was populated with several tables and lamps as if it were an outside eating area.

In the end we were asked to create proxies out of all the low polys, and convert them into detailed high poly models. Then we were supposed to bake them into normal maps. It was a little confusing because this was our first experience in Maya, and normal mapping at the same time. I think in the end I only did normal maps on the chairs and tables. The bump on the walls was created with Nvidia Tools in Photoshop.

Modeling Process

So after several creature models, I think I've finally came up with a sound pipeline for getting them done quickly. I'm posting this here because I think a lot of student character modelers who may (or may not) be reading this, have no idea about the alternatives to polygon modeling, and albeit, I think it's a much quicker one.

(Low Poly with Normal, Diffuse, and Specular)

Here's my process:

1. 3ds Max - Block the model in using simple box extrusions
- It can look like crap here. Just make sure that it's entirely quads
- Note: A better way to do this is using Zbrush's Zspheres. But since I'm working in Mudbox, I believe this to be the best way

2. Mudbox - Import and subdivide the model for high-detail sculpting
- Sculpt to 90% completion
- Avoid texture detailing so you can start working on the lowpoly (for the animator)

*3. Topogun - Create a low poly mesh on top of the high-detail sculpt
- Consider your poly-count
- Use this opportunity to focus on clean edgeloops
- Topogun does all the modeling work for you :) Just focus on the topology
- Before exporting to Max, make sure the silhouette reads

(Above: Creature being retopologized in Topogun)

4. 3ds Max - Unwrap and Rig
- Create a quick simple rig to test your edgeloops
- Hand this file to the rigger or animator

5. 3ds Max - Bake Normals and Ambient Occlusion maps

6. Photoshop - Use maps to aid your texturing
This stage can go sort of two ways. You can either go back to your mudbox file and sculpt

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Pros: Intuitive. Removes the constraint of working within a polycount, and allows the artist to focus on sculpting rather than topology.

Cons: Animator does not have a test rig/model to work with until the Hi-Poly sculpt is 90% complete.


Links to the tools I use:
*Topogun - http://www.topogun.com
Xoliul Viewport Shader - http://www.laurenscorijn.com/viewportshader

Building Ava

Listening to: Ugly Casanova - Diamonds on the Face of Evil

Building Ava

Ok so for my Digipen Senior project, I'm working with 5 programmers and 4 other artist to produce a 3rd person shooter. It's going to be a mix between Metroid Prime, Silent Hill, and Mega Man. Sort of sci-fi exploration meets Mega-man power ups, with a bit of a creepy vibe. I'm the Character Artist for the project, so I'm in charge of the 3d character models and textures, which I hope to start documenting on this blog.


So I've been working on the main character Ava for about 4 weeks now. I started box modeling, using our concept artist's sketch as a template. My budget was 5000 polys and I landed a little under that. The detail was used to carefully shape the edgeflow around the armpits and shoulders, something I wanted to improve from the last model I did. I wasn't worried about suit detail at this stage because most of that would be covered in a normal map via sculpting in Mudbox (as seen below).


I decided to use Mudbox because the computers at school have them, and Zbrush is a little trickier when it comes to baking normal maps. Right now I've got a basic diffuse map to help visualize the key areas of the model, and I've began sculpting her suit on a new layer, that way I'm able to alter anatomy and suit detail independent of one another.

Zbrushin!

Been trying to learn this awesome program over the last few days!

This is just a test guy I'm doing for my Dominance War pipleline process (starting with a basic quad mesh that simply represents the boney proportions, then doing all muscle and sculpture in Zbrush! Topology/Edgeflow last) Hoping to start on my actual DW entry soon!

Will probably spend another day detailing the cloth (needs work)

-Peace

Finals Week: Test Renders

These are several test renders for my assignment and upcoming short "Wide Rider".




Our goal is to create a 30-second short by the end of next term using at least one
character and prop. My character makes it to the top of a water slide just to find out that he's forbidden to ride it. When he goes down anyway, hilarity ensues?



These screenshots show the sort of look and feel i'm going with. I'd say my inspiration is a cross between bugs bunny cartoons and the Team Fortress 2 environments.



Lastly we were required to present 30 seconds of our animation as an "animatic", clearly conveying the shots and key poses of the story. I'm hoping to finish the whole thing early next semester to devote more time learning proper modeling and texturing.